While no one has a crystal ball to accurately predict the future of the hospitality industry, Eric Stossel, Managing Editor of Lodging Hospitality has the next best thing: access to experts and insiders who have their fingers on the pulse of the industry. I was recently interviewed by Eric, along with other hospitality practitioners, for one of his articles that forecast the year ahead (see Capit...

The Hotel Association of Canada congratulates Prime Minister Stephen Harper on his success in China over the past several days specifically recognizing the positive steps made with regards to tourism in Canada. The launch of the CTC’s 2012 tourism marketing campaign, the opening of the marketing centre in Beijing and the expansion of an air transport agreement that will increase the flow of peopl...

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) and the GUESTROOM 20X Task Force, a group of hospitality technology leaders and experts, are searching for the latest and near-future technologies for the newest version of GUESTROOM 20X. The 2012 version of GUESTROOM 20X, a special exhibit showcasing the most innovative technologies for the guestroom, debuts at the 2012 Hospitality Indus...

Report summarises hotel performance data in 23 cities, hotel construction costs in 30 countries and notable hotel deals done in the last 6 months of 2011. Whitebridge Hospitality is a specialist advisor to investors, developers and operators in the hospitality industry around the globe. We provide investment, operational and planning advice, and guidance in respect of the entire hospitality spect...

North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel ranks among the world’s most remarkable — and mockable — buildings. It’s taller than New York’s Chrysler Building and wider at its base than an average city block. Constructed almost entirely of concrete, it looks like a rocket ship and casts a jagged shadow over Pyongyang’s gray vistas.

“This is AXA insurance about the patient you saw last month, Mrs. Diaz. We are asking you to accept a lower payment. In exchange, we list you as a preferred provider.” The offer was for less than half what I billed. I declined. AXA would eventually pay my regular rate although a few months would pass. AXA sells travel insurance to Latin Americans. Its US agency and a dozen others phone me to make...

IN-DEPTH: Travel is one of those few and lucky verticals that is so broad and engaging that it actually works on various screens – but travel content and service providers need to be thoughtful about what to optimize for each screen and what to carry through to all to convey a consistent and integrated experience and message, says Katherine Bose, Director, Mobile Partnerships, Americas, TripAdvis...

A key principle for finding personal fulfillment in the never-ending journey to hospitality service excellence is realizing that when we bring out the best in others, we simultaneously bring out the best in ourselves every day, every shift, and with just about every guest we encounter.

The Odawa Casino Resort, owned and operated by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, realizes the cost saving benefits provided by GIMS™ with less labor required. GIMS™ interfaces with the White Conveyors U-Pick-It System to provide 24-hour automated uniform distribution to approximately 600 Team Members.

NORTHWIND has expanded its Professional Services offering with the addition of Management Strategy Services to ensure hotel owners and managers are using the powerful capabilities of the Maestro hotel management system to maximize their operational efficiencies and productivity levels as well as reduce costs and drive revenue. NORTHWIND provides the Maestro Property Management hotel software Suit...

Fairmont is considered to be among the ten most famous hotel groups of the world, says the international hotel critic Heinz Horrmann. Fairmont's top brand Raffles Hotels International (FRHI) is present in Germany with the more than one hundred years old Four Seasons Grand Hotel in Hamburg as well as the recently entirely renovated Savoy Hotel London. Now the FRHI push their worldwide expansion. A...

The U.S. hotel industry experienced increases in all three key performance metrics during the week of 29 January-4 February 2012, according to data from STR. In year-over-year comparisons for the week, occupancy was up 5.5 percent to 51.7 percent, average daily rate increased 3.1 percent to US$100.45 and revenue per available room was up 8.7 percent to US$51.98.

In Cairo, Egypt, where protests have been widely broadcasted, occupancy declined by 29.5 percentage points to 36.1 percent in 2011 and average daily rate (ADR) declined by 3.3 percent to EGP706.26. In the usually popular leisure destinations of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and Hurghada, Egypt, occupancy reached 48.1 percent (-38.6 percent) and 57.2 percent (-28.7 percent), respectively. Unlike Cairo, ...

After December 2011 was marked by a slowdown in growth for the budget and 2 star sectors. In the 3 star market, the pattern varied throughout France, with Paris and a number of regional towns resisting well and others experiencing sharp declines in occupancy. However, average RevPAR did grow in this category.

An accomplished professional with more than 20 years of experience in the holistic health industry, Sanders arrived at Mii amo from the tropical beauty of Jamaica where she provided spa consulting services at Round Hill Hotel & Villas in Montego Bay. Previously she was Spa Sales & Marketing Manager at Joya Spa at the Montelucia Resort and Spa Director at Scottsdale Plaza Resort, both located in S...

Relocating from Comox Valley, BC, Le Sage has spent the past 24 years working in management roles at a number of Vancouver Island hotels, including the Quality Resort Bayside, Parksville (director of sales and marketing, front office manager); Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites, Victoria (executive assistant manager, director of food and beverage, food and beverage manager, duty manager); and Best W...

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel companies, today announced the appointment of Scott Deibert as vice president of Strategic Sourcing, Americas. Deibert, a veteran procurement expert, will begin his new role Feb. 13. In his new role, Deibert will focus on providing overall strategic leadership for sourcing and procurement for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Grou...

By Stanley Turkel
The thirty-two century-old hotels featured in this book have defied the passage of time for a variety of reasons, many explicable, some beyond explanation, all miraculous. For eighteen of them, it was the fortuitous creation of the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission in 1965. The landmarks law was enacted in response to the demolition of the iconic Pennsylvania Station in 1963. After 139 years, the following evaluation is still true: "New York is the paradise of hotels. In no other city do they flourish in such numbers, and nowhere else do they attain such a degree of excellence. The hotels of New York naturally take the lead of all others in America, and are regarded by all who have visited them as models of their kind." James D. McCabe, Jr. Lights and Shadows of New York, 1872