| April 27, 2012 | News for hotel and lodging professionals |
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- Starwood's income, revenue soar in Q1
Starwood Hotels & Resorts reported net income of $128 million for the first quarter of 2012, against $28 million in the previous year. Revenue also jumped, marking a 32% rise to $1.72 billion on a 6.4% increase in global revenue per available room. "The global lodging recovery forges forward in a turbulent world. We're on the cusp of a golden age of global travel," CEO Frits van Paasschen said. Travel Weekly
(4/26)      
| Business Update | | |
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- Host Hotels posts improved Q1 gains on strong group business
Growth of 5.5% in group revenue for the first quarter helped lift results for Host Hotels & Resorts, which broke even during the period and posted a 10% rise in revenue, to $985 million. The hotel real estate investment trust is anticipating further increases in demand for the year, particularly in the group segment. "Our outlook for 2012 is based on very strong demand trends. With new supply in our markets expected to be around 0.5% in 2012, lodging fundamentals will remain strong," said Host President and CEO Ed Walter. HotelNewsNow.com
(4/26), Reuters
(4/25)
- Full-year profit at Whitbread jumps to $515.8M
Whitbread recorded "profit before tax in the year to March 1" of 11.3%, to $515.8 million, with 11.2% revenue growth, this feature says. The company also posted strong sales growth for its Premier Inn hotels since the start of the new fiscal year. Reuters
(4/26)
| Market Trends | | |
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- Tourism demand in the Caribbean is likely to rise, experts say
Panelists at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference presented data signifying a strong potential for tourism demand growth in the region. STR also highlighted the region's low supply growth -- 231,278 rooms in the pipeline. "We're at a point now where we have much higher demand growth, very low supply growth, which we think puts hotels at a great position to drive revenue," said Amanda Hite, president of STR. HotelNewsNow.com
(4/26)
| Spotlight on Technology | | |
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| Best Practices | | |
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- Column: Guest-service focus should govern IT groups' actions
The growing influence of technology in hotel operations has underscored the need to orient a hotel's information technology team in guest-service best practices, writes Roberta Nedry, president of Hospitality Excellence. She advises hoteliers to promote coordination between front-line staff and IT personnel to make IT-related guest services run more smoothly. "Developing effective working relationships between these two very different employee 'cultures' may seem obvious but is often neglected, and that's when misunderstandings occur," Nedry writes. Hospitality Net
(4/26)
| Development | | |
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- Galaxy announces $2B expansion for Cotai casino
Galaxy Entertainment has confirmed that it plans to invest about $2 billion for the second phase of its expansion of its casino in Cotai, Macau. The company plans to add 500 tables and more than 1,000 slots to Galaxy Macau. Two luxury hotels are planned as well. Reuters
(4/26)
| Government Affairs | | |
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- Bill opposes blacklisting of Reno, Las Vegas from government travel
A bill proposed by a pair of Nevada legislators seeks to stop a possible ban on travel by federal employees to Las Vegas and Reno, Nev., and other destinations. The proposal stems from a recently uncovered overspending scandal by officials at the General Services Administration, amounting to $823,000 in expenditures for a 2010 conference. USA TODAY
(4/25)
| AH&LA News | | |
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Distribution Channel Analysis: A Guide for Hotels
This special report, just released by AH&LA and STR and published by the HSMAI Foundation, discusses the effects of channel mix on profitability and what the industry can expect in the future. It's based on interviews with hundreds of industry executives and data from more than 25,000 hotels and 100 brands. You'll gain insight for determining your optimal channel mix.
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 | Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."
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