HFTP® Acquires Leading Hospitality Industry Brands: Hospitality Upgrade, Hotel-Online, The CIO Summit and The Executive Vendor Summit
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals | June 25th, 2024
Fuel Launches ‘Crisis Management Resources for Hotels’ Master List to Help Hoteliers Navigate the Coronavirus Pandemic and Other Adverse M
Fuel | March 23, 2020
New comprehensive resource guide provides hoteliers with up-to-date information, tips and strategies during times of adversity and economic uncertainty Myrtle Beach, SC – March 23, 2020 – Fuel, the premier provider of hotel marketing software and digital agency services for the hospitality sector, announced the launch of a new online resource to benefit the hospitality industry as it works to combat the effects of the COVID-19 virus, titled the “Crisis Management Resources for Hotels” Master List. This newly created resource is an aggregated collection of crisis management tools, information and best-practice tips from organiza...
MGM Pledges $1 Million for Employee Emergency Fund and Donates Close to Half a Million Pounds of Food, Equivalent to 400,000 Meals Across the US...
MGM Resorts International | March 23, 2020
LAS VEGAS, March 23, 2020 - MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) today announced an array of initiatives intended to support those impacted economically by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including a $1 million crisis and disaster relief pledge into an employee emergency grant fund and donating the equivalent of 400,000 meals across the United States. "As we confront extraordinary events and an unprecedented global pandemic crisis, we know that this is an extremely challenging and uncertain time for many of our employees, their families, friends and neighbors and we are committed to help those in need," said Bill Hornbuckle,...
Thousands of Travel Orgs Unite in Urgent Plea for Relief...
The U.S. Travel Association | March 23, 2020
Washington (March 23, 2020)—More than 6,000 travel industry and related organizations on Friday sent a joint letter to congressional leadership requesting aggressive and immediate financial relief in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The signees—which include organizations in transportation, lodging, recreation and entertainment, food and beverage, meetings, conferences and business events, travel advising and destination marketing—represent businesses that support 15.8 million American jobs. The U.S. travel industry is predicted to lose 4.6 million of those jobs in the next six weeks because of the virtual shutdown of travel cau...
McKibbon Hospitality Establishes Associate Assistance Fund...
McKibbon Hospitality | March 23, 2020
Tampa, FL (March 23, 2020) – In the 94 years that McKibbon Hospitality has been in business, we have never endured more challenging times. COVID-19’s impact on our business, our industry, our communities and the entire world, have been rapid and nothing short of devastating. For that reason, we’ve been forced to make extremely difficult decisions, including completely suspending operations at several hotels and laying off the majority of our highly valued associates. As a result of recent layoffs, Tampa-based hotel management company, McKibbon Hospitality, has established an associate assistance fund in respons...
Hilton Partners With Leading Companies to Find Temporary Jobs for Displaced Hotel Team Members...
March 23, 2020
As the hospitality industry responds to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Hilton is partnering with leading companies to connect workers from temporarily suspended hotels with hundreds of thousands of short-term jobs created by the global pandemic. Hilton Team Members, and others in the industry seeking employment, will be given direct access and in some cases expedited access to temporary jobs on the Hilton Workforce Resource Center at companies such as Albertsons, Amazon, CVS, Lidl, Sunrise Senior Living and Walgreens. These partners recognize the power of a service culture and the value of hospitality skills training Hilton Team M...
Let’s Celebrate Our Heroes of Hospitality Who Come Through in Crisis...
Doug Kennedy | March 23, 2020
By Doug Kennedy As we begin week two of the most challenging era in the modern history of the hotel and lodging industry, I am reminded of one of my all-time favorite quotes: “It has been, and continues to be, our responsibility to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.” - Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels Although many hotels are closed and others reducing staff, plenty of other hospitality workers woke up today, put aside their own personal concerns about health and family, put on a uniform, and went to work. Today and in the coming weeks, frontline heroes will be doing extraordinary things for their guests...
8 Ways Hotel Contact Centers Can Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19...
Cloud5 Communications | March 23, 2020
As the hospitality industry faces unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of hotel reservations and airline bookings are being cancelled or postponed. It’s daunting to imagine that each caller wants to talk to a live person to ensure their transaction is handled correctly. This extraordinary call volume puts unparalleled stress on industry call center operations and your brand at risk. If calls are handled well, you have the chance to minimize revenue loss and grow customer loyalty. If not – you not only lose the short-term booking, but the lifetime value of the guest. In today’s environment, your call center ...
A Globetrotting Generation...
PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management | March 23, 2020
With globalisation and the rise of digital technology, “keeping up with the Joneses” is becoming harder than ever before. In a recently published study, MSc graduate Ms Lauren Siegel and Dr Dan Wang of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University show that for the Internet-savvy Generation Y, travel experiences shared online have replaced material goods as a form of social currency. New approaches to destination marketing are needed if tourism is to realise its potential in the information age. One might say that envy is at the heart of consumer culture. For centuries, the researchers tell u...
