Global Hospitality News - ARCHIVE 2003

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News Archive for January, 2003

January 16- 31, 2003

January 16, 2003

FelCor Q4 profit hit by low hotel room rates

FelCor Lodging Trust Inc. the No. 2 U.S. hotel owner, announced on Tuesday a shortfall in fourth-quarter earnings due to weak hotel room rates at the end of the year. The company owns a diverse portfolio of 169 hotels including Holiday Inns in major markets, and is the largest owner of Embassy Suites properties. "Occupancy has increased, while our room rates remain below prior year levels putting further pressure on our margins," Thomas Corcoran, president and chief executive, said in a statement that reflected malaise widely felt in the travel and lodging industry.

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Perspectives on the Global Hospitality Industry From The Cornell School of Hotel Administration's Professional Development Program

Professors at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration are framing the future of the global hospitality industry in classroom exercises. The Cornell Professional Development Program (PDP) gathers hospitality professionals from around the world to confront new realities and develop new strategies for success in a changing world. A typical class in the Cornell Hotel School's Professional Development Program is a highly intense meeting of the minds of hospitality managers from all over the world. Attendees are encouraged to bring specific operating problems from their own work environment to the classroom for discussion.

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Egyptian Tourism Industry Shows More Signs of Rebound

The latest tourism figures released by Egypt's Central Bank show that the country's tourism industry continues to rebound sharply. According to the Central Bank, 498,000 people visited Egypt in September 2002, compared to 372,000 in September 2001.

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Small Luxury Hotels Of The World Sees Largest Membership Increase

Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a consortium of the world's top, independently owned hotels, has increased its membership by 37 new properties to 293 - the largest annual increase in over a decade and the highest-ever membership total.

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Hopes for a Rally in Tunisian Tourism

Tunisia was host to some unusual visitors last week, as adrenaline-addicted rally drivers sped down the country on their way to Libya and Egypt. However, much as this year's Paris-Dakar (or more precisely Marseille-Sharm el Sheikh) drivers were welcomed, many inside the tourist industry feel that it will take more than exhaust fumes and St?phane Peterhansel to bring back the tourists to this North African nation.

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Set Goals the S.M.A.R.T. Way

By Christina Morfeld

A key determinant of an individual's success or failure in meeting a goal can be summed up with one small word (or, more accurately, acronym): S.M.A.R.T. No, I'm not referring to the person's IQ, GPA, or ability to complete the New York Times crossword puzzle. I'm referring, rather, to the presence or absence of five important goal attributes.

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Beijing to abolish hotel tax to upgrade lower-grade hotels

The Beijing Tourism Administration (BTA) disclosed today that the city of Beijing will soon rid of the city construction tax required from star-rated hotels. This move will give lower-star hotels a chance to upgrade themselves in time for the Olympics in 2008.

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Seoul's luxury hotels target young customers

Domestic luxury hotels are conducting aggressive marketing campaigns targeting young people in their twenties and thirties via a shift in interior design of restaurants, bars, coffee shops and bakeries and a variety of events, hotel sources said.

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January 17, 2003

Haunted Hotels host permanent guests

From London to Texas to Canada, ghostly legends abound

There are good hotel rooms and bad ones, vacant ones and occupied ones. But at Halloween, it's time to celebrate the very special rooms that are always occupied. I'm talking about the hotels, resorts, and special rooms inhabited by spirits, ghosts, apparitions and other friendly and some not-so-friendly guests.

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Jarvis Hotels shareholders approve sale/leaseback deal, proposed tender offer

Jarvis Hotels PLC said shareholders at today's extraordinary general meeting approved the ?150 million sale and leaseback of nine of the company's hotel properties as well as the proposed tender offer which will return around ?85 million to shareholders. Jarvis Hotel said it expects the sale and leaseback will complete on Nov 7. The tender offer will remain open until Nov 8 and the result of the offer will be announced on Nov 11.

Tourism in crisis

Already hurt by Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, world's largest industry reeling in aftermath of bombings in Bali . Just as the $476 billion global tourism industry was struggling to recover from Sept. 11, 2001, came Oct. 12.

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Prague: Hotels welcome prestige

Prague hoteliers, who will have to provide lodging for 2,500 to 3,000 delegates and about as many media representatives, are understandably gearing up for this November's NATO summit.

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Cresta Hotel group plans to expand to Malawi

Cresta, a subsidiary of diversified TA Holdings Limited, presently runs 13 hotel resorts and lodges in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, where it began operating two years ago. "The expansion will see three more hotels being opened during the first and second quarter of 2003 in Ghana, Malawi and Zambia," the company said in statement.

