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ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING stations are a growing fixture at hotels around the U.S. Now, EV charging hardware and software producer EVPassport has released a new cloud-based system that connects its users to the hotel's guest services platform. The EVPassport Hotel Cloud, a variation of the company's cloud platform designed specifically for the hospitality industry, offers several options beside a simple charge. Guests can use the platform to locate the hotel on all EV charging location maps and apps. It allows owners to set charging prices, manage access and get details on energy usage, earnings history and carbon offset. EVPassport Hotel Cloud's "scan and charge" QR code technology allows users to pay without needing fobs, apps or cards. Hotels get an extra revenue stream from the stations, which can be wrapped in the hotel's name, logo and colors.

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association is set to host the inaugural General Manager Summit at "The Hospitality Show" on June 28 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The first-of-its kind event will be held annually and bring together hotel GMs from across the country to hear from expert speakers, share best practices and network. The event will also celebrate the industry's best GMs via an awards ceremony, AHLA said in a statement. "General Managers are the backbone of any hotel, and that's precisely why AHLA offers this important group of professionals a host of top-notch professional development, networking and event opportunities," said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. "AHLA's General Manager Summit at The Hospitality Show is the can't-miss event of the year for GMs, and we're excited to see you there this June." AHLA said the event is free for all GMs attending The Hospitality Show, which takes place June 27-29 at The Venetian Las Vegas, but GM summit attendees must register for the event here.

EXTENDED-STAY HOTEL room supply in the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. grew 2.5 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, its smallest increase in several years, according to a new report from The Highland Group. The survey, which researched supply, demand, revenues and new construction of extended-stay hotels, said the outcome in 2022 was about half the net supply gain reported in 2021. According to the report, the lengthening hotel development timeline, fewer construction starts, disenfranchising hotels that no longer meet brand standards, conversions to apartments and some municipalities acquiring extended-stay hotels for housing have resulted in the muted growth. While there was a sharp decline in reported extended-stay rooms under construction last year compared to 2021, construction starts increased 6 percent over the last 12 months. "However, they remain low compared to the pre-pandemic period, the report noted. RevPAR growth in 2022 strongly favored ADR as opposed to occupancy gains in 2021. "Consequently, more than 40 MSAs reported lower average occupancy in 2022 than during the previous year. However, only a dozen MSAs have not yet recovered RevPAR back to its nominal 2019 value compared to about half the MSAs last year," it showed.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO enhance the attendee experience remains a key trend for meeting and event planners as they expect meetings volumes to rise, according to a survey. The tech trend is closely followed by a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion and a more casual meeting atmosphere. The 2023 State of the Meetings Industry survey by group hospitality analytics firm Knowland and full-service global meetings solution company, ConferenceDirect, also revealed that staff shortages and inquiry backlogs are impacting service standards as rising costs redefine goals. The survey also pointed out that rising costs may cause planners to change their approach, including looking at new destinations. However, cost leveling, return of business travel, and budget increases will support the industry recovery. According to the survey, more than 70 percent of 2022 events had attendance at, or above, 80 percent of 2019 levels. As many as 75 percent of event planners did not expect the number of events and meetings to drop.

JOBS IN THE hotel industry are projected to exceed overall job market growth in the next five years, according to recent research commissioned by the AHLA Foundation. The foundation has also introduced an interactive dashboard enabling job seekers to explore and compare roles, requirements and compensation within various hospitality careers. The foundation tasked Lightcast, a labor market analytics firm, with providing data on demographic and growth trends crucial for identifying and mapping career pathways within the hotel and lodging industry, the AHLA Foundation said in a statement. With its real-time, proprietary databases and industry parsing capabilities, Lightcast created an interactive dashboard illustrating career pathways in the hotel and lodging industry from 2010 to 2023. "It's an attractive time to enter the hotel industry," said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation's president. "A key part of our work at AHLA Foundation is supporting the recruitment, retention and advancement of people in our industry. Understanding the entry points where careers begin, where they lead and what paths they take is a critical step to helping find their home in hospitality."

