Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new?

In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more. And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn’t good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels’ revenues once the economy bounces back.

So how can hotels compete in this weak economy, looking beyond discounts? Is it possible to flourish, even during such a travel slowdown?

The answer is yes. I have seen proper revenue management take a struggling hotel from barely surviving to thriving, even as the recession bites deeper. One Miami-based property was struggling to maintain a 45% occupancy rate. After overhauling its revenue management system, occupancy jumped to 90 to 94%, with an increase in revenues of 70%. Too good to be true? Absolutely not. A fundamental building block of revenue management, RevPAR is one of the most important metrics of the hospitality industry and absolutely possible with the right system in place. …

the full article is available at http://www.eyefortravel.com/news/north-america/increasing-RevPAR-without-sacrificing-margins-or-brand-value

m-Travel.com and Travel Distribution News
Distribution News for the Travel Industry - to search 5 years of archived travel distribution news go to

Increasing RevPAR without sacrificing margins or brand value

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more. And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn’t good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels’ revenues once the economy bounces back…

Revenue management: the hotel stimulus package

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more. And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn't good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels' revenues once the economy bounces back…

Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package - By Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and Founder of REVPAR GURU

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more. And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn't good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels' revenues once the economy bounces back.

So how can hotels compete in this weak economy, looking beyond discounts? Is it possible to flourish, even during such a travel slowdown?

The answer is yes! I have

http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article37612.html

The latest Hotel News on the NET

Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package - By Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and Founder of REVPAR GURU

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more.....

http://www.hotelbusiness.nl/?p=18027

Interested to improve your RevPAR?

According to recent studies conducted at different hotel consultancy companies like TRI or PKF or Ernst & Young, the future is not really bright in terms of occupancy in most European cities and more importantly in RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room). London could even see a drop of a two digits % in the next 12 months according to TRI.

RevPARGuru owned and created by Jean Francois Mourier and Bruno Perez is a Sales & Revenue management company that sells optimizing tools for hoteliers to improve their occupancy and RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room). Probably not the first (and not the last) Hotelier Revenue Management software available on the planet but maybe worth a check…

http://www.hotel-blogs.com/guillaume_thevenot/2009/02/interested-to-improve-your-RevPAR.html

For the past 6 months, most of us in the hotel industry have sat by watching the effect of Wall Street?s excesses, or the ?AIG effect? impact the meetings industry. Much has been made about extravagant meetings and uncalled-for expenses, however little attention has been paid to the trickle-down affecting hotels, resorts and well, millions of American workers. At first, I?m sure that many of us felt this initial backlash would be an isolated one, but as companies continue to significantly cut back on travel costs and cancel meetings, a very different picture has emerged. It?s a picture of more than half a million workers facing unemployment, and an industry that?s been brought to its knees. Almost overnight, meetings and business travel have become convenient scapegoats. Though they have no direct relationship to the financial turmoil enveloping mismanaged companies, the public have seized upon these ?perks? as emblematic of the excesses that have derailed the American economy….

By Jean Francois Mourier & Bruno Perez, RevPARguru.com |

R.O.A.R.: Lay blame where blame is due, but it’s not the hotels

For the past 6 months, most of us in the hotel industry have sat by watching the effect of Wall Street’s excesses, or the “AIG effect” impact the meetings industry. Much has been made about extravagant meetings and uncalled-for expenses, however little attention has been paid to the trickle-down affecting hotels, resorts and well, millions of American workers.
At first, I’m sure that many of us felt this initial backlash would be an isolated one, but as companies continue to significantly cut back on travel costs and cancel meetings, a very different picture has emerged. It’s a picture of more than half a million workers facing unemployment, and an industry that’s been brought to its knees.

http://www.eturbonews.com/8178/roar-lay-blame-where-blame-due-it-s-not-hotels

Written by JJ

Hotel Revenue Management and RevPAR - Beating the Recession

Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package. By Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and Founder of REVPAR GURU 
Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new?  In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more.  And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn’t good news for the hotel business.  In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels’ revenues once the economy bounces back.  

http://www.younghotelier.com/articles-reviews/hotel-revenue-management-and-RevPAR-beating-the-recession/

Industry News

Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more. And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn't good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels' revenues once the economy bounces back.
So how can hotels compete in this weak economy, looking beyond discounts? Is it possible to flourish, even during such a travel slowdown?
Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and Founder of REVPAR GURU, a company that has developed an alternative type of revenue management and real-time pricing solution combined with automated online distribution to help hotels increase their profits, has seen proper revenue management take a struggling hotel from barely surviving to thriving, even as the recession bites deeper.

