STR Global Reports Central and South America Hotel Pipeline for November 2009

The Central/South America hotel development pipeline includes 131 projects with 19,929 rooms, according to the November 2009 STR Global Construction Pipeline Report released this week. ...more

STR Reports Caribbean and Mexico Pipeline for November 2009

The Caribbean/Mexico hotel development pipeline includes 131 hotels comprising 18,291 rooms, according to the November 2009 STR Construction Pipeline Report released this week. ...more

Global Hotel Transaction Volume Forecast to Increase up to 40 percent in 2010

After dropping to the lowest level in the decade, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels forecasts that global hotel transaction volume will increase by 20 to 40 percent in 2010, according to initial results from the firm's Hotel Investment Outlook 2010 report. The expected increase marks the first rise in two years. ...more

STR reports U.S. hotel pipeline for November 2009

The total active U.S. hotel development pipeline includes 3,939 projects comprising 417,412 rooms, according to the November 2009 STR/TWR/Dodge Construction Pipeline Report released this week. ...more

This Month's EcoFeature Green Hotel: The Radisson Los Angeles Airport (LAX) Hotel - an outstanding green hotel option for the Jet Set!

At EcoGreenHotel, we know that it's one thing to say your hotel is green, but it's quite another thing to prove it. That's why we are so pleased to honor the Radisson LAX Hotel - the Radisson brand's first Green Seal(TM) Inc. Silver Level certified hotel, and one of only four hotels in the entire state of California to achieve Green Seal lodging certification. ...more

McCormick Unveils 10th Anniversary Flavor Forecast

Milestone Report Features Top 10 Flavor Pairings and Leading Trends That Will Define 2010 ...more

Chik-fil-A and Five Guys are Top Fast Food Choices among Consumers in 2010 according to New Market Force Study

Burger haven Five Guys and award-winning Chik-fil-A were selected as the No. 1 and No. 2 favorite quick serve restaurants, in a consumer survey conducted this month by Market Force Information Inc., a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. ...more

Food & Beverage - Making Sales Figures Easier for Staff to Understand - By Ken Burgin

There has to be an easier way to explain business results to staff... ...more

Restaurant Trends - Growing And Emerging Concepts - Data reflects change and activity from August 7, 2009 to December 7, 2009

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

Top Ten Food Trends for 2010 According to The Food Channel

Experimentation nation, umami, and food with benefits are just three of the top 10 trends to watch in 2010, according to the experts at The Food Channel ...more

Restaurant Industry Will Need To Wait Until Second Half of 2010 for Recovery

Industry Traffic Declines -4 Percent in Quarter Ending September 2009 ...more

The great online travel revolution

The noughties heralded the rise of self-service travel websites, bringing with them a boom in cheap flights and last-minute budget breaks. Bobbie Johnson looks back. ...more

Who is the Voice of Social Media in Your Hotel? - By Daniel Edward Craig

When asked about social media strategy, I often hear hotel executives say they are 'carefully monitoring' or 'moving at a measured pace'. 'Our strategy is pretty much to listen and monitor,' said another one. ...more

Many Meeting Planners Like To Do It At Home - By Neil Salerno

Meeting Planners Use TripAdvisor to Check-out Hotels, too ...more

How to Leverage Social Media to Add Value to Your Hotel Business - By Julie Keyser-Squires, APR

Softscribe Inc. CEO tracks with expert Chris Brogan: video gives hoteliers a social media power snack ...more

Getting Control of Online Travel Reviews

A recent Nielsen study found that 81% of online shoppers read product or retailer reviews by other customers when shopping, and that 71% agreed that consumer reviews make them more comfortable that they're buying the right product. ...more

Hotel Lawyers and the ADA: Is the DOJ's ADA Compliance Survey Coming to Your City Soon? - By Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com

What to do when you receive the DOJ's ADA Compliance Review questionnaire. ...more

Hotel Revenue Management: Back to Basics - By Jean Francois Mourier

The hospitality industry continues to suffer in every corner of the globe - what else is new? Most hotel experts are expecting a slow 2010 recovery in RevPar. In such an environment, many hoteliers will struggle with rate discounting, creating more pain for the long-term development and sustainability of hotels' revenues once the economy gets back on its feet. ...more

Be On Guard - There's Life After Healthcare - By Joseph M. Gravish

The national media is focusing most of its attention on the Congressional debate over healthcare. But businesses need to be on-guard as many predict an anti-business employment legislation tsunami once the current logjam breaks. ...more

Hotel Hospitality Inspirations Learned From My Mentor: Howard Feiertag - By Doug Kennedy

Having just begun my career in the hospitality industry, I first started reading Howard's articles in the mid 1980's when I was working in the hotel industry. Whenever my next issue of Hotel & Motel Management would arrive, Howard's Column Sales Clinic was one I always opened to first. ...more

Lessons from the Field - Now is the time to invest in Your People - By John Hogan

