Four Trends for Beyond Revenge Travel 2.0
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | March 2, 2022
Although Pre-Pandemic Profitability Will Remain Elusive, the Industry Will Make Strides Toward Recovery in 2022
Fran Worrall | January 5, 2022
Coronavirus
STR: U.S. Hotel Results for Week Ending 22 August
STR | August 27, 2020
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—U.S. hotel occupancy fell to a three-week low during the period of 16-22 August, according to the latest data from STR. 16-22 August 2020 (percentage change from comparable week in 2019): Occupancy: 48.8% (-30.3%) Average daily rate (ADR): US$100.08 (-22.7%) Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$48.81 (-46.1%) The prior week, the industry had reached 50% occupancy for the first time since mid-March. Lower occupancy came as U.S. room demand declined week over week for the first time since mid-April. Reflective of school openings and less vacation travel, the industry sold 492,000 fewer room nights...
Overtourism Still an Issue in Europe as Domestic Visitation Increases, Says GlobalData
GlobalData | August 27, 2020
The surge in domestic tourism following COVID-19 has not curtailed as holiday-makers turn to staycations over international travel. This domestic tourism, which was once a knight in shining armor met with gratitude by residents in European hot spots, is now a cause for despair as they see the all-too-familiar scenes of overtourism, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. Ralph Hollister, Travel & Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “There has been a steep fall in demand for international trips this summer due to fears of cancellation, disease transmission and quarantine measures upon return. According to GlobalDat...
Coronavirus Crisis Leads to Hard Conversations Between Franchisor and Franchisee
Advantage Hotels, Inc. | August 27, 2020
Advantage Hotels, Inc. CEO Patrick Mullinix and Q Hotels founder Vimal Patel bare all in honest give and take August 27, 2020 - Austin, Texas – Patrick Mullinix, founder, president and CEO of Advantage Hotels, Inc., is one brand franchisor who is willing to face owners who are unhappy with their current licensing agreements and discuss the problematic relationship between franchisors and franchisees in the age of COVID-19. “Fair franchising is back in the forefront. AHI is leading the way with our new controversial audio series,” said Mullinix, a 25-year veteran of hotel franchising. Mullinix recorded a series of conversations ...
WTTC Says UK Looks Set to Lose £22 Billion From Missing Tourists and Visitors Due to Pandemic
August 26, 2020
London, UK: A staggering £22 billion looks set to be lost from the UK economy due to the collapse of international travel during 2020, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Travellers and tourists are staying away from the UK in droves because of continuing uncertainty around travel restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. As a result, this year international visitor spending could plunge by 78% compared to 2019 levels, equating to a loss of £60 million a day, or £420 million a week, to the UK economy. The severe impact on UK Travel & Tourism is laid bare by WTTC as the economic fallout from ...
Contactless Self-Services Are Here to Stay After COVID-19
Linchi Kwok | August 26, 2020
By Linchi Kwok The new COVID-19 cases finally showed signs of declines across the U.S., but definitely, we should still take cautionary measures to avoid another wave of infections. Now, some people have already claimed that this pandemic would forever change the travel industry. Because the coronavirus is primarily transmitted through direct or indirect close contact with infected people via mouth or nose secretions, social distancing and frequent sanitation are highly recommended. It is not surprising to see consumers demand services with minimum human contact, which in turn promotes contactless self-services. Restaurants Mobile...
What Are You Grateful For?
Shep Hyken | August 26, 2020
By Shep Hyken I depart from my typical customer service articles to write something that falls into the motivational category. I was on a Zoom meeting with some of my colleagues in the speaking profession. All of these people are brilliant and hearing how they have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic has been fascinating. In our group, we have a TV celebrity, the president of a major university, one of the top futurists in the world, a digital marketing expert, a retired, high-ranking military officer and more. Some of these people run large businesses and organizations. One of the questions we were asked was, “What are you grateful ...
How to Calculate and Monitor Your Break-Even Point
Global Asset Solutions | August 26, 2020
COVID-19 presented many challenges for hotels who are currently striving to merely break-even instead of maximizing profit as usual. While hotels usually aim for 35% occupancy threshold, many are hoping that COVID-19 cost reductions will lower the break-even threshold. How can a hotel understand when is the right time to resume operations? What occupancies and rates should they be aiming for? How has the pandemic effected the BEP considerations? Through calculating a hotel’s BEP, hotel asset managers are able to determine when is the optimal time for a hotel to reopen or if it may be better to remain closed until higher occupancy levels are...
COVID-19 Impact on U.S. Waterparks and Waterpark Resorts in 2020
David J. Sangree | August 26, 2020
By David Sangree, Nuresh Maredia The current COVID-19 crisis continues to have a significant negative effect on the waterpark industry. Waterparks play a major role in providing entertainment, supporting job creation, fostering small business opportunities, and contributing to robust economic growth. Due to COVID-19, many outdoor waterparks delayed their season openings while others have decided, or were mandated, not to open at all in 2020. Many resorts with waterparks and standalone indoor waterparks were forced to close for several months, and some have yet to reopen. With the largest database of waterparks and waterpark resorts ac...