BY Douglas Hanks

Hotel revenues in South Florida continue to fall

February was worse than January for hotels in South Florida as a travel downturn extends longer than the post-9/11 decline.
BY DOUGLAS HANKS
dhanks@MiamiHerald.com

The peak of South Florida's vacation season continues to be battered by a global economic retreat as hotels slash rates to fill beds.

February numbers released Monday by Smith Travel Research showed Miami-Dade hotels suffering the most, with room revenues dropping faster than they did in the winter following the 2001 terrorist attacks. The ugly February came after a disappointing turnout for the Miami International Boat Show, traditionally the hotels' busiest weekend of the year.

Last month in Miami-Dade, occupancy levels dropped 10 points from a year ago to 73 percent despite a 15 percent cut in room rates to $180 a night. Discounts helped more in Broward and the Keys, where room rates dropped at a similar pace but occupancy fell just 3 points in Broward and was flat in the Keys.

''Our occupancy is not so bad,'' said Broward tourism director Nikki Grossman. ``But we had to drop our rates to get their business.''

A surge of new hotel rooms has made Miami-Dade a much more competitive lodging market than it was a year ago, with 10 percent more rooms available than in the winter of 2007.

As one of priciest large hotel markets in the country, Miami-Dade also is suffering from what the Commerce Department said last week is a 22 percent cutback in travel spending across the country.

At the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, conferences are drawing fewer attendees and vacationers have held back booking trips to the lush hotel that's best known for its annual pro golf tourney.

Chris Bielski, the resort's sales director, said Americans seem more leery to travel than they were the winter after the 2001 attacks.

''We started to recover a bit'' in February 2002, he said. ``I guess people are being a little bit more hesitant to travel at this point.''

The new Smith Travel numbers also suggest this travel downturn has more stamina than the post-9/11 stretch.

February 2002 marked the first time since the attacks when Miami-Dade saw room revenue decline less than 20 percent. That month's 17 percent loss was significantly better than January 2002's 24 percent drop, according to Smith Travel figures.

But the start of 2009 tells a different story. In Miami-Dade, South Florida's largest hotel market, revenue-per-room dropped 25 percent in February -- worse than January's 18 percent drop.

''9/11 was a fear of flying,'' said Rolando Aedo, head of marketing for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. ``This is a global economic crisis. It definitely is more profound and more widespread.''

He noted that despite the declines, Miami-Dade continues to compare well to the nation's other major hotel markets. Aedo noted the amount of revenue the average Miami-Dade hotel room generated in February -- $121 a night -- was the highest among the country's top 25 destinations.

Jean Francois Mourier, a bookings consultant for Miami Beach hotels, said his clients are seeing room revenues drop more in March than they did in February.

''It's getting worse each month,'' said Mourier, CEO of RevPARguru.com.

But like other hoteliers, he's hoping the recent surge in stock prices will encourage consumers to start making vacation plans again.

''The news affects everybody. In January and February, it was the end of the world. Now the news is coming out the government is helping the banks,'' he said. ``The wind is starting to change a bit.'' 

By Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and Founder of REVPAR GURU

Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more. And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn't good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels' revenues once the economy bounces back.
So how can hotels compete in this weak economy, looking beyond discounts? Is it possible to flourish, even during such a travel slowdown?
The answer is yes! I have seen proper revenue management take a struggling hotel from barely surviving to thriving, even as the recession bites deeper. One Miami-based property was struggling to maintain a 45% occupancy rate. After overhauling its revenue management system, occupancy jumped to 90 to 94%, with an increase in revenues of 70%. Too good to be true? Absolutely not! A fundamental building block of revenue management, RevPAR is one of the most important metrics of the hospitality industry and absolutely possible with the right system in place.

For hotels, RevPAR is key determinant of profitability. It's what keeps the doors open, yet many hotels and chains still handle room occupancy and pricing in an old-fashioned and haphazard manner - reactively and rarely scientifically.

Click Here To Download:

Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package
 - By Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and Founder of REVPAR GURU

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more.

And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn't good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels' revenues once the economy bounces back.
So how can hotels compete in this weak economy, looking beyond discounts? Is it possible to flourish, even during such a travel slowdown?

The answer is yes! I have seen proper revenue management take a struggling hotel from barely surviving to thriving, even as the recession bites deeper. One Miami-based property was struggling to maintain a 45% occupancy rate. After overhauling its revenue management system, occupancy jumped to 90 to 94%, with an increase in revenues of 70%. Too good to be true? Absolutely not! A fundamental building block of revenue management, RevPAR is one of the most important metrics of the hospitality industry and absolutely possible with the right system in place.

Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package. By Jean Francois Mourier, CEO and Founder of REVPAR GURU

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) to drop by as much as 11%, perhaps even more. And with occupancy rates already at all-time lows, this isn’t good news for the hotel business. In such a climate, many hoteliers will compete on rate, but this only creates a downward spiral of price competitiveness, and more pain for the long-term growth and sustainability of hotels’ revenues once the economy bounces back.
So how can hotels compete in this weak economy, looking beyond discounts? Is it possible for hotels to flourish, even during a travel slowdown?
The answer is yes! A fundamental building block of revenue management, RevPAR is one of the most important metrics of the hospitality industry and thriving in a weak market is entirely possible with the right system in place.

Hotel Revenue Management and RevPAR - Beating the Recession
Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package. By Jean Francois Mourier

http://www.hotelschoolreviews.com/

E-Hospitality .com

Guest Column: Revenue Management: The Hotel Stimulus Package

Hotels are being pummeled by the economy, and the hospitality industry is suffering in every corner of the globe - what else is new? In the current climate, most hotel experts are expecting RevPAR (revenue per available room) ...

http://www.congoo.com/news/2009April7/Guest-Column-Revenue-Management-Hotel

Written by JJ

Hotel Revenue Management - What Hoteliers Need Now, Like Really, Really Need Now

Repeat after me: bookings, customers, cashflow, bookings, customers, cashflow. Most likely, these are the top-billing items on hoteliers’ what I need right now wish-list. But moving these items from wish to reality will take substantially more effort than crossing fingers, reactive strategies or hoping for the best. What hoteliers need right now is a finely tuned orchestration of effective strategies that work in tandem across all aspects of a hotel’s operation – sales, marketing and revenue management, right through to the front desk. Oh, and don’t forget about online – greatly overlooked and undervalued! Having been on the hotel industry front lines for the past 25+ years, we have compiled a short wish list of what hoteliers need right now.

And we mean now.

Revenue Management

The importance of having a robust and effective revenue management strategy (and system) is a business imperative in today’s market. Having the right system in place can wring the maximum amount of revenue from any hotel property – automatically. The added benefit of having such a system is that it frees managers to control pricing and other crucial variables in a proactive, rather than reactive manner. Hotels can increase their occupancy rates and manage their distribution costs like never before. Given the effects of the global economic downturn, managing RevPAR intelligently and effectively is a necessity for hotels everywhere.

Automate or Die

Most hotels (and revenue management systems) rely on the revenue manager to analyze and implement complex and rapidly changing pricing structures. But relying on humans is, unfortunately, a significant contributor to lost revenues. By implementing a system that eliminates the human error element will ensure rates are optimized for the best booking rates with the highest RevPAR available – at all times. Having such a system eliminates the day-to-day repetitive (and overwhelming) data crunching tasks, so that revenue managers can use their online sales knowledge and internet expertise to focus on the big picture - to actually manage revenues and grow business.

Go Forth and Integrate

Taking a cue from automation, integration is also vital to improving the efficiencies of all hotel operations. Rather than having multiple systems or tools that do not communicate with each other, look for a consolidated RMS system with a user-friendly interface to provide maximum pricing optimization flexibility, online rate distribution, competitive webpage positioning and inventory control. RevPARGuru’s system is designed to empower revenue managers with technology automation and flexibility, the system provides proactive focus rather than reactive with greater inventory control, optimal online sales performance - not only in occupancy but also rates, and RevPAR. Is yours doing that?

The Death of the Comp Set – Online at Least

In traditional revenue management, managers only compare their prices with those of their competitive set (or comp set), the select group of hotels that is considered direct competition because of its star rating, quality, brand and so on. But what revenue managers tend to forget is that online, consumers aren’t thinking in terms of comp set, but rather in terms of price. So ignore your traditional comp set analytics and focus on comparing your pricing to ALL of your competitors within the destination. By having the whole picture, this will increase your ability to generate maximum bookings and, importantly, RevPAR.

More Site Visitors Does Not More Bookings

Many operators assume that more online traffic to a website equates to higher bookings. Unfortunately, increased website traffic doesn’t mean higher conversation rates or bookings. If you’re not seeing an increased number of bookings, evaluate your site to determine whether it is encouraging people to book or just to look, paying special attention to key metrics such as the bounce rate (what percentage of people left after just visiting just one page) and conversion rates (how many people are actually choosing to book) to see whether your site has the information and emotional component that compels customers to book a stay.

