ehotelier Hospitality News Archives: July 2004

What goes down must eventually come back up – UK hotels report double-digit growth

The UK hotel industry has proven to be the strongest performer in Europe in the first six months of 2004, with revenue per available room (revPAR) rising 11 percent against the same period in 2003. Latest preliminary figures from the HotelBenchmark Survey by Deloitte show that UK hotels have benefited from a balanced mix of rising occupancies and average room rates.

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News @ PATA

This week's PATA news and update....

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UK hotels - getting better but still not fully recovered

The UK`s hoteliers sustained a healthy performance in the month of June with London achieving a robust daily rooms yield of £94.62.  London hotels saw occupancy up 5.4% to 83.1% and average room rate rose 8.5% to £113.93, pushing rooms yield up 14.4% to £94.62. This compares to occupancy of 78.7%, a room rate of £104.97 and rooms yield of £82.69 in June 2003.

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Hilton earnings soar on business-travel boost

Strong business-travel trends and a jump start to the summer season helped drive Hilton Hotels second-quarter profits up 39 percent. Before the bell Wednesday, Hilton said it earned $75 million, or 19 cents a share, in the quarter. That is up sharply from the $54 million and 14 cents of a year ago and a penny above the average estimate of analyst polled by Thomson First Call. Revenue rose just over 9 percent to $1.07 billion as same-owned-hotel revenue per available room rose 8.3 percent on increased occupancy and higher rates.

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Lodging industry luminary Isadore Sharp to receive Lifetime Achievement award at 2005 ALIS

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Chairman and CEO Isadore “Issy” Sharp will be honored at the fourth installment of the Americas Lodging Investment Summit  (ALIS), Jan. 18–20, 2005, at The Westin Century Plaza Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles, Calif. The prestigious ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Sharp in recognition of his commendable accomplishments in the lodging industry as well as outstanding commitment, leadership, and service to the community.

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Peninsula Group retains profits to finance projects

Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels (HKSH), operator of the luxury Peninsula chain, plans to retain most of its profits to finance new projects rather than adopt a generous dividend policy. Chief executive Clement Kwok King-man said the company was still at a "developing stage", pointing out that capital expenditure for this year and next would be higher than previously.

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W Expands To Hong Kong, Shanghai

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced today that W Hotels will debut in the People's Republic of China with a 383-room waterfront hotel in Hong Kong scheduled to open in early 2008.  The company has also signed a letter of agreement to develop a W hotel in Shanghai. W is the world's fastest growing collection of world-class design hotels, having announced six new projects this year alone, including new hotels in Barcelona, Spain; Scottsdale, Arizona; Hoboken, New Jersey and the Maldives.  

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Raffles Hldgs' hotels doing better than pre-Sars

 Raffles Holdings yesterday released figures showing that its hotel operations are performing better than they were before last year's deadly Sars outbreak, even as it unveiled its ambition to enter new markets like Shanghai, Tokyo, Italy and Dubai. The group's revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the second quarter was $160, which was not only higher than the $119 in the Sars-struck Q2 of last year but also 6.7 per cent higher compared with the more stable Q2 of 2002, when the RevPAR was $150.

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Asian Hotels Alliance eyes USA Market

The Asian Hotels Alliance (AHA) is to exhibit for the first time at the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) annual convention and trade show in the USA. NBTA’s 36th Annual Convention & Trade Show will be held in Orlando, Florida from August 1 – 4, 2004. With more than 350 exhibitors, the show brings together buyers and suppliers to exchange ideas, network and demonstrate new products and services. Last year’s event broke all attendance records, and is poised to have another record-breaking year in Orlando.

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Bear Stearns Eyes Company Split For Starwood

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. may be poised to split into distinct owning and operating entities as two separate companies, according to observances of a Bear Stearns analyst.

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TravelCLICK Technology Enables Hotels to Better Market Through Electronic Channels

Total customer base grows to over 1,300 properties throughout the world. TravelCLICK acquired the iHotelier booking engine last year, and the number of hotels using this state of the art distribution technology to enable their e-commerce marketing strategies has grown rapidly.  

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Hotel Chain Best-rate Guarantees Taking Hold; Third-party Travel Sites No Longer the Place to Look for the Best Discounts

The defining experience for many online consumers, the moment in which the Internet finally lived up to its hype, came when they saved a huge amount on a hotel room. Imagine five-star accommodations for a two-star price. It seemed too good to be true. Turns out, it was. Gone are the days of the post-Sept. 11 travel slump in which hotels, desperate to fill up vacant rooms, flooded online travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity with discounted rates. "There are far fewer bargains on those sites," said Jerry Morrison, a La Jolla hotel consultant. "Hotels try to give as little inventory as possible to sites like Expedia."

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Satisfaction Highest Among Guests Who Book Directly on a Hotel's Web Site: Report

Guests who book directly on a hotel chain's Web site report significantly higher satisfaction with their stay than those who make their reservations through an independent travel site, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study(SM) released today.

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Who is In and Who is Out - Global Staffmovements

For this month's popular update on Global Staff Movements    Click Here     
- edited by Benoit Gateau-Cumin, Presdient, The Boutique Search Firm   

Hotel and Resort Leaders Discuss the Future of Design at Cornell Center for Hospitality Research Roundtable

The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration recently held its first roundtable on design trends in the hospitality industry. Invited participants were design leaders and visionaries from top hotels and resort management companies, interior design companies, and architecture firms in the industry.  “We were delighted with the discussions that focused on design innovation in the future,” said Cornell Hotel School Professor Richard Penner, who chaired the event.   

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Priority Club(R) Rewards Becomes World's Largest Hotel Loyalty Program

Priority Club(R) Rewards, the customer loyalty program of InterContinental Hotels Group, today announced it has enrolled more than 21 million members to become the world's largest hotel loyalty program, surpassing Marriott Rewards in total number of members. InterContinental Hotels Group includes InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn hotels, Holiday Inn Express hotels, Staybridge Suites hotels, and Candlewood Suites. Launched in 1983, Priority Club Rewards was the first hotel loyalty program and prides itself on its user-friendly attributes. 

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Hoteliers address financing trends

Following is a transcript of a conversation about financing in the hotel industry that was conducted during a meeting of Memphis-area lodging executives in February. The meeting was coordinated by Pinkowski & Co. and sponsored by US Foodservice.

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UK's budget hotel market leader to be direct only

Whitbread has bought Premier Lodge from Spirit Group for £505m, and will combine it with Travel Inn to create the UK’s largest budget hotel brand, Premier Travel Inn, providing 29000 rooms at 461 locations.

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Poor bookings hit Athens hoteliers

With less than 20 days until the opening of the 2004 Olympic Games, hoteliers in the host city that have been preparing for a large influx of visitors, including athletes, officials and spectators, are facing fewer-than-expected arrivals, with 20 percent of rooms still unreserved.

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Turkey's Tourism Incomes Reach $3.2 Billion

Turkey's tourism expenses became 620.3 billion U.S. dollars, and its tourism incomes became 3.2 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter of 2004. The State Institute of Statistics released results of its arriving citizens and departing visitors surveys for the second quarter of the year. According to the results, Turkey's tourism expenses became 620.3 billion U.S. dollars.

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Xinjiang tourism boom revitalizes faded splendor of ancient Silk Road

Xinjiang tourism boom is revitalizingthe faded splendor of the ancient Silk Road, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region tourism official Chi Chongqing said Saturday. Xinjiang received 275,400 overseas tourists and earned 99.4 million US dollars in 2002, a sharp contrast to 88 tourists and 46,000 US dollars in 1978.

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Whitbread urged to sell restaurants after Premier deal

The City wants a shake-up at the group that has just bought a rival hotel chain. Alan Parker is not a man to hang around. Barely a month in the chief executive's chair at Whitbread, the leisure combine behind Travel Inn, David Lloyd Leisure and Pizza Hut, and he has announced his first acquisition.

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China: Outbound tourism market becomes spotlight of industry

In the first half of 2004, China`s outbound tourism market maintained strong momentum and became the spotlight of the industry , according to a source from National Tourism Conference held Tuesday in Urumqi. China has become the biggest Asian nation in terms of outbound travelers, with the total number of outbound Chinese residents surpassing 13 million in the first half of the ye

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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Reports 2nd Qtr Net Income Dropped to $154 million from $290 million in 2nd Qtr of 2003, RevPAR Up 17.1% Worldwide

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. ("Starwood" or the "Company") today reported EPS from continuing operations for the second quarter of 2004 of $0.56 compared to $0.42 in the second quarter of 2003. Excluding special items, EPS from continuing operations was $0.50 for the second quarter of 2004 compared to $0.28 in the second quarter of 2003. Income from continuing operations was $120 million in the second quarter of 2004 compared to $87 million in 2003. Excluding special items, income from continuing operations was $107 million for the second quarter of 2004 compared to $57 million in 2003.

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HSMAI, STR marketing survey examines online reservations

Brand hotel sites account for 75 percent of Internet reservations, according to a hotel Internet marketing metrics survey by The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International and Smith Travel Research. The findings were revealed at the second HSMAI Hotel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference, held in conjunction with the Travel Commerce Conference and Expo in April in New York.

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Wireless issue challenges owners, developers

Keeping on top of technology is a challenge for newly developed hotel properties. Owners and management companies face the choice of spending just enough on hardware and software to remain competitive, or of making a larger investment to enjoy a state-of-the-art advantage over other hotels. One increasingly popular technology application threatens to redefine the playing field for hotels because of its rapid evolution. Wi-Fi stands for wireless fidelity and represents a type of Holy Grail for laptop computer users: connection speed to the Internet that equals or exceeds that of a digital-subscriber line or broadband, but with no cables.

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Snapshot of The Warsaw Hotel Market

Warsaw has experienced trading difficulties since 2001, mainly as a result of the significant increase in new hotel supply. Nevertheless, in the longer term, the outlook is one of greater optimism.

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Hotel Guests Escape from Everyday Responsibilities When Checking In; Use all the Towels, Eating Pizza in Bed

Vacationers tend to relax the rules they follow at home when staying at a hotel. Most Americans who have stayed in a hotel for leisure do things that they don't normally do at home: such as eating in bed, using too many towels and leaving the TV on all day, according to a survey by Orbitz, an online travel company. "People vacationing in a hotel want to escape from everyday responsibilities whether they are staying in a five-star hotel or a motor inn," said John Samuel, Orbitz executive vice president for consumer travel.

