Group items tagged

OMICRON, THE LATEST COVID-19 variant of concern, led to new restrictions on some international travel over the Thanksgiving weekend. Members of the travel industry are urging federal officials to be cautious, but not to impose bans that they say will not stop the spread of the new variant. On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization issued new guidance on the Omicron variant, which emerged out of South Africa. Researchers are still investigating the variant's transmissibility, severity and the effectiveness of current vaccines against it. "Preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron (ie, people who have previously had COVID-19 could become reinfected more easily with Omicron)," the WHO said in its statement. "WHO is working with technical partners to understand the potential impact of this variant on our existing countermeasures, including vaccines. Vaccines remain critical to reducing severe disease and death, including against the dominant circulating variant, Delta. Current vaccines remain effective against severe disease and death."

A CONTINUING SENSE of optimism about the nation's recovery among investors sent the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index up in October. Hotel brands led the increase as concerns about the COVID-19 Delta variant began to ease. The Baird/STR index rose 6.8 percent during the month, and it also was up 20.7 percent year to date through the first 10 months of 2021. The index rose 5.2 percent during September compared to August. Still, the index was behind both the S&P 500, which rose 6.9 percent in October, and the MSCI US REIT Index, which rose 7.6 percent. The hotel brand sub-index rose 9 percent from September while the hotel REIT sub-index increased 0.5 percent. "Hotel stocks increased for the second straight month, but performance was led by the hotel brands once again," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "The hotel REITs were marginally higher in October, while the hotel brands were the absolute and relative winners. Delta variant concerns are in the rearview mirror now, and investors are looking forward to the recovery continuing in 2022, particularly in some of the harder hit segments, markets, and regions that are poised to rebound strongly."

THE OMICRON VARIANT of COVID-19 has come and, for now, gone, and U.S. hotels are recovering quickly according to STR. The recovery does come after a slight dip in GOPPAR. That dip was a $20 decline in January, but GOPPAR rose to $58.88 in February, the highest since October, according to STR's P&L report for the month. TRevPAR for the month was $169.77, EBITDA PAR was $39.29 and labor costs were $56.63. All also were increases over January. In 2021, U.S. hotel profits reached 52 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to STR. "Following trends in top-line performance, U.S. profitability levels are recovering more quickly from Omicron than with previous variants," said Raquel Ortiz, STR's director of financial performance. "February GOPPAR was roughly 77 percent of the 2019 comparable, but independents (108 percent), luxury (94 percent) and midscale (88 percent) chains were far above the national average. The upper upscale (67 percent) and upscale (70 percent) segments are where the largest deficits persisted.

THE OMICRON VARIANT has not good for the hospitality industry, but it hasn't been as bad as expected, which is a good sign for the future, according to HotStats. GOPPAR for November was up from the same time last year, but still down from 2019. GOPPAR for November was $55.68, down 29.4 percent from November 2019. It's also down from $68.97 In October, but according to HotStats that is not unusual for this time of year. "A typical spike in profit in October, normally gives way to a drop off in November," HotStats said. "ADR in the month was $7 higher than at the same time in 2019 after being well down in 2020. This helped drive both RevPAR and TRevPAR, which were both up triple digits over 2020, though still down considerably versus 2019." The appearance and rapid spread of Omicron, which originated in South Africa and by December was the dominant strain in the U.S., was a "noisy" intrusion, HotStats said, coming as it did while the country was still dealing with a spike from the Delta variant. However, it could turn out to "be more insipid than insidious."

MORE THAN 109 million people are expected to travel over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, most of them on the road as gas prices drop, according to AAA Travel. The COVID-19 Omicron variant is having an impact, primarily to lower gas prices. The number of travelers going 50 miles or more between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2 is a 34 percent increase from 2020, AAA said in its travel forecast. That extra 27.7 million people traveling brings this year's numbers to 92 percent of 2019 levels. "Americans who canceled their vacations in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the holidays this year, although they will still be mindful of the pandemic and the new omicron variant," said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. "With vaccines widely available, conditions are much different, and many people feel a greater level of comfort with travel." As in years past, driving remains the most popular form of travel, with more than 100 million planning to get behind the wheel. More than 6 million people are expected to travel by air, while 3 million people are booking buses, trains and cruises.

