General Information
Hospitality Foundation Program
April 12-16, 2010 -- Granville, OH
>> Just Announced:  August 2-6 -- Granville, OH <<

Mark your calendar. The Hospitality Foundation Program -- the first step in becoming certified as A Place of Hospitality -- is coming up in April ... and I would love to have you be part of it. Toward that end, here is more information on what is involved and how to get your name on the list.

What is The Hospitality Foundation Program?
The Foundation Program is just what the name implies -- the foundation that makes the "impossible" promise of A Place of Hospitality possible. I promise you there is nothing like this anywhere else in the industry.

True hospitality doesn't come from what you DO, it is a result of how you ARE. This creates a training dilemma. You know how to teach people what to do, but how do you help people learn to BE different? For that matter, how do YOU learn to be different? That's where the Foundation Program comes in.

The Foundation Program is a wonderfully natural experience of seeing life from a deeper, more meaningful perspective. The insights you gain will allow you to more readily see solutions to most of your thorniest problems, make your personal relationships more meaningful and truly allow you to create A Place of Hospitality that will draw patrons like a magnet.

We will explore the true spiritual nature of human beings -- before the fact of philosophy, religion, or psychology. We certainly do not present any dogma -- religious, psychological or otherwise -- but people who have attended such programs often say that they always wanted to learn more about their spiritual nature and how to integrate that depth of feeling into their businesses.

We will also talk a bit about the support pieces of the hospitality program but most of our time together will deal with helping the attendees come to a deeper understanding of what makes people (including themselves) tick.

The Foundation Program is designed to help you gain a fresh perspective on the human side of the hospitality equation. It teaches skills and principles that will allow you to eliminate chronic stress and create a closer connection with the others in your life. It helps you understand what makes people tick in a way that lets you quickly see to the heart of every interpersonal issue you face.

The Foundation Program will help you create and sustain an organization that functions effortlessly and requires less of your personal time; one that also enjoys high staff morale, increased productivity, low turnover and a genuine sense of guest service.

In other words, this is the foundation of understanding that will set you apart from the competition and allow you to truly become A Place of Hospitality.

How Does This Program Work?
The Foundation Program is very different from anything you ever attended before in that it does not teach content. You learn how the system works, of course, but the primary purpose of the Hospitality Foundation Program is to introduce Principles that will lead you to individual insights -- those "Aha" moments that result in lasting personal change.

Leaders are always looking for ways to increase employee productivity and the quality of the guest experience. Most have found approaches like motivational speakers, behavior modification, team-building, rewards/consequences, and values training produce results that are short-lived, leaving leaders still in search of the illusive "silver bullet."

Those leaders who do gain lasting value from some traditional programs do so for reasons that seem puzzling or mysterious. The "mysterious" variable in human performance is the level of mental well-being. It's mental toughness, mental health, and "getting your mind right."

We call this variable "state of mind" -- the quality of thinking that is available to someone at any given moment. In organizations, we call the collective states of mind the "climate" or the "tone." When you permanently improve your level of performance -- whether from a book, tape, program or personal insight -- it is the result of a shift in your state of mind.

When an insight leads to that shift, you immediately have a wiser view of virtually every business situation and personal interaction you encounter. You instinctively know what to do ... and it works.

For example, you may know that trusting your staff will build better working relationships, but you cannot trust people as a technique. True change takes a shift of perspective, not just an intellectual grasp of the concept. You will trust people naturally when you truly see them as worthy of your trust.

The Hospitality Foundation Program will not load you down with more things to remember. Rather, it is about fundamentally changing the way you see your business, your staff, your relationships ... and ultimately, your life. In fact, you will realize how to accomplish everything you want ... and more ... without the need for any clever "management techniques." It is an elegantly simple solution to a previously "unsolvable" problem.

The shift that occurs when the simple power of these notions really hits home for the first time is the most critical element in creating a positive work climate that draws patrons and top workers. The organizational climate determines how long your staff will stay with you, how productive they will be while they are there, what level of hospitality they will deliver, how much (or little) trouble they will be, how much of a magnet you will be for current and future customers ... and on and on ...