The Hiatus Clearwater Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton is now open in Florida. 3H Group Inc., led by Hiren Desai as president and CEO, is the owner of the property, while hotel management firm LBA Hospitality will manage the operations of the beachside hotel. The 88-room boutique-style hotel is the first Curio property to join the LBA portfolio and expands the partnership between LBA Hospitality and owner/developer 3H Group, the companies said in a joint statement. "In January 2022, when LBA took over management of the 3H portfolio of hotels, I thought I would take a little break," said Desai. "I told my family and colleagues I was going to take a little hiatus, and they had different ideas in store for me. My brother, Nick Desai-also a co-owner of 3H Group-said, 'You can take a hiatus, but take it in Clearwater Beach.'" New York City-based Celano Design Studio Co. designed The Hiatus' interior, the statement added. Guestrooms and suites feature balconies with Clearwater Beach views, while the seventh-floor rooftop restaurant and reception area offer Gulf and beach vistas.

PEACHTREE GROUP IS the 2023 Developer of the Year in the Focused Service category by Hilton Americas Development Awards. The yearly awards recognize the achievements of owners, development partners, and hotel teams across different categories in the Americas, Peachtree said in a statement. "We are immensely honored to have been named developer of the year by Hilton, a distinction that underscores our desire to build outstanding hotels," said Mitul Patel, Peachtree Group's principal. "This recognition highlights our unwavering commitment to creating exceptional hotels and further strengthens our partnership with Hilton. This award is a testament to our strategic approach to hotel development, which combines identifying great locations, assembling a top-tier team and maintaining a steadfast focus on quality." Peachtree Group won the Multi-Brand Developer of the Year award from Hilton in 2022, the statement added.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS recently named Amit Sripathi as chief development officer, taking over from Chip Ohlsson, who exits the company in June. Sripathi, who previously was Wyndham's senior vice president of strategic and corporate development, will head the company's North American franchise sales team. Before his tenure at Wyndham, he served as vice president of finance and capital markets at RLJ Lodging Trust, and as vice president of global investment banking at Deutsche Bank, Wyndham said in a statement. "Amit's deep experience in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets focused on the real estate and hospitality sectors at Deutsche Bank and RLJ Lodging are instrumental as we increase our focus on growing our midscale-and-above portfolio while reinforcing our leading position in the resilient select-service segments," said Geoff Ballotti, Wyndham's president and CEO. "Since joining Wyndham, Amit has demonstrated a strategic approach to growth. He's helped divest our owned and managed segments leading to a pure-play U.S. franchise business and worked with our sales teams across the country and around the world deploying over $250 million in development support for our owners. He hits the ground running, knowing what our franchise sales teams need to continue outperforming expectations."

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association and Questex recently updated the lineup of speakers and events for The Hospitality Show, scheduled for Oct. 28 to 30 in San Antonio, Texas. The Show will offer networking opportunities and showcase new products from more than 400 technology and operations vendors, AHLA and Questex said in a joint statement. Confirmed speakers include Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Liam Brown, group president for the U.S. and Canada at Marriott International; Kevin Jacobs, CFO and president of Global Development at Hilton Hotels & Resorts; Brian Kirkland, chief information officer of Choice Hotels International; Kristie Goshow, chief commercial officer of KSL Resorts; Kevin Korab, president of Guest Worldwide; Scott Strickland, chief commercial officer of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; and Greg Land, global segment leader for travel and hospitality at Amazon Web Services.

APPROXIMATELY 61 PERCENT of Americans are set to travel overnight for leisure in the upcoming four months, with 34 percent anticipating an uptick in their leisure travels this summer compared to last year, according to a recent survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Additionally, around 31 percent of respondents plan to up their hotel stays this summer versus the previous one. Around 35 percent of Americans anticipate an overnight business trip within the next four months, with 16 percent planning to boost their business-related travel this summer compared to last summer, the survey conducted by Morning Consult found. Meanwhile, hotels remain the preferred lodging option for both business travelers, with 60 percent, and leisure travelers, with 46 percent, this summer, the survey revealed. The survey presents a positive outlook for hoteliers amid ongoing economic challenges like a nationwide labor shortage and high interest rates, AHLA said. However, it indicates that persistent inflation remains a significant obstacle to growth for hoteliers and other travel-related businesses.

