The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4th, 2024
Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | October 2nd, 2024
Majority of Corporate Travel Programs to Seek Lower Hotel Rates as COVID-19 Restrictions are Lifted
HRS | May 5, 2020
HRS Survey of Travel and Procurement Leaders Finds that 62 Percent See Opportunities for Rate Savings in 2020 and beyond, with 58 Percent Planning to Consolidate Hotel Suppliers COLOGNE, Germany -- May 5, 2020 --HRS today announced the results of its most recent Flash Survey of corporate travel program managers and procurement executives. The global survey, which ran from April 30 through May 4, gives the industry guidance on the delicate balance between hotel suppliers and managed travel programs as the business travel ecosystem looks towards recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings from the survey: 62% of respondents f...
MGM Resorts International Reports First Quarter Financial and Operating Results
MGM Resorts International | May 5, 2020
The health and safety of our employees, guests, and communities are our top priority The Company has proactively reduced its cash outflows to $270 million per month during closures, excluding MGM China and MGP, and is well-positioned given its strong liquidity and recent $750 million senior notes offering Sports Betting, Japan and Macau remain priority long-term strategic initiatives LAS VEGAS, May 5, 2020 -- MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) ("MGM Resorts" or the "Company") today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. "The year started strong with results ahead of expectations, however the ...
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Reports First Quarter 2020 Results
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | May 5, 2020
Company Completes Amendment to Credit Facility Waiving Covenant Testing until Second Quarter of 2021 PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 5, 2020 -- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) today announced results for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Highlights include: Diluted earnings per share increased 5% to $0.23, and adjusted diluted EPS decreased 4% to $0.50. Net income was $22 million for the first quarter, a 5% increase over the prior-year quarter; adjusted net income was $47 million, an 8% decrease over the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA decreased 4% compared with the prior-year quarter, to $107 million. System-wide roo...
Marriott Raises $920M Through Amendments to Co-Brand Credit Card Agreements With JPMorgan Chase and American Express
Marriott International, Inc. | May 5, 2020
Marriott International, Inc. (“Marriott” or “the company”) today announced it has signed amendments to its existing co-brand credit card agreements with JPMorgan Chase & Co. (“Chase”) and American Express. These amendments will provide the company with $920 million of cash, further enhancing its liquidity, with $570 million coming from Chase and $350 million coming from American Express. The $570 million from Chase includes $500 million of prepayment of certain future revenues and $70 million from the early payment of a previously committed signing bonus under the co-brand credit card agreement. The $350 million from Americ...
U.S. Travel Reacts to SBA Decision on EIDL Eligibility
U.S. Travel Association | May 5, 2020
WASHINGTON (May 5, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the Small Business Administration's decision to reopen the Economic Injury Disaster Relief application portal only to agriculture-related businesses: "Excluding major segments of the economy from emergency relief funding not only hurts small businesses and workers, but jeopardizes the strength of the broader economic recovery." "Non-profit entities—such as destination marketing organizations and arts and culture groups—are essential for driving consumer demand to their region...
There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel: Implement Technology Today to Retain and Attract Top Talent Tomorrow
Robb Monkman | May 5, 2020
Employee communication and safety technologies are bringing light to the dark cloud of COVID-19 and a silver lining is emerging with added loyalty By Robb Monkman Sometimes when things seem the darkest, moments of beauty emerge in the most unexpected places. During this time of quarantine, rivers are cleaning up, vegetation is growing, the air is becoming cleaner, there are fewer reports of crime, families are bonding, workers are resting, and nations are banding together for the good of mankind. While hospitality is possibly one of the hardest hit industries, it too is finding a silver lining amidst the darkness. Proactive hotel com...
How to Leverage Technology to Protect Guests, Reduce Expenses, Optimize Revenue, and Take a Deep Breath
Maestro PMS | May 5, 2020
What Projects Have You Placed on The Back Burner Until Occupancy was Down? Handle Them Now During The Downturn May 5, 2020 – Travel is impacted globally by current health concerns. Occupancy is down, but in time, our industry will recover. For now, there are important things hoteliers can do to address the public’s concern over hygiene and personal contact, and many of them include technology. This period of lower demand is also an ideal time to look at your business and handle projects that may be on the back burner. Guest safety is paramount, so be ready to tell guests the steps your property is taking to protect their health. Bui...
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...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: What Will the Post Pandemic Hotel World Look Like?
