Posts from — February 2009

Today is FRIDAY Feb. 13 nice right before Valentines Day. I lost a big piece of business a couple of days ago and was sadly telling my father about it on the phone. Here is what he had to say.

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass …..
it’s about learning how to dance in the rain”

I wrote him the next day telling him how true this was and then I got this back as a reply.

Claire, essentially, ……….. Learning How to Dance in the Rain takes what would be a very demoralizing (bad Business climate) period and seeing what other skills and capabilities you have to stay ahead of the curve, We are continuingly re-inventing ourselves and that is called ACTUALIZATION and GROWTH .

Ok folks want me to define annoying. I will do it..to planners it is meeting room rental. It doesn’t mean that we don’t want the hotels to NOT  charge  rental what this  means is what we want is REASONIBLE RENTAL. I have a client that is using 250 room nights; $32,000++ in F & B and she is getting charged $8,000 in room rental. All of this is bullshit.

Especially in today’s economy.

Oh and here is the kicker. She was NEVER TOLD THERE WAS going to be a room rental what the Marriott  did was just put it on the BEO’s and thought she wasn’t going to notice it. Hotels you do have an obligation to let your clients know meeting room rental in advance. You communicate banqueting prices; I go into Macy’s and get my dress with the price tag on it? So where is the difference?

That is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

HI,

I was out eating with a friend the other day at lunch when something occured to me. It was weird that it has taken this long for me to figure this out but I guess all good things take time.

That it is a a stupid move for restaurants to put desserts on a separate menu. Especially at lunch. When restaurants put desserts on a separate menu it is usually because they have liquor on that menu. The reality is people aren’t drinking at lunch and if they were they would ask . So put desserts on your lunch menu. Lunch is more of a time crunch and people want to make all of their food choices at one time and then be done with it. Plus many times you have to wait for a wait staff to bring the separate menu hence by the time you get this you decide it is easier to pass.

Last comment and this was the same meal..WHY WHY WHY when french fries come with the lunch do servers wait until AFTER the food is served to bring you the ketchup? By then the food has lost some temperature. Bring all the condiments on the front side of the meal if they don’t come with the plate.

This is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

Claire

February’s Monthly Morsel
This month I am going to talk about décor — which requires a different form of taste than what I usually discuss. This one we experience with our eyes, not our mouths…

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As featured in Plan Your Meetings Magazine.

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