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Hong Kong: Three new hotels planned to capitalize influx from mainland

Chinachem Group, controlled by Asia's richest woman Nina Wang, plans to convert three industrial blocks into hotels for HK$800 million to capitalise on the influx of mainland visitors to Hong Kong. In the past two months, the territory's largest private developer agreed to pay HK$158 million in land premium to the government for the right to convert the three industrial buildings into hotels with a total of 750 rooms, sources close to the Lands Department said.

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Hilton Hotels New Standard for Business Technology in Hotels Aims to Be Consistent, Integrated and Seamless

An Essential Set Of "Personal Performance Services" for the Traveling Business Professional Will Become Available at Hilton Hotels & Resorts Across North America by June 2005. In response to the ever-increasing pace of business today, Hilton Hotels & Resorts today announced a new standard for business technology in hotels. The Hilton Integrated Business Solution is a flexible and convenient collection of essential business amenities and services that are now available at all Hilton hotels across the U.S.

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Hotel room revenues rise

Smith Travel Research of Los Angeles, Calif., said Friday U.S. hotels room revenue in the second quarter rose 8.6 percent from the same period last year. Room revenue is a key measure of the hotel industry's health.

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World's finest independent hotels raise their voices at Independent Hotel Forum

The owners and operators of the world's premier independent luxury hotels will gather in London from 9-12 July to voice their experiences and hopes for the future at the Independent Hotel Forum.

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Depreciating Assets: What Hotel Owners Should Be Considering

Owners and investors in the hospitality industry should be watching carefully to see how changing tax incentives will affect their businesses. One should be aware of the more generous depreciation schedules associated with qualified leasehold improvements. In particular, this may be the time for investing in the latest computer software and for remodeling projects associated with the installation of hardware.

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How to best sell yourself in an online environment

Strategies for candidates to find and secure the best jobs through the internet

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Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. Reports Second Quarter Results

 "The lodging industry continues to benefit from a widespread recovery in travel demand. We have enjoyed a remarkable rebound in performance at our Canadian properties since last year and are pleased to report considerable RevPAR growth throughout our portfolio, driven by solid occupancy and rate improvements in most markets," said William R. Fatt, FHR's Chief Executive Officer

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The Peninsula Hotels Names New Properties’ Management Appointments, Marketing and Communications Structures

Mr Peter C. Borer, Chief Operating Officer of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Jan Svoboda as Hotel Manager of The Peninsula Hong Kong, Mr Hans Hordijk as The Peninsula Bangkok Resident Manager, Mr Paul Tchen as Vice President, Operations Planning & Support, and on the Marketing and Communications side Ms Dianna Balabon as Vice President, Sales and Marketing (America & Europe), Mr Arthur Kiong as Vice President, Sales and Marketing (Asia), Ms Sian Griffiths as Director of Communications and Ms Patricia Rosentreter as Regional Director of Communications.

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Greece facing 8% shortfall in visitor arrivals

The number of overseas visitors to Greece during 2004 could show a year-on-year decline of as much as 8%, according to the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE). In a statement Wednesday, SETE said its figures were based on overseas visitor arrivals at Greece's main airports during the first half of 2004. An 8% decline would translate into 20,000 fewer jobs, a loss of euro800m in revenues and a negative impact of 0.7% on GDP growth, initially estimated at 4.1% for 2004.

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The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. has announced a fifth China property in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province.

The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou will have 353 luxurious guestrooms and 120 serviced, luxury private residences at a prime location in the emerging Zhujian New Town area of the city's Tianhe District. Construction on the project is expected to begin before the end of 2004, with an anticipated opening date of early 2007. Two Ritz-Carlton properties are currently under construction in Beijing and are scheduled to open in late 2006. The new projects will join The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai and The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong in the China portfolio of the award-winning hotel company.

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Best Western President and CEO to step down

Tom Higgins, President and CEO of Best Western International, announced today that he will not renew his contract when it expires.  His last day with the company will be August 13.   “During the time I have spent at Best Western, our team has achieved many goals and reached new heights. Although our successes have been very rewarding for me, I have decided to move on to new challenges. This was a difficult decision, but I have every confidence that it is the right one for me and my family,” said Higgins.  
 

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Whitbread tipped to win Premier Lodge

 Whitbread is reported to have beaten private equity firm Apax Partners in the race to buy the Premier Lodge budget hotel chain from drinks group Spirit According to the Times , Whitbread is now in exclusive talks with Spirit, with a deal is expected to be announced later this week. The leisure group is thought to have offered around £540m for 132 Premier Lodge hotels and up to a dozen pub restaurants located adjacent to them. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation at the business Whitbread is buying are about £50m a year.

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UK out-performs European hotel industry

HotelBenchmark Survey results show promising signs of full recovery. The UK hotel industry is the strongest in Europe, according to research by Deloitte. The HotelBenchmark Survey’s half year results show revenue per available room (revPAR) in the UK has risen by £5 to £60, a ten percent increase on the same period in 2003.

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Hotels copy airlines, use yield management when setting room rates

Despite the ease of access to a hotel's Web site and the instant gratification available for a successful booking, most travelers still make their reservations the old-fashioned way, by telephone.

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UK: Cheapest holiday deals for 30 years

Holidaymakers are getting the cheapest package deals for 30 years as prices tumble because of cut-price internet offers. Slow summer bookings have also meant travel agents have slashed the cost of foreign trips - and in some cases it is now cheaper to go to the Costa del Sol than it was in 1979. Tour operator Thomas Cook said yesterday: "We are now selling holidays at 1970s prices.". On average a week's self-catering in Majorca is £20 less this summer than in the 70s.

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The best hotel rate is out there, patiently waiting

Travelers trying to find the cheapest rate for a room online may be running into their own version of hotel hell. The search used to be fairly easy — just check out the listing on Expedia, Travelocity or Orbitz and you could pretty much guarantee you'd be getting a low rate. But hotel companies have fought back — and the result means more searching is required to get the best savings.

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Study: Travel trends 2004

Whereas previous generations could only dream of traveling at will, today it's a reality for many across the globe. And it's a dream made possible for an even greater number of people thanks to Internet access to information and deals that were once accessible to travel agents only.Today's travel is marked less by luxury than by the essential business practice of creating capacity and filling it as cost-effectively as possible. That has made it ripe for revolution by Internet and has enabled low-cost, no-frills airlines to muscle in at the expense of longer-established brands.

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15th Century Portuguese Landmark Joins Starwood's Prestigious Luxury Collection

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.  has finalized a long-term agreement with SPPTH-Sociedade de Promocao de Projectos Turisticos e Hoteleiros for the exclusive Hotel Convento do Espinheiro to join The Luxury Collection in mid- 2005. The 59-room hotel in Evora, Portugal is part of a 15th century convent that is currently undergoing complete renovation and conversion for use as a hotel.  

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Thistle plans ‘sale-and-manage-back’ on six London hotels

Thistle owner BIL International has confirmed a report in today’s Times that it is to sell six of the hotel group’s London properties. The paper reported investment bank UBS had been appointed to handle the sale of the Bloomsbury Park, Barbican City, Euston, Hyde Park, Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square Thistles, in a process that could reap as much as £200m for BIL. It also said that the Thistle Edinburgh would be sold and that Thistle would retain management control of all of the hotels.

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Hotel Recovery Seen as Short-Lived

Hospitality industry guru Bjorn Hanson delivered good news and bad news to meeting planners--and vice versa to hoteliers--in his keynote speech to attendees at Meeting World, the annual conference and trade show sponsored by MeetingNews and Successful Meetings.  First the bad news: The market shift toward sellers will continue through next year.

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P.R.O.F.I.T. in the Caribbean - On the road across Europe

As part of the European promotional programme the PROFIT team has conducted a series of Road shows and meetings in major cites across Europe. These Road shows held in June 2004 provided a forum for interested companies to learn first hand about new tourism partnership and investment opportunities in the Caribbean and a chance to discuss with the event organisers the various options and incentives developed to encourage participation at the Partnership Meeting to be held in Jamaica in October 2004.

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Back To Basics - Major Hotel Operators Have Rediscovered Hospitality Fundamentals by Revisiting the Guest Room

Well, the 'Majors' have done it again. They have rediscovered Hospitality Fundamentals by revisiting the guest room. In print and television, the consumer is no longer battered by the flash, pizzaz and glitter for their travel dollars. Rather, we are now shown the "glamour" and receptivity of a wonderful, welcoming, warm bed, home-like furnishings and restful color schemes. Quite a turnaround in marketing strategy, but, after all, at the end of the day, we travelers do spend significant time in our guest room, and it should be comfortable, tasteful, clean and safe - a return to Hospitality basics.

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Update: 4th Intl. Hospitality Forum in Amman

The annual International Hospitality Forum (IHF), Jordan ’s premier event for the hospitality and foodservice sector, aims to reach higher levels in 2004 ith more international companies and pavilions taking part and a wider hosted buyers program attracting regional decision makers, particularly from neighboring Iraq . IHF 2004 will take place between 28 – 30 September 2004 at Zara Expo Amman.

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News @ PATA

This week's PATA news and update....

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MKG Group announces the launching of Hotelcompset.com: the online hotel performance comparison tool

Once again innovating in hotel statistics reports: MKG Group is launching a website that will allow hoteliers to compare their occupancy rate, average room rate, and RevPAR online to those of their colleagues, either monthly or daily.   

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Cornell Hotel School Launches Intensive, Three-Semester Master’s Program

The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration has restructured its professional master’s degree program to better serve the changing needs of students and the industry. Starting in June 2005, entering students can earn the Master of Management in Hospitality degree in three intensive semesters over 12 months. 

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European tour operator market set for 4% growth in 2004

Europe’s package holiday market is heading for moderate growth of 4% in 2004 after two weak years, according to the newly-published annual FVW Documentation on Europe’s top 150 tour operators. After a strong start to bookings, the market recovery has weakened again, leaving operators with mixed feelings ahead of the peak summer season.

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World's grandest hotels

The Dorchester Group, a unique collection of grand hotels, including The Dorchester Hotel in London, The Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, the Hotel Meurice and Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, and the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan, strives to ensure that each hotel it owns and manages becomes the best hotel in the five-star deluxe category in whatever gateway city it happens to be.