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Britons avoid USA

Caterer.com - The number of British tourists holidaying in the USA fell by more than one-third this summer, according to figures released by the travel industry this week. Bookings to destinations worldwide dropped by 9%.

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Houston Market Update

Written By: Gretchen Hazel HVS International

During the first seven months of 2002, Houston has noted declining levels in hotel occupancy and minimal growth in average rate, influenced primarily by the lack of weather-related demand which was present in 2001, the downturn in the energy trading sector, and continued supply increases.

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Singapore September arrivals up slightly on Sept 2001

Arrivals to Singapore in September rose a slight 0.6 percent on September 2001, a month which saw the September 11 bombings.

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CTO and CIO - What's The Difference?

Written By: Stephen Goebel & Michael J. Wurster HVS International

As consultants to the gaming, and hospitality industry, we have spent the last years encouraging our clients to evaluate the quality of their information systems, and technologies in general, in relationship to other industries who represent the cutting edge in these fields. We are firm believers that modern business can achieve intimacy with their clients through technology.

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Australian Hotels Preparing for Impact of 2003 Rugby World Cup; Will It Be a Case of Unsold Hotel Rooms Returned at the Last Minute

In general, major sporting events held recently across the world have had a positive impact on the hotel markets of the host cities. This bodes well for the performance of Australia's hotel markets during the Rugby World Cup (RWC) to be held in 2003.

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Biggest decline in overseas visits to UK in 20 years, says survey

Caterer.com - The number of overseas visitors coming to the UK has fallen by the biggest margin in 20 years, according to statistics released by the Office for National Statistics today. National Statistics' Travel Trends survey reveals a 9% drop in incoming visitors to the UK in 2001 to 22.8 million visits.

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Prague seeks to attract the conference crowd

While expert forecast promising development for Prague's convention tourism, the Prague Congress Center (KCP), where the main part of the NATO summit will be held, is considered by many experts to be the black hole of state investments in Prague. Two years ago the city borrowed nearly CZK 3 billion for refurbishing the KCP in the leadup to the World Bank and IMF meeting, and last November the Prague city council threw in another CZK 500 million.

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January 20, 2003

Haunted Hotels host permanent guests

From London to Texas to Canada, ghostly legends abound

For details,Click Here

Jarvis Hotels shareholders approve sale/leaseback deal, proposed tender offer

Tourism in crisis

For details,Click Here

Prague: Hotels welcome prestige

Prague hoteliers, who will have to provide lodging for 2,500 to 3,000 delegates and about as many media representatives, are understandably gearing up for this November's NATO summit.

For details,Click Here

Cresta Hotel group plans to expand to Malawi

For details,Click Here

Britons avoid USA

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Houston Market Update

Written By: Gretchen Hazel HVS International

For detailed report,Click Here

Singapore September arrivals up slightly on Sept 2001

Arrivals to Singapore in September rose a slight 0.6 percent on September 2001, a month which saw the September 11 bombings.

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CTO and CIO - What's The Difference?

Written By: Stephen Goebel & Michael J. Wurster HVS International

For detailed report,Click Here

Australian Hotels Preparing for Impact of 2003 Rugby World Cup; Will It Be a Case of Unsold Hotel Rooms Returned at the Last Minute

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Biggest decline in overseas visits to UK in 20 years, says survey

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Prague seeks to attract the conference crowd

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January 21, 2003

Ten Meeting Industry Trends for 2003 - Observed by Benchmark Resorts, Hotels & Conference Centers

Benchmark Hospitality, which manages 26 award-winning resorts, conference centers and hotels in the United States, Canada and Japan, has released "Ten Meeting Industry Trends for 2003," as observed by its properties.

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Stockholders Sue Marriott

Two stockholders filed a derivative suit against Marriott International of Bethesda and its board of directors, alleging that the company improperly kept kickbacks from its online purchasing unit, Avendra, and has "damaged its reputation" with owners, causing "irreparable harm and losses to its business."

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Wanted: Hotel Duckmaster

Wanted: Personable employee who is good with water fowl. Classy work environment. No heavy lifting. That's not exactly how The Peabody Hotel is wording its ads for a new "duckmaster," but it does indeed describe the job.

