HFTP® Acquires Leading Hospitality Industry Brands: Hospitality Upgrade, Hotel-Online, The CIO Summit and The Executive Vendor Summit
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals | June 25, 2024
Industry Happenings
Vision 2050 – Hotel Recovery From COVID-19
Robert Rauch | January 5, 2021
By Robert Rauch The next 30 years begins with COVID-19 recovery. What does that look like? We pick up the pieces that were cracked, torn apart and ravished one by one. We will review demand, those elusive customers who are either mandated to stay at home, are afraid to travel or were planning to attend an event that was postponed or cancelled. We’ll discuss challenges we see on the horizon and review the economy, what guests are looking for, what hotel recovery may look like and the future. Short-Term Outlook Good times are ahead for those with about six months of patience. We will have a very soft Q1 despite the PPP dollars that...
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...
STR: U.S. Hotel Results for Week Ending 26 December
STR | December 31, 2020
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—U.S. weekly hotel occupancy fell to its lowest level since early May, according to STR‘s latest data for the week of Christmas. 20-26 December 2020 (percentage change from comparable week in 2019): Occupancy: 32.5% (-33.0%) Average daily rate (ADR): US$92.08 (-28.8%) Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$29.94 (-52.3%) Aggregate data for the Top 25 Markets showed identical occupancy (32.5%) but higher ADR (US$94.36) than all other markets. Among the Top 25 Markets, Miami/Hialeah, Florida (47.5%) saw the highest occupancy level. Top 25 Markets with the lowest occupancy levels for th...
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation to Acquire RLH Corporation, Creating One of The World’s Largest Hotel Companies With Diversified Brands
Sonesta | December 31, 2020
NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 31, 2020 -- Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire RLH Corporation (NYSE: RLH). RLH is the 10th-largest U.S.-based hotel franchise company with more than 900 hotels. After the closing of the transaction, Sonesta will become one of the largest hotel companies in the U.S. with approximately 1,200 hotels in diversified brands across multiple market segments. Sonesta also announced that upon closing of this transaction, 35-year hotel industry veteran Keith Pierce will be joining Sonesta as Executive Vice President, President of Franchi...
2020 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence Winners Announced
Historic Hotels of America | December 22, 2020
Washington, DC – December 22, 2020 – Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide® are pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence. From more than 250 nominees, the following Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide hotels and hoteliers were selected as the 2020 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence winners: Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year Riggs Washington DC (1891) Washington, DC Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel Jekyll Island Club Resort (1886) Jekyll Island, Georgia Sustainability Champion La Fonda on the Plaza (1922) San...
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...
Hilton Recognizes 2019 Legacy Award Winners
Hilton | December 17, 2020
December 17, 2020 - MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today revealed its 2019 Legacy Award Winners, an annual program recognizing its owners and development partners in the Americas. The Hilton Legacy Awards comprises different categories that focus on the company’s brand excellence and development efforts. Nearly 60 owners and developers are being recognized across 15 different categories including the coveted lifetime achievement award. “On behalf of everyone at Hilton, congratulations to all our Legacy Award winners,” said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton. “Our owners are incredibly important business partners, and as ...
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 ...
Tourism Back to 1990 Levels as Arrivals Fall by More Than 70%
UNWTO | December 17, 2020
International arrivals fell by 72% over the first ten months of 2020, with restrictions on travel, low consumer confidence and a global struggle to contain the COVID-19 virus, all contributing to the worst year on record in the history of tourism. According to the latest tourism data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), destinations welcomed 900 million fewer international tourists between January and October when compared with the same period of 2019. This translates into a loss of US$ 935 billion in export revenues from international tourism, more than 10 times the loss in 2009 under the impact of the global economic crisis. U...
2021: It’s All About the Economy
JLL | December 17, 2020
Recent developments are providing markets with optimism, although the next six months are key for real estate When the pandemic sent global economies into decline, it clinched the end to a decade-long bull run in commercial real estate markets. But economists and investors appear largely optimistic about a recovery in 2021. While such a disposition might have seemed far-fetched during the first lockdowns in the spring of 2020, the confidence is coming from a faster pace of vaccine development than some first believed possible, alongside government stimulus efforts and record-low interest rates at central banks. Still, uncertainty rem...
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...
Hotel Workers’ Union Analysis Reveals Omni Hotels Took Over $76 Million of Paycheck Protection Program Funds but Failed to Rehire Workers
| December 11, 2020
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - December 11, 2020 -A new analysis by UNITE HERE, the hospitality workers’ union, reveals that billionaire-owned Omni Hotels received over $76 million of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds, but did not rehire workers at several hotels. The disclosure was included in a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) urging an investigation into how one of the PPP’s largest beneficiaries failed to fulfill Congress's intent with the pandemic program. The letter, addressed to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Justin Muzunich, notes how “The failure of these hotels to rehire t...
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...
