Front Desk

• MGM Grand Detroit capitalizes on its reputation for luxury
  Part of MGM Grand Detroit's success hinges on its ability to provide guests with a first-class experience. The largest casino in Detroit by market share is the main driver behind the city's gaming market. MGM is "like the Yankees of the casino world," said Tom Nelson, an independent gaming-regulation consultant. "They can get the top talent, and they know how to use it." The Detroit News (2/28)

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Business Update

• Hotel chains focus on ownership diversity
  Hotel chains based in the Washington, D.C., area, including Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide and Choice Hotels International, have ramped up their efforts to diversify their ownership ranks. Marriott, for example, operates more than 570 minority- and women-owned hotels in the U.S., with more on the way. "We have a robust pipeline [of minority-owned hotels] in various stages of development," said Jimmie Paschall, an executive at Marriott. The Washington Post (2/28)

• Websites try different strategies to sell hotel rooms
  Numerous online sales models have emerged in recent years to help hotels sell rooms. Consumers have plenty of options when they are interested in booking a room, but the transparency of the process has remained less than ideal. Two sites, GetARoom.com and Room 77, are striving to shake up the booking process. BusinessWeek.com/Traveler's Check blog (2/25)

• Middle East's problems could hurt casino industry, analysts say
  Political unrest in the Middle East is driving up the price of oil, which might increase the cost of gasoline and fuel in the U.S. The situation could hinder the fragile recovery of the casino industry. "If oil continues to move higher, capacity could actually be reduced, and this creates risk to the [Las Vegas] Strip recovery," said Brian McGill, a gaming analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott. Las Vegas Review-Journal (2/27)

• Other News

• Fairmont to honor VIP deal that was offered in error
  USA TODAY/Hotel Check-in blog (2/26)

• InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta's bar focuses on cognac
  Hotel Interactive (2/25)

Market Trends

• Mardi Gras' late start could make it huge
  Although Mardi Gras is sometimes referred to as the Greatest Free Show on Earth, the celebration could mean huge profit for hotels in the New Orleans area this year. "This is the best I've seen," said Fred Sawyers, general manager of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel. The event is poised to be larger than usual for the tourism industry partly because it starts later, meaning the weather likely will be warmer. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (2/27)

• Other News

• Visitor spending in Hawaii increased $194.8 million in January
  Bloomberg/The Associated Press (2/25)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AH&LA SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Report: Some hotels lure guests with misleading photos, reviews (MSNBC)

• Hoteliers race to develop boutique and lifestyle brands (The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model))

• Hotels in San Francisco's Nob Hill area struggle (San Francisco Chronicle)

• Sunstone maintains strategy of quickly acquiring assets (HotelNewsNow.com)

• Accor to accelerate asset-disposal program (Bloomberg)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Sponsored Content

Spotlight on Technology

• Hotelier aims to open a space-station property
  Robert Bigelow, who owns Budget Suites of America, wants to open a space-station hotel that could lodge as many as a dozen guests. Bigelow has two prototype hotels in orbit and is negotiating to attach a module to the International Space Station. "This will be the time when we see which countries are the ones that have the power to take control of mankind's future," Bigelow wrote. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (2/27)

Best Practices

• Tips for developing guest loyalty
  Loyal guests can help hotels in many ways. They provide influential marketing and are crucial to sustainable business growth. This article offers suggestions for building guest loyalty, from anticipating the wishes of guests to injecting personality into guest interactions. Hotel Interactive (2/25)

Development

• First built-from-scratch Holiday Inn Resort opens in Florida
  The newest hotel in Pensacola Beach, Fla., the 206-room Holiday Inn Resort, recently started welcoming guests. "Our reservations are just flooding in," said Charlie Allen, general manager of the property. "We're also getting a lot of walk-ins, and not just for a night or two, but we've had several staying five nights." InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns the Holiday Inn brand, is developing the resort brand. Pensacola News Journal (Fla.) (2/26)

Government Affairs

• Bill to reauthorize FAA includes measures for airlines
  Legislation that would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration includes provisions that could change the operation of airlines. For example, one measure would prohibit pilots from using personal electronic devices, such as laptops and cell phones, while flying planes. Meanwhile, airlines are looking at technology that IBM technicians used to create "Jeopardy" champion Watson. They want to use the technology to streamline airline operations and help passengers book travel. Los Angeles Times (2/28)

• A government shutdown could alter some travelers' plans
  Lawmakers are expected to scramble to reach an agreement on spending to prevent a partial shutdown of the federal government. If a deal is not reached, hundreds of museums and parks will close starting as early as Saturday. In late 1995 and early 1996, a shutdown resulted in many travelers waiting for passports after the State Department stopped processing applications. USA TODAY/Destinations blog (2/28)

• Other News

• Virginia OKs hotel taxes in several jurisdictions
  The Washington Post/Virginia Politics blog (2/25)

AH&LA News

• National prizes will be awarded to energy slashers
  Benchmark, track and manage your energy and natural gas use via the AH&LA Energy Slasher Challenge. Take a look at your totals for the past year, and see how much you can reduce your consumption during the coming year. Properties with the highest reductions will win one-on-one eco-strategy planning days with the AH&LA Green Guru. Additional prizes will come from HD Supply.

• Industry suppliers that understand the industry
  There are thousands of hospitality vendors to choose from. But AH&LA Allied members stand out as trusted leaders in the hospitality community and continually prove their dedication by helping make the association's events, benefits and resources possible. Support the businesses that support our industry -- check out our complete list of AH&LA Allied members.

SmartQuote

Real success is not on the stage, but off the stage as a human being, and how you get along with your fellow man." --Sammy Davis Jr., American actor and singer