Hotel Recovery Chugs Along, but Inflation and Labor Are Ongoing Concerns - Travel Weekly

Excerpt from Travel Weekly

As the hotel industry gathered for the Americas Lodging Investment Summit this week, it served as a chance to dive into projections and analysis for the year to come, and a consensus has emerged on both the recovery and the stumbling blocks ahead.

Leisure demand continues to drive the return to travel, while progress is underway with business and group bookings, but the largest events and companies have been some of the slowest to return.

There is concern over inflation, a labor shortage and the next Covid-19 variant as rate and revenue growth remain promising.

It has been a strong recovery, but there are still some bumps in the road. The week between Christmas and New Year recorded the highest average daily rate ever. The leisure demand is not deterred by omicron.

The room rates are the same.

The stability of room rates has been a positive point for hotels. The average daily rate in the industry is expected to go up to $134 in the years to come. The revenue per available room is expected to go up.

Warren Fields, CEO of Benchmark Pyramid, said that it was the first time in a downturn that they had been able to hold rate.

Wilson said that the industry should be prepared for some positive signs of recovery to occur in order to avoid a negative momentum on key hotel data points.

As groups come back, I think we will see a softer rate.

The labor shortage and inflation.

There are other places where rebalancing may first appear negative. Cindy Estis Green, CEO of Kalibri Labs, told the audience that the U.S. is anticipating its own growth because of the lack of options outside the country.

Business travel remains 20% below previous levels, and leisure travel has driven returns to 2019 RevPAR levels, but only 42% of meetings and events are expected to return by the close of 2022, which is bad news for hotel revenue.

While the dollar figures are returning to pre-pandemic levels, all of the analysts said inflation will play a large role in determining when a full rebound has occurred, which is still two to three years away according to an STR and Tourism Economics analysis.

Larry Cuculic, president and CEO of Best Western Hotels said that inflation will make 2022, look very different. From our perspective, the bottom line for our hoteliers is more important than what topline looks like.

Labor is one of the top issues facing the industry, as U.S hotels are projected to end the year with 166,000 fewer workers than they had in 2019.

The CEO and president of Remington Hotels said there was not one solution to the problem.

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Four Seasons Hotels;

The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai has a new Vice President and General Manager. A skilled leader with a global career with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts that spans 26 years, Parker brings a breadth of luxury hospitality experience and knowledge to his new role, which maintains his responsibilities at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and will also oversee operations at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

The General Manager of Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina for three years,Parker is a legacy to the Four Seasons Resort Hawaii collection. He became General Manager of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in December of 2020 and has since led the resort through a major renovation. The first scope since the Resort opened more than 25 years ago was the enhancement of all guest rooms and suites.

The Four Seasons Resort Hawaii collection offers an incredible, rich culture that embodies the unique spirit of Hawaii.

The Forbes Five-Star resort is located on 15 acres of the breath-taking Wailea Coast. The Resort's Unforgettable Experiences, a series of once-in-a-lifetime adventures that connect guests, is one of the innovative programming that the 383-room oceanfront property is known for. The Resort on Maui is home to one of the nation's top-rated spas and three of Hawaii's most acclaimed restaurants.

Born in Scotland and raised in England,Parker has a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from the University of Surrey. After graduating, he joined Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane and has been there ever since. A number of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts properties, including Newport Beach, Maldives at Kuda Huraa, and Explorer, have been contributed to by Parker.

During his free time, he likes to spend time with his wife and son exploring and discovering the culture of Hawaii Island, as well as playing golf, tennis, and watersports.

The names, logos and products mentioned are owned by their owners.


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Relay;

Relay is the top choice for hotels and resorts that want to fulfill the 5-star promise to prioritize the safety of employees. Relay has announced that it will provide its highly Wearable and Highly Adaptable associate alert devices to 80 Atrium Hospitality -managed properties across the United States. One of the nation's largest hotel operators and ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among third-party hotel management companies in the J.D. Power 2021.

According to Craig Mason, Chief Executive Officer of the company, innovation is one of the core values of the company. Mason said that by collaborating with Relay, we have the opportunity to enhance the safety of our dedicated teams across the United States while also continuing to improve on our commitment to deliver exceptional guest experiences.

The brands represented by the company are like Marriott, IHG, and Wyndham. The company has 21 thousand rooms and 3 million square feet of flexible event space. Relay's voice-first technology will be the alert device partner for the operators of dozens of properties across 28 states. Management, guest services, housekeeping, maintenance, ground transportation and catering will be able to use the small device.

Barbara Sharnak, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing Strategy at Relay said, "We are proud to support Atrium to deliver best in class employee safety technology, and further leverage Relay to provide streamlined operations and analytics that drive towards the optimal goal of guest experience."

Relay's superior technology will provide the mandated safety protections with a single button alert feature, aGPS, and 3D-mapping capabilities that allow for accurate distribution of emergency response teams.

The ability of the devices to integrate into sophisticated operations systems is recognized for aiding robust operations in finding operational efficiencies. Relay features include:

Validates employees who are responsible for delivery or receiving of goods and services via auto-capture.

A language translation feature allows team members to communicate in more than one language.

