NEW YORK— It seems the lodging industry has taken a step beyond the issue of whether outsourcing can save hotel companies money. Now it appears the question is how owners and operators can make the most money out of their outsourcing partnerships. The answer to that question lies less in the financial management world and more in the realm of proper relationship management, which breeds successful partnerships. That was the overall message relayed at the recent NYU 26th Annual International Hospitality Investment Conference workshop entitled, “The Economics of Outsourcing.” Workshop participants included moderator James L. Claus, executive vp at Tishman Hotel Corporation; Brian E. Falvey, COO for Ultimate Hotel Parking Solutions; Mark Linch, senior vp, design and construction for MeriStar Hospitality Corporation; Eric Linquest, vp, development for Emeril’s Homebase, the corporate office of celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse; and Clark Wolf, president of Clark Wolf Company, an outsourcing consulting firm. The panelists all agreed that in any outsourcing partnership, both parties must be on the same page and have like goals in order for the marriage to achieve true success. Also, the participants noted that each party must conduct the proper due diligence before any relationship is formed by examining how the other operates and what the contractual agreement truly stipulates. “A lot of times with outsourcing, people don’t look at who they are getting into bed with,” said Linquest, who has helped establish Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants within hotels in Las Vegas, Miami and Orlando, FL. “For the relationship to work, the partners, their basic philosophies and their standards have to mesh. And if the hotel can’t understand what we bring to the table beyond the dollars and cents, the partnership’s not going to work.” Falvey of Ultimate Hotel Parking Solutions, a firm that provides parking services to hotels as well as parking consulting services, said his firm views its outsourcing ventures as partnerships because his firm is often indirectly involved in guests’ experiences at hotels. “We really look at ourselves as a partner because we’re the first and last impression that’s made upon guests,” he said. Ironically, Falvey admitted that when it comes to parking, the smartest thing a hotel can do is actually perform the parking services itself, but only after his firm provides instruction on how to do so via a consultation. “When our consulting suggestions are put into effect there’s a 50% increase in gross revenue for the hotel in parking,” he added. “We basically teach them how to make money off of their parking.” That do-it-yourself approach contradicts what MeriStar’s Linch preaches regarding outsourcing. He said his firm’s core business is owning hotels. But anything beyond that is outsourced because it is not the firm’s core competency. Linch also said that Meri-Star has been successful in its outsourcing partnerships because it sets up a competitive situation for the providers. “We set up a situation where the people that are providing services are hungry for that next job we’ll have to offer,” he said.