November 15, 2011
FORUM
The Solution to Our Problems is Jobs
A lot of people in the hotel industry are feeling pretty cocky these days. Occupancies, rates, RevPARs are all rising, not back to the record levels of 2006-07, but still going in the right direction. Forecasters call for a great winter season for both snow and sand resorts, and flush-with-cash corporations are putting their people back on the road to do business. So where’s the problem?...
CHECK IN
Louisville Hotel Shines Light on Art
A shiny Plymouth—navy blue with a creamy-yellow top—sits parked on the sidewalk outside a hotel at the corner of 7th and Main in downtown Louisville, KY. It boasts a shiny polish, as if it just came off an assembly line, even though it’s a 1950 Special Deluxe bearing license plates from Cuba. Missing all four tires, it rests atop a number of strategically placed, sculpted legs and feet. ...
Shifting Strategies at Motel 6 and Studio 6
When it comes to its Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands, Accor likes to keep leadership in the family. Last month, the brands’ parent company elevated 26-year Motel 6 veteran Jim Amorosia to CEO of economy brand Motel 6 and its sister extended-stay flag Studio 6. The appointment was part of a reshuffling of Accor’s North American operations following the departure from the company of former CEO Olivier Poirot....
IHG Updates Online Tool Innovation Hotel
Who knew soap dispensers could be so controversial? IHG found out just how much when guests to their Innovation Hotel website debated the environmental benefits vs. hygiene concerns of the resource-saving measure....
The Truth Behind Hotel Feasibility Studies
Over the years hotel consultants have been blamed for hotel feasibility studies that seem to have missed their mark and came to conclusions that didn’t seem to reflect reality. As a consultant and appraiser who has worked on thousands of my own studies and have reviewed hundreds of studies prepared by others, I have found in many instances users of these studies have unrealistic expectations as to what the results actually mean and ...
Don’t Forget Market Study With Your Appraisal
A hotel appraisal presents an estimate of the market value of a hotel, which simply put, is the likely price the hotel would be expected to sell for on the open market under normal conditions. Since a hotel appraisal concludes with a hotel’s market value, it should include a market study for the hotel. ...
FEATURES
Farm Fresh: Fairfield Has Designs to Grow
Bill Marriott fondly remembers the Thanksgiving dinners at his father’s Fairfield Farm in the Virginia foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Reminiscing about the huge turkey in the tiny oven still draws a laugh from the chairman and CEO of Marriott International. That family farm — “my dad’s favorite place in the world,” says Mr. Marriott — became the name for the company’s first value-focused offering in 1987: Fairfield Inn....
Boutique Bash: 2011 LBHDC Recap
Richard Millard, who’d probably look like he was having fun at a funeral, wants you. The quirky and always engaging CEO and chairman of Trust Hospitality—Tecton and Desires until recently—ended the opening general session at last month’s Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference with an impassioned plea about the allure of the lifestyle and boutique segments of the hotel industry:...
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Using Online Ratings and Reviews in Revenue Management
The webcentric world of business has brought myriad changes to hotel owners and operators in every area, department and practice. Among these changes is the fact that smaller, independent properties are competing head-to-head with larger properties, as well as with major national and international brands. While this helps level the playing field, it also requires that smaller properties “up the ante” when it comes to pricing and revenue management. ...
Digital Distribution: Metasearch, Mobile and More
Doug Carr, executive director of distribution for Fairmont Raffles International, recently discussed the evolving world of digital distribution and the challenges faced by hoteliers. Here are his thoughts on Google, metasearch sites and the way consumers are shopping and booking hotel rooms....
BACK OF THE HOUSE
Behind the Scenes Nov. 15
Operational insight to help keep your property running at full speed....
Products Nov. 15, 2011
New and innovative hotel products....
Vendor News Nov. 15, 2011
A roundup of hotel vendor news and notes....
