Four Trends for Beyond Revenge Travel 2.0
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | March 2nd, 2022
Although Pre-Pandemic Profitability Will Remain Elusive, the Industry Will Make Strides Toward Recovery in 2022
Fran Worrall | January 5th, 2022
Tourism After Lockdown: Travel Barriers
STR | April 16, 2021
STR’s Tourism Consumer Insights team has been keeping a close eye on traveler and tourism trends as the industry moves through the most optimistic point of the pandemic. The twists and turns of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to seismic changes in tourism. These include the cessation of international travel for some countries, and, as discussed in previous “Tourism After Lockdown” pieces, shifting preferences when it comes to choosing accommodation and places to visit. In February 2021, STR conducted quantitative research via its Traveler Panel to examine attitudes toward travel in this “new COVID world.” In this bl...
CH&LA Statement: New Regulation Slows Hotel Workers’ Return
the California Hotel and Lodging Association | April 16, 2021
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - April 16, 2021 - The California Hotel & Lodging Association issued the following statement about the passage of California Senate Bill 93, which mandates hotels and others offer employees laid-off due to COVID-19 get their jobs back before hiring others through. “California hotels have lost thousands of employees permanently during the pandemic,” said Lynn S. Mohrfeld, President and CEO of the California Hotel and Lodging Association. “We need all our returning and new employees ASAP to meet the reopening demand at our hotels. Unfortunately, restrictive hiring regulations only slow down our employees from res...
March Group Data Shows U.S. Meetings and Events Continue to Rise
KNOWLAND | April 8, 2021
Knowland numbers reveal that group business is turning the corner ARLINGTON, Va. — April 8, 2021 — Knowland, the leader in AI-powered data for hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, conference centers and other meeting venues, today released its monthly meetings and events data for March. The numbers reveal that March U.S. group meetings volume increased 42.5 percent over last month. While corporate continues to lead the way from a segmentation perspective, there were multiple large sports tournaments, home shows, bridal expos, and mid-size association events throughout the month. Average attendees – The average number of atte...
U.S. Travel Lauds New CDC Travel Guidance
U.S. Travel Association | April 5, 2021
WASHINGTON — April 5, 2021 — U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on Friday’s announcement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will substantially relax the guidance on travel for individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID: “The CDC’s new travel guidance is a major step in the right direction that is supported by the science and will take the brakes off the industry that has been hardest hit by the fallout of COVID by far. As travel comes back, U.S. jobs come back. “The CDC’s data suggests that vaccinated individuals don’t transmit the c...
U.S. Travel Reacts to Latest Job Figures
U.S. Travel Association | April 5, 2021
WASHINGTON — April 5, 2021 —The U.S. Leisure & Hospitality sector gained 280,000 jobs in March and the industry’s unemployment rate now stands at 13.0%—compared with 916,000 jobs gained and a 6.0% unemployment rate for the overall economy, according to the monthly employment report released Friday by the Department of Labor. U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following comment: “The rise in Leisure and Hospitality jobs is a clear sign that an increase in travel and related activities corresponds to an increase in jobs, so maintaining employment growth will depend upon the broad restart of travel, p...
The 32nd Hunter Hotel Investment Conference Partners With CLEAR for Safer Conference Experience
CLEAR | April 5, 2021
A Commitment to Gathering Together Again—Safely, with CLEAR’s Health Pass Technology Atlanta, GA - April 5, 2021 - The buzz of in-person events is on the rise and the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference is leading the way as one of the first industry conferences to return in 2021- taking place Monday, May 10th through Wednesday, May 12th. The Hunter Conference will be utilizing CLEAR’s Health Pass for the seamless COVID-19 screening of attendees. Health Pass is a free, mobile experience on the CLEAR app that securely connects a user’s verified identity to multiple layers of COVID-19-related health information to help reduce public...
Vaccinations and Economic Stimulus Spur Stronger Second Half Performance for U.S. Hotels
CBRE Group, Inc. | March 30, 2021
Dallas – March 30, 2021 – The continued rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations and additional stimulus funds have strengthened the foundation for the recovery of the U.S. lodging industry. According to the February 2021 edition of Hotel Horizons®, CBRE Hotels Research is forecasting an average national occupancy level of 43.0% during the first half of 2021, accelerating to 55.1% in the second half of the year. “Our current forecast takes into account a national rollout of the COVID vaccines, plus the December COVID Relief Bill, both of which support the projections of improved performance during the second half of the year,” said Rach...
Hoteliers Opting for Onsite Technology Training Despite Pandemic
Cam Troutman | March 25, 2021
Operators say it’s important to lead by example and show businesses that it’s safe and viable to attend live meetings when health and safety protocols are followed By Cam Troutman Online learning has its advantages, especially amidst a pandemic. Convenience, flexibility, and cost savings are just a few pluses that come to mind. But when a hotel migrates to a completely new financial management platform or adds new software modules, on-site training is still preferred. It’s not that the technology is too difficult to grasp online, but rather, hoteliers seem to thrive when they connect in person with their peers and vendor partners, a...
