Global Hospitality News - ARCHIVE 2002

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News Archive for December, 2002

December 16- 31, 2002

December 16, 2002

CEO Performance During Crisis

Written By:  Keith Kefgen & Christopher Mumford HVS Executive Search

It is unlikely that many in the lodging industry will forget the year 2001 in a hurry although many may want to. The onset of a recession followed by 9/11 had a dramatic impact on industry prices.  In addition, the Enron debacle has put corporate governance under the microscope, including executive pay performance. It is a testimony to the leadership and consistency of Charles Ledsinger at Choice Hotels that, one year after collecting the HVS Executive Search 'Board of the Year' award, he receives the award for top performing CEO.   

For detailed survey results,Click Here

Professional Development Programs at The Cornell School of Hotel Administration Celebrate 75 Years of Leadership: 1928 - 2003

The Cornell School of Hotel Administration is celebrating 75 years of educational leadership in the hospitality industry by looking into the future with their 2003 Anheuser-Busch Professional Development Program (PDP).

For further details,Click Here

China: Opportunity but where are the profits?

Yes, we all know it. China is the land of opportunity particularly at a time when most markets are sputtering. Why then isn't anyone making money from their investments? This was a question posed at the Hotel Investment Conference Asia-Pacific by Robert Broadfoot, managing director of the Political & Economic Risk Consultancy, who said this was the challenge facing China in its next phase of growth.  

For details,Click Here

Planned Hong Kong airport exhibition space scaled down 

The SAR government will foot most of the bills for a proposed International Exhibition Centre at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport, putting in 85 per cent or US$125 million of funding in the 59.92m2 project. Private developers will put in a mere 15 per cent.  

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Debswana, Kerzner Group in talks to build hotel resorts

There are consultations between Debswana and some hotel groups to build hotels in Botswana, says the company's corporate communications Manager Jacob Sesinyi. Sesinyi says the Kerzner Group of hotels that are owned by hotel and casino magnate Sol Kerzner and Global Resorts have held meetings with Debswana.  

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Successful meetings for global business travelers

What you expect from a business meeting is not what a colleague or potential client from another country might expect. To ensure success, follow these tips from cross-cultural consultant and trainer Eleonore Breukel.  

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Spain's Government plans to increase hotels' use of internet

Spain's Minister for the Economy, Rodrigo Rato, has revealed that the main component in the Government's new tech plan for the tourism industry is to increase use of the internet amongst hotel companies from the mere 5 per cent who use it at present to 75 per cent by 2005.

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Travel Agencies Woo Small-Business Clients

Ally Haynes, who manages travel for a New York company called Entertainment Events, recently cut her spending more than 20 percent by a simple means: switching travel agencies. Entertainment Events, which books national tours of shows like "Late Nite Catechism," became a customer of Expedia's new corporate travel program in August , and now saves anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 a month on a budget that averages less than $5,000 a month.

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Australian Tourism industry expected to lose $38b over next decade

Director of the Bureau of Tourism Research Peter Robbins says international tourism had been predicted to grow by 7.3 per cent per annum over the next 10 years. But he says terrorism and an economic downturn have placed the new growth forecast at 4.8 per cent, a loss of about 2.4 million visitors.

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One in three hoteliers fear for the safety of their properties, survey reveals

One in three hoteliers fear for the safety of their properties - and many have done nothing to step up security following 9/11 and the Bali bombings. These are two of the key findings from an extensive online hotel security survey conducted by HOTEL Asia Pacific magazine and hospitality technology consultancy Pertlink immediately after the terrorist attack in Bali that claimed more than 190 lives.  

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A Hyatt IPO? Not So Hot

Despite Hyatt's stature as one of the best-run hotel chains around--not to mention its impressive balance sheet--the prospect of its public stock offering is being met with skepticism by the investment community. "There really isn't any new public equity being invested in this industry right now. I can't even remember when the last secondary offering was," says Bjorn Hanson, who manages the hospitality practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. PricewaterhouseCoopers has audited Hyatt's books for two decades.

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December 17, 2002

Club Med chairman to resign

The head of French leisure group Club Med announced his surprise resignation Monday as the company reported another substantial loss in a global context of crisis for the tourism industry.

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TIA Forecasts Flat Winter Travel Season

According to the latest seasonal forecast from the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), travel by Americans will remain relatively flat this winter (December, January, February). Americans are expected to take more than 139 million pleasure person-trips during the winter 2002-2003 season, up just one-half percent from last winter. The slower travel growth this year follows the record winter travel season last year. 

For detailed report,Click Here

Parkroyal: Ready to roll in Asia

The Parkroyal brand is ready to roll out in Asia after settling behind-the-scenes wrangling. Said Scott Butcher, Park Pacific Hotels and Resorts (PPHR) senior vice president for hotel operations, "Parkroyal has been quiet because of changes in Australia. We've got to come out and say, 'the Parkroyal is alive and well here'. We will be approaching people, building relationships with the trade."  

