Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world in terms of visa facilitation. @VisitQatar
Europe hotel performance for July 2018
Europe’s hotels saw occupancy increase by 0.8% to 78.6% in July, while ADR rose 6.2% to €123.11 ($142.66) and RevPAR increased 7% to €96.82 ($112.19). @STR_Data
Summer slump in the Middle East & Africa hotel sector
GOPPAR at hotels in the Middle East & Africa dropped to a new low of $34.70 in July as temperatures in the region soared and demand levels lagged, according to the latest worldwide poll of full-service hotels from HotStats. @hotstats
Marriott Vacations buys ILG for $4.6 billion
Marriott Vacations Worldwide, a leading global vacation company, has completed the previously announced acquisition of ILG, Inc., a provider of professionally delivered vacation experiences. @MarriottVAC
Rapid expansion in the Middle East’s hotel construction
In the recent Middle East hotel construction pipeline report by analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE), the region continues to show rapid pipeline expansion in the second quarter of 2018 with the highest counts since 2007 when LE first began recording. @LodgingEconomet
Meet AccorBot: AccorHotels’ new Facebook assistant
AccorHotels Australia launches Facebook Chatbot to help with everything from customer service to booking hotels. @Accorhotels
Sheraton launches global experiential tour
Sheraton Hotels, Marriott International’s most global brand is reclaiming its position as the world’s gathering place, welcoming locals and guests on an unexpected journey of their city without ever leaving the hotel. @sheratonhotels #HeartForTheCity
Viva Wyndham Resorts eliminates plastic straws
Viva Wyndham Resorts, a leading all-inclusive resort brand throughout the Caribbean, will eliminate plastic straws from its resorts effective Sept. 1, 2018, and will replace the plastic with biodegradable straws. @VivaResorts
Fairmont named the top-rated workplace in Canada
Luxury hospitality leader Fairmont Hotels & Resorts named top employer for 2018. @FairmontHotels
China police investigate possible data breach at hotel operator Huazhu
Nearly 500 million pieces of customer-related information from the hotel operator had emerged in an online post.
