Top Stories
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Jordan hotel industry fears new tax will scare away international brands
DestinationsDespite a rebound in tourism revenues last year, [Jordan's tourism] sector continues to face a difficult operating environment with both regional instability and the potential for increased government taxation weighing it down. Tourism has long been a staple of the economy, accounting for 14% of GDP in 2010. The most recent information from the Jordan [...]
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Accor hotel executive exposed for posting biased TripAdvisor reviews
DigitalA senior executive at one of the world’s largest hotel groups has admitted breaching TripAdvisor’s rules by posting dozens of glowing reviews about the firm’s properties. Peter Hook, who describes himself on Twitter as “director of propaganda” for Accor hotels in Asia and the Pacific, also published a number of critical reviews about the company’s [...]
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Mexican hotel operator City Express plans to go public next month
DestinationsHoteles City Express SAB, a Mexican operator of hotels for business travelers, plans to raise about $250 million in an initial public offering this year, said Abelardo Loscos, a company investor relations official. The hotel operator plans to carry out the offering next month, Loscos said in a telephone interview today from Mexico City, where [...]
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Can Airbnb really hide behind its murky understanding of the law until its IPO?
DigitalSo is it legal or not to use Airbnb in New York City? Earlier this week, a New York City judge likened an apartment rented out through the online service to an “illegal hotel” and fined the offender, Nigel Warren, $2,400. But what about everyone else? Do New Yorkers who planned to make a few [...]
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U.S. hotel industry profits nearly reach record high at $162 billion
DestinationsFollowing an increase in 2011, U.S. hotel industry profits recorded another strong gain during 2012, based on data from STR Analytics’ 2013 HOST Almanac. Based on nearly 6,000 hotels reporting income and expense statements to STR, U.S. hotel-industry profit came in just under the peak level recorded in 2007. Total industry revenue levels topped an [...]
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InterContinental Hotels’ plan to open resort in Tibet draws boycott promise
DestinationsTibetan campaign groups are launching a boycott of the InterContinental Hotels Group – the owner of Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and others – because of plans to open a vast 2000-room resort in Lhasa. The campaign, led by Free Tibet and backed by Students for a Free Tibet, wants IHG to withdraw from the project [...]
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Will Room 77′s deep pockets and strong hotel product get it a seat at the table?
DigitalDrew Patterson, who recently became Room 77′s first CEO, does a perceptible double take at the seeming absurdity of the question. “How is Room 77 going to meet the challenge of being relatively late to the party?” he’s asked. After all, the first crop of travel metasearch sites, including FareChase, SideStep and Qixo, are now [...]
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New York State Senator says Airbnb’s actions “pathologically irresponsible”
RoomsNew York State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), who co-sponsored the law that made a large swathe of short-term rentals — the type you can find on sites from Airbnb to FlipKey to Expedia — in the state illegal, released a statement today regarding the fine handed down to Airbnb host Nigel Warren earlier this week. [...]
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Nashville’s new convention center sets up big challenge for Memphis
DestinationsAfter nine years of discussion, controversy, planning and construction, Nashville’s mammoth, gleaming new $585 million convention center opened with two days of public events and concerts Sunday and Monday. The new Music City Center is three times bigger than the city’s existing convention center, which opened in 1987, and nearly 3 1/2 times bigger than [...]
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Skift Q&A: Can an independent hotel booking site survive and thrive?
DigitalThe online hotel booking market is relatively packed, and standing out from the pack is difficult for any brand. The leadership at thirteen-year old Tablet Hotels, takes the position that each new entrant that may promise something new or unique is actually either a validation of its model or an opportunity to further evolve. Tablet Hotels [...]