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Banyan Tree Boss: Don't drop prices

Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts' joint managing director, Edwin Yeow, has urged hoteliers in markets affected by the current crisis not to drop prices drastically.  

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Top Lodging Industry Leaders To Speak At ALIS 2003

Nearly 200 of today's most dynamic lodging industry executives will be speakers and moderators during the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), Jan. 27-29, 2003, at The Century Plaza Hotel & Spa and the St. Regis Los Angeles Hotel and Spa in Los Angeles, Calif. Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the three day event addresses the investment community's unique needs and concerns.

For details,Click Here

Discipline: The Most Dreaded Management Task

By Christina Morfeld

Do you regard discipline and punishment as one and the same? If so, that may explain your uneasiness at the thought of disciplining employees who exhibit substandard conduct or work quality - particularly those who fail despite their best efforts. At some point, unfortunately,  you will probably be faced with unacceptable on-the-job behavior or performance. Resist the urge to ignore these problems, as the long-term effects of doing so can be much more devastating than your short-term discomfort with confronting them.  

For detailed report,Click Here

Corinthia expands in Hungary and Libya

Caterer.com  -  Corinthia Hotels of Malta continues its programme of rapid expansion with the opening of its second hotel in Hungary and its first in Libya. The company which, five years ago, had just four hotels will end this year with 22 four- and five-star properties, most of them company-owned, in 10 countries in Europe and Africa.

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Doha to face shortage of hotel rooms during Asiad

Some 20,000 foreign spectators are expected to visit Doha during the 2006 Asian Games, whereas currently only 4,000 hotel rooms are available in the city. Traffic management during the sporting event, which is likely to last about two weeks, and transportation facilities for these visitors will be a major challenge as Qatar neither has a rail network nor a public road transport system and only taxis to rely on.  

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Economic woes in Europe hit QMH

Caterer.com  -  Hotel company Queens Moat Houses (QMH) said it has yet to see any evidence of a sustained recovery in the hotel industry. In an update for the first 11 months of the year ending 29 December, QMH said that although there had been some early signs of strengthening demand in the UK, trading in Continental Europe had been more difficult.  

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Business travelers: 5 things on your to-do list

Boy Scouts are taught to be prepared. What about business travelers? They must learn about safety and survival on their own - today, more so than ever. But many haven't. About 70% of travelers are not insured for medical or safety problems that may stop a trip, according to industry estimates. And only a fraction of road warriors subscribe to services that keep them posted on security developments, or carry a device that improves their safety on the road.  

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Six Continents relaunches enhanced loyalty programme

Six Continents Hotels has re-launched its Priority Club Rewards programme after polling 1,200 consumers in five Asia-Pacific markets, and members will earn double points for their second stay at any Inter-continental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express or Staybridge Suites hotel worldwide from January 13 to March 31 next year.  

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Mainlanders top Hong Kong's tourism market

Hong Kong has seen a surge in the number of mainland tourists in the past five years as the mainland became its biggest tourism market, said a Hong Kong official attending the Jiangsu Hong Kong Week. Hong Kong Tourism Board statistics show that in 2001, the region received a record 13.7 million tourists, of whom more than one third came from the mainland.

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December 18, 2002

Budget Sector Proving Resilient

Findings from an analysis of data provided to the HotelBenchmark Survey

Our research examines the relative performance of the European hotel sector over the last 12 months and highlights strategies that have been adopted to cope with 9/11 and the deteriorating economic conditions.  To mitigate the impact of seasonality we have tracked the performance of a consistent sample of hotels between January 1999 and September 2002 and analysed the data on a rolling 12-month basis.   

For detailed report and analysis,Click Here

News @ PATA

HASTINGS TO LEAVE PATA -   PATA Managing Director Europe and The Americas, Mr. Bill Hastings, has announced his resignation, effective January 23, 2003. During his eight years with PATA, Mr. Hastings served as Director of Communications, Director-Americas and Managing Director-Europe & The Americas and was involved in the revamping of PATA's communications efforts and the move into consumer marketing with a US advertising and promotional campaign. 

For this weeks PATA news and update,Click Here

Cornell Report shows how to boost restaurants' efficiency, improve profits

Now there's help for professionals whose restaurants may be losing customers and revenues because they don't work as efficiently as they could. A team of Cornell researchers has developed an innovative process to help restaurant operators isolate and assess the management decisions that lead to productive, or unproductive, restaurant operations.  

For details,Click Here

European Hotel Transactions Country Analyses UK and Scandinavia and Central & Eastern Europe

The fourth and fifth in the series of European Hotel Transactions - by country analysis, which have taken place between 1999 and September 2002. This week's edition focuses on the UK and Scandinavia and Central & Eastern Europe.