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Nairobi: Hotels record brisk business

Hotels in the Masai Mara Game Reserve are recording increased bookings, thanks to more tourist arrivals from Asia.

Mara Conservancy Chief Executive Brian Heath said yesterday he expected booming business during the peak season that begins next month. Heath said most tourist hotels in the region were fully booked as many tourists were stopping over in the Masai Mara to watch the annual migration of wildebeests.

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Investors in The Palm and The World to enter Dubai in five seconds

Nakheel, the name behind Dubai’s iconic leisure and tourist projects, The Palm and The World, have teamed up with the IT Department at Dubai Naturalisation  and Residency Department (DRND) to offer potential investors in Nakheel’s projects free e-Cards, used to access Dubai Airport’s e-Gate service, at Carlton Towers in Knightsbridge.

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Australia sees record breaking May arrivals in 2004

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels has reported an unprecedented highest level ever record for international arrival figures in May, citing an overall optimistic recovery for both inbound and outbound tourism figures in 2004

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InterContinental Hotels Group Continues Expansion of Holiday Inn Brand in Latin America with the Opening of the Holiday Inn Express Santiago, in Chile

InterContinental Hotels Group, the world's largest and most global hotel company, continues the expansion of its Holiday Inn brand in Latin America with the opening of the 168-room, 18-story Holiday Inn Express Santiago, located in Santiago, Chile.  Situated in the modern commercial zone of Las Condes near downtown Santiago, Chile, the Holiday Inn Express Santiago is the 25th Holiday Inn brand to open in Latin America -- a number that has doubled in the last four years. It is also the fifth Holiday Inn Express property to open in Chile with Talbot S.A., owners of the Holiday Inn Express Santiago.  

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Customer Service Rivals Loyalty Programs in Business Travel Decisions, Finds New Accenture Research

The importance of customer service at major airline carriers and hotel groups equals and, in some cases, surpasses that of frequent flyer and rewards programs, according to a new survey of U.S. business travelers from Accenture.  Approximately half (54 percent) said that frequent flyer programs were more influential in their ultimate choice of airline, while almost the same number (46 percent) cited the quality of customer service. When respondents were asked about the influence of reward programs and customer service on their ultimate choice of hotel for business travel: only one-third (33 percent) cited reward programs, while more than two-thirds (67 percent) cited the quality of customer service.

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Mexico's Emerging Destinations

The Riviera Maya, Punta Mita and the Cabo Corridor are currently three of the most popular locations of choice for new resort development in Mexico. These "emerging" markets represent the outer fringes of the better known locations of Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. Though the more established destinations still hold their own, their "not so distant cousins" (Riviera Maya, Punta Mita and the Cabo Corridor) are showing up on the radar screen. These newer locations are able to take advantage of existing airport facilities, area infrastructure as well as local and national marketing campaigns, once the exclusive domain of the formerly established destinations.

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Failing The Dreaded Job Interview

Failing to flatter and encourage candidates will immediately discourage them, not a good idea if they are good and you, as an employer, are competing for them in the open job market. Sitting in the business-class window seat, the view over the South China Sea is breathtaking. The candidate has been invited to fly to Hong Kong for an interview, and the business- class tickets for two and the promise of three nights in one of Hong Kong's finest hotels put both him and his wife in a receptive mood.

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Whitbread edges ahead in race for hotel chain

Whitbread is understood to have nosed ahead in the £500m auction for Premier Lodge, the budget hotel chain. The leisure conglomerate, owner of the rival Travel Inn brand as well as David Lloyd Leisure, is thought to have been granted the right to negotiate exclusively with Spirit Group, the pub company that owns Premier. In doing so, it has edged out Apax Partners, the private-equity group that had been vying with Whitbread to buy the hotel chain.

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Gulf States invest in tourism expansion

The Gulf States are stepping up their already heavy tourism investment under plans to develop into one of the world’s prime travel destinations. Dozens of spectacular hotels will open along the Persian Gulf coastline in the next few years. Other Arab countries are also trying to win more international tourists.

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IHG Web-booking policy aims to change rules

What looks like the first shot across the bow of the third - party merchant model vessel was fired April 20 by InterContinental Hotels Group. The hotel giant announced it was adopting a new standard for its portfolio of brands for selling or reselling hotel room inventory through online travel companies. With the adoption of the standard on May 20, IHG said it is committed to only work with distributors and their affiliates that don't engage in confusing and potentially unclear marketing practices, clearly present taxes and fees to consumers, respect IHG's trademarks and ensure reservations are guaranteed through an automated confirmation process.

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UK: Cheaper to holiday abroad than at home

Holiday prices have fallen so low it is cheaper to go abroad than stay in Britain this summer. With tour operators reporting 5 million unsold holiday packages for July and August, and prices at their lowest for 30 years, a report published this week shows that for a family of four this August, a fortnight in a three-star resort in Turkey costs £968 less than in equivalent accommodation in the Lake District (£1,787 and £2,755 respectively).

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AmericInn standardizes PMS, HSIA to boost hotel performance

AmericInn International is focusing on completing two major technology initiatives to help drive brandwide performance. The Chanhassen, Minn.-based company recently selected exclusive property-management system and high-speed Internet access providers for its 188 properties nationwide .   "Technology initiatives are very important in helping to drive improved performance," said Luke Fowler, chairman and c.e.o. of AmericInn. "It is critical to be wired live, with all your rooms available to the central-reservation system, Global Distribution System and Internet. The only way for us to do that is to have a high-speed Internet access component and the new front-desk PMS systemwide. It is a great time to push for consistency in these systems across the board."

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Business Travel: It's on the rise, as more projects require employees to visit far-flung clients

As the economy goes, so typically goes business travel. Companies have been cautiously increasing their spending in a number of categories as the economy picks up. But they're hanging onto the frugality they learned in the downturn. When it comes to travel, that means seeking cheaper flights and hotel rooms. Corporate travel cutbacks predate 9-11. Forty-three percent of companies had already decided to trim travel by the spring of 2001. Firms either feared an earnings shortfall or made cuts in response.

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Higher prices loom as Egypt booms

Egypt is one of the few boom destinations on the German market at present thanks to attractive rates. But tour operators planning to expand capacity for 2004/05 are worried that price hikes could hit demand for the forthcoming winter season.

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China's tourism revenue in first five months surges

China earned 8.7 billion US dollars in tourism revenue in the first five months of this year, a 36.67 percent increase over the same period of last year, a senior tourism official said.    More than 42 million overseas tourists visited China in the period, up nearly 22 percent, Lin Shan, deputy director of China Tourism Association, said at a tourism seminar that opened in Kashi of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

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Hilton Hotel Corp. gives self-serve kiosks a second chance

Hilton Hotel Corp. is taking another kick at the self-service can that will see Web-based kiosks deployed in 45 of its North American properties over the next year. The hospitality company said the project will involve. 100 machines co-designed with IBM Canada and follows a successful pilot project at two of its biggest hotels in New York and Chicago.

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The Hotel Industry Revives

With business travelers taking to the road again, the hotel industry is emerging from a slump that began a year before the terrorist attacks of September 2001. Fewer rooms are going begging, room rates are rising and revenues are growing. For many owners of sizable hotels that means just one thing: it's a good time to sell.

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Russia industry: Investors respond to demand for mid-range hotels

Investors unveil plans for the hotel industry which include providing more mid-range hotels in the regions. Extortionate room rates or ghastly service (or both) has been the fate of many a business traveller in Russia. Now foreign and local investors are attempting to fill the chasm in the market by setting up three- and four-star hotels, not only in Moscow and St Petersburg, but in remoter regions too.

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Travel trends 2004: New study from Euro RSCG spotlights key trends reshaping the travel industry

Whereas previous generations could only dream of traveling at will, today it`s a reality for many across the globe . And it`s a dream made possible for an even greater number of people thanks to Internet access to information and deals that were once accessible to travel agents only. Today`s travel is marked less by luxury than by the essential business practice of creating capacity and filling it as cost-effectively as possible. That has made it ripe for revolution by Internet and has enabled low-cost, no-frills airlines to muscle in at the expense of longer-established brands.

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2004 Political Conventions Will Contribute to Strong Increases to Occupancy Levels in Boston and New York City Markets

PricewaterhouseCoopers has studied the past effect of Democratic and Republican National Conventions and has estimated the effect on the Boston market and New York lodging markets.

More... [292 views]

Leading Hotel Chains and Intermediaries to Debate Sales, Marketing and Pricing Strategies

On September 22-23 hundreds of top sales, marketing, technology, pricing and revenue management executives from all sectors of the travel industry will gather in Chicago for EyeforTravel’s annual Travel Distribution Summit. This year’s event sees a particularly strong focus on the hospitality industry.

More... [281 views]

4th Annual European Hotel Finance & Investment Summit

With over 140 senior level attendees in 2003 the 4th Annual European Hotel Finance & Investment Summit, which is being held on 22nd & 23rd September 2004 , at Le Meridien Piccadilly, London will once again focus not only on the most topical issues relating to the luxury and mid-size hotels markets but will also feature the Limited Service Hotels Briefing Day.

More... [297 views]

2005 Americas Lodging Investment Summit set to offer investment forecast for the lodging industry

"UP, UP, & Away - How Long will this Investment Ride Last?" is the theme for the upcoming Americas Lodging Investment Summit  (ALIS), Jan. 18-20, 2005, at The Century Plaza Hotel & Spa and The St. Regis Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Calif.Event organizers are currently underway preparing for the fourth installment of the U.S. lodging industry`s premier investment conference, which is co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the Burba Hotel Network (BHN).

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ICCA`s new alliance with Incentives & Meetings International

ICCA has designed a programme for strategic collaboration with a small number of organisations which have a clear interest in developing long-term business relations with the broad mass of ICCA membership, whose product/service offerings are of prime importance to ICCA members, and who have a track record of support for past ICCA initiatives.

More... [274 views]

IHG continues expansion of Holiday Inn Brand in Latin America

InterContinental Hotels Group, continues the expansion of its Holiday Inn brand in Latin America  with the opening of the 168-room, 18-story Holiday Inn Express Santiago, located in Santiago, Chile. Situated in the modern commercial zone of Las Condes near downtown Santiago, Chile, the Holiday Inn Express Santiago is the 25th Holiday Inn brand to open in Latin America -- a number that has doubled in the last four years. It is also the fifth Holiday Inn Express property to open in Chile with Talbot S.A., owners of the Holiday Inn Express Santiago.