For much of the past two years, many industries faced serious economic challenges, including dramatic erosion of revenue and profitability, as well as the loss of long-term customers and loyal staff. As an industry, hospitality in literally all segments struggled to find ways to meet the global financial meltdown and the scorecard is not yet in for 2009 end of year results. ...more

Has Your Hotel Ever Asked, 'What Would Google Do?' - Recap of Jeff Jarvis presentation at SES Chicago

Jeff Jarvis, author of 'What Would Google Do?' kicked off the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago last Monday. He spoke about Google bigotry and how some traditional news corporations view Google as a monster, or Godzilla, and Google views itself as Snuffleupagus, who is harmless and just wants to help. He also addressed media as a process, not a product, and outlined some traits that make Google so successful. We took a look at how hotels can apply these same philosophies to build a better brand. ...more

STR reports Canada performance for week ending 12 December

In year-over-year measurements, the industry's occupancy decreased 3.9 percent to end the week at 52.0 percent. Average daily rate increased 3.1 percent to finish the week at CAD$119.02. Revenue per available room for the week decreased 0.9 percent to CAD$61.93. ...more

The Fed Rate - Government Travelers Welcome In 2009 - By Robert Mandelbaum and Reed Woodworth

For hotels in the upper-tier chain scale categories, government travelers have historically been viewed as 'guests of last resort.' While government business is abundant, the per diem room rates set by federal, state, and local agencies are generally viewed as low. In addition, ancillary expenditures for food, beverage, retail, and recreation are restricted by government limits that are typically less than the average business traveler's budget. ...more

Hotwire Reveals Canadian Hotel Rate Report for December 2009

Edmonton and Winter Hotspot Calgary Top List ...more

Hotel Industry Pulse Shows Setback in November

After edging down 0.1 percent in October, HIP went down 1.8 percent in November. ...more

Hotel Development Cost Survey - October 2009 Canadian Lodging Outlook

Published in conjunction with STR (Smith Travel Research) and endorsed by the Hotel Association of Canada. This publication summarizes occupancy and average room rates from major cities in Canada. ...more

Canadian Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR - Week Ending December 5, 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

New PKF Report Projects Accelerated Recovery for U.S. Lodging Industry Distress Still Rampant

PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) today announced that, according to its December 2009 edition of Hotel Horizons(R), the pace of recovery of the U.S. lodging industry has accelerated from previous expectations. Improving industry data for such key indicators as occupancy, RevPAR, and demand suggest that the recovery will arrive a full quarter earlier than the firm expected in September 2009. These improvements are reflected in the firm's updated forecasts for 2009 and 2010 in its just published December issue of Hotel Horizons(R). ...more

STR reports US performance for week ending 5 December

In year-over-year measurements, the industry's occupancy fell 4.9 percent to end the week at 47.6 percent. Average daily rate dropped 7.3 percent to finish the week at US$96.25. Revenue per available room for the week decreased 11.9 percent to finish at US$45.86. ...more

Cornell and SAS Webcast Focuses on Maximum Customer Value

Webcast explains how to get the most from customer loyalty programs ...more

Cornell Study Outlines Expanding Challenges of Electronic Communication Methods

Hotel managers must find ways to handle email interruptions, but they also need to be responsive to customer emails. ...more

American Express Business Travel Monitor Shows Signs Travelers Are Returning to the Road

Domestic and International Airfare Rates Show Modest Increase in Third Quarter; Travelers Are Starting to Move Back to the Front of the Plane; Hotel Rates Continue to Decrease in Upscale Categories, but Increase in Mid-Price, Economy and Budget Tiers ...more

AAA Projects Year-End Holidays Will See a 3.8 Percent Increase In Travelers

AAA is projecting 87.7 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more away from home during the year-end holidays. This is a 3.8 percent increase from the 84.5 million Americans who traveled during the same Christmas/New Year period one year ago, and is the largest projected increase for any major holiday this year. ...more

Record Low Hotel Rates Make Vegas the Most Popular U.S. Travel Destination in 2009

With average hotel rates even lower that they were in 2008, it's no surprise that Las Vegas continues to reign as the top U.S. destination. Looking more closely at average hotel rates, travelers found better hotel deals overall in 2009 than in 2008, with significant rate drops in major destinations, such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco. ...more

U.S. Travel Industry Expects Only a Modest Recovery in 2010

For the travel industry, 2009 is a year best forgotten, or as the chairman of Southwest Airlines, Gary C. Kelly, put it in a message to customers, it was 'an annus horribilis.' ...more

Travel Industry Future Is Uncertain at Best

So which is it: the travel industry is beginning to recover from the recession, or prices will continue to circle the bowl for the next 12 months? ...more

Hotwire Reveals Hotel Rate Report for December 2009

Destinations Throughout California and Florida Offer Relief to Winter-Weary Travelers ...more