In 2012, hoteliers face more challenges than ever. From resolving to concentrate on "SoLoMo" (social, local, mobile marketing), to navigating "new" distribution channels, to implementing a Google+ strategy, to improving local search rankings via citations, it is near-impossible for a hotelier to distinguish viable strategies from trendy or temporary opportunities without a dedicated digital marke...

The hotels in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg received more guests in 2012. Research by Horwath HTL shows that the average occupancies in the Benelux countries increased. Average room rates increased in The Netherlands as well, but decreased in Belgium. In Luxembourg, both occupancies and average room rates decreased. For 2012, a further recovery in the Benelux region is expected.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] announced today that 77 Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites hotels owned by Hospitality Properties Trust (NYSE: HPT) and managed by IHG are undergoing renovations, with HPT investing approximately $165 million in the improvements. The first phase of renovations is complete, with 26 Candlewood Suites in markets including Atlanta, ...

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that in summer 2012, the Avia hotels in Napa, Calif. and Savannah, Ga. will be re-flagged as Andaz Napa and Andaz Savannah, respectively, bringing the total number of hotels in the Andaz brand to eight. The opening of Andaz Amsterdam, Prinsengracht the ninth Andaz hotel, is expected to follow shortly thereafter. Local architecture and design fir...

Some of the biggest players in technology and telecommunications – including Google, Visa and Verizon – are battling to develop proprietary mobile payment solutions. Such solutions leverage Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to enable consumers to make purchases with just a wave of their phone. But a recent PhoCusWright study reveals that many travelers are apprehensive about mobile trans...

Today, the European hotel industry finds itself at a crossroads. More than simply surviving, it must find ways of thriving in the most testing economic conditions seen for many years. A number of changes – lifestyle, socio-economic and cultural - have seen the emergence of a new consumer-led paradigm, by which more is expected from hotel stays, and more is demanded from hoteliers.

Apartment hotels are certainly not a new concept in Spain, writes María Rosa Barcia of Horwath HTL’s Barcelona office. Condo-hotels, on the other hand, most definitely are. She filed this report on how this new industry segment will be presenting interesting opportunities in 2012 in Spain, one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

What will be the key legal issues facing the hotel industry in China next year? We asked Dr. Ulrike Glueck (pictured) , Managing Partner of the Shanghai office of the international law firm CMS, and her Senior Associate Hugh Zhou, to share their expectations with The Hotel Yearbook. What will be the key legal issues facing the hotel industry in China next year? We asked Dr. Ulrike Glueck (picture...

Quadriga has announced that it is delivering Smart TV solutions to its hotel customers, enabling them to provide guests with the kind of connected TV experience they are becoming used to at home. Through Smart TV functionality guests are able to enjoy the experience in the hotel as they can at home – to browse the web, chat with friends, update their Facebook, and use Apps right on the screen.

Onity, one of the world’s leading providers of electronic locking solutions, announces an agreement to supply the HT24 locking solution to more than 290 Extended Stay HotelsSM across the United States. This is part of the hotel chains’ larger renovation plans and will result in the installation of up to 40,000 locks. Onity is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies...

Bartech Systems International Inc., the leader in automatic profit-generating minibar solutions for the global hospitality industry, has announced their participation in Hotel Interactive"s revolutionary new tradeshow concept, HI Connect Design, taking place March 21 – 23, 2012 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to their C32 and DD46 style automatic minibars, one ...

The U.S. hotel industry experienced increases in all three key performance metrics during the week of 19-25 February 2012, according to data from STR. In year-over-year comparisons for the week, occupancy was up 2.3 percent to 61.0 percent, average daily rate increased 4.6 percent to US$103.84, and revenue per available room was up 6.9 percent to US$63.38.

Hotel rate parity trends for March to May 2012 of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in Europe. The report shows the percentage of hotels with cheaper rates on their own brand site compared to their rates on other OTAs.

Data trends on cheapest hotel rates as well as median rate for three months of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in Europe. This set covers March to May 2012, taken in the month of February 2012 (all rates are in US dollars for two adults for a one-night stay).

Ludek Louda, 52, has valuable experience in the hotel business and extensive experience in travel and aviation industry in Central & Eastern Europe. He started his hotel career as Director of Sales & Marketing in 2002 at the Holiday Inn Prague Congress Centre (IHG). He has worked for travel agency Detur as Country Manager of sales & marketing responsible for Turkey, Tunisia and Greece. In 200...

Alan Leibman, CEO of Kerzner International Holdings Limited (the “Company”), which through its subsidiaries, is a leading international developer and operator of destination resorts, casinos and luxury hotels, is pleased to announce the promotion of Jennifer Glaisek Ferguson, VP of Global Communications to Senior Vice President of Global Communication and Public Relations of the Company. Ferguso...

At Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, Ian Richardson has been named General Manager. He was appointed Acting General Manager at the property in November 2010. Ian joined Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts in June 2004 as Health Club Manager at The Peak Health Club & Spa. In 2010, he took on the role of Revenue Manager for both Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, before taking up the Acting General Ma...

By Mike Hohnen
Inspired by the principles developed in the "Service Profit Chain", Mike Hohnen takes you through each of the steps needed to create an outstanding service business. We live in a world of abundance -- there is plenty of choice everywhere. And since 2008 we have experienced significant drops in demand as consumers became more careful. The result is a widening gap between supply and demand in virtually any category you can imagine. When that happens, many companies have a knee-jerk reaction, and the recipe is more or less always the same: initiate rigorous cost-cutting programmes, reduce staff and/or services, offer discounts in many forms, and increase advertising aggressively.