More... [300 views]

Are Web Based Software Solutions for Hospitality Finally Coming of Age?

The Hitec show is always a great venue for showcasing new technologies and this year's in Dallas was no exception.  There was undoubtedly a buzz at the show to accompany the general vendor comments referring to attendees of, "quantity down, quality up." Some PMS vendors announced, or renewed their commitment to, web based solutions.  Although this technology is often cited as "new", it is clearly not so: it is really just harnessing the Internet to process data the old fashioned way - on big computers at remote (computer bureau) locations.  So what should a potential new user of this technology expect?

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Russian Market - Long term tourism activity forecast

Russian market records a progression of 23% during the period 2000-2003, and cumulated in 2003 11,6 millions outbound trips . 15 years after the Berlin wall felt in 1989, this market, starting from scratch, appears to become one of the fastest growing in Europe. IPK International launches the Russian outbound long term forecast, and open a new pool of subscribers at a very ttractive price. The Russian Generation report will be available early 2005 and can be paid partly in 2004(10,000) and partly in 2005 (10,000), by the pre-fund subscribers.

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Amanresorts expands in India

Extending its India presence, Amanresorts will open Amanbarg in Rajasthan in December. The desert region of northern India is already home to Aman-i-Khás, a wilderness camp just outside Ranthambhore National Park.

More... [305 views]

Jakarta tourism body formed

Jakarta tourism stakeholders yesterday formed the Indonesia Tourism Council (ITC) Jakarta Provincial Board, or the ITC Jakarta, spearheaded by Ms Herna Danuningrat. ITC Jakarta members include tourism associations, Jakarta Retail Associations, Trisakti Tourism Academy, and other agencies. It is set to become the government’s think tank.

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High-end hotels check in to technology investing

Visitors to many of Asia's top hotels can now expect to find wireless networking and broadband as standard. At first glance, Le Meridien in Hong Kong's high-tech Cyberport complex looks much like any other in a recent crop of hotels catering to the upwardly mobile. But out of sight of the hotel's modern furniture and softly glowing fixtures are no fewer than five wireless and wired networks, allowing guests to check in, take room calls, surf the Web and print documents from anywhere on the property.

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Monthly RevPAR of the 25-Nation European Hotel Industry Rose by 5.2% in May 2004,

Thanks to a rise in occupancy rates and the average room rates, the monthly RevPAR of the 25-nation European hotel industry rose by 5.2% in May. This new positive results are evidence of the recovery in activity after nearly 3 years of net slowdown. In May, all categories posted a positive RevPAR. Over 12 months combined, the RevPAR of the European hotel industry remained nearly unchanged. 

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Attracting the long-haul traveller - what challenges face Australia, New Zealand and South Africa?

The last edition of ‘In The Know‘ (the fortnightly e-newsletter produced by the HotelBenchmark team at Deloitte) looked at the similarity in hotel performance trends between countries in the southern hemisphere, namely Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This article focuses on some of the key factors that influence the similarities in hotel performance trends namely the source markets for which they compete, their dependence on the airline industry and their approach to tourism branding

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Red Lion Hotels & WestCoast Hotels Introduce Free 'Net4Guests(TM)' Wireless Internet Access for Guests

Hotel guests now have another good reason to choose Red Lion Hotels and WestCoast Hotels when they travel. With the ever-growing need to stay connected while on the road, travelers are seeking fast, reliable and secure ways to log on to the Internet. To answer that need, WestCoast Hospitality Corporation , representing Red Lion Hotels and WestCoast Hotels in the United States and Canada, has launched "Net4Guests(TM)," its proprietary high-speed wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) service, giving all guests staying at participating hotels free, password-protected access in guestrooms and public areas of the hotel.

More... [320 views]

EU enlargement brings hope for the East

On 1 May 2004, the European Union (EU) welcomed ten new members including eight from the former communist states. With the addition of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, the EU now comprises of 25 nations. Together these have a combined population of 455 million, making the EU the world’s largest trading bloc.

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Indaba 2004 – South Africa: A 10/10 destination

South Africa’s premier tourism showcase, Indaba 2004 has been described as the, ‘biggest and best ever’ in its twenty two year history. Visitor applications to the event were up 25 percent on the levels achieved in 2003, with over 3,500 applications received. The total number of exhibitors also reached their highest levels ever at 1,600. Given these statistics it appears that Indaba has grown in status and diversity to become one of the world’s top three travel trade shows.

More... [280 views]

Launch of largest staff environmental training campaign in UK hospitality industry

In what is the largest programme of its kind yet seen in the UK hospitality industry, Hilton International is to train all 15,000 UK & Ireland employees  in environmental sustainability by the end of July 2004. The initiative forms the foundation of the Hilton UK & Ireland Environmental Sustainability programme, which will position the company as the industry leader in caring for the environment and includes the stated target to reduce utility consumption across the UK & Ireland estate by 10% by 2006.

More... [267 views]

HSMAI revenue management conference results

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and a group of 92 hospitality revenue management professionals  met recently for a one-day conference which resulted in attendees suggesting that HSMAI take the lead on building relationships between hotel owners and revenue managers, building communications links between senior management and revenue managers, and providing a broader focus on education and networking opportunities for this vital segment of the hotel industry.

More... [306 views]

Discussions on Union Mergers, Sexual Harassment highlight Cornell’s Third Annual Legal Roundtable

The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration recently sponsored its third annual roundtable on legal issues in the hospitality industry. Participants included counsel from lodging and restaurant companies, members of prestigious private-practice law firms, professors in labor and employment law from leading law schools and universities, as well as corporate partners of the Center. 

More... [303 views]

Dawnay Shore Hotels buys Paramount Hotels from Alchemy Partners

Dawnay Shore Hotels plc, a new company established by Dawnay, Day and Shore Capital, has acquired the Paramount chain of UK regional four star hotels from Alchemy Partners.  The consideration was £215m, financed through private equity raised by Shore Capital and senior debt provided by Anglo Irish Bank.  Dawnay Shore Hotels intends to make further acquisitions of complementary hotels and is in discussions to complete subsequent purchases

More... [308 views]

World's finest independent hotels raise their voices at Independent Hotel Forum in London

The owners and operators of the world's premier independent luxury hotels will gather in London from 9-12 July to voice their experiences and hopes for the future at the Independent Hotel Forum. Hosted by The Independent Hotel Corporation (IndeCorp), the event features key personnel from more than 130 hotels across 30 countries. Historic hotels, chic urban properties, designer boutiques, golf and spa specialists, all-inclusive resorts and many other types of hotels are represented at the largest gathering of this kind in the world.

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The Changing Face of Tourism

After a tough few years, the tourism branch is back, with a few changes. Experts anticipate a steadily growing industry that will be among the most important in the world in a few decades.  

More... [301 views]

Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts Undertaking $50 million in Renovations at Most Every Property in Portfolio

With business conditions around the world rebounding, and an overall positive outlook for future business growth, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts is planning ahead for the company's own growth with development plans and renovations at most every property in the company's portfolio.

More... [299 views]

Kerzner to build casinos in Glasgow and Manchester

New York-listed gaming group Kerzner has been selected as the preferred bidder to develop a £162m casino resort on the site of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow. The resort, which is expected to be completed by late 2007, will also include a 150-room, five-star hotel, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities, while the casino will have 1,250 slot machines and 50 gaming tables.

More... [272 views]

Nepal: Tourist arrivals continue to surge

Visitors to Nepal by air in June 2004 increased by 5 percent compared to same period last year, while the market segments viz. third country grew by 31 percent and Indians went down by 8 percent, the Nepal's Department of Immigration said.

More... [295 views]

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts signs new management contract to take over a resort in Aswan, Egypt

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (MH&R) announced the signing of an agreement with the owner, EGOTH (The Egyptian General Organization of Tourism & Hotels), to operate the former Aswan Oberoi. The resort will be renamed "The Elephantine Island Resort Aswan" operated by Mövenpick.

More... [289 views]

A niche for budget hotels

Tourist traffic to Asian countries, particularly in South and South-east Asia, is growing significantly. This is good news for their economies, some of which depend heavily on tourism for hard currency. Research by the World Tourism Organisation released this week at a meeting in Hyderabad, India indicates that countries like Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, India and China are registering an increase of between 15 and 25 per cent in arrivals in the year to date, especially on account of the rebound of long-haul traffic from the United States and Eu

More... [600 views]

Strong recovery for Asia in German market

Asia is making an unexpectedly strong recovery in the German travel market, tour operators report. The region is benefiting from new low-cost airlines and further investment in its tourism infrastructure. German tour operators admit they are surprised just how quickly demand for Asia has recovered after all the problems of 2003.

More... [552 views]

New study on Dubai: Hospitality sector to become main source of revenue within next decade

The several billions of dollars invested by Dubai on a swathe of strategic real-estate and infrastructure projects are turning the hospitality sector into a major contributor to the emirate’s emerging knowledge-based economy. Result of extensive research, this observation is illustrated in Volume II of the Dubai Knowledge Economy 2003-2008 research series, which was released recently by the Dubai Media City-based Madar Research Group.

More... [627 views]

Visitors return to luxury hotels in Tokyo

Occupancy rates at major hotels in Tokyo have improved due to the return of foreign travelers--whose number once dwindled due to the outbreak of SARS in Asia and the fear of terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States--and the growing number of corporate gatherings held at the hotels.

More... [459 views]

Hong Kong May visitor arrivals 1.69 mln; up 297 % yr-on-yr on low base

Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in May rose 297 pct year-on-year to 1.69 mln due to the low base of comparison in the same month last year following the outbreak of SARS. The figure represented growth of 27.2 pct from May 2002, which is a more meaningful benchmark, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said in a statement.  Arrivals from China were 78.8 pct higher than in May 2002, while those from Europe, Africa and the Middle East were up 8.4 pct, and those from Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific up 6.7 pct, while those from The Americas were down 1.1 pct.

