| Industry
News
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ECONOMIC INSIGHTS ---
Solid Performance For Global Hotel Industry | BTI
UK Unveils Latest Hotel Survey
The global hotel industry is enjoying a growth phase
and showing signs of a strong performance recovery – according
to a new survey by the UK’s leading corporate
travel management company, BTI UK.
Smith Travel Research | August 2005 | USA Monthly
Performance Report
26 September 2005 | Smith Travel Research (STR) is
the recognized leader in providing accurate, actionable
information and analysis to the lodging industry. Since
1985, the company has served the industry operating
on the key principals of integrity, confidentiality
and customer service. STR provides timely information
and analysis to all major North American hotel chains
and a growing number of chains in Europe and Asia.
Hurricane Katrina's Impact on the US Lodging Industry
| Smith Travel Research (STR) Reports
Smith TravelResearch (STR), the recognized leader in
hotel benchmarking, today increased its 2005 RevPAR
growth projection for the total US from 7.6% up to
8.2%. 'Despite the obvious attrition from displaced
business, the increase in Katrina related emergency
travel combined with the relocated meetings demand
to other cities will have a meaningful impact on occupancies,'
stated Randy Smith, CEO and founder of STR.
Trends in Lodging | usatoday.com
The hotel business has come roaring back from its post-Sept.
11 depression, and travelers are reaping the benefits.
As money flows in from the resurgence in travel,
hotel owners are spending it on upgrades delayed
during the downturn. They’re also pouring money
into innovations they’re hoping will distinguish
them from the competition and please finicky customers.
[MULTIMEDIA] Hotels Spend Big To Lure Guests | usatoday.com
The hotel business has come roaring back from its post-Sept.
11 depression, and travelers are reaping the benefits.
As money flows in from the resurgence in travel,
hotel owners are spending it on upgrades delayed
during the downturn. They're also pouring money into
innovations they're hoping will distinguish them
from the competition and please finicky customers.
Click
Here for more Industry Insights on HSMAI's
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HOTEL HIGHLIGHTS & OPENINGS ---
Marriott
Unveils Hot New Room Design @ the mSpot
NEW YORK, "m" marks the spot. Marriott International,
Inc. (NYSE: MAR - News) today pulled back the curtains
to reveal the mSpot, the hippest and most entertaining
billboard ever to take on the bright neon of Times
Square.
W Hotels to Join in Revitalization of Downtown Phoenix
NEW YORK, W Hotels Worldwide, the fastest growing luxury
hotel brand in the world, announced today plans for
a new W Hotel & Residences in downtown Phoenix,
Arizona scheduled to open in 2008. Starwood Hotels
and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) , W's parent
company, entered into a management agreement with
Suns Legacy Hotel Investors, L.P. to operate the
property as a W Hotel and to license the residential
units as W Residences.
InterContinental Hotels Group Expands U.S. Upscale
Presence
ATLANTA, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) (NYSE:
IHG; London) (ADRs), the world's most global hotel
company, plans to open its latest InterContinental
Hotels & Resorts property in San Francisco. The
new InterContinental San Francisco will join its sister
hotel, the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco,
in the City by the Bay.
Accor Adds Three Luxury Hotels In China | Two new
Sofitels in Guangzhou and Shanghai continue rapid brand
expansion in China
21 September 2005 | BANGKOK, Accor continues its rapid
expansion in China with the signing of management agreements
for three hotels, including two new Sofitels, in the
Shanghai area and in Guangzhou. Sofitel Guangzhou will
be Accor’s first Sofitel in one of southern China’s
main commercial hubs.
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong Now Open
TORONTO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's
leading luxury hotel company, is pleased to announce
the opening of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, the
second of three planned properties in China and a
significant addition to the brand's growing Asian
portfolio.
Sheikh
Ahmed inaugurates Grosvenor House Dubai
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum inaugurated
Grosvenor House, West Marina Beach, Dubai, the first
hotel at the city’s newest residential location,
Dubai Marina.
Click
Here for more Hotel Highlights on HSMAI's
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BUSINESS/MEETINGS ---
The Convention
Industry Council’s 2004 Economic Impact Study
Shows The Strength Of The Industry
McLean, Virginia | The Convention Industry Council
(CIC) released today its 2004 Economic Impact Study,
which provides the most current findings of the economic
impact of the meetings, conventions, exhibitions, and
incentive travel industry in the United States. The
study provides a macroeconomic analysis of the industry’s
direct spending and employment growth.
HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® National
Wraps 16th Annual Event Attended By 1,755 Planners;
8% Rise
Over 2004
MCLEAN, VA | Meeting planners and exhibitors alike
came out in full force to experience two days of face-to-face
meetings and learning opportunities at the 16th annual
Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s
(HSMAI) Affordable Meetings® National show, held
Sept. 7 – 8, 2005 at the Washington Convention
Center in Washington, D.C.