Our vision is to awaken a realization of how you can make the "feeling" of your restaurant a positive (and profitable) point of difference in the market.

The Spiritual Nature of Hospitality
By now you may appreciate that hospitality comes from a FEELING you create with your guests, not from the specific actions you take. Because hospitality is generated from a much deeper source within people, it makes perfect sense to approach it from a spiritual rather than an intellectual direction.

It is always a challenge to describe the indescribable, so I asked my colleague, human relations consultant Robert Kausen, how he might explain the approach the two of us will be taking in Granville. Here is how Robert put it:

Many of the leaders and business owners I have worked with over the years ask, "What is the so-called spiritual nature of human beings and how does that work in business?" The curious often turn to religion, a particular philosophical construction, or even the field of psychology.

In my experience, the best answers to this inquiry do not come from outside yourself, but from probing beyond what you think you already know. The key is to keep an open mind and a curious attitude, allow time for reflection and be receptive to insights and realizations. It is more a process of awakening than of searching.

The Hospitality Foundation Program will guide you to a deeper understanding of three principles that govern how your personal experience is being created by your own thinking. What each attendee will gain from this inside-out learning process will vary for each person, of course, but when people gain additional insight and realize their true nature, we typically see results like these:

• Virtual elimination of chronic stress and burnout
• More fun and enjoyment in every part of your life
• A healthier, warmer organizational climate
• A more supportive relationship with your staff
• Improved presence and contact with your guests
• An understanding of how to lead your staff toward true hospitality

If you think you and your business could benefit from any of these outcomes, if you are intrigued by the idea that there could be possibilities beyond those you can presently imagine, and if you'd like to develop more positive relationships with others, we invite you to be part of the Hospitality Foundation Program.

Then What?
If the Hospitality Foundation Program does not leave you with a fresh understanding of how you could actually become A Place of Hospitality, there is no point in continuing our relationship. You are not likely to achieve the end result.

However, most participants come away with an exciting sense that the picture we present is suddenly possible, even if they don't always have a clear understanding of how to go about achieving it. A Place of Hospitality will give you a track to run on and assist you to realize your dreams faster than you ever imagined.

We know that the nine functional areas of the program are far too many balls for one person to juggle. We also know the shadow of the leader sets the tone for the rest of the operation and that lack of time and conflicting priorities contribute to stress and can lead to a dysfunctional organization. These factors cause many owners to burn out and throw in the towel ... and for those reasons we will not let an owner or GM go it alone.

If the owner aspires to become known as A Place of Hospitality and continue down this road with us, the next step is to select a cadre to coordinate the functional areas of the program. In a smaller operation one person might take responsibility for more than one area but there must be at least three key staffers involved to assure success.

This forced delegation is as close as we come to telling you how to run your business, but it is a necessary step. Becoming (and remaining) certified as A Place of Hospitality is all about the results. We will not support any actions that are likely to perpetuate overload. Burnout is definitely incompatible with hospitality.

Each Coordinator will receive more detailed training followed by step-by-step implementation processes for their area(s) of responsibility. This helps assure that all the details are being handled and frees the owner to focus on the care and feeding of the business environment.

(NOTE: Because the Ohio graduates will be the first group to participate in this new program ... and because the full system as I envision it will be quite extensive ... we will first deal with Service, Staffing, Leadership and Community Connection. The other pieces will follow shortly thereafter. This will make the start-up process less confusing (for both of us!) ... and allow us to apply your early feedback to refine the remaining elements of the system).

When?
The Hospitality Foundation Program will start at 9:00am on Monday, April 12th and finish at noon on Friday, April 16th. Rather than racing back home when the program is completed, I encourage you to stay an extra day or two in Granville. You will benefit greatly from having some quiet time to reflect on the insights you gained during the week.

In any event, do not book a return flight before 2:30pm on Friday. If we are to move ahead together you must complete the entire program . If you arrive late or leave early, your time and investment will have been for naught.

Where?
We will meet at The Granville Inn, a delightfully tranquil historic inn complex located under the trees on the main street of Granville, Ohio, about a 30-minute drive east of Columbus, Ohio.

