Industry Happenings
Can Hotels Cement Their Place in the New Remote Working Culture?
JLL | September 17, 2020
Hotels have long been hives of remote working, from business travellers sending emails after meetings nearby to more recently, coworking spaces in communal areas attracting a new generation of digital nomads. Now, with fewer guests staying overnight, some hotel groups are homing in on remote workers by offering bedrooms as makeshift daytime offices. The work-from-hotel model, driven by major operators such as Accor, targets local workers seeking out a better balance between work and home life – or simply a change of scenery after months of working from home. In the Netherlands, a range of hotel rooms are available through one websi...
Contactless Technologies Gaining Traction in Travel and Tourism Industry, Says GlobalData
GlobalData | September 17, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the travel and tourism industry to a near standstill with prolonged lockdowns. Now that government authorities across several countries have relaxed air travel restrictions, airports and hotels are trying to re-build confidence in travelers. Against the backdrop, contactless technologies are proving to be a game changer for the industry, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. Sneha Nigade, Disruptive Tech Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The COVID-19 pandemic became a wakeup call for the travel and tourism industry to accelerate investments in contactless technologies like biometric chec...
Lessons From Disaster: COVID-19 and Chinese Hotels
PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management | September 17, 2020
Few industries have suffered more from the COVID-19 than hospitality and tourism, and China’s hotel sector has many lessons to learn. In a thought-provoking exploratory study published recently, Dr Fei Hao, Dr Qu Xiao and Dean Kaye Chon of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University cast light on the fundamental impact of COVID-19 on the sector, and propose strategies for Chinese hotel firms to overcome their current difficulties and emerge ever stronger. First and hardest hit by the devastating impact of COVID-19, Chinese hotels now have the chance to lead the global sector out of crisis and in...
MMGY Global’s Latest Traveler Research Shows a Significant Jump in Confidence in the Safety of Domestic Travel
MMGY Travel Intelligence | September 17, 2020
KANSAS CITY, MO (September 17, 2020) – MMGY Global has announced the latest findings from MMGY Travel Intelligence's Travel Intentions Pulse Survey Wave VIII (TIPS) and MMGY Global’s Travel Safety Barometer, which are designed to track how COVID-19 is impacting travelers’ attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors. As we near the end of a summer where domestic road trips were the preferred way to vacation, despite COVID hot spots also continuing to pop up around the country, perceptions of safety for domestic travel, transportation, lodging and even business travel are at their highest since the start of the pandemic. “We’re seeing this...
5 Key Points on Europe Hotel Performance, 10 September
STR | September 15, 2020
Knowing you might not have time to watch our full webinars, we are pleased to continue our series of COVID-19 webinar summaries. In this latest edition, we talk performance in Europe as well as our latest forecast updates. How does Europe compare to other regions in the recovery cycle? China hit a 69.4% occupancy level on 18 August, the highest level during the time of the pandemic. Since that date, however, China has started to fall back a bit. During the first weekend of September (4-6 September), the market posted 57.6%, 57.5% and 57.9% occupancy levels, respectively. Europe saw its lowest occupancy level during the firs...
World Tourism Day 2020: Global Community Unites to Celebrate “Tourism and Rural Development”
UNWTO | September 11, 2020
The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day will celebrate the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world. Celebrated on 27 September with the theme of “Tourism and Rural Development”, this year’s international day of observation comes at a critical moment, as countries around the world look to tourism to drive recovery, including in rural communities where the sector is a leading employer and economic pillar. The 2020 edition also comes as governments look to the sector to drive recovery from the effects of the pandemic and with the ...
Restaurant Owners and Operators Are Invited to Take Free COVID-19 Restaurant Safety Training Course
The City of Miami | September 11, 2020
MIAMI (Sept. 11, 2020) – The City of Miami, Miami's Downtown Development Authority (DDA), and the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU) are encouraging local restaurant owners to sign up for a new one-hour health and safety course. Created by culinary educators and professionals, the course focuses on reducing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 through health and safety training and is free and open to all restaurant owners and operators. The COVID-19 Restaurant Safety and Compliance Course offers a one-hour lecture and quiz based on safety protocols and guidelines from the M...
More Than 50% of Global Destinations Are Easing Travel Restrictions – But Caution Remains
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) | September 10, 2020
A majority of destinations around the world (53%) have now started easing travel restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though many remain cautious in view of the development of the pandemic, the seventh edition of the UNWTO “COVID-19 Related Travel Restrictions: A Global Review for Tourism” confirms the ongoing trend towards the gradual restart of tourism. Analysing restrictions up to 1 September, the research carried out by the United Nations specialized agency for tourism found that a total of 115 destinations (53% of all destinations worldwide) have eased travel restrictions, an increase of 28 since 19 July. Of...
Will COVID-19 Be a Catalyst for More Hotel Mergers and Acquisitions?
