Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007 - (Page 1)

TIMESHARE DESPITE SLOW MARKET, CONDO HOTELS THRIVE Page 34 NEWS BEST WESTERN SETS 10-YEAR PLAN Page 4 SPECIAL REPORT HFS CONCEPTS 4 TOPS THIS YEAR’S LIST Page 16 www.HotelMotel.com News Analysis, Trends and People Since 1875 A HotelWorld Network Publication | Vol. 222, No. 20 | November 19, 2007 Nassetta enthusiastic about Hilton’s future By Stephanie Ricca MANAGING EDITOR Forecasters: Business travel up in 2008 By Emily Hanna ASSOCIATE EDITOR HOST HOTELS & RESORTS Bethesda, Md.—Ever since The Blackstone Group announced in early July it would acquire Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the industry has speculated about the future of the company and its brands. But Chris Nassetta, Hilton’s new president and c.e.o., named to the job on Oct. 29, ﬁve days after Blackstone ofﬁcially completed its $26-billion acquisition of Hilton, is conﬁdent about Hilton’s continued growth as a cohesive unit. He’s only been on board a short time, but Nassetta already has speciﬁc plans about how he’ll maximize the value of Blackstone’s investment in Hilton, and how the company’s new position in the private sector will encourage growth both in the U.S. and globally. With an unofﬁcial start date of the ﬁrst week in December, Nassetta will remain as president and c.e.o. of Host Hotels & Resorts until the end of this month. “It’s all moving very quickly,” he said. See Nassetta | page 28 Chris Nassetta, Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ new president and c.e.o., wants to maximize value. IHG wakes up Holiday Inn brand family By Jason Q. Freed IHG c.e.o. Andrew Cosslett called the Holiday Inn relaunch “the single biggest piece of brand activity this industry has ever seen.” ASSOCIATE EDITOR Dallas—One of America’s bestknown hotel companies is receiving a $1-billion facelift that leaders hope will pave the way for the future of the brand. All 3,125 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express properties will undergo major ren- ovations in service and appearance by 2010 as part of a brand relaunch announced by the InterContinental Hotels Group. IHG executives unveiled the relaunch in Dallas during the annual Americas Investors and Leadership Conference Oct. 22-24. See Relaunch | page 29 National Report—The forecast for business travel in the lodging industry next year looks good, as industry experts spoke optimistically on growth rates and other travel-related topics at the American Express Business Travel Advisory Services 2008 Global Business Travel Forecast and the Travel Industry Assn. 2008 Forecast for Travel and Tourism in October. While business travel overall was down 1.7 percent in 2007, it is expected to increase by 2 percent in 2008, and the hotel industry itself should expect even higher rates of growth, according to the TIA. Average daily rate and reveSee Travel | page 26 INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP Credit crunch effects will linger, group says By Jeff Higley EDITORIAL DIRECTOR INFO CONCIERGE Twenty-ﬁve percent of leisure travelers who plan vacations online consult travel blogs. These are the top-visited travel blogs: Phoenix—Whether the credit crunch caused by this summer’s subprime mortgage meltdown has passed or still lingers for the lodging industry, members of the Lodging Industry Investment Council said dur- COMING NEXT ISSUE: LIIC tackles operational and green issues ing a September meeting in Phoenix that its effects will continue to be felt well into 2008. Forty LIIC members attended the meeting, held during The Lodging Conference. Hotel valuations topped the debate. See LIIC | page 36 1. TripAdvisor.com 32% 2. Traveller.org 19% 3. Ysearchblog.com 17% 4. MySpace.com 15% 5. VirturalTourist.com ..13% Source: Ypartnership’s 2007 National Leisure Travel Monitor http://www.HotelMotel.com http://TripAdvisor.com http://Traveller.org http://Ysearchblog.com http://MySpace.com http://VirturalTourist.com

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Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007 Contents Torrid Hotel Sales Pace Persists Boykin Takes Steps to Regain Foothold Best Western Sets 10-year Plan Perspective At Your Risk HotelWorld Update Sales Clinic Events Trends & Stats Charting H&MM's Top Lodging Design Firms Fitness Equipment Supplier News PMS Software Provides One-Click Solutions High-Quality Linens Require Higher-Quality Cleaning Despite Slow Market, Condo Hotels Thrive Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007

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