Hotels throughout the USÑproperties large and small, boutique and brandedÑare catering to travelersÕ appetites for “local experiences” with food-and-beverage venues that celebrate local ingredients in unique ways. But little attention is paid to the growing popularity of fast-casual dining, the hybrid concept that blends fast-food or quick-service restaurants with casual dining.
Mobile app service rides trend of late hotel searches
If you are planning a last-minute trip this weekend, youÕre not alone. Half of all hotel bookings in the US are made three days or less before arrival. Tapping into those travelers is the mobile booking app Hotel Tonight. It helps people find deals on rooms the day of or up to a week in advance. Launched in 2011, the app has 25,000 hotel partners in more than 35 countries.
Bidroom the first platform to enable bookings on the moon
The fastest-growing booking platform in Europe, Bidroom.com, has announced a partnership withÊNational Aeronautics and Space Administration, which enables the platformÕs users to book capsules on the moon. The first ÒBidmoonÓ flights are planned for the Q1 of 2019. Due to the high interest in space travel and limited number of moon capsules users will have to sign up to a preliminary registration and pass medical tests.
US hoteliers appeal to increasing number of Chinese tourists
Hotels offer congee and other Chinese staples for room service. Casinos train staff members on Chinese etiquette. The American hospitality industry is stepping up efforts to make Chinese visitors feel more welcome, since they are projected to soon surpass travelers from the United Kingdom and Japan as the single largest overseas demographic.
Brazilian hotel booking site sets sights on US
Those who have had their share of long layovers, delayed flights, arriving too early for check-inÊor even paying too much for a bedÊmight be interested in what HotelQuando.com offersÊweary travelers. The Brazilian hotel booking site has almost single-handedly changed the hotel game in its home country.
Airbnb a niche-holder, not a hotel nemesis, CEO says
Airbnb founder and CEO Brian Chesky recently discussed the companyÕs competition with traditional hotels, and its future expansion and IPO plans. Mr Chesky said AirbnbÕs competition with traditional hotels is overstated, as it serves a different segment of travelers.
Weakening March reservation pace creates new challenges for hoteliers
As North American hoteliers head into the spring season, new commitments that have been added over the last month are down -1.6 percent, and committed occupancy for the first quarter of 2017 through the fourth quarter is down -1.2 percent compared to last year, according to new data from TravelClickÕs March 2017 North American Hospitality Review.
Marriott introduces cost savings to Starwood properties
The merger between MarriottÊand Starwood might have been completed in late September 2016, but that was just the beginning.ÊSince that time, owners and their asset managersÊhave awaited confirmation that related merger expenses would be “net neutral,”Êas initially promised.
Hoteliers say being bookable and visible online is the number one business focus
A report by the global hotel industryÕs leading cloud platform, SiteMinder, has found that the ability to grow direct bookings and online presence is the top business focus for hotels this year. The finding, documented in SiteMinderÕs Global Hotel Business Index 2017 released this week, is based on more than 2,100 survey responses from hoteliers at both independent properties and hotel groups around the world.
Hotels among biggest beneficiaries of Trump economic growth
Shorter lease tenor property types, such as hotels, self-storage and apartments would see strongest and most immediate benefit if the Trump administration succeeds in accelerating US economic growth with infrastructure spending and tax and regulatory reforms, according to a new report released by Fitch Ratings.
