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U.S. REVPAR LEVELS hit a record high in the third week of July despite Hurricane Beryl's effects on the top 25 markets, according to CoStar. All metrics were up compared to the previous week, with positive year-over-year comparisons. Occupancy rose to 73.5 percent for the week ending July 20, up from 69.2 percent the previous week, marking a 1 percent year-over-year increase. ADR increased to $165.91 from $158.21, reflecting a 2.4 percent rise compared to last year. RevPAR reached $122.02, up from $109.51 the prior week, showing a 3.4 percent increase from the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, the U.S. RevPAR level reached the highest for any week on record.

THE MAJOR CHALLENGES faced by U.S. hotels are labor, the return of corporate, group and conference travel, the impact of inflation on cost lines and the energy crisis, said Michael Grove, COO of HotStats, in a recent presentation. In the same session at the International Hospitality Investment Forum, panelists debated the best metric by which to measure industry performance. While speaking during a panel session at IHIF titled "Decoding the Data", Grove said that the most pressing issue is fixed costs are being replaced by oncoming growth in the variable areas which changes the dynamic of the cost base. "One of the key items around the average rate growth is what's going to happen when the full business mix returns," Grove said. "We still have a lot more of the lower-rated business to come back-the tours and groups and the other segments. We need to look at the impact on the cost lines themselves, the expense items around the P&L and what impact inflation is having on those, what impact the labor challenge is having.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT of Justice will appeal the recent court ruling that overturned a federal mask mandate on public transportation. In response, the U.S. Travel Association said that the mandate is simply out of step with the current public health landscape. Last week, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa ruled that the CDC had overstepped its authority in issuing the mask mandate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the DOJ to appeal the ruling. In a statement on April 20, the CDC said that an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health. CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary, it added.

Melissa Ross Smith is now chief operating officer for Peachtree Group. She will be responsible for the overall performance, strategy and organizational development of Peachtree and its operating businesses. Before joining Peachtree, Smith held several high-level positions at organizations. Most recently, Smith was managing director of OS National, where she managed more than 250 professionals and was responsible for evaluating performance management systems and devising improvements to strengthen controls and optimize results, Peachtree said in a statement. "As Peachtree continues to evolve, improving our foundational processes is imperative to the future growth of our business," said Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree Group. "Melissa is an excellent complement to our team as she has an exceptional blend of leadership, vision and execution needed to be Peachtree's COO." Smith will report to Friedman, and will be a key executive team member, Peachtree's statement said. Peachtree Group is led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals. "I am deeply impressed by Peachtree's success," Smith said. "Not only am I excited about the future opportunities, knowing that I can help execute and bring operational excellence across all segments, but I am also pleased to be joining an executive team representing some of the best people in commercial real estate."

The Alwar Festival is particularly popular. It is held for three days, from 13-15 February of every year. The folklore of Alwar is brought to public notice with a variety of dances and songs being performed by artists. The colourful dresses, the interesting souvenirs decorating their clothes and bodies, the typical traditional musical instruments of Rajasthan locale and the wonderful musical delights adds vibrancy and freshness to the whole festival. The eating stalls give the tourists a number of delicacies from Alwar and also from all over Rajasthan.

This year, the O2 Arena will again be the setting for a luminous night out for most of the greatest names in the field of music. Some of the nominees will be performing, together with many of the greatest talents in the industry.

Aladdin is one of the lead characters of the most famous cartoon series Arabian Nights, and this year too at The Prince Edward Theatre you will see a stage artists in their fancy attires performing the stories of A Whole New World

FOLLOWING NEARLY TWO decades with Noble Investment Group and a 40-year career in real estate and hospitality, Jim Conley will retire and become a senior advisor to the firm. The company has appointed Katherine Seitz as its new compliance officer. Conley joined Noble in 2006 as chief financial officer before becoming the firm's first compliance officer. In this role, he led the oversight and administration of Noble's regulatory and compliance functions and helped oversee the impact of Noble's core ESG initiatives and its duties as a signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment, the company said in a statement. "Jim is a trusted friend and respected colleague who has been an important part of our organization's longstanding success," said Mit Shah, Noble CEO. "We are deeply grateful for his profound commitment to our team and to upholding Noble's ethical standards of performance." Conley said Noble is his family and their journey together had been most fulfilling. "I take immense pride in our team's accomplishments and our distinguished record as an institutional fiduciary. I am equally enthusiastic about the firm's future and its next generation of leadership," Conley said. Seitz assumes responsibility for managing and directing Noble's regulatory, compliance and ESG programs. She joined Noble from Carter's Inc., where she was corporate counsel. She has practiced law and served as in-house counsel focusing on real estate and corporate services for nearly twenty years, the statement added.

Peachtree Group has named Jarred Bussert as vice president of information technology. In this newly created role, Bussert will be responsible for the company's IT infrastructure, including all business applications, information security and data integrity, the company said in a statement. "Jarred's experience and achievements demonstrate his commitment to supporting business strategies with technology infrastructure," said Greg Friedman, Peachtree's managing principal and CEO. "As Peachtree continues to grow, I am pleased to attract talented leaders to our best-in-class team. His leadership will be instrumental in building a successful and high-performing organization." Bussert has extensive enterprise-wide technical and IT leadership experience. Before joining Peachtree, he was vice president, information technology for Majors Management, an Atlanta-based retail operator. Bussert started his career with RaceTrac Petroleum holding numerous leadership positions, leaving as director, information systems. He has an MBA and Master of Technology from Georgia Tech and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia.

