Lodging Daily News

More than half of all mobile phone subscribers in the United States own smartphones, according to a recent Nielsen estimate. To cater toward the growing trend of mobile applications, technology companies are developing new solutions that allow hotel employees to wirelessly connect to property management systems. Property management systems (PMS) provide hotel employees with essential tools to efficiently perform their daily tasks, which include handling reservations, checking guests in and out, assigning rooms, managing room

I’d call my member of Congress, but I’m too busy. Someone else will send this letter to Capitol Hill—I’ll send one next time. Does this sound familiar? As an industry we are facing critical issues that require your involvement, but too often individuals rely on others to make calls and write letters. From pool lift mobilization, to the broad issue of labor regulations or the specific concerns relating to H-2B visas, lodging is in the

The Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA), an organization of professionals responsible for proactively increasing asset values on behalf of hotel owners worldwide, launched the Certified Hotel Asset Manager (CHAM) designation in April. Created in conjunction with some of the world’s leading hospitality executives and experts, the CHAM designation is the first professional certification for hotel asset managers. HAMA members represent 3,500 hotels and resorts, including independent properties and representatives of every major brand, accounting for

The U.S. lodging industry recovery may have begun in 2010, but it wasn’t until 2011 that most hotels in the country shared the improved prosperity. In 2011, 80.5 percent of the properties that participated in PKF Hospitality Research’s (PKF-HR) Trends in the Hotel Industry annual survey enjoyed an increase in total revenue, while nearly three-quarters (72.3 percent) of the participants achieved growth in profits. The 2012 edition of Trends presents aggregate average changes in unit-level

The continued demand and rate increases in the U.S. lodging industry are a good sign for a continued recovery, and we expect the next 24 months to continue to show increases in revenue per available room. While all chain-scale segments have reported improved data over the last 12 months, the performance of the midscale hotels is particularly noteworthy. During the year ending in February, the performances of the upper midscale and midscale segments were driven