Each week we intend to focus on a specific country or region. The criterion set for the single asset transactions to be included within our survey, is that each asset has transacted at or above €7.5 million. All sales transactions are either in the public domain or researched by HVS International.

For the UK report,Click Here

Australia Tourism falls to new low

Australia's  tourism industry will suffer the effects of a slump for at least a decade, according to predictions in a new Federal Government report. In the aftermath of the Bali bombing, the Tourism Forecasting Council has slashed its earnings predictions for the sector by more than $ 7 billion over the next 10 years.

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Spas gaining in popularity in Dubai

Spas throughout Dubai, and the treatments they offer, are gaining in popularity with regular male users now visiting spas at least once a month, according to an industry survey. The survey, conducted by the MKM Group, which owns and operates the luxury Cleopatra's Spa brand, revealed 74% of those interviewed frequent spas, a third of them men  

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Tourism: Region comes to Bali's rescue

Two months after the Bali blasts, Southeast Asian countries are busy working on a homemade remedy - regional travel - to make up for the slack on tourism during what should be a much busier travel season.

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Malaysia tells tourists to cover up

Malaysia has seen a sharp fall in the number of tourists visiting its resorts. Tourist arrivals have fallen by almost a third to between 100,000 and 300,000 visitors a month. The whole of South East Asia has seen a similar pattern since the terrorist attacks on Bali in neighbouring Indonesia two months ago. And now Malaysia's tourism industry - the country's second largest foreign exchange earner - is facing new challenges as the government asks sunbathers on its golden beaches to cover themselves up.  

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Domestic tourism in India grows sharply in 2002

Despite a general gloom in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks, domestic tourism in the country has registered a 23 percent increase over last year, Union Tourism Secretary Rathi Vinay Jha said today.

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Four Seasons appoints two members to Board of Directors

Isadore Sharp, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts today announced two appointments to the Board of Directors of the Corporation, effective immediately.

For details,Click Here

December 19, 2002

Who is in and who is out… Global Staff Movements

Edited by Benoit Gateau-Cumin, President, The Boutique Search Firm

For the popular update on Global Staff Movements,   Click Here

New hotels planned as Permira buys Travelodge/ Little Chef for ?712m

e-Tid.com - Catering group Compass has sold its budget hotel chain Travelodge and roadside restaurant business Little Chef to venture capitalists Permira for ?712m. Compass said the new owner will 'accelerate' the new hotel openings planned for Travelodge, already the UK's second biggest budget hotel chain offering 12,000 rooms.

For details,Click Here

NBTA Predicts Corporate Travel Expenditures Will Remain Flat in 2003; Full Recovery in Corporate Travel Not Expected Before 2004

Corporate travel expenditures dipped in 2002 and will most likely remain flat in 2003, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and underwritten by Merrill Lynch.  

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Travelocity joins booking-fee trend

Travelocity plans to initiate a $5 booking fee for airline tickets purchased on its North American Web sites, company officials said Friday. Travelocity's move comes within days of competitor Expedia'sannouncement that it would institute a similar fee. Travelocity was the final holdout in the online travel business in regard to charging such fees.  

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UK Hotels could be in the dock for failing to comply with environmental regulations

Leisure/hospitality companies must register with the Environment Agency by 31 December; Companies could risk fines of up to 2.5% of turnover . Hotels, pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants with a turnover of more than ?2 million per annum which handle over 50 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year have a  financial obligation towards recycling and recovering the packaging under the 1997 Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations legislation.   

For details,Click Here

Brighter outlook for business travel

The downturn in the global economy has been especially harsh on the travel industry, but things may be picking up for hotels and airlines, particularly in Germany. According to a new survey from Accenture of Germany-based corporate travelers, 85 percent of the 420 respondents say they expect to increase their business travel within the next six months.

For details,Click Here

Six Senses Spas plans expansion

Six Senses Spas, a subsidiary of the Bangkok-based hotel and resort operator Six Senses Group, is talking to a third-party international hotel chain to open spa facilities in its Thai hotel properties, said Anna Keen the company's area spa manager for Asia.  

For details,Click Here

Top 40 rankings in Austria's tourism

Schmoll & Partner (S&P tourism consulting) a tourism specialist consulting company in Austria, operating for over 20 years, has evaluated again the Austrian hospitality industry. The survey covering a Top 40 ranking was conducted on behalf of Austria?s tourism magazine "Hotel & Touristik". Over 150 tourism related operators have been asked for their operating results concerning annual revenues, number of fulltime employees, annual occupied rooms and GOP.  

For details and top rankings,Click Here

Marriott International Opens 2,500th Hotel

Marriott International, Inc. announced today that the company has opened its 2,500th hotel worldwide, with the completion of the 950-room JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, in Phoenix, Ariz. The milestone marks a year that has seen Marriott open 128 hotels and more than 20,000 rooms through the third quarter of 2002. This is in line with previously announced plans to add 25,000 to 30,000 rooms per year in 2002, 2003 and 2004.  

