Q3 2009 Asia Pacific Construction Pipeline Report

With 1,841 projects/438,451 rooms at the end of Q3, the Asia Pacific Pipeline is the second largest in the world. Because the region has two of the fastest growing economies, China and India, regional project counts are down only 17% and total rooms by 13% from the Pipeline's Q2 2008 peak. ...more

Changes, They are a Comin'! Job Market Loosens Up - By Alan E. Young, Partner, Apical Resource Group

Well, it is really starting to happen. We are seeing signs of life creep back in the hotel and travel jobs market. I must admit that I did not expect to see any real signs of life until the 1st quarter of 2010 but here we are in December and the numbers are looking pretty good. If the increase of clients at our company is an indicator, we should expect to see a dramatic rise in available jobs in the 1st quarter next year. ...more

Workplace Challenges: Managing Layoffs, and Motivating Those Left Behind

The current downturn has left many companies scrambling to manage workplace issues -- ranging from how to avoid a brain drain to how they can provide better value to customers and clients. Employees, for their part, face the challenges that arise from working in a leaner organization that demands increased productivity with fewer resources. ...more

5 Leading Menu Trends for 2010

Challenged with one of the toughest years on record, restaurant operators may be looking ahead to 2010 with an eye towards further cost-cutting measures. Menu innovation, however, also plays an essential role for success over the coming year by enticing recession-weary diners with compelling reasons to eat out. ...more

Newly Launched Recommendation Index(SM) Identifies Brands Most Recommended by U.S. Consumers

Casual Dining Restaurant Category Is Focus of First Quarterly Report ...more

Food & Beverage - When is it OK to say NO to a customer? - By Ken Burgin

On the one hand, 'the customer is always right'. On the other hand, you've got a business to run, and they sure can get in the way...(we've all had that feeling). ...more

Cornell Issues Comprehensive Food-Cost Training Program

Program Involves All Restaurant Employees in Controlling Food Costs ...more

Restaurant Trends - Growing And Emerging Concepts - Data reflects change and activity from July 31, 2009 to November 30, 2009

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

FTC December Deadline here; bloggers & internet advertisers need comply

Online Business Expert Jim Edwards Interviews FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Official to Clarify New Internet Marketing, Blogging and Affiliate Advertising Guidelines ...more

Marketing within the Third Generation of the Web

New White Paper in a Series from HSMAI's Travel Internet Marketing Special Interest Group and TIG Global Explores the Next Generation of the World Wide Web ...more

Monitoring the Rising Strategic Importance of Social Media to Travel Companies

There's no doubt that travel lends itself to online discussion. Travel blogs, community sites, and user reviews litter the internet landscape. What's interesting though is how being a part of the online conversation is fast becoming an integral part of strategic planning as oppose to being an added 'nice-to-have'. ...more

Hitwise November 2009 Travel Category Report

40.91% of all visits to the online 'Travel' industry went to the top 10 websites for the month of November, 2009. 49.85% went to the top 20 websites and 70.72% went to the top 100 websites. ...more

Social Media For Hotels - What Helps, What Doesn't - By Neil Salerno

The unique quality of Web 2.0 social media is that it consists of user-generated content. Social media users post comments directly on the Internet and all they need is access to a computer. At the same time, users have the ability to read and absorb comments made by other users...sounds like a marketer's dream. But, how well does social media serve individual hotels? ...more

Social media measurement: a 10-step guide - By Chris Lake

Social media measurement is a tricky subject, not least because not everything can or should be measured, and in some ways social measurement is a bit like measuring the impact of TV ads on brand awareness: it's a slightly softer area than, say, paid search. ...more

Google Launches Real-Time Search

We knew it was inevitable, and now it's here: Google has just launched real-time search integrated into search results pages. ...more

Organizing the Chaos of Online Travel Tips

This fall, I was lured to Panama. Friends who settled there a year ago had regularly regaled me, an avid traveler, with visions of a lively Latin city with nearby, unspoiled beaches bordered by jungle. ...more

Why Your Hotel Should NEVER USE TinyURL to Redirect Links

There are numerous free URL shortening and redirect services out there, with the most popular being TinyURL. Using such services puts your hotel at risk and may cost you business and expose your hotel to potential lawsuits. The most dangerous situation is where someone else impersonates your brand or hotel and creates redirect links to malicious websites. ...more

Winning in a Reset Economy: Three Steps to Successs - By Brenda Fields

Unless we have been living under a rock for the past year, we would know that the world's economy has plummeted and that the hospitality industry worldwide has experienced an unprecedented drop in RevPAR, the primary indicator of profitability. As the world is adjusting to this new economy, the hospitality industry is searching for ways to recover. ...more

