Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

The Travel + Leisure Magazine selected 2011’s hottest hotels, six of which were also featured in this MSNBC News video. Let’s check them out and see why they deserve the “hot spots.” The Nines @ Portland OR: A fashion-oriented and green hotel, $199 (per night). The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa @ Scottsdale, AZ: A high-end resort and spa in the desert, $199. The Palazzo @ Las Vegas, NV: An all-suite hotel that features a poor club (new trend in Vegas), $199. The Greenbrier Hotel @ White Sulphur Springs, WV: A family resort, $199. The Casamagna Marriott Resort @ Cancun, Mexico: A family resort, $179. Hotel Villa Cipriani @ Asolo, Italy: An Italian escape, $249. These properties represent a variety of market segments in the lodging industry, some of which also have a long history of success. I wonder if any students in my Hotel & Resort Operations class will use one of these hottest hotels as an example when they profile a lodging product.  ...

Today’s two short MSNBC videos are about food technology. Video I shows a restaurant in Jinan China that uses robots to serve food. To me, these robots look no more than just some “moving food carts,” but it is an interesting concept. At least, the restaurant has put itself on the news. I personally like the e-menu concept better. Video II is about vending machines in Nanjing China that sell live hairy crabs. It seems that technology has allowed us to sell almost anything in vending machines (we talked about selling fresh fruit and vegetables in vending machines before). Isn’t it amazing? Actually, selling live crabs in vending machines is easier than what many people may assume. Crabs are in “habitation” under cold temperature. In Syracuse, I buy live blue shell crabs in the morning and usually keep them in the fridge before I cook them for dinner. They will be alive but remain very “calm” in the fridge. So, it is feasible to sell live hairy crabs in refrigerated vending ...

Mobile food truck is not a new concept. Customers may expect items of hot dogs, ice cream, sandwiches, burgers, BBQ, or some “easy-fixed” food. According to this Fox News video, several gourmet food chefs in LA are now participating in the mobile food truck phenomenon. So, as a restaurant manager, how would you like to promote your gourmet food menu on the street? As a consumer, how would you like trying out gourmet food on the street? Interested in relevant discussion? Please visit the following topics: Tips on starting a mobile food business Become a mobile food entrepreneur Mobile food truck and social media A Facebook News Television story about mobile food truck

With nearly 650 million unique visitors last month, Facebook outpassed Yahoo by about 20 million and has become the 3rd largest website in the world. The top two largest websites are Google and Microsoft. Today, people in Mainland China have access to Google and Microsoft but not Facebook. Last week, Mark Zuckerberg visited China and met with several CEOs of the top IT firms in Beijing. Can you imagine what will happen if China opens its door to Facebook? Facebook is now the No. 1 visited website in the U.S. and the No. 1 website on which Americans spent the most time . The time may come very soon when Facebook becomes the most visited website of the world and the website on which human beings spent the most time.  

Innovation is extremely important in today’s business. So, what are the top 10 innovations of 2010? According to this CNN News video, they are: 10. The Rebirth of 3-D 9. Google’s Driverless Car 8. Malaria-Proof Mosquito 7. Motorcycle Jacket Airbag 6. Lab-grown Lungs 5. Launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 4. Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 3. Bionic Legs Help Paraplegic 2. Electric Cars 1. Apple’s iPad Regardless what criteria CNN used when making this list, many of these innovations have direct impacts on our lives. IPad indeed received the most attention from me as I have talked about using iPads in enhancing guest service , hotel training , restaurant menus , and wine list in this blog. In your opinions, what is the No. 1 innovation of the year?

Bob Dixon is a businessman and looking for a job on LinkedIn. He ended up helping veterans find jobs by giving his professional critics on cover letters , resumes , and interview skills on LinkedIn. I agree with Bob Dixon that (a) cover letter is a marketing tool and needs to get recruiters’ attention and (b) resume is the key to get an interview and needs to emphasize a job seeker’s qualifications that fit in a particular position. Even though these two documents have two purposes, they all need to show off job candidates’ strengths and qualifications with quantifiable facts and specific accomplishments. It is no doubt that Bob Dixon is providing great service on LinkedIn. He networks with other LinkedIn users and demonstrates his expertise by helping others, which is also an important social-media job-search tactic . I hope more headhunters will reach him after they see Bob Dixon’s featured interview on Fox News. He has my best wishes for finding his dream job. Job search is be...

Holiday is a good time to show appreciations to those who consistently provide great service over time. The question is how much is considered the “right” amount of tipping? Different service professionals have different expectations. The embedded MSNBC and ABC News videos show us some tips on holiday tipping. Generally speaking, the “right” amount equals to a one-time service fee that a person pays per visit. So, if a person pays $200 per visit to his/her hair stylist, s/he should tip no less than $200 on his/her visit during holiday. I actually do not use the same hair stylist. I tip my hair stylist 15% to 20% every time when I have my hair cut. I believe that’s reasonable. I give presents or gift cards to those people who work closely with me at work and those who have helped me over time. And yes, the amount of tips I spend on the garage attendants and the receptionists in my apartment varies --- I give more to those who are nice to me as compared to those who are just doing thei...