News Archive: March
Global Hotel Ranking 2015: A Second Chinese Operator Climbs Into the Top 10
MKG Group | March 26, 2015
The takeover of the French Operator Louvre Hotels Group by the Chinese group Jin Jiang, announced at the end of 2014 and finalized at the beginning of the year 2015, boosts the Asian group into 10th place in the global ranking of hotel operators with a total of 241,910 rooms operational as of January 1st. Jin Jiang is thus the second Chinese group to join the Top 10, after Home Inns which already ranked 9th last year. Methodology: Differences with respect to data published by certain groups listed on the Stock Exchange may be explained by the fact that the 2015 ranking is realized on a constant structure basis for all groups mentioned: ...
11 Hotel Waterpark Resorts Coming in 2015: 2015 Construction Report North America
Jeff Coy, ISHC | March 3, 2015
By Jeff Coy March 3, 2015 --- Developers and waterpark-loving families alike are watching for the excitement to unfold this year --- as brand names, like Lego, Nashville, Dollywood, Kalahari, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Genting open new properties and add to existing ones. Here's what coming in 2015: In January 2015, Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan WI added The Riptide, a double-wide indoor surfing ride called the Flowrider. About 70,000 gallons of water is pushed 30 mph up a 25-degree ramp by two pumps to create the wave. Installation was provided by Neuman Pools Inc of Beaver Dam WI. The new ride not only extends the surfing seaso...
Hotel Price Positioning With Strategy
Jana Love | March 9, 2015
By Jana Love, ProSolutions President/CEO What ProSolutions has learned about pricing in the last 9 years while doing competitive pricing analysis for hotels is that to capture your fair share in your competitive set, knowledge is power. There are so many factors that need to be considered and understood when deciding to lower or raise your prices. Knowing when to vary pricing to match demand patterns, and when to drive revenue and profits need to be key components of your operating strategy. Building a sustainable revenue stream is built by proper pricing strategies that drive revenue both in the short-term and long-term. Pricing optimi...
Can Revenue Management Resolve Conflict between GOP PAR and REV PAR as Hotel Performance Indicator?
Ahmed Mahmoud | March 25, 2015
By Ahmed Mahmoud Far in the past for the hotel industry analysis, there were two simple classic indicators used to measure the hotel performance: average room rate and % of occupancy. Then, in the 80s, yield management or "profitability management" started to be the main indicator, because it reflected how efficient the hotelier can manage occupancy and price at the same time, depending on demand. Some hoteliers decided not to stop in reasoning and developing theory and tried GOP PAR in practice. Since early 2002 Larkspur Hospitality Company of San Francisco, has been actively using GOPPAR as a measurement to provide a clearer picture ...
UNESCO City of Cartagena, Colombia Prepares to Welcome 15 New Hotels by 2017
ProColombia | March 13, 2015
CARTAGENA, March, 13 2015 -- Cartagena is becoming one of the top Latin American cities for hoteliers to set up according to data released by ProColombia, the body charged with looking after the country's trade, tourism and investment. The hotel industry has responded to the 13.5 percent spike in foreign visitors last year by announcing its intentions to locate more than 15 new hotels in the city of Cartagena by 2017. Familiar names establishing a base include the Radisson (just opened), Intercontinental, Sheraton and Wyndham (all opening 2015), with many more chains and luxury boutiques all choosing to locate their newest Colombian bas...
Priceline’s Acquisition of RocketMiles Should Have Hotels Worried
Pranav Patel & HotelUpgrade | March 2, 2015
by Pranav Patel Hotel operators need to be worried about Priceline's most recent acquisition. Expedia's recent acquisition of Travelocity and now Orbitz has overshadowed Priceline's tiny acquisition of RocketMiles. While the Expedia deals are certainly cause for concern as further consolidation means two major players control 95% of the OTA market, Priceline's acquisition has the potential to revolutionize their marketplace. Darren Huston quite possibly just made the most brilliant move of any OTA in recent history. Yes, even more brilliant than Priceline's acquisition of Booking.com during Jeff Boyd's tenure as CEO. Unfortunately, hote...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 138; Hotel History: Bedford Springs Resort & Spa (1806)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | March 16, 2015
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf" By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Bedford Springs Resort & Spa, Bedford, Pennsylvania (216 rooms)* Few properties can boast the historic significance of Bedford Springs Resort, located in the Allegheny Mountains of south-central Pennsylvania. For more than 200 years, the eight mineral springs located on the resort's property served as an important gathering place. Eventually, the resort would be the site of many significant moments in American history, hosting a long list of celebrities, wealthy clientele, corporate magnates and dignitari...
Hotel Images Matter; An Empirical-Based Guide to Hotel Photos that Best Encourage Online Bookings
Expedia, Inc. | March 24, 2015
Expedia developed the following white paper as a tactical guide on the best- and worst- types of images for hoteliers to include online in order to maximize bookings. The study was conducted at Expedia's User Experience labs to discover which hotel imagery would perform best. As a technology company, we can focus on innovations that will drive more demand to our hotel partners, while providing them with the capability to target the demand that they want, and easy-to-understand analysis and data to refine their distribution strategy. Summary It is well known that the quality of a hotel's online brochure has a direct impact on sho...