Meeting Planners Struggle to Control Costs - By David M. Brudney, ISHC, December 2009

Meeting planners are faced with the same economic challenges confronting hotels today - booking 'effective' events at the least possible costs - and as a result are 'flexing' their negotiating leverage and aggressively seeking room rate concessions, according to a recent meeting planner survey conducted by PKF Hospitality Research and Conventions South Magazine. ...more

White Paper - Customer Relationship Management: The Winning Strategy in a Challenging Economy

As the economic environment continues to fluctuate, many organizations are asking themselves what strategies they can pursue to bring tangible business benefits while taking stock of the economic conditions. ...more

REVPAR GURU's Hotel Industry Predications For The Coming Year

It's almost time to close the door on 2009 and for most hoteliers, not a moment too soon. ...more

London Hotels Full in November

Deloitte, the business advisory firm, has confirmed that London's hotel market is leading the recovery in European hotel performance after 13 consecutive months of decline. ...more

STR reports Canada performance for week ending 5 December

In year-over-year measurements, the industry's occupancy decreased 5.4 percent to end the week at 55.8 percent. Average daily rate dropped 3.5 percent to finish the week at CAD$119.41. Revenue per available room for the week decreased 8.7 percent to finish at CAD$66.61. ...more

European Hotel rates continue to fall in December

European hotel prices are eight percent less than December 2008. In comparison to the previous month, overnight accommodation prices have decreased by four percent. In the United Kingdom hotel prices have decreased by 21 percent in Manchester and by 15 percent in Edinburgh in comparison to the previous year. ...more

Hotel Investment in Brazil - By Diogo Canteras

Having emerged strengthened from the global financial crisis, Brazil - in contrast with the current international economic climate - offers excellent investment opportunities, especially in the hospitality industry. ...more

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Market Snapshot - By Nehme Ayoub and Hala Matar Choufany

This market snapshot is the fifth in a series of articles that HVS will be producing every month on a series of key markets with STR Global. Our analysis for this market is based on a sample of more than 25,800 rooms, as provided by STR Global. ...more

Stockholm Hotel Market Treads Water

Despite a global industry downturn, Stockholm's hotel market has experienced only a moderate occupancy decline for the year through October, according to STR Global, the leading provider of market data to the world's hotel industry. ...more

U.S. Hotel Industry Rounds The Bend

Last week the economic research firm e-forecasting.com in conjunction with Smith Travel Research announced that their U.S. Hotel Industry Leading indicator (HIL) went up in October, the seventh consecutive month of increase for the indicator. ...more

STR reports US performance for week ending 28 November

In year-over-year measurements, the industry's occupancy fell 1.7 percent to end the week at 40.7 percent. Average daily rate dropped 6.7 percent to finish the week at US$84.81. Revenue per available room for the week decreased 8.4 percent to finish at US$34.54. ...more

Canadian Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR - Week Ending November 28, 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

2010 Edition of The Hotel Yearbook Goes Digital

Annual Forecast Reveals Forward Looking Insights from Global Hotel Industry Leaders ...more

Deloitte Releases New White Paper on FASB Statement 167 Adoption Issues for Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Industry

FASB Statement 167 may have a significant impact on financial reporting for companies in the THL industry. ...more

Air Transport Association Expects 2.5 Percent Decline in Air Travelers Over 21-Day Winter Holiday Period

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, announced today that it expects 41 million passengers(1) to travel over the upcoming winter holidays(2) on U.S. carriers, representing a 2.5 percent year-over-year decline from the 42 million passengers(1) estimated to have flown during the same period in 2008.(3) ...more

Destinations to watch in 2010

Poised to claim their time in the spotlight, destinations around the world are taking center stage with big festivals or anniversaries, massive new developments, or just particularly good deals. ...more

ITB World Travel Trends Report: European Travel Industry Cautiously Optimistic in the Wake of Massive Losses

Preliminary travel statistics for 2009: shorter trips that are closer to home and saving money the priorities - more and more last-minute bookings - decline highest in UK and Russia ...more

U.S. Airlines Post Smallest Traffic Drop in 18 Months

Southwest Airlines Co. and Continental Airlines Inc. led the six biggest U.S. carriers to their best traffic results in 18 months in a sign that the air- travel slump is ending. ...more

TripAdvisor Reads Traveler Tea Leaves to Reveal 2010 Trends

Annual Traveler Survey Discovers a Flu-nomenon as U.S. Respondents Becoming Far More Cautious When it Comes to Germs U.S. Travelers Expect to Take More Leisure Trips in the Coming Year Troncones, Mexico is 2010's Top Up-and-Coming Travel Destination ...more