For a travel industry looking for a glimmer of hope, the latest holiday-week statistics offer some encouragement, with hotels seeing an uptick in room occupancy rates and airlines filling more seats.
Staying home has become the new norm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the accompanying restrictions have momentarily put a stop to most nonessential travel. An Expedia® poll1 of 1,500 U.S. residents, conducted between May 4 and 8, 2020, shows 60% of people have already changed or canceled their travel plans and another 70% are worried about outbreaks impacting future trips.
More than once I'm called when a guest suffers a tragic loss such as the death of a child or spouse. Distressed to witness the misery, family members want me to put her to sleep.
Drury Hotels Company is partnering with Ecolab Inc. - a global leader in hygiene and infection prevention solutions for the hospitality industry - to keep its guests and team members safe. In this collaborative effort, Drury will use Ecolab products as part of enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures in its more than 150 hotels nationwide.
LAS VEGAS, MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) ("MGM Resorts") announced its planned June 4 reopening of Bellagio, New York-New York, MGM Grand Las Vegas and The Signature, following the closure earlier this year of all of its U.S. properties amidst the coronavirus crisis. At opening, amenities at all properties will be limited. As demand for the destination builds, additional venues within these resorts will open and other MGM Resorts properties on The Strip will reopen.
The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and the ARDA-Resort Owners' Coalition (ARDA-ROC) today released their recommended guidelines to help define the role of the timeshare industry in promoting the health and safety of owners, guests and employees. These recommendations are developed based on COVID response leading practices and are intended to complement, but not replace, those of state and local authorities.
States are slowly beginning to open back up, but that doesn't mean travelers are free to come and go as they please in most places amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Hotels and resorts are in a state of crisis. As of May 20, seven out of 10 hotel rooms in the US were sitting empty and thousands of hotels are completely closed, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). Hotels have lost more than $25 billion in room revenue since the start of the pandemic, and 70% of hotel employees have been laid off or furloughed, per the AHLA.
Most people will likely be staying closer to home for any summer travel plans. International travel isn't worth it this summer for many due to travel restrictions. However, some U.S. states are open for travel just in time for a summer road trip.
"She thinks her drink was spiked," explained the caller whose friend was bent over the toilet, vomiting. I explained that alcohol is a toxic drug and occasionally provokes this reaction. Common stomach viruses cause most vomiting. Did her friend want me to come?
As Congress considers additional stimulus legislation to address the economic and health fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, AAHOA highlighted specific steps lawmakers can take to help the hotel industry in a letter to Congressional leadership. The letter, also signed by AHLA, the Latino Hotel Association, and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers, outlined five key areas where congressional action can help speed the industry's recovery while ensuring the health and wellbeing of hospitality workers and guests. These include provisions to benefit employees, safe harbor provisions for hotels, industry solvency, technical corrections to Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs, and the incentivization of travel and tourism.
The latest findings of the Travel Intentions Pulse Survey, conducted by MMGY Travel Intelligence, reveal just 36% of U.S. travelers intend to take a domestic leisure trip in the next six months. When asked about traveling after the pandemic subsides, the preference is to still travel domestically and closer to home. Fifty-seven percent of travelers say that following the pandemic they are more likely to book travel to U.S. destinations, and 43% expect to travel to destinations closer to home.
The results are in from two Cendyn surveys polling hoteliers across the globe on how they are coping with the effects of COVID-19. Gauge the industry pulse and read first-hand accounts of how hoteliers are dealing with the coronavirus on both an individual level and as an operation.
"Someone needs to check my nephew. He's shaking and really upset. How quick can you be here?" The child was in good health before a fire alarm roused everyone from bed at midnight. He seemed frightened, perhaps more than usual. I had no doubt that he would recover, but that was hard to communicate.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM ) today released a report outlining the comprehensive health and safety protocols the company is implementing prior to re-opening its domestic properties and resorts which were temporarily closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report details MGM Resorts' "Seven-Point Safety Plan" - a multi-layered set of protocols and procedures designed in conjunction with medical and scientific experts to deter the spread of the virus, protect customers and employees and rapidly respond to potential new cases. The full report can be found HERE .
One of the largest U.S. lodging real estate investment trusts expects leisure travel to bounce back from the coronavirus downturn in travel first, but the company is still banking on business group bookings.
Cheap motels have many advantages from a hotel doctor's point of view. Valets are absent, so I can park inside and safely ignore the threatening signs. Security is absent, so I don't have to explain myself to the front desk, and elevators respond when I push a button.
As the country gradually re-opens for travel as restrictions ease, Red Roof®, the leader in upscale economy lodging, has launched Red Roof RediClean™, as it welcomes guests back. Red Roof RediClean includes rigorous enhanced cleaning protocols that address the new normal and give consumers the confidence they need to hit the road again. Red Roof RediClean is taking cleanliness and hygiene to a whole new level.
Magnuson Hotels, the fast-growing franchise alternative, announced the launch of a new extended stay brand this week with locations in Canton, Ohio and Irving, Texas.
In April 2019, more than 2 million travelers passed through U.S. airports every day.