SpaFinder and Leading Spas Partner to Connect World's Largest Spa Audience with Premiere Vacation Spas Around The Globe

SpaFinder, Inc. and Leading Spas today announced that the companies will partner to present Leading Spa's collection of the most exquisite spas in the world to millions of consumers in 27 countries who select and book spa vacations at SpaFinder.com and its websites in Europe and Japan. ...more

Baker & McKenzie Hotels, Resorts & Tourism Newsletter: Upgrades in a Downturn - By Tina Wyhoon and Alex Hartmann, Baker & McKenzie

Lower occupancy and rates and more competitive building contractor prices may lead some hotel owners and operators to take the opportunity to refurbish and reposition their hotels. In negotiating contracts, hotel owners and asset managers should take account of the risk of builder insolvency and its potential disruptive impact on the time, cost and quality of time-critical refurbishment projects ...more

Q3 2009 Latin America LE's Construction Pipeline

As of the end of Q3 2009, the Latin America Construction Pipeline has a total of 482 projects and 83,291 guest rooms. After 6 consecutive quarters of declines, the Pipeline is at the lowest level yet for the current cycle and is expected to trend even lower. Developer sentiment continues to be weighed down by the lackluster global economy, causing a fall off in leisure travel. ...more

Cornell Sustainability Roundtable: In Search of the 'Green Bullet' to Aid in Green Hotel Efforts

Conflicting demands and fear of 'greenwashing' inhibit hotels' efforts toward sustainable operations ...more

Restaurant Trends - Growing And Emerging Concepts - Data reflects change and activity from July 9, 2009 to November 9, 2009

Update from Restaurantchains.net on growing and emerging restaurant concepts ...more

Guest Satisfaction - October 2009 Chatter Guard Benchmark Report Is Released

Lodging Interactive, a leading interactive marketing agency servicing the hospitality industry and the publisher of the free Chatter Guard Monthly Benchmark Monitor Report has released its October 2009 report. ...more

VFM Leonardo Announces Toby Kubis Joins Executive Team

Travel Industry Veteran Toby Kubis Joins VFM Leonardo as Vice President Corporate Hotel Sales ...more

Innovative Hotel Website Ideas for 2010 - O'Rourke Interview with Chris Brogan

'In with the new - out with old!' is a common phrase as the new year approaches. At O'Rourke Hospitality Marketing we believe this is especially true for hotel website design and the traditional ways of marketing. ...more

InterContinental Hotels Online Videos Prove More Effective Than T.V. Spot

At Ad Tech NY this month we caught up with Jared Simon, V.P. of Corporate Development at TurnHere Internet Video, and we asked him to share with us his case study about InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. ...more

InterContinental Hotels Online Videos Prove More Effective Than T.V. Spot

At Ad Tech NY this month we caught up with Jared Simon, V.P. of Corporate Development at TurnHere Internet Video, and we asked him to share with us his case study about InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. ...more

How to Get More Sales from Your Public Relations and Marketing Dollars - By Julie Keyser-Squires, APR

When Chris Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton Hotels Corporation, suggested at the 2009 ALIS Hotel Leader's Outlook panel that the rebound would not be immediate because 'the psychological impact was too great,' we agreed. Have you been psychologically impacted over the past year? I have. Businesses in our global industry are in the wringer. The bright side is that when a company goes through a wringer, what remains is the true value in the business. ...more

New Email Marketing Tactics For Hotels To Use in 2010

With the growth of email marketing bombarding inboxes, it's time to get smarter and more creative as to how you use this marketing method. Here are a couple of ideas to think about coming into 2010 that will help you generate some other ways to look at this medium. ...more

7 resolutions to online sales success for 2010

2009 has been one of the most challenging years in hotel history, and up till now recovery signs are not that compelling. But the year is almost over, so this is now the time to plan for your sales resolutions for a new year with better than expected profits. ...more

4 Post Recession Shifts in the Hotel Sales Environment - What You Need to Know for Success in 2010 - By Carol Verret

The recovery is coming - not a huge surge in demand but a slow manageable increase in demand. Rates are another story. There are four subtle but important changes in the sales environment that evolved during the recession and that impact hotel sales processes. Hotel sales offices and marketing departments need to understand these subtle paradigm shifts in order to maximize the opportunities in the fragile recovery ahead. ...more

Cornell Case Studies Profile Innovative Hospitality Firms

Hospitality and hotel case studies show how innovators exploit technology and fill market gaps ...more

Hotel Industry's Pulse Index Shows Small Gain

Economic research firm e-forecasting.com, in conjunction with Smith Travel Research, has announced the Hotel Industry's Pulse index edged back up in October after hitting a snag the previous month. ...more

Canadian Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR - Week Ending November 7, 2009

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

STR reports US performance for week ending 7 November

In year-over-year measurements, the industry's occupancy fell 3.6 percent to end the week at 54.8 percent. Average daily rate dropped 8.5 percent to finish the week at US$97.19. Revenue per available room for the week decreased 11.8 percent to finish at US$53.29. ...more

Health Care Legislation - Which Hotels Might Get Sick? - By Robert Mandelbaum and Taylor Beauchamp

Health care reform is an important topic for the hotel industry because it is directly related to labor costs. Labor costs are usually the largest operating expense for a hotel. In 2008, total hotel labor costs equaled 32.9 percent of revenue and 45.8 percent of all operating expenses. ...more

Amadeus introduces the 'Amateur-Expert Traveller'

Amadeus has identified the Amateur-Expert Traveller - who is more knowledgeable, more adventurous and more likely to live in an emerging economy than ever before - and whose rise coincides with innovations in the trip experience and the growth of niche travel in the post-recessionary environment. ...more

Customer Satisfaction With Rental Cars Stabilizes Following Two Years of Steady Declines

Enterprise Ranks Highest in Satisfying Rental Car Customers for a Sixth Consecutive Year ...more

Lodging Interactive Offers Turn-Key Mobile Websites For Hotels

Lodging Interactive, a leading interactive marketing agency servicing the hospitality industry, today announced the roll out of its mobile website design and hosting services for hotels. Lodging Interactive's new mobile services provide turn-key, cost-effective mobile solutions enabling hotels to provide easy acess to their website and to capture bookings from smart phones, iPhones and Blackberry users worldwide. ...more

AAA Projects Thanksgiving Travel to Increase 1.4 Percent from Last Year

Fewer will travel by air this year due to budget concerns, reduced airline capacity and added charges ...more

The business travel forecast: less luxe

In 2010, better economic times should mean more trips - but travel managers will keep a tight hold on the purse strings ...more

Hotel Rates Fall and Airfare Climbs as Thanksgiving Nears

The most recent Thanksgiving data report from Travelocity(R) shows that while airfare is on the rise for the Thanksgiving holiday, hotel rates are falling fast. When compared to five weeks ago, average domestic airfare rose $10 while domestic hotel rates dropped $16 per night on average. ...more

Hotwire Reveals Hotel Rate Report for November 2009

Midsized Cities Fill Up the Top 10 as They Follow Trends Set By Larger Destinations ...more

Deloitte Holiday and Winter Travel Survey Suggests Cautious Optimism

Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Sector May Stabilize as Signs of an Economic Recovery Take Hold ...more

Expedia Expands Hotel Relationships in Europe, Grows In-Bound International Bookings

Online Travel Leader's Efforts Help European Hoteliers Boost Occupancy, Reach Travelers Around the Globe ...more