Main Photo: The Shangri-La, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi
Date: April 2019
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Name: Abu Dhabi – The Country Continue reading
Category Archives: Industry News & Reports
George Clooney Calls for Boycott of Brunei-Owned Hotels
Main Photo: Hunky George!
Date: April 2019
Location: Global
Name: Dorchester Hotel Collection Continue reading
Trump Hotels Pulls White House-Themed Merchandise Following Criticism
Main Photo: The White House!
Date: March 2019
Location: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, USA
Name: Trump Hotels Continue reading
HOC19 Date & Venue Announced…Speakers will Discuss and Debate the Impact of Hotel Operations on Investment Returns
Main Photo: The Hotel Operations Conference 2019 (HOC19)
Date: March 2019
Location: The Montcalm Hotel, Marble Arch, London, UK
Name: The Hotel Operations Conference 2019 Continue reading
The Winners of the 4th Annual Serviced Apartment Awards Celebrated at Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London
Main Photo: The Winners of 2019 Serviced Apartment Awards
Date: March 2019
Location: Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London, UK
Name: The 2019 Serviced Apartment Awards Continue reading
Melia Hotel Double-Booked as Hanoi Scrambles to Host Kim and Trump
Main Photo: The Melia Hotel in Hanoi, Monday 25th February
Date: February 2019
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Name: The Melia Hotel, Hanoi Continue reading
IHG Plans New All-Suites Brand
Main Photo: The Kimpton Frankfurt due to open 2023
Date: February 2019
Location: Global
Name: InterContinental Hotels – IHG New brand not announced as yet
Million-euro Tourism Investment Projects in Greece Get Green Light
Main Photo: Hotel Mauritius Mykonos, Greece
Location: Greece
Who: An inter-ministerial committee for strategic investments
What Did They Say: The committee led by Greek Economy Minister Yannis Dragasakis approved this week three tourism projects and a shopping/recreation centre budgeted at €333.8 million.
Hotel Investment in Spain Reached €4,860m in 2018 According to Christie & Co’s Latest Report
Main Photo: Hotel Investment Overview Spain 2018
Location: Spain
Who: Christie & Co, Spain
What Did They Say: 2018 was a record year for hotel investment at €4,860m in a total 223 transactions (surpassing the 185 transactions registered in 2017), which represents an average price per room of €128 and an increase of 24.6% of the total volume of investment versus 2017.
This positions Spain in second place, behind the United Kingdom (where investment is estimated to be £6,500 million), but before Germany for the first time (where €4,000 million has been estimated for the total investment in 2018).
Airbnb vs Paris vs the European Union
Main Photo: Airbnb, fighting legal battles in 13 European cities
Location: Europe
Who: Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms
What Did They Say: Rather complex! but in a nutshell… last year the City of Paris lodged a complaint against the company “SCI panorama immobilier”, arguing that the company didn’t comply with “the Law of 6 July 1989 of the Building and Housing Code”.
On January 17, the Paris Regional Court handed down its verdict on the case opposing the City of Paris and the company called “SCI panorama immobilier”: this is an important decision for Airbnb and for Parisian landlords that rent their apartments via the platform……
Hostels v Hotels – a Legal Viewpoint
Main Photo: A London hostel, where rooms range from private rooms for two to dormitory style with 8 or even 12 beds
Date: February 2019
Location: UK
Who:
What Did They Say:
“Hotel: An establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for travellers and tourists.
Hostel: An establishment which provides inexpensive food and lodging for a specific group of people, such as students, workers, or travellers.”
Even the briefest of comparisons of the dictionary definitions of these words highlights the marginal differences between them.
JLL Hotel Investment Outlook 2019
Main Photo: New report from JLL
Date: February 2019
Location: Global
Who: JLL
What Did They Say: Hotel investment defies global caution. Liquidity for hotel investments in 2018 was bolstered by a healthy global economy fuelling growing traveller volumes.
