U.S. business travelers are scaling back travel plans amid rising COVID-19 cases, with 67% planning to take fewer trips, 52% likely to cancel existing travel plans without rescheduling, and 60% planning to postpone existing travel plans, according to a new national survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).
In March 2020, more than 40 New York City Broadway theaters were forced to halt production due to COVID-19 restrictions. But starting this September, the Great White Way will once again light up with the talents of thousands of singers, dancers, and actors, as dozens of highly anticipated Broadway shows resume performances.
hihotels by Hospitality International, a recognized leader in franchising of conversion and new build hotels for economy lodging, is pleased to announce the hiring of industry veteran Les Scane as a Franchise Development and Assurance & Marketing Program Director.
Lingering COVID restrictions and a patchwork approach to reopening across the country will prevent the economically crucial business travel segment from recovering until at least 2024, according to a Tourism Economics analysis released Tuesday by the U.S. Travel Association.
Wyndham Destinations, the world’s largest vacation ownership business, announced today the results of its most recent travel trends survey* which indicate vacationing is on the horizon for a majority of Americans this year.
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) has announced that its more than 250 managed hotels in North America will soon all become Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED™ with Forbes Travel Guide. Once the verification effort is completed, Sonesta will be the first hotel company to receive this important designation across its managed hotel portfolio, demonstrating Sonesta's commitment to the health and safety of its guests and team members. Sharecare's comprehensive verification process helps ensure that guests and travel planners can book with confidence knowing the appropriate health safety protocols and procedures are in place at Sonesta hotels. Each hotel's health and safety protocols and procedures will be verified using Sharecare's health security platform to confirm a comprehensive set of public health standards are met or exceeded including Sonesta's own successful Stay Safe with Sonesta health and cleanliness program.
Pyramid Hotel Group (PHG), a privately held Boston-based hotel and asset management company, announced an enhanced 2021 health and safety approach to meetings and events. The "Meeting Bubble" initiative follows local and CDC guidelines, implements the PHG protocols and allows groups to book entire or half floors, instead of the typical full hotel buyout. Additionally, each individual hotel offers hybrid meeting options through audio-visual capabilities as well as special perks, programming and incentives to facilitate safe meetings and events.
Given the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest guidance for fully vaccinated Americans, Airbnb guests are increasingly planning their summer travel, opting for off-the-beaten path locations. Searches for more remote destinations in the US over Memorial Day Weekend have increased by nearly 40 percent just in the past month–also indicating a potential economic boom for prospective Hosts in these locales.
The Southern California hotel workers' union today launched a new website, "COVIDHotelGrade.org" to alert Los Angeles County hotel guests which hotels have key guarantees in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Extended Stay America, Inc. (NASDAQ:STAY), the largest mid-priced extended-stay hotel brand, announced today the launch of Extended Stay America Premier Suites. The new brand will feature new construction and fully renovated properties with upgraded amenities to target higher-rated extended-stay guest segments, expanding Extended Stay America's reach. The Company will also rebrand the remaining portfolio to Extended Stay America Suites.
(ATLANTA, February 22, 2021) - hihotels by Hospitality International, a recognized leader in franchising of conversion and new build hotels for economy lodging, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2020 awards. These winning properties rose above all the nominees in meeting and exceeding the company's standards of operations last year.
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection ("Curator") is proud to welcome 11 member hotels from the prestigious Provenance collection, one of Curator's six founding members. These boutique lifestyle properties span cities across the United States, ranging from Hotel Lucia in Portland, Oregon, to The Old No. 77 Hotel in New Orleans, and are now members of Curator's growing portfolio. Curator's founding members represent an exceptional collection of 120+ independent lifestyle hotels and resorts, with many more poised to participate over the coming months.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,000 hotels across 90 countries, today announced plans for further growth with seven new hotel franchise agreements for its namesake, upscale, Wyndham® brand in the U.S. The hotels are owned by national hotel development company, The Thrash Group, and managed by Charlestowne Hotels. The properties include The Thrash Group's Origin Hotel Collection, consisting of five lifestyle hotels as well as one historic hotel and a brand new construction hotel all of which will operate under the Wyndham umbrella.
Aimbridge Hospitality, the leading, global, third-party hotel management company, announced it has added 25 Extended Stay America properties to its growing portfolio. With the addition of these new properties, all situated in prime locations throughout Texas and the Midwestern region, Aimbridge has become the largest third-party manager of Extended Stay America hotels.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) has awarded franchise agreements to Gulf Coast Hotel Management, Inc. to convert 15 MainStay Suites hotels in major markets across the U.S., the largest multi-unit transaction in the brand's history. These properties, which have already begun welcoming guests, significantly increase the brand's foothold in the midscale extended stay segment.
With tens of millions of Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving next week despite spiking COVID-19 infection numbers nationwide, the U.S. Travel Association on Thursday released an update to its guidance for healthy and safe travel—along with a plea for everyone to closely heed recommended best practices if traveling.
Support for the American Hotel & Lodging Association's (AHLA) Safe Stay initiative continues to grow with endorsements coming from leading scientists, physicians and public health experts in epidemiology and infectious disease. The new endorsements come from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Association for Linen Management which represents the personnel involved in the textile care industry, as well as a certified industrial hygienist and former infectious diseases epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Murray Cohen.
She Has a Deal, an education and investment platform for aspiring women hotel investors and developers, announced today its first annual hotel pitch competition taking place on October 24 at the Hilton McLean in Virginia. During the competition, the five finalist teams consisting of 12 women will pitch their strategic hotel projects to industry experts and investors as they vie for $50,000 in deal equity.
RLH Corporation (NYSE:RLH) has relaunched GuestHouse International as GuestHouse Extended Stay, targeting its efforts to meet the demand for longer-term stays with an upper-economy offering ideally suited for conversions. The concept will feature streamlined housekeeping services, community-centric guest amenities, and right-sized brand standards designed to maximize owner return on investment.
The IHG Owners Association, which represents IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) franchise hotel owners worldwide, held its Board of Director's third-quarter meeting in person, September 22-23 at the InterContinental® Buckhead in Atlanta, Ga.* The meeting is seen as a significant step towards returning to normal business practices and restoring consumer confidence in business travel.