Hospitality With Heart: Successfully Branching Out Into the Pandemic Relief Effort
Beatrice Venturini | May 27th, 2020
Americans Look Forward to Traveling More When COVID-19 Restrictions End
Oliver Wyman | May 22nd, 2020
News Top: May
Best Practices for Messaging Your Hotel’s Reopening During COVID-19
GCommerce | May 27, 2020
By Lisa McCreary and Amy McNeill When people are ready to travel again they are going to return to brands and hotels they trust. The question is, how can your hotel instill trust in loyal guests and new guests in a post-COVID-19 world? The answer is consistent communication and thoughtful messaging. Your team has been working hard to develop a plan for reopening that follows local guidelines to maintain guest and employee safety. You should share this information and messaging across different channels to help re-establish trust with your customers. This trust will make them feel secure in booking at your hotel to drive the revenue your bu...
CBRE Hotels Research Forecasts Full Demand Recovery by Late 2022
CBRE Group, Inc. | May 21, 2020
Revenue per Available Room Recovery Expected to Push Into 2023 Atlanta – May 21, 2020 – After suffering the greatest performance declines in the history of the U.S. lodging industry during 2020, the nation’s hotels will benefit from what is expected to be a relatively rapid economic turnaround in 2021 and 2022, according to the June 2020 edition of CBRE’s Hotel Horizons forecast report. CBRE foresees demand for U.S. lodging accommodations returning to precrisis levels in the third quarter of 2022. However, a lag in ADR (average daily rate) growth will stall the recovery in RevPAR (revenue per available room) until 2023. “Th...
The Five Changes Expected in the Hotel Industry
Adam Knight | May 18, 2020
By Adam Knight Returning to operations in our new environment is sure to bring many expected and unexpected challenges. Between figuring out social distancing protocols and mitigating risk throughout the property, hotels will be contending with a lot as we move through the coming months and years. The landscape continues to change rapidly and while no one can say with any degree of certainty where everything will land, we are starting to see the shape of things to come. Reduced capacity allowance in restaurants and bars, queuing for entry in to stores, ubiquitous placement of sanitization products, PPE requirements while in public, heal...
Survey Results: How Hotels Are Coping With COVID-19
Casey Munck | May 15, 2020
By Casey Munck The results are in from two Cendyn surveys polling hoteliers across the globe on how they are coping with the effects of COVID-19. Gauge the industry pulse and read first-hand accounts of how hoteliers are dealing with the coronavirus on both an individual level and as an operation. How has your business been impacted by the coronavirus? Are you still accepting guests? Other responses included: Business travelers only and mandated to be open by government What have you done to cut costs and stay afloat? Other responses included: Furloughs and operating with very few staff Has your hotel deployed any new business ...
Analysis: At What Occupancy Rate Can a Hotel Break-Even?
HotStats | May 14, 2020
By David Eisen and Laura Resco COVID-19 has made breaking-even more tolerable than the alternative—going broke. It's not the hand hoteliers wanted, but it's the hand they've been dealt, forcing them to approximate at what occupancy rate they can operate their hotel such that cost and revenue are equal. In these extraordinary times, it's been all pain, no gain. But as the global economy resets, hoteliers are digging themselves out from the coronavirus carnage. And a break-even analysis is one way to jumpstart the excavation project. One hotelier who knows this is Imesh Vaidya, CEO of Premier Hospitality, which is based in Alb...
Nobody Asked Me But… No. 231: Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, Colorado
Stanley Turkel | May 19, 2020
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Brown Palace Hotel, (479 rooms) The Brown Palace Hotel opened in 1892 with an eight-story atrium designed by architect Frank E. Edbrooke (1840-1921). More than 400 wrought iron grillwork panels ring the lobby from the third through the seventh floors. Two of them are upside down, one to serve the tradition that man is imperfect; the other sneaked in by a disgruntled workman. The Brown Palace was built on a cow pasture by Henry Cordes Brown, a carpenter who had driven an oxcart across the country and arrived at Cherry Creek in Kansas territory in 1860. By the late 1880s, Brown owned much of the f...
