Welcome to HFTP Connect [The Hospitality Professionals' Blog]

What is HFTP Connect?

HFTP Connect is the blog for hospitality professionals. Here at HFTP Connect, we will cover topics of interest to our members and hospitality industry stakeholders, particularly:

• Hotel finance

• Club finance

• Hospitality technology

• Hospitality education and training

• Certification programs

• Industry events

• PCI compliance

• Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry

• Golf Course technology

• Latest tax law

• HR issues

• Going green

• Follow up on popular education sessions

• Internal controls

• Ethics and fraud trends

• F&B cost savings

• And More!

HFTP Connect is written by hospitality industry professionals and stakeholders, HFTP leadership and HFTP members. Our blog's name — HFTP Connect — was born out of HFTP's tagline "Learn.Connect.Succeed." and we aim to bring hospitality professionals together through continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

Why was HFTP Connect created?

We know there are a lot of blogs out there, but we think there is a specific need to gather hospitality financial and technology issues to one location online.

That's why a Social Media Task Force was formed in 2009 as a brain trust to assess the benefits of increasing our efforts on social media networks to enhance opportunities for HFTP's members and stakeholders. Out of their ideas and discussions, a blog was born!

HFTP Connect gives industry professionals a chance to tell their stories and share their unique views, as they get the discussion flowing on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

How can I contribute to HFTP Connect?

Why, thank you for asking!

We really need your help. Please join in the discussion by adding your comments, share our articles with your friends and colleagues, tweet us up, "Like" us on Facebook and broadcast the blog on LinkedIn. HFTP Connect is your space to talk about what matters to hospitality insiders.

And if you are interested in contributing a blog post, we want to hear your ideas.

• We will always credit you for your work and will gladly link to your web site, e-mail address and social media accounts. Please include this info with your submission.

• Blog posts can be up to 500 words long and will be posted several times a week. You are welcome to contribute just one post or as many as you'd like.

• Your post will be edited for clarity, grammar and focus. When you sound good, we sound good. Everybody wins.

• Your post should be original and not violate copyright laws.

For more information and to submit your ideas for the blog, contact [email protected].

And Finally

Many thanks to the Social Media Task Force for their efforts in creating this space for HFTP and the industry. We have all been hard at work developing the blog and writing content for HFTP Connect and can't wait to share more of it with you. We welcome your feedback — HFTP Connect won't be successful without it!

Please share your comments here: e-mail [email protected] or call us to chat at (800) 646-4387 or +1 (512) 249-5333.

HFTP President Thomas Smith, CHAE is the chief financial officer at Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield, Wis.