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
5 Steps to Building a Successful Hotel Marketing Plan in 2021
Amadeus | January 18, 2021
As hoteliers hope to rebound from the lingering effects of COVID-19, they are presented with the challenges of repositioning, retargeting, and reviving their respective brands to meet the needs of emerging demand in 2021. To capture the most opportunity moving forward, hoteliers will have to look to multi-channel marketing strategies to drive bookings and optimize their property’s ability to return stronger this year. Here are 5 key steps to consider: 1. Take a Data-Driven Approach to Evaluate Market Conditions As each region recovers at its own pace, hotels are now required to have a more in-depth understanding of their feeder markets...
Hotel Lawyer on PPP2 and the COVID Relief Bill’s Changes to Paycheck Protection Program
Jim Butler | January 13, 2021
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® 13 January 2021 We have a new PPP Loan authorization bill out of Washington, after months of political wrangling. Congress could have done more, but they did provide for up to $2,000,000 in additional forgivable loans per borrower, along with provisions which specifically cater to the hospitality industry. As Jay Thompson and other members of our Corporate team write below, Congress has made obtaining a PPP loan and getting forgiveness for that loan easier. They have also expanded the definition of what can be an “eligible expense” upon which to base a PPP loan, and they have allo...
U.S. Travel Reacts to CDC International Travel Testing Mandate
U.S. Travel Association | January 13, 2021
WASHINGTON (January 13, 2021) — U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the announcement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will issue an order requiring a negative COVID-19 test before boarding an international flight to the U.S.: “We appreciate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement of a COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound international travelers. “A testing requirement provides yet another layer of safety for international travel, and should be accompanied by other risk-based policies—incl...
WTTC Says Unvaccinated Travelers Should Not Be Discriminated Against
WTTC | January 12, 2021
Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “WTTC wholeheartedly supports the testing on departure of all travellers to ensure passengers can prove they are COVID-19 free and thus avoid the spread. “It will take a significant amount of time to vaccinate the global population, particularly those in less advanced countries, or in different age groups, therefore we should not discriminate against those who wish to travel but have not been vaccinated. “Only a tiny percentage of people around the world have so far received the vaccine, whereas there are vast numbers who have not, but who could be tested, show a negativ...
WTTC Says New Travel Measures to Curb COVID-19 Should Replace Quarantines
WTTC | January 8, 2021
Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “WTTC supports measures designed to curb COVID-19 and protect public health but calls for the complete removal of unnecessary quarantines. “Requiring inbound travellers and holidaymakers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 pre-departure test should ensure safe travel. This will be critical to encourage essential bookings for future flights and holidays. “However, there is still uncertainty around the type of tests which will be accepted upon arrival, and they must be made widely accessible and affordable for all. “But unlike many other countries where the proof of a negativ...
Can Hotels Claim Business Interruption Insurance Due to a Pandemic?
HotStats | January 7, 2021
Does a pandemic qualify for business interruption insurance? It’s a question hoteliers shouldn’t be asking themselves, but rather, their insurance company. COVID-19 was swift and pernicious, bringing the hospitality industry to its knees. As hotels find their footing, filing a business interruption claim with their insurer is of the essence, regardless of the ambiguity over whether a pandemic qualifies a business for such relief. Insurers, unsurprisingly, have denied the vast majority of these claims, which have in turn triggered scores of lawsuits asking courts to make insurers honor their contracts. Insurance companies contend t...
Q&A: Chris Nassetta Reflects on a Challenging 2020 and His Optimism for the Return of the Golden Age of Travel
Hilton | January 6, 2021
The turmoil of 2020 has affected all of us – every person, company and industry – many in profound and even tragic ways. The hospitality sector is no exception and in fact has endured one of the most harrowing challenges in its history. But amid that challenge came an opportunity for resilience, along with important lessons and insights for the future. Hilton President & CEO Chris Nassetta, a 37-year industry veteran, shared his perspective on this unprecedented year – what he experienced, what he learned and what he’s most looking forward to in the new year. What was your biggest challenge of 2020? It’s so hard to pi...
The Evolving Traveler Journey: 3 Trends Hoteliers Must Address Today
Paul Barron | January 5, 2021
By Paul Barron The hospitality industry is navigating through a time of unprecedented change. The shock of COVID-19 pushed what was once considered preferential traveler expectations into industry standards faster than anyone could have imagined. Trips are either increasingly spontaneous with short booking windows or intensely researched due to safety. On-trip interactions are digitizing, and loyalty has evolved far beyond points programs. Reviewing recent trends, hoteliers must prepare for three key shifts in the traveler’s journey: 1. Booking flexibility shifting from perk to expectation 2. Acceleration of the contactless ...
