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At Q121 the Asia Pacific Construction Pipeline, Excluding China, Stands at 1,759 Projects/371,856 Rooms
Lodging Econometrics (LE) | June 1, 2021
June 1, 2021 – PORTSMOUTH, NH According to analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE), the aAsia Pacific region construction pipeline, excluding China, ended the first quarter of 2021 at 1,759 projects/371,856 rooms, down 8% by both projects and rooms year-over-year (YOY). Throughout the region, countries are working to roll out vaccines as they continue the battle against COVID-19. As of May 23, the Maldives lead the region’s vaccine race with 29.24% of adult residents fully vaccinated. Singapore and Mongolia follow the Maldives, with just over 27% of each population reported as fully vaccinated. As more countries throughout the region...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: The Top 10 Forecasting Secrets
David Lund | June 1, 2021
By. David Lund Forecasting is incredibly important because we need a fresh and current plan to help us execute our financial strategy and as the saying goes, “Without a map any road will take you where you want to go.” I know for many hotels the idea of having a monthly forecast seems far-reaching and complicated, but I know it’s not. Once you start you will see what I mean and if you already complete this important planning piece you fully know what I mean. Secret #1 Budget first. That is the critical building block, to ensure you have a 12-month detailed budget completed on an annual basis. Once the annual budget is built and app...
Matthew Baio Appointed Vice President of Sales, Americas
GuestTek | June 1, 2021
Assumes Role June 1, 2021 Calgary, Alberta – June 1, 2021 – GuestTek Interactive Entertainment Ltd., the global leader in providing premier hospitality technology and support solutions, is pleased to announce that Matthew Baio has been appointed to the role of Vice President of Sales, Americas. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Matthew has spent over 28 years with Marriott International, where he held a variety of roles. Starting his career as a night auditor in 1992, Matthew worked his way through technical, managerial and leadership challenges on his career path to becoming a member of the Marriott executive team. His most recent...
Highgate Opens The Arcadian Hotel Brookline Following Multimillion Dollar Transformation
Highgate | May 28, 2021
BROOKLINE, Mass., May 28, 2021 -- Celebrating the independent spirit that is the heart of its neighborhood, The Arcadian Hotel Brookline is pleased to announce a multi-million dollar revitalization. Located only steps from vibrant Coolidge Corner, the hotel, which is managed by Highgate, underwent a complete renovation of all its guestrooms, suites and public spaces. "We are delighted to introduce The Arcadian Hotel Brookline to our community," said Mohamed Hashesh, Area Managing Director. "In renovating the hotel we wanted to create a space that would be welcoming to both our neighborhood, as well as visitors to the area. And with ...
U.S. Market Recovery Monitor for Week Ending 22 May 2021
STR | May 28, 2021
The leisure-led demand surge marched forward with U.S. industry occupancy hitting 60.3%, surpassing the 60% level for the first time since early March 2020. On a total-room-inventory basis (TRI), which accounts for temporarily closed hotels, occupancy was 57.7%, which was also the highest since the pandemic’s start. More importantly, all key measures (demand, occupancy, ADR and RevPAR) reached a 62-week high, led by the Top 25 Markets, where on average, each hotel sold an additional 15 rooms last week versus the previous week. In total, the industry sold more than 3.3 million rooms each day during the week, a level like November 2019, but 3...
How to Promote Empowerment in Hospitality Through Servant Leadership
Dr. Steffen Raub | May 28, 2021
By Dr. Steffen Raub Putting people ahead of power is not the usual leadership paradigm most of us are accustomed to, and yet, research is beginning to show that amazing things can happen when leaders decide to make serving their team a priority. Traditional power leadership models turned upside down When we think about leaders, the idea of “serving” others is usually the last that comes to our mind. Leaders are depicted as those who drive, who give orders, directions and whose instructions need to be followed. Subordinates serve leaders, not the other way round, right? Is “servant leadership” nothing more than an oxymoron? W...