Hotel Tech Company Launches Covid-19 Support Platform...
#hospitalityhelps | March 23, 2020
San Diego, March 23, 2020 -- As Covid-19 spreads, communities have an urgent need for beds as field hospitals, for quarantine, and to house for patients as well as health professionals who are caring for them. The founders of hotel industry software provider Cloudbeds and their team created #hospitalityhelps to connect property owners and operators with health care providers, providing facilities during this time of need. Hospitality professionals willing to open their facilities can provide their information via #hospitalityhelps to assist government and healthcare agencies in need of open beds. “With each passing hour, we face an eve...
Global DMC Partners Launches “Together at Home” Webinar Series for the Meetings, Events, Travel and Tourism Industry...
Global DMC Partners | March 23, 2020
Washington, D.C. – March 23, 2020 – As many companies around the world are doing their part to combat the spread of COVID-19 by instructing their employees to work from home, Global DMC Partners (GDP), the leading global network of independently owned destination management companies (DMCs) and creative event experts, is launching a brand-new weekly webinar series designed not only to combat social isolation but also to educate, innovate and inspire members of the meetings, events, travel and tourism industry. Each week, GDP will host a featured subject matter expert with topics ranging from resiliency and leading through change to health...
Coronavirus Impact On Hotels & A Plan For Recovery...
GCommerce Solutions | March 23, 2020
What is the current digital marketing landscape for the hospitality industry? First, let’s summarize the larger impact of COVID-19 on the industry. Current Impact of COVID-19 on the Hotel Industry According to American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), the hospitality industry has lost 1.5 billion in room revenue and is on pace to lose $1.4 billion per week due to COVID-19. In the last few days, we have received word that many hotels have either already closed their doors or are planning to in the immediate future, all due to the impact of COVID-19. While these numbers are staggering, let’s take a look at what our hotel digit...
Beekeeper to Host ‘Communicating During COVID-19’ Webinar on Wednesday, March 25...
Beekeeper | March 23, 2020
Hoteliers from North Point Hospitality and InTown Suites will discuss best practices to communicate and connect with employees during the coronavirus pandemic; Beekeeper extending FREE Trial for hotels of its operational communication platform through June 2020. San Francisco, March 23, 2020 — Are you prepared for COVID-19? Are your employees prepared for a crisis? Do you have a communication channel for every single employee? On Wednesday, Beekeeper, a mobile-first communication platform for frontline workers, will host a webinar discussing how to prepare for and handle a crisis, from connecting your employees to communicating effect...
Hotel Online’s Siegel Sez 3/20/2020: COVID-19...
March 20, 2020
If you are worried about a recession coming, then don’t be. It is already here. I am not an economist, but I know for the economy to thrive money needs to be spent on non-essential things. Things like going out to dinner and taking vacations which has pretty much come to a grinding halt. We have all heard the comparisons to 9/11 and 2008. I don’t see any correlations to 9/11, but there are similarities to 2008 because today it is all about the economy crashing and when it will recover. The big variable is that today it is caused by a virus and simply put until we get our arms around the coronavirus (COVID-19), we won’t start the recover...
STR: U.S. Hotel Results for Week Ending 14 March...
STR | March 19, 2020
Showing further COVID-19 impact, the U.S. hotel industry reported negative year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 8-14 March 2020, according to data from STR. In comparison with the week of 10-16 March 2019, the industry recorded the following: Occupancy: -24.4% to 53.0% Average daily rate (ADR): -10.7% to US$120.30 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -32.5% to US$63.74 Performance declines were uniform across chain scales, classes and location types. “To no surprise, the hurt continued and intensified for hotels around the country,” said Jan Freitag, STR’s senior VP of lodgin...
STR: U.S. Hotel Performance for February 2020...
STR | March 19, 2020
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—In its final month before feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. hotel industry reported positive results in the three key performance metrics during February 2020, according to data from STR. In a year-over-year comparison with February 2019, the industry posted the following: Occupancy: +0.2% to 62.2% Average daily rate (ADR): +1.4% to US$130.78 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +1.7% to US$81.33 Significant COVID-19 effects were visible through the first two weeks of March, as outlined in weekly press releases for 1-7 March and 8-14 March. STR continues to monitor the...
HVS Market Pulse: Phuket, Thailand...