Hotel Industry 2020 – The New Normal
Robert Rauch | May 4, 2020
By Robert Rauch and Sarah Andersen Welcome to the Twilight Zone or the surreal existence of those of us in hospitality with empty hotels. They are slowly and not so surely picking up but we will return to a “new normal” soon. What will it look like? The “light and warmth of hospitality,” coined by Conrad Hilton, will not be apparent upon entrance to a hotel post COVID-19. Expect acrylic covered front desks, masks and gloves, signage advising guests to use caution, frequent disinfecting of public spaces, wide open lobbies with limited seating and restaurants and bars that have six feet of separation in every direction. The good news...
OTO Development Opens New Residence Inn in Garden City, New York
Residence Inn Long Island Garden City | May 20, 2020
GARDEN CITY, NY (May 20, 2020) – OTO Development is proud to announce the opening of the newest hotel option in Nassau County, the Residence Inn by Marriott Long Island Garden City. The all-new hotel, located at the doorstep of Roosevelt Field, features 163 spacious studio and one-bedroom suites perfect for stays on Long Island. The hotel is the only Residence Inn in Nassau County and the first hotel to open in Garden City since 1983. “We are excited to open our doors and welcome guests to the newest hotel in Garden City,” said General Manager Allison Mitchell. “We look forward to providing a great new option for essential worke...
Dream Hotel Group Signs With Beaty Capital for Dream Cleveland
Dream Hotels | May 27, 2020
NEW YORK, NY (May 27, 2020) – Celebrated hotel and brand management company Dream Hotel Group today announced plans to debut its flagship lifestyle brand Dream Hotels in the Rock and Roll Capital of the World, Cleveland, Ohio. Set to open in 2022, Dream Cleveland is part of a larger development housed within the city’s historic Masonic Temple and situated atop the new TempleLive music venue on Euclid Avenue. When complete, the project will feature a 207-room lifestyle hotel with chic and stylish, well-appointed guest rooms and suites and multiple dining and nightlife venues, as well as a fitness center, 100,000 square feet of meeting and...
Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) to Manage 506-Suite Embassy Suites Nashville Downtown Convention Center
Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) | May 19, 2020
NASHVILLE, (May 19, 2020)—Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG), an Atlanta-based, private hotel investment, ownership and management company, today announced it has been selected to manage the 506-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown Convention Center. Scheduled to open during the fourth quarter of 2021, the Embassy Suites is part of a two-tower development project on 1.3 acres of land owned by Crescent Real Estate LLC, a high-end real estate acquisition, development and management company; Starwood Capital Group, a private global investment firm focused on real estate; and High Street Real Estate Partners, a privatel...
Dream Hotel Group Signs Three New Locations in Tulum, Mexico
Dream Hotel Group | May 20, 2020
NEW YORK, NY (May 20, 2020) – Celebrated hotel and brand management company Dream Hotel Group announced today a new partnership with leading Tulum-based real estate development group Los Amigos to operate three new properties in Tulum, Mexico. All three projects will fall under the company’s new By Dream Hotel Group lifestyle brand. The three new locations – one beachfront hotel and two condo-hotels – will be branded as Central Park Lagunas by Dream Hotel Group Tulum, Central Park Rios by Dream Hotel Group Tulum and The Beach Club by Dream Hotel Group Tulum for a total of up to 217 rooms. Ownership group Los Amigos Tulum is cons...
The Carver Companies Provide Task Force Teams to Help Hotels With Re-Opening
the Carver Companies | May 6, 2020
ATLANTA, GA – May 6, 2020 – The Carver Companies, the hospitality infrastructure powerhouse, announced that their Carver Hotel Group division has re-opening teams ready to assist hotels preparing for business after being closed due to the pandemic. As the world of hospitality works towards re-opening, the hotel industry is anticipating the demand for Task Force consultants to be greater than ever. “At The Carver Companies, we want to let the hospitality arena know that we've spent the past six weeks preparing for the increased demand,” said The Carver Companies’ Chief Development Officer Charlene "Charley" Carter. “If your h...
