Hotel News in Brief

Dec 07, 09 | 1:46 am

Thomson, Expedia and easyJet have all fallen out of the Hitwise Hot Shops List top ten. The latest statistics, taken from tracking website traffic between August and October, show all but two of the travel companies in the previous quarter's top 50 list have dropped places.The two exceptions are travelodge.co.uk, which jumped seven places to number 37, and thetrainline.com, which remained at number 34. In the previous quarter, thomascook.com was the biggest mover of any online retailer, regardless of sector, jumping 16 places, while thomson.co.uk was the highest-placed travel company, at number eight. Expedia.co.uk was at nine and easyjet.co.uk was at ten.This quarter, thomascook.com dropped 30 places to number 46; easyjet.co.uk dropped to 12; expedia.co.uk dropped to nine and thomson.co.uk dropped 13 places to 21. Travelrepublic.com and firstchoice.co.uk both fell out of the top 50. Last quarter, they were at 31 and 37 respectively. The other travel companies in the latest top 50 are: ryanair.com, at number 14 (down two places); lastminute.com at 24 (down nine places); and britishairways.com at 42 (down seven places). The top ten this quarter is dominated by retailers, with amazon.co.uk at number one, followed by argos.co.uk, play.com, apple.com and marksandspencer.com.


According to a recent report by Travelzest and the Centre for Future Studies, more and more adults in their 50s and 60s are turning away from traditional sun and sand holidays in favour of specialist activity or learning based holidays. Popular niche holidays include yoga and meditation breaks, hobby holidays such as cooking or painting retreats, sports tourism, cycling holidays, wine tasting tours, festivals and fiestas, wildlife tours, adventure holidays and health spa breaks.There has also been a surge in demand for accommodation designed to take large gatherings of friends and family. The home from home hotel has become increasingly popular with the over 50s in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue. The internet has been a major force in driving these changes. A recent survey carried out by sunshine.co.uk has revealed that over half of OAPs book their holidays online. The global reach of the internet has made it a lot more economical to reach small and specialist markets, which has resulted in a far greater level of choice for the holidaymaker. A spokesperson for AA travel insurance says "More and more people from the so-called baby boomer generation are beginning to want something a little different and challenging from their holiday adventures. Before the internet travel boom, most people would be restricted to what their local travel agent had to offer, whereas the present-day holidaymaker has a virtually unlimited choice. While many people still just want to relax on a beach for a couple of weeks to recover from the stress of their working lives, people of and approaching retirement age are increasingly looking for something a little more energetic and stimulating from their time away."


Zurich's Baur au Lac was recently honored with the Commitment to Quality award in the Europe category by The Leading Hotels of the World during its 2009 annual convention, held in Venice. The Leading Hotels of the World is the largest international luxury hotel brand with what are considered the most stringent standards in the industry. The Commitment to Quality award recognizes a select group of hotels throughout the world with the highest levels of excellence in accommodation, facilities and services.  Operated by the same family since its opening in 1844, the Baur au Lac is Zurich's most celebrated hotel. It recently underwent an approximately US$45 million renovation, reinventing its Pavillion and Terrasse restaurants and converting 32 rooms and suites into 22 larger suites, junior suites and deluxe double rooms. www.bauraulac.ch.


Hilton Worldwide is to open three more Hampton by Hilton properties in the UK. The new hotels in Birmingham, Braintree, and Shrewsbury, which are owned by Osborn Securities, will open early next year.Two Hampton by Hilton properties are currently open in the UK. The first opened in Corby in March, followed by Liverpool John Lennon Airport in October. A further three Hampton by Hilton hotels are planned, in Leeds, Derby and Liverpool. Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice-president of development for Europe and Africa at Hilton Worldwide, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome the addition of three hotels to our Hampton by Hilton UK portfolio. ‘These latest additions demonstrate the opportunity for growth in the UK economy hotel market. With further Hampton projects in discussion, we are excited about expanding this brand across Europe.'


Akkeron Hotels, set up by investment firm Akkeron Group, has acquired the leasehold of nine Folio properties.They are: Makeney Hall (Belper); Buckerell Lodge (Exeter); the Yorkshire Hotel (Harrogate); the Isles of Glencoe Hotel and the Ballachulish Hotel (both in Glencoe); the Caledonian Hotel (Oban); the Richmond Gate Hotel (Richmond-upon-Thames); and the Harte & Garter Hotel & Spa (Windsor). It has also acquired the leasehold on the Cedars Health and Leisure Club in Richmond. Akkeron said the acquisitions would form the basis of a planned 150-strong portfolio across the UK, which will be operated through a combination of ownership, leases and management contracts. Folio Hotels, which currently has a mix of 60% business and 40% leisure customers, saw gross operating profit in the ten months to October improve by 2.4% year-on-year, against an average industry decline of over 14% (TRI Hospitality regional figures). James Brent, Akkeron chairman, commented: ‘The regional UK hotel market provides a real opportunity for a company such as ours which combines access to equity and debt finance, and management expertise and integrity.


THE UK-based Guild of Travel and Tourism will establish its first international chapter in Hong Kong in March next year in a move to "internationalise" the guild. Established in 1994, the Guild acts as a networking resource and a lobbying force for the industry, with membership open to all aspects of the travel and tourism sector, including suppliers. The guild's international business development director Steven Ballantyne will spearhead the initiative to expand membership outside the UK. Several new benefits and services were also announced for members, including access to a regular Guild exhibition stand at trade shows such as WTM, ITB Berlin and ITB Asia, and PATA; themed events based on membership requirements; and workshops and open days for purchasers and suppliers within the industry.Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia, the guild's president, said the move was a step forward. "(Hong Kong's) strategic location in the heart of Asia makes it the ideal location for The Guild of Travel and Tourism's first foray into the global arena."


The Holiday Inn Los Angeles International Airport Hotel announces the completion of a $10 million renovation. Business travellers and LA vacationers alike are invited to experience the new standard in comfort and style at LAX Airport. The property-wide renovation impacted all guest rooms, public spaces and even the building exterior. A fresh, modern look to the accommodations sits at the heart of the project.


Lanyon, Inc., the leading provider of content, bid and spend management solutions to the global travel and hospitality industries, has announced that it has received $10 million in expansion funding from Frontier Capital. Frontier is a private equity firm providing growth equity to technology enabled business services companies. As the world's largest online hospitality marketplace, Lanyon provides content and bid management solutions to over 90,000 hotels and spend management solutions to hundreds of corporations. Together with the travel management companies that use its solutions, it handles an annual demand for 95 million room-nights with an economic value approaching $18 billion. Frontier's investment will support expansion of sales, marketing and customer support resources together with further enhancement of the company's on-demand solutions. "Lanyon has consistently experienced exceptional growth. This can be attributed to the value delivered by our solutions making us a trusted and independent partner to a growing number of hotels and corporations seeking improved hospitality procurement processes," said Todd E. Tyler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lanyon. "With this funding from Frontier Capital we will be able to accelerate the introduction of additional solutions and build out service delivery as we increase the number of our customers."