Last week, we attended a port tasting. We were celebrating the life of a good friend with several outstanding vintages from his wine cellar. Unfortunately, he had passed away before having the pleasure of enjoying the finest of his treasures. The highlight of the evening was the 1960 Taylor’s Vintage (pictured), which kept its sprightly flavors despite its...
John G. Smale, former CEO of Procter & Gamble and Chairman of GM, passed away earlier this week at the age of 84. He was one of the 'Captains of American Industry.' John was the CEO of P&G during my tenure there in the late 1970’s-early 1980’s. Being a rather lowly Brand Manager in Canada (a seemingly distant outpost of the P&G empire) meant that there we...
Larry has talked extensively about how free WiFi in hotel rooms is a necessity these days. Wireless internet lets travelers work from anywhere - like the comfort of their own bed - instead of being deskbound. As well, tablets, which are rapidly growing in popularity, run exclusively off WiFi (or 3G). For a more convincing take, see Larry's previous artic...
Let’s face it, if you're not always working to keep the lines of communication clear between you and your audience, you risk missing opportunities or overlooking subtleties that could help you communicate more effectively. Specifically, understanding how your audience interprets your message is paramount to its success (or failure). Michael Schrage is a...
With a show so large and overpowering, what do you remember one week later? Trudging through miles of booths for two days, here are some of the highlights. Tablet Computers. The latest object of desire. Two units are about to enter the market and dual with the Apple iPad: the Motorola Xoom and the RIM Playbook. No samples to take home, sorry! HD 3...
While in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronic Show, our CIO's iPhone crashed. A reboot failed to rectify the situation. He carried the phone with him, in the hope of finding a retailer that could help diagnose and repair the problem. One evening around 10PM, we stumbled upon an Apple Store. It was not busy, and the Genius Bar was empty. Placing the iPhone...
Last week, we attended the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This is not the first time we have visited the show, but each time, it seems to be bigger, more glitzy. This year, despite the Great Recession, was no exception. This show is quite literally “porn” for tech addicts. For those who have never visited CES, let me give you a brief ove...
This report is shared courtesy of its originators. Stationed in the Silicon Valley, the Nielsen Norman Group is a consulting firm that emphasizes proper corporate change into the 21st century technology-centric arena by focusing on user experiences and consumer-focused design measures. Although over a year old (decades in Internet time), it is as pertinen...
The past few years have had hoteliers feel like "canaries in the coal mine" as businesses and valuations plummeted. According to the New York Times, things are starting to look up with recent movements from private equity firms as strong signals of change. An example? The imminent arrival of Virgin Hotels in the marketplace looks quite promising; helping...
We all have iPads, and once you get them into your hands, it seems as if you cannot be away from them for long. They do not exactly replace computers, as the raw power in such applications as Microsoft Office are not available. However, they are excellent for browsing the Internet, and we suspect that they will be a primary driving force with any business w...
