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More Than 197M Travel & Tourism Jobs Will Be Lost Due to Prolonged Travel Restrictions
June 10, 2020
• WTTC says Governments must act now to save the sector • Prolonged travel restrictions and lack of urgency will result in the loss of $5.5 trillion in T&T GDP • Worst-case scenario can be avoided if governments around the world follow four-point plan for recovery and start easing restrictions now, ahead of the summer London, UK: More than 197 million jobs could be lost in the global Travel & Tourism sector if barriers to global travel, such as blanket anti-travel advisories and quarantine measures remain in place, according to new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). T...
Planning the Aftermath of Post-Covid Hotel Luxury
Larry Mogelonsky | June 10, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The challenges facing hotels in the post-Covid environment are massive. Old planning guidelines are irrelevant. For hotels in the luxury segment, where close contact with guests was almost literally mandated, it will be particularly pressing to find new ways to meet these time-honored standards. To help navigate the immediate challenges of reopening a luxury property amidst so much fear, uncertainty and new policy requirements, I’ve recruited four veteran GMs to demonstrate how leaders from across North American are tackling the problem: Franck X. Arnold, General Manager of t...
Hospitality-Tech & COVID Roundtable
June 9, 2020
Insights to Position Your Hospitality-Tech Company for a Post-COVID World Join hospitality-tech leaders from Hyatt Hotels, Knowland, and SHR on Thursday, June 11th for a discussion and shared insights around the future of hospitality-tech in a post-COVID world. Panelists Jeff Bzdawka, Robert Post, and Rod Jimenez will join host Dexter Hopen from Serent Capital on June 11th at 12pm EST / 9am PST to discuss: The future of hospitality-tech in a post-COVID world What the data is telling us about recovery How hospitality technology buyers are evaluating purchasing decisions How hospitality-tech leaders can not only survive COVID, ...
Nearly 3 Million UK Travel & Tourism Jobs Could Be Lost Due to Prolonged Travel Restrictions, According to New Research From WTTC
June 9, 2020
09/09/2020 - • Up to 2.9 million jobs are at risk in the UK Travel & Tourism sector alone • Prolonged travel restrictions could result in the loss of $186bn to UK GDP • 1.7m jobs could be saved if restrictions are removed in June • Worst-case scenario can be avoided if UK follows four-point plan for recovery London, UK: Nearly three million jobs could be lost in the UK Travel & Tourism sector if barriers to global travel, such as quarantine measures and blanket anti-travel advisories remain in place, according to new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The deva...
How COVID-19 Is Eating Into Hotel Profit
HotStats | June 9, 2020
COVID-19 plunged a knife in the collective heart of the global hotel industry and in one fell swoop destroyed demand, sending revenue and profit to historically low levels. This global pandemic is the most harrowing event to ever besiege the hospitality industry. As stridently as room sales have plummeted, the crash in food and beverage (F&B) is even louder. We reviewed March data to see how deeply the F&B department has cratered and what this means for Conference and Banqueting (C&B) and other areas of the profit-and-loss statement (P&L). The volume of business for U.S. hotels decreased dramatically in March: a 48.8-per...
Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rises 1.7% in May
Baird | June 9, 2020
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee, and MILWAUKEE—The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 1.7% in May to a level of 3,232. Year to date through the first five months of 2020, the stock index was down 38.7%. “Hotel stocks were relatively flat in May, which reflected underperformance during the first part of the month but a sharp reversal in the back half of May as the broader re-opening trade gained momentum and stock prices recovered,”said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. “Industry data continues to be less bad on a sequential weekly basis, and investors’ worst-case zero-occupancy scenarios, which incl...
The Imminent Influx of Call Volume
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservations Call Center Services | June 9, 2020
Get the Most Revenue from Each Call The hospitality industry has never faced a challenge quite like this. COVID-19 has brought the industry to its knees, and despite lockdown measures being steadily eased, it’s clearly going to take time for the hospitality sector to recover. Yet travel demand will inevitably grow (as we’re now seeing in our call volume at Travel Outlook), which means US hotels need to capitalize on all new reservation inquiries. But will hotels have enough onsite staff to pick up the phone? Reassuring guests in uncertain times Some US hotels have already started reopening their doors, but occupancy levels remai...
Vakkaru Maldives Appoints Janice Tan as the New Director of Sales and Marketing
Vakkaru Maldives | June 9, 2020
Baa Atoll, Republic of Maldives, June 2020 - Vakkaru Maldives is delighted to announce the appointment of Janice Tan as its new Director of Sales and Marketing. Commencing at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok her two-decade-long career in luxury hospitality has included stints in Beijing and Singapore but has most commonly included roles at the Maldives’ leading resorts. She arrives at Vakkaru Maldives with an innate understanding of what makes holidaying in this idyllic island nation so special. A sales and marketing veteran, Janice brings a wealth of experience, vision and connections and will help to define the strategies that ...
Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) Assumes Management of Four-Hotel Portfolio
Hospitality Ventures Management Group | June 9, 2020
ATLANTA, (June 9, 2020)—Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG), an Atlanta-based, private hotel investment, ownership and management company, today announced it has assumed management of a four-hotel portfolio of upper upscale and upscale independent and Hilton-branded hotels located in Fla., Okla., and Texas. The 248-room Hilton Dallas/Southlake Town Square, the 227-room Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park, the 161-room Hilton Garden Inn Oklahoma City Airport and the 139-room Islander Resort on the beach in Islamorada, Fla., are owned by Hobbs & Curry Family Limited Partnership, LLP, a private owner and developer of hotels acro...
RLH Corporation Appoints John Russell Chief Executive Officer
RLH Corporation | June 9, 2020
DENVER, CO. - June 9, 2020 - Red Lion Hotels Corporation (the “Company”) (NYSE: RLH), today announced John J. Russell, Jr., has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Russell, an industry veteran with more than 40 years of hospitality experience, has been serving as RLHC’s interim CEO since December 3, 2019. Carter Pate, Chairman of the Board stated, “We are very pleased to be appointing John as Red Lion’s permanent CEO. Since joining RLHC, John has helped refocus the Company on supporting its franchisee relationships and cultivating franchise growth. He also has helped effectively navigate through this in...
Unlock New Possibilities With Contactless Access Control
ID&C | June 9, 2020
Florida based company, ID&C, helping to provide solutions to protect hotel staff and guests As the world emerges from self-isolation and people begin to travel once again, is your property ready with a plan for how you are keeping your hotel staff and guests safe? Now is the time to offer the option for your guests to purchase contactless access control products, such as “single use” pre-packaged RFID wristbands and key cards. With the increased need to ensure proper sanitation and health standards everywhere, it's important to secure your venue and easily identify your authorized guests. ID&C offers RFID and non-RFID contac...
Routier Joins Volara’s Voice Hub to Expedite Two-Way Contactless Guest Communications
Routier | June 9, 2020
Integration partnership enables guests to speak commands using a Volara-powered smart speaker and receive staff replies or request updates via Routier MessageHub NEW YORK — JUNE 9, 2020 — Routier, an omni-channel hotel guest engagement solution that uses messaging channels such as SMS/text messaging, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook, Line, etc. to seamlessly connect guests to staff, has joined Volara’s secure voice integration hub. By combining Volara's conversation-management software with Routier’s guest-facing engagement solution, hotels will expedite two-way contactless communications between guests and staff ther...
It’s Time to Invest in Your Employees’ Safety
Jay Reed | June 9, 2020
Ensuring a safe and confident workforce sets the table for a successful reopening; Hoteliers must do everything possible to reduce staff risk, so they want to return By Jay Reed It’s a dangerous world out there. New threats are making it challenging to reduce risks facing hotel employees. Even with heightened cleaning standards and sanitizing technology, it may be difficult to lure frontline workers – especially housekeepers – back to work. Think about it. There is no Coronavirus vaccine; those who return to work are doing so knowing that conditions are unsafe and that they can potentially get sick. As an industry, we need to rall...
Savvy Travelers Booking 2020 Vacations, Travel Leaders Survey Finds
Travel Leaders Network | June 8, 2020
NEW YORK, June 8, 2020 - A Travel Leaders Network survey of nearly 2,700 frequent travelers found that half are starting to make finite plans for their next vacation or have already made plans, while the other half say they are dreaming of when they can travel again. Fifty percent of those surveyed said they plan to take their next vacation in 2020. "Traveling somewhere this year is on the agenda for many travel enthusiasts. These findings align with reports from our travel advisors who are seeing calls and bookings on the rise," said Roger Block, President of Travel Leaders Network. The surv...
Midas Hospitality Opens St. Louis’ First Aloft Hotel
Midas Hospitality | June 8, 2020
(St. Louis, MO, June 8, 2020) Midas Hospitality – a leading hotel development, management and investment firm – recently opened the St. Louis region’s first Aloft hotel in the heart of the 200-acre Cortex Innovation Community. The “different by design” Aloft hotel by Marriott is located at 4245 Duncan Ave. and offers 129 tech-forward rooms with two meeting rooms and amenities that include an on-site fitness center, heated indoor pool, and the W XYZ®bar with outdoor seating overlooking the Cortex Commons open to the public. Urban-inspired design, accessible technology, and innovative programming centering on music, food and bev...
WTTC Gives Global Destinations Stamp of Approval for Safety Protocols
June 8, 2020
London, UK: Major destinations around the world have signed up to the world’s first ever global safety and hygiene stamp, launched recently by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The extensive endorsements have come from many major holiday destinations around the world, from Bulgaria to Turkey and Jamaica to Mauritius, among many others. WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, designed the special Safe Travels stamp to enable travellers to identify destinations and businesses around the world which adopted its health and hygiene global standardised protocols – so consumers and holidaymakers ...