THE OMICRON COVID-19 variant could derail the hotel industry's fledgling recovery if countries like the U.S. move forward to tighten testing policies, according to HotStats. Future hotel bookings, meetings and other hotel-related activity will be impacted by the expectation of travel impediments, whether self-imposed, company-imposed or government-mandated, it added. In the U.S., major indices were still down double digits in October 2021 compared to same month two years ago, according to a blog post by HotStats. "Since a rapid uptick in occupancy from the beginning of the year through the summer, hitting an apex in July, occupancy in the U.S. has since more or less flatlined, a signal that the leisure boom could not be sustained at the same levels prior," said HotStats. "Though much maligned, there is propitious data surfacing in corporate travel. In October, corporate ADR was $7 higher than in October 2019 and $35 higher than in the previous month. Corporate volume mix, defined as the proportion of rooms sold at the corporate rate compared to total rooms sold, has grown 6 percentage points since July."

NEARLY 80 PERCENT of travelers said that the latest COVID-19 variant, BA5, is unlikely to make them cancel or postpone international travel this year, according to a survey from travel risk assessment firm Global Rescue. At the same time, Global Rescue said relaxed COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could encourage travelers' confidence. The floodgates are opening The Summer 2022 Global Rescue Traveler Safety and Sentiment Survey found that 68 percent of respondents have already traveled internationally since the pandemic. Another 16 percent expects to travel abroad by the end of the year and 9 percent plan to do so in the first quarter of 2023. "Whether it's revenge travel or responsible travel following vaccination, or a combination of both, 7-out-of-10 travelers are much less concerned about travel compared to the beginning of the pandemic," said Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce. "They feel safe enough to plan trips and vacations because they're vaccinated, borders are open, and they have confidence they'll be able to get home if the worst happens." The U.S. ending its requirement for a negative COVID test to enter the country in June also went far in increasing confidence and encouraging visits from international travelers, Richards said. Nearly half of travelers, 49 percent, said that they are more likely to travel internationally in the next 12 months as COVID related restrictions are relaxed.

Read new COVID variant names Omicron how it effecting the people and read how you may save from this Omicron new variant

Shree kshetra Shirdi is very famous for Shri Shirdi Sai BABA and his divine miracle and this famous pilgrim destination posses very rich and important place in devotes life. Shree kshetra is located 296 kms from Mumbai and around 200kms away from Pune located in Ahmednagar district. Shree kshetra Shirdi is almost developed and there are many new facilities upgraded like accommodation to security and from cuisine to fun services, many new Hotels and Resorts are opened in Shirdi in terms of better service for visitors. Road are made wider upgraded security system are been installed, local bodies are likely involved in many services to make Shirdi flourish. More like, 3 to 4 hours from Pune is the journey time. The suitable timing to start journey for Shirdi is early morning so you can reach to your destination as early as possible. The climate in Shirdi is quite humid. Preferred vehicle for the tour are Big compartment vehicles and should be air conditioned like Swift Dzire, Ciaz, Innova, Etios, Ertiga and so on. At Optimum Travel & Leisure Private Limited many Ac and Non Ac car's are available on rental basis with best compared rate to the market rate and there are pre defined packages exist as bifurcated on no of passengers and the variant of vehicle which can be feasible to the travelers. Few Tips While Visiting The Shree Kshetra Shirdi:- -Try to be in cotton clothes in day time or where anything which is breathable, avoid black colors. -For night use warm clothes. -Try to choose a decent hotel for accommodation with family; a single man can settle anywhere. -Try to get knowing about all hidden cost and checkout the timing before getting checked inn. -Shirdi Mahaprasad is very famous among the devotees. We suggest you at least try yourself once. -Try to avoid brokers for Hotel booking and other services. -Best of luck- There are many famous places in and near by Shree Kshetra Shirdi like: Shree Kshetra Shani Shinganapur Sai Baba Chavadi Dwarkamai Masjid Maruti Ma

This blog provides all latest bike information. We are give news about the all upcoming bike in the Indian market. If you want buy a new bike, then can first all of see view all bike models, variants, specification and Bike price here.

Honda CBR 300R model power, mileage, safety and colors at SAGMart. Describing all of its 1 variants in India within the range of Rs. .

IN RECENT WEEKS, CBRE Hotels Research has revised its forecast for the hospitality industry upward in light of several factors, such as rising occupancy levels, improvement in domestic travel and some opening in international travel. Recent developments, however, including the rise of the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, elevates the uncertainty level of those forecasts, but still the industry is expected to return to 2019 levels by the second half of 2023 rather than 2024. Hotel occupancy in the third quarter rose 35.1 percent over the previous year, according to CBRE's December 2021 edition of Hotel Horizons. ADR also saw gains, reaching 2019 nominal levels in the third quarter. "CBRE expects ADR will continue to exceed 2019 levels, followed by a demand recovery in early 2023," CBRE said in a statement. "Pent-up demand for leisure destinations, an increase in household personal savings and fewer constraints on availability compared with earlier in the pandemic contributed to the brisk pace of ADR recovery. The resumption of inbound international travel will help gateway markets regain occupancy in the coming year."