For details,Click Here

Australia: New hotels squeeze room rates

Hotel operators are braced for tough times in Victoria as room supply rises an estimated 8.5 per cent by 2004 and overall demand and rates continue to slide.
Despite tight trading conditions throughout the year, four hotels have opened since May in the CBD and Southbank, and at least four are due to open in the next 12 months.

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The Taj Mahal Mumbai Hotel Completes 100 Eventful Years

From the hallowed halls of the grand old lady of Indian hospitality, stories of suicides, back-to-front facades, defiance towards the British and social slights by the Yatch Club have circulated, grown and taken root. The Taj Mahal Mumbai - flagship of the Taj group, Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata's symbol for a 'grand India' and a world recognised icon turned 100-years-old - and was wished in grand style.  

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Discounts Flow as Hotels Vie for Corporate Clients

In negotiations with the big hotel chains for next year's rate packages, corporations are playing hardball - and winning. Desperate for business in a buyer's market, many hotels are offering reductions of 1 percent to 5 percent from this year's rates - sometimes without even being asked.

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The Grand Hotel Wien is the "Austrian Hotel of the Year 2003"

The Grand Hotel Wien has been awarded "Austrian Hotel of the Year 2003" by "Der gro?e Restaurant and Hotel Guide", one of the most prestigious and well-known German hotel and restaurant guides. According to the guide's editors, the Grand Hotel Wien is a "traditional hotel, which has excellently mastered the leap into the new millenium", and which is "inspired by the flair of the monarchy and the music of Johann Strauss".

For details,Click Here

Time to go forward, says Bali  tourism director

The director of the Bali Tourism Authority, IG Pitana, has promised that the Bali government and the Balinese community will use the October 12 bombings as a spur to build a better Bali. "The tragedy of the Kuta bombings will be used as a turning point to improve the safety and security of visitors to Bali," he said.  

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December 20, 2002

For Travel Industry, a Year to Forget

It says, in a sentiment echoed by industry executives, mileage kings and queens, flight attendants and pilots, that air travel simply isn't as much fun as it used to be. The year nears its end with almost one-third of the domestic airline industry's capacity in bankruptcy, as represented by United Airlines' nearly 20 percent market share and US Airways' 10 percent share. An epoch, meanwhile, is commemorated today with the 99th anniversary and the start of the centennial commemoration of the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903.  

For detailed report,Click Here

Bali Hoteliers hold the line

Bali's hoteliers are divided over when their business will return to good health, and when they should relaunch their products with advertising and promotion.  

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New appointments at BHA

Caterer.com  -  Andrew Guy, chief executive of City Centre Restaurants, has been elected chairman of the British Hospitality Association's (BHA's) national executive. He succeeds Peter Taylor, managing director of the Town House Company, Edinburgh.

For details, Click Here

Employee Self-Service Applications

By Christina Morfeld

Much to the dismay of Human Resources professionals worldwide, HR activities tend to be dominated by "administrivia" - paperwork, telephone inquiries, and drop-in visits. These demands often force HR staff members to be reactive - rather than proactive - in their pursuits. One benefit of implementing an employee self-service (ESS) application is that HR groups are freed up to play more strategic roles in their organizations.  

For detailed report,Click Here

Bali downturn likely to be prolonged

Interim  figures obtained by balidiscovery.com show November arrivals to Bali slumped to only 31,377 direct foreign arrivals, a figure down 57 percent from November 2001.  

For details,Click Here

Pacific Islands Well Placed To Lead World Tourism Growth

The Pacific Islands are well placed to attract some of the displaced demand from south-east Asian resort destinations during this period of political uncertainty, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.  The firm's latest report FocusOn Pacific Islands, addresses the limited analysis available on the regions' tourism and hotel markets.  It covers the major markets of Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa, French Polynesia, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.   

For details,Click Here

Australian meeting industry leaders remain optimistic about the future

In a year book-ended by the twin tragedies of 9/11 and the Bali bombings, the leaders of Australia's meetings, incentive and exhibition associations remain upbeat about the future. In the lead up to the region's largest industry event, AIME 2003, the 11th AsiaPacific Incentives and Meetings Expo, they provide their views on the state of the meetings industry.  

For details,Click Here

HSMAI Foundation Focuses Research On Defining Value Drivers For Business, Leisure Hotel Customers

While the hospitality industry generally operates on the assumption that the traditional value items such as price points, location and personal service continue to be the key drivers affecting customer choice, the changing paradigms in almost all facets of consumer behavior suggest that the value drivers for purchases of hospitality services may also have undergone a shift in recent years.

For detailed report, Click Here

Marriott Launches Wireless Internet Access at 400 Hotels

Marriott International, Inc. announced  that it plans to install wireless high-speed internet access at 400 hotels in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. It is the largest deployment of wireless high-speed internet access in the hotel industry, and the new service will be available at select Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites hotels. 

