STR reports U.S. hotel Pipeline for July 2008
The U.S. hotel development pipeline includes 5,943 hotels with 660,928 rooms according to the July STR/TWR/Dodge Construction Pipeline Report released this week. ...more

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Is This The Summer Of Our Hospitality Discontent? - By J. Ragsdale Hendrie
It has been tough, folks, and we do not need to beat the drums about the obvious, particularly in the United States. But, there are always silver linings, admiration for those Hospitality companies which have hunkered down and navigated the economic trough, as well as those who understand the cyclical nature of the business and have planned forward. ...more

'Don't Touch My Perks': Companies that Eliminate Them Risk Employee Backlash
Earlier this summer, when employees first learned of a Google plan to upgrade and dramatically raise the price of its day care program, they wept, according to an article in the New York Times. ...more

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In Hindsight 2007 Looks Great - Labor Costs Are A Concern - By Robert Mandelbaum
As we struggle through declining occupancy and below average ADR growth in 2008, the U.S. lodging industry looks back fondly at 2007. Throughout last year, hoteliers groused about slower RevPAR growth and single-digit gains in profits. By the time we finish 2008, the 7.2 percent bottom-line growth achieved in 2007 will seem like nirvana. ...more

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NPD Finds Morning Meal Drives Foodservice Industry in China
Day begins with steamed or pan-fried buns and soybean milk purchased from vendor ...more

All about Lunch breaks in France
New study of CHD Expert shows that over 60% of the working population prefer canteen food or self-prepared meals ...more

Food & Beverage - Eliminate Chronic Waste - By Joe Dunbar
Years back, one of my clients had a policy of brewing coffee fresh every 20 minutes. This simple policy caused an extremely high level of waste in off peak hours. They offered patrons a choice of house brew, hazelnut flavored, and vanilla flavored (regular roast and decaf for all three). ...more

Stanford Business School Research Examines: Do Samples Whet or Dampen Consumer Appetites?
Every grocery store knows that a hungry shopper is likely to buy more. On the other side are product marketers who would love to stuff customers with samples of specific items to obtain converts to their brands. Retailers worry: Could food and product sampling sate hunger-and with it, the desire to fill the grocery basket? ...more

Restaurant Trends - Growing And Emerging Concepts - Data reflects change and activity from April 11, 2008 to August 11, 2008
Update from Restaurantchains.net on growing and emerging restaurant concepts ...more

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Best Practices on Monitoring Hotel Review Sites - An Action Plan for Monitoring and Responding to Internet Chatter about Your Hotel - By Max Starkov and Mariana Mechoso
Hoteliers often ask HeBS how they can monitor the Internet chatter surrounding their hotels and whether or not they should pay for services that offer this type of monitoring. What hotel review websites should you monitor? How often should you check for reviews about your hotel on these websites? Should you provide a rebuttal for reviews? These are just a few of the questions hoteliers ponder on this subject. This article offers a free, quick, and easily implemented action plan for monitoring reviews about your hotel. ...more

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Improve Your Listening, Improve Your Service
Cornell Tool Shows Managers How to Be Better Listeners ...more

Lessons from the Field - Ways to Identify and Build Repeat Guests - By John Hogan
There are only two ways to get a new customer: 1. solicit a new customer any way you can. 2. Take good care of your present customers, so they don't become someone else's new customers. Ed Zeitz ...more

Consistency - the Key to Success - By Rob Rush
OK, let's get down to the bottom of this. Please stand up and raise your hand if you've been 'WOW-ed' lately. At the supermarket, dry cleaner, health club or hotel. Where have you had your socks knocked off...and then cleaned, pressed, folded and put away? ...more

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Beijing Hotel Market's Strong Olympic Performance
The Beijing hotel market has put in a strong performance for the opening days of the 2008 Beijing Games, seeing off a pre-Olympics lull according to data compiled by STR Global. ...more

