Brazil, one of the few countries that are still experiencing strong growth in the current economic climate, has name by Jones Lang Salle Hotels as a hot spot for investment.

“Brazil is one of the few countries in the world with a growing economy and it has received an investment grade rating from S&P and Fitch.  As a result, foreign investment in Brazil is poised for growth, and the market is becoming increasingly attractive to institutional and private equity investors. The hotel sector will benefit from the growing economy and the increased inflow of foreign capital,” said Arthur Adler, managing director and CEO-Americas, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.

Brazil’s tourism ministry has predicted that international tourism will double by 2010, and the government has put its money behind that belief.  More than $235 billion has been invested in improving infrastructure such as airports and roadways to make tourism even more attractive to the region.

Ricardo Mader, the new executive vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, has identified new hotel development as the place for investors too look, as there are few products on the market to buy. The possible hosting of the 2014 FIFA Soccer World Cup is peaking investors attention as well. 

The mid-market and budget sectors in secondary markets have been singled out as particularly robust and productive as investment sectors.

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In face of a slumping summer season, Dubai Hotels have slashed room rates from 50-60%.

From May-August the number of visitors to Dubai drops drastically as there are very few trade exhibitions and as a result fewer visitors.

The Hospitality Industry is putting together other various packages and incentives to lure holiday travelers to a country where the tourism industry has become an essential part of the economy.

“We now have a larger inventory so this could be one of the causes of lower occupancy. The tourist inflow has to match the buildup of room inventory,” he said, adding that a “correction” in room rates will eventually bring in more visitors.

Read the article here.

According to the European Online Travel Report 2008, the UK remains the strongest performing market in terms of expenditure, nearly double the sales of its closest rival, Germany.

The size of the UK online travel market is reported to have grown 18% on the previous year, trailed by Germany and France and all together these three markets make up about 62% of all online expenditure in Europe. The online travel market has grown in Germany by 24% but still only accounts for 15% of overall travel sales and EyeforTravel suggest the figures here indicate enormous room for expansion. 

The online travel market has experienced accelerated growth in all regions, and is quickly becoming a bigger player in markets previously untouched. With the number of travelers reporting the importance of 3rd party online reviews and other information, it’s clear that this trend will not change, but only continue to race forward at full speed.

“There’s been so much more of a focus around the online channels recently and we’re seeing more and more suppliers across the entire European region really starting to adapt their businesses and take advantage of online sales platforms” states Amy Scarth, head of research at EyeforTravel

Read the full story.

A recent study by PFK Hospitality Research has shown that a decrease in Airline Capacity will have a negative effect on Hotel Bookings in the United States.

“Many industry participants have been speculating about the spillover effect a deteriorating airline industry will have on hotels,” said Mark Woodworth, president of PKF Hospitality Research. “Our research measured the historical relationship between these two components of the travel industry. This allowed us to project just how much business hotels stand to lose given the cutbacks in capacity announced by the major airlines.”

Woodworth later concluded that if the cutbacks are as severe as predicted, a possible $4.3 billion industry loss, hotels may have to make drastic cutbacks on staff and other areas.

Read the entire report here.

Research firm Aberdeen Group, sponsored by Mindshare Technologies, titled “Customer Feedback Management”investigates how leading companies use customer feedback to improve services and customer retention.

A few of the significant findings developed from the research include:

• Best-in-Class companies are more than 8 times more likely than Laggards to increase customer satisfaction.
• Best-in-Class companies are more than 26 times more likely than Laggards to increase customer retention.
• Best-in-Class companies are nearly 3 times as likely as Laggards tocommunicate with customers how their complaints and suggestions have been or will be acted upon.

Hotelbook.com, a site that specializes in independent and boutique hotels, has launched a new microsite for the New York City Region.

The site was designed to help increase the bookings in New York City for independent hoteliers whilst providing useful and original information to help visitors make their choice for accomodation.

It is this resourceful and useful part of the new site that should be most valuable to visitors. Advanced searches let users filter their searches to be near certain attractions and landmarks, locations or hotel star ratings, as well as being able to see what other people have said and are saying about any particular hotel.

Visit the New Site or Read the Press Release.

Cheapflights.com, the site that has helped travelers book flights and hotels for several years, has opened a new travel discussion forum on its site where no topic is off the table, be it good, bad or ugly.

“Citizen journalism is growing in popularity and people are now listening to what their peers have to say more than ever,” said Carl Schwartz, chief travel officer for Cheapflights.com. “It was important for us to create a forum on Cheapflights.com for our 3.5 million monthly visitors to share travel thoughts and ideas, as well as sound off on their travel horror stories so fellow cheap travel fans can avoid the same fate. And while they’re on the boards, if they learn about a new cheap flight deal to take advantage of that’s even better.”

The forum should bring some strong traffic to Cheapflights.com. Now users can congregate, ask questions, get questions answered, as well as having the keyword rich and relevant topics be search engine darlings.

It’s a wonder that no other major travel sites have made such a launch until now.

Read the press release.

Buyers outnumber sellers by almost 7:1 throughout Asia Pacific, and the Hotel real estate in Australia has begun claiming major international investors’ attention.

“While trouble in the global debt markets is expected to result in a lull in Australian hotel transaction activity in 2008, behind the scenes investor demand is building,” said Mr David Gibson, CEO Asia Pacific, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.

Sales of Holiday Inn Townsville and the Hotel Lindrum, as well as the Harbour Rocks Hotel have taken place in the previous months, coinciding with the release of the report of building investor interest.

“Hotels are being sold under competitive bidding processes where strong levels of interest are being received from offshore and domestic investors, as well as boutique property funds,” said Mr Craig Collins, Managing Director - Investment Sales, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.  He added, “In another vote of confidence for the sector, and despite the current credit crisis, recent hotel transactions support the survey results where initial yields range from 7.5% to 8.0%.”

While interest has declined on the short term as a result of recent economic woes world wide, the medium and long term view of the markets is promising, with many transactions and major growth forecasted in the months and years to come.

Read the full article.

A segment of the hotel industry recognized for its plain, dim lighting and affordable nature will receive a breath of fresh air from Starwood Hotels.

It’s new brand, aloft hotels, will target this segment but in a very different way: by focusing on the trend-savvy and self-sufficient travelers of today that seek the stylish surroundings of upper brands but at a more agreeable price.

“Today’s savvy, design-conscious consumers understand that great style can be both accessible and affordable,” said Brian McGuinness, Global Brand Leader for aloft hotels.  “Generation X and Y travelers who grew up with MTV, iPods and IKEA expect great design wherever they go, whether it’s Rogers, Arkansas or Rancho Cucamonga, California.”

The hotel will feature interesting and open spaces that encourage their use, as well as high-tech enabled guestrooms, loft-styled open spaces with high ceilings and over-sized windows and industrial design points for a crisp, contemporary feel.

Read more about this exciting brand launch here.

Even with the decrease in demand, Australian Hospitality companies enjoyed growth and continued momentum.

Revenue per Available Room, the industry benchmark for performance, showed an increase as room rates went up to counter the lack of demand.

“Whilst the rate of growth has slowed from last year, the results are an encouraging sign that Australia’s major markets are more resilient than widely thought,” said Mr Troy Craig, Executive Vice President, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.  He added, “Queensland’s leisure markets were particularly hard hit by a very wet summer period which drove visitors to alternate domestic and international destinations.”

The growth was enjoyed across the entire Australian continent.

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