RLHC (Red Lion Hotels Corporation) (NYSE:RLH) today announced the introduction of RLH Magazine, a full-color, quarterly publication for the company's hotel owners, corporate associates and prospects. RLHC has worked with McNeill Media Group Inc. to write, edit and produce the magazine.
Extended Stay America® hotels (ESA) —announced today the brand's next five-year growth strategy, anchored by its first ever franchising program and a return to new hotel builds, the first in a decade. ESA is combining its attractive and best-in-class operating model with a franchisee-friendly agreement and guest-inspired redesigns to catapult the brand, accommodating an ever-growing and underserved mid-scale extended stay audience.
A multi-level analysis of hotel rate auditing programs used by BCD Travel clients last year reveals that combined, mid- to large-sized companies overspend on hotel room nights by hundreds of millions of dollars. Without performing standard rate audits, a company overspends by $122,500 for every $5 million it spends on hotels. Using both standard rate auditing and rate availability audits prevents $225,000 in overspending for every $5 million spent on hotels. Additionally, hotel price monitoring programs like BCD Travel's Hotel Price Assurance realize a net savings of $110,000 for every 50,000 hotel bookings.
Raising families, navigating jobs, balancing social commitments - there's a lot on Americans' plates these days. The result – 51% of U.S. vacationers admit they're more stressed today compared to a year ago, and it's causing more than one in three (37%) to cancel or delay their trip. Luckily, there are a number of simple tips that help make vacation planning easier so travelers can enjoy their vacations to the fullest.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) revealed a new MainStay Suites prototype at the 63rd annual Choice Hotels Convention in Las Vegas. MainStay Suites, Choice's midscale extended stay brand, appeals to professionals and families who need a long-term hotel option. As such, the new prototype delivers on providing guests everything they need to feel at home all while enjoying the perks of a hotel.
During Caribbean Week New York, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) will host its seventh annual Caribbean Students Colloquium on Wednesday, June 7, 2017, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Wyndham New Yorker (481 Eighth Ave., New York). The Colloquium - an event where students are challenged to present well-researched, practical and financially viable sustainable tourism projects - is dubbed "Students Taking Center Stage: A Forum for Rising Stars in Caribbean Tourism." This event is open to the public and free to registered attendees (click here to register). The Colloquium brings together students enrolled in tourism and hospitality programs who have a devotion to the Caribbean and are eager to make a contribution to its sustainable development. There will be a selection process based on submitted presentations with a maximum of five teams vying to capture the coveted title of 2017 Student Colloquium Champions. These free-style presentations will be judged by a panel of sustainable tourism practitioners, including: Hugh Hough, Partner and President, GreenTeam Global, NY; Dr. Debra Blair, Associate Professor and the Director of Assessment in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University, PA; and Salli Felton, Chief Executive Officer, The Travel Foundation, UK. Five schools will participate in this year's contest - The College of the Bahamas (COB) - Nassau, Bahamas (@UniversityOfTheBahamas); Monroe College - New York (@monroe_college); Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCI) - Turks and Caicos Islands; The University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI), School of Hospitality - Grand Cayman (@UCCICayman); and University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) - St. Thomas (@UVI_edu). Each member of the first place winning team will received complimentary registration for the 2017 Sustainable Tourism Conference in St. Kitts and the coveted winner's trophy. "Tourism education is a critical element of sustainability in the Caribbean and the CTO is committed to ensuring that the brightest and best lead the tourism industry into the future. The Students Colloquium is one of the ways in which we do this," said Sylma Brown, Director, CTO-USA., adding: "The Colloquium allows students to shine and share their best ideas and original case studies." The competitors will receive words of inspiration from Randy Alleyne, president of Liberty Travel. A strong and powerful voice in the industry, Alleyne has a proven record in sales growth initiatives and operational optimization of retail businesses and has achieved measurable market share growth, strengthened travel agent relationships, increased sales revenue and more. Alleyne's entrepreneurial style and strategic brand-building campaigns, in tandem with his best practice applications, have proven marked and measurable results for the companies that he has worked with. Alleyne's track record in elevating organizations into top revenue-generators and tremendous knowledge and hands-on knowhow in retail merchandising, marketing, online services, multi-unit operations and customer experience platforms, helps him lead the Liberty Travel team in providing personalized travel planning and insight into the newest travel trends and destinations. Caribbean Week (www.CaribbeanWeek.com) New York (#CWNY17) will come alive in the Big Apple when tourism officials, industry executives, media, Caribbean Diaspora, travel agents, consumers and students come together to participate in a calendar of activities that showcase the best of Caribbean tourism. Taking place June 4-10, 2017, as a celebration of the sights, sounds, color and culture of the Caribbean, the week combines business sessions and consumer-oriented events with Caribbean-inspired food, lively entertainment and networking opportunities. Caribbean Week New York is supported by: Academy Engraving, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Anse Chastanet & Jade Mountain Saint Lucia, Barbados, Caribbean Airlines, Castles in Paradise Villa Resort - Saint Lucia, Cayman Islands, Cholula Food Company, Cititech Solutions, Delta Air Lines, Dominica, FlightCentre, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, Paradise Island Promotion Board, Pleasant Holidays, Questex, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Spice Island Beach Resort, Sugar Beach-A Viceroy Resort, Travel Impressions and Travel + Leisure.