David Lund | May 4, 2020
By David Lund Having been around awhile I have seen the changes that have come as a result of major global events. The starkest example is our pre- and post-911 world. It showed us that the idea of getting on an airplane means we need to prove we do not have any threatening objects with us, like guns, knives and explosives and we need to prove we are who we say we are. We even must prove we’re not a threat and that we’re on the right security list. Talk about a big change in the way we travel – not to mention the changes in technology and investment. I think the other side of this pandemic is going to see some profound changes ...
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...
Train Your Hotel Reservations on What to Say When Their Phones Start Ringing Again
Doug Kennedy | May 4, 2020
By Doug Kennedy May 4, 2020 -- What a wild two months that hotel and resort reservations sales agents have endured, as agents were the first to feel the impact of the COVID19 pandemic, as suddenly a tsunami of cancellation calls and emails flooded the phone lines and inboxes. How painful it must have been to watch hard-fought bookings cancel and to see the flow of revenue change direction. Even more so, these staffers have endured difficult conversations about the fine print of cancellation terms, travel insurance, and the true implications of booking through third-party OTAs. Next, it was surely hard to watch as co-workers from operations...
Avison Young Shares Q2 2020 Insights
Avison Young | May 4, 2020
Avison Young Principal Keith Thompson (based in Atlanta) discusses Q2 2020 trends in the hospitality market. ...
KARA Hospitality Opens Extended Stay America – Colonial Heights – Fort Lee, in Colonial Heights, Virginia
Extended Stay America | May 4, 2020
Charlotte, NC -- May 4, 2020 -- Extended Stay America, Inc. (NASDAQ:STAY), the largest mid-priced extended-stay hotel brand, announced today the opening of the Extended Stay America – Colonial Heights – Fort Lee, in Colonial Heights, Virginia. The four-story 92-room property features rooms with fully equipped, in-room kitchens with full-size refrigerators, microwave ovens, and cooktops as well as platform beds with storage space beneath, recliners, high-speed Wi-Fi, fitness room, on-site parking, laundry room, and a STAYPLAY oversized lobby. “The Extended Stay Colonial Heights marks the first franchise new build in our system and...
Ashford Group of Companies to Return PPP Funds
Ashford Group | May 4, 2020
DALLAS -- May 4, 2020 -- The Ashford Group of Companies announced today that all of its companies, including Ashford Inc. (NYSE American: AINC), Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. (NYSE: AHT) ("Ashford Trust"), and Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: BHR) ("Braemar"), will return all funds provided by the Small Business Administration's ("SBA") Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") due to the agency's recently changed rules and inconsistent federal guidance that put the companies at compliance risk. Federal Government assistance is required to repair the most significant damage in history to U.S. hotels and hospitality businesses cause...
7 Signs You Need Help With Your Business Guest Experience
Pierre Verbeke | May 4, 2020
By Pierre Verbeke When you’re in the hospitality business, you can’t afford to allow even one guest to have a poor guest experience. As savvy business owners know, one bad review can cascade into a waterfall of negative online commentary about your business. Once the word gets out that your staff doesn’t know how to treat guests, business guests will begin to dwindle until you find yourself struggling to rebuild a solid reputation as hospitality experts. Don’t let this happen to your hospitality business. Whether you’re running a hotel, convention center or any other kind of guest services company, it pays to recognize the sign...
Commingle:Engage Offers Hotel Business Recovery Marketing Services
Lodging Interactive & Commingle:Engage | May 4, 2020
PARSIPPANY, NJ – May 4, 2020 – Commingle:Engage, the hospitality industry's premier provider of full-service social media marketing and guest reputation management services today, announced the launch of its hotel business recovery marketing services aimed to assist hotels with their re-opening and recovery stages. Commingle:Engage is providing ‘done for you’ multifaceted hotel business recovery marketing services for even the smallest of properties with plans starting at just $525 per month. “As our country begins to re-open and the hospitality industry moves towards the recovery phase, properties will need to effectively commun...
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Launches New “Count on Us” Initiative to Build Confidence Among Guests and to Support Franchisees
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | May 4, 2020
PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 4, 2020 -- Highlighting its continued commitment to hotel owners, team members and guests, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,300 hotels across 90 countries, today launched "Count on UsSM," a new long-term, multi-faceted initiative to build confidence among guests and to support franchisees as it begins making preparations to welcome travelers back to its more than 6,000 U.S. hotels. Launch of the new initiative follows dialogue and collaboration with Wyndham franchisees, members of its Franchise Advisory Councils, leading industry partners, and ke...