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection Adds Five New Member Hotels
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection | May 28, 2021
BETHESDA, MARYLAND (MAY 28, 2021) -- Announced today, Curator Hotel & Resort Collection added five new member hotels to its rapidly growing portfolio, giving these independent hotels and resorts access to Curator’s best-in-class operating agreements, services, and non-proprietary technology that collectively generate significant cost-savings. The list of new member hotels includes Inn at the Market, the first non-Founding Member hotel to join Curator, The Edgewater Hotel from Noble House Hotels & Resorts, and three Provenance properties: The Revolution Hotel, The Bradley, and Woodlark. “Maintaining individuality is in...
How to Properly Integrate Social Responsibility Into Your Hospitality Brand
Amy La Sala | May 28, 2021
By Amy La Sala A sense of social responsibility is an important characteristic to possess on personal and professional levels, and now more than ever these values are integral to success in the future. Brandstanding is an important marketing trend related to brand authenticity, equality, inclusivity and social justice. We’ve been following the #Brandstanding trend for a few years now, and each year it’s picked up steam. Over the past few years, major social justice movements have taken place around the county and the world, and have made history. In light of the events of the past year and ongoing unrest and uncertainty, social justice...
Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, Autograph Collection, Announces New Additions to Leadership Team
Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano | May 28, 2021
In the heart of Historic Downtown San Juan Capistrano, the boutique hotel welcomes Fernanda Jaime as Director of Event Planning and Operations and Rod Gopiao as Director of Food and Beverage SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (May 26, 2021) –– Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, an Autograph Collection Hotel, is pleased to announce the recent hire of Fernanda Jaime to director of event planning and operations and Rod Gopiao to director of food and beverage. Jaime will lead the execution of all event operations and event management strategy, and Gopiao will be at the forefront of the guest dining experience, overseeing the culinary team and ...
RIU Group Acquires TUI’s 49% Stake in 19 RIU Branded Hotel Properties
RIU | May 28, 2021
After this transaction, that also includes two hotels in development in Mexico and Senegal, RIU Group will hold 100% of the ownership of the properties RIU Group will acquire from TUI its 49% stake in 19 hotel properties which are operated under the RIU Hotels & Resorts brand and are located in four different continents, as well as two more hotels that are now under development. The Riu family already holds 51% stake of these properties and will now become its sole owner. The transaction has been approved today by TUI’s Supervisory Board and is valued at 670 million euros. Loyalty was paramount in the negotiations fo...
The Emerging Market for Health and Wellness Tourism – Part II
Gregg Rockett | May 27, 2021
Part II: Focus on Africa and the Latin America and Caribbean region Gregg Rockett, Lecturer in Management and Tourism Studies, The George Washington University - School of Business. David Nitkiewicz, Graduate Student, The George Washington University – School of Business, Masters in Tourism Administration Program. Melina Economos, Graduate Student, The George Washington University – School of Business, Masters in Tourism Administration Program. Contributing to the research were students of The George Washington University – School of Business: Manahil Alkhatrawi, Emily Baxter, Hiroshi Kandori, Aswathi Krishnan and Yusuke Tsu...
HFTP Announces 2021 Paragon Award Recipients – Tanya Venegas and Sanjay Nadkarni
HFTP | May 27, 2021
Both recipients have been essential to the association’s research and academic endeavors. Tanya Venegas, MBA, MHM, CHIA and Sanjay Nadkarni, Ph.D. have been selected as the 2021 Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) Paragon Award recipients for their excellent direction of the HFTP Research Centers and their impactful tutelage over hospitality students and HFTP student members. Venegas is Global Head of Customer Success for HotStats, Inc., but had previously served as director/executive director of the HFTP Americas Research Center at the University of Houston from 2002 – 2018. Nadkarni is Director of Innova...
