February 1, 2010
Forum
Hoteliers: Don’t Write Off 2010
OPINION: The Companies That Take Action Will Shape Their Destiny
Two conflicting undercurrents coursed through the crowd at last month's Americas Lodging Investment Summit in San Diego. One set of speakers and attendees seemed resigned to more pain and distress in the hotel industry in 2010. For this gang of sad naysayers, ...
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Chicago’s O’Hare Market: Ground Zero For Hotel Distress
FEATURE: Citywide Lodging Slump Results In Closings, Foreclosures In Airport Market
Suburban Chicago , and the O’Hare Airport area in particular, may be the most distressed lodging market in the U.S. Last year, according to Smith Travel Research, RevPAR for O’Hare’s 50-some hotels was down 31 percent over 2008, a year in which it fell 10 percent. In Closings, Foreclosures In Airport Market...
Hyatt Jump Starts Andaz Development
NEWS: Lifestyle Brand To Open Three Properties By Mid-Year
After a slow start, Hyatt is now kicking its Andaz brand into high gear. The fledgling chain, which competes with Starwood’s W and Marriott’s proposed Edition brands, will open at least three properties in the first half of 2010. ...
La Quinta Brand Council Looks to Future
NEWS: Franchise, Corporate Partners Come Together for Open Dialogue
The continued evolution of La Quinta Inns & Suites was on full display last week at the brand council meeting in Irving, TX at the company’s corporate headquarters. A team of 16—six elected franchisees (a seventh was absent), nine corporate executives and facilitator/consultant Lee Dushoff—spent a full day in the company’s training center ...
Appealing Time to Reassess Property Tax
OPINION: Many Hotels Would Benefit From Tax Appeal in Today’s Economy
As we approach the bottom of this current economic cycle, hotel owners need to review their property tax assessments to determine whether their properties have been accurately valued by their local taxing jurisdictions. Chances are likely the value determined by the assessor will be greater than the hotel’s current market value, ...
A New Spin On Hotel Rebranding
OPINION: Switching Flags Has Bottom-Line Consequences
To increase or maintain the market value of hotels, and for other business reasons, hotel owners often consider rebranding their properties. While Lodging Hospitality and others have commented on the increasing frequency with which hotel rebranding appears to be happening, ...
FEATURES
CityCenter Raises the Stakes in Vegas
FEATURE: CityCenter Alters Vegas Landscape and Brings New Hope, Concern
MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren called CityCenter’s opening a “game changer.” So did Bill McBeath, the president and CEO of Aria and Vdara. Rick Fedrizzi, the founder and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, called it “transformative.” CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin called it an “evolutionary destination” and McBeath added it was a “paradigm shift in resort destinations.”
The superlatives may prove...
Hotel Marketing Pros Go To War
FEATURE: Management Company Sales & Marketing Execs Discuss Recession Strategies
They’re the front-line soldiers in the war against the hotel downturn. To fight this war, sales and marketing professionals in hotel management companies must juggle direct sales, advertising, promotions, public relations, owner relations and rate setting as part of their daily routine. To tap into this considerable expertise, Lodging Hospitality last fall conducted a roundtable ...
Changing Rules
FEATURE: Industry Evolved to Survive a Year Like No Other
Those having ridden the economic waves in the past understand the cyclical nature of the ebbs and flows, and were braced for worst-case scenarios. “You get smarter every time you go through a downturn,” says Jeff McIntyre, ...
Technically Speaking
Accor Fights Energy Waste
Accor North America has been very aggressive in its energy management efforts in recent years. The brand company that includes Motel 6, Studio 6 and Novotel is experimenting with some new systems that show promise for substantial savings without guest inconvenience....
East West Resorts Upgrades PMS
East West Resorts Upgrades PMS...
Back of House
What’s Ahead For Guestroom TV Programming?
Q&A: Guests Still Want The Technology They Have At Home
It’s a proven fact that hotel guests love TV. Most of them want high-quality TV sets and, more importantly, compelling programming in high-definition. We chatted with ...
Products February 2010
CRM SOFTWARE IQware's IQmail is a complete suite of tools that streamlines and automates the entire electronic marketing process. With IQmail it's a breeze...
Vendor News February 2010
HFS Concepts 4 recently landed contracts with several properties: Marriott Riverside (CA), Marriott Oakland (CA), Hilton LAX in Los Angeles and the King...