Enseo Launches enseoCONNECT Mobile Remote
Enseo | May 21, 2020
Web Remote enables guests to connect any device over any network to control their TV and smart hotel room Richardson, TX – May 20, 2020 – Enseo®, one of the fastest growing technology service providers in the U.S., will demonstrate its newest product, the enseoCONNECT™ mobile remote at Hospitality Technology Next Generation’s TechOvation Award Ceremony on Thursday, May 21st. EnseoCONNECT is a truly universal mobile remote that hotel guests use to navigate the TV and control smart devices in their room using their smartphone or tablet. EnseoCONNECT was designed by sister company, Catapult Technologies™, LLC, and is part of Catapu...
Canary Technologies Delivers Contactless Check-In When Hotels Need It Most
Canary Technologies | May 18, 2020
Silicon Valley hospitality innovator looks to the future, launches contactless check-In solution to help hoteliers safely and immediately welcome guests. SAN FRANCISCO / NEW YORK, May 18, 2020 – Canary Technologies–which provides solutions to some of the world’s largest hotel brands, management companies and ownership groups–has launched Contactless Check-In™, a solution that hoteliers can implement immediately to welcome guests while adhering to social-distancing guidelines. As COVID-19 took its toll on the hospitality industry, Canary’s leadership assembled its agile engineering and development teams to solve hospitality...
Vakkaru Maldives Appoints Iain McCormack as General Manager
Vakkaru Maldives | May 26, 2020
Vakkaru Maldives is delighted to announce the appointment of Iain McCormack as the new General Manager; With over 36 years in the hospitality business and a career that has spanned key global regions, Iain brings a wealth of expertise and insight to the resort. Iain is no stranger to the Maldives after managing the world acclaimed Gili Lankanfushi and more recently Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi. He has successfully managed several luxury resorts around the world, working closely with owner and operators achieving the desired results. He has in-depth knowledge of sales and marketing, revenue management, strategy planning, positioning, qu...
Benchmark®, A Global Hospitality Company, Acquires Arizona-Based Hotel Management Company, Westroc Hotels & Resorts
Hotel Valley Ho | May 19, 2020
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, May 19, 2020 - Two legendary hotels and resorts previously managed under the Arizona-based Westroc Hotels & Resorts, the iconic Hotel Valley Ho in Old Town Scottsdale and the newest luxury golf resort in Paradise Valley, Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale, have transitioned to a larger management company, BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company. BENCHMARK® operates 80 independent hotels, luxury resorts and conference centers throughout North America, the Caribbean and Japan, with landmark properties including Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s storied North Shore; Tivoli Lodge in Vail, Colorado; Willows...
Following the Theme Park Model for Covid Safety
Larry Mogelonsky | May 6, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) We all know that the COVID-19 will stipulate a holistic rethink of hospitality cleaning SOPs and how we accommodate new (and possibly permanent) social distancing or contactless regulations. When travel restrictions start to relax, though, how can a hotel decide which procedures to implement onsite so as to find a harmony between staying wholeheartedly welcoming like before and not turning a property into a lifeless dystopian hellscape? This balance will take lots of planning and training, so the time to start discussing it is now, especially given that we have the time to put in...
Statement on Corporate Layoffs at Hyatt
Hyatt Hotels Corporation | May 12, 2020
Due to the historic drop in travel demand and the expected slow pace of recovery, Hyatt has made the extremely difficult decision to implement layoffs and restructure roles across its global corporate functions, beginning June 1, 2020. These actions will impact around 1,300 colleagues around the world. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hyatt has taken numerous actions in an effort to meet the challenges our industry is facing including reductions of company-wide expenditures, extended salary reductions for the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors, and temporary work and/or pay reductions for all corporate colleagues. Unfor...