A Year After the Hotel Industry Collapsed, Guests—and Performance—Trickle Back
HotStats | May 27, 2021
April 2020 was not for the faint of heart. The month will live in infamy for the global hotel industry, which saw the bulk of its key performance indicators sink to unprecedented levels, an unfortunate by-product of the COVID-19 vapor. The subsequent 12 months have been a slog, but as the world transitions slowly back to a semblance of normalization, hotels are following suit. In sum: Performance is improving, but it’s still ways away from the pre-pandemic era. U.S. Pickup U.S. hotel profit has moved in the right direction since the beginning of the year, around the time when it first started to break even. As the country’s phased r...
STR: U.S. Hotel Results for Week Ending 22 May
STR | May 27, 2021
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—U.S. weekly hotel occupancy reached the 60% mark for the first time since the start of the pandemic, according to STR‘s latest data through 22 May. 16-22 May 2021 (percentage change from comparable week in 2019*): Occupancy: 60.3% (-15.1%) Average daily rate (ADR): US$115.57 (-13.6%) Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$69.69 (-26.6%) ADR also reached its highest point of the pandemic but was still US$18 less than the corresponding week in 2019. RevPAR also hit a high point when compared to 2019. Miami (+2.8% to 76.0%) was the only Top 25 Market to report an occupancy increase over 2019. Sa...
Hunter Conference Marks a Return to In-Person Conferences
Rod Clough | May 27, 2021
By Rod Clough As to be expected, the prevalent theme was that leisure demand continues to drive the initial recovery, with corporate transient and meeting/group demand lagging, but one must wonder if meeting/group demand will bounce back quicker than anticipated given the rather last-minute popularity of this event. Multiple panels reported that small and mid-sized corporate group bookings are picking up, which will be a critical piece of the recovery story in the second half of 2021. Also highlighted was that travel would return to normal more quickly if/when companies quicken their return to the office and once normal in-classroom educat...
U.S. Hotel Profit Improved to 60% of 2019 Level, Labor Remains Stagnant
STR | May 27, 2021
BROOMFIELD, Colorado—Gross operating profit for U.S. hotels reached 60% of the comparable 2019 level, according to STR‘s April 2021 monthly P&L data release. While GOP in comparison with 2019 improved from 50% in March, labor spending was up to just 64% in April after coming in at 60% the previous month. Each of the key profitability metrics, on a per-available-room basis, came in higher than any month since February 2020 except for labor, which was down slightly from March. GOPPAR: US$28.67 TRevPAR: US$87.34 EBITDA PAR: US$14.12 LPAR (Labor Costs): US$26.76 “April was an encouraging month as more of the top-...
Sandals® Resorts International Unveils Plans for Three New Resorts in Jamaica
Beaches® Resorts | May 27, 2021
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, May 27, 2021 -- Sandals Resorts International (SRI), the Caribbean's leading Luxury Included® Resort company, celebrated its legacy in Jamaica and affirmed its unshakable commitment to the country at a special groundbreaking ceremony today attended by dignitaries including the Prime Minister of Jamaica, The Most Hon. Andrew Holness. The event celebrated the first phase of an ambitious $230 million (USD) project, that will include Sandals Dunn's River followed by Phase II of transforming the adjacent oceanfront land into Sandals Royal Dunn's River, a commitment to the organization's wider expansion plans in its home coun...
Selecting the Right Call Center
Travel Outlook | May 27, 2021
How to Outsource Your Reservation Department without Sacrificing the Personal Touch Your Guests Know and Love As a hotelier and a business owner, it can be hard to let go of certain aspects of your business. After all, it’s hard enough to find hardworking employees who care about your business like it’s their own, let alone outsourced workers. Outsourcing typically has a negative connotation surrounding it. When people think of outsourcing, they think of cookie-cutter call scripts, aloof call center agents, and long hold times accompanied by nauseating elevator music. As it turns out, there are ways to outsource your reservation depar...