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Hotels get creative to offer travelers something different

Hotels used to be the place to hang your hat and fall asleep to bad late-night TV. But over the years, travelers began to scorn rooms lacking a hair dryer and a spot to plug in a laptop. But even that's not enough for today's savvy consumers. So hotels, still trying to recover from the travel slowdown that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, are offering discount deals, high-tech entertainment and rooms with bizarre twists.

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Competitive Technology - Choosing your Weapons

Written By: Chris Hartmann HVS International

Business hotels, high-end properties and resorts today face a brave new world of technology. Properties of every type lament the good old days, before the Internet, price transparency, and seemingly endless discounting. That horse is well out of the barn and running though, and if it's any consolation, he's taken virtually every industry along for the ride. The challenge now is to use technology to provide a competitive advantage, or at least to remain competitive. One such approach to technology worth considering is called Experience Design.

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Whitbread to add 1,000 hotel rooms in London

The leisure group Whitbread is opening 1,000 new hotel rooms in London this year, despite the worst travel downturn to hit the capital since the Gulf War. The group, which also owns the David Lloyd Leisure fitness clubs and Costa Coffee chain, will open a 216-room Marriott hotel in Kensington in June, as well as two new Travel Inns - its budget brand.

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Thistle puts question mark over London hotels' future

Thistle Hotels said it would not rule out selling its portfolio of 18 owned and leased London hotels, though such a transaction would not be possible in the current "uncertain" markets. London's biggest hotelier sold its 31 regional hotels to Orb Estates last March for ?600m, while retaining the management contracts.

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E.China province records 70 billion yuan in tourism revenue last year

East China's Zhejiang province reported 71 billion yuan (8.6 billion US dollars) in tourism revenue last year, a year-on-year increase of 21 percent, according to official figures. According to the figures released Thursday by the Tourism Bureau of the Zhejiang Provincial government, the coastal provincereceived 2.04 million tourists from outside the Chinese mainland in 2002, up 38.9 percent from the previous year.

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January 22, 2003

Hilton replaces Hearn with Nordic chief

Hilton International has appointed Wolfgang Neumann chief of Hilton UK & Ireland after former managing director Grant Hearn moved to venture capital group Permira to head its newly-acquired Travelodge business.

Neumann, who has worked with Hilton for more than 18 years, becomes area president of Hilton UK & Ireland. He is currently senior vice president of Hilton International Nordic region, where he is responsible for more than 140 hotels, including the entire Scandic chain. - Source: Caterer.com

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Best Western Announces Fourth Quarter Results

Further solidifying its position as THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN?, Best Western's worldwide development team finished the year strong by signing 83 new hotels to the brand during the fourth fiscal quarter ending Nov. 30. During the quarter, 42 hotels were added in North America and 41 were signed internationally. The chain ended the fiscal year with 4,060 hotels in 81 countries across the globe. In all, the company's worldwide development team brought 282 hotels into the brand.

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HVS Hospitality Enews Europe

For last week's European News Roundup,Click Here

Hawaii Looks to Tap Into Chinese Tourism

As Hawaii's tourism-based economy continues its slow, steady rebound from the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, there are those who say the state will have to look toward previously untapped markets in its effort to rebuild the industry. One Honolulu-based company is attempting just that, as it seeks to lure 100 couples from China to the state for a five-day wedding event this spring.

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How to Lower the Property Taxes on Your Hotel or Restaurant Written By: Richard D. Williams & Karen A. Smith HVS International

Every taxpayer is interested in lowering their property taxes, but few go about it in the right way. There are some common procedural and valuation methods to employ in protesting the property tax value of a hospitality property. This article sets forth a brief description of some of these methods.

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Taymouth Castle may become world's second seven-star hotel

One of the world's leading hotel groups is in talks to buy Taymouth Castle and transform its fading grandeur into a rival to Gleneagles. The Four Seasons group intends to spend millions of pounds on buying and upgrading the Perthshire castle, one of the largest in Scotland in private ownership, into one of the world's leading hotels.

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Record growth and expansion for Hilton's Worldwide Reservations Centre

Hilton International, the world's leading hotel brand has revealed record growth for its Dubai-based Hilton Worldwide Reservations Call Centre, with staggering call volumes handled in 2002 Anish Bhatia, Manager of Hilton Reservations Worldwide said, "We are delighted with the growth experienced during 2002, especially in face of the difficult times experienced by the hospitality industry as a whole. The increased volumes of inbound calls has allowed us to boost capacity of existing lines, add new dedicated lines for Oman and Jordan, plus increase our agent levels by 100 per cent in order to cope with the increased demand."

