Food & Beverage - Food Cost and Break Even Point - By Joe Dunbar
In speaking with many local operators (completely unscientific sample), the consensus estimate is a 12% drop in revenue (year over year). This is tough to swallow with the current trends in food cost percentages. Since the cost of many commodities have risen, the impact of the revenue decline has hurt more than usual. We haven't seen the typical drop in ingredient costs which occur in many recessions. ...more

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Hotel Customer Satisfaction Improves in First Half of 2008 - 75% Of Airlines Decline
Market Metrix Announces Second Quarter 2008 Hospitality Index Results ...more

New Survey Reveals Staycations Planned by Fewer than One in Ten Travelers
A new survey of 2,231 U.S. adults reveals only 9 percent are planning a 'staycation,' or home-based vacation, as an alternative to a vacation they otherwise would have taken out of town during the next six months. This represents a significantly lower percentage than expected by industry analysts. ...more

New Travel Survey Finds French Tourists Are Booking The Most Hotel Rooms In The U.S. This Summer
With the euro and other foreign currencies trading favorably against the dollar, this summer is a good time for international tourists to visit the U.S. So who's coming to America? ...more

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YouTravel.com and DerbySoft Announce Partnership
Youtravel.com, the premier global resort booking specialist, has announced the first phase of a partnership with DerbySoft, the operator of China's hotel switch and Global Distribution Network. ...more

MICROS Systems, Inc. Acquires Fry, Inc.
MICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCRS) , a leading provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality and retail industries, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Fry, Inc., an e-commerce design, development, and managed services provider. Fry is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. ...more

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HEI Hotels & Resorts Promotes Anthony R. Rutledge to Chief Financial Officer
Rutledge, a senior partner at HEI and member of the company's executive committee and five member investment committee, will also retain his general counsel title. ...more

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The ANA Harbour Grand Hotel - Not just a tax case
The recent Australian Federal Court decision in Lilyvale Hotel Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [2008] FCA 103 not only raises some interesting issues for those in the hotel industry on tax losses, but also on 'agency' relationships. ...more

La Quinta Inns & Suites Achieves Record Growth in First Half of 2008
Highlights include more than 70 new franchise agreements, a burgeoning pipeline and the highest percentage of new construction properties opened in the first half of any year ...more

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InterContinental Hotels 1st Half profit falls, after taxes and administrative costs escalate
Net profits for the year to June 30 were $163 million, down from $219 million in the first six months of 2007. ...more

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Hoteliers' Online Action Plan in Slowing Economy
In today's economy, one has to be careful about how to spend their money wisely, and this is especially true in the hotel industry. Hoteliers invest their money in marketing to bring in more guests, but in a tough economy, business slows down. So how is it possible for us to thrive, despite slow business? ...more

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Four Points by Sheraton Opens in Victoria, British Columbia
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announces the grand opening of a newly constructed Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. ...more

Hilton Garden Inn Riverhead Opens Doors in New York
Hilton Garden Inn(R) the award-winning mid-priced brand, today announced the opening of the 114-room Hilton Garden Inn(R) Riverhead in Riverhead, NY which represents the latest addition to the brand's growing portfolio of more than 380 Hilton Garden Inn locations across North America and Europe. ...more

Microtel Inns & Suites Economy Lodging Brand Opens 300th Hotel
The Microtel Inns & Suites brand, an all-new construction economy lodging chain recently acquired by Wyndham Hotel Group, celebrated a milestone this week with the opening of its 300th hotel in Delphos, Ohio. ...more

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Hispanic Hotel Owners Association To Hold First Hotel, Development and Investment Conference October 8-10
The Hispanic Hotel Owners Association (HHOA), a rapidly growing non-profit organization that seeks to increase Latino ownership of hotels, today announced that it will hold its First Hotel, Development and Investment Conference, October 8-10 at the Doral Resort and Spa in Miami, Fla. Hilton Hotels Corporation is the title sponsor. ...more

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Priceline, Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity Discuss The Future of Online Travel in Las Vegas
For over 10 years EyeforTravel's Travel Distribution Summit has featured senior speakers from hotels, airline and online agencies. This year, we have brought together leading executives from America's biggest online travel agencies to speak on today's fundamental issues in online travel: Innovative sales and marketing techniques, the role of traditional online intermediaries and crucially, how to ride out the current economic downturn. ...more

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