Marriott International, Inc. announced the signing of its first AC Hotel by Marriott in Paris, the 166-room AC Hotel Paris Porte Maillot. The hotel will be operated under a franchise agreement with SHEPI SNC. The AC Hotel Paris Porte Maillot will represent Marriott International’s 14th hotel in the capital city and its third AC Hotel by Marriott in France.
The U.S. hotel industry experienced positive results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 2-8 September 2012, according to data from STR. In year-over-year comparisons, occupancy ended the week nearly flat with a 0.1-percent increase to 57.6 percent, average daily rate was up 4.3 percent to US$102.92 and revenue per available room ended the week with an increase of 4.3 percent to US$59.31.
With the London 2012 Olympics over, the spotlight has started to shift to Brazil, which will be hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Brazil reported increases of 9.9 percent in revenue per available room (RevPAR) for the first seven months year to date, led by 14.5-percent increase in average daily rate (ADR) in local currency, according to STR Global, the leading provider of market information to the hotel industry.
The total active U.S. hotel development pipeline comprises 2,745 projects totaling 304,825 rooms, according to the August 2012 STR/McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Pipeline Report. This represents a 3.5-percent decrease in the number of rooms in the total active pipeline compared to August 2011. The total active pipeline data includes projects in the In Construction, Final Planning and Planning stages but does not include projects in the Pre-Planning stage.
For a second year in a row, TownePlace Suites by Marriott is the number one ranked hotel brand in the midprice extended-stay tier. Once again, TownePlace Suites scored highest in each of the individual categories of the Business Travel News’ 2012 Hotel Chain Survey.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. has announced the brand’s first hotel in Tunisia. The Ritz-Carlton Tunis, Carthage is owned by Companie Tunisienne de Development Touristique (CTDT), a subsidiary of the Driss-Jenayah Group, and a pioneer group in hospitality.
Marriott International announced plans to open a new 200-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Santiago in the fourth quarter of 2014, under an agreement with Falabella Group, the largest retailer in South America, with operations in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Colombia.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has pulled back the curtains to their highly coveted luxury service organization, and placed the spotlight on their ladies and gentlemen in a video series entitled ‘The Art of The Craft’.
Marriott International announced today that the new Courtyard San Jose Airport, conveniently located 5 minutes away from The Juan Santamaria International Airport, has opened its doors for business. The new sleek and modern 127-room hotel is San Jose’s second Courtyard by Marriott property and features the Refreshing Business lobby, providing travelers with free Wi-Fi and a great place to work or relax with a variety of flexible seating options. The property has a practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions making it a LEED certified hotel. This means that there will be 18% more energy-efficient, 35% reduced water consumption, 30% Use of regional materials and 5% renewable energy on-site (solar panels to preheat water).
Hilton Worldwide announced its inclusion as one of the “50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work For” in LATINA Style Magazine’s annual LATINA Style 50 Report. LATINA Style Magazine’s survey recognized Hilton’s dedication to diverse recruitment and promotion initiatives as well as its recruitment of veterans and military personnel in its report.
The Peninsula Hotels today introduces “Peninsula Moments”, a new, global brand campaign using video and photography to demonstrate how The Peninsula Hotels brings the very best and unique aspects of each destination to its guests with style, sophistication and elegance. Moments and memories to remember, reflecting an authentic sense of destination, are brought to life by the stunning architecture, thoughtful design, local insight and the genuine desire of Peninsula staff to showcase the very best of their cities.
Speaking ahead of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) this September 25-26 in Nairobi, where he will be describing the economic outlook for Africa in the coming decade, Professor Goldin has made six predictions that paint a promising picture of the continent from a commercial and investment point of view.
As worldwide economic and political situations remain volatile, the issue of traveler safety and security continues to be an ongoing challenge for travel managers. Add in the increasing frequency and rising strength of natural disasters and corporations are seeing increasing pressure to ensure their duty-of-care standards are as up-to-date and comprehensive as possible. To take the pulse of the current state of risk management efforts, AirPlus surveyed 133 corporate travel buyers this summer.
For the first time in five years, travellers paid more on average for their hotel rooms during the first six months of 2012 in all parts of the world, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index TM (HPI). The global 4% rise, compared to the same period the year before, demonstrated that the economic recovery in the hotel industry was well-established.
The U.S. hotel industry experienced positive results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 19-25 August 2012, according to data from STR. In year-over-year comparisons, occupancy ended the week with a 4.9-percent increase to 65.7 percent, average daily rate was up 5.3 percent to US$105.43 and revenue per available room ended the week with an increase of 10.5 percent to US$69.30.
The President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, has underlined the importance of tourism as a sector able to “generate decent work and wealth across the entire country” on receiving the UNWTO/World Travel &Tourism Council (WTTC) Open Letter on Tourism. “The Travel & Tourism industry in Argentina makes an important contribution to the national economy and is a powerful path towards territorial development, given its ability to generate decent work and wealth across the entire country,” said President Fernández.
STR, the leading provider of hotel data, was ranked in Inc. magazine’s sixth annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in America. STR reported a three-year growth of 22 percent, landing it at No. 4,495 on the list and No. 40 among Nashville, Tennessee-based companies. This was the first time STR was recognized on the list.
In what promises to be an amazing celebration of the culinary art, Sofitel So Bangkok has invited 12 internationally renowned chefs to lead a 5-day event that offers both cooking classes by the masters and the opportunity to tastes their combined skills in unparalleled lunches and set-menu dinners. All 12 chefs belong to the event’s partner, “Village de Chefs”, the site through which members, French or French-speaking professionals working abroad, share their experiences for the enrichment of French gastronomy throughout the world.
Despite tepid economic indicators, record numbers of guests continue to occupy U.S. hotel rooms. According to the recently released September 2012 edition of Hotel Horizons, PKF Hospitality Research, LLC (PKF-HR), is forecasting that on any given night in 2012, nearly 3.0 million of the nation’s 4.8 million hotel rooms will be occupied. This is 5.6 percent greater than the levels of lodging demand accommodated in 2007, the year prior to the great industry recession.
Marriott International, Inc. recently released its second full comprehensive Sustainability Report, using guidelines set forth by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In it, Marriott announced $2.5 million invested in its environmental portfolio over the past three years, and significant contributions to workforce development for disadvantaged youth around the world to help them gain skills and jobs.
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced that the Holiday Inn Express Rio Branco in Brazil has broken ground. The new-build hotel is scheduled to open in late 2013, just in time for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil. When the property opens, it will be IHG’s first hotel in Rio Branco.