Apichaya Wongsuwan | March 19, 2020
The following article gives a brief overview of Phuket, its tourism industry, and the recent dynamics of the local lodging market. By Apichaya Wongsuwan, Ruj Masan, Pawinee Chaisiriroj Following the market’s prosperity in the past few years, hotels across all segment have started to witness hindering economic growth, resulting in a softer performance in 2019. The unexpected outbreak of COVIC-19 has swept away the majority of the demand in the market. As the number of travel advisory continues to heighten, concerns over air traffic and tourism spending are increasing among the public as people are reluctant to travel. The following ar...
hotelAVE Projects a Five-Year Recovery Period for Hotel Industry Post Coronavirus...
hotelAVE | March 19, 2020
Business Recovery Duration Similar to that Following September 11th & The 2008 Financial Crisis PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 19, 2020 -- Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE), the premier hotel asset management company, in a study released today, estimated that it will take the hotel industry in the United States approximately five years to achieve pre COVID-19 occupancies, revenues and profitability. In addition, the hotelAVE COVID-19 Hotel Outlook predicts that the pace of the five-year recovery from the pandemic will be extended after an immediate mini-spike beginning in May or June, as the impact on the travel and hotel industry i...
Ocean House Management Collection Food Truck to Deliver and Distribute Complimentary Lunch to Children in Need Affected by COVID-19...
Ocean House Management | March 19, 2020
WESTERLY, R.I., March 19, 2020 - Due to temporary school closures resulting from COVID-19, Ocean House Management (OHM) Collection, operators of Ocean House, Weekapaug Inn, Watch Hill Inn and the Inn at Hastings Park and the Ocean House Fund for Charitable Giving, have announced that the Food Truck, Off the Menu, will deliver and distribute complimentary lunches to local children 16 and under. The Food Truck will be centrally located at the Ice Rink at 61 Main Street in Westerly. This community service will begin this Friday March 20 and available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm at least through April 1. People...
COVID-19 Financing Strategic Options for Hotel Owners...
Harry G. Spirides | March 19, 2020
By Harry G. Spirides, President & CEO of Spirides Hospitality Finance Company Along with all the other industries around the world the U.S. hotel industry has been blindsided by the COVID-19 Global Pandemic Black Swan Event. Instantly, hotel owners have found themselves with empty hotels, depleted cash reserves, and wondering how they will be able to make their monthly mortgage payments and payroll which were hardly ever considered to be a problem in the expansionary period leading up to COVID-19. Due to the recent unprecedented sharp interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, the Prime Rate is now set at 3.25% which sets the table fo...
HSMAI ROC Americas in San Antonio Announces New 2020 Dates...
HSMAI | March 19, 2020
(McLean, VA, March 19, 2020) Due to worldwide uncertainty surrounding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, HSMAI ROC Americas 2020 has been rescheduled for October 26-27 in San Antonio. The main ROC program will be Monday, October 26, at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio. Tuesday, October 27, will feature the HSMAI Chief Revenue Officer Executive Roundtable programs, CRME and CHDM review courses, and Partner Insights sessions. “HSMAI’s ROC has become the essential place corporate revenue leaders from over 120 unique hotel brands, management companies, and ownership groups convene to discuss emerging trends and issues that directly impact t...
HFTP and HSMAI Announce New Date for HITEC and ROC San Antonio...
HITEC | March 18, 2020
The annual HFTP hospitality technology exhibition and tradeshow HITEC has been rescheduled for October 26-29, 2020, remains in the same location at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas USA; HSMAI ROC to bring revenue leaders together October 26-27 at Convention Center. AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA (March 18, 2020) — In light of the worldwide uncertainty stemming from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the North American Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) has been rescheduled to October 26-29, 2020. In addition, the co-located HSMAI ROC Americas will take place October 26-27. Produced b...
Top Hotel CEOs Meet With President Trump, Vice President Pence on Urgent Assistance to Keep Hotels From Shuttering; Protect Millions of Employees From
AHLA | March 18, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 18, 2020) – Leading hotel CEOs met today with the White House to discuss urgent economic recovery solutions needed to protect millions of U.S. hotel employees and 33,000 small businesses as travel grinds to a virtual halt across the country. From Main Street to major cities across the country, hotels everywhere are on the verge of shutting their doors in the coming days – many by the end of this week. With 1 in 25 jobs supported by the hotel industry, the rapid pace of booking cancellations is having an immediate, negative ripple effect that risks seeing mom and pop hotel owners shutter, furlough their employees...
Report: Coronavirus Having Catastrophic Impact on Travel Businesses and Workers...
U.S. Travel Association | March 18, 2020
Washington (March 17, 2020)—A new analysis released Tuesday by the U.S. Travel Association projects that decreased travel due to coronavirus will inflict an $809 billion total hit on the U.S. economy and eliminate 4.6 million travel-related American jobs this year. The dire impact numbers, prepared for the U.S. Travel Association by Tourism Economics, were presented by U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow at a Tuesday White House meeting with President Trump, Vice President Pence, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and other travel leaders. "The health crisis has rightly occupied the public's and government's attention, but...