For details,Click Here

Japan:  Discount travel agents take the unwary for a ride

Marco Solas was looking forward to getting out of Tokyo and spending some time with his family back in Britain -- until the discount travel agency that was handling his ticket went belly up, leaving him stranded and out of more than 200,000 yen.  

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NZ Queenstown hotel best in world

It used to be one of Queenstown's (New Zealand) best known watering holes but these days the Eichardt's hotel is attracting attention from around the globe. An American writer who rates hotels for the rich and famous has named it the best in its class.  

For details,Click Here

December 23, 2002

Are Hotels A Predictor Of City Success?

Study On Hotel Properties And How They Influence The Success Of A City - By Melinda McKay - Senior VP Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels - Chicago, As part of Jones Lang LaSalle's Winning Cities and Property Futures research projects, Melinda McKay, Senior Vice President of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, has authored a study on hotel properties and how they influence the success of a city. Winning Cities is a Jones Lang LaSalle/LaSalle Investment Management research program aimed at defining the essence of competitiveness in cities of the future and using this analysis to pick winning locations ahead of the curve for property market players.  

For further details,Click Here

The Road To Recovery

The Foundation - The World Tourism Organization set up Recovery Committee in late 2001 during its General Assembly in Seoul and Osaka following the 9-11 tragedy. The WTO with its Recovery Committee, is a catalyst for the public-private alliances needed for the recovery of world tourism. An "Emergency task force" became active immediately after the General Assembly in order to set an agenda to revive international tourism. The Objective - Mr Tom Nutley, Managing Director of Reed Travel Exhibitions, in the recent World Travel Mart (London) put the objective of the road to recovery simply: "The industry needs lasting peace ---."  

For detailed report,Click Here

Meetings & Conventions' News

PricewaterhouseCoopers has wrapped up the year in lodging and released its forecasts for the years ahead. Based on statistics from Smith Travel Research, occupancy in 2002 will be the lowest in 31 years -- an estimated 59.3 percent. Of all the hotel segments -- upper upscale, upscale, midscale with F&B, midscale without F&B and economy -- the least bruised seems to be the midscale without F&B. 

For detailed report,Click Here

Club Med chief targets 72-75% occupancy levels

e-Tid.com  -  Club Med's executive chairman Henri Giscard d'Estaing has told FT that occupancy levels of 72-75% can generate an 'acceptable level of profit'.
d'Estaing took over from Philippe Bourguignon last week. He reiterated Club Med's decision to put its gym and leisure centre plans on hold and concentrate on its core village business.

For details,Click Here

Phuket Tourism: Terror fears add to slump

Phuket's hotel industry is experiencing a slump due to increased competition and terrorism concerns following the bombing at the Indonesian resort of Bali. "The performance of hotels depends on their marketing strategy," said Anuparp Thirarath, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's southern office.

For details,Click Here

Best New Business Hotels Of 2002

Although 2002 was a slower than average year for new hotel construction, several outstanding hotels did have their grand openings in 2002. The vast majority of hotels that opened this year are chains, such as five-star behemoths Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons and the rapidly expanding W group. But the hotel sector with the most openings this year was the mid-market range, which includes places such as Hilton Hotels subsidiary Hampton Inn or Starwood Hotels & Sheraton Four Points.

For details of this Forbes.com report,Click Here

Six Continents Hotels Rolls Out Aggressive Global Sales Strategy For 2003

Six Continents Hotels, the world's most global hotel company is implementing an aggressive global sales strategy to gain greater market share over its competitors. Six Continents Hotels is investing in its direct sales force like never before and in the first quarter of 2003, will add more than 30 sales professionals to its global sales team.  

For details,Click Here

Technology on show at EIBTM 2003

Reed Travel Exhibitions has pulled out all stops to ensure EIBTM 2003 is the most innovative industry event ever. A new Technology Village and its highly regarded WorldWide Watch programme are two key attractions at that set EIBTM apart from would-be competitors.  

For details,Click Here

Accor pulls out of Myanmar

French hotel group Accor  has confirmed that it has ceased management of its hotels in Myanmar. "In view of the ongoing political and social situation in Myanmar, I can confirm that Accor has decided to put an end to managing both hotels, Sofitel Plaza Yangon and Novotel Mandalay, in that country," Accor's manager PR & communications - Asia, Tom Racette, told TravelWeekly.  

For details,Click Here

Seoul's Luxury Hotels to Hike Charge by 5%

Most of Seoul's luxury hotels are to raise their room charges by 5 percent next year, sources in the hotel industry said Friday.  

For details,Click Here

Hilton International Exits Hotel in Taipei

Hilton International will end its management of the Hilton Taipei owned by Kuo Yu Development Corporation (Kuo Yu) from January 1, 2003 under a mutual agreement announced last month.