Some markets, like the US, enjoyed more positive sentiment over the past 12 months. With this, global hotel transaction volumes totalled nearly US$60 billion, holding steady on 2017’s strong levels.
Marriott Moves into the Bonvoy Age
Main Photo: Marriott Bonvoy Logo
Date: January 2019
Location: Global
Who: Marriott
What Did They Do: Marriott International announced that the loyalty brand replacing Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest will called Marriott Bonvoy.
The company said that it was “more than a loyalty programme” as it looked to greater personalisation and other member benefits. Marriott Bonvoy launches on 13th February 2019
Don’t Forget to Pay the Piper, especially if he has a Digger!
Main Photo: Disgruntled tradesman smashes into Travelodge Liverpool
Date: January 2019
Location: Innovation Park part of Liverpool, Merseyside, UK
Name: Travelodge Liverpool Edge Lane
Cape Verde Aims for the Magic Million
Main Photo: Cape Verde
Date: January 2019
Location: Cape Verde, an island/country off the North West coast of Africa
Who: Horwarth HTL, prior to the new Forum de l’Investissement Hôtelier Africain (FIHA) in Marrakesh in February 2019.
Why Marriott and Hilton Stocks Are Down Today (January 3rd 2019)
Main Photo: JW Marriott Hotel Zheljiang Anji
Date: January 2019
Location: Global
Who: Marriott and Hilton
What did they do: Marriott fell as much as 5.1 percent, and Hilton slipped as much as 5.2 percent. They were down 3.5 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, at 11:57 a.m. New York time, January 3rd 2019, compared with a 2 percent drop in the Bloomberg Americas Lodging Index. Hyatt Hotels Corp. fell 2.5 percent.
Marriott International Inc. and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Co. led hotel stocks lower after Apple Inc. reported slowing sales in China — giving investors cause to worry about an important source of the travel industry’s future growth.
Solar, Thermal… Spain’s Historic Hotels, Paradores, go Green
Main Photo: The Madrid Skyline
Date: January 2019
Location: Spain
Who: State-owned Paradores Chain
What did they do: Paradores’ 97 hotels has announced that all of its establishments will use only electricity from renewable sources from the start of the new year. Continue reading
Retrieve Capital Allowances from UK’s HMRC
Date: January 2019
Location: UK
Who: HJR Tax Solutions
What do they do: Help hoteliers – Buyers or Sellers, claim back capital allowances on “embedded fixtures” – the fixed assets in the hotel.
Boutique Hotels are 17.8% of the Room Count in the Development Pipeline as at June 2018
Date: December 2018
Location: USA
Who: CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research partnered with the Boutique and Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA) to develop six competitive classification categories.
What did they say: The categories are based on a combination of branding, management, and chain-scale, three factors that influence the market position and performance of boutique and lifestyle hotels. The six competitive classification categories, along with representative brands:
Legacy Brands/Upper-Priced: Andaz, Canopy, Indigo, Kimpton, W Hotel
Legacy Brands/Lower-Priced: A/C, aloft Hotel, MOXY, Tru
Soft Brands: Autograph, Best Western Premier, Curio, Hyatt Unbound
Referral Groups/Independent Properties: Historic Hotels, Leading Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels
Boutique-Lifestyle Brands/Luxury: Belmond, Montage, Thompson, Valencia
Boutique-Lifestyle Brands/Upper-Upscale: Affinia, Charlestowne, Joie De Vivre
Ras Al Khaimah Seeks 3 Million Visitors Annually by 2025 with Launch of New Tourism Strategy
Main Photo: Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah
Date: December 2018
Location: Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
Who: Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority has today launched its new Destination Strategy 2019-2021.
What did they say: Haitham Mattar, chief executive of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “As our tourism offering evolves in Ras Al Khaimah, we must ensure our destination is attractive to travellers who wish to explore beyond the resorts and hotels.