Linchi Kwok | September 10, 2020
By Linchi Kwok COVID-19 has put many restaurants and hotels out of business. A recent example is the permanent closure of the iconic Hilton Times Square Hotel. Several restaurant chains recently rolled out new store designs to embrace the contactless self-service and delivery trends demanded by customers. Additionally, when more schools and businesses are reopening, the restaurant industry has already shown signs of recovery. There was a 2% increase in spending year-over-year in the week ending August 30. The outlook for hotels, however, is not as optimistic. The hotel industry is still struggling. According to the latest U.S. hot...
U.S. Travel Calls on Senate to Pass Relief Bill as Economy Loses Staggering $2 Billion per Day
U.S. Travel Association | September 10, 2020
WASHINGTON (September 9, 2020)—New data from the U.S. Travel Association underscores how a nationwide economic recovery will not be possible until Congress prioritizes emergency relief legislation for all segments of the travel industry. A staggering $360 billion—or $2 billion per day—has been drained from the overall U.S. economy since March as a result of decreased travel demand due to the pandemic, according to research prepared by Tourism Economics. The devastation has wiped out half of all travel-supported U.S. jobs—which prior to COVID-19 had provided employment for one in 10 Americans—between the onset of the pandemic a...
Today’s New Employee Safety Culture Is Benefitting Hotel Workers, Guests in Big Ways
Robb Monkman | September 9, 2020
Hoteliers say hope is on the horizon and newly implemented procedures and technologies are helping them better protect their people and meet guests’ demands By Robb Monkman A new safety culture has emerged in hospitality that places employee protection at the core of operations. Prior to the global pandemic, hoteliers were already rolling out employee safety devices (ESDs) per legislative mandates and commitments to industry programs like the American Hotel & Lodging Assn.’s 5-Star Promise to better protect their people from sexual harassment situations and threats of violence. Today, as hotel employees put their lives on the li...
Travel Industry Inspires Americans to Plan a Future Trip
| September 8, 2020
**Let’s Go There Coalition senior spokespeople will hold a virtual press conference Tuesday, September 8 at 1 p.m. ET. Click here to register and receive the Zoom link, and see more details below.** WASHINGTON (September 8, 2020)—As states and cities move to reopen, the American travel industry launched a major campaign today with a clear message for Americans: it’s OK to start planning your next trip—whenever it may be. The “Let’s Go There” campaign, which will extend into 2021, is the result of an industry-wide collaboration of more than 75 businesses and organizations that spent months examining the question: what is th...
Caesars and VICI to Sell Harrah’s Louisiana Downs to Rubico Acquisition for $22 Million
Caesars Entertainment, Inc. | September 8, 2020
NEW YORK - Caesars Entertainment, Inc., (NASDAQ: CZR) (“Caesars” or “CZR”) and VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE: VICI) (“VICI Properties” or “VICI”) today announced definitive agreements to sell Harrah’s Louisiana Downs Casino, Racing & Entertainment (“Harrah’s Louisiana Downs”) to Rubico Acquisition Corp. for $22 million. The proceeds of the transactions shall be split $5.5 million to VICI Properties and $16.5 million to Caesars subject to customary adjustments for cash and net working capital. The annual base rent payments under the Regional Master Lease between Caesars and VICI will remain unchanged. The transacti...
IHG® Hotel Awards Recognize Excellence of More Than 700 Hotels Across the Americas
IHG | September 8, 2020
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, IHG and IHG-branded hotels have worked to best support local communities in their overall response efforts. In the spirit of this commitment, IHG is making donations to local food bank charities across the Americas in honor of award-winning hotels. These donations will support people in the community facing economic challenges due to Covid-19, including those in the hard-hit hospitality industry. Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive Officer, Americas, IHG, said: “At IHG, the strength of our brands comes from the tireless efforts of dedicated local hotel teams who bring these experiences to life for our gu...
How to Manage Your Employees and Clients Through the Pandemic
GBTA | September 2, 2020
This week, GBTA Interim-Executive Director Dave Hilfman hosted well-respected travel industry human resources leader Patti Huska to share how to best get your organization and employees through this turbulent time. Huska is American Express Global Business Travel’s (GBT) Chief People Officer and also serves on GBTA’s WINiT Strategic Advisory Board. Attendees of the webinar received actionable tips and ideas from Huska and Hilfman including: Break situations down into manageable pieces. “We separated our pandemic response into three segments: ‘Respond,’ which was working through the immediate needs; ‘Reset,’ where we addres...
United States Looks Set to Lose $155 Billion From Missing International Tourists and Visitors, Says WTTC
September 2, 2020
02/09/2020 $425 million a day being lost to the U.S. economy London, UK: A devastating $155 billion looks set to be lost from the U.S. economy due to the collapse of international travel during 2020, according to latest research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, says the massive decline in the number of international travellers and tourists visiting the U.S due to the COVID-19 pandemic, could result in international visitor spending dropping by a staggering 79%. This catastrophic loss to the American economy equates to a shortfal...
