After having been off the road for the second half of December and through New Years, during which I got to actually enjoy the warm tropical breezes of this part of South Florida and be with my family during the holidays, the road was calling me back once again.

Although I would have preferred to go there during a different time of year, I couldn't think of a better starting place for my journeys of 2010 than heading back to Ocean City to work with my friend Susan Holt's team at Coldwell Banker of Ocean City, MD.  It was also a journey to the past in a way, as this was the first or second vacation rental company I had ever trained way back in the mid 1990's and also the contacts who had suggested that I contact VRMA (Vacation Rental Manager's Association) about being a guest speaker.  Well that was surely a great referral as thereafter I have been a keynote speaker for VRMA at probably 11 of the past 14 meetings. 

Ironically, Susan's new office and their customer contact center is housed in the very same building which I conducted those training sessions in way back then, although the building had been completely re-done.  It was wonderful to work with her two groups of talented and experienced reservations agents, or "seasoned veterans" as we referred to one another that day!  It was also great to hear of their successes and see their enthusiasm still shining on, for many of them into their third or fourth decade of their career.  For me, the best part was how some of my original trainees from 15 years ago commented that I looked so much younger than they expected.  However no one commented on my hair!  Here is a picture of me with the two groups that day, followed by my picture with my friend Susan Holt, Regional Vice President.







After a short drive to Salisbury, MD,  which I have to say is the smallest airport I have ever flown through, having only vending machines which I could not use as they had no ATM and I had left my last cash for the housekeeper, I was heading back home.  Through some advance planning and lots of juggling, I always seem able to be home at the right moment to celebrate special occasions, such as to be in attendance with my Julia's first 6th grade band concert.  Here is a picture of her and the French Horn section; she is looking back right at me at me: 



Next up on the dance card for January was to head back to Myrtle Beach, this time to train a Elliott Vacation Realty in North Myrtle Beach, which is run by the Elliott Family.  My contact in setting up the workshop was Janice Barr, Reservations Manager, and I had never had the pleasure of meeting Rick Elliott, the son of company founder Senator Dick Elliott, who is now running the operations.  Despite how much they had going on that day in ramping up towards peak season, I was very impressed that Rick not only sat through the entire workshop but also participated in all of the training activities.  We  are now excited to be welcoming them as an Annual Training Plan client who will receive  monthly mystery shopping assessment/coaching reports and private webinars for the 20+ agents in their call center.

Here is a picture of me with the groups that day. In the first picture Rick Elliott is to my immediate left:





Here is a picture of me with Rick Elliott and Janice Barr, Reservations Manager:



After returning from Myrtle Beach on more uneventful flights it was wonderful to be home for the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend.  Thanks to my wife Cathy,  who is celebrating 21 years with Marriott Corporation this year, we were able to secure an associate rate for a wonderful one bedroom suite at the Marriott Harbor Beach in Ft. Lauderdale, so we planned a little "Staycation" for one night to take the kids there to enjoy the beach and  pool.  Here is a picture of Adam and his buddy enjoying the suite; and you can see what they are most interested in is their Nintendo DS players:



Although the weather was cool the first day, the second day was just perfect and it was great to watch the kids swim and sip on tropical drinks and have lunch poolside.    It was a moment to consider how fortunate we were, and as I stepped out on the balcony I caught a great picture of one of many cruise ships that sail out of Port Everglades, which is just south of the hotel, every weekend about sunset.: 



After enjoying a full week in the office it was time for my last journey of the month, which was to be my first ever visit to Bulgaria.  When I was first contacted by Ekaterina Gelovaska, from TheHotelExperts, I have to admit wishing I had paid more attention to my world history and geography classes but at least I have plenty of maps and tourism books in our home home, plus a great Internet connection.  Ekaterina and her colleagues had recently held a hotel industry conference there which drew nearly 200 participants, so she now wanted to schedule a two-day master training class that was similiar to what I had done in Moscow last October.  What a delight it was to work with Ekaterina during all phases of this. It was also very easy to visit Bulgaria, as I did not even need a Visa and only my passport.  (Unfortunately we do not make it so easy for them to visit the United States.)  She was able to get a great turnout for my event, which was held at the prestigious Metropolitan Hotel of Sofia.

For those who have not done so, it is hard to imagine the humbling feeling of walking through customs and out of the airport into a country where you cannot recognize a character in the alphabet let along read a word or even say "Help" or "I'm lost."  Yet there was Ekaterina and her son Vladimir (Vlady) greeting me with a welcome sign and driving me personally in their car right to the hotel.   Once here, it was amazing how accommodating they can be.  Here the guests speak so many European Languages, and English is not the most common one from visitors.  Yet everyone knew some English, most conversationally and many fluently so it was easy to communicate. 

The next day I was personally escorted by Ekaterina and Vlady on a tour of  Plovdiv, a neighboring city which is a smaller and ancient city about 90 minutes north of Sofia.  From there Ekaterina took me on a walking tour which started off chilly, but as we walked the ancient cobble-stoned streets that grew more narrow and steep by the meter the sun also peeked out and it almost felt like Spring. 



Turns out Ekaterina is a long time journalist and besides publishing hotel trade journals in Bulgaria she has also worked in the tourism industry, so I couldn't have asked for a better tour guide.  As we walked she explained how the ancient ruins from the Roman Empire were being uncovered as new construction was being done, and pointed out some of the sites which have been excavated.  Here are some pictures of Roman excavations in preserved in the middle of a bustling and active pedestrian mall:



We walked to the top of one hill, which is referred to as one of seven hills surrounding the city of Plovdiv, and before us was the ruins of other ancient fortifications and  I for a moment felt one with the countless soldiers who must have defended this same strategic position bearing so many different flags. 




After this day of sightseeing and a wonderful massage back at the hotel, I drifted off for a nice sleep. Too bad the jet lag takes two days to hit me, and so I woke up middle of the night but at least had a good book to read.  The next day I kicked off Day One of a two-day workshop, which was attended by representatives of top Bulgarian hotels including brands such as Kempinski, Sol Melia, and Radisson, as well as numerous local and regionally branded hotels.  The participants ranged from department managers through Marketing Directors, GM's, Revenue Managers, and even owners.  Here is a picture of me with some of the participants the last day:




The workshop continued on Saturday, ending just in time for Ekaterina and Vlady to take me out on another sightseeing tour, this time of some of the historic sites of Sofia itself.  Here is a picture of Roman ruins excavated during construction of the underground shopping mall:



Here is a picture of a church built about 175 years ago, considered old by US standards, then one of a church from 1000 AD, then a third of the ruins of a house of workshop from 50BC that became one of the worlds first churches around 200 AD.  (Years are approximate, but you get the idea of the ancient sites to be seen.)






It was also wonderful to learn that the motto in Bulgaria is "Unity Makes Power."  This was reflected in their respect for people of all cultures.  In addition to the beautiful historic churches there were also Temples and Mosque to be seen.   Here



Finally we ended the evening with a wonderful dinner of genuine and authentic Bulgarian cuisine at a famous local establishment.  I have heard of leisurely dinners in US, and despite that this was over 3 hours the time flew by with all the great conversation from Ekaterina, Vlady, and two of her dearest friends who are also in the hospitality industry.  Here is a picture of us that night, followed by a short camera phone video of the band singing a very sad traditional Bulgarian love song:



I shall always be grateful to my new friends Ekaterina and Vlady for their efforts to bring KTN training to Bulgaria and especially their kind and memorable efforts to ensure that my visit was not only flawless but also memorable.  I look forward to returning soon, possibly this year!