AS A RESULT of a larger impact from the Omicron variant, U.S. hotel occupancy worsened in the second week of January in comparison with pre-pandemic levels, according to STR. However, occupancy was higher than the previous week on an absolute basis. Occupancy was 48.8 percent for the week ending Jan. 15, up from 45.4 percent the week before and down 16.3 percent from the comparable week in 2019. ADR was $122.12 for the week, up from $119.92 the week before, but down 1.6 percent from two years ago. RevPAR reached $59.57, up from $54.47 the prior week and down 17.6 percent from the same period two years ago. According to STR, ADR and RevPAR were up week over week and when indexed to 2019.

THE LEISURE AND hospitality sector saw some job growth in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' December employment report. Not enough, however, according to the U.S. Travel Association, meaning more federal aid is needed. The sector added 53,000 jobs during the month, according to the BLS data. The overall economy added 199,000 jobs. "Leisure and hospitality has added 2.6 million jobs in 2021, but employment in the industry is down by 1.2 million, or 7.2 percent, since February 2020," the report said. "Employment in food services and drinking places rose by 43,000 in December but is down by 653,000 since February 2020." However, the report indicates that the recovery is uneven, said Tori Emerson Barnes, USTA's executive vice president of public affairs and policy, in a statement. December's performance was the second-worst since January 2021, she said. "The small gains made are not enough to propel the sector toward a larger recovery, as more than 7 percent of all L&H jobs remain lost compared to just 2 percent for the rest of the U.S. economy," Barnes said. "As the spread of the omicron variant continues to impact travel, there remains a pressing need for Congress to provide additional federal relief and stabilizing policies that will enable the return of business travel, professional meetings and events, and international inbound travel."

HOTEL STOCK PRICE volatility dragged the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index in November. Both the hotel brands and hotel REITs significantly underperformed their respective benchmarks during the month. The Baird/STR index fell 7.6 percent during the month from October. However, it was up 11.5 percent year to date through the first 11 months of 2021. The index rose 6.8 percent during October compared to September. The index was behind both the S&P 500, which fell 0.8 percent in November, and the MSCI US REIT Index, which dropped 0.9 percent. The hotel brand sub-index dropped 7.2 percent from October while the hotel REIT sub-index slipped 8.9 percent. "Hotel stock price volatility continued in November with both the Hotel brands and Hotel REITs significantly underperforming their respective benchmarks," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Two different investment narratives drove stock price performance during the month: In early November, third quarter earnings were better than expected, reopening optimism continued to gain momentum, and the hotel brands were hitting new all-time highs; but, by the end of the month, broader growth and inflation concerns surfaced, the Omicron variant spooked investors and impacted all travel-related stocks, and the hotel REITs were hitting new year-to-date lows."

A STRONG PERFORMANCE by U.S. hotels during the first quarter of 2022, along with other factors, are leading CBRE Hotels Research to raise its forecast for the rest of the year. The research firm now expects a full recovery in ADR in 2022 and in demand and RevPAR in 2023. First quarter RevPAR reached $72.20, up 61 percent from year earlier, despite a surge from the COVID-19 omicron variant, according to CBRE. RevPAR growth was driven by a 39 percent increase in ADR and a 16 percent increase in occupancy. ADR was 5 percent ahead of 2019's levels, marking the third consecutive quarter in which levels exceed the same period in 2019. These rising rates demonstrate that travelers aren't price-sensitive in many peak-demand markets.

THE BAIRD/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 12.7 percent in December over the previous month. It was up 25.6 percent for 2021 as a whole. The index outperformed both the S&P 500, up 4.4 percent, and the MSCI US REIT Index, which rose 8.2 percent in December. The hotel brand sub-index increased 13.2 percent from November while the Hotel REIT sub-index rose 10.9 percent. Investment was bolstered by some, if not good, then less bad than expected news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Hotel stocks ended a volatile year with strong gains in December as the worst-case scenarios related to the Omicron variant appeared unlikely to unfold as initially feared," Bellisario said. "With the big rebound into year-end, the hotel brands ended up slightly outperforming the S&P 500 in 2021, while the hotel REITs - despite gaining 12 percent on the year - significantly lagged the RMZ's best-ever annual performance. Turning the calendar to 2022, leisure travel strength is expected to persist, but the wildcard for the overall industry's continued recovery remains a more substantialreturn of the business traveler."

The US Navy's variant of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter has successfully completed its first-ever landing on an aircraft carrier, marking a major milestone for the programme. Two F-35C aircraft landed on the USS Nimitz off the coast of San Diego, California, as part of the fifth-generation fighter's initial at-sea testing phase.