Omni Hotels & Resorts Paid Out Over $50 Million in Payroll Expenses Directly to Its Associates
Omni Hotels & Resorts | January 4, 2021
Funds were appropriately used as intended by legislation As a privately held company, Omni Hotels & Resorts generally does not disclose financial information; however, as the president of a company I love so dearly, I cannot sit idle as our integrity is attacked. UNITE HERE, a union representing a limited number of Omni’s employees, has implied that Omni Hotels has misused government funds or otherwise abused the Payroll Protection Program loan program. This is simply not true. As we all know, COVID-19 has swiftly and significantly impacted the entire world, and has wreaked havoc on the hospitality industry. As a result, I, along ...
Tourism Tidbits: Looking Back at The Year That Wasn’t!
Peter Tarlow | January 4, 2021
Wishing everyone health and happiness in 2021 May 2021 Be A Better Year By Dr. Peter Tarlow Most people in the tourism industry are more than willing to say adieu to the year 2020. The twenty-first century’s third decade began with extremely high hopes. A mere year ago, no one could have conceived of the fact that by March of 2020 the tourism industry would have been in shambles. In February of 2020 Covid-19 struck, and the tourism industry went into a tailspin going from unprecedent highs to its greatest lows. From February until the end of the year, every aspect of travel and tourism has suffered. Many hotels and restaurant...
Project Save Hospitality Launches to Aid 8 Million Workers Unemployed by Pandemic
Project Save Hospitality INC | December 31, 2020
NEW YORK, Dec. 31, 2020 -- The hospitality industry has been devastated by COVID-19, with 7.7 million jobs lost and 47% of hospitality professionals laid off. A new initiative called Project Save Hospitality seeks to shine a light on this hardworking, talented workforce, and show HR professionals and recruiters just how easily their skills can transfer over to other industries. Project Save Hospitality was founded by Melissa DelBuono and Kingsley Egbuchunam, who were laid off from their jobs in the hotel industry and decided to come together to help their colleagues. They realized that many of their peers will not have jobs to r...
Travel Industry Cheers Passage of COVID Relief
U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION | December 22, 2020
WASHINGTON (December 22, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement praising the coronavirus relief legislation passed by Congress, which contains numerous provisions championed by the struggling travel and tourism industry to help bring back economic activity and jobs: “Seeing this bill make it across the finish line is a huge relief after months of struggle. “This legislation is a lifeline for businesses and workers who have been hanging on by a thread. More than four million travel jobs have been lost this year, and this package includes long-needed provisions to help employers keep...
FAU Hospitality Expert: Pent-Up Demand Could Buoy Cruise Lines in 2021 but Other Segments Face Long Road Back
Florida Atlantic University | December 21, 2020
BOCA RATON, Fla. (Dec. 21, 2020) – The hospitality and tourism industry will lead Florida out of the coronavirus pandemic starting in 2021, but a full recovery likely will take years, says an industry expert within Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could relax its guidelines on cruising, whose pent-up demand is higher than most other industry segments, once about 20 million COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed, according to Peter Ricci, Ed.D, director of FAU’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program. The cruise industry has the highest guest satisfaction ratings...
AHLA Statement on Bipartisan Covid Relief Package
AHLA | December 21, 2020
WASHINGTON (December 21, 2020) – The following is a statement from Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, on the coronavirus relief package. “On behalf of the hotel industry, we applaud the House and Senate leadership, along with the Administration, for reaching a bipartisan compromise on this COVID economic relief package. This short-term relief package is a vital step toward helping the hotel industry survive this crisis. The proposed measure provides temporary relief over the next few months and will help thousands of hotels stay open and retain employees. “For months, the hotel industry h...
Hurting Travel Industry Welcomes COVID Relief Deal
U.S. Travel Association | December 21, 2020
WASHINGTON (December 21, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the announced bipartisan agreement on a COVID relief package: “Washington is delivering a huge holiday gift to U.S. businesses and workers after an incredibly challenging year. “It’s been a difficult road to get another round of much-needed legislative relief moving in Washington. We applaud the bipartisan group of senators that drove progress forward, and the congressional leadership for striking a bipartisan agreement to produce this desperately needed assistance. The agreed-upon provisions will give many suffer...
GBTA Poll: In-Person Business Meetings and Events to Surge in 2021
Global Business Travel Association | December 17, 2020
Alexandria, VA (December 17, 2020) – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, has released the results of its latest COVID-19 Member Poll. The survey – the 14th such poll by GBTA since the onset of the pandemic to measure the impact on business travel – finds that a majority of respondents are optimistic that the travel industry will begin to rebound in mid to late 2021 and that the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine is top of mind for many business travel professionals. “What we’re seeing in this latest poll is a number of reasons for the business travel industry to ...