OTO Development Names Leadership Team for New Residence Inn Long Island Garden City
Residence Inn Long Island Garden City | May 5, 2020
GARDEN CITY, NY (May 5, 2020) – Hotel development and management company OTO Development announces the leadership team for its new Residence Inn by Marriott Long Island Garden City. Allison Mitchell is the new general manager and Samira Clarke the director of sales. “We always strive to build strong teams at our hotels, and I am confident with their experience and market knowledge, Allison and Samira will be tremendous leaders in Garden City,” said Corry Oakes, president and CEO of OTO Development. The Spartanburg, SC-based hotelier is partnering with Roosevelt Field owner Simon Properties on the development of the hotel, adding 1...
Will COVID-19 Impact Hotel Business Insurance Claims?
Don Scaramastra | May 13, 2020
By Don Scaramastra As COVID-19 ravages our country and the world, perhaps no sector in the United States has suffered more than the hospitality industry. Government orders have effectively closed hotels and resulted in the widespread cancelation of meetings and events for the foreseeable future. While there is talk of “opening up” the economy, and while some states are taking measures to begin doing so, it’s unclear whether the public at large is ready to travel or meet in large groups anytime soon. For some hotels, help may be on the way in the form of business interruption insurance. This insurance is typically included in a p...
Plungepacker Device Designed to Help Hotels Meet the New Cleanliness Expectations of Guests
Plungepacker | May 28, 2020
As The New England Journal of Medicine confirms Coronavirus in human stool, an innovative and cost-effective new solution addresses the risks for hospitality industry Wisconsin Dells, WI (May 28, 2020) – Industries across the globe need to adapt to the new standards to address cleanliness and hotels are no exception. Hygienic standards will be a top priority for hotel guests when they return, and current operational protocols will need to evolve to meet guest expectations to ensure they are safe and healthy at your property. Developers of the Plungepacker are announcing their hygienic transporting device for toilet plungers which ca...
STR COVID-19 Webinar Summary: 5 Key Points on Europe Hotel Performance, 21 May
STR | May 22, 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. Barcelona: 96% of STR participating hotels closed The majority of STR participating hotels are closed across Europe. As of 30 April, Barcelona showed the largest percentage of closures (96%), followed closely by Madrid (95%) and Athens (92%). Moscow and Saint Petersburg closures, however, were the lowest in Europe, at 15% and 19%, respectively. Occupancy dropped in all countries in April As occupancy of open hotels in Europe has droppe...
Social Distancing: Short and Long-Term Implications for the Foodservice Industry
Hospitality Insights | May 1, 2020
How social distancing is impacting the foodservice industry, and what new trends and innovations operators can expect to see in the coming weeks, months and years. Social distancing: not just a trend, but a new pattern In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, government-mandated closures and social distancing measures have heavily impacted the foodservice industry on a global level, forcing many businesses to re-strategize as they fight for short-term survival. But what will happen in the long run? Experts predict that the new containment measures – and in particular, social distancing – will last well beyond the next few weeks, as government...
Hostmark Hospitality Group Acquires Management Group, RAR Hospitality
Hostmark Hospitality Group | May 15, 2020
CHICAGO, May 14, 2020 – Hostmark Hospitality Group continues its strong growth through the integration and acquisition of RAR Hospitality, a San Diego-based hospitality management group. The combined company will now own and operate both limited-service and full-service as well as branded and independent hotels across the United States with a portfolio of 40 hotels totaling over 5,000 rooms as well as successful restaurants. Operations of RAR’s portfolio will continue under the Hostmark brand in their San Diego office. “RAR Hospitality has exhibited the breadth and depth of experience that is required in successfully managing boutique ...
Hotels at Secondary and Tertiary Airports Will Suffer Longer
Jenny Lee | May 13, 2020
By Jenny Lee The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on travel is thought to be six or seven times greater than the 9/11 attacks, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Air travel volume fell precipitously through March. The estimated revenue losses by air carriers in 2020 is at least $252 billion. In late March, domestic carriers received a $60 billion bail-out, with some strings attached. The Department of Transportation issued an order that carriers receiving financial assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) are required to maintain minimum air service to all destinations served as o...