This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Robert Rauch will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
For over half a century, Robert Rauch, referred to as "The Hotel Guru", has witnessed and made history within the evolution of modern hospitality. From performing night audits on Sweda cash registers in the 1970s to utilizing AI-enabled revenue strategies today, he has seen it all. The Hotel Guru's Journey combines his fascinating behind-the-scenes narratives with proven operating insights.
This unique operations guidebook shares both the "war" stories and the systems that matter. Rauch shares lessons learned the hard way in trust, crisis management, technology adoption, and leadership. And aside from the entertaining personal experiences, you'll gain access to tried-and-true frameworks, in-the-trenches checklists, and practical guidance for all aspects of hotel operations.
Whether you're breaking ground on your first property, expanding a hospitality portfolio, or seeking to avoid costly mistakes, Rauch's five decades of experience provide your competitive advantage in building a successful and sustainable hotel.
For up-and-coming hoteliers, veteran general managers, and hospitality investors, The Hotel Guru's Journey is your map to long-term success.
Read an Excerpt
When there’s a solar eclipse or event that takes place every decade or so, hotels will typically block those dates from regular rates and wait for the money to come in. For some reason, perhaps the lack of social media at the time, Halley’s Comet didn’t get the juice that eclipse events receive. Appearing approximately every 75 years, Halley’s Comet last appeared in the inner parts of the solar system in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061. Back in 1986, I was the General Manager of the Hilton Pavilion in Mesa, Arizona. We’d just opened and needed publicity, so our team came up with the idea of a watch party for the coming comet. During its 1986 visit, Halley’s Comet became the first comet to be observed in detail by a spacecraft and was also observed by our hotel guests. The hotel industry had always been driven by art, not science. Computers were very new to hospitality back in the 1980s, and there was no internet, so spreading the word about an event was simple but not easy. We chose to advertise the event in USA Today, a gamble as the ad cost us $10,000, but it was worth every penny. We had 282 rooms and an average rate of about $150 at the time. And we had no choice as to when we had the viewing party because it was whenever the comet would be most visible, which happened to be at 3:30 A.M. on February 9, 1986. At the time, I was studying for my master’s degree at ASU. I contacted a professor who’d been quoted in the local newspapers about the comet. I asked him if he was interested in taking a group out to the desert for a viewing party. He was ecstatic about being involved and said he’d bring all his equipment and would only charge us a modest fee. We booked up the hotel with two busloads of guests, approximately 100 total viewing party guests. We woke them up at 2:30 A.M., and the buses left at 3:00 A.M. for a 30-minute ride into the middle of nowhere. With no lights around, everyone was able to view the comet through a high-powered telescope, which was way beyond the clarity that binoculars provided. We were out there from 3:30–4:30 A.M. Did we make money? Not really, as 50 rooms and 100 people equated to about $7500, and the ad had cost us $10,000, but the press coverage that followed was invaluable.
About the Author:
With a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration from Western International University and a master’s degree in Tourism Administration from Arizona State University, Mr. Rauch has served as president and on the board of numerous tourism organizations. Mr. Rauch is a recently retired faculty member at Arizona State University and taught Tourism Industry Entrepreneurship. He is widely quoted on television and radio and in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Los Angeles Times. He speaks at industry conferences regularly and has developed several leading brand hotels, three of which the firm still owns and manages, and has been a finalist for CEO of the year in San Diego, CA, and Phoenix, AZ.
Mr. Rauch currently utilizes his private company, R. A. Rauch & Associates, Inc., to provide management services for his owned hotels, consulting services for various Wall Street firms and selected litigation support clients, and asset management services designed to provide hotel owners with oversight and review of potential and currently operating hotels. He also serves as Chairman and Chief Strategist of Brick Hospitality, a company formed by his management team to operate hotels in California. Mr. Rauch recently sold RAR Hospitality, a leading hospitality management firm with 20 hotels under management or development, retaining management of selected hotels where he serves as an owner in San Diego. As a student, teacher, and mentor in the hospitality industry over a six-decade period, Mr. Rauch continues to be active at industry conferences, in key meetings, and when needed to support the hospitality sector.
Website: https://hotelguru.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertrauch/
Twitter: https://x.com/truehotelguru
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20244045.Robert_Rauch
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Gurus-Journey-Excellence-Industry/dp/B0FQBTH878/ref=sr_1_1