For details,Click Here

AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp. is newest partner of Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research

The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration welcomes AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp. as its newest partner. Kevin P. Fitzpatrick, Cornell Class of '76, announced his firm's partnership commitment this November during a visit to the Hotel School as a guest lecturer in the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series. 

For details,Click Here

2003 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is sure to whet your appetite

Fresh ideas and inspiring changes will herald the 2003 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival to be held 28 March - 13 April 2003. The Festival will feature more than 100 events over 17 days in Melbourne and around the state, highlighting the extraordinary depth of the food and wine industry in Victoria. The most significant change will be to Master Class - scheduled for 29 and 30 March 2003.   

For details,Click Here

Australia Tourism Exoport Industry Recovery must be focus for 2003

Final international visitor arrivals to Australia figures for October 2002, released by the ABS, reveal that the number of visitors to Australia was 13.3 percent up on the corresponding month in 2001. Preliminary arrivals for November are also up 12.8 percent. However, the 11-month January to November comparison is down 0.9 percent.  

For details,Click Here

December 24, 2002

Chain-affiliated Occupancy Rising in 2003 -  Rates to Follow in 2004 and 2005

Quarterly lodging industry performance forecasts prepared by Boston-based Torto Wheaton Research and Hospitality Research Group were recently released to clients and subscribers.  The forecasts are for chain-affiliated properties in the 54 largest metropolitan markets and are based on actual performance levels through the third quarter of 2002 as compiled by Smith Travel Research and are developed using HRG/TWR proprietary forecasting models.  

For detailed report,Click Here

HSMAI 2003 Calendar  for Industry Events

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has announced several industry events and programs to take place in 2003.  HSMAI events highlight educational sessions as well as business-to-business forums for buyers and suppliers of hospitality, travel and tourism. 

For further details,Click Here

Riedel Named Chairman Of The 2003 IH/M&RS Board Of Directors

Paul F. Riedel has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors for the 2003 International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show? (IH/M&RS). Riedel succeeds Xavier S. Lividini, who will continue to serve on the Board.

For details,Click Here

Employee vs. Independent Contractor: A Game of 20 Questions

By Christina Morfeld

In today's economic climate, downsizing is an unfortunate reality for many businesses. Despite staff reductions, a company must continue to produce if it is to survive long term. While contingent staffing may seem like a logical way to get the work done (and keep headcount - and associated employment costs such as taxes and benefits - down), think twice before engaging the services of a so-called "independent contractor."  

For detailed report,Click Here

Record turnout for ITC&MA 2002  

Results are in for this year's Incentive Travel & Convention, Meetings Asia (ITC&MA), held in Bangkok - it drew a record turnout of 260 exhibitors from 30 countries and 320 hosted and trade buyers from 37 countries, including 70 international media members.

For details,Click Here

Bali bombing fails to trigger tourism gain for Fiji

An expected tourism surge in Fiji following the Bali bomb attacks has apparently failed to materialise. The chief executive of the Fiji Visitors Bureau, Bill Gavoka, says the bombing had not made any significant difference, and if anything, has made people even more cautious about taking overseas holidays.

For details,Click Here

December 26, 2002

EU lets Accor take controlling stake in Germany's Dorint hotels

The EU executive Commission on Monday agreed to let France's Accor SA - Europe's largest hotel group - buy a controlling stake in Germany's Dorint hotels. The move will strengthen Accor's position "but it will continue to face sufficient competition" in Germany, it said in a statement.

For details,Click Here

Marriott Reaches Settlement With Hotel Owner

Marriott International Inc. said Monday that it has reached an agreement with one of its hotel owners that will end litigation between the firms. Marriott had sued Flatley Co., owner of the Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel, for trying to end its 30-year contract to manage the hotel. Flatley then sued Bethesda-based Marriott in August, accusing the nation's largest hotel-management company of fraud, accounting irregularities and taking kickbacks from suppliers, one of a flurry of hotel owner lawsuits filed this year against Marriott.  

For details,Click Here

Air Travel Survey Finds 30 Percent Of Business Travelers Flew Less Last Year

Nearly Half Of All Business Travelers Utilize Alternative Technology In Place Of Travel  -  The Travel Industry Association of America's (TIA) latest consumer poll, the Air Travel Survey, examines the possible reasons for the continued declines in air travel. Sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the survey was based on a representative sample of 4,000 travelers who have traveled by air at least once in the past year.

For details,Click Here

News @ PATA

BALI CONFERENCE SHAPING UP WELL During December 13-18 PATA management held a positive and encouraging site visit to the 2003 PATA Annual Conference venue. PATA was reassured of several measures undertaken by local authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of all 2003 Conference delegates attending the Bali International Convention Centre and surrounding hotels. PATA Managing Director-Events, Ms. Sheila Leong, said: "PATA has received a range of operational assurances from all the concerned authorities. It has been very encouraging and bodes well for the success of Conference." 

