As corporate travel declines, South Florida hotels try new tack | miamiherald.com
In effort to survive, hotels pit Joe the Bellman against the AIG effect. After the 9/11 attacks, vacationers were afraid to fly and South Florida hotels suffered. Now, the region's top industry faces another phobia, but this time it's well-paid executives leery of jetting off to glitzy destinations. With Washington outraged over junkets by companies receiving federal bailout dollars, even stable businesses don't want to seem lavish with their travel and entertainment budgets. That has led to a wave of scrapped conferences across South Florida at a pace not seen since the post-9/11 travel crisis.