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EIBTM offers young professionals forum

As part of the EIBTM Youth Campaign, ICCA and EIBTM are offering 20 young industry executives the opportunity to gain vital industry knowledge by taking part in the 7th Forum for Young Professionals.

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ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2003: New Destination, Renewed Interest in ASEAN Tourism

New places and new faces figure strongly at the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2003 taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 20 to 27 January. For the first time in its 22-year history, the annual trade show of the best Southeast Asian travel and tourism products will be staged in Indochina, and Cambodia has the honour of being the first among the newer ASEAN members to host the event.

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Corinthia Hotels International targets Canadian market

Corinthia Hotels International has appointed Canadian national Mr David T Batey as its full time representative in Canada, bringing, for the first time, the ever-expanding hotel chain into direct contact with the important North American travel market. Mr Batey is president and chief executive officer of Going Global Travel Management firm based in Toronto, Canada.

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Le Meridien gains first hit in its China drive

Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts will manage its first Hong Kong property from September, with the opening of the 173-room Le Meridien Cyberport. At last Friday's 'topping out ceremony', Le Meridien's regional managing director Michael Sagild said the new project is one of several in the pipeline for the greater China region.

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January 23, 2003

RevPAR Decline Only Tells Part Of The Story; Drop In Hotel Profits Is the Real Concern

By Alexander Feneck, Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting

Hotel owners and operators across the U.S. are experiencing sharp declines in RevPAR (revenue per available room), but the real concern in 2002 should be the double-digit declines in profitability. As the RevPAR declines of 2001 continued into 2002, The Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting (HRG) decided to assess the extent of the declines in profitability and profile some of the changes managers have made to operating expenses.

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Hotel Development Pipeline Continues Downward Descent for Fourth Year

In 2002 the total Hotel Development Pipeline declined for the 4thconsecutive year, down 49.7% from the 1998 peak of 530,592 rooms and down 15.1%compared to 2001, Lodging Econometrics (LE) reported in its Guidance Memo to Wall Street analysts and corporate clients.

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British Hospitality Association (BHA) and Restaurant Association (RA) agreement reached

The Restaurant Association (RA), the dedicated voice of the restaurant industry, has reached an agreement to join forces with the British Hospitality Association (BHA), the national trade association of the hospitality, catering and leisure industry.

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Travel Agents Urged to Support AIME

Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) has urged travel agents who have meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition clients, to support the industry by attending AIME 2003 in Melbourne, Australia next month. 610 exhibitors from 65 destinations will showcase their products and services at AIME 2003, the southern hemisphere's most significant event for the incentive and business travel industry.

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Dubai dramatically increases meeting capacity in 2003

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will have its largest ever delegation at International Confex 2003. 20 Dubai-based organisations will exhibit on the DTCM stand (Y230) at International Confex 2003 which is being held from 25 to 27 February 2003 at London's Earls Court. Among the Dubai-based delegates will be a range of MICE industry specialists, including supplier organisations such as hotels and destination management companies.

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Choice Hotels' Fourth Quarter & Year-End '02 Conference Call

Choice Hotels International, Inc. will conduct a conference call on Thursday, February 13, 2003 at 9 a.m. Eastern time to discuss the company's fourth quarter and year-end 2002 earnings. The company will release its earnings after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, February 12.

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Shandong province sees booming tourism in 2002

Shandong Province, one of China's east coast economic powerhouses, received 96.71 million tourists last year, a figure that exceeds its total population, said a local tourism official. Zhu Limin, deputy head of the Shandong provincial tourism administration, said domestic tourists accounted for 95.73 million, up 18 percent from 2001, and foreign tourists totaled 976,800, up 17.88 percent.

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Phnom Penh gears up for 22nd ATF

Cambodia is gearing up for the official opening of the 22nd ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) this Friday and major hotels in the capital are bracing themselves for the unprecedented influx of visitors. The kingdom is staking hopes that the annual regional event will go a long towards changing previous negative perceptions of its image, due to its past political legacy.

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Accor launches second Novotel in Japan

Accor has announced the strategic addition of a second Novotel in Japan, with the rebranding of The Hotel Yokohama to TheYokohama Novotel. Accor is scheduled to assume management of the hotel (fondly referred to as "The Yoko") in July and will rebrand it to a Novotel once a significant refurbishment program is completed by the owners in September.