Granville is straight out of Norman Rockwell, with the wide streets, big trees and a college on the hill. The pace is relaxed and the distractions minimal. That is precisely the reason we chose this property. Best of all, I talked the owners into a rate of just $89 a night for our group!

One More Thing:
I highly recommend you stay at the Granville Inn during the program and not commute in from elsewhere. The purpose of the Foundation Program is to quiet your racing mind and allow your understanding to shift in a more productive direction. That evolution of understanding is what will ultimately make it possible for you to stand out clearly in the market and realize the promise of A Place of Hospitality.

In my experience, you may find it harder to "shift gears" if you dive right back into your old world every evening, if you have to fight traffic twice a day to drive to alternative lodging or if you separate yourself from the group during the week. These actions, while well-intentioned, are more likely to keep you stuck in old ways of thinking ... and that will definitely be counter-productive in the long run.

Who Should Attend?
Any meaningful change must start at the top, so before a restaurant can be certified as A Place of Hospitality, the owner(s) of the business -- the folks who write the checks -- MUST attend the Hospitality Foundation Program. In addition, we recommend that you include the GM and any other key managers who have a material impact on how the restaurant runs.

What About Tuition?
When A Place of Hospitality (APOH)is fully implemented, the tuition for the five-day Hospitality Foundation Program will be $5000 for the owner and $2500 for additional key leaders. However, because we are asking this group to help us fine-tune the system, tuition for the April program is just $2950/$1450. To help manage your cash flow, tuition can be spread over four months.

The next Hospitality Foundation Program is scheduled for Granville in August. Since the system itself will be farther along at that point, August tuition will be $3250/$1650. We will honor early registrations for August at the reduced April tuition rates until April 10, 2010.

If it appears that we have reached a meeting of the minds after our week together, we will begin our work together on becoming certified as A Place of Hospitality. At that point there will be an ongoing monthly fee for participation -- an investment that I fully expect will be more than offset by reduced costs and increased sales volume.

Participating in the APOH system itself is your choice to make, but at the completion of the Foundation Program, you will understand the incredible potential of putting this understanding to work in your business ... and the value of having a system to help you do it. I will have more details for you in Granville.

OK, What Now?
If you have the courage to step off into the unknown with us, register your team for the Hospitality Foundation Program in April, then make your reservations at the Granville Inn (888-472-6855). Mention A Place of Hospitality to get the discounted rate.

Gaining this understanding has been a life-changing event for many operators, myself chief among them. I am grateful every day for the elegantly simple understanding that has guided me in a fresh, more creative and enduring direction in working with people.

I realize the results we describe from this shift of perspective may sound too good to be true, but as futurist Arthur C. Clarke once wrote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Personally, I hope you will have the courage to set any considerations aside and discover what lies beyond the realm of your current understanding. This is a necessary first step toward realizing the promise of A Place of Hospitality ... but it's your business, your life and your decision. Choose bravely.

I fully expect this note could raise as many questions as it answers but I have already written more than I intended and there is no way to anticipate every question you may have. So send me an e-mail with your queries. I will give you an immediate answer and start assembling a FAQ page for the website.

Speaking of the website, it would be worthwhile to review the information on the site to refresh your understanding of what A Place of Hospitality is intended to bring to the world ... and why you would be wise to be part of it sooner rather than later.

Thanks again for being part of this adventure.

Bill Marvin
The Restaurant Doctor
800-767-1055

PS #1: The Foundation Program is intentionally limited to a very small group so we can provide individual attention to everyone. Registration is also open for the next Foundation Program in August. Register your team now for either session of the Hospitality Foundation Program.

PS #2: There never seems to be enough time or enough money, particularly in times like these ... but the very fact that your competitors are frozen in fear presents a perfect opportunity to make a bold move and take control of your market. My bet is that you will earn back more than your investment within a month -- two, tops -- and it won't seem like you did anything different to earn the extra business! Now that is the sort of magic you can believe in!

PS #3: If you want the rewards your competitors are not going to get, you have to do what your competitors are not willing to do. Do the Work!