HotelChatter has come up with its top 10 list of resolutions it would like to see hotels make for the coming year, from free and functional WiFi to a plethora of outlets for your plugs to more cool art to new hotel reality shows. I’m on board with all but the last one, I think. Though it is always interesting to see behind the scenes, so maybe hotel reality shows wouldn’t be so bad?

What changes would you most like to see in the hospitality business in 2012?

I had the great good fortune on Monday to once again experience the Christmas Revels at Sanders Theater at Harvard. Not only was it a great show (with my little cousin in the children’s chorus—he rocked it), but I noticed something interesting in the program.

Instead of just a note asking people to turn off their cell phones during the show, it said something along the lines of, “Before you turn off your phone, please feel free to Tweet, Facebook, or otherwise share that you’re here enjoying the Revels.” So of course I did. Seems like something that could help spread the word about a conference as well.

In an article on HotelOnline, the 40-year CEO of Marriott explains why he decided it was time to let Arne Sorenson take over the daily grind of leading the hotel company. Here’s a snip: I try to lead from my heart and my heart said, “Now’s the time.” For some reason, many of you thought that we were talking about the “R” word – retirement. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be executive chairman and as I said in numerous media interviews, Arne will be driving the bus, but I’ll still be onboard.

Let’s not even talk about going to the gym more, getting the right number of hours of sleep each night, and pushing away from the Buche de Noel—despite all our good intentions, we just know those resolutions won’t last past Valentine’s Day.

So instead let’s make some resolutions that will make the meetings industry, and hopefully meetings themselves, slimmer, healthier, and more joyous places to be in 2012. Here are a few off the top of my head (in no particular order):

1. Make meetings smaller. I know, we all like to brag about attracting thousands, tens of thousands, scads and scads of people to our events. But if you want to actually get something done, form real bonds, and really learn from each other, give me a small meeting over a monster mash any day.

2. Adjust the session length to what that session needs, not what slot is available in the schedule. That doesn’t mean cramming in more content, but right-sizing each session so those that need lots of discussion time and followup can have it, while those that would be best served by a Pecha Kucha format can do just that. PCMA plans to do this in January at its Convening Leaders conference, and I can’t wait to see how this works in real life. The concept, IMHO, is awesome.

3. Teach your teachers well. They may know their subject matter cold, but if they’re not also experts in facilitating learning, all that content expertise will likely go to waste.

4. Engage the senses, get interactive, wake up your audience to all those wonderful things you’re trying to let them in on!

5. Allow for some downtime, some blank space, some time to take in, assimilate, and apply what people are learning. Why we just shake our heads and laugh ruefully about how the best conversations take place in the hallways without trying to make them an even easier, more organic part of a conference, I’ve never understood. Give them social objects they will enthusiastically focus their learning around, talk with each other about, make them think about how to apply what they learn to what they do.

6. It’s OK to have fun. Really. I know this is a deadly serious conference about X, and all those Y participants are very, very important people. But the keyword is still “people,” and people who laugh together, learn together.

7. Do well by doing good, be it reducing your meeting’s carbon footprint or finding a way to give back to your meeting’s locale. There are so many great ideas out there at every price point that there’s really no excuse for not doing at least something to make your meeting a greener, better world citizen.

8. Find a way to include your virtual audience (and yes, you likely have a virtual audience whether you planned to have one or not). Unless everyone signs confidentiality agreements on the way in the door, at least some of your participants will be tweeting and Facebooking and whatever else social-networking your conference, even for the most decidedly non-hybrid of meetings. Accept it, embrace it, and help those not in the room get at least a taste of what the on-site goodies are from your organization’s point of view.

9. Have a plan in place going in to a meeting to deal with any possible PR fallout from a meeting. This goes for both hoteliers and meetings managers. Just think how much less ink “Muffingate” would have gotten if both sides could have instantly countered the perception with the reality of what that $16 muffin was all about? How much less a hit this business would have taken from the so-called “AIG Effect” if we had been able to explain a boon from a boondoggle from the get-go?

10. Free WiFi for all, everywhere.

I could go on, but I’m in a post-holiday daze at the moment and need to go replenish my blood sugar levels. So you take the reins—what’s on your list?

Robert A. Rauch, CHA, outlines his top 10 trend picks for hotels in the coming year. Among them:

-Look for more capital reinvestment in renovations and refurbishments (I foresee a lot of press releases in my future).

-More online and mobile device booking, and more social media interaction with travelers

-Up but uneven rates and occupancy, where rebounds depend on the destination

What do you see coming next year on the meetings side? Here’s what AMEX thinks is coming.