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Starwood Makes Its Entry Into Vietnam With the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers Slated to Open in May 2003

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announces its entry into Vietnam with the opening of the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers in May 2003. The opening of the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers in Ho Chi Minh City will usher in a new level of upscale world-class hotel accommodations in Vietnam.

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January 24, 2003

Meeting industry faces wake-up call

If the travel industry expects more meeting and convention bookings to offset sluggish business and leisure travel in 2003, it faces a big wakeup call, according to a just released meeting industry survey by Meeting Professionals International and American Express.

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News @ PATA

PATA UNVEILS NEW STRATEGIC PLAN AT BAHRAIN BOARD MEETING The PATA Board of Directors approved a new strategic plan at the PATA Board of Directors meeting in Bahrain, January 17-19, 2003. The Board favourably endorsed the ten policy initiatives contained in the President's 'New Agenda for PATA'

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ASTA's 2002 World Travel Congress in Hawaii - Highest Rated

Travel agents who attended the American Society of Travel Agents' (ASTA) 2002 World Travel Congress in Hawai`i rated it the highest among ASTA Congresses during the past five years. Exhibitors also gave the trade show high marks. "ASTA's 2002 World Travel Congress in Hawai`i was a tremendous success. We owe a big thanks to the Hawai`i Visitors and Convention Bureau, Congress Chair Susan Tanzman, all the travel agents and suppliers who attended, as well as the numerous other people who worked so hard to make Hawai`i a memorable time," said ASTA President and CEO Richard M. Copland, CTC.

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Marriott Launches major global E-Commerce venture

Marriott International has launched one of the hotel industry's most ambitious e-commerce ventures. The first three of 10 planned localized international Marriott.com web sites went live today. They are for the German (www.marriott.de), Japanese (www.marriott.co.jp ) and Mexican (www.marriott.com.mx ) markets and will offer customers a new way to do business anytime, anywhere in their local language with information that is culturally relevant.

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Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts conference call

Four Seasons Hotels Inc. announces that it will be releasing its 2002 fourth quarter and year-end earnings on Thursday, February 27, 2003, before the markets open. The Company expects to hold a conference call to discuss the results on the same day at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

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Melbourne: visitor surge aids hotel-room sales

Unexpectedly strong visitor numbers boosted Melbourne's hotel sector at Christmas but threats of oversupply continue to cloud prospects for this year. Despite the general tourism malaise, figures from the Australian Hotels Association showed total room sales improved in the recent Christmas period compared with December 2001, although average occupancies were down thanks to the greater number of hotels on the market.

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10th edition of the Levant's largest and most regional hospitality and food forum to be held in April 2003

The Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure center is gearing up to host the largest edition of the annual Horeca show, which will occupy two halls during April 1-4, 2003 at BEIL, Beirut Central District. The annual meeting-place will be supported by The Syndicate of Lebanese Hotels owners, Syndicate of Lebanese Restaurants, Caf?s, Pastry shops and Night-Clubs owners, Syndicate of Lebanese Food industries and Syndicate of Lebanese Supermarkets owners.

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Kempinski appoints new operations head

Kempinski Hotels & Resorts recently announced the appointment of Michel Novatin as Director of Operations. Novatin joined Kempinski on January 13th 2003. Reporting to the CEO, Novatin will be responsible for operations in all Kempinski properties. Hotel General Managers, Regional Vice Presidents and Regional Directors will report to Novatin, who will be based at Kempinski's world-wide headquarters in Geneva.

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Marco Polo group announces second Beijing hotel

The Marco Polo Hotel Group has entered into an agreement for the pre-opening, technical services and long-term management of an international standard full service deluxe hotel to be built by Beijing Huahui Real Estate Development Center in the Chaoyang district in close proximity to Beijing's Olympic Park

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Exhibitors from 7 different countries prepare a showcase of an incredible range of products and services under one roof

For the first time in the 10-year history of HORECA, Jordan will officially be represented through a national pavilion at HORECA 2003 aimed at enhancing trade and tourism between Jordan and Lebanon as well as the wider region.

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Record visitors for Global Village

Global Village 2003, the international attraction of the Dubai Shopping Festival, is heading for a record visitor in-take with figures for the first six days of DSF showing a 36% increase on last year.

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January 27, 2003

Winners and Losers in the Middle East war for Hotel Profits

Deloitte & Touche's unique survey of the Middle Eastern and African hotel market - encompassing results from almost 80,000 hotel rooms - shows a region of contrasting fortunes in the year to November 2002.

