Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007 - (Page 1)

NEWS VISTA INNS REDEFINES STRATEGY Page 4 NEWSMAKER CHIP CONLEY FOCUSES ON SOUL Page 4 SPECIAL REPORT IHG TOPS THIS YEAR’S LIST Page 58 www.HotelMotel.com News Analysis, Trends and People Since 1875 A HotelWorld Network Publication | Vol. 222, No. 16 | September 18, 2007 H-2B faces extension uncertainty By Stephanie Ricca MANAGING EDITOR Credit crunch Industry takes wait-and-see approach By Stacey Mieyal Higgins SENIOR EDITOR National Report–September in the lodging industry means H-2B month. For the past several years, the government program that grants temporary visas to people wishing to come to the U.S. for seasonal work has come under scrutiny each September. This year is no exception. Under the H-2B program, 66,000 workers, in two sets of 33,000, annually receive visas to ﬁll temporary jobs. In the lodging industry, that translates to seaCOMING SOON: sonal positions Hoteliers cleaning rooms, discuss the “nomatch” issue and stafﬁng restaurants and tendits impact. ing grounds. The 66,000 cap was instated in 1990, and because of increasingly heavy burdens on the program, Congress voted in 2005 to exempt returning H-2B visa holders from the cap. That exemption is set to expire on Sept. 30. The legislation that enacted it in 2005 was valid for one See Labor | page 87 National Report–With lending market liquidity in ﬂux, hotel industry executives are hesitant to make claims about the impact of the shakeout. Financial markets have been thrown into a shaky situation this summer because of subprime lender defaults and the subsequent slowing investment in the commercial mortgage-backed securities markets. The Federal Reserve Board took action to control the blow to Wall Street conﬁdence. On Aug. 17, it reduced the primary credit rate “to promote the restoration of orderly conditions in ﬁnancial markets,” according See Credit crunch | page 90 Four Seasons in growth mode By Jeff Higley EDITORIAL DIRECTOR SEE RELATED STORIES: Editorial Director Jeff Higley proﬁles Four Seasons’ Isadore Sharp in LUXURY HOTELIER. Visit www.luxuryhotelier.com. A report on the health of the luxury segment leads off this issue’s Top Hotel Companies special report on page 64. See page 58 for the survey. Toronto–Now that Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts is in good hands in the ownership ranks, it will double the number of hotels in its portfolio during the next 10 years, said Isadore Sharp, the company’s founder, chairman and chief executive ofﬁcer. Four Seasons is a hotel manage- ment company with 74 properties comprising about 17,600 guestrooms worldwide. “As a company, we’ll double in size,” said Sharp. “As we get bigger, we’ll continue to get better at what we do, because that has been the history. If you look back to where we were 20 years ago, 15, 10, ﬁve, we have slowly gotten bigger and slowly gotten better.” Sharp is featured in the September cover story of Luxury Hotelier, a new magazine from Questex Media Group (parent company of Hotel & Motel Management). See Four Seasons growth | page 92 Aimbridge increases industry presence By Jeff Higley EDITORIAL DIRECTOR INFO CONCIERGE Dallas–A Texas-based hospitality company with the goal of being an industry leader continues to make its presence known through mergers and acquisitions. Aimbridge Hospitality in August was part of a joint venture that closed on a deal to acquire Eagle Hospitality Trust and in July acquired six hotels as part of another joint venture. The deals give Aimbridge, a hotel real-estate and management company, 38 open properties in its portfolio with 12 more under development. See Aimbridge | page 95 Biggest decline in per-room value, 2006 1. New Orleans (-14%) 2. Washington (-6%) 3. Las Vegas (-6%) 4. Long Island, N.Y. (-5%) Source: HVS 2007 U.S. Hotel Valuation Index http://www.HotelMotel.com http://www.luxuryhotelier.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007

Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007 Contents Vista Inns Redefines Business Model Conley Applies Satisfaction Theory to Boutique Hotels Questex Acquires Oxford Publishing Perspective At Your Risk Consultant’s Corner Sales Clinic Travel Trends On Finance Franchise Law Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Training Trends Satisfaction Trends Management Trends Speakers Named, Registration Open for IH/M&RS Going Green Saves Green Trends & Stats Vacuums Go the Extra Mile Transactions Offsetting Emissions is Newest Sustainability Initiative Minibar Advancements Supplier News People on The Move ADA Compliance Can Be Easier With Programs Business Travelers Interested in Remote Check-In/Out Awards Markets Dictate Renovations vs. New Builds More Development Opportunities Available Top Hotel Companies Survey The Lodging Conference Previews Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007

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