For the rest of  this week's PATA news and update, Click Here

New Year Promises New Revenues For Caribbean Hotels

Hundreds of hoteliers throughout the Caribbean can now earn healthy revenues with little or zero marketing costs. The Caribbean Hotel Association Charitable Trust (CHACT), the body mandated to market the Caribbean with a single voice, has disclosed that effective immediately the entire membership of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) will be eligible to list its inventory on the CHACT online travel site (www.gocaribbean.com) and benefit from both website and telesales 

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Tourist record for NZ

The New Zealand tourism industry has reached a milestone, welcoming more than two million visitors in a year for the first time. It was only 10 years ago that New Zealand was attracting one million visitors a year.

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Visit Philippines 2003 campaign launched in bid for more tourists

The Visit Philippines (VP) 2003 program was launched at the SM City Cebu over the weekend. The World Tourism Organization (WTO)-endorsed visit-country year has made Cebu's tourism stakeholders optimistic about the industry's prospects for next year.

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Australia, Indonesia to jointly work to promote Bali tourism

Australia and Indonesia will jointly work to revive Bali's ailing tourism industry hit hard by the deadly bomb blast last October. The Australia Indonesia Association and the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra will undertake a promotion in Sydney next March.  

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Fairmont Hotels & Resorts - Good as Gold!

Two-Thirds of Fairmont's Portfolio on Cond? Nast Traveler's Gold List   -According to Cond? Nast Traveler's Gold List, an annual reader's choice poll, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts epitomizes the gold standard, with 27 of its world-class properties making the list in 2003.  Rated on criteria including location, activities, service and guestrooms, the list is based on magazine-subscriber votes.  

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Spain Nov hotel occupancy 45.30 pct, down 5.46 pct pts year-on-year

Hotel occupancy dropped 5.46 pct points in November from a year earlier to 45.30 pct, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said.

In a statement, INE said a total of 3.7 mln travellers stayed in the country's hotels in November.

December 27, 2002

Lodging Industry Won't Rebound Until 2004

The lodging industry will rebound very slightly in 2003 from its worst slump in about a decade, but it will be another year before travelers push hotels back to pre-2001 recession levels, a top industry consultant said on Thursday. "It will be 2004 before the industry experiences any kind of real turnaround," Bjorn Hanson, who heads the hotel consulting practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, said at a lodging industry briefing in New York.  

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Travel Industry Helped by Web, Frequency

The travel industry seems to be flourishing as research finds that half of all U.S. Internet users - equaling roughly 59 million individuals - have made a travel purchase online, and more than 2-in-10 adults are frequent domestic travelers.  

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Macao's tourism industry grows rapidly in 2002

Macao's tourism industry has developed rapidly in 2002, buoyed by the huge influx of China's inlanders. The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China saw 10. 46 million tourist arrivals in the first 11 months of the year, outnumbering the figure for 2001.  

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Philippine Tourist travel 'booming'

The arrival of nearly two million tourists this year has belied all fears that terror threats can dampen the tourism industry, according to Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon. The number of tourists totalled 1.86 million as of December 22, or 98.27 per cent of the country's target of 1.9 million for the year.  

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Christmas gives Bali a boost, but future bleak for the bomb-scarred island

Kadek Wiranatha, whose Paddy's bar was destroyed in the Oct. 12 Bali bombings, has closed two of his hotels and delayed the launch of the island's first airline. His Bounty Hotel remains open, but is mostly empty. His workers have jobs for now, but complain that their incomes have been halved because there are no tourists to tip them.  

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International tourist arrivals in Thailand set to exceed projection

Despite the slowdown in the world travel industry, international tourist arrivals in Thailand this year are poised to surpass expectations and reach 10.7 million, 6 percent more than last year, the Bangkok Post reported Tuesday.  

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Hong Kong tourism leaders call for a policy blueprint

Travel industry groups yesterday urged the government to do more to maintain Hong Kong's reputation as a top tourist destination. The Joint Council of the Travel Industry of Hong Kong has submitted a 20-point proposal to Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung and the Commissioner for Tourism, Rebecca Lai Ko Wing-yee. The proposal is topped by a demand for a policy blueprint to develop tourism up to 2020.  

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Manhattan hotel room price plunges to 7-year low

The average price of a Manhattan hotel room reached a seven-year low in 2002. According to estimates from PricewaterhouseCoopers, average room rates slipped to $137 this year from last year's depressed $141.

Rates are predicted to increase to $146 in 2003, a figure that does not come close to the industry record of $222 per night in 2000. Occupancy for 2002 increased slightly, to 74% from 73.3% last year, and is predicted to rise to 76% in 2003.

December 30, 2002

New Swiss chief executive of Corinthia Hotels International

Pierre Boppe, 55, an accomplished international hotelier who recently joined the board of directors of Corinthia Hotels International Limited, has taken on the additional responsibilities of chief executive officer, starting in January.  