We all know that our senses don’t work in isolation, that what we see can affect what we taste (which may explain why green ketchup didn’t take off, and why Coke’s plan to help polar bears with a special edition of its regular Coke in white cans freaked out regular Coke drinkers, who insisted that it tasted like Diet Coke even though the formula was exactly the same). Retail stores have soundtracks designed specifically to slow you down so you shop longer.

But it wasn’t until reading this article on cross-sensory perception in The Boston Globe last week that I realized just how much our senses cross over to affect each other. (Though it’s not the same as synesthesia, which has always fascinated me, it has to be related.) A few examples from the article:

Research has found that “people rate potato chips as crisper and better-tasting when a louder crunch is played back over headphones as they eat. A study published this year showed that people thought a strawberry mousse tasted sweeter, more intense, and better when they ate it off a white plate rather than a black plate.”

And while we know that decor and environmental factors can enhance (or detract from) a dining experience, that strong-smelling floral arrangement centerpiece may actually be making the food taste bad. As the article points out: “…we are now beginning to understand that these elements don’t just create atmosphere and associations — they can actually make food taste different. For example, several studies have found that adding red coloring can make drinks taste sweeter, allowing a company to reduce sugar content while turning color up a notch.”

Also according to the article, a company called Condiment Junkie is finding ways to use sound to enhance experiences. For example, “The company has worked with Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, England, run by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, to develop soundtracks to bring out specific flavors in the food, based on their finding that hearing certain sounds (high tones, tinkling pianos) make people perceive a bittersweet toffee as more sweet, while hearing low-pitched tones and trombones make the toffee taste more bitter.”

Why meeting planners should care about all this? Well, for one thing, it’s already spawned a conference of its own to share findings around cross-sensory perception. And it has obvious F&B implications, of course. Here’s another: “And the new work may ultimately affect how the rest of us learn, as well. Shams’s group at UCLA has found that people learn a visual task better when it’s accompanied by sound, for instance — even when they are later tested using only vision.”

But more importantly, just think of all the things we can do to enhance our learning environment if we can quantify other ways in which one sensory input also affects other senses in ways that enhance learning. It sounds like we’re just beginning to untangle how all these sensory interactions mesh to enhance, detract from, amplify, or otherwise affect how we experience the world, and how we learn.

If anyone knows of good research in this area, please let me know. I’m deeply fascinated by the whole topic.

I’ve been linking to him a lot lately, and today we have a guest post from Andy McNeill, principle and CEO, American Meetings, Inc. His topic du jour is finding the right venue for your event. Take it away, Andy!

It only takes one bad experience at a hotel to know that a site inspection at a property is essential. Even then, ensuring that you ask the right questions while on that inspection can save you a lot of headache and extra work. On one program, our staff actually had to prepare and set a breakfast due to the fact the kitchen and banquet staff did not show up. Needless to say, we were not told of the hotels labor issues prior to our arrival on-site. After that unthinkable experience, we always had a meeting with the food and beverage manager at the site inspection!

Site inspection is more than just visiting the property to view sleeping rooms and meeting space. Visually, a property may look great and fit your meeting needs, but if you scratch the surface a bit more, your expectations in their level of service or food quality may leave little to be desired. During your site inspection remember to verify and be comfortable with the five basics of meeting planning: Location, Facility, Hotel Staff, Meeting Space & Food and Beverage. Follow these tips and your property selection will be a success.

Start with the location. How close is the property to a major airport, and what type of recreational activities does the area afford? Is there shopping nearby and what are the latest hot restaurants? Is this a location your group will enjoy? More importantly, does it fit the overall strategy and objectives of the program? Also, think ahead about the hook you can use for your attendees during the recruitment process. Request the top ten most popular activities to do in/around the hotel from the Concierge before you leave.

Another very important step in the process, before you get to the site inspection, is making sure there are no city-wide programs happening during the same dates as your program. A city-wide is when another group or association is taking over a large block of the hotel rooms in a city. If you find yourself, as a smaller group, competing with a larger group, you will always lose. Stay away from a city-wide situation if you can. If you can’t, then make sure you choose a hotel that is not part of the city wide event. This will ensure you will get the attention you deserve. Make sure you ask about any other groups in-house during your stay. If there are groups other than yours, how will they impact your group?

Next, really delve into the creature comforts of a facility. If the property has thought of the little things, you can bet they have thought of service. What is the availability of guest services, for example how many ATM machines are there, where is the concierge desk, and are there safes for valuables in every room? Are the bathroom fixtures updated and are the rooms comfortable and clean? What types of room amenities are offered? HINT: Ask to see the best room on the property and the worst. A good sales person will show you both. Also always ask for free upgrades for your VIP’s and free rooms as a percentage of your total room block. These are standard negotiations and good to request during the site inspection process.

