The RCS Hospitality Group Blog for Private Club Consulting

What Baseball Teaches us about Teamwork

There are few sports quite like baseball—nearly everyone you meet has some sort of baseball memory; even if you are not a fan, chances are you have attended at least one baseball game in your life. Baseball teaches us to root for the underdog, believe in superstitions and magic, and to always hang around until the last pitch is thrown. With all the excitement surrounding the Playoffs and the World Series (which, thanks to the success of the Washington Nationals, many of the R

Training your Staff for the Big Game

It’s finally fall, and football season is in full swing. Whether the team you root for plays on Saturday, Sunday, or at the local high school, there is no denying how much hard work the players put in day in and day out to help achieve their goal of victory each week. A very successful college football team’s mantra (and subject of a pretty motivating hype video--if you are into that sort of thing) on their drive to a history-making season was: “They don’t put championship ri

Deceptively Simple, Endlessly Complicated

This article first appeared in the March 2016 issue of BoardRoom Magazine Arnold Palmer once said, “Golf is deceptively simple, endlessly complicated.” I would like to borrow the sentiment for service. Creating WOW service is deceptively simple, yet endlessly complicated. If it weren’t, everyone would be doing it! The Ritz Carlton, after whom many of us in hospitality model our standards, will tell anyone how they do it. That makes it simple – it’s available to learn. However

How Clubs Can Cash in on the Experience Economy

Earlier this year, as a part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting; the organization issued an article that boldly stated “ The shift to an experience economy has the power not only to change how we spend our time and money, but also to promote inclusion and democratize happiness.” As the club industry works to combat member attrition and gain a share of the fiercely loyal Millennial population, here are a few ways clubs can cash in on the four pillars of the Experience

Taking the Path Less Traveled and Selling Your Decisionmakers on Virtual Training

Recently I spoke to a general manager, who expressed interest in taking his club’s training experience to the next level. Since I am intimately involved in the perfect solution for this challenge, I suggested virtual training as a solution. The general manager’s response to me was, "I just don't get it. I'm not sold on it". I understand one's hesitation about virtual training in the hospitality industry—at first blush it seems as though it would be akin to watching a YouTube

You Never Know Where (or When) Inspiration will Strike

Inspiration is defined as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something” and this past week, we all felt inspired as we witnessed Gary Woodland win his first Major tournament in Pebble Beach at the US Open. A recent story about an unlikely place where Woodland found inspiration has been making the rounds in light of his big win. This past January, Woodland befriended a young woman with Downs Syndrome named Amy Bockerstette when she played (and made par fro

Creating Leaders out of Your Young Managers

We are thrilled to launch a three-part webinar series featuring RCS Intern, Ben Granish discussing the future of leadership in the club industry. For a sneak peek of next week's first topic: "Creating Leaders out of Your Young Managers," read on, and click below to register for the webinar. REGISTER HERE While I am new to RCS and a fresh pair of eyes in the industry; my frame of reference is based on my time observing many fantastic managers in private clubs, conducting inter

Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like it’s 2025

Prince’s song “1999” was released in 1982 and if you remember it, you remember that it seemed so far away. You may also remember the iconic lyric: “…. two thousand zero zero party over, oops, out of time." That’s because everyone was predicting the apocalypse when we hit 2000. Now it’s 2019 (how did that happen so quickly?) and we need to talk about 2026. To avoid ‘oops, out of time’ for our industry, let’s start getting you ready for 2026. The year 2026 seems like an eternit

How to Not Burn Down the Kingdom when the Stakes are High

*Mild Game of Thrones plot spoilers ahead* The HBO miniseries, Game of Thrones (GoT), has captivated audiences for nearly a decade and is drawing to a close this coming Sunday. While the battle for The Seven Kingdoms seems as though it’s been pretty much decided, there are likely more twists and turns as the story draws to a close; in what viewers hope to be an epic fashion. During the series penultimate episode, The Bells, we couldn’t help but notice that there were some imp

5 Universal “Mom Sayings” and How they Teach Us to Manage Others

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and at RCS we send our love to not only the mothers directly in our lives, but the mothers who will spend this weekend hard at work to ensure those celebrating the special day have a wonderful experience. The funny thing about moms is that there are some sayings and lessons that they all teach their children, and while they may be lessons that seem long-forgotten or ignored, they are lessons that we all carry with us for the rest of our lives. Wit

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

Whitney Reid Pennell is the founder and president of the award-winning RCS Hospitality Group. She is a published author and widely praised seminar leader, with over 20 years of club operations management and consulting experience.

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Leadership Lounge

RCS Hospitality Group : preparing you for the next generation

What Baseball Teaches us about Teamwork

Training your Staff for the Big Game

Deceptively Simple, Endlessly Complicated

How Clubs Can Cash in on the Experience Economy

Taking the Path Less Traveled and Selling Your Decisionmakers on Virtual Training

You Never Know Where (or When) Inspiration will Strike

Creating Leaders out of Your Young Managers

Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like it’s 2025

How to Not Burn Down the Kingdom when the Stakes are High

5 Universal “Mom Sayings” and How they Teach Us to Manage Others

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

Hospitality Training Online

AFFORDABLE.

CONVENIENT.

INTERACTIVE.

CONSISTENT.

"In this age of virtual worlds, RCSU is ahead of the game."

Michael Fay, CCM, CCE

FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS

quick

informative

valuable

no strings attached

no product pushing

“The RCSU webinars are exceptional sources for actionable and helpful information! I refer to them as “power hours” because they are jam-packed with great content and full of energy and passion for the industry."

Jackie Carpenter, CCM

Private Club Advisor

www.consultingRCS.com // 623.322.0773 // info@consultingRCS.com

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

​

​

​

Hospitality Training Online

​

AFFORDABLE.

CONVENIENT.

INTERACTIVE.

CONSISTENT.

​

​

"In this age of virtual worlds, RCSU is ahead of the game."

Michael Fay, CCM, CCE

FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS

​

​

quick

informative

valuable

no strings attached

no product pushing

​

​

“The RCSU webinars are exceptional sources for actionable and helpful information! I refer to them as “power hours” because they are jam-packed with great content and full of energy and passion for the industry."

Jackie Carpenter, CCM

Private Club Advisor