A New Booking Channel - Get Your Mobile On

More than 274 million Americans currently own a mobile phone. The mobile phone, just like the internet before, is revolutionizing the way we access information, the way we research restaurants and stores, or even plan and book our travel. And increasingly, consumers want access to all this information on-the-go. So it’s important for hotels to consider developing an mCommerce website, where consumers can quickly find hotel and rate information, and of course, book directly through the mobile site. Need proof? Marriott said that its recently launched site for Smartphones garnered more than $1.25 million in gross revenue during its first 100 days, and Hilton said its mobile capabilities generated more than $420,000 in revenue last October and $1.4 million during a “typical 100-day period”. And all this during a recession!

Speaking of Channels… Um, Channel Management

Right now, hotels need to make sure that there is room inventory available for purchase on all of the channels – be it OTAs, a hotel’s own website, the telephone and even your brand new mobile site. Keeping rates equal across all of the channels and offering the best possible rate (not discounted, just slightly lower or higher than specific hotels!) will entice consumers to choose your hotel over its competitors.

Worried about paying the huge OTA commissions for bookings? Steer bookings from expensive sites to your own hotel website. The leading hospitality brands have 76:24 direct vs. indirect online distribution ratio, and direct online channel sales will exceed 61% for the industry as a whole in 2009 – and you can too!

Revenue Managers, It’s time to Think Outside the OTA Box

Everyone knows about the big OTA players – Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Bookings.com and Priceline – your hotel cannot afford not to be doing business with them. If you aren’t in today’s market, you might as well close your doors. But there are 200+ travel search engines and hotel booking channels online, so revenue managers need to be on the constant look out and ensure they have a solid presence on the most number of sites possible. Why? Because more exposure and more visibility, equals more bookings. Online hotel bookings are the most popular travel item purchased on the web, and with more portals and sites appearing almost every day, don’t forget all the niche markets available out there. Take advantage of the bookings that come in from those sites. And if you think that more sites to manage means more headaches and parity issues, consider automating the process with a robust RMS system, like RevPARGuru’s.

Last But Not Least, Fixed Rates vs. Dynamic Rates

In contrast to the hotel industry of the past, where consumers did not have access to pricing information unless they used a travel agent or called a hotel directly, today’s market is completely transparent (well, almost), with all hotel rates openly advertised on the internet. Consumers use travel search engines such as Kayak, to compare hundreds of travel sites - what they get is an easy-to-digest display of hotel rates that can be classified by price, star rating, traveler opinion, location and other more variables. But as the booking window becomes shorter and shorter, how are hotels handling the increased “commoditization” of their business, especially in the current rate parity and best rate guarantee requirements?

The fixed rate concept was fantastic before the internet revolutionized hotel bookings. BAR rates and rack rates were the benchmark (or the base) of all other rates. But now that pricing is transparent, the rules have changed and the online sell rate is dictating all other rates because anybody can access these, at anytime. Further, the online price transparency following the ever-changing supply and demand is forcing hotels to use flexible rates. Therefore, wherever possible, it makes sense to gradually shift your fixed rates to dynamic rates, to avoid all price conflicts with wholesalers, corporate accounts and groups. Providing a negotiated percentage discount may work in some cases, but in reality, only automation of pricing, yielding, distribution can achieve the perfect, yet complex calculations of rates via direct bookings, opaque channels and promotions.

So there you have nine simple, but very effective strategies for hoteliers to implement. Whether it is a fully automated revenue management system, or optimizing distribution channels, orchestration of the above tactics can provide hoteliers with what they truly need right now - tools for success to thrive in these adverse market conditions.

http://www.younghotelier.com/articles-reviews/hotel-revenue-management-what-hoteliers-need-now-like-really-really-need-now/

RevPARGuru Connects to Expedia Sites Worldwide Through Expedia QuickConnect™ Interface.

Expedia, Inc.’s has more than 70 travel booking sites worldwide. RevPARGuru is now connected to the Expedia QuickConnect™ interface, enabling hotels to easily exchange rate and inventory information, using current extranet functionalities.

RevPARGuru has developed an XML interface with Expedia, called Expedia QuickConnect , which will provide stability and security.

What is Expedia QuickConnect ?
Expedia QuickConnect (EQC) is a simple interface between a hotel system, in this case RevPARGuru, and Expedia that allows you to electronically send updates of rates and availability.