More... [353 views]

Thailand-France set up joint tourism development committees

Thailand and France yesterday signed a historic document which will see the two countries working together to develop tourism, with four joint committees established between the two countries. The deal was signed during talks between Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and French Tourism Minister Leon Betrand. Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU), four joint tourism committees will be established: on the development of marine tourism, the development of human resources for the tourism industry, the development of hotels and cultural development.
 

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China's World Heritage-rich province witnesses booming tourism

Sichuan, a Chinese province with four World Heritage sites, recorded a tourism revenue of 25.2 billion yuan (US$3 billion) in the first half of 2004, according to the provincial tourism authority.

More... [410 views]

Woolies to fund A$816m takeover for Australian hotels group

Retailer Woolworths will provide all the money -- including joint venture partner businessman Bruce Mathieson's portion -- to complete their takeover bid for pubs, pokies and bottleshops operator Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group. Bruandwo already holds a 15.8 per cent stake in ALH, which could be used to block other bidders. In its bidder's statement lodged with the ASX yesterday, Bruandwo said it expected to pay about $816 million for the remaining ALH shares.

More... [375 views]

Travelodge takes advantage of resurgent property prices

Budget hotel chain Travelodge is planning a £400m sale-and-leaseback of its 136 freehold properties, reports the FT . The group, which is owned by venture capitalist Permira, has appointed hotel and property consultancy CB Richard Ellis to manage the sale, with the proceeds earmarked to pay down debt.

More... [330 views]

IHG confirms latest hotel sell-off

InterContinental Hotels Group has today placed a further 20 hotels on the market with a net book value of around £500m. It is the latest phase in the group's strategy of continuing to grow its management and franchise businesses while reducing asset ownership. The 20 properties up for sale are predominantly in North America and include InterContinentals in Miami and Chicago, together with other InterContinentals and hotels under the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands.

More... [579 views]

Vietnam plans international tourism push

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) plans to open its first two international representative offices in Japan and France to further promote the country's image as an attractive tourism destination, said VNAT's deputy general director Pham Tu on Thursday at a seminar in Hanoi.  Tu made the statement at a conference to review the development and accomplishments of VNAT since its inception 44 years ago.  He said the tourism industry expected to lure about 3.5 million foreign tourists and roughly 17 million domestic ones, resulting in US$2.5 billion of revenue by 2005.

More... [394 views]

Russian company seeking partner to manage a chain of ten hotels

Basic Element is seeking a partner to manage a chain of ten hotels in Russian regions. As the most likely counterparty of Basic Element experts name the French chain Accor, which is already represented in Moscow by two Novotel hotels.

More... [461 views]

South Korean hotel sales surge in 2004

Sales by local hotels have surged this year due to increased foreign visitors to South Korea, according to the country's statistics office. But sales by other facilities such as condominiums and motels have tumbled due to lackluster domestic demand, according to the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Domestic travelers are the main customers for condominiums and motels, according to the office. The local hotel industry's sales in May surged 23.2 percent from a year earlier, the NSO said.

More... [352 views]

Camp Hyatt Comes of Age Adding New Activities From Surfing to Crab Catching

Hyatt Resorts Celebrates 15 Years as Pioneer of First Children's Program. As schools let out for the summer, parents are challenged with finding the "perfect family vacation" to entertain their increasingly discerning children. Hyatt Resorts once again comes to the rescue of parents with a re-energized Camp Hyatt program that invites kids and families to explore, experience, create and play

More... [504 views]

Thailand: Ministry of Tourism ups tourist arrival target

The Ministry of Sports and Tourism has revised up its tourist arrival target for 2005 to 14 million with a revenue of about 400 billion baht by launching a new marketing campaign to promote Thailand’s tourism industry worldwide.

More... [418 views]

Hotel Yield Management Professionals Ponder Future; HSMAI Revenue Management Strategy Wrap Up

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and a group of 92 hospitality revenue management professionals met recently for a one-day conference which resulted in attendees suggesting that HSMAI take the lead on building relationships between hotel owners and revenue managers, building communications links between senior management and revenue managers, and providing a broader focus on education and networking opportunities for this vital segment of the hotel industry.

More... [612 views]

Travel and Tourism discussed at CARICOM meeting

Two weeks after her inauguration as the first female President of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Mrs. Berthia Parle, MBE, captured the attention of the CARICOM Heads of Government at their 25^th regular meeting on July 5^th , 2004 in Grenada, with a short, straightforward presentation. She presented some of the most meaningful results from the recently released WTTC Report on the impact of travel and tourism in the Caribbean highlighting the importance of tourism for the region, and concluded her address by imploring the CARICOM leaders to "consider our request for an Annual Tourism Congress with all Heads of Government, Ministers and Directors of Tourism, and private sector leaders, to discuss and consider key policy recommendations and actions to advance our mutual interest in tourism."  

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World's Best Hotel Bars

Hotel bars are the business traveler's friend. They serve as impromptu meeting rooms, social clubs, stress reducers and winner's circles. But not all hotel bars are created alike. Some, in fact, barely exist: a mere architectural afterthought tacked on to a dining room or lobby. Other places are, frankly, a little too brutally hip for their--and the traveler's--own good. Sure, they may attract a swinging crowd that keeps the place going until the sun comes up, but it's pretty hard discussing business strategy over house music pumped out at liver-quivering volumes.

More... [1568 views]

Hilton invests AUS$250 million in Australia

Hilton International  is investing more than AUS$250 million over a three year period to upgrade its portfolio of hotels in Australia’s key leisure and meetings destinations. The group will also work with developers to open a Hilton Worldwide Resort and Spa in the vineyard region of Western Australia by 2007.The majority of the funding will underwrite a AUS$200 million top-to-toe refurbishment of the Hilton Sydney which is set to open this (Australian) summer.  The remainder will be poured into Hilton Adelaide, Hilton Cairns, Hilton Brisbane and Hilton Perth with a particular focus on building state-of-the-art meetings and conference facilities.

More... [508 views]

Sol Melia rocks into New York

Sol Melia is reported to have secured a presence in New York after its JV partner Hard Rock bought Ian Schrager’s Times Square Paramount hotel. Hotelier Schrager told the New York Times: 'We're selling it for $128.5m and we're only selling 90%.' The paper said that the hotel will be operated by Sol Melia as a Hard Rock Hotel under a joint venture agreement signed in June 2003.

More... [386 views]

Strong growth predicted for AIME 2005

Reed Travel Exhibitions is expecting AIME to increase in size in 2005, covering more space than ever before .Eight hundred exhibitors from 45 countries, four cafes, an internet cafe, Hosted Buyer Lounge and a restaurant will see AIME’s new floorplan span 8,000 square metres of space at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The optimistic outlook for AIME 2005 follows the outstanding success of AIME 2004, and an excellent response from exhibitors to the AIME 2005 Exhibitor Prospectus. “AIME has always been a good event that delivered what it promised, but I think AIME 2004 saw the exhibition reach a new level,” said Rosemarie Sama, AIME Exhibition Manager.

More... [296 views]

Canada: Economic impact results of the lodging industry

The 2004 Hotel Association of Canada Economic Impact Analysis of Canada’s lodging industry (based on 2003 data) is the third in a series  prepared by Jeff Dover of KPMG and Lyle Hall of Hall Hospitality Advisors, for the association. It quantifies both the number of hotels and guest rooms in the country as well as the economic impacts such as value-added, government revenues and employment generated by these establishments.

More... [413 views]

InterContinental Hotels Group's new voucher scheme gets underway

The Middle East's leading hotel group, InterContinental Hotels Group, has launched a new initiative with travel agents to make it easier for Middle East travellers to book hotel stays around the globe at the most competitive published hotel rates.Almost 100 agents around the region are offering the new voucher scheme, which enables them to take payment for hotel bookings thereby eliminating the need for travellers to pay by credit card or foreign currency when at the hotel.

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Hatje for Landmark Mandarin Oriental

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Ms Susanne Hatje general manager of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, its new hotel due to open in mid-2005.Ms Hatje, who has been with the group for nearly five years, was most recently resident manager at Hawaii’s Kahala Mandarin Oriental. She was also general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Munich.

More... [764 views]

Booking opens for 2004 ABTA convention

Booking for this year`s ABTA convention in Orlando has now opened, with up to 1800 delegates expected to log on to a special convention website  over the next few months. ATP International has again been chosen to be the travel industry`s travel agent by winning the contract to act as travel manager for this year`s Convention, which runs from 25 -29 November.

More... [406 views]

Hotel Surfing

Type the name of a hotel into Google and chances are you'll be taken not to the hotel's Web site but to one of seemingly thousands of hotel-reservation sites. That's no accident: Reservations are becoming big business and competition is intense for customers. But do travel Web sites offer good value? We priced rooms in five hotels in China by booking direct with each hotel (both by phone and via the hotel's own Web site) and through three Asia-based travel sites: Singapore-based Zuji.com, Thailand-based China-hotelguide.com (one of many sites run by Wired Destinations), and Beijing-based Sinohotel.com. The results were interesting. For four of the five hotels, we found it was cheapest to go straight to the hotels' own Web sites. The picture was a little different when we phoned the hotels to make a reservation.

More... [838 views]

In-flight Internet, touchdown wellness, Shanghai finds

Travel for today's business traveler is certainly a breeze. He can avail of a variety of special business class flight deals, enjoy in-flight Internet service and fight jet lag in comfortable style in his hotel's spa (most city hotels now offer spa services).

More... [420 views]

Meetings Tech Experts Join Forces

Three of the best-known names in meetings technology--Rodman Marymor, Corbin Ball, and Jeff Rasco--have pooled their talents to form a consulting firm that serves both meeting planners and hoteliers. The three long-time friends launched Tech3 Partners with the aim of providing industry players an objective, independent analysis of what can seem a dizzying array of meetings software.

More... [308 views]

Leisure and unmanaged business travel sites account for one-fifth of all travel sold in U.S

Segments of the U.S. travel industry continue to take divergent paths. The industry as a whole has recovered slowly  (achieving growth rates of 2-3%), while the online channel has been feasting on annual increases of more than 30%. This dynamic, driven by share shift, is expected to continue at declining but still substantial rates through 2006, according to a new report issued by PhoCusWright Inc.

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Base jumps into Sydeny

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Tourism with a conscience

Founded in 1939 with the goal of making holidays available to those of limited means, Reka is today the second largest provider of holiday accommodation in Switzerland. Unique in the world, the non-profit cooperative is an unusual partnership between Swiss employers associations, unions, and the tourist industry. Born of the economic crisis of the 1930s, Reka combined the twin aims of boosting the flagging Swiss hotel industry and subsidizing family vacations for those who could not otherwise afford them.

