++INSIDE WORKINGS++
Many of you have written, over the past several weeks, wondering what exactly is involved with the production of this newsletter and who is "behind it". Let's start with the "behind it"; that would be Lou Taverna, currently residing in the wonderful mid-South, a.k.a Memphis/Germantown, TN. My travels have taken me from Upstate NY (Syracuse Region), down to FL and one of the fastest growing areas of the U.S. -- that being Cape Coral & Fort Myers. After 15 years there (FL) I shuffled off to North Carolina. NC is still my personal favorite, simply because it truly has four seasons - most likely I'll be back
there within a year. The past 20 years have found the editor in some various forms of the Hospitality Industry.

As for the newsletter production; it is kept simple in format to make it easily read, web site "linking" is held to a minimum (there are enough "link only" information pieces available via e-mail). The newsletter is formatted using Netscape Version 4.5, spell checked by cut & paste to MS-Word because of the size of the dictionary, e-mailed to the editor
(yours truly) first to make sure all "looks" fine and finally mailed to you via the BCC:Function in Netscape Communicator for privacy concerns - no e-mail address of any other recipient is revealed this way and the editor often encourages others to follow these privacy guidelines - many don't. Netscape Communicator does have limits on the number of e-mail
addresses allowed (fortunately it isn't full yet at 1,915+ subscribers). An early morning (U.S.) delivery is targeted because of Internet congestion, once we approach 10AM-EST. It does make a difference. The newsletter subscriber database is maintained in MS-EXCEL, backed up in  MS-Word and off loaded to an Iomega 100Meg disk for safe storage. Lastly, the newsletter is archived to the web site within a few hours.

++LISTS VS BOTS++
Along the lines of the above -- many wonder what is the difference between an e-mail newsletter delivered like this one (technically manually) and one delivered by a "bot". Well the "bot" has connotations to a robot -- it is more or less an automatic function and often (but not always) simply "reviewed" by a human from time to time. Many prefer the manual aspect, because it allows for an e-mail conversation to take place if needed (many want to ask questions when subscribing like -- "is
it really free or can you e-mail to a different address?). The "bot" lists generally have a set of commands i.e., subscribe, unsubscribe, with very little interaction at all. From an expense/time standpoint, the "bot" is the way to go. From a truly personal point of view, the manual application offers much more flexibility and a personal touch simply not found with a "bot".

++DINING CARDS++
When was the last time you participated in a Dining Club or Dining Card? There seems to be less and less use of these regional/national specials and are you going it alone now? The restaurants/restaurantors use to have frequent dining specials, the old "card punch" business card (buy 9 dinners - get one free) but the visibility of these programs is waning.
On the hotel side, we've all seen a definite increase in the frequent stay programs and point accumulations often tied to additional nights stay, or even exchanges with the airlines in mileage programs. Make sure your guests are reminded and encouraged about any special programs you have in place. The marketing folks spend an enormous amount of time and
money putting these programs together -- most are only successful if each employee does his or her part in pointing out the benefits in an easy to understand manner. Some programs simply seem too complicated to guests/clients, and often result in a lack of usage.

++DIET++
From time to time we encourage some fun here. One of the eyebrow raisers this past two weeks has been the number of you entering the drawing for the $25.00 Outback Steakhouse Gift Certificate. Nearly 700 have entered - so much for the fear of red meat and the diet concerns often championed on the airwaves! If you wish to enter (entries close June 9th, winner to be announced with the issue of June 15th) please see the past newsletter issue {{https://www.hospitality-1st.com/News29txt.html}} -- look for the "REWIND" paragraph.

++LASTLY++
Sometime after 3:00PM-CST today, you'll be receiving the latest edition of the Hospitality Positions Available -- numbering in excess of 165 positions and growing. Continued appreciation to everyone involved and it is great hearing from so many of you (both those seeking and those posting positions) about the success of this service. The number of employers turning to expanded web placement listings increases weekly and you're encouraged to check the hospitality positions online when you
have a moment or two. The link is provided below along with other resources found on the Hospitality 1ST web site.

Brief is best,
Lou Taverna, Editor
Hospitality 1ST = hospitality-1st.com
Member: HSMAI
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To unsubscribe (just ask) LTaverna@Hospitality-1st.com