When you’re out during the holiday season—enjoying dinner, shopping, or a show— should you tip the workers you encounter? When you tip for the holidays, what are you truly saying?

While a commonly recognized definition of tipping is to ensure prompt service, the holidays are different. Tipping during the holiday season is really a way to give a present or gesture of gratitude to someone for a job well-done this past year. But the stresses of financial and social pressure begin to rear their ugly heads this time of year—and they complicate the issue of tipping.

As members of the hospitality industry for more years collectively than we’d care to admit, my husband and I entertain frequently. We’ve celebrated (read: hosted) the usual birthdays, anniversaries, Fourth of July parties, as well as our share of winter holiday extravaganzas. As my cousin says, “It’s so nice to visit your house so I don’t have to fight the crowds at Macy’s to see this many holiday decorations.”

When you travel, you need to consider what are the necessary items to pack for the trip. I’ve traveled around the world—75 countries at last count—and I’ve learned that I can never leave home without C.H.E.E.S.E. By that I mean items that fall into six categories: Comfort, Health, Ease of communication, Entertainment, Safety and security, Edibles.

Trust me, you can leave your travel pillow at home, as long as you follow this list.

COMFORT
✔ Luggage with wheels

Who: Rex Warren, Assistant Professor with Johnson & Wales University College of Hospitality, Providence

Agree or Disagree with Article: Both

I don’t blame anyone with an interest in hospitality for clicking on this round-up of the year’s top-10 trends published in January. Now, with most of the year behind us, let’s look back and see how this forecast matched up with reality.

ON TARGET

For decades, travelers and hotel-goers alike have recognized Hilton as one of the top companies in the business. But according to Clay Snyder ‘93 ’15 Hon, Senior Director of Brand Performance of Full Service Brands, Hilton is more than just a hotel brand.

“We are hospitality,” he said. When it comes to providing a well-rounded hospitable experience, Synder says Hilton excels, thanks to its amazing staff. By offering a wealth of services and a personalized, friendly touch, Hilton makes guests feel like they’re at home.

At Johnson & Wales University's College of Online Education, our hospitality courses are taught by skilled professionals with years of relevant work experience in the industry.

If you travelled at all by plane for business or pleasure this summer, you going to encounter an airline or aviation employee. Have you ever thought of flying in their shoes as an employee of the airline industry? According to Professor Eldad Boker, EdD, the sky’s the limit when it comes to aviation careers. Read on for his advice.

If you’ve ever paid, say, $14 for a cocktail, you might feel frustrated and ask why it is so expensive. But have you ever considered what goes into that price, or how the bar manager settled on it in the first place?

Believe it or not, there’s a strategic science behind pricing bar drinks rationally, and a big piece of it focuses on the drink’s CGS percentage.

What is CGS?

Many of our present-day wedding traditions come from religions and cultures across the globe. If you’re working in the event management industry or simply planning your own wedding, you might be interested to learn more about some of the most prevalent contemporary wedding customs. Read on.

As the restaurant industry continues to grow around the globe, managers are looking for educated and experienced employees to fill leadership positions. According to the National Restaurant Association, food and beverage industry sales “are expected to reach $799 billion” this year alone, making the industry “the second-largest private sector employer” in the U.S. One in 10 working Americans have careers in this industry, NRA says.