The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and the investor group Ramirez Organization have recently announced the opening of the Holiday Inn Express Guadalajara Expo in Mexico.

The hotel was built with a budget of $12 million, it is a new-build hotel in a modern avant-garden design, notable for its large glass structure and large panoramic elevators. The 152-rooms hotel include 12 suites, 88 double rooms and 52 king rooms.

Mrs. Gina LaBarre, vice president Brand Delivery, the Americas, IHG, commented:”Holiday Inn Express hotels are designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travelers.”

She also said: “With more than 2,000 properties worldwide and more than 600 properties in the pipeline, the Holiday Inn Express portfolio continues to expand in markets like Guadalajara, providing our guests with an enhanced stay experience at a great value. We welcome this hotel into the Holiday Inn family with the brand new sign and everything it represents.”

Two of the Courtyard Hotels by Marriott will be certified Gold by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The two hotels are located in Chevy Chase, Md., and Portland, Oregon.

These new recognition to the Marriott chain will leave the company with 830 hotels worldwide on track to deliver a LEED hotel prototype that will be cost-effective for hotel owners and franchisees develop.

Mr. Arne Sorenson, president and chief operating officer of Marriott International (NYSE:MAR), and co-chair of the company’s Executive Green Council commented:”I applaud these two hotels and their owners for making the choice to build the most environmentally-sound properties possible and paving the way for more Courtyard hotels to be LEED -certified.”

It is important to know that Marriott Hotels have always been interested in saving power and recycling. When they build their hotels they recycle more than 75% of the waste created during the construction process and each hotel is designed to reduce carbon emissions by 25%.

The recession hit this the Hospitality industry hard and travelers haven’t been that loyal as experts thought. There’s been a 31% decline in active participation in hotel points and other travel rewards programs this year.

According to a recent survey by Colloquy research firm, U.S. consumers participate in 1.5 programs compared with 2.2 in 2007. This means that travelers have been using or cashing out their miles at least once a year.

Apparently, many travelers are simply tired of juggling multiple loyalty programs and business travelers are selecting among the companies of their preference. By doing this, travelers don’t have to deal with expiration and blackout dates. They choose one program and they keep take advantage of that one.

The Team Earth is a worldwide sustainability movement that unites businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals to address five critical environmental issues. The Marriott International Hotel has recently announced its participation in this movement.

Among some of the issues that this movement addresses are: climate change, water, health, waste and food. Mr. Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO of Marriott International: “We are proud to join Team Earth, because we believe that protecting the environment is part of our mission to provide people around the world with the rewards of travel, not just today, but in the years to come.”

The Team Earth is also represented by three non-profit organizations:Conservation International, Rocky Mountain Institute and Prince’s Rainforest Project. The official website for Team Earth will be online in November 2009 and it will be available to check educational content, environmental impact, etc.

Hard Rock International and Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) have recently announced the opening of the Hard Rock Hotel Penang and Hard Rock Cafe Penang in Malaysia.

Mr. Hamish Dodds, President and CEO of Hard Rock International, commented:”We plan to continue our Asian expansion of the Hard Rock brand with unique, new properties - including urban hotel and destination resorts and cafes.”

He also said:”We have a long-standing and successful partnership with HPL Hotels & Resorts through the Hard Rock Hotel properties in Bali and Pattaya and we are excited to open our third Asian property with them here in Penang.”

The new hotel features 233 rooms and 17 suites. All Hillview Deluxe standard guest rooms have 312 sq. feet of living space while the Seaview Studio has 570 sq. feet of living space. The Hard Rock Hotel Penang offers private swim-up patios with wood trellis covers.

Starwood Hotels and Resort Worldwide, Inc. and Interlink Group have recently announced that the new Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will open in November 2009.

The hotel will be located adjacent to the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan’s newest commercial and residential area. The 503-room hotel, will host both, business and leisure travelers from around the world. The hotel will feature a full-service casino, sundeck/pool, spa, retail space and meeting facilities.

Federico Sanchez, President and CEO of Interlink Group commented:”The Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino is a $210 million investment to create the area’s premier hotel for both business and leisure travelers, with exceptional offerings for guests either at work or at play.”

He also said:”We are proud that this significant investment is part of Starwood’s larger multi-billion-dollar worldwide effort to revitalize the iconic Sheraton brand with distinctive amenities and initiatives including spacious accommodations and state-of-the-art technology.”

It has been announced by Tony De George, CHB, president and broker of Greene, Canfield, De George, Ltd. that Ken Olipra and associate of Greene, Canfield, De George has negotiated the sale of the EconoLodge in Fort Myers, Florida.

The 50-rooms hotel will be rebrand to Super 8. Fidelity representative of the EconoLodge said:”The end result was a very strong offer, both in price and terms, that consummated in a closing approximately three weeks after our foreclosure sale.”

The professionals from Greene, Canfield, De George are highly trained in hotel administration and they provide advice to hotel investors to maximize the value of their hotel portfolios. The new Super 8 will be renovated by the end of October.

The NHH Hotels & Resorts has recently announced the completition of a one-year, multi-million renovation project at Doubletree Hotel Atlanta.

The hotel has 172 guestrooms fully renovated with brighter pendant lighting, new designer wallpaper and distinctive tile. Every guestroom also offers a 37-inch flat screen TV with free HBO and complimentary high-speed WiFi.

Mr. Ernie Catanzaro, Executive Vice President of Operations for NHH Hotels & Resorts commented on the new opening:”We are extremely pleased with the investment made to improve this hotel because it’s providing guests with greater comfort, convenience and the most current technology.”

He also added:”The capital enhancements beautifully complement our exceptional level of service.” The Doubletree Hotel Atlanta is now an alternative option of a four star hotel with affordable prices.

Choice Hotel International Inc. announced the opening of the 3,000 square feet building hotel in Noblesville, Ind.

The Cambria Suites Hotel opened on July 2nd and it features the largest of the property’s three meeting rooms able to accommodate up to 100 attendees. The hotel has 132 suites and each suite is designed with for guests who want to take their lifestyle with them when traveling.

Mr. Kevin J. Lewis, President of Cambria Suites commented:”We’re thrilled to expand our presence in Indiana. We can’t wait for visitors of Noblesville to experience everything this brand has to offer.”

The hotel is operated and owned by Ceres Enterprises, LLC.

Statistics show that Orlando hotels occupancy has dropped 6% compared with nationawide averages for the week of August 30th to September 5th.

A Hospitality research tracker has shown that the average occupancy rates in local hotels dipped to 39.9% during that week. In the meantime, the nationawide hotel occupancy showed a 53.4%. It is undoubted that Orlando hotels have significantly dropped their occupancy.

The average revenue per available room was $27.46 in metro Orlando, a 20.8% drop compared to the same period of time in 2008. This year’s recession has affected the hotel industry hard, however, Orlando hotels are seeing the impact of this recession more drastically.