By Steve Cokkinias: A veteran of the hospitality industry, Steve has many entertaining stories up his sleeve. Each Wednesday he will share a story on ehotelier.
Hospitality Industry Offers Solutions to Youth Unemployment Crisis According to New White Paper
At a time when more than 75 million young people can't find jobs, and countless more are underemployed, investing in opportunities for youth is not only a critical development issue but also a growth strategy for businesses around the world. In response to this challenge, Hilton Worldwide will announce at the World Economic Forum a commissioned white paper from the International Youth Foundation (IYF) that highlights solutions to youth joblessness that the global hospitality sector is uniquely positioned to provide.
In Search of Hotel Excellence: Hotel Berlin, Berlin
By Larry Mogelonsky: Berlin is alive, rejuvenated and clearly bucking the malaise experienced by many other Mediterranean and North American cities feeling the ripples of recession economics.
Spanish Dining Costs Fall 50% in Five Years
Spain and Sri Lanka have come out equal cheapest of 42 destinations surveyed in the latest Post Office Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer. The Barometer collates the cost of eight items: a cup of coffee; bottle of local beer; can of Coca-Cola; glass of wine; 1.5L bottle of mineral water; 200ml bottle of SPF15 sun cream; packet of 20 Marlboro Lights; and a three-course evening meal for two adults with a bottle of house wine.
A Hotel Manager On The Hectic Job Of Hosting The President
Hosting the President is no easy feat, what with the intense security detail, special requests, and busy schedule to maintain. But Philip Wood has played host to dozens of heads of state at hotels around the world, from the Four Seasons to Rosewood and Orient Express Hotels, and Forte's Exclusive Hotels of the World. Today, he serves as managing director of The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Obama's No. 1 fund-raising spot in the city. Wood has agreed to dish the dirt on what it's like to care for the most important person in the world.
George Kalogridis: From Clearing Tables to Disney World Chief
By Jason Garcia: Under a sweltering sun in August 1971, a 17-year-old just out of high school waited in a long line leading to an office trailer in a cleared palmetto thicket. The Walt Disney Co. was hiring for its soon-to-open Florida theme park, and the kid needed to pay for college. Disney gave him a job clearing tables in a hotel restaurant. Forty-two years later, Disney has a new assignment for George Kalogridis: president of the entire operation.
The World’s Weirdest New Hotel Rooms
By Sara Johnson: For some hotel designers, building a soft place to rest your head is apparently too easy. They're experimenting with converting prisons into hostels, plopping lux bedrooms into public restrooms, and submerging guest rooms underwater. Below, a collection of some of the most extreme global hotel concepts of the past few years, assembled by Reuters.
Travellers Get Stingier with their Loyalty
By Nancy Trejos: How loyal are travellers to airlines or hotels? Not much, a new survey by Deloitte says.
48% of Dubai’s Hotels within 2km of a Mega Shopping Mall
Of the 387 hotels and 188 hotel apartments registered by the Dubai Government Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing at the end of 2011, 48% were within 2km of one of five shopping malls, proving just how well developed the relationship between retail and hospitality has become.
Starwood Hotels Continues to Focus Growth in India, South Asia
By Claudette Covey: Starwood's legacy in the region dates back to 1973, and the company currently operates 34 hotels with 24 hotels in the pipeline. It aims to have 100 hotels under operation, development and management contracts signed by 2015 with eight out of nine Starwood brands flying their flag in India.
