Rosebuds Blog

Americans are a hardworking lot. Consider that researchers found that only South Koreans work more hours than Americans. Meanwhile, the Economic Policy Institute reported last year that productivity rose by 72.2 percent between 1973 and 2014. And the U.S. economy continues to be an economic powerhouse, even in these times of economic displacement and slowing worldwide growth. It is that kind of effort we celebrate the first Monday of every September, otherwise known as Labor Day, a national holiday that is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. We hope you all have some travel or recreational plans for the holiday. One of the unfortunate side effects of the Americans hard work and long hours is declining summer vacation time. Some 56 percent of American workers took weeklong vacations during summer 2014 (the most recent year we have statistics for), which was a new low-point in a steady decline that began in early 1980s, when more than … (click on the headline to continue reading)

One of the more stressful and compulsory activities of taking a trip is packing suitcases and travel bags. We often worry that we’re going to pack the wrong things, or that we’re going to forget to bring certain essentials. And then there are concerns about our clothing coming out a wrinkled mess on the other end — especially business clothing. There are ways to take some of the stress out of packing for your trips. There is a process to effective packing, and there’s plenty of good advice out there from the experts. One of the places you can find that advice is in USA Today, which probably writes about travel, lodging and hospitality more than any general interest newspaper in the country. One of its articles took this subject head on by offering 10 packing tips that it says every traveler should know. Here is what USA Today says experts have to share with us … (click on the headline to continue reading)

We are proud to operate a hotel that attracts both business and leisure travelers. But whether you are a business or leisure traveler, you work for a living, and you no doubt have been affected by the speed and intensity of work. We work in an age when interactive mobile technologies have us on duty 24/7 — and that often includes while vacationing. This is why Insights for Professionals, a business research organization, has warned that employees can easily find themselves inundated with heavy workloads, high-pressure jobs, and, unless they take measure to prevent it, eventually burnout. IFP addresses what it calls the “evolution of the workplace” with a report titled 7 Ways to Avoid Workload Nightmares. We might find its prescriptions valuable for your own situation. The seven prescriptions include … (click on the headline to continue reading)

A well designed airport is a beautiful thing. Today, architecture firms are not only designing new and renovated airports for esthetic appeal, they’re also doing it with passenger safety in mind. Yes, a person has a higher probability of getting struck by lightning than dying in a terror attack, but keeping people safe is still a top priority at airports around the world, and architecture firms are rising to the challenge. Gresham, Smith and Partners, for example, recently designed a screening area at Norfolk International Airport in Virginia that maximized flexibility. Why? Because security needs change rapidly, as security threats have moved from one form of weaponry to another. That means security officials needs to adapt, and a flexible space gives them more options. With that in mind, Gresham, Smith and Partners designed a large open space without … (click on the headline to continue reading)

We learned about Independence Day during our schooling, and we celebrate it every Fourth of July. The celebration part comes easily, but the facts about this important day fade from memory for many of us who were schooled on the subject long ago. What better time to refresh our memories and reconfirm that importance of this holiday than on the cusp of July 4th, the day we honor our independence as a sovereign nation. Let us remember … (click on the headline to continue reading)