Pre-recorded messages are sent for the start and end of shifts.

Cloud-connected dashboard features allow for better distribution of staff via gps and 3D mapping.

About the company.

One of the nation's largest hotel operators is Atrium. The company is based in Georgia and manages a portfolio of over 80 hotels in 28 states. There are 21 thousand guest rooms and 3 million square feet of event space. Third-party hotel management companies that ranked #1 in customer satisfaction were the ones that were owned by Atrium. The six core values of Service, Perseverance, Inclusion, Respect, Innovation and Teamwork guide the Atrium SPIRIT for creating a welcoming environment for all and encouraging personal growth of the company. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named the company a Top Workplaces 2020. Project SEARCH, a school-to-work program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is one of the many civic and community activities that Atrium supports. Visit www.atriumhospitality.com for more information.

About Relay.

Relay is a communications tool that makes the walkie-talkie obsolete. The push-to-talk, voice-first hand-held Relay device is easier to use than a simple walkie-talkie, has a nationwide range, and is built upon a powerful and flexible software platform. Relay's vision is to empower frontline teams with technology that allows them to safely and quickly connect to the people and information they need to get their jobs done more efficiently. Visit www.relaypro.com for more information.

Media can be contacted.

relay@segalcommunications.

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HSMAI;

The Adrian Awards Celebration will return to a live, in-person format on March 30 at The Boca Raton, Boca Raton, Florida. This year's event, taking place outside New York City for the first time in more than 25 years, has been reinvented to provide attendees more time to socialize, celebrate, and enjoy the exceptional outdoor and indoor spaces offered by The Boca Raton. Before and after the awards ceremony, there will be networking reception.

The Adrian Awards Celebration is getting a breath of fresh air, bringing industry and agency professionals together at an icon resort. The Adrians will celebrate the great work and the exceptional people who are empowering recovery.

The Adrian Awards highlight excellence in advertising, digital marketing, and public relations. The President's Awards, Platinum Awards, Best of Show, and Lifetime Awards will be presented during the Adrian Awards Celebration. The Top 25 extraordinary minds will also be recognized.

Daniel A. Hostettler, President and CEO of The Boca Raton, said that they were honored to be hosting the Adrian Awards. Attendees will be the first to experience the $200 million Phase One transformation of our legendary luxury resort and private club. We can't wait to show all of the amazing experiences at the waterfront.

As leisure and business travelers moved from reluctance to excitement to get back on the road, marketing was at the forefront of leading the recovery. The Adrian Awards Celebration is an opportunity for the tourism industry to come together to recognize outstanding marketing work done by hotels, destinations, and their agency partners. There are sponsorship and ticket information at www.adrianawards.hsmai.org.

The names, logos and products mentioned are owned by their owners.


Page 5

AHLA;

ShiftGenius was crowned the winner of the TechOvation Award at the HT-NEXT Awards Program.

The awards program continues the tradition of showcasing leading innovations in hotel technology and recognizing them for using new technologies to improve the guest experience.

ShiftGenius by UniFocus allows managers to identify staff options to fill shift needs based on rankings or groupings. ShiftGenius gives managers real-time visibility into availability, overtime, and other work rules as employees pick up and swap shifts.

The UniFocus team is honored to be selected as the winner of the 2021. During this time of increasing workforce challenge issues, we are proud of the innovation we bring to workforce management. With an eye toward the future of workforce management and the recent acquisition of the Knowcross operational task management system, we look forward to delivering more industry firsts that empower hotel businesses across the industry with the ability to provide unparalleled guest service.

Hapi/DataTravel with product Hapi Guest was one of the two TechOvation finalist.

One can use multiple clouds to make more impact on guest connections with Hapi Connect, which integrates guest data intoSalesforce in real time. Operators and integrators can design, build and release integrations in a matter of days with OHIP's access to all of the capabilities of OPERA Cloud.

Here you can find more information about the award.

The names, logos and products mentioned are owned by their owners.


Page 6

According to the latest data from STR, the U.S. hotel performance was relatively unchanged from the previous week.

The percentage change from a year ago is 16-22 January 2022.

  • Occupancy: 48.7% (-15.9%)
  • Average daily rate (ADR): US$122.17 (-1.4%)
  • Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$59.52 (-17.1%)

While none of the Top 25 Markets recorded an increase in Occupancy over the course of the year, Tampa came close to its pre-pandemic comparable. The market had the largest rise in ADR of 4% to US$151.74) and the only RevPAR increase of 2% to US$109.

San Francisco/San Mateo experienced the largest decrease.

San Francisco/San Mateo and Anaheim/Santa Ana had the biggest RevPAR deficits.

Recovery is being measured against comparable time periods from 2019.

Premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights are provided by STR. In addition to the corporate headquarters in North America, the company has an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. CoStar Group, Inc., the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces, acquired STR in October. Please visit costargroup.com for more information.

The names, logos and products mentioned are owned by their owners.


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Accor;

Sarah Derry will become the Chief Executive Officer of Accor Pacific on February 1, 2022.

