Condo Hotels - Evolution Toward A Commercial Hotel Structure - By Michael T. Sullivan & Marshall A. Bendelac
Condominium hotels, or condo hotels, have become an increasingly popular format for development, particularly in resort-oriented locations. Obviously, the nightly rental of condominium units, which are placed in a rental pool by condo-owners, is nothing new, as this practice has occurred for years in resorts and a few urban locations. What has changed, however, are the scope and nature of these properties and the relative relationships between the condo-owners, property managers, traveling customers, and project developers. This article will explore the scope and nature of these changes. ...more

Back to Departments

Creating Effective Survey Projects - By Jim Houran and Alan Keith
Conducting surveys is a science. Since poorly designed instruments waste organizational resources, this article teaches you the fundamentals of survey strategy. Surveys are competitive advanatges only if you can act with confidence on the data. ...more

The Lead Director - By Keith Kefgen
A few years ago there was no such thing as a lead director on a public board. But when the CEO and the Chairman were the same person conflicts were clearly visible. This has been improving and in 2006, 25 of 41 Chairman were not the CEO. ...more

Cornell Center for Hospitality Research Roundtable Highlights Risks and Rewards of Service Innovations
Hotels and restaurants must innovate to remain competitive, but service innovations must be implemented in real time, and they can easily be duplicated by competitors. ...more

Back to Departments

Ecotourism Pioneer Now Ready to Export 'Trash to Treasures' Idea - By Glenn Hasek
Here at Maho Bay Camps, you have to be careful what you throw away. Your 'trash' just might end up as part of a piece of art on sale to a visiting guest. ...more

Back to Departments

The Hotel Industry and a Slowing Global Economy - By Robin Trehan & Jerry Cedicci
With the decrease in travel due to increasing economic costs, it is putting a damper on the hotel industry. Many people are finding it difficult enough to pay for high gas prices and food expenses, and to even consider traveling is far out of reach for most Americans. ...more

Back to Departments

Food & Beverage - Smaller Portions or Higher Prices? - By Joe Dunbar
We bought a loaf of fresh baked whole grain bread at a local bakery today. Something about the loaf was different. This loaf was about the same dimension as the loaves purchased previously from the same bakery. The price was the same. The difference became apparent when holding the loaf in my hand. The weight was different - much lighter. I'm guessing they shrunk the loaf between 15 and 20% by weight. ...more

Cornell Restaurant Report Finds Tip Guidelines Can Boost Tips
But When Service Is Haphazard, Watch Out! - According to New Online Restaurant Report, Designed for Owners and Managers ...more

Restaurant Industry Outlook Softens as the Restaurant Performance Index Declined in March
RPI stood below 100 for the fifth consecutive month ...more

Restaurant Trends - Growing And Emerging Concepts - Data reflects change and activity from December 21, 2007 to April 21, 2008
Update from Restaurantchains.net on growing and emerging restaurant concepts ...more

Back to Departments

Lessons from the Field - Understanding the differences between Marketing and Sales - By John Hogan
Many people use the terminology 'marketing' and 'sales' as having the same meaning. Is there a difference between Marketing and Sales? The answer is a resounding 'YES!' Both are critical to matching your hotel's features and services to the guest who wants and needs them, but the two words do not have the same meaning. ...more

How to get the right hotel operator: Part 2 - By Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
Hotel Attorney on Hotel Management Agreements . How to get the right brand and operator for your hotel project and a deal you can live with - The Hotel RFP Process. ...more

Hey, General Managers, There is Hope for This New Generation of Hospitality Sales Professionals! - By David M. Brudney
Anyone who has read my articles over the past few years knows full well the genuine concern I have over the future of hospitality sales professionals. ...more

Back to Departments

Canadian Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR - Week Ending April 19, 2008
Published in conjunction with STR (Smith Travel Research) and endorsed by the Hotel Association of Canada. This publication summarizes weekly occupancy and average room rates from major cities in Canada. ...more

March 2008 Global Hotel Review
This report includes occupancy (Occ), average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR) for selected markets and countries for February 2007. ...more

UK - Early Easter contributes to drops in occupancy and profit
UK Chain Hotels Market Review - March 2008 ...more

New Study from CHD Expert Group: Focus on Main Investments in German Hospitality Industry
Two out of ten hotels plan renovation of guest rooms - Strong modernization continues in foodservice industry ...more

Weekly U.S. Lodging Performance for the week of Apr 20, 2008 - Apr 26, 2008
Weekly summary of Occupancy, ADR and REVPar for the United States. ...more

Back to Departments

The Lodging Industry Market Structure - by Manmohan Shetty
The market structure of lodging industry is 'Monopolistic competition'- market structures in which there are many firms selling differentiated products, there are few barriers to entry. ...more

Airport Parking Market: An Untapped Revenue Source For Airport Hotels
The saying, 'there's a lot of money to be made in parking' could not be more true than in airport parking. In our quest to quantify this statement, we surveyed and analyzed six major U.S. airports to determine the size of this niche business for airports and explore how airport hotels can also capitalize on this market trend and opportunity. ...more

Back to Departments

Going Green Shouldn't Increase Property Taxes - By Michael J. Shalley
A key question remains: do the added start-up costs of going 'green' translate into higher property taxes for hotels? The answer is they can and here's how you can prevent it. ...more

Back to Departments

The Future Of Hotel e-Business
Opportunities exist for those in the hotel e-business, even during these tough economic times. Attendees at HEDNA's Lisbon Conference learned about the future trends for hotel e-business, how to profit from those trends and how HEDNA members can make a difference as the industry evolves. ...more

Technology, Customer Expectations, Environmental Issues Will Drive Near-Term Decision Making For Electronic Distribution
The speed of technological innovation, growing realities of environmental sustainability and more demanding, value conscious customers are some of the most key near-term decision drivers for the hotel electronic distribution industry. These challenges and their various impacts were examined and debated during the final day of HEDNA's 2008 EMEA Conference, held at the Corinthia Lisboa Hotel. ...more

Back to Departments

Average Fourth-Quarter Air Fares Rose 4.0 Percent from 2006 Top 100 Airports
Highest Fare in Anchorage, Lowest Fare at Hilo, HI ...more

AOL Travel / Zogby Survey Finds More than Half of Americans Have Less Money to Spend This Year on Summer Vacations than in 2007
Survey Reveals How Americans Plan to Travel This Summer ...more

International Visitation To USA Up 11 Percent In January 2008 - Spending At $11.4 Billion For The Month
The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that 3.4 million international visitors traveled to the United States in January 2008, an increase of 11 percent over January 2007. ...more

Back to Departments