Proper Hospitality Set for June Opening of Venice V Hotel in Venice Beach
Proper Hospitality | May 27, 2021
LOS ANGELES--(May 27, 2021)--Today, Proper Hospitality is proud to announce the opening of Venice V Hotel in Los Angeles’ iconic Venice Beach community. Set in a 1915 landmark building originally called The Waldorf, the beachfront property embraces its past as a residence for A-list stars and backdrop for Hollywood films through a complete restoration that celebrates its roots and the surrounding community. Envisioned as a gathering place for today’s creative nomad, V draws inspiration from Venice’s legendary skate park, surf scene and unmatched culture for a true local experience. Located off Westminster Avenue on the Venice Beach B...
Pyramid Hotel Group Breaks Ground on Cambria Hotel in Columbia, South Carolina
Cambria Hotels® | May 27, 2021
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 27, 2021 -- Cambria Hotels, an upscale brand franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), continues to rapidly expand around the country with the official start of construction on a Cambria hotel in Columbia, South Carolina. The four-story, 144-room upscale hotel is expected to open in Spring 2022, joining six other properties around the state in Charleston, Fort Mill, Greenville, Mount Pleasant, Rock Hill and Summerville. Situated at 1000 Lady Street, the Cambria Hotel Columbia Downtown is in the heart of the Vista, Columbia's premier arts and entertainment district, which features museums, local shops...
Cambria Hotels Debuts in Ocean City With Opening of Cambria Hotel Ocean City – Bayfront
Cambria Hotels | May 27, 2021
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 27, 2021 --- Cambria Hotels, an upscale brand franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), made its official debut in Ocean City, Maryland yesterday afternoon with the grand opening of the Cambria Hotel Ocean City - Bayfront. The celebration was marked with the unveiling of the city's newest boardwalk, a taste of the cuisine from the hotel's restaurant and bar, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Ocean City Mayor Richard W. Meehan, members of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, and executives from Choice Hotels and development companies, PiNNacle Hospitality Group and The Wankawala Organization. A $1,000 d...
Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Nashville Reaches Topping Out Milestone
Congress Group | May 27, 2021
NASHVILLE, TN (May 27, 2021) - Development partners Congress Group Inc. and AECOM Capital today announced Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Nashville has topped out construction at its 40th story. At more than 540 feet tall, it is one of the tallest buildings in the state of Tennessee. With its position on 1st Avenue, by the Cumberland River and in the heart of downtown, the skyscraper permanently reshapes the Nashville skyline, visible from 360 degrees around the city. “Today, we officially celebrate the topping out of an iconic tower which has already become a fixture on Nashville’s skyline,” said Dean Stratou...
IHG Signs With Mabany Edris to Open Holiday Inn New Assiut Asayla
IHG | May 27, 2021
IHG® Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has signed a Management Agreement with Mabany Edris, a well-known real estate owner and developer in Egypt, to open Holiday Inn New Assiut Asayla. The hotel was signed at a ceremony in Egypt in presence of Abdel Fattah Al-Assi, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Mohamad Anwar, Deputy Head of Urban Communities Authorities. IHG has a strong legacy in Egypt, having opened its first hotel in 1980s, and currently operates over 2000 rooms and have more than 800 rooms in the pipeline, across brands. The announcement follows several high-profile signings this ...
Witter Hospitality Completes Renovation and Rebranding of Best Western Travel Inn to Aiden by Best Western @ St. George
Wittwer Hospitality | May 27, 2021
St. George, UT—May 27, 2021— Wittwer Hospitality’s Best Western Travel Inn (Travel Inn) in St. George, UT, has received a total facelift, rebranding itself as Aiden by Best Western @ St. George. Since 1955, when the Travel Inn first opened, the boutique property was years ahead of its time, offering guests first-to-market luxurious amenities. The hotel continues its evolution with its rebrand to an Aiden hotel. Aiden is a trendy new collection of modern, suburban boutique hotels with an authentic, laid-back personality. Aiden hotels invite creative travelers and mobile workers to indulge in a standout boutique experience. Each hotel ...