With Hotels.com® traveling like royalty wasn't hard for U.S. vacationers in 2016. According to their latest Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®), there was a range of popular European and Asian cities with average prices hovering between $150-200 per night on Hotels.com, while Austin's 5-star average fell massively from $533 to $278 with new 4-star inventory creating competition. Even though some luxury hotels remained pricey for American travelers, the 4-star and 3-star categories proved to be more affordable and just as accommodating, with a huge range of domestic, Asian, European and other international cities offering rates under $150 per night.
A healthy U.S. consumer bodes well in the near term for the U.S. lodging and leisure sectors, according to the first edition of Fitch Ratings' "All Inclusive: U.S. Lodging & Leisure Handbook."
Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (CAP/ADID) recently released a report revealing data on the potential impacts of proposed casino gaming in the state of Georgia. In order to provide a neutral viewpoint on the issue, CAP/ADID selected Horwath HTL, among other advisory firms, to consider the proposed legislation and provide an expert outlook on the introduction of the casino industry at both the State and local area. "In the past decade, Downtown Atlanta enjoyed more than $3.8 billion in investment," explains Paul Breslin, Managing Director of Horwath HTL in Atlanta. "It is important, if not crucial, for future hospitality ventures to capitalize on this momentum, and ensure the right mix of development that would facilitate, not hinder, continued growth in Downtown. CAP/ADID's final report concluded the following key takeaways:
New Castle Hotels and Resorts, which made history in 1996 when it became the first franchisee of Westin Hotels & Resorts, today announced that it has renewed the Westin franchise for another 20 years for The Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax.
Magnuson Hotels, America's fastest growing hotel brand, today announced a 25.06% revenue increase in 2016 over 2015, across the group's brand portfolio of Magnuson Grand, Magnuson Hotel and M Star Hotel. The group also reports a 17.42% increase in ADR (Average Daily Rate) for reservations generated in 2016, versus 2015 for the same portfolio. Driving this performance growth was increased employment and resultant consumer spending, low interest rates, and increased consumer brand awareness of Magnuson Hotels.
Ride-sharing services are now allowed by one-half (50%) of all corporate travel policies, a jump from 44% in June 2016, according to the GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ Global Report – January 2017, in partnership with American Express. The Index examines business travelers' feelings about their trip experience and how those feelings affect their behaviors on the road.
At Magnuson Hotels, America's fastest growing hotel brand, we are proud to announce today the rebranding of theMagnuson Grand Columbus North, located in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly a Best Western, the Magnuson Grand Columbus North will upgrade its market position to attract travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Hotels' worldwide portfolio of over 1,000 hotels and state-of-the-art, global distribution platform.
AirPlus International and Airbnb are developing a new integrated solution for the booking, payment and billing of business-related travel. The expert in payment solutions in business travel management and the world's leading community-driven hospitality company will be introducing a fully automated solution during the coming year providing business travelers with a combination of best in class payment and travel management solutions with over 2.5 million accommodation choices across the world.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) today applauded a group of bipartisan Senate leaders on the introduction of legislation aimed at stopping online hotel booking scams that affect some 15 million hotel bookings a year, translating to $1.3 billion in bad bookings annually.
The U.S. travel industry joined forces today, urging Congress to immediately approve emergency funding to address the increased threat of the Zika virus. Together, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and U.S. Travel Association sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging swift action to help halt the virus' spread and assist the agencies dealing with its impact. The letter was signed by 127 hotels, state tourism offices and other travel organizations.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry, announced three newly elected members to its Board of Directors following the 2016 election at GBTA Convention 2016.
According to research from JLL, serviced apartments are soon set to become an established asset class as demand for the sector grows due to the rise of the 'bleisure' market.
With gas prices down and more money in the pockets of Americans, Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest hotel companies, reveals the findings from its annual summer travel survey, which tracks the travel habits of American leisure and business travelers.
The Board of Directors of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company (HE&R) announced today the retirement of President and Chief Executive Officer, William F. Simpson, Jr., effective January 5, 2018.