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Hong Kong visitor arrivals rise 20.7 percent in 2002

Hong Kong's visitor arrivals in 2002 rose 20.7 percent from the year before to a record 16.57 million, boosted by visitors from mainland China, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said Friday. All markets recorded positive growth in 2002 and all are now back to levels before the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States, the HKTB said.
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Active Hotels signs new deal with French Hotel Chain Cit?tel

Cambridge-based Active Hotels, a leading provider of online reservations to the European hotel industry, has just become an approved on-line reservation provider for large French hotel group Cit?tel. The Cit?tel group has an extensive network of 141 independent hotels in prime locations across France. This new deal comes at the end of a very successful year for Active Hotels in France, having signed up a number of high-profile French hotel groups to its online reservation system since targeting the French market in 2002.

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Hong Kong commissions global consumer attitude survey

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has commissioned a worldwide survey by consultancy firm Pannel Kerr Forster (PKF) to see what tourists think about the SAR. The results will guide the tourism marketing body in its efforts to lure global visitors. Consumers worldwide are the main target of PKF's research, says HKTB executive director Clara Chong. She said: "But to make sure that we do the job thoroughly and get a comprehensive study from different perspectives, we also feel it important to canvass the views of many others."

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Winners and Losers in the Middle East war for Hotel Profits

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Hong Kong visitor arrivals rise 20.7 percent in 2002

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Active Hotels signs new deal with French Hotel Chain Cit?tel

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Hong Kong commissions global consumer attitude survey

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Hotel Industry Veteran, James P. Evans Named CEO Jenny Craig

Jenny Craig, Inc., one of the world's largest weight-management companies, announced the appointment of James P. Evans, a hotel industry veteran, as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Evans was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of Best Western International, Inc., which is the WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(R)with more than 4,000 independently owned and operated hotels and motels in 80 countries. Prior to joining Best Western, Mr. Evans served as Executive Vice President of Operations of Doubletree, and in numerous executive roles at Hyatt and Sheraton.

For details, Click Here Australia: Tourists Reveal Change Of Heart

International tourist arrivals jumped 16 per cent in November, led by a resurgence in key Asian markets, but inbound tourist numbers for the full year were disappointing. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data issued on Thursday, Japanese arrivals rose 56 per cent for the month, compared with the previous year.

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Hilton's 4th Quarter/Year-End '02 Earnings And Conference Call

Hilton Hotels Corporation has scheduled today, Monday, January 27, 2003, for the release of the company's fourth quarter/year-end 2002 financial results and conference call.

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Park Inn Opens First Hotel In Europe - Park Inn Berlin

Park Hospitality, parent organization of Park Inn hotels, today announced that the brand has added the first Park Inn property in Europe. The 982-room Park Inn Berlin - Alexanderplatz, formerly the Forum Hotel, is located on the historic Alexanderplatz and within short walking distance to well-known landmarks such as the Dome, "Under the Linden Trees Boulevard", the Brandenburg Gate and Nikolai Quarter.

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Abu Dhabi Grand's general manager says tourism leaders must act

Francesco Borrello, general manager of the Abu Dhabi Grand, has urged tourism and hospitality leaders in the capital to group together to promote Abu Dhabi, both regionally and internationally. Borrello said: "I believe that a cluster marketing strategy of Abu Dhabi as a destination is the way forward this year. Intra-Arabian travel is one of our biggest growth markets, and with the eyes of the world on the region at present, it is time to act positively."

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Iberostar to invest US$ 300m in Bahia

Spanish group Iberostar, from Palma de Majorca and with hotels in 28 countries, has chosen the northeastern state of Bahia to build its biggest project in Brazil. The chairman of the group, Miguel Fluxa, is in the state capital of Salvador this week to announce an investment of US$ 300 million to build a resort in Praia do Forte, on the Costa dos Coqueiros coastline, some 78 kilometers from the capital.

Best Western Flags First Hotel In Bulgaria

THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN?, Best Western International announces the addition of their first hotel in Bulgaria. The Best Western City Hotel is a brand new, four-star property located in the capital city Sofia.

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ASEAN ministers meet to promote tourism in region

Ministers from 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) solved Friday a number of key issues to promote tourism in the region. Three statements were released announcing measures or policy on how to promote the tourism sector among ASEAN members.

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No, not a ski resort - it's the south pole

First there were the huts, then a gift shop, now they're building a road to the south pole. Is this the beginning of the end for the last great wilderness? 'Great God! This is an awful place," wrote Captain Robert Falcon Scott when he reached the south pole on January 17 1912. Tom Avery, a 27-year-old finance director with a ski company, had a similar reaction when he reached the pole at the end of December last year. But it wasn't the cold and isolation that chilled him; it was the gift shop.