FIVE PROPERTIES IN the hihotels by Hospitality International portfolio have won the brand's 2023 awards for meeting and exceeding the company's standards of operations. All are Asian American owned. The hihotels 2023 winners are: President's Award - Scottish Inns & Suites in Hitchcock, Texas, owned by Nareshkumar Patel and Tejal Patel. Given to a franchisee who has been loyal to hihotels by Hospitality International, consistently demonstrated a willingness to accept positive change within the hotel industry, and received positive communication from their guests. Gander Award - Red Carpet Inn in Rochester, Minnesota, owned by Veena Patel. Given to a franchisee who embraces their local community in offering sponsorship for local events or teams, participates in charitable events, or embraces the needs of the local community. Named after Gander the service dog from Operation Fetch, a non-profit that performs planned acts of community kindness to further appreciation, education and awareness about service dogs PTSD, and dogs for visible and invisible wounds.

THE U.S. HOUSE of Representatives recently passed a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the National Labor Relations Board's October ruling on its definition of joint-employer status. The American Hotel & Lodging Association welcomed the resolution, but President Biden has promised to veto it. The NLRB ruling, issued Oct. 26 and due to take effect Feb. 26, defines a joint employer to be any company that shares or codetermines one or more essential terms and conditions of employment. Those include ages, benefits, and other compensation; hours of work and scheduling; the assignment and supervision of duties to be performed; work rules and tenure of employment. The final rule rescinds the 2020 rule that was promulgated by the prior board and applies the new definition of joint employer to any entity that can control the essential terms of employment whether or not such control is exercised and without regard to whether any such exercise of control is direct or indirect. House Joint Resolution 98 would nullify the NLRB's rule.

INTERNATIONAL INBOUND TRAVEL is expected to slow down in the fall after surging over the summer, according to the latest U.S. Travel Association forecast. USTA also expects it may take until 2025 for the travel segment to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Inbound travel recovery picked up in summer and reached a pre-pandemic high of 35 percent below 2019 levels in July 2022, said U.S. Travel Association. It improved from a 41 percent decrease in May and declines of more than 50 percent earlier in 2022. The latest report by Aaron Szyf, economist, USTA, said that inbound travel recovery continued from Europe and Latin America in the past few months, which was 22 percent below 2019 levels in July. Meanwhile, Asian markets declined 66 percent in July, largely due to stagnation from China and a very slow return from Japan.

Tejas tours and travels ensures that corporate employee transportation is done with the utmost professionalism, ensuring the daily commute into safety, punctuality, and efficiency. Our Safety measures - Multi-level panic alarm system which can be used in case of emergency; Panic button installed inside the vehicle, mobile app and calling the transport helpline; on raising an alarm an automated call is established with the transport supervisor and Admin. Our corporate employee transportation solutions are flexible and configurable offerings specially designed for clients' transportation requirements. With tejas travels Corporate Employee Transportation solution, the process has demonstrated significant improvements in on-time performance, female safety - safe drop confirmation through IVR call, and compliance with detailed reporting and analysis to give transparency into the process.

A JOINT VENTURE between Dallas-based NewcrestImage and Dabu Group has acquired the full-service Marriott Dallas/Fort Worth in Westlake, Texas. The sale was facilitated by Newmark Lodging Capital Markets on behalf of the seller, NewcrestImage said in a statement. The Marriott, slated for a full renovation, features 294 rooms, some with private balconies. It includes a concierge level with a private lounge, a restaurant, a Starbucks outlet, an outdoor pool, a business center and around 15,000 square feet of meeting space. The building was designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, the company said. "This deal offers an attractive opportunity to partner with a strong investor in acquiring a property with a track record of robust performance and a strategic location in a dynamic market," said Mehul Patel, managing partner and CEO of NewcrestImage.

Eat Drink Relax at Bellingen's Cedar Bar & room contains a front bar with a contemporary, subtle interior. 2 giant timber balconies which might be absolutely fogbound. Protective guests from the weather, and the giant, grand performance house.'The Cedar area' The clean, white end of the area is punctuated with fashionable particularization. Providing couples with the chance to form their own distinctive theming.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL REPORTED 4.9 percent year-over-year global RevPAR growth in the second quarter of 2024, with U.S. and Canada RevPAR rising 3.9 percent and international RevPAR increasing 7.4 percent. The company's net income grew to $772 million from $726 million a year ago, Marriott said in a statement. "Marriott reported strong second quarter results, with net rooms up 6 percent year-over-year and worldwide RevPAR growth of nearly 5 percent, as consumers continued to prioritize travel," said Anthony Capuano, Marriott International's president and CEO. "International RevPAR increased more than 7 percent, with Asia-Pacific excluding China leading the way, posting an impressive 13 percent RevPAR increase from the year-ago quarter." RevPAR for the U.S. and Canada grew nearly 4 percent during the quarter, Capuano said, and all customer segments grew versus the prior year quarter.