Sarah joined Accor as Senior Vice President Talent and Culture after owning and operating her own successful business for over 10 years. Sarah brings with her a wealth of experience, not only in talent and culture but in business, strategy and development, having worked for international hotel companies and excelled in her early career in operations.

Sarah will continue Accor's growth trajectory in the Pacific, build Accor's brands, loyalty network and bring together talent in the region.

I am delighted to welcome Sarah to Accor's executive committee as the new CEO. She brings a wealth of experience to the role, but also a unique understanding of Accor's values and culture. Her strategic expertise, gained over an impressive career in hospitality, will prove to be valuable as our growth in the region continues.

I would like to thank Simon for his dedication to Accor over the last 15 years. Accor was the largest hotel operator in the Pacific, going from 120 hotels to over 400, because of his commitment to the team and business. He introduced new brands to market, including Pullman, Movenpick, Sofitel SO and ibis Styles. His expertise in forging and managing partnerships is second to none. We wish him well in his next chapter.

Sarah said on her appointment that she was excited to be leading the Accor team in the Pacific as the industry transitions from recovery to growth. Providing unforgettable world-class experiences for our guests and loyalty members while bringing our teams on the journey will continue to be a priority and I am looking forward to working closely with our owners, partners and industry colleagues.

The names, logos and products mentioned are owned by their owners.


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Horwath HTL;

In this edition of the U.S. Lodging Market Overview, we partner with AllTheRooms, which provides insights into the Short-Term Rental Market.

There was a decline in weekly room nights sold in November. The demand for November was 81% higher than in October. The impact could be explained by the seasonality of the market. TheEconomy, Midscale, and Upper Midscale segments were all up in Rooms Sold over the course of the year.

The booking revenues were up significantly over pre-covid numbers due to increases in the number of bookings and the associatedADR. There were more demand increases observed in high-priced markets.

Click here ( Adobe Acrobat PDF file) to download the complete report.

The names, logos and products mentioned are owned by their owners.


Page 9

Baseball scoreboard - Source hotelfinancialcoach.com Why Managing the Budget in Your Hotel is Like Playing Baseball

HTrends;

If you are involved in the budget in your hotel and you have played baseball, then you are probably saying to yourself that I am off my rocker.

The budget is a mean and unruly guest that comes every year and sometimes does not leave completed for weeks, even months. A good game of baseball can be fun and engaging.

There is more than one way to look at the budget. Let's dig a little deeper and see what I'm talking about. Managing the budget in your hotel is no different than fighting life's battles.

We need to unwrap the stiff that just arrived and realize the budget for what it is, a business plan with numbers. It is our job to beat it at its own game.

Here is a plan to help you meet your budget.

You will never win all the games you play, but with some creative strategies you will be better equipped to win more often.

Getting comfortable with the basic rules of baseball and hotel budget making is the first thing to do.

The number one rule is that there are at least nine in a baseball game. The same can be said for the hotel's financial/budget making world, except you have 12 hours to play.

If you fall behind in the earlier rounds, you have the chance to catch up, even if you lose some. You need a system to follow to bring this strategy to life.

In order to play this way, we need to have a financial strategy in our hotel.

  • One, do monthly financial statements using the accrual basis.
  • Two, incorporate a current, detailed year-end monthly rolling forecast.
  • Three and most important, include all department managers in the monthly forecast and reforecast process. Without their involvement and commitment, you are sunk.

Click on the image to enlarge.

You have a couple of months where you can hit it out of the park and not only catch up but pull into the lead if you fail to deliver on any month, so don't get bent out of shape when you fail to deliver.

The strategy of using the hotel budget comes into play with the rolling forecast. It looks like this on the top-level statement.

We have the actual for the first three months of the year. You can reel in the year-end performance by working a re-forecast in any month up to the end of the year, because things did not go according to the budget.

The process begins with the current month, then a detailed forecast of 30, 60, 90 and a year-end target. You need to make sure you are doing everything you can to make sure the team is focused on the end of the year. It's important that you have a team that knows where the bodies are buried and how you can find the savings in payroll and expenses to drive the profit back into positive territory.

You play that game. It is not a game, but you can really benefit from knowing the game is not over just because you are behind.

Your revenue management strategy is critical. The schematic shows that you are behind in the budget compared to the RevPAR. To get back to the target, move heaven and earth. You have a fighting chance to turn the ship around even if you fell down in the first quarter.

I can't tell you how many years I had to fight back from the early days. Spending more than planned and falling behind on revenues. Don't give up, don't throw in the towel.

Why? Just like baseball, you can have a greatinning or three or six and you are back in business. The bad luck and dead market that delivered you such a hammering can turn on a dime.

Managing your hotel budget is similar to paying baseball. You never give up and you have a lot of time to play and win.

If you keep score every month, your next grand slam is possible as long as you keep working.

I help hotel leaders and teams with financial leadership coaching. Learning and applying financial leadership skills can lead to greater career success and increased personal prosperity. I improve individual and team results with a proven return on investment.

You can arrange for a complimentary discussion on how you can create a financially engaged leadership team in your hotel by calling or writing today.

David can be reached at (415) 696-9593. David@hotelfinancialcoach.com is the email address.

The names, logos and products mentioned are owned by their owners.