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Service For Those Who Serve Apr 5, 2012: Service For Those Who Serve
Growing your government business is a good way to boost occupancy and give back.

Survey Reveals Business Travel is on the Rise Mar 30, 2012

Survey Reveals Business Travel is on the Rise
With 46% of Frequent Travelers Preferring More Space to Spread Out During their Stay and 70% Wanting Free Breakfast

-Embassy Suites Hotels announced today the results of its fourth annual Business Travel Survey*, a yearly pulse of the business travel community, which reveals the current state of business travel and what business travelers want more of in 2012. This year’s survey indicates that while the current economic climate is still a factor, one-third of respondents report that they’re traveling more than a year ago to have face-to-face meetings with clients. It also highlights the ways in which travelers are looking to get the most out of their business trips, from the incidence of “business-turned-leisure” trips to hotel value, and underscores the importance of technology on the road.

Hotel Spas Lag Industry Recovery but Forecasts Indicate Strong Future Performance Mar 29, 2012: Hotel Spas Lag Industry Recovery -

Over the years, PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) has analyzed the cyclical nature of lodging industry. Most recently, a lot of attention has been paid to the pace of recovery from the depths of the industry recession in 2009. Typical of historical recovery sequences, lodging demand and occupancy levels bounced back strongly in 2010, followed by real increases in average daily room rates (ADR) in 2011.

Since 2007, PKF-HR has surveyed the financial performance of U.S. hotel spas for its annual Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry report. The 151 hotels that submitted their 2010 data for the 2011 edition of the survey averaged 380 guest rooms in size and achieved an average occupancy of 62.3 percent and an ADR of $224.32. The sample was limited to spas that are operated by the hotel.

The following paragraphs summarize the findings of our 2011 Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry report.

World's Strangest Hotel Amenities Mar 28, 2012: World's Strangest Hotel Amenities

These Lodging Perks Will Invigorate Even the Most Seasoned Traveler

Key Issues of Concern in the Lodging Industry: What Worries Managers Mar 26, 2012

Hospitality Leadership Through Learning

Key Issues of Concern in the Lodging Industry: What Worries Managers

Cornell Presents Two Studies Aimed at Helping Hotels Improve Revenues and Profits Mar 22, 2012: CHR Study Shows Effects of Hotel Pricing Strategy on Revenues
A new study from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research explores hotel price stability and price shifting from 2007 through 2009. The study, “Strategic Revenue Management and the Role of Competitive Price Shifting”, examined whether using shifting price strategies (either up or down) over time was superior to maintaining a steady price strategy. While hotels that shifted to a higher pricing band against competitors tended to see greater revenue per available room, a steady price strategy was also quite effective.

Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business - Marketing Hotels and Hospitality Mar 21, 2012: Ranjay Gulati, Harvard Business School professor/author of "Reorganize for Resilience: Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business," on how to deliver what customers really want.

Hotel Market More Positive about 2012, But With Strong Reservations Mar 19, 2012

2011 Travel Industry Benchmarking: Marketing ROI, Opportunities, and Challenges in Online and Social Media Channels for Destination and Marketing Firms Mar 19, 2012: Hospitality Leadership Through Learning

2011 Travel Industry Benchmarking: Marketing ROI, Opportunities, and Challenges in Online and Social Media Channels for Destination and Marketing Firms

Doing Business in 2012: Set Your Compass Mar 16, 2012: Hotel Industry Magazine - Actionable Intelligence for the UK's Hotel Industry

Columnist Conor Kenny from Conor Kenny and Associates considers the 2012 business environment and “rouses” you into action ! I don’t really buy the idea of “We are at a crossroads”: it assumes you can keep going the same way, straight on. Generally you can’t, if you want to change and adapt.

Increasing the Efficiency of Your Sales/Marketing Departments Mar 13, 2012: Your sales department has just gone through a rigorous and expensive training designed to improve their closing ratio. They have been very diligent in using their new skills when reaching out to potential new clients. However, even though their leads and activity are up you are not seeing an increase in sales. What's wrong?