Sixty-five years on, it is still subsidizing holidays for low-income families.

More... [419 views]

Online Travel Web Sites Might Not Have The Best Deal

If you're looking for travel bargains and only book reservations through on-line travel Web sites like Expedia and Travelocity, you might not be getting the best deal. The last thing most people expect from online travel sites is higher prices. So you can imagine Don Organ's surprise when his online reservation was $100 more than his actual hotel bill.

More... [534 views]

Luxury Tourism: A benediction for all of us

In the good old times, they say, things were better than today.  We can’t say the same thing for travel, however.  Travel meant trouble!  Writers gave us reports of dangerous mountain-crossings, dusty coach-rides or endless trips on horse- or camel-backs and the old seafarers even set health, life and fortune at a constant risk.  One did it for military reason, for fame, glory or adventure, by order of a king or thriven by famine but never did one take a trip for pleasure.  Did you know that Henry the Seafarer only made one voyage in his entire life and became immortal for that?  Or that thousands of seamen in dozens of ships drowned before the first one made the voyage round Cape Horn or through the North Passage?

More... [442 views]

New study on Dubai: Hospitality sector to become main source of revenue within next decade

The several billions of dollars invested by Dubai on a swathe of strategic real-estate and infrastructure projects are turning the hospitality sector into a major contributor to the emirate’s emerging knowledge-based economy. Result of extensive research, this observation is illustrated in Volume II of the Dubai Knowledge Economy 2003-2008 research series, which was released recently by the Dubai Media City-based Madar Research Group.

More... [247 views]

Interview: Stay With Me; Barry Sternlicht wants you to sleep with him. He wants you to pull

I'm not doing this job for the money," says Barry Sternlicht, 42, one of America's richest men. "For me this is all about people. Working with the designers. I work hard with them. I push them, make drawings, make suggestions. Everything they do has got to be different." He gazes intensely across the boardroom table at me, the eyes below his close-shaven, balding pate aglow.

More... [1687 views]

Omni Hotels appoints New President

Omni Hotels today announced that Michael J. Deitemeyer, formerly the company's chief operating officer, has been promoted to president, effective immediately.  This promotion is in keeping with the company's strategic growth initiatives and in recognition of his significant contributions to the company's operations, marketing, financial and technology areas.  In addition to his current responsibilities, in his new position Deitemeyer will also be charged with the product development, human resources and development areas.  Jim Caldwell, who formerly held the president's title, will continue as chief executive officer. 

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News @ PATA

This week's PATA news and update....

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Spas: The New Must Have

Luxury Hotels Continue To Raise The Bar With Newer and More Robust Spas. First it was a restaurant; then it was a gym; now the “must have” for luxury hotels is a spa.  Responding to the increasing demands of luxury travelers for pampering and self-indulgence, several members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World have either opened a spa in the last year or are planning to do so in the coming year.

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Le Meridien's First Art+Tech Property in Asia Aims to Raise the Benchmark

By Steve Shellum, Editor of HOTEL Asia Pacific    -  Dean Schreiber is a guy who just can’t say no. The GM of the sleek new Le Meridien Cyberport in Hong Kong has an “anything-goes” attitude when it comes to service. “Yes, you can please all the guests all the time,”  he says. “There’s no way we can say ‘no’ in this hotel.” Schreiber is pushing his “can-do” philosophy to the limit, with a number of innovations that would have more traditional hoteliers choking over their gin and tonics. For a start, the typical reception desk has been all but banished. “Once a guest checks in the first time, he basically never has to check in again,” says Schreiber. “We use wireless check-in, or seamless check-in using PDAs and laptops, so there’s no signing of forms or filling out registration details. 

More... [649 views]

UK visitor stats for May break 10m YTD

VisitBritain has reported another bumper month for visitor numbers, although the percentage rise in volumes is far bigger than the corresponding lift in spending. A spokesperson said that VisitBritain's targets are for spending rather than for visitor numbers, with a 'return on investment' ratio demanding that every pound it spends on marketing generates £29 of spending. 'Even though visitor numbers are getting stronger by the month, global economic conditions are determining the level of spend, which is improving but not as strongly as numbers.

More... [348 views]

Jennie Chua first Singaporean appointed Member of Board of Trustees at Cornell University

Jennie Chua, President and Chief Executive Officer of Raffles Holdings Limited and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Raffles International Limited, has been appointed a member of Cornell University's Board of Trustees. Ms Chua's term of office will be for four years and took effect on 1 July.The appointment to the university's board at a special meeting held in Ithaca, New York, on 29 May 2004 made Ms Chua the first Singaporean to serve as a trustee.   Cornell trustees elect the university's top leadership, including the university's president, as well as tenured faculty. They also advise the university on educational policy, academic programmes, campus life, and key financial policies, and oversee financial operations.

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First IMHI Hotel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference Identifies Key Issues Facing Online Marketers in Europe

The first European Hotel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference took place in the Thistle Tower Hotel, London on Friday, 28 May 2004 as an add-on event to the HEDNA (Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association) conference earlier in the week. Sponsored by Institute de Management Hotelier International (IMHI) in conjunction with the HSMAI Hotel Internet Marketing Committee, Americas Board, the one day session attracted over sixty delegates representing the major European hotel chains and distribution service providers. 

More... [407 views]

Hotel News in Brief

All W Hotels worldwide have undergone a redesign dubbed 'Wonderland' that includes new guest amenities, activities, and welcome gifts ... The Atlantic, a new condominium-style hotel, has opened in Fort Lauderdale ... The 422-room Hotel 71 recently opened in Chicago; the independent property caters to business travelers ...

More... [506 views]

Asia Pacific: Regional visitor arrivals shooting up

Early 2004 statistics for international visitor arrivals (IVAs) to 30 Asia Pacific destinations show 21 per cent growth, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) revealed today.

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Tourist arrivals in Thailand likely to reach 12 million this year

The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand is expected to reach 12 million at the end of this year , as targeted by the government. The Tourism and Sports Minister Mr. Sontaya Kunplome told TNA yesterday that the targeted number of tourist arrivals in the country was likely to be met, thanks to a steady increase in the number of foreign tourists in the first six months of this year and a continued upward trend in the second half of this year. He pointed out that the number of foreign visitors to the kingdom in the January-June period by air alone reached 3.84 million, or about 80% of the total foreign visitors during the period

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Choice Hotels launches brands in NZ

New York-listed Choice Hotels International is looking to build three of its franchise brands in New Zealand. Following its 2003 acquisition of Flag Choice Hotels, the world's second largest hotel franchisor is implementing a major rebranding and growth strategy here with the promise of offering local operators the chance to tap into an international marketing and distribution system. Choice Hotels International, which operates in Australasia through its affiliate Flag Choice Hotels, has 5000 properties in 47 countries, with another 490 properties under development.

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India's Tourism Industry showing signs of boom

Union Minister of State for Tourism Renuka Choudhary on Friday said tourist inflow in the country has been on the upswing this year with a growth of 25 per cent and with an increase in earning of 36 per cent. Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the two-day annual ‘Tourism Marketing Meet 2004’ here, Ms Choudhary said 2.75 million foreign tourists visited India in 2003, witnessing a reversal of trend compared to 2002 when the figures dipped following terrorist attacks in the US. She said, “A 10 per cent increase in the inflow meant generation of five million new jobs every year.” At present, the tourism industry provides employment to about 50 million people, the minister said.

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UAE records 32% increase in hotel guests in 2003

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded an increase of 32 percent in hotel guests in 2003 despite the Iraq war and a negative global trend in tourism, the Gulf News reported Sunday.    Figures released by the UAE Planning Ministry showed that Dubai, one of the seven emirates in the country, played host to a record 4.98 million guests in 2003, providing almost 98,000 jobs and contributing about 80 billion US dollars, or 2.16 percent, to the gross domestic production (GDP).

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Starwood continues expansion in China with announcement of Sheraton Xiamen Hotel

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and Xiamen Fuchun Orient Hotel Company Limited announced an agreement for Starwood to manage the  Sheraton Xiamen Hotel in China. The newly built 348-room Sheraton Xiamen Hotel is scheduled to open in June 2005 and will be the city`s first five-star hotel. With the opening of the Sheraton Xiamen, Starwood will have the largest inventory of upscale hotels in China, bringing the total number of properties to 23, more than any other international hotel company.

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EMITT 2005 exhibition is booming

East Mediterranean International Travel and Tourism Exhibition would be held in Istanbul Turkey  - Tuyap exhibition centre, between the dates 24-27 February 2005. It is our honour to announce that the number of the contracts were signed so far for EMITT 2005. EMITT is the only one who is member of ETTFA from Turkey.

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Hotels in China to be reevaluated

A new hotel classification system goes into effect on July 1, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). The new system will end the permanently assigned star ratings of the past. All facilities that were given ratings before December 31, 1998, must undergo review. In Beijing, more than 200 hotels received their stars before that date, some one-third of the rated hotels in the capital. There are about 8,800 star-rated hotels throughout the mainland.

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M&C brings in finance-focused group president Europe

Millennium & Copthorne has appointed Simon Allison to the newly created role group president of Europe. ison joins from Molinaro Koger, a US-based hotel consultancy. He was its  managing director of investment and finance, based at the European HQ in London. uring 2003, Molinaro closed 82 hotel sales valued at $835m. efore joining Molinaro last year, he spent six years as finance director at Hospitality Europe and before that he ran the European hotel and advisory team for JP Morgan for eleven years.

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Managing Hotel Shows - Evaluating a hotel vs. a convention center for your next show

If your convention calls for a lot of meeting space, hosts an exhibition that’s not the only focal point of the event, and succeeds best when self-contained, then a hotel may truly be a better choice of venue than a convention center. The competition, though, is intensifying for the thousands of trade shows and events — association, for-profit and corporate-sponsored — held each year exclusively in hotels. First, new and upgraded convention centers with expanded inventory are aggressively pursuing shows that typically use hotels. Second, some shows that comfortably fit convention centers for years have shrunk in size in tandem with the economy and industry consolidation, enabling hotels to vie once again for the business.