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January 28, 2003

Hilton Reports Fourth Quarter, Fiscal 2002 Results; Occupancy Gains Drive 13.2% RevPAR Increase at Comparable Owned Hotels; Cost Management Results in Solid Margins

Strong Flow-Through at Comparable Owned Hotels; All Brands Increase Market Share

Hilton Hotels Corporation today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2002. Compared to the year-ago quarter, the following factors as outlined in this report contributed to the company achieving solid quarterly earnings-per-share: significant revenue-per-available-room (RevPAR) growth at the company's comparable owned hotels, driven by strong occupancy levels at most of the company's owned city-center properties and easy comparisons with the 2001 period; market share increases for all brands in the Hilton family, and solid margins.

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Travelers with disability could spend $27 billion per year, says new Harris Interactive poll

The Open Doors Organization in cooperation with the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) and the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) released a landmark study on the spending trends and market scope of U.S. resident travelers with disabilities. The study, conducted by Harris Interactive, polled 1,037 people with disabilities. The major findings of this groundbreaking study were released on January 16, 2003 at the 7th Annual SATH World Congress in Miami.

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Cambodia Welcomes the World

The opening ceremony for the year's ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) was held on Friday at the Samdech Hun Sen Garden. The grand dinner celebration included long speeches, a lavish display of fireworks, and, some singing and dancing. The event was a sure indication that Cambodia is indeed serious about pushing for tourism. The ATF opening ceremony also signaled the launching of Cambodia's marketing bid to push for tourism called Visit Cambodia year 2003: World of Treasures, which is intended to be a yearlong showcase highlighting the best Cambodia's tourism has to offer.

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Mayors urged to join forces to revive tourism

Cities should join forces, not compete, for tourism dollars in a national effort to revive the industry battered by the terrorist attacks, Atlanta's mayor told her colleagues Friday. "As tourism goes, so goes the economy and the economic well-being of our community," Mayor Shirley Franklin said at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting.

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ASEANTA gets new president

The ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) has set as its priority the launch of the Kuala Lumpur-based secretariat, the propagation of intra-ASEAN travel, and the provision of more efficient services to its members. Malaysian hotelier, Argus Salim, who is also president of AHRA (ASEAN Hotel and Restaurant Association), is the new president.

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SA seeks to lure US tourists

South African Tourism has officially launched its new consumer marketing campaign in New York with two value-for-money holiday deals aimed at key segments in the US market. "Tourism is a vital component of the South African economy and as such, it needs to be supported with aggressive advertising and marketing initiatives that drive the demand for travel to our country," said Moeketsi Mosola, South African Tourism's chief operating officer.

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Personnel Record Retention Requirements

There is no law whose sole purpose is to impose a retention requirement for records on non-hired candidates and/or employees. There are, however, a variety of federal regulations - most notably those designed to combat discrimination and other unfair labor practices - for which record retention is a condition of compliance. In this report is an overview of how your responsibility to retain a variety of personnel-related records is affected by these laws.

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500,000 foreign tourists visit Myanmar in 2002

Myanmar received nearly 500,000 foreign tourists in 2002 with an income of 100 million US dollars, the local weekly Myanmar Times reported in its latest issue. The report quoted Mandalay Mayor Brigadier-General Yan Thein as saying that Myanmar plans to absorb up to one million tourists this year.

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Abacus increases Thai presence with new office

Abacus Distribution Systems (Thailand) has expanded to new offices in Bangkok as part of its strategy to increase its presence in Thailand. Abacus President and CEO Don Birch commented, "Thailand is a priority for us and most importantly, our customers. Thailand, as an aviation and tourism centre, continues to grow, and our customers will need even stronger solutions here. Our customers will benefit from faster decision making and an improved ability to respond to the market. We are always looking at ways to enhance our capabilities, solutions and services for our customers across Asia".

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Bali fails to stop Aussie travel bug

Australians are travelling overseas in greater numbers but are avoiding traditional Asian destinations for regions such as Vietnam and China. The Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday revealed outbound tourism grew by 10.4 per cent in November 2002 -- the equivalent of an extra 24,000 people -- compared with November 2001.

