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Hyatt Place Redesign

Hyatt Place has done some very interesting things with their new hotels. Think no front

Mobile Food Trucks

Mobile food trucks have become quite the 'thing' in big cities.  Basically, people buy an old truck or cart, pick out something to make and start selling.  What's also sort of fun is that they can let people know where their truck is going to be parked or what specials they're going to offer by posting it in on Twitter or Facebook.   Think about the implications this has on operations.  Does this have an impact on the number of products that they can offer?  How can they ensure food and service quality?  Do you think that this is something that will lead to a sustainable competitive advantage? Take a look at this video and see what you think.

The 'Lean' Starbuck's

Starbuck's has applied lean principles to streamline its coffee-making process.  Result?  Higher profit, more throughput, happier employees!  To find out more and to see how it works go to   Starbucks goes lean.  They have a great interactive set of slides that illustrate what Starbuck's did.

Who needs room keys??

This one is from Nick.

Who needs a room key when you can get into your room with your mobile phone?   This is a technology which is going to become more common in the future.  You don't need to make keys, it's 'greener', guests don't have to go to the front desk--there are all sorts of implications.

OpenWays is being tested at a few Holiday Inns.  What implications do you think this has for the hotel of the future?

Lean Principles at Palm Beach Restaurant

Palm Beach Restaurant is located at One Fullerton in Singapore.  They were having quite a bit of problem with porcelain bowl breakage primarily because they were stacking too many bowls in their cabinets.  They used lean principles to figure this out, and then did some simple things to change their kitchen and storage design.

Result:  major drop in breakage.  Other restaurants (i.e. Red Box Karaoke) have used similar principles with great results.  For more information, please see this story.

Lean Principles in Health Care

OK, this isn't a hospitality example, but it's a great use of lean principles.   A hospital in Washington State is using lean principles to keep their medical supplies in order.  This has improved quality and their ability to make sure they can have the right equipment available for patients.

 
Take a look at this NY Times article!