Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008 - (Page 98)

98 Checking Out LODGING’S LIGHTER SIDE H&MM September 15, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition ALGONQUIN HOTEL Take a turn on the catwalk The Algonquin Hotel in New York City hosted an actual catwalk, featuring outﬁts from Meow Wear, to beneﬁt the North Shore Animal League America in conjunction with Matilda, the hotel’s resident feline, celebrating her 13th birthday. The historic Algonquin Hotel also announced it is welcoming pets with its new Algonquin Loves Pets Program. The program features amenities and services that ensure every traveling pet is properly pampered. Pet guests are greeted with a welcome kit including a welcome letter from Matilda and a detailed list of available services and some of Matilda’s favorite hot spots. The pet’s guestroom will be arranged prior to arrival with amenities such as food and water bowls, a ﬂoor mat, a litter box if needed and essentials for owners. By the numbers The economy hasn’t stopped many American travelers from traveling abroad—but it has shortened the distance they are willing to travel, according to a survey from Visa. The following are percentages of where U.S. jet-setters are headed abroad: 46 Canada 45 Mexico 28 United Kingdom 27 Italy 24 France 24 Bahamas 23 U.S. Virgin Islands Quotable NATIONAL ACADEMY FOUNDATION WATERFORD GROUP “ Hospitality gets day started right Mariola Sucharzepka [center], a senior in the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism program at Richmond Hill High School in Queens, N.Y., rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange as part of an educational summit titled “Generation Now: Connecting Schools and Businesses to Keep America Competitive in a Global Economy,” sponsored by the National Academy Foundation. Students from two New York NAF programs, the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism and the Academy of Finance, participated in the event, which tried to draw attention to a nationwide need to better prepare students. The growth of interest in LEED is led by the need to have a credible, independently veriﬁed performance measurement for the environmental footprint of hotel properties. The hotels also use LEED as a framework for how to best minimize environmental impact as they design, construct or operate the facility.” Celebrating 10 years of success The SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Waterford, Conn., held an Associate Celebration Luncheon to mark its 10th birthday. The hotel opened on June 4, 1998, as a Fairﬁeld Suites by Marriott, and was converted to a SpringHill Suites on June 8, 1999. Since its opening, the hotel, managed by Waterford Hotel Group, has sold more than 225,000 roomnights and served 300,000 guests. Above, Mark Wolman, Waterford Group’s director, and Len Wolman, CEO and chairman, join executives in recognizing three associates who have been with the hotel since its opening. Editor’s note: If you have information about an event that would be considered the lighter side of lodging, please e-mail Emily Hanna at ehanna@questex.com. MARC HEISTERKAMP, U.S. Green Building Council’s manager of commercial real estate The current lending/capital market challenges and overall economic malaise has spilled over to the hotel investment community. In one of the least optimistic outcomes of our annual survey of ALIS delegates, about 30 percent of the respondents believe that “deal activity” will have improved by the opening of ALIS on January 26, 2009, while over 40 percent expect things to be worse in January then they are today. The rest of the delegates expect no change from today. The same survey indicated that slightly more than half of the ALIS delegates believe that hotel stock prices will underperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) from Labor Day until the opening of ALIS on January 26, 2009. The other approximate half of the delegates believed that hotel stocks will either outperform or stay the same as the DJIA performance. This is less bullish than the results of the same survey question over the past several years. So what’s up and when can we expect the investment climate to improve? Join us at ALIS in January to learn more. DEALS/TRANSACTIONS Expected activity at the opening of ALIS on January 26, 2009, compared to today HOTEL STOCKS Expected performance between Labor Day 2008 and the opening of ALIS on January 26, 2009 Worse Than Today 41% 13% Outperform the DJIA Better Than Today 30% Underperform the DJIA 51% Same As Today 29% 36% Keep the same Keep the same pace as the DJIA pace as the DJIA James E. Burba Chair, ALIS and President, BHN Source: ALIS Delegate Survey August 2008 http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.alisconference.com http://www.alisconference.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008 Contents Microtel, Hawthorn Settle in at Wyndham Is it Black or Red for Green Hotels? New City on the Strip When in Doubt, Purchase some Seashells Legal FAQ Consultant's Corner Sales Clinic On Finance Travel Trends Franchise Law Guest Column Events Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Top Hotel Companies Survey Awards Lending Requires Knowledge, Preparation Casegoods Minibars Historian to Keynote Leadership Forum at IH/M&RS Fitness Equipment The Lodging Conference Preview Accent Lighting Awards Vacuums Supplier News Transactions People Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008

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