Israel Set to ‘Bounce Back’ From Pandemic as Lessons Have Been Learned Before, Hears Webinar
HVS | September 2, 2020
02 September 2020, London: In a buoyant message to a webinar audience of some 300 hotel operators, investors and owners, held yesterday [1 September 2020] Israel’s Minister of Tourism was confident the country’s hotel sector would make a full recovery post-Covid, because historically the country had done so before. Asaf Zamir, speaking on an international webinar hosted jointly by HVS and the Israel Tourism Ministry, said: “because of the country’s history – with war and security – it has learnt how to bounce back more than anywhere, because we know how to do it.” Israel’s tourism sector, he said, was already showing rec...
ProfitSword Launches Hospitality Recovery Dashboard to Provide Industry With Insight Into Real-Time Market Performance and Future Outlook
ProfitSword | September 2, 2020
Latest in hospitality business intelligence software utilized to visualize a range of key performance indicators and now freely available to assist industry professionals with navigating the post COVID-19 environment. ORLANDO, Fla. – (September 2, 2020) – ProfitSword, the leading developer of business intelligence and data integration software, has unveiled its designing of an advanced hospitality market performance dashboard that can aggregate real-time metrics from businesses across the industry to present a comprehensive analysis of how recovery efforts are progressing and what hoteliers can expect from the marketplace in upcoming m...
McLaren Technologies Leads Forward-Thinking, Tech-Driven Strategy at the Iconic Byron at Byron
McLaren Technologies | September 2, 2020
Is this Australia’s most luxurious contactless check-in experience? Three reasons why Byron at Byron, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, will reopen as Australia’s most luxe post-pandemic hotel haven this spring AUSTRALIA, 02 September 2020 – As Australia moves into post-pandemic travel territory, several progressive hotels and resorts are adapting quickly to meet the changing demands of travelers in 2020. One property leading the charge (and change) is the iconic Byron at Byron, set to reopen its doors to the world (well, perhaps just Australia for the short term) as a Crystalbrook Collection Resort on 1 September 2020. Fresh ...
How Turning to Benchmarking Can Stave Off Financial Ruin
HotStats | September 1, 2020
When the winds of crisis whip, and a hotel’s cash begins flying away, it’s easy to panic. During a crisis, it might feel like the whole market has been pulled out from under you. However, there is hope even in the worst financial crisis. With hotel benchmarking, it’s possible to fight off financial ruin, even in the middle or during the aftermath of financial turmoil. Wondering how? In this article, we dive into ways hoteliers can use benchmarking to keep a hotel out of the red and steer operations to long-term profit amid a nightmarish market. First, What Happens During a Financial Crisis? Every financial crisis will be diff...
Federal Per Diem: Fiscal 2020/21 & Historical Trends
Chelsey Leffet | September 1, 2020
By Chelsey Leffet Government per-diem rates are set for a number of locations, many applying to multiple regions or localities in each state. A per-diem rate is made up of three components: a lodging allowance, meals allowance, and incidental expense allowance[1]; however, this article and the data presented below focus solely on the lodging allowance. The per-diem lodging rates, which provide a maximum amount that a federal traveler can reimburse, are based on the costs of mid-priced hotels, and are set annually by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The following article examines the per-diem trends of the top lodging markets...
State of Hotel Industry Six Months Into Covid Pandemic
AHLA | September 1, 2020
Labor Day weekend hotel bookings down 66% compared to last year 4 out of 10 hotel employees not working with 65% of hotels operating below breakeven point Urban hotels impacted the most with crippling low occupancy rates at 38% Click here to download full “State of the Hotel Industry” report WASHINGTON (September 1, 2020) – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today released an analysis on the economic and human struggle of the hotel industry six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, with millions of employees still furloughed or laid off and travel demand lagging far behind normal levels. ...
The Gale South Beach Adds Volara + Google Contactless Guest Engagement Solution in Preparation for Reopening
Menin Hospitality | September 1, 2020
Menin Hospitality is embracing the voice-based on-command solution for its ability to boost operating efficiency, drive revenues, and deliver a contactless guest experience NEW YORK — Sept. 1, 2020 — When The Gale South Beach, a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, reopens in October, Volara will be there supporting travelers with a contactless guest engagement and touchless room controls solution on the Google Nest Hub in its guestrooms. Rather than picking up the phone to call room service or request a forgotten amenity at the front desk, guests can speak simply commands in their guestroom to enable private, automated and live and au...
Shiji Group and MCR Announce Agreement on the $46 Million Purchase of StayNTouch
Shiji Group | August 31, 2020
Shiji Group announces it's definitive agreement to sell StayNTouch for $46 Million to MCR, the fifth-largest hotel owner-operator in the United States. Shiji Group, a global hospitality technology provider, today announces it has reached a definitive agreement to sell StayNTouch to MCR, the fifth-largest hotel owner-operator in the United States, for the purchase price of $46 Million, including potential earnouts. The much anticipated announcement follows months of negotiations between the two parties after the U.S Administration, in March of 2020, ordered Shiji to divest of StayNTouch, a leading cloud hotel property management system ...
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