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French Accor group wants to contribute to Morocco's tourism development

Accor, Europe's leading tourism group, said it wishes to contribute to Morocco's drive to gain 10 million tourists by 2010. "Morocco is a politically stable country and this stability is very important for foreign investors," said Marc Thepot, head of Accor's Morocco branch.

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Egypt:  Tourism Holding Its Breath

Egypt's tourism sector is confident that it has what it takes to regain and maintain pre-September 11th arrival figures, but talk of a US-led war on Iraq is dampening what might otherwise be guarded good cheer for the country's foreign-exchange darling.

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Workplace Literacy: Are Your Employees Making the Grade?

Chances are that you have at least one employee who performs below acceptable levels. Perhaps he or she makes seemingly careless errors, consistently fails to follow instructions, or doesn't comply with your organization's "continuous improvement" requirements.  

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Jay Pritzker Unsuccessfully Tried to Ensure  Smooth Business Transition

Four years before Jay Pritzker's death, the scion of the billionaire Chicago family tried to ensure that his family's business dynasty would survive into the next generation.  He called a family meeting and distributed a two-page memo to 11 heirs, naming his son, Thomas, as his successor and outlining the family's business philosophy.   

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Malaysia 2002 tourist arrivals to match 2001

Malaysia's tourist arrivals for 2002 will match the 2001 figure of 12.77 mln, which was up 25 pct from 2000, the New Straits Time said, quoting statistics from Tourism Malaysia.  

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2003 offers "great opportunity" for tourism, says BTA

Caterer.com  -  The signs for continued growth and recovery are good for 2003, but there is still a lot of work to be done, says the British Tourist Authority (BTA). In its Prospects and Trends 2003 report, the BTA said that 2003 would represent a "great opportunity" for tourism around the world.

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Turks and Caicos Island Update

The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board has issued news on the latest developments, attractions and initiatives that continue to prove that this is a destination to watch. The announcement highlights new real estate developments, new enhancements and renovations to properties, new events and attractions, new restaurant, new spa openings and increased air services. John Skippings, Director of Tourism comments "Our country is striving for excellence. 

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Macao, inland see huge flow of travelers in 2002

Gongbei Port, the only land gate between Macao and China's inland, has handled 50 million travelers this year, according to the latest customs sources.

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December 31, 2002

At 90, Montreal's Ritz-Carlton hotel is adapting to the 21st century

Call it a contemporary anachronism, a young relic, or an old babe. Montreal's Ritz-Carlton hotel is a throwback to an era that is still recent, but also totally bygone -- a time when houses in its neighbourhood at the foot of Mount Royal had names such as Ravenscrag and Mount Stephen, a time when elm trees, not high-rises, lined Sherbrooke Street, and when visitors arrived at the hotel with 30 pieces of luggage, intent on staying for a few months.  

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Oberoi Hotel Group may ink branding pact with Hilton of UK

The Oberoi group is close to signing a marketing and branding agreement with Hilton of UK for its Trident properties.

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Thailand joins China in tourist promotion   

Thailand and China will hold a joint press conference at the world's largest travel exposition, the International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin, to promote themselves as a package destination, Juthamas Siriwan, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said on Monday.  

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New Hotels for Global Nomads - 'hotels of the future' on show

Contemporary boutique hotel design and conceptual hotel projects for the future are the subject of an extraordinary exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, a New York branch of the Smithsonian Institution.  

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Vietnam's Phu Quoc island likely to become major tourist center

The Phu Quoc island off the Mekong River Delta province of Kien Giang is expected to become a major tourist centre or an open economic zone like the one in Chu Lai in Central Vietnam, according to a proposed two-option plan unveiled at a recent conference.  

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Chinese New Year In Hong Kong, City Of Life

Hong Kong is preparing to welcome the arrival of the Chinese New Year with a spectacular array of events. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, February 1, 2003 marks the beginning of the Year of the Goat, and between January 31 and February 3 visitors and residents alike will be awe-struck by the colourful lights and all the festivities during the year's biggest and brightest Chinese festival.

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China Tourism update

Shanghai Municipal Tourism Committee will launch asset recombination among half of the state-owned hotels and travel agencies in 2003. Shanghai hope to see several large tourism company groups with international competitiveness. The statement was made by vice chairperson of Shanghai Tourism Association on December 20 in Hotels of Home and Abroad Forum held in Shanghai.

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INCCA helps Jakarta polytechnic create MICE programme 

The Indonesia Congress and Convention Association (INCCA) is supporting the Jakarta State Polytechnic to open a four-year study programme on MICE.

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Thai Tourism Will Grow 6% Over Last Year - Exceeds Projections

Despite the slowdown in the world travel industry, international tourist arrivals in Thailand this year are poised to surpass expectations and reach 10.7 million, 6 percent more than last year. The strong performance came as a result of stepped- up marketing and public relations activities, said Juthamas Siriwan, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).  

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