rad Garner is
concerned.
Garner, a research analyst at Smith Travel
Research -- a firm that tracks the performance of the
hotel industry -- sits in his office in Hendersonville, Tenn., and
can't help but wonder if many hotels will find themselves behind
the eight ball when the soft economy improves.
Hotel occupancies in the top 25 domestic travel markets are
running slightly below last year, which wasn't such a great year.
However, properties are holding their own, largely by cutting rates
to attract more guests.
Hoteliers "feel they have to do something," Garner said. They're
cutting rates because "the phone is not ringing."
That's great for consumers but not so great for the properties.
Year to date, revenue per available room in the top 25 markets is
down 2.6%.
However, statistics are starting to show room demand is
"slightly increasing," Garner said, a promising trend for the fall
and beyond.
But Garner said improving demand may not be such good news for
hotels that significantly have cut rates over the past several
months.
"Rate integrity is not a light switch that you just turn on,"
Garner said. "That is going to be the huge, unanswered question:
How long does it take for markets to get back rate integrity?"
• • •
What do massages and people in the buff have in common? Leave it
to Hyatt Hotels and Resorts to find out.
The hotel chain conducted an online survey to get a sense of the
differences and similarities between what women and men want from a
spa visit.
Of course, the survey results, which are based on responses from
450 adults, aren't scientific, but that doesn't make them any less
interesting.
For instance, 52% of men and women said they had a spa treatment
during the past year. Travel agents may want to keep that in mind
when recommending hotels to their clients.
What was the most popular spa treatment? You guessed it:
massages. Eighty-six percent of respondents said they had a massage
during the past two years.
The survey found that 38% of men said they like to bare it all
when getting a massage, while 42% of women said they prefer to
cover "key areas."
Men and women also differ on what they perceive to be the
benefits of spa treatments. Women tend to view that the greatest
benefit of a spa visit is the feeling of being pampered, while men
say they feel re-energized and recharged.
• • •
Wyndham International sold its historical,
182-room Mayfair hotel in downtown St. Louis to
Roberts Mayfair Hotel.
Under the 10-year management deal, the Mayfair will remain
Wyndham-branded under its new owners.
• • •
The Willard InterContinental in Washington is
marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King's legendary "I
Have a Dream" speech with a special family package priced from
$229.
King wrote the speech while staying at the property before
delivering it on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial.
• • •
Another candle in the cake. The Holiday Inn
brand turned 50 years old in July. Feeling old?