Get ready to come face to face with some of the oceans' most fascinating creatures at the Marine Life Park, Resorts World Sentosa's latest offering. Here's a sneak peek at how you can choose to stay dry, or get soaking wet at two separate ticketed attractions, at the world's largest oceanarium!
ABOUT 78 PERCENT of global travelers place high quality service above all else when booking a hotel, according to a global survey by IHG Hotels & Resorts' voco hotels. Cleanliness and other basic needs also rank highly, but the way hotel staff approach guests during their stay is very important, and travelers want to feel comfortable, both physically and in themselves.
"Just like travel has changed, consumers expectations have too," said Will Yell, VP luxury and upscale conversion and affiliate brands at IHG. "With nearly half of
travelers stating they want to be valued as an individual, a one-size-fits-all approach to hotel service no longer resonates with travelers."
Travelers also are ready to reconnect post-pandemic, with six out of 10 craving connection, interaction and/or conversation more during their travels, compared
to pre-pandemic, the survey said. That leads them to want more connection with hotel staff.
"As many as 65 percent of travelers think hotel staff should act in a friendly manner towards guests and half said they want to be able to talk to staff and vice versa in a friendly, conversational manner, rather than overly formal or personal. Nearly half (48 percent) of travelers agree that a friendly, approachable, and personalized experience is more important than ever following the pandemic," the survey said.
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS brand from IHG Hotels & Resorts has reached a milestone of more than 3,000 hotels across the globe, a statement said. The brand accounts for more than a third of IHG's global pipeline, and nearly 650 properties are expected to open in the coming years.
According to the statement, Holiday Inn Express opened 100 new hotels every year and now offers 300,000 rooms in 2100 cities. Columbus, Georgia-based RAM Hotels, owns four Holiday Inn Express properties and Mitesh "Matt" Patel, executive vice president, described it as a power brand.
"Holiday Inn express is and has always been a power brand. It performs very well in the markets we own them in," he said. "We always set Hampton as a benchmark for
our Holiday Inn Express and tend to drive comparable RevPAR to Hampton Inn brand. Our Holiday Inn Express did very well during the pandemic and recovered within two
to three months post pandemic."
CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced the launch of a new brand and a new prototype respectively during the Americas Lodging
Investment Summit in Los Angeles this week. Choice bills its Everhome Suites as a new-construction midscale extended-stay brand while Wyndham's Arbor new-build
prototype for its Wyndham Garden brand focuses on reducing construction costs.
Choice broke ground on the first Everhome Suites in Corona, California, shortly after officially launching the brand. It also has agreements for the development of 13 more of the new brand in Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles, and the company expects the first opening in 2021.
Everhome Suites is meant to fill a gap in the extended-stay market, said Patrick Pacious, Choice's president and CEO.
PEACHSTATE HOSPITALITY RECENTLY selected TPG Hotels & Resorts to manage 10 properties. The contract includes eight Marriott select service hotels and two
IHG Hotels & Resorts select service hotels in Georgia.
Both the firms have entered into an exclusive strategic agreement for the management of additional hotels in the current and future pipeline to be developed by
PeachState Hospitality which is headed by Danny Patel as president and CEO, the statement added.
"PeachState Hospitality is a leading owner and developer in our industry, and we are pleased to welcome them as a new partner and these exceptional properties
into our portfolio," said Tim Muir, chief development officer, TPG Hotels & Resorts. "We look forward to growing our partnership as they accelerate their development
platform over the next few years."
DOROTHY DOWLING HAS joined her old boss, David Kong, as a principal for Kong's DEI Advisors, a non-profit organization that aims to empower women and other
underrepresented groups to achieve their career goals. Previously, Dowling was chief marketing officer at Best Western Hotels & Resorts for 18 years while Kong was
Best Western's CEO for 20 years.
Kong, along with principals Rachel Humphrey and Lan Elliott, formed DEI Advisors last year