Travel Industry Urges White House to Set a Timeline to Reopen International Travel
U.S. Travel Association | March 23, 2021
WASHINGTON — March 23, 2021 — Leaders of the U.S. travel and aviation industry called on the Biden administration Monday to set a May 1 deadline to commit to a plan for reopening the country to inbound international visitation. The U.S. Travel Association is among the 26 organizations to sign a letter urging the White House “to partner with us to develop… a risk-based, data-driven roadmap to rescind inbound international travel restrictions.” “Travel and tourism is the industry hardest hit by the economic fallout of COVID, and the damage is so severe that a broader economic recovery will stall if we can’t get travel off th...
AHLA Applauds Introduction of Bipartisan Per Diem Bill, Urges Swift Passage
AHLA | March 22, 2021
WASHINGTON – March 22, 2021 – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today expressed support for bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Representatives Bill Posey (R-Fla.) and Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) that would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to set a floor for FY22 and FY23 federal per diem rates at those established for FY20. The following is a statement from Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA: “We applaud Reps. Posey and Crist for recognizing that COVID-19 continues to have a devastating impact on government travel and hotel occupancy, and working to ensure future government per diem rates re...
U.S. Market Recovery Monitor – 13 March 2021
STR | March 19, 2021
March 19, 2021 - About the MRM When the U.S. hotel industry reached the one-year anniversary of the earliest COVID-19 impact, year-over-year percentage changes became less actionable when analyzing performance recovery. Thus, STR introduced a weekly Market Recovery Monitor that categorizes each STR-defined market based on an indexed comparison with the same time periods in 2019. An index is simply a ratio that divides current performance by the benchmark (2019 data). For example, during the week ending 6 March 2021, U.S. RevPAR was $48.13. In the comparable week from 2019, RevPAR was $87.75. This produces an index of 54.8 ($48.13/$87.7...
Vaccine Tourism: Should the Hospitality Industry Acknowledge this Trend?
Hassan Al Sayegh | March 18, 2021
By Hassan Al Sayegh The world is shifting into a recovery stage from the pandemic that has resulted in a loss of millions of lives and impacted many businesses. The emergence of several vaccines around the world is a critical tool to battle against COVID-19 [1]. Currently, eight COVID-19 vaccines are finalized or in-progress according to the World Health Organization, including Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford and Sinopharm, which are being administered to the people of certain countries [2]. However, there are specific protocols to follow concerning eligibility to receive the vaccine. There are priority groups such as senior citizen...
GBTA Poll: Digital Health Verification – The Solution to Safely Resume Business Travel
the Global Business Travel Association | March 18, 2021
Alexandria, VA – March 18, 2021 – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, today reported on the findings from its 17th poll looking at the impact of the pandemic on the business travel industry. Two-thirds of GBTA members and stakeholders (66%) believe implementing Digital Health Verification (also known as “vaccination passports” of “digital green certificates”) is a good policy, the majority of whom believe it will help employees safely resume business travel. The poll also finds a positive increase in optimism among members as the vaccine rollout ramps-up globally an...
Will Covid Make Hospitality Stronger?
Craig Jacobs | March 18, 2021
By Craig Jacobs Profound change in the Meetings and Hospitality Industries is on the verge. Hybrid conferences, food and beverage offerings and new cleanliness and service protocols will scramble current standard operating procedures, profit and loss statements, staffing, pricing and the definition of Luxury. While change is difficult, the final outcome is going to be an improvement for clients, staff and ownership. Values like quality, efficiency, productivity, and profitability are never-ending quests and the pandemic has provided us with a clean slate to start from scratch. The following list is just the beginning: Worth ...
WTTC Welcomes European Commission’s Proposal for the EU Wide Digital Green Certificate
WTTC | March 17, 2021
March 17, 2021 - Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC said: “The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its Members say the proposal from the European Commission, which would see all EU member states adopt the Digital Green Certificate, is a major step towards the recovery of Travel & Tourism in the region. “The introduction of the new certificate to travel could see member states welcoming travellers with proof of vaccination, a negative test or a positive antibody test, in time for the busy summer period. This would provide a significant and much needed boost to economies and save millions of jobs and livelihoods. ...
Final Tally: Travel Lost $1.1 Trillion in U.S. Economic Output in ‘20
U.S. Travel Association | March 17, 2021
WASHINGTON — March 17, 2021 —Travel’s economic footprint in the United States shrank a staggering 42% last year, from $2.6 trillion to $1.5 trillion, according to new end-of-year totals prepared for the U.S. Travel Association by the research firm Tourism Economics. The employment devastation was similarly massive: travel-supported jobs fell by 5.6 million in 2020 (16.7 million to 11.1 million)—a whopping 65% of all American jobs lost to the economic fallout of the pandemic. Travel and tourism had supported employment for 11% of the U.S. workforce prior to the onset of COVID. The new data on travel’s dramatic losses arrives as...