--- FEATURED LEISURE TRAVEL BOOK ---
 Online
Travel Shopping and Buying Behavior - Key European
Markets
By PhoCusWright
Online Travel Shopping
and Buying Behavior - Key European Markets provides
a cross-country comparison of the
shopping and purchasing dynamics in the top (online)
leisure travel markets in Europe - U.K., Germany and
France. This report will highlight the findings from
PhoCusWright’s groundbreaking European email
study conducted among a total of 600 respondents during
Summer 2005.
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INTERNATIONAL ---
TAJ Hotels Resorts And Palaces Becomes Senior Partner
With Cornell's Center For Hospitality Research
27 September 2005 | ITHACA ,NY | Taj Hotels Resorts
and Palaces has become a senior partner with The Center
for Hospitality Research at Cornell University's School
of Hotel Administration. Under the agreement, Taj Hotels
will sponsor a major research project to be conducted
by a research fellow at the Center, and Taj CEO and
managing director Raymond Bickson will join the Center’s
Board of Directors.
Raffles
International Hotels & Resorts
Partners With American Express To Launch Centurion
Suites Worldwide
SINGAPORE, Raffles International and American Express
announced yesterday, the official launch of exclusive
Centurion Suites in eight Raffles hotels and resorts
at seven destinations across the world. These suites
offer the ultimate in luxury service and amenities
for American Express Centurion Cardmembers globally.
The Cast Of Characters Behind The Scenes Of Mickey’s Newest Hotels |the Hong Kong Disneyland
Hotel And Disney’s Hollywood Hotel
13 September 2005 | Build a better mousetrap, so they
say, and the world will beat a path to your door. While
Disney is aiming for a captive audience for its two
Hong Kong hotels, opening in September, 2005 the rest
of the market is going all goofy about getting a slice
of its massive, all-American, pie. When it comes to
doing business, the world's largest purveyor of dreams
and fantasies does not play games.
Dutch Hotel Industry Not Recovered Yet | Horwath Reports
13 September 2005 | The Dutch hotel industry has not
yet recovered from the recession. The gross operating
profits are still 25% below the level of 2000. This
is shown in the HOSTA 2005 report, published by Horwath
Consulting. The hotels lowered the prices yet again,
but regained only part of the hotel guests. The average
room occupancy increased, from 65% to 67%. The average
room rate however decreased again, from € 102
to € 98.
Dramatic Split In Fortunes For London And Regional
Hotels | PKF Reports
26 September 2005 | The London hotel industry saw occupancy
dive more than 13% during August as the aftermath of
July's terrorist attacks took its toll on the capital,
according to figures released today by PKF (UK) LLP
hotel consultancy services. PKF's report for August
shows that occupancy in London was 66.9% (down 13.2%
on the same period last year) while average room rate
crept up 3.6% to £98.13. Rooms yield dropped
10.1% to £65.67.
Click
Here for more International Info on HSMAI's
--- FEATURED DOCUMENT ---
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Low-price
Guarantees: How Hotel Companies Can Get It Right
| by Steven A. Carvell, Ph.D., and Daniel
C. Quan, Ph.D.
With the growth of the internet, the increase in the
volume of online bookings has altered and multiplied
the hotel industry's distribution channels. While this
growth has driven up the profits of online travel agencies,
hotel operators are experiencing a loss of control
over the pricing of rooms and a potential transfer
of pricing authority to third-party internet-based
companies. The popularity of such services stems from
consumers' desire to obtain the lowest rate within
their desired market segment. One possible cure applied
by many hotel chains is to offer a best-rate guarantee
on their own web sites.
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TRAVEL INTERNET MARKETING FOCUS
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HSMAI Announces 5th Internet Marketing Strategy Conference
In San Francisco, December 7, 2005
“
Effective Internet Marketing in a Global Marketplace” will
be on tap as expert speakers and panelists gather for
the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s
(HSMAI) 5th Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference
to be held in San Francisco, CA, at the Sir Francis
Drake Hotel on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005.
Visit
Event Website | Click Here To Register Now
All European Online Travel Buyers Not Created Equal
| PhoCusWright Reports
27 September 2005 | Paris, They access many of the
same travel sites and visit many of the same places,
but European online travel buyers differ in the ways
they purchase their holiday travel. According to findings
from PhoCusWright's Online Travel Shopping and Buying
Behavior: Key European Markets survey, 8 out of 10
U.K. online travelers use the Internet as the main
way they purchase travel.
Forrester Research US eCommerce Forecast: Online Retail
Sales To Reach $329 Billion By 2010
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. | The second decade of eCommerce will
be marked by innovations that will make online shopping
easier and more engaging. This will boost US online
retail sales from $172 billion in 2005 to $329 billion
in 2010, according to a new forecast by Forrester Research,
Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR). The increase translates to a solid
14 percent compound annual growth rate over the next
five years.