The hotel staff is critical to ensuring a pleasant experience for any hotel guest. Take the time to notice if you were greeted with a smile and by name either in the valet or at the front desk. How long did you wait before getting your rooms keys? Did you get escorted to your room and given an explanation of the hotels amenities. HINT: Call the operator from your sleeping room and see how many rings it takes until they answer the phone and the tone of the operator upon answering.

A key element of this is a strong concierge’s program. A concierge that is knowledgeable and helpful will make your stay and your attendee’s stay truly memorable. They will know the latest hot spot, how to get on the best golf course at the last minute and always knows how to get to a 24-hour dry cleaner. Remember, we are talking about experience here, and experience is perception. Let me give you an example. A recent trip to the Ritz Carlton, Laguna Nigel in California quickly turned into a nightmare for one client. His luggage got lost and he arrived on a Sunday evening when everything was closed. You can imagine the stress of having no business clothes and an entire conference to attend. The concierge was able to call a local suit shop and arranged to have it open that Sunday evening to get the client a suit, shoes and shirts for the next day. You can imagine the smile on his face when he walked out of that shop. The concierge saved the day. A happy staff makes for happy guests.

Nothing will ruin a meeting quicker than bad meeting space. Are there columns or other obstructions on the meeting rooms that may obstruct viewing? Discuss with your meeting planner how your meeting room set-up fits into this room. Should you arrange classroom style or theater seating? Will table rounds work better for your meeting or half rounds? Make these decisions during the site inspection and take advantage of visually of being on-site where you can imagine and get a true sense of the space. Is there an accessible thermostat in the meeting rooms to easily make temperature changes? If the thermostat is not accessible to your on-site staff, what is the anticipated reaction time for the hotel staff to address and rectify the situation? Are there additional rooms available in the event that the meeting planner needs to provide for last-minute that break outs? HINT: Always negotiate free space and additional rooms for breaks in advance.

Finally, be very comfortable with the property’s ability to offer quality food & beverage service. Review the catering department’s standard group offerings. Confirm tax and gratuities, which will be 26%-35% of your base bill. Challenge the food and beverage staff to come up with unique menus and venues around the property. Also, make sure the room in-service menu meets your specifications for your attendees. HINT: The best way to an attendee’s heart is through the stomach. Offer quality food and suburb customer service for a great experience.

Run through your site inspection with these five areas in mind and you are on your way to a great program. Good Luck, and Happy Planning!

Andy McNeill is president and CEO of American Meetings, Inc., a global event marketing and meeting management company.

“Mission mirroring” is described as “the phenomenon that occurs when an organization [or a meeting, adds me] becomes enmeshed internally in the same conflicts it was founded to deal with externally.” When I read about it on Mark Athitakis’ Acronym post, I couldn’t help but think of all those meeting sessions I’ve been to on how to conduct good, relevant adult education, delivered didactically with hideously convoluted, impossible to read PowerPoint decks, with the speaker all the while saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Uh, disconnect or what?

Mark asks, “Is simply acknowledging the problem quite enough to help fix it?” GIven my meeting example, definitely not, especially since it has been going on for at least the 12 (or is it 13 now?) years I’ve been covering this industry. While I have seen some small improvements (and to be fair, there are some people who rock the house at actually using adult learning principles to teach adult learning principles), it’s all too often still the norm. And these are the educators! I’m not sure what we can do to break this mirror. Any suggestions?

So I guess it’s a good thing that’s where I am as of this afternoon! I’m here for the 4th Annual West Coast Life Sciences Meeting Management Forum, a conference we co-sponsor with The Center for Business Intelligence. It’s held at the beautiful Hilton San Diego Bayfront, which is also where it was last year. In fact, I had a touch of deja vu walking into the lobby and seeing all the gorgeous holiday decorations I so admired last year. I have to get some pictures of them.

One thing I did get a picture of already is something that’s sure to be my downfall (or at least, my diet’s downfall): Dispensers in the lobby that dispense a never-ending supply of white, milk, and semi-sweet chocolate:

Sorry for the fuzz factor on the photo. There’s also what looks to be a Santa, reindeer, and carolers also made out of chocolate, though I didn’t break off a piece of them yet to check! I also had the rare opportunity to take a walk around town this afternoon, and it’s fun to see the different spin on the season they have in SoCal, especially compared to where I come from in traditional New England.

From snow showers to “amusement park” spas (can’t help but wonder what those might be?! Just looked it up—the Arctic Ice Room at Caesars Palace in Vegas includes falling snow) to “eyebrow coaches” (seriously?!), here are the latest spa trends around the world, according to SpaFinder. Who knew there was a health and beauty Facebook game named Spa Life? Obviously, not me, but then again, I’m not much of a spa person. I’ve never even heard the term “blingy beauty” before today—I must live a sheltered life.