There’s nothing tranquil about two Caribbean resorts, regardless of the soothing laps of waves on their undeveloped beaches.

Cap Cana resort is a massive development including four luxury hotels, three golf courses and a mega yacht marina. Now, it stands half way through construction and deserted thanks to the economic crisis that has swept the globe.

When Lehman Brothers collapsed, so too did its $250 million loan. Talks to negotiate a $100 million short-term loan have also left the resort at a literal stand-still.

“Our project has been affected by the economic tsunami that has paralyzed the global financial markets,” said Cap Cana President Ricardo Hazoury.

Another hotel off of the secluded West Ciacos is also suffering. The Ritz-Carlton Molasses Reef resort has been brought to a stand-still after 60 Chinese workers revolted in demand for back wages that have not been delivered. Nearly 160 Chinese workers have since been sent home to China, and the future of the resort remains unclear.

Read more

According to the latest hotel data from STR Global, Italian revenue per available room (RevPAR) dopped 20 percent to €99 for October. 

For Italian hoteliers it’s nothing new. Declines have been back to back since May 2008. Turin was the only city to show growth, up 18-percent from the previous month.

Room occupancy dropped 13% across Italy from October 2007 to October 2008. The dark numbers from October worsen the already dreary year-to-date figures when compared to year to October 2007 figures.

“Demand has been falling in the main Italian cities since spring this year”, commented James Chappell, managing director of STR Global. “Milan and Turin have only started to see declining demand levels since July and September, respectively, which will put pressures upon their occupancy and average rate levels as we have seen in other Italian cites”.

“So far, Turin countered the country-wide trend through its increased marketing activities, increased cultural events and MICE (meeting, incentive, conference and event) business”, said Marco Malacrida, area director of STR Global in Italy. “The city’s increased destination marketing campaigns in national and international media, promoting multiple cultural and gastronomic events, combined with addition of new branded hotels and refurbishment of existing room stock boosted Turin’s hotel offering”.

Source

According to TMS Asia-Pacific, hiring moratoriums are best lifted as today’s market has been inundated with available talent, the “best… seen in years.”

TMS also sites the forecasted upturn that is predicted in global business in the year ahead.

We have seen a major shift in the market in recent weeks with yesterday’s job-heavy, candidate-light scenario being almost completely reversed on an overnight basis,” he said.

“The upside of this is that we are now starting to see some very strong talent emerge - in fact some of the best we have seen in a number of years.

“Now is the ideal time to hire supreme talent to ensure companies are meeting their service level agreements.”

Turbulent times often see some high quality talent freed up as businesses restructure to try and cope with economic pressures. The financial crisis that has been hitting world markets very heavily for the past 6 months has set loose a large number of highly trained professionals that haven’t been seen on the market in years.

TMS is a top-tier specialist travel, tourism and hospitality recruitment and HR services company. With offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, as well as overseas at Auckland, Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and SIngapore, TMS is routinely interacting and facilitating the placement of hotel professionals. 

Source

Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) announced today that two new Hilton Garden Inn properties in Italy will be opening. The hotels are located in Milan Malpensa and Bologna San Lazzaro and promise to boost the Hilton Garden Inn’s reputation in Italy.

With the new hotels, Hilton Garden Inn properties now total 5 within Italy. 

Simon Vincent, President of Hilton Hotels - Europe, commented:  “There is significant demand in the hotel sector across Italy for quality internationally branded hotels, especially within the mid-market sector. The Hilton Garden Inn product is the perfect fit for key centres like Milan and Bologna, because it offers a combination of affordable, quality accommodation for both corporate and leisure travellers.”

“Following great success in North America, we launched the brand in Italy two years ago with the Hilton Garden Inn Rome Airport and have since added Florence Novoli, Matera, Milan Malpensa and Bologna San Lazzaro,” said Adrian Kurre, senior vice president, brand marketing for Hilton Garden Inn.  “We are pleased with how quickly the brand is growing and are confident that Hilton Garden Inn will become the preferred hotel in Italy’s mid-market sector.”