HEDNA Supports NBTA Loading White Paper
16 September 2005 | Falls Church, Va. - The Hotel Electronic
Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) is pleased
to announce its endorsement of the corporate negotiated
rate loading guidelines recently published by the
National Business Travel Association (NBTA).
Golden Tulip Hospitality Signs Global Agreement With
Expedia.com And Hotels.com
20 September 2005 | Amersfoort (NL)/Lausanne (CH),
London (UK) | Golden Tulip Hospitality and Expedia
have entered a global agreement involving a preferred
marketing partnership that provides Expedia.com and
Hotels.com customers with enhanced access and connectivity
to over 400 properties that comprise the Golden Tulip
Hospitality Group and alliance partners.
--
REVENUE MANAGEMENT FOCUS ---
Search Engine Marketing in Hospitality | By Max Starkov
and Jason Price
19 September 2005 | Search engine marketing is an essential
component of the hotel direct online distribution strategy.
According to Forrester research about 80% of overall
website visits begin in a search engine or a directory
service. Many other surveys also show that up to 85%
of Internet users rely on search engines to locate
relevant information on the Web (e.g. Google, Yahoo,
MSN, etc). Search marketing is an extremely dynamic
field.
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FEATURED INTERVIEW ---
 How
to Master Your Next Disaster | Interview w/ Julia
J. Rider, senior member of the Global Hospitality
Group and a partner in the Litigation Department
with Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro, LLP
While the Hurricane Katrina recovery continues
another storm is on the horizon. But it may not
be a storm.
It could be an earthquake, fire, bomb – the list
goes on. Julia Rider’s article is the focus of
this streaming audio interview. She talks about the
origin of the article, her experience in the field
and gives suggestions that hoteliers should take note
of. Listen in on this important topic.
Click here for additional Katrina/Rita Coverage!
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RESORT MARKETING FOCUS ---
World
Travel & Tourism Council forecasts that
UAE Travel & Tourism will Grow Inbound Visitor
Exports 7.2 per cent annually until 2015
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Today, the World Travel & Tourism
Council (WTTC) presented at the Dubai Cityscape Conference,
the results of its special UAE forecast update, produced
by Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF), to reassess the
impact of new Travel & Tourism products/resorts
being developed in the UAE, which are expected to transform
the country's Travel & Tourism economy.
World's Most Expensive Resorts 2005 | forbes.com
23 September 2005 | Glorious sunsets, pristine beaches
and sweet evening breezes may be naturally free,
but they can sure cost a lot of money. The irony
attached to many of the world's most beautiful resorts
is that they are in places so remote that for centuries
they were known primarily to their indigenous people,
pirates and castaways. For non-natives, these were
places to escape from, not travel to.
Sales & Marketing
Disciplines Undergo Changes, Experts Declare End
To Normal, Redefine
Rules At HSMAI,
NYU Industry Strategy Conference
NEW YORK, NY | Laurence S. Geller, president and CEO
of Direct Strategic Hotel Capital, told attendees at
the recent Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association
International (HSMAI)/NYU Industry Strategy Conference
that: “It’s a time for serious urban planning,
not for ad hoc rebuilding. There needs to be some cohesive
leader to plan for the smart rebuilding of New Orleans,
and it’s also a time for sophisticated marketing.
Save The Date: HSMAI, HRTM and IRMA To Hold 6th Annual
Resort Management Conference At Pinehurst, NC March
19-21, 2006
MCLEAN, VA | Dates are set for the 6th Annual Resort
Management Conference, presented by the Hospitality
Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI),
the University of Denver School of Hotel, Restaurant
and Tourism Management (HRTM) and the International
Resort Managers Association (IRMA) – Mar. 19-21,
2006 at the Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina.
--- COLUMNS ---
When
Times Get Tough…Get
Tougher! Sell Harder Before You Cave-in on Rates
| By Neil Salerno
When times get tough, natural human tendency tempts
hoteliers to reduce rates in order to drive more business.
At least that’s the general idea. Over and over
again, this can of worms rears its ugly head every
time there is a dip in occupancy. Caution…use
some serious thought and harder selling before you
cave-in on rates. If you don’t you may be setting
yourself up for longer term disappointment.
The Accuracy Of Hotel Budgets | By: Robert Mandelbaum
And David Murff
20 September 2005 | Going into 2004, most U.S. hotel
managers were hopeful for a continuation of the industry
turnaround that began in the third quarter of 2003.
After three consecutive years of declining revenues
and profits, hotel operators were quite optimistic
and anticipated strong increases in revenues leading
to double-digit growth in profits for 2004.
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