A new year means a period of reflection, and this New Year that reflection led to a review of past assignments we had worked on 10+ years ago. I was a little shocked when I reviewed the expat salaries and employment terms of the projects we handled for hotels all those years ago. This shock was not how much these had increased, like when reviewing food or housing prices, but how little they had increased, and in many cases, have actually gone backwards!  As a case study and an example of the malaise throughout the industry, let’s look at the Executive Chef position, generally considered ..read more

Chinese New Year falls on Saturday, February 10, 2024. This date differs every year – so, for example, Chinese New Year 2023 fell on January 22, and in 2022 it was on February 1. The most commonly used calendar in the world – and the one we use – is the Gregorian Calendar, which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It’s a solar calendar based on a 365-day year, divided into 12 months. The Chinese New Year calendar is based on the lunisolar calendar – which is why it’s sometimes called Lunar New Year.  Each year, Chinese New Year is celebrated at the second new moon following ..read more

The history of restaurant menus is a fascinating one, with origins dating back to ancient times. The first recorded menu was apparently found on a stone tablet in ancient Assyria, dating back to 879 BC. The tablet listed the food items served at a banquet hosted by King Ashurnasirpal II, which makes it one of the world’s oldest surviving menus. The modern restaurant menu as we know it today has its roots in France. During the 18th century, restaurants began to offer patrons a choice of dishes from a list, rather than serving a set meal. This was a significant departure from the traditional co ..read more

First impressions are crucial in many aspects of our life, and in hospitality in particular, it can be make or break for you personally or the business. A first impression is an opinion you form of someone when you first meet them and often takes less than a minute or two to form.  A lot of what you think of them comes from assumptions and physical observations and is also influenced by cultural or societal bias.  For this reason, you can make a different first impression on different people, as they’re going to make their assumptions in varying ways. If you’re able to make a good f ..read more

For hoteliers the holiday season can be a contrasting period – some will be relaxing after the pre-Christmas craziness, whilst other are smack in the middle of one of their busiest periods of the year which will continue well into January. In other parts of the world it’s just another work day… Whichever is the situation for you, all of us at The Elite Hotelier and Elite Search hope you get to spend time with your families and loved ones and wish you the very best for the holidays and to a prosperous, peaceful and successful 2024. I think we all need to find ways to smile, so here are a few of ..read more

In past years when we received an assignment to look for a Hotel General Manager, many clients had very particular and specific requirements. It often seemed that nothing was ever good enough; only the best would do, all had to have a super-luxury background, MBA’s, 20 years of experience, but still be in their thirties and so it went on… Fast forward to the new reality of hospitality post Covid 19, and how it seems things have changed. The very same international companies that had previously insisted that only a highly trained and experienced European hospitality professional would do, have ..read more

Food is not only a necessity for life, but also a source of pleasure, comfort, culture and creativity. Movies often use food as a way to explore themes such as love, friendship, family, identity, power and conflict. Below is our initial choice of some of the most iconic food scenes in movies and why they are so memorable. If you have a favourite not listed here, let us know in the comments below… When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Katz’s Deli This scene is probably one of the most famous food scenes in movie history, and for good reason. Sally (Meg Ryan) proves to Harry (Billy Crystal) that women ..read more

In our ever complicated and technology obsessed present and future, is the humble telephone slowly becoming irrelevant? Mobile telephony was a futuristic progression 30 or 40 years ago, but in the 21st century do we even need a phone? Well of course we do you say, we all have mobile(cell) phones. Well yes and no… We generally all have powerful portable computers in our pocket that we use to check social media, or surf the internet, or shop, or complete our banking, but unless your job depends on it, how often do you actually make a voice call on your phone? Now with video call available throu ..read more

You hear this old joke all the time – “How can you tell if someone is vegan? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you, again and again and again…” Much is written about veganism and vegan food and how it can improve our life and the environment, aside from being entertainment for the mainstream population. Having been one of those individuals that gave this a good try (I lived a 100 % vegetarian life for six months) here are my observations and thoughts.  Veganism is currently defined as a way of living that attempts to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, be it from food, clothing ..read more

Given the nature of the hotel business it is only normal to expect that we might have the discomforting experience to occasionally come into contact with death…  Deaths in hotels occur for a variety of reasons and largely go unnoticed, but once in a while a celebrity is involved, it hits the headlines and forever that hotel is associated with that person and how they met their maker… So, in no particular order, here are some the most infamous celebrity deaths and the hotels made famous as a result. The London Hilton on Park Lane Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of the pop group The Cra ..read more