What about Reservations?
RevPARGuru will update Expedia with Rates and Availability only but depending on the CRS and/or PMS your hotel is using, you may be able to electronically retrieve reservations made on Expedia and Hotels.com.
(Please let us know which PMS and/or CRS you are using)

Entering reservations manually could be a thing of the past!!

What does it mean for you?
With this connection you have the security that all the data sent via RevPARGuru will be 100% accurate on Expedia.

How much will it cost me?
There is no charge for the interface.

How will I manage it?
The same way you as you do now. Nothing changes on the user's side, everything happens in the background.

Miami-Dade hotels' tax numbers spur hope for tourism recovery

March's hotel tax numbers were the worst on record for that month. But some in the industry are optimistic that they have seen the bottom and recovery is under way.

Miami-Dade County's hotel industry might have stopped the financial bleeding this spring, posting a slightly narrower decline in tax collections in March than it did in February.

The new numbers don't yet show recovery -- taxes charged hotel guests were down 22.2 percent, making it the worst March decline on record since Miami-Dade began collecting hotel taxes in 1983.

But the drop was a tiny bit better than February's 23.6 percent decline, offering hope that the sharpest tourism retreat since the 2001 terrorist attacks won't get worse.

''Somewhere in the middle or end of March, we started seeing some numbers come back,'' said Jean Francois Mourier, CEO of REVPAR GURU, a Miami Beach company that sets room rates for about 20 South Florida hotels. ``April is down about 10 percent. It's bad, but it's not horrible.''

Full article at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/1034245.html#Comments_Container

BY DOUGLAS HANKS

El turismo empieza a sentir un ligero alivio

AUNQUE LAS nuevas cifras no muestran una recuperación del turismo, sí permiten creer que, al menos, la situación no empeorará. CHUCK FADELY / THE MIAMI HERALD 2003

AUNQUE LAS nuevas cifras no muestran una recuperación del turismo, sí permiten creer que, al menos, la situación no empeorará.

La industria hotelera del Condado Miami-Dade tal vez detuvo la caída financiera esta primavera, toda vez que reportó en marzo una disminución ligeramente menor en recaudaciones de impuestos de la que tuvo en febrero.

Las nuevas cifras todavía no muestran una recuperación, ya que los impuestos cobrados a los huéspedes de hoteles cayeron 22.2 por ciento, lo que la convierte en la peor caída en marzo desde que Miami-Dade comenzó a recaudar impuestos de hotel en 1983.

Sin embargo, la disminución fue levemente menos pronunciada que la de febrero, cuando fue de 23.6 por ciento, un indicio que hace esperar que el desplome más agudo del sector turístico desde los ataques terroristas del 2001 no se pondrá peor.

''En algún momento, a mediados o a finales de marzo, empezamos a ver algunas mejorías'', dijo Jean-Francois Mourier, director de REVPAR GURU, una compañía de Miami Beach que establece los precios de las habitaciones para unos 20 hoteles del sur de la Florida. ``Abril bajó en cerca de 10 por ciento. Es malo, pero no horrible''.

For full article go to http://www.elnuevoherald.com/finanzas/story/443545.html

Jean Francois Mourier

What Hoteliers Need Now… And We Mean Right Now

Here are some great ways hotels can use technology to increase RevPAR.

According to latest data from Smith Travel Research, Inc., the week ending April 11, 2009, was the worst of the year to date. Occupancy fell 17.9 percent year-over-year, while average daily revenue, or ADR, fell 12.5 percent vs. last year at this time, resulting in RevPAR falling 28.1 period compared to the prior-year period. Ouch!
 
Industry analysts are pointing fingers at the current pricing trend that sees hoteliers slashing prices in order to entice bookings and increase occupancy rates.  Unfortunately, no matter how low the rates go, many people just aren’t traveling, leaving hotels making even less money off each room available to rent.  Clearly then, discounting is not the only option if hotels want to survive the recession.
 
So what can hotels do to bring in the bookings, customers and cashflow needed to survive? What they need is a finely tuned orchestration of effective strategies that work in tandem across all aspects of a hotel’s operation – sales, marketing and revenue management, right through to the front desk. And don’t forget about online – greatly overlooked and undervalued! Having been on the hotel industry front lines for the past 25-plus years, we compiled a short list of what hoteliers need right now. ……
 
For full article go to http://www.buyerinteractive.com/buyer/article.aspx?articleID=13490

Jean Francois Mourier, HWN Contributor

http://www.hotelworldnetwork.com/day48

http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article38303.html