US Travel Stories

Hospitality research company STR Global has released their latest figures for the week ending 25 April 2009 for London & UK. Hotel revenue per available room (revpar) dropped by 6.1% in London and by 9.7% in the provinces.

Occupancy declined by 0.9 percentage points to 84.3% while average room rate slid by 5.1% to £120.06. Hotel revpar for the 28 days to 25 April dropped by 11.9% in London (to £87.58) and by 18% in the provinces, to £42.28.

All this has made London travel a lot more affordable esp. the hotels in london which were known for high-end rates for those coming from outside. Enjoy a trip while the discounts last!

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Posted By: Anil VT - Category: No Category

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How are hotels using the economy in their sales pitch

April 13th 2009 12:45

I was reading this interesting story on BizJournals talking about - 'how are hotels using the economy in their sales pitch'.

It says how american hotels have started using the words such as 'economy', 'stimulus', 'bailout'
in their sales pitch. The benefit of basing promotions on the lousy economy is that it makes consumers feel as if the company is at least acknowledging that times are tight, if not being completely sympathetic. Some good examples are -

- The Ritz is offering the Frugal Friends’ Fling

- Hotel Palomar Dallas is offering a “Sweet Tax Relief” promotion

- Hotel ZaZa is offering Bailout Bucks

See the BizJournals link on top to see details of these offers. Sam Huston, director of engagement planning for Dallas-based The Marketing Arm, predicts the next wave in marketing campaigns and promotions will focus on concepts like happiness, togetherness and hope.

Image courtesy: Sun Sentinel

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Posted By: Anil VT - Category: No Category

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US Hotel Rates Fall With Worsening Occupancy

March 3rd 2009 08:31

According to a release by Smith Travel Research, U.S. lodging industry occupancy and RevPAR (revenue per available room) dropped by double-digit percentage levels in January compared with the previous year.

Occupancy for the month fell to 45.9 percent, down 10.7 percent from the 51.5 percent occupancy levels seen in January 2008, the data indicated. RevPAR dropped 15.3 percent to $46.24, and the average daily rate was down 5.2 percent to $100.66.

Among the top markets, New York saw the biggest drop in ADR, down 13.1 percent. New York’s RevPAR also was down by 27.1 percent, topped only by Detroit, which dropped by 28.6 percent- the steepest fall in RevPAR.

Washington, D.C., was alone among the top cities in bucking the downward trend in rate, occupancy and RevPAR, boosted largely by presidential inauguration activity.

As the economic downturn gets worse, more bad news for hotels seem on the way.

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Posted By: Anil VT - Category: No Category

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How Far Can You Go With $100 Trillion?

January 22nd 2009 08:51

Imagine yourself with a 100 trillion dollars - think of all the destinations the travel geek in you would want to go to, a space expedition as well possibly. Now come back to earth to realize that you are in Zimbabwe. Your 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars is worth just about US$30(Yes, you read right!) - that's all it's worth!

Zimbabwe has introduced last week a Z$100 trillion note, currently worth about US$30 (£20), while other varients in trillion-dollar denominations of 10, 20 and 50 are also being released to help Zimbabweans cope with hyperinflation

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Posted By: Anil VT - Category: No Category

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London Is Suddenly An Affordable Destination

January 14th 2009 05:27

Last week Travel Leisure magazine announced the Top 500 Hotels for 2009. Now with the falling value of pound sterling, better airline deals, and recession-induced huge hotel discounts, suddenly UK and particularly London seems a lot more affordable than it was even 3 months back. On a quick search I could find a 4 star hotel at £50 per night and 5 star at just £90 - which is almost unreal for central london.

Surely, the best time to do a post on top london hotels. What's better to start than the Travel Leisure list itself

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Posted By: Anil VT - Category: No Category

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Top 5 US Hotels On Travel Leisure 2009 List

January 9th 2009 08:30

Leading travel magazine Travel Leisure has announced it's annual list of the 500 best hotels in the world, based on ratings from it's annual reader survey.

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It's A Plane. It's A Hostel. It's Both, Silly!

January 5th 2009 08:34

An abandoned Boeing 747 at Sweden's biggest airport will open on Jan 15th as the world's first aeroplane hotel. Christened as the "Jumbo Hostel" - the plane currently has 25 rooms, each measuring 65 sq. ft. They are spartanly furnished with bunk beds, overhead luggage compartments and flat-screen televisions offering entertainment and flight information.

A reception area and café are at the front of the jet and toilets and showers are at the rear. The Boeing's upper deck "bubble" is being converted into a conference room, while the cockpit is being transformed into a wedding suite

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Happy Travelling in 2009!

December 30th 2008 09:39

Here's Wishing You All a Happy New Year 2009!!
May the recession spare us all in the coming year, and bring new opportunities to enjoy travel

I just found Joshua Fernandez's poem on travel here:

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Top 10 US Destinations For New Year Eve Party

December 22nd 2008 08:10

Still hunting for the top New Year Eve party destinations? You've reached the right place! Even I was looking for the hottest places in US for new year party since last week! I stumbled across many sites which provide a general list. But Priceline gave a list (incidentally, it's more than a year old - wonder why didn't they do it this year) of 'happening' locations within each destination - which made more sense for me. Check out one of these 10 hottest New Year party locations:

1. Las Vegas: Strip / Convention Center/ UNLV Area

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2009: The Year Of Travel Deals?

December 16th 2008 11:15

Due to the economic downturn which is worsening every month, more people are expected to stay home. Many have cancelled their year-end vacations opting for 'staycation' instead. Travel to Europe and other regions by Americans was down many percent points, when compared to the same period in 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The Travel Industry Association has predicted a 1.3% drop in leisure travel in the coming year.

But guess what, if travel experts are to be believed - 2009 would be the Year Of Deals for travellers! This comes from a combined effects of

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