The Outlook for Hospitality, Part 4: Technology Vendors Discuss Their Plans for the Future
Fran Worrall | December 16, 2020
By Fran Worrall Two weeks ago, in Part 3 of our series on the outlook for hospitality, we asked some of the industry’s leading technology vendors to discuss the solutions that are helping the industry recover. Not surprisingly, many companies have experienced an overwhelming demand for contactless solutions—from mobile food and beverage ordering to keyless entry systems. Other companies have seen rapid adoption of new business intelligence and CRM technology. Without exception, every vendor we interviewed has met the challenges surrounding the pandemic head-on, with many of them releasing new and improved solutions that offer low-to...
International Travel Can Safely Restart, Without Waiting for Vaccines, Says WTTC and Industry Bodies
WTTC | December 15, 2020
15/12/2020, London, UK: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and major international industry bodies have joined forces to call for the immediate restoration of international travel using proven processes and without waiting for or requiring vaccinations. WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, along with Airports Council International (ACI), the World Economic Forum (WEF), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), say the world cannot wait for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. WTTC recognises that public health is paramount and welcomes the recent roll out of the game changing vaccines, which i...
U.S. Travel Statement on COVID Relief Talks
U.S. Travel Association | December 15, 2020
WASHINGTON (December 15, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on COVID-19 relief negotiations in Washington: “It will be important to watch how the process plays out over the next few days, but we are encouraged by the clear bipartisan support for a measure that would help save some of the 4.5 million travel and tourism jobs that are projected to be lost by year’s end. “Travel and tourism, which supported employment for one in 10 Americans pre-pandemic, has been spiraling for months while a relief agreement has remained just beyond...
HospitalityVIEW Q & A With Tom Corcoran: The Hotel Industry in 2021
Michael Frenkel | December 14, 2020
Following a year of dramatic shifts and continuous uncertainty, hoteliers are hopeful about finding new footing in 2021. However, with so much noise about the potential state of the industry, it's useful to hear from senior players who have been there and done it for decades - building companies, brands and creating shareholder value throughout market cycles. HospitalityVIEW brings such leaders together regularly to advance industry thinking. Michael Frenkel, President of MFC PR and moderator for HospitalityVIEW, caught up with charter member and President of TCOR Hotel Partners, Tom Corcoran, after the group’s most recent meeting. ...
Survey: Nearly 70% of Americans Will Not Travel for Christmas
AHLA | December 14, 2020
71% of Hotels Will Not Last Another Six Months Without Immediate Assistance WASHINGTON (December 14, 2020) –A recent national survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) shows that nearly two-thirds (69%) of Americans will not travel for Christmas. With a new surge in COVID-19 cases, the CDC recommending that Americans do not travel over the holiday season and new stay-at-home orders in place in states across the country, the holiday season will compound the challenges already facing the hotel industry during this public health crisis. “We understand the importance of following CDC guidelines to redu...
US Hotel Industry Forecast Adjusts in Response to COVID-19 Winter Surge and Anticipation of Vaccines
CBRE Group, Inc. | December 14, 2020
Dallas – December 14, 2020 – The recent surge in COVID-19 infections has dampened expectations for U.S. hotel performance through the first half of 2021, but news of effective vaccines has bolstered projections of U.S. lodging industry recovery beginning in earnest during the second half of next year, according to CBRE’s latest hotel forecast. According to the recently released Q3 2020 edition of Hotel Horizons®, CBRE Hotels Research is forecasting an average national occupancy level of 44.4 percent during the first half of 2021. This measure increases to 55.7 percent during the year’s second half. “The increased spread of th...
2021 Priorities for the California Hotel and Lodging Association Include Hotel Employees and Travel Recovery
The California Hotel and Lodging Association | December 11, 2020
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 11, 2020 -- The California Hotel and Lodging Association and its newly named board of directors announced today they are prioritizing the economic recovery of California's more than 6,000 hotels and the well-being of the state's 235,000 hotel employees in 2021. "Our focus in 2021 will be ensuring our employees can return to work safely, our hotels provide healthy places to stay and California's leisure, meeting and convention economy resumes," said Lynn S. Mohrfeld, President and CEO of CHLA. "We have a long road to full recovery – one that will take years – but with the support of California's state a...
The Post-Pandemic Hotel Experience From the Experience Expert
Larry Mogelonsky | December 9, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) As COVID-19 continues to upend travel and rewrite daily habits, hotels must nevertheless continue to differentiate their products in order to better appeal to guests in the next normal and build revenues. While much needs to be done insofar as safety upgrades and facilitating a contactless customer journey through tech enhancements, it all inevitably comes down to the guest experience. And so, I turn to the man himself who coined the phrase ‘The Experience Economy’, Joe Pine. A thoroughly affable man based out of Minneapolis, his ongoing writing, speaking engagements and work wi...