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Powerful technology alliance forms to deliver breakthrough `E-Menu` wireless/web solution for Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts

Ameranth Wireless, with the support of a powerful technology alliance has partnered with InterContinental Hotels Group, owner of the Holiday Inn brand , to turn the vision of a Wi-Fi, Internet-enabled dynamic, paperless menu into an operational reality for IHG`s Holiday Inn brand. This 21St Century Hotel™ "E-Menu" system, which automates guest services from the concierge to the restaurant table, was achieved through the cooperation of technology industry leaders and their commitment to continue to expand and grow the initial platform and features.

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Brand affiliation could be part of AAHOA's future

The Asian American Hotel Owners Assn. continues to move toward providing its members with more services-and one of the future services could be an AAHOA hotel brand. During AAHOA's annual convention at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, chairman Hitesh Bhakta said AAHOA could have its own brand within three years

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HITEC 2004 | Online Distribution Wakeup Call!| Interview with Scott Anderson | President and CEO of High Country Hospitality; Chair, AH&LA eCommerce Committee

Listen-in for yet another ‘eye-opener’ talk with Scott Anderson. Scott featured as main speaker at HSMAI’s Revenue Management Conference in Dallas on June 21st. Conference attendants received a 45-minute dose of online distribution basics for hoteliers. Here's one you don't want to pass up. Designed for revenue and yield management professionals, the conference addressed critical issues and offer viable solutions and strategies for this very specific industry segment. Organized by HSMAI’s new Revenue Management Advisory Board, the conference took place, June 21, at the Dallas Convention Center in conjunction with the HITEC 2004 conference.

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Air travel finally exceeds pre 9/11 levels

The airline industry has "fully recovered" from the impact of Sars and the war in Iraq, according to IATA, but cost cutting remains a priority.The announcement came following positive air traffic figures for the start of this year. Passenger traffic on all international routes was up by 19% year-on-year in the first five months of 2004. Crucially, nearly 9% more passengers flew in this period than in the same period in 2000, considered as the benchmark because it was the last ‘normal year’ for the industry before September 11, the global economic decline, Sars and the war in Iraq.

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Patrick Quek, a Founder of PKF Consulting, Retiring as its President and CEO;

Patrick Quek, one of the  founders of PKF Consulting, the national hospitality consulting firm, is retiring as its president and CEO, the firm announced today. PKF Consulting is one of three entities under the holding company, Hospitality Asset Advisors International.  The other two are the PKF Capital Markets Group and the Hospitality Research Group, based in Atlanta. CEO responsibilities will be split between Thomas E. Callahan, PKF Consulting’s Chief Financial Officer and former Executive Vice President in charge of the firm’s San Francisco office, and David E. Arnold, former Executive V.P. in charge of the firm’s Philadelphia office. 

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Meeting planners complain loudly about hotel salespeople

When meeting planners have a bad experience with a salesperson, they usually don't take their complaint to the top. They're more apt to switch suppliers, or tell their peers about their experience rather than contact the salesperson's boss." That's a quote from an article written in the March 15, 2004 issue of Meeting News magazine. The story was written as a result of a survey conducted by that publication of 235 random meeting buyers

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Suddenly, More Groups Feel Pain Of Being Bumped

There appears to be a new spate of groups getting "bumped" — a return to the norm of the late 1990s, when hotels sometimes flaunted their market advantage, even at the risk of harming client relationships, by displacing groups when better pieces of business came along. Is this yet another sign that the economy is in recovery mode? "Absolutely," said Fiona Hendricks, senior meeting planner at the Institute for International Research, a New York-based international conference company, who had a 300-plus-person meeting cancelled one month prior by the Hyatt Harborside Boston. "The director of sales called and said the hotel had accepted another piece of business it could not refuse."

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Back to Basics

Well, the “Majors” have done it again.  They have rediscovered Hospitality Fundamentals by revisiting the guest room. In print and television, the consumer is no longer battered by the flash, pizzaz and glitter for their travel dollars.  Rather, we are now shown the “glamour” and receptivity of a wonderful, welcoming, warm bed, home-like furnishings and restful color schemes.  Quite a turnaround in marketing strategy, but, after all, at the end of the day, we travelers do spend significant time in our guest room, and it should be comfortable, tasteful, clean and safe – a return to Hospitality basics. 

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Dubai hotel occupancy surges

Hotel occupancy levels have soared in Dubai over the past two weeks thanks to the Dubai Summer Surprises festival, with occupancy levels between 75 and 98 per cent, reported Gulf News. The majority of reservations are from GCC and Arab families

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Small island economies rely on tourism

Small, isolated and vulnerable economies mainly faced by a lot of Pacific island countries have only tourism to rely on when  requirements under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) of free trade are fully implemented.

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HSMAI`s Affordable Meetings sets dates for 2005

Meetings industry buyers and suppliers can mark their calendars for the three 2005 Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International `s  (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings(r) shows, the premier exposition that is free-of-charge to qualified meeting planners and boasts an impressive 3 to 1 planner/exhibitor ratio for doing business.

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Traders Hotel, Dubai opens for business

The Traders Hotel, Dubai the result of a management agreement between Shangri-La International Hotels & Resorts and Oman-based Zubair Corporation opened today. The opening of Traders Hotel, Dubai, a four-star deluxe 250-room property, reflects the debut of the Traders brand in the Middle East region and is the sixth Traders Hotel for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts worldwide.

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Chinese tourists to travel to Europe soon

Chinese tourists now can realize their dream to travel to European countries starting September 1st.  A total of 29 European countries are expected to receive approved destination status from the Chinese government, which includes 24 EU member countries minus Britain, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Romania and Liechtenstein.

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Intelligent Spas Releases New Spa Industry Study for Australia

Intelligent Spas released the updated Spa Industry Survey Report for Australia today, highlighting interesting movements within the industry as new spas enter the market. 

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Rocco Forte Hotels in 43 Million Pound Hotel Purchase

Rocco Forte Hotels has  taken over the famous Le Richemond in Geneva.   Le Richemond was built in 1875 and was owned and managed by the Armleder family for four generations until 1999.  It has an outstanding location in the heart of the city with views over the lake. 

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World Tourism Marketing Summit

Destination Nanjing, China - The 1st World Tourism Marketing Summit, November 21-23, 2004. With over 56 ethnic groups and 29 global cultural and natural heritage sites, China’s tourism industry is growing rapidly along with its reform and modernization drive. A key to China’s success in the global tourism industry is to continue to learn from best practices in marketing, to share knowledge with global experts, and to develop strategic global partnership for human and institutional capacity building in tourism.

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NORTHWIND Announces Point of Sale System and Online Table Reservations to Strengthen Maestro Total Hospitality Solution

New Maestro POS Enables Cross-Selling Between Hotels, Integrates Multiple Properties; Online Table Res Lets Guests Make Dining Reservations from Property’s Website. Northwind, a provider of enterprise property management and reservation solutions for hospitality, today announced the introduction of two new systems to enhance its Maestro® Property Management Suite. The new Maestro POS increases revenue potential and guest service for individual hotels or property groups by linking multiple outlets and separate properties with a guest’s record on one central database for guest recognition and cross selling.

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Corps. Looking To Outsource On The Cheap

In a further tightening of the screws on third-party planners, some large corporations are outsourcing their meetings business literally to the lowest bidders in what are known as reverse auctions. Reverse auctions in which meeting buyers obtain hotel meeting space, guestrooms and services have been around for a few years (see explanation, page 46). However, reverse auctions for meetings management services, such as registration, housing and onsite management, are relatively new — within the past several months at perhaps a handful of companies.

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April 2004 International Arrivals to the U.S. - Double Digit Growth Continues

The U.S. welcomed 3.4 million international visitors in April, a 28 percent increase over April 2003. This total bolstered the 16 percent increase for the first four months of 2004 over 2003, which totaled 11.4 million arrivals.

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News @ PATA

This week's PATA news and update.....

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London hotel occupancy returns to 80%

Latest figures from TRI Hospitality Consulting show revenue per available room (revPAR) at UK hotels increased by 12.8% year-on-year to £53.05 in May, taking overall revPAR growth for the first five months of 2004 to 9.7%.

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European Hotel Valuation Index 2004

Justin Lanzkron and Russell Kett of HVS International's London Office have released the latest edition of their annual review of European hotel value trends, the Hotel Valuation Index (HVI). The European HVI has tracked trends in hotel values in key regional markets since 1993. The survey covers upscale hotels in 28 gateway and other major cities across the continent. The HVI 2004 shows that hotel values declined on average by 4% across Europe in 2003 compared with a decrease of 1.5% in 2002, a decrease of 2% in 2001, and increases of 11% in 2000, 4% in 1999 and 6% in 1998.

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Japan is back

After the peak of 2000, the Japanese outbound travel were declining, with a heavy plunge last year, mainly due to  the SARS impact and the war in Iraq, the highly experienced segment (which has traveled abroad 10 times and more), is strongly supporting its recovery. The upturn in the archipelago`s GDP`s ratio, since the last quarter of 2003, gives outbound travel a boost.

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HITEC 2004 | Outdoor to Indoor WiFi | Interview With Phil Belanger, vice-president of marketing, BelAir Networks.

BelAir Networks wireless solutions are designed for metro Wi-Fi, hotels, conference and convention centers, higher education campuses, transportation centers and corridors, and Federal Government networks. They are built on a patented point-to-point wireless mesh architecture that provides a high capacity wireless backbone. This mesh is combined with modular internetworking platforms designed for outdoor deployment to provide coverage over large areas and into buildings. The complete BelAir Networks offering is designed to simplify wireless infrastructures, reduce capital and operating expenditures, and deliver unmatched coverage, capacity and deployment flexibility

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Extract on Central and South American hotel market from the Global Performance Review 2003

In this, the inaugural Global Performance Review of the top 20 performing hotel markets of 2003, we consider the results of the HotelBenchmark Survey’s ‘Global Ranking of Performance Indicators’ (GRI) and the movement within the top 20 performing markets. Our survey tracks the performance of over 1.2 million hotel rooms outside North America, with the GRI analysis ranking annual occupancy and revenue per available room (revPAR). Presented in US dollars, the GRI provides an inter-regional view of performance levels within global markets.

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Are we seeing the decline of hotel leases?