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January 29, 2003

WTO Deputy Names Three Tourism Challenges

Dawid de Villiers, World Tourism Organization's deputy secretary-general, speaking in front of this year's ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) addressed the major challenges facing tourism on Saturday. De Villiers mentioned the three major challenges to tourism citing the Millennium Declaration by the United Nations-to maintain world peace, to protect the cultural and eco- system environments, and to combat poverty. "The great opportunity for tourism lies in the fact that tourism is directly linked to all three challenges," stated De Villiers.

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News@PATA

PATA LINKS TO HAWAII TOURISM SCHOOL
On January 24/25, PATA held a videoconference with the University of Hawaii School of Tourism Industry Management as part of the opening of the new Chuck Yim Gee Technology Learning Center. Students at the centre raised questions on the PATA Bali Recovery Task Force, regional security, and intra-regional travel. PATA Vice President, Mr. Peter Semone, and Managing Director-Communications, Mr. Ken Scott replied to the questions.

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Haunted castle turned into hotel

A haunted castle used by Mary Queen of Scots as a hunting lodge and also entertained Queen Victoria and George IV is to reopen its historic doors as a hotel, after a ?3.5 million renovation. Melville Castle, built in 1786 and designed by James Playfair, the leading Scottish architect of the day, had been lying semi-derelict for many years but was bought in 1993 by owners determined to give it a new lease of life.

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Legacy Hotels Real Estate Investment Trust Reports 2002 Revenues Increased 6.7%, Including 11.6% Growth in the Fourth Quarter

Legacy Hotels Real Estate Investment Trust ("Legacy") (TSX: LGY.UN) today announced its unaudited financial results for the three months and the year ended December 31, 2002. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. Legacy expects to release its 2002 annual report in mid-March and will hold its annual general meeting at 10:00 a.m. on April 24, 2003 at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

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Chou's new book a recipe for five-star hotel success

No one doubts his qualifications as Victor Chou, General Manager of The Westin Resort Ta Shee Taiwan, awards himself a "diploma." Having worked in hotel management for some 30 years, Chou has recently unveiled the secrets of his success in running an internationally renowned five-star hotel in his first book, entitled "A Five-star Diploma."

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ASEANTA calls for more intra-ASEAN promotions

Instead of depending on the fickle long-haul traveller, the ASEAN trade is prepared to count on ASEAN residents and their Asian neighbours in the increasing likelihood of a war breaking out in the Middle East. Members of ASEANTA (ASEAN Tourism Association) this week agreed on the importance of boosting regional traffic flow and "enlarging the pie" of ASEAN visitors.

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Taiwan gears for tourism explosion

Aggressive marketing has begun to make Taiwan the top tourist destination in Asia-Pacific, a region rich with cultural diversity, booming economies and big-spending visitors. The tourism campaign forms part of a comprehensive and focused six-year strategy, called the National Development Plan, which was launched on January 1. The plan is aimed at restructuring the economy of the tiny island, changing the key components of its industrial base and streamlining the way government agencies work, to make dealing with them less cumbersome and bureaucratic.

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Israeli tourism lowest level in 20 years

Israel welcomed less than a million tourists in 2002, its lowest total in more than two decades, as the country's fighting with the Palestinians raged on, its statistics bureau said. Only 862,000 tourists arrived in Israel last year, a drop of 30 percent over the previous year and a huge 70% slide from 2000, it said.

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Despite Virus Outbreaks, Cruise Lines Prove a Travel-Industry Bright Spot

Last year, passengers flocked to cruise ports around the country in record numbers, spreading the good times to local hotels and ship suppliers. In South Florida, for example, cruise ports are speeding up the recovery there, helping to make up for the dropoff in other travelers. The three largest cruise companies make money, and their stocks have held fairly steady on Wall Street. Cruise lines haven't said much about bookings so far this month, normally a prime time for Northerners to book a toasty cruise vacation. The first read on this year's business could come Thursday, when Royal Caribbean reports earnings. "We get the feeling that (it's) no disaster but no bonanza either," said analyst Peter McMullin of Ryan Beck & Co. If bookings are slower, it's likely due to the sour economy and not worries over the recent Norwalk scare, he said.

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January 30, 2003

Starwood Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2002 Results

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year 2002.

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Recovery on the horizon

2002 hotel data suggests that the international hotel industry in recovery, whilst the US industry remains under pressure

The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) Deloitte & Touche and Smith Travel Research shared the platform to reveal year-end performance data for the global hotel industry. US data was presented by Randy Smith, CEO of Smith Travel Research, whilst international data was presented by Marvin Rust, partner for HotelBenchmark at Deloitte & Touche.

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