OF THE TWO in five Americans going on business trips this year, 49 percent intend to turn it into a "bleisure" trip, according to a recent survey by Howdy.com. Bleisure is a blend of "business" and "leisure," differing from "workcations," where workers integrate vacation with work at a destination of their choice. While about a quarter of survey respondents opt for workcations to save paid time off, 60 percent of American business travelers prefer bleisure trips. Approximately 64 percent of American workers attribute the rise of bleisure to improved work-life balance as business travel rebounds post-COVID-19. Despite only about 30 percent of workers being familiar with the term bleisure, many are embracing the concept, said Howdy.com, a talent sourcing firm based in Austin, Texas. The Howdy.com survey of more than 1,000 full-time employees across the U.S., found that more than two-thirds of respondents would be attracted to jobs that encourage bleisure, while many suggest that companies should offer a "free day" on work trips to promote bleisure. The survey revealed that about 75 percent of respondents would be more inclined to collaborate with international teams if provided with increased bleisure travel opportunities.

CHEF AND HUMANITARIAN José Andrés will deliver the opening keynote at The Hospitality Show on Oct. 28. The three-day event, organized by Questex and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, will take place from Oct. 28 to 30 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Additional speakers and program updates will be announced in the coming months, AHLA said in a statement. In the discussion titled "Changing the World Through the Power of Food," Andrés, a food and hunger advocate, will express his belief that "food is a basic human right," AHLA said. The World Central Kitchen, the non-profit he founded in 2010 to provide food relief after disasters, has delivered over 350 million meals worldwide. Andrés also founded José Andrés Group, which owns restaurants such as the two-Michelin-starred minibar in Washington D.C., Mercado Little Spain in New York City and multiple locations of the Bazaar by José Andrés, the statement said. Andrés popularized Spanish tapas in the U.S. and introduced avant-garde cuisine.

The Admiralty Inn & Suites is now open in East Falmouth, Massachusetts. The 97-room upper-midscale hotel, part of The Red Collection, is owned by Sai Vani Corp. led by Mark Patel. It is the second hotel in Cape Cod to be in Red Roof's Red Collection, joining the Mariner Resort in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, Red Roof said in a statement. The recently renovated hotel is near Cape Cod attractions like Falmouth Heights Beach, Martha's Vineyard, Nobska Point Lighthouse, Historic Falmouth Village, Highfield Hall & Gardens, Cape Cod Children's Museum, Woods Hole Science Aquarium, Old Silver Beach, Shining Sea Bikeway, and Beebe Woods, the statement said. The property features a business center, onsite fitness facility, heated indoor swimming pool and seasonal outdoor pool. "Cape Cod is a sought-after region for development and with the opening of the Admiralty Inn & Suites Red Roof now has two Red Collection properties in the region," said Matthew Hostetler, Red Roof's chief development officer. "The brand's offerings-increased amenities at an affordable price point-resonate with consumers and we'll continue our efforts to meet guest demand for Red Roof hotels across the country."

U.S. HOTELS ADDED 700 jobs to their payrolls in June, according to the latest government data, but the nationwide workforce shortage continues to make it difficult for hotels to fill open positions, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Total hotel employment stands at about 1.92 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is more than 196,000 fewer workers than in February 2020, reflecting a scarcity of available employees. Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised down the total number of hotel jobs in the country, which eliminated job gains for the industry that were reported in prior months, AHLA said in a statement. "Halfway through 2024, the hotel industry is behind where it needs to be when it comes to hiring staff, despite near-record high wages and expanding workplace benefits and flexibility," said Kevin Carey, AHLA's interim president and CEO. "The reason is the nationwide workforce shortage, which is preventing hoteliers from meeting their full potential as demand for travel remains strong. Both Congress and the administration can provide relief to our members, many of whom are small business owners, and AHLA will continue to call for action to expand the pool of available workers."

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