The new regime on stamp duty for commercial leases, introduced last December as part of the 2003 budget, has increased the duty payable by tenants dramatically. In the case of a 35-year lease, this increase has been on average tenfold, and has made leases substantially less desirable.
It could be argued that it has made sale-and-leaseback a less attractive financial option for many hoteliers and investors. With the increased costs associated with leases, hotel companies are prepared to pay less rent. This in turn means that an investor is prepared to pay less for the property, thereby reducing the return that the tenant receives for selling the property.

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MOHG to manage historic Parisian property

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is to manage the Hôtel Royal Monceau. The property will undergo a significant renovation and repositioning later this year, and will be renamed Royal Monceau Mandarin Oriental, Paris.

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Thailand's Santiburi Group to end it's affiliation with Dusit Hotels

Effective September 01, 2004, the Santiburi Group will commence management of all company’s assets as well as future developments through its own Management Company. This coincides with the conclusion of a successful 12-year affiliation with the Dusit Hotels and Resorts as the management partner, for which the Santiburi Group is truly grateful and would like to express its appreciation for Dusit Hotels and Resorts’ management excellence and cordial relationship. 

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Travel Buying Has Changed Forever

Statistics show that online media will continue to reshape the travel industry . Consumers still seem resistant to buying cars, groceries or furniture online. But travel and financial services are easy to buy digitally, and consumer attitudes and behavior in 2004 are being shaped very differently as a result of online media. Let's look at travel and at airlines in particular.

More... [456 views]

European Travel Retail Council established

The formation of the European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) is an important step in achieving a strong, united voice in Europe . With membership from Tax Free World Association and the European national travel retail and duty free organisations, the ETRC now represents in excess of 500 companies across all trade sectors, including all major brand owners and retail operators.

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How Much Would You Really Pay For a Luxury Resort All to Yourself (and 250 of your closest friends)?

The Bidding War Begins July 14, 2004, on eBay(R) to Own 3 Nights, 125 Deluxe Rooms and All the Extravagance One Can Handle at the Millennium Resort Scottsdale McCormick Ranch. Coveted by thousands of discerning visitors yearly, the Millennium Resort Scottsdale, McCormick Ranch, will close its doors to the public from August 27-30, 2004, and give the winning eBay(R) bidder "all-access" to the entire resort, a $200,000 value. The ten-day auction will begin on July 14, 2004, at just $1, with a minimum selling bid of $100,000. The winning bid will then gain exclusive use of Scottsdale's only lakeside boutique resort, which overlooks Camelback Lake, the McCormick Ranch Championship Golf Club and McDowell Mountains.

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IHG Web-booking policy aims to change rules

What looks like the first shot across the bow of the third - party merchant model vessel was fired April 20 by InterContinental Hotels Group. The hotel giant announced it was adopting a new standard for its portfolio of brands for selling or reselling hotel room inventory through online travel companies. With the adoption of the standard on May 20, IHG said it is committed to only work with distributors and their affiliates that don't engage in confusing and potentially unclear marketing practices, clearly present taxes and fees to consumers, respect IHG's trademarks and ensure reservations are guaranteed through an automated confirmation process

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Ozone systems an energy-efficient laundry option

If you took chemistry in high school, you might remember that ozone is a gaseous molecule that contains three oxygen atoms. Ozone thrives either high in the atmosphere, where it shields the Earth against harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, or close to the ground, where it is the main component of smog. With that strike against it, ozone has, quite literally, a dirty reputation. It might be surprising to some to learn that water treated with ozone can do an effective, energy-efficient job cleaning dirty linens and clothes.

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Taj eyes hotels in Shanghai

The Tatas are planning to acquire luxury hotels at Beijing and Shanghai in China, Bali and Thailand in South-East Asia and Australia.“We have been very actively looking at these destinations over the past year. While China is the chosen destination for five-star deluxe properties, we would like to expand our Taj Exotica brand in South-East Asia and Australia,” Indian Hotels managing director Raymond Bickson told The Telegraph.

The group is open to both acquisition and greenfield projects.

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July 4th Weekend Occupancy to Rival 2000 Levels

After correctly forecasting Memorial Day hotel occupancy, PricewaterhouseCoopers reiterates its July 4th holiday weekend forecast, with hotel occupancy predicted to reach 68 percent, up one occupancy point from 2003. 

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Starwood promotes Tom Conophy to Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, has promoted Tom Conophy from Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer to  Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer. Conophy, who has overseen all the technological enhancements at the company since he joined Starwood in 2000, will continue to supervise Starwood`s technology strategy and lead the company`s information technology team and all associated initiatives. Conophy reports to Bob Cotter, Starwood`s President and Chief Operating Officer.

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Accor, Pegasus strike Internet reservations deal

Pegasus Solutions, Inc. announced the implementation of a three-year Internet hotel reservations technology/ distribution agreement with Paris-based Accor, one of the largest groups of hotels worldwide and the leader in Europe. Accor?s global portfolio of nearly 4,000 hotels in 90 countries will be available for online booking via the thousands of third-party Web sites that connect with Pegasus. Dallas-based Pegasus Solutions is a leading worldwide provider of hotel reservations-related services and technology.

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Top Ten Revenue Management Mistakes Hotels Can Make

If you don’t know where you’re going, you are never going to get there. In revenue management it is the same: if a hotel has no clear strategy, has no thorough understanding of its customers current needs and wants, it can’t anticipate market trends and it can’t tell how it measures up to its comp set, it is impossible to deploy the right revenue management tactics.

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Fancy a night in a love hotel?

Tolyo - Women in miniskirts hand out pamphlets as delegates in business suits mill around the convention floor, dropping in on lectures, checking out the latest engineering marvels and squinting at product videos. It sounds like the Tokyo Motor Show. Except that the video is showing how to use a mat designed for sex in the bath, and a typical piece of equipment on display is a two-person contraption with handles, straps and built-in vibrators known as the "love chair".

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Consumers Going Online Before Going on the Road

Satisfaction with Online Travel Services is Very High, But Consumers are Researching More Than Booking Travel Online
Consumer Internet Barometer Tracks Who's Doing What on the Internet.Two-thirds of consumers are using the Internet to make travel arrangements, and those who do are very satisfied, according to the latest Consumer Internet Barometer. This quarterly measure of who's doing what on the Internet is produced by TNS NFO and The Conference Board.

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Trusting the Web

Survey finds more consumers rely on Web for big purchases, trust it more than public figures. U.S. consumers consider the Internet to be one of the most trusted sources for making major purchases and second only to spouses for finding referrals, a survey has found. The Internet is a more popular source for referrals than parents, close friends, colleagues, media and religious figures, according to the "Trusted Sources" Harris Interactive survey of 2,245 online adults commissioned by Reply!.

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HITEC 2004 Draws 600 Booths and 4,500 Attendees;

Thousands of hospitality professionals arrived at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC ®) with an interest in investing in new technology. HITEC 2004, produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) was held at the Dallas Convention Center and featured over 600 booths with more than 4,500 attendees. 

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U.S. Travel Industry Develops Four-Point Plan To Enhance Welcome To International Visitors

 In a year of expected healthy and thriving international travel, in recent weeks the U.S. travel industry has become concerned  at the perceived lack of welcome some international visitors feel they will receive when they travel to the U.S. These negative perceptions have been generated largely by a few highly publicized problems associated with a number of new entry procedures the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security are implementing in order to enhance the safety of international visitors.

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Tourist arrivals in Singapore rise in May

The number of tourist arrivals in Singapore reported an increase of 271 percent in May this year as compared with the same period of last year. According to the figures by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Wednesday, the number of foreign tourists to the island state increased from 177,808 in May last year to 659,628 in May this year. Even when compared to the pre-SARS May 2002 level, last month's tourist arrivals also rose by 9 percent.

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A highland thing – divergent performance amongst Scotland’s hotel markets

Edinburgh has proved to be the consistent star-performer in Scotland’s hotel market. An analysis of the HotelBenchmark Survey results reveals that the city has grown its revenue per available room (revPAR) premium from 18 to 30 percent over the regional UK average between 2000 and April 2004. This is in contrast to the performance of Aberdeen and Glasgow, both of which have consistently under-performed the regional UK average

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Starwood announces expansion of Westin Hotels & Resorts in China with signing of new landmark in Beijing

The Westin Beijing Financial Street will open in the city's new financial district in 2006. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc and Beijing Jin Hao Real Estate Company Limited announced an agreement whereby Starwood will manage The Westin Beijing-Financial Street in Beijing, China.  Scheduled to open in mid 2006, the hotel will be located at the Financial Street in Beijing, the emerging financial center of Beijing.  The hotel is part of a multi-purpose complex that houses the hotel in one tower and serviced residences in a separate tower. 

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Business as usual for Philippine tourism

Now that the political dust in the Philippines has finally settled with the Congressional proclamation of incumbent president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the winner of the May 10 national elections, it is business as usual at the Philippine Department of Tourism.

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Raffles to manage new Hotel in Moscow

Raffles International today signed an agreement with JSC Moskva Krasnye Holmy , to manage a 235-room deluxe hotel under the Swissotel brand. The hotel will be named Swissotel Riverside Towers, Moscow and is scheduled to open by May 2005. This contract, the fifth in the last 15 months, marks Raffles International`s maiden hospitality presence in the Russian lodging industry.

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Beijing's top hotels fight against mandated power cuts during peak hours

Beijing economic planners have threatened to cut off power to the capital's hotels unless they implement a 20 pct reduction in consumption during peak periods, officials said.   The Beijing government's development reform commission ordered the power reductions yesterday, but tourist officials, representing the hotels, have come out strongly against the plan and are rallying opposition to it.

More... [378 views]

Travel Buying Has Changed Forever

Statistics show that online media will continue to reshape the travel industry.Consumers still seem resistant to buying cars, groceries or furniture online. But travel and financial services are easy to buy digitally, and consumer attitudes and behavior in 2004 are being shaped very differently as a result of online media. Let's look at travel and at airlines in particular.

More... [501 views]

Latest hotel performance trends in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

In the southern hemisphere, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, share more than a history in the British Empire and membership of the Commonwealth. As popular long-haul destinations for tourists and business travellers alike, the three countries offer similar experiences. They all boast adventure, scenic beauty, indigenous culture and first-class infrastructure. With an increasingly cut-throat international tourism market, how do they set themselves apart from each other?

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