COVID-19’s Impact on the Tampa-St. Petersburg Lodging Market
Jeffrey D. Pennington | March 16, 2021
By Jeffrey D. Pennington Prior to March 2020, the Tampa and St. Petersburg (TSP) market had posted nine straight years of RevPAR growth. The depth of the market’s demand generators and allure of this sunny market were continuing to grow at the start of the new decade. A firm commitment by major stakeholders (public and private) in recent years to the development of the region’s amenity base, corporate relocations and expansions, stable and growing tech and finance sectors, population migration to the region, major infrastructure investments, development projects in Downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg, favorable weather, the presence of ...
U.S. Travel Endorses PPP Extension Bill, Urges Swift Passage
U.S. Travel Association | March 15, 2021
WASHINGTON — March 15, 2021 — The U.S. Travel Association on Friday voiced strong support for the PPP Extension Act of 2021, a bipartisan and bicameral bill that would implement the Paycheck Protection Program extension U.S. Travel has pushed for as an essential part of economic relief. The bill would push the deadline for PPP fund applications to May 31 from its current March 31, with an additional 30 days past the new deadline for the Small Business Administration to process applications. U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes: “The hardest-hit U.S. businesses are st...
National Travel and Tourism Office Launches COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor
NTTO | March 15, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on tourism to and within the United States. In 2020, overseas visitation to the United States declined 81% to its lowest level in 35 years, while the share of global travelers planning a vacation also fell to a record low. The COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor, a user-friendly web platform that brings key health, economic and travel data together in one place, was built to help businesses, policy makers and communities stay informed on the state of the travel industry and to plan recovery efforts. Developed by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), part of the Industry and An...
Dwelling on a Permanent Relaunch to the Regional Market
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | March 10, 2021
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky This article is aimed primarily at resorts, but there is a profound lesson in here for urban hotels as well. To summarize what will be discussed, it’s okay to only ever cater to a regional or domestic market and becoming comfortable with that fact in the wake of COVID-19 can help you to better serve the territories where the majority of your guests will be coming from while also cutting costs. Prior to the pandemic, many of our asset management assignments involved the long-term ramp up of international traveler awareness so as to make the property as prestigious as possible in a strategic vision focused o...
U.S. Travel Urges PPP Fixes as Part of COVID Relief
U.S. Travel Association | March 10, 2021
WASHINGTON — March 10, 2021 — U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement calling on Congress to prioritize enhancements to the Paycheck Protection Program as a critical element of economic relief from the pandemic: “The American Rescue Plan contains many good features, but there’s something crucial that Congress must accomplish to restore the millions of travel-dependent jobs lost to the pandemic: extend the Paycheck Protection Program deadline through at least June, and allow another draw on those funds for the hardest-hit employers. “Leisure & Hospitality currently accounts for nea...
Beekeeper 2021 Webinar Series Leads With ‘Reality Check: Where Are We in the Recovery?’
Beekeeper | March 10, 2021
Industry experts from Hyatt Hotels, MOD Pizza, Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, and Beekeeper will share unique perspectives and actionable insights on how they expect to mitigate anticipated challenges this year Oakland, Calif. — March 10, 2021 — The world came to a standstill in 2020. With stay-at-home orders and closed borders, the hospitality industry found itself in unchartered territory. Hospitality was one of the industries most impacted by the pandemic, with many businesses closing their doors for the first time in history and millions of employees being furloughed. Where in the recovery process are hotels, restaurants, casino...
Poll: Only 12% of Americans Plan Spring Break Travel
U.S. Travel Association | March 4, 2021
WASHINGTON — March 4, 2021 — The spring break season is traditionally the first major travel period of the year—but only about one in eight Americans plans a spring break trip this year, according to polling data by Destination Analysts. And despite the nationwide progress on vaccines, spring break travel intentions actually appear to be dropping: the 12% who plan to travel for spring break is down from 16% the week prior—the first time that question was polled. The data suggests that Americans remain wary about traveling amid the COVID pandemic—and that they may prefer to defer their travel plans until the process of vaccinat...
Eight in Ten Americans Working From Home Due to Covid-19 Say They Miss In-Person Meetings and Conventions
Meetings Mean Business | March 3, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new survey by APCO Insight affirms that Americans working from home are eager to return to in-person meetings and conventions. The survey finds that even after adapting to the new digital workplace, 81% of professionals who attended in-person meetings and conventions before the pandemic miss doing so and would be just as likely – if not more likely – to attend in-person conferences, conventions, trade shows and other business events in the future. The survey echoes similar findings from April 2020, which showed that 83% of Americans working from home missed attending in-person meetings and conventions. One ye...