June 2008 Canadian Lodging Outlook
Published in conjunction with STR (Smith Travel Research) and endorsed by the Hotel Association of Canada. This publication summarizes occupancy and average room rates from major cities in Canada. ...more

Canadian Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR - Week Ending August 9, 2008
Published in conjunction with STR (Smith Travel Research) and endorsed by the Hotel Association of Canada. This publication summarizes weekly occupancy and average room rates from major cities in Canada. ...more

Weekly U.S. Lodging Performance for the week ending August 16, 2008
The U.S. hotel industry posted declines in the key performance measurements of occupancy and revenue per available room during the week of 10 -16 August 2008, according to data from STR. ...more

Caribbean Hotels Face Several Threats In 2008
PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR), an affiliate of PKF Consulting, today announced that it has released its 2008 edition of Caribbean Trends in the Hotel Industry. The report finds that the Caribbean hotel industry faces some strong challenges going forward. ...more

HVS Market Intelligence Report: Downtown Phoenix, Arizona - By Kasia Kowalczyk
Real estate developments, biotech firms, billion-dollar investments, and big conventions are cropping up in Downtown Phoenix, helping to secure demand for area hotels. ...more

Canadian Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR - Week Ending August 16, 2008
Published in conjunction with STR (Smith Travel Research) and endorsed by the Hotel Association of Canada. This publication summarizes weekly occupancy and average room rates from major cities in Canada. ...more

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Casino City Releases 2008-2009 Indian Gaming Industry Report: Modest Growth in 2007
Gaming revenue at Indian gaming facilities was approximately $26.5 billion in 2007. ...more

Outrigger Hotels takes control of Web 2.0 by selecting Avalon BUZZ Report, the leading hotel solution
Avalon Report Corporation announced they have been selected by Outrigger Hotels & Resorts as the preferred solution for Web 2.0 monitoring. The intuitive Avalon BUZZ Report(C) will deliver on demand data regarding traveler reviews, ratings and other user generated content to hotels within Outrigger's premiere Pacific rim portfolio. ...more

Finally, A Destination Development Plan Which Delivers On The Promise - The Oregon 'Q Care Program' - By J. Ragsdale Hendrie
Slap some ideas on the wall, vote for those which slide the slowest, invest tightly budgeted dollars for ephemeral marketing, get the slogans and promises out to the public, and await the results. They will come, you assure your Stakeholders. Perhaps they will, loaded with expectations you have created. ...more

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New Survey Reveals Unique Habits and Preferences of Next Generation Travelers
Technological change has reinvented the manner in which travel service suppliers bring their products and services to the marketplace in recent years, and a new survey now reveals that emerging technology has had an equally profound effect on the behavior of those who use it. ...more

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Credit Crunch Hits Gap Year Travels As Trips Shrink By Half
Carefree Gap Years over as over 50% of travellers fear debt upon return Two thirds of students now travelling for only six months Lure of dangerous destinations a key factor for Gap Year itineraries ...more

Air Transport Association Projects 6 Percent Drop in Passengers During Eight-Day Labor Day Holiday Travel Period
The Air Transport Association of America, (ATA) forecasts that 16 million passengers will travel globally on U.S. airlines during the 2008 Labor Day holiday period, spanning Wed., Aug. 27 through Wed., Sept. 3. ...more

Travelocity Data Shows Cost for Summer Travel Lower Than Many Thought
Using airfare and hotel data of trips actually consumed by customers in July 2008 compared to July 2007, Travelocity was able to identify 14 major U.S. cities where the price difference of a vacation that included a flight and five-night hotel stay was less than $50. ...more

Hotwire.com Announces Top 10 Destinations for 2008 Labor Day Weekend
End of Summer Travelers Choose Chicago as the Number One Spot for the Third Consecutive Year ...more

Americans Pumped Up About Fall Travel
TripAdvisor Survey Reveals 82 Percent of American Respondents Planning to Travel this Fall and 29 Percent Taking More Car Trips Due to Dropping Gas Prices ...more

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