Both of the new hotels will feature the Hilton Garden Inn’s signature offerings, such as the Garden Sleep System Bed, ergonomic Mirra chair by Herman Miller, a 24-hour business center and complimentary WiFi access, and much more.

Source

Scandic will be taking over two hotel properties in Poland, one in Wroclaw with 164 rooms and the other in Gdansk with 143 rooms.

The properties will be officially brought under the banner of Scandic for the New Year, and mark the first venture into Poland for Scandic. It is an important step in the company’s growth plans and strategy focusing on Eastern Europe.

‘We have high expectations of our new hotels. Poland is the largest of the new EU member states and both cities, Gdansk and Wroclaw, have enjoyed good growth in recent years,’ comments Frank Fiskers, President & CEO of Scandic.

Each of the hotels are of an excellent standard and will make a perfect fit among the other Scandic properties in their portfolio. The hotels will undergo a certain degree of conceptual adjustments, however, before being brought into the brand on January 1st, 2009. 

Source

Hotels around the world are doing all they can to fight off the slump that’s come with the economic downturn.

In some luxury hotels, as many as four out of every ten rooms remain vacant at any given time.

Hotels have begun taking drastic measures to stop the trend and bring travelers back into their luxurious resorts. Some hotels have nearly cut their rates in half, while others are throwing in free bottles of wine, spa treatments and other perks.

The IHF president said all hotels are now in ‘‘survival mode” and that the federation will continue to campaign against ‘‘ridiculous and unnecessary” hikes in the price of gas and electricity. He said some five-stars were reducing room rates ‘‘because they have no other choice”, but that others were maintaining rates and adding to packages ‘‘because they can”.

Source

STR Global released a report that showed steep declines in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in Great Britain.

London and Regional UK from October through the beginning of November was the areas and time span sampled. Liverpool was the only exception to the decline, benefiting from its European Capital of Culture 2008 status.

The UK is following in line with larger global trends in declining occupancy rates and increasing room rates for the first 9 months of the year. Year-to-September analysis had some brighter news, still showing a 3-percent Rev-PAR growth across the UK, mostly driven by a 4-percent growth in room rates compared with statistics from last year.

Still, it is clear that the UK will not be the exception in a world economy that is struggling.

Source

Maui’s newest luxury beach resort, Honuai Kai Resort & Spa, is set to open in January 2009.

The spa offers a uniquely Hawaiian experience in its 38 ocean-front acres of pristine North Beach Kaanapali location, known as one of the best snorkeling and dive beaches out of all of the islands.

The resort accommodations will be situated in 2 U-shaped buildings, both with ocean and mountain views, lush tropical landscaping and large, open spaces. Guestrooms are extensive and fully equipped, and total over 600. The building’s are tied together with a beautiful and imaginative use of pools, hot tubs, and ponds that wind through the buildings open spaces.

Source

The days of comfortable leather seats and glasses of wine are over now that the economic crisis has really settled in.

CFOs are tightening the belt and avoiding travel when possible for their employees, and when they must travel, their going coach, no business class.

“Corporations are definitely taking a fine eye toward their travel budgets,” Casto said. “There’s no more business class and no more three-star hotels — now it’s coach with connections.”

Even these less luxurious travel agendas are coming under scrutiny, with many new layers of approval required before a trip is signed off on.

Hotels are feeling the change as well, as large corporations are using their power in preferred hotels and more economical options.

Source

The leaders of the Travel and Tourism sector of the national economy will convene to share ideas and prepare a recommendation for President-Elect Barack Obama to help accelerate growth in the sector.

Outcomes will be presented to President-Elect Obama and Congress after a meeting in Washington, DC on December 16th.

A large and broad cross-section of the sector’s leaders have been invited to attend and play a part in creating a workable solution to the struggling economy. More than 20 organizations have been confirmed as attending which include leaders in packaged travel, hospitality companies, travel agents, cruise lines, ground and air transportation and many other areas.

Source