Vacation. Holiday. Bandwidth. Did I really just use those three words together?

I’ve been hearing—and experiencing—for the past 12 months that the biggest issue for hoteliers is how much broadband guests need and use. It really hit home during my whirlwind tour of Florida last week.

Not since January 2009 has there been such a genuine, honest assessment of the hotel industry as there was this week in the halls of the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE during the Americas Lodging Investment Summit. Of course, back then the assessment was one of dire circumstances and deer-in-the-headlights reaction. This time, the operative words are reserved optimism.

As the ALIS conference unfolded this week for the first time in downtown Los Angeles, it was abundantly clear that the wave of enthusiasm caused by strong operating metrics coupled with the frustration surrounding a tepid debt market caused most industry leaders to replace the unbridled exuberance of last year’s conference with a determined effort to manage expectations.

Displaying a cutting-edge mentality is a hallmark of the hotel industry. Whether that mentality involves operations, financing or marketing isn’t the issue. What matters is the hotel industry presents opportunities to be bold—like Ellsworth Statler was during the early 1900s when he installed elevators and in-room bathrooms in his hotels; like John Portman was when he designed the Peachtree Center in Atlanta half a century ago; and like the financial geniuses behind commercial mortgage-backed securities were 20 years ago.

There are numerous other examples of bold thinking in the hotel industry. A more recent one is fueled by the age of the Internet, and it’s ironic the time-lapse video of China’s Broad Group constructing a 30-story hotel in 15 days came during the same week HotelNewsNow.com is looking at design, architecture and construction trends in the hotel industry.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That old adage couldn’t be more appropriate for the hotel industry as we turn the calendar to 2012. Looking back at the trends of 2011 and forecasting what lies ahead for 2012 reveals a strikingly similar landscape for the hotel industry.

The data doesn’t lie
The U.S. hotel industry saw some seriously unexpected growth in demand during 2011, so will that continue into 2012? I think not. There will be some demand growth but not the robust performance of 2011; STR expects to finish 2011 at 4.7%. The bigger question is how hoteliers will be able to leverage that demand into rate growth. The industry remains a long way away from peak performance numbers of 2007 and 2008. That gap will continue to close during 2012, but it will continue to be at a modest pace. The most revealing data comes when it’s sliced by top 25 markets vs. the rest of the industry. The performances of the top 25 markets in the United States have been healthy; not so much for hotels in the rest of the country, however. These secondary and tertiary markets must see a better performance during 2012 if the industry, as a whole, can say it is in a true recovery from the recession.

One of the best things about the hotel industry is its willingness to give back to the community. Throughout the year, there are countless acts of selflessness throughout the industry. During the holiday season, these generous deeds are amplified. Here are a few recent examples of how hotel-industry organizations have stepped up for good causes (this is only a small representation; please use the comments section below to let everyone know other good deeds being done in our industry):

The Atlanta Hospitality Alliance cut a big check for scholarships at Georgia State University’s hospitality school. Front row (from left): Paul Breslin, Panther Hospitality; Mary Beth Cutshall, HVMG; Debra Cannon, Director, Georgia State University Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality; and Monty Levy, HREC Investment Advisors. Back row: Carlos Torres, Hardin Construction Company; Tom Woodward, Hodges Ward Elliott; Michael Murphy of Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates; and Dan Weede of Carlton Fields. ... Read More 1 comments

Thursday, 17 November 2011 IHG’s Solomons hits nail on head about OTAs Posted by Jeff Higley at 7:28 AM Is the day of reckoning coming for the relationship between the hotel industry and online-travel agencies? The sometimes-turbulent subject is a topic that permeates every event, gathering, message board, and quite possibly every pillow-talk conversation, that goes on in the hotel industry. Both sides try to put on happy faces and say they want to play well together. Most observers can easily see through that charade. Hotel companies in general don’t like the OTAs because of the perceived loss of revenue a hotel realizes when a room is sold through a third-party outlet. The OTAs are happy to take the rooms at what some hoteliers claim are ridiculously low rates, mark them up and then sell them to consumers while touting how low the prices are. I get the sense that OTAs view hotel owners as a necessary evil because while they want the rooms inventory, they don’t want to be in the hotel-operations business. ... Read More 11 comments

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