What Hotels Will Look Like in a Post-COVID World
HotStats | August 25, 2020
For hoteliers and hotel investors, COVID-19 has rushed through the industry like a flood. Without a doubt, it will leave hotels forever transformed in its wake. As the virus subsides, it will reveal a transformed landscape, and hotels will need to adjust to move operations to higher ground. Want a peek into what this post-COVID-19 world will look like for hotels? In this article, we gaze into the future, examine which marks will stay with the hotel industry and lay out what hotels will look like in a post-COVID-19 world. The New Shape of Hotels Post-COVID-19 It may be impossible to predict the future, but there are solid indicators th...
Navy Pier Closure: A Cause for Concern?
Joseph Hansel | August 24, 2020
By Joseph Hansel On August 18th, Navy Pier Inc. (“NPI”) announced a temporary closure beginning September 8th—immediately following Labor Day weekend. Operations are intended to resume sometime in spring 2021. Suspending operations at Navy Pier not only stops visitation, but also the operation of the 70 businesses operating on the pier. Given Navy Pier’s cultural significance to the City of Chicago, such a closure is bound to draw questions about the future of all tourism amenities in the Windy City. HVS seeks to provide a quantified explanation of the effect of such a closure and what this may mean for tourist attractions in the n...
MMGY Global Declares “Stretch Season” an Extension of Summer Travel Into Fall
MMGY Travel Intelligence | August 24, 2020
NEW YORK (August 24, 2020) – The tourism industry has been rapidly transforming and adapting as travel seasonality and consumer trip-planning behavior have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MMGY Global – the world's leading integrated marketing company specializing in travel, tourism and hospitality – has identified an opportunity to help bolster the travel industry and help Americans get back lost vacation time with “Stretch Season,” extending the traditional summer travel season well past Labor Day into fall. There is huge pent-up travel demand, and as Americans become more comfortable with venturing out, combined with the co...
Why Midscale and Economy Hotels Are Leading the Current Recovery
Michael Driedger | August 24, 2020
By Michael Driedger Whatever your occupancy is right now, you know that one day it's sure to go up. The hotel industry is currently experiencing something never seen before, and with this also will come pent up travel demand. When the recovery begins and we are all more confident about traveling internationally again, have you thought about where you want your hotel to be strategically? Early signs of what recovery in travel will look like is coming from countries like China where tourism has started again in earnest. According to a McKinsey study this recovery is being led heavily by midscale and economy hotels. The rise in populari...
Tracking the Recovery: How COVID-19 Is Reshaping the Hotel Revenue Mix
HotStats | August 24, 2020
Hotels sell rooms. Yes, there are typically other things that hotels offer within their walls—food, drinks, events, ibuprofen in the sundries store—but when a customer opens up their laptop or calls the property directly, chances are they are thinking to themselves: I am booking a hotel room. It makes sense then that the sale of guestrooms is the single biggest piece of revenue for a hotel. And for that reason, revenue per available room (RevPAR), a performance metric that assesses a hotel’s ability to fill available rooms at an average rate, has been the most promulgated metric in the industry. But as the ...
Hotels to Dorms: Converting Hotels to College Housing During the COVID19 Pandemic
Fred DeMicco | August 19, 2020
By Frederick DeMicco, Jackie Guzman Abstract As colleges start classes up in for the fall 2020 semester, many students are moving back to their college towns. Many undergraduate students have guaranteed housing from their universities, but to help with social distancing measures, universities are dispersing their students more than usual. To do this, universities are looking to hotels to house students for the school year. Introduction During the early months of 2020, once it was apparent that the novel coronavirus (COVID19) was a global pandemic, people everywhere started to think of creative solutions to help ease the probl...
ALICE Creates Free Hotel Housekeeping Disinfection Checklists
ALICE | August 19, 2020
New York, NY - ALICE, the hospitality industry’s leading hotel management and operations platform, has just published free hotel housekeeping disinfection checklists for hoteliers. With more than 15 checklists in the downloadable document, hoteliers can download, print, and start using them today. The comprehensive document includes disinfection checklists for guest areas, employee areas and public areas. As occupancy increases, there will be intense scrutiny for housekeeping departments to not only clean, but also sanitize every inch of each guest room - and prove it. The checklists are customizable with extra space for items to be wr...
Travel Community Calls on Congress to Pass Relief Legislation
The U.S. Travel Association | August 19, 2020
WASHINGTON (August 19, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on reports that both chambers of Congress may soon consider separate actions on coronavirus relief legislation: “It is crucial that leaders in Washington return to the negotiating table immediately and continue the important work they started. Since March, more than half of the 15.8 million pre-pandemic jobs supported by the travel industry have disappeared, leaving workers and small businesses in every pocket of America vulnerable to the economic pain of this public health crisis...
No Time for Timid Leadership – The Safe Restart of Tourism Is Possible
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) | August 18, 2020
The cost of the restrictions on travel introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is there for all to see. Between January and May, the sudden and rapid fall in tourist arrivals cost an estimated $320 billion. That’s three times greater than the impact of the Great Recession of 2007-2009 on our sector – and this is just for the first five months of the year. The re-opening of borders to tourism is a welcome relief to millions who depend on our sector. But this alone is not enough, especially in view of recent announcements and measures which seem further and further away from the international coordination that UNWTO has been c...
Report: Hotel Industry Facing Historic Wave of Foreclosures
AHLA | August 18, 2020
WASHINGTON (August 18, 2020) – A new national report shows that the hotel industry is facing a historic wave of foreclosures as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate small business hotel owners and its workforce. Since the beginning of the pandemic the hotel segment has faced a historic number of delinquencies and is the most heavily hit sector of the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) market. Nearly 4,000 hotel industry leaders sent an urgent letter to Congress urging immediate action to help hotels avoid foreclosure and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. The report, compiled by Trepp, shows that the percentage of...
6 Hospitality Trends for Rebuilding Consumer Trust as Hotels Reopen
EHL Insights | August 18, 2020
After what has been a dire time for hotels around the world, the industry is slowly rekindling its operations as lockdown is incrementally loosened. Alas, all is not as it once was. Increased health and safety concerns teamed with a heightened awareness for all things hygiene and social distancing mean hotels will first have to reassure their clientele that going on holiday is both safe and desirable. How will the industry go about regaining consumer trust? What hospitality trends will shape the new normal? EHL Insights presents 6 hypotheses. 1. Safety first Arguably the key factor in instilling trust among consumers is ensuring strict safe...
How to Stay Safe While Staying Open
Christopher Horn | August 18, 2020
Six best practices for protecting your people and those you serve By Christopher Horn Deciding to close or remain open during a pandemic can be one of the most difficult decisions a hotel company will ever have to make, especially if multiple assets are involved. Many factors need to be analyzed, including the financial, brand, and human resources sides of the business to determine which action is the most fiscally responsible. At Sixty Hotels, we are “Always Open” to show our customers that we are there for them in good times and bad, no matter what. This is especially challenging considering that our hotels are in the heavily pop...
Top Considerations for Hotel Balance Sheets During COVID-19 and Beyond
August 17, 2020
One of the many impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is that it has highlighted the importance of working capital. "Cash is King" is all the more irrefutable as industries worldwide struggle to meet lenders’ and creditors' demands. With companies lacking reliable forecasts, more investors now gauge performance based on balance sheet metrics, namely debt levels, asset liquidity, covenants and stable cash flows. These are now, more than ever, favoured by owners and investors to assess if management can keep meeting obligations during the crisis. Balance sheets deserve more attention and are an often-overlooked financial statement. Whi...
It’s Becoming Survival of the Fittest
Robert Rauch | August 14, 2020
By Robert Rauch Prepare your operations to meet what guests are looking for, and prepare your teams for the realities of today’s environment. Mike Ditka, former NFL star player and coach once said, “Success is not permanent, and failure is not fatal.” Today it is paramount to test, experiment and kill the projects that don’t work. Business models and budgets became obsolete immediately. Culture and teamwork became even more critical as our world got turned upside down. As an owner or operator of a hotel, we are now a full-time coach if we were not before. This requires clarity and focus as some departments have...
SmartHands DISPENSERS & SANITIZERS: A WINNING COMBINATION
Minibar Systems | August 14, 2020
Rockville, MD - Minibar Systems is pleased to announce our new SmartHands dispensers are now available for hotels and can soon be purchased online at SmartHands.MinibarSystems.com. The SmartHands™ hand sanitizer contains 80% Ethanol Alcohol which exceeds the CDC standard and kills 99.99% of harmful germs and bacteria. Aloe vera leaf extract is added to help aid and moisturize skin after application. Please visit the website for additional product information and ordering information. FDA Approved 80% Alcohol Hand Sanitizer Kills 99.99% Of Germs & Bacteria 80% Ethanol Alcohol – Exceeds CDC Guidelines 1 Liter Bag Provides ...
Counting the Social Costs of Tourism in the COVID-19 Era
PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management | August 13, 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism scholars and practitioners have directed their attention to local communities in tourist destinations, examining their safety and well-being and the costs that they bear due to tourism activities. Yet according to the SHTM’s Professor Haiyan Song and Dr Jinah Park and their co-researchers, it is now time to discuss the social costs of tourism during crises. How much are local communities willing to sacrifice to reduce these costs? Analysing local residents’ willingness to pay to alleviate public health risk, the researchers explored the situation through an economic lens. Their findings have importan...