IHG Signs With Asia Pacific Hotels for Management of Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan
IHG | May 4, 2020
IHG has signed a long-term agreement with Asia Pacific Hotels Inc to take on management of Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan, in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, from May 20201. The impressive 416-room hotel will rebrand as Crowne Plaza® Resort Saipan in 2022 following a refurbishment, before adding a 116-room extension by 2025. Alongside IHG’s October announcement that it has taken on management of the 318-room Fiesta Resort Guam, a hotel that will rebrand as a Crowne Plaza in 2021, the combined 850 room count makes the biggest ever conversion signing for IHG’s Australasia, Japan and Pacific Islands region. Saipan is t...
Marriott, Hilton, and IHG Account for 69% of the Projects in the U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline at the Close of the First Quarter of 2020*
Lodging Econometrics | May 4, 2020
May 4, 2020 – PORTSMOUTH, NH – According to the United States Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE), the franchise companies with the largest construction pipelines at the end of the first quarter of 2020 are Marriott International with 1,556 projects/204,244 rooms, followed by Hilton Worldwide with 1,413 projects/161,743 rooms, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) with 954 projects/97,547 rooms. Combined, the brands of these three franchise companies comprise 69% of the projects in the total U.S. pipeline. The leading brands by project count for these three companies continue to be Hilton’s Home2 Suite...
Oetker Collection Appoints Dr. Timo Gruenert as New Chief Executive Officer
Oetker Collection | May 4, 2020
May 4, 2020 -- Oetker Collection introduces its new Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Timo Gruenert. Dr. Gruenert will take over leadership of the company on May 1st, 2020, succeeding Mr. Frank Marrenbach. Dr. Gruenert began his career with the Oetker Group as Assistant to the Managing Partner in 2005 after receiving his PhD from University of Giessen with a thesis on Mergers & Acquisitions in corporate crisis. In 2009, Dr. Gruenert co-led the founding of Oetker Collection and has served as Co-Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer ever since. Over the past eleven years, Dr. Gruenert has overseen the steady growth of Oetker Collecti...
U.S. Travel Industry Releases Guidance for “Travel in the New Normal”
U.S. Travel Association | May 4, 2020
WASHINGTON -- May 4, 2020 -- Following a collaboration between medical experts and a broad array of businesses and organizations, the U.S. travel industry submitted to the White House and governors a document containing detailed guidance for travel-related businesses to help keep their customers and employees safe as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Entitled "Travel in the New Normal," the document describes vigorous measures the travel industry will follow to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and help to communicate across each and every step of a traveler's journey. The goal: to allow travel to safely resume as states and munic...
AHLA Releases Industry-Wide Hotel Cleaning Standards Through “Safe Stay” Initiative
AHLA | May 4, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 4, 2020 –The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today introduced Safe Stay, an industry-wide, enhanced standard of health and safety protocols designed to prepare America’s hotels to safely welcome back guests and employees as the economy reopens. Safe Stay represents the top priority for the industry, the health and safety of guests and employees. The standards of Safe Stay were developed under the guidance of an Advisory Council, comprised of industry leaders representing all segments of the hotel industry, and in conjunction with public health experts to advance best practices for protecting a...
OYO Hotels & Homes Appoints Troy Alstead as Independent Member of the Board
OYO Hotels and Homes | May 1, 2020
New York/San Francisco, May 01, 2020: OYO Hotels & Homes today announced the appointment of Troy Alstead as an independent member of the company’s board of directors. He will join the board that has Industry experts like Gerardo Issac (Gerry) Lopez, Operating Partner at SoftBank Vision Fund, Betsy Atkins, CEO & Founder of Baja Corporation, Munish Varma, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Bejul Somaia, Managing Director, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Mohit Bhatnagar, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital and Aditya Ghosh making it a powerful, diverse, and truly global combination. As an independent member of the Board, Troy will play a ...
In Focus: The Impact of COVID-19 on Hospitality
Russell Kett | May 1, 2020
The impact that COVID-19 is having on the hospitality industry is palpable. There is no time more important than right now to come together, share information, and discuss what this means for our future. Katherine Doggrell is joined by Russell Kett, Chairman at HVS. We recognize there are difficult times ahead but are confident that the hospitality industry will recover. As we move forward, we will continue to provide you with our latest insights and information. HVS stands ready to support you whether you are a developer, owner, operator, lender, or investor. Our expertise covers the full range of hospitality assets and spans the full...