Hyatt Hotels to Unveil Restoration of Historic Architectural Landmark, Cook County Hospital
The Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Chicago Medical/University District | June 8, 2020
CHICAGO, IL (June 8, 2020) – Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Chicago Medical/University District, the first combined Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels located in Chicago, is set to open this summer in the Beaux-Arts classical-style landmark formerly the site of the remarkable 106-year old Cook County Hospital, at 1835 W. Harrison St. on the Near West Side. This 342,000 square foot adaptive reuse project, part of a $150 million multiphase plan spearheaded by Murphy Development and SOM, in a design-build collaboration with Walsh Construction, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., and KOO, will also feature over 4,000 sq. feet of meeti...
Hospitality International Inc. Launches New Branding Identity
Hospitality International, Inc. | June 8, 2020
Tucker, GA - 6/8/2020 — Hospitality International Inc., a recognized leader in franchising of conversion and new build hotels for economy lodging, today announced “hihotels by Hospitality International” as their renamed umbrella for Red Carpet Inn, Scottish Inns, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn. Additionally, they will rebrand their direct booking website from Bookroomsnow.com to stayhihotels.com. This will help to consolidate the brands and strengthen their recognition among consumers and hoteliers in a competitive market. The new identity will provide an improved focus on their position in the everchanging hospi...
RFPAssist Continues to Deliver Wedding and Room Block Leads to Hotels
Lodging Interactive and Commingle:Engage | June 8, 2020
PARSIPPANY, NJ - June 08, 2020 - Lodging Interactive, a full-service digital marketing, social media engagement, and reputation management agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, said hotel customers are experiencing a pent-up demand in wedding related RFP submissions through its RFPAssist Messenger service. “In the past two weeks we have seen a lift in wedding related RFP submissions for this fall and 2021,” stated DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive’s Founder, President and CEO. “While RFP volumes are not at the same levels as pre-COVID, it’s an encouraging sign of recovery.” RFPAssist is a proprietary Facebo...
GCommerce Releases Summit, a 24/7 Digital Marketing Reporting Suite
GCommerce | June 8, 2020
Hospitality companies will now have a turn-key reporting suite bringing digital marketing data together. Park City, UT (June 8th, 2020) – GCommerce, a leading, hospitality digital marketing agency, announced its release of Summit, a 24/7 cloud-based digital marketing reporting suite, which will give hoteliers the ability to access their marketing data at any time. For the last 18 months, GCommerce’s hotel clients have had access to the company’s online portal where they have been able to access their individual marketing reports built on the same technology as Summit. GCommerce has taken this technology and made it available to al...
The Middle East’s Hotel Construction Pipeline Shows Slight Deceleration in the First Quarter of 2020*
Lodging Econometrics | June 8, 2020
June 8, 2020 – PORTSMOUTH, NH - Analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE) state in the first quarter of 2020, the hotel construction pipeline in the Middle East decelerated slightly to 607 projects/172,182 rooms, down 3% and 5% respectively, year-over-year (YOY). Projects currently under construction are at 357 projects/114,817 rooms. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months stand at 113 projects/27,872 rooms, and projects in the early planning stage are at 137 projects/29,493 rooms. The Middle East had 15 new hotels/6,527 rooms open in the first quarter of 2020. Countries with the greatest number of projects in the...
Davidson Hotels & Resorts Appoints Jeff Toscano as Executive Vice President of Pivot Hotels & Resorts
Pivot Hotels & Resorts | June 8, 2020
ATLANTA (June 8, 2020) – Davidson Hotels & Resorts, one of the nation’s leading hospitality management companies, announces the appointment of Jeff Toscano as Executive Vice President of Pivot Hotels & Resorts. In this role, Toscano is responsible for maximizing profitability, driving team performance, improving asset value, building brand equity and enhancing the guest experience through experiential, differentiated programming at all lifestyle and luxury hotels, resorts and restaurants in the Pivot portfolio. Toscano joins the company most recently from Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where he served as senior vice president of ope...
TI Group and Hotel Equities Open Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Keller Town Center
Hampton by Hilton | June 5, 2020
[KELLER, TX – June 4, 2020] – Today, TI Group, Inc. and Hotel Equities announced the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton- Keller Town Center and welcomed local dignitaries and VIPs, including Hon. Pat McGrail, Mayor of Keller, Mark Hafner, Keller City Manager and long-time Keller developer Douglas Gilliland with TI Group, Inc. along with many other dignitaries to celebrate the property’s grand opening. The 2 pm to 5 pm event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the property, while adhering to all mandated and recommended protocols for the safety of guests and staff. Located at 200 Town Center Lane, Keller TX 76248, the hot...
Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club Completes $5.5 Million Renovation of Britterige Villas
Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club | June 5, 2020
BREWSTER, MA — June 5, 2020 — Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club has completed renovations to its collection of 116 one-bedroom Britterige Villas. The $5.5 million overhaul provides travelers with a modern yet casual retreat, infused with elements reflective of the Cape’s coastal setting. The 20 Lower Level Britterige Villas were refreshed with a top-to-bottom paint job and enhanced furnishings, while the remaining 96 Britterige Villas, including the signature Britterige Blueberry Pond Villa, received full-scale renovations that touched every corner of the 750 sq. ft. villas, including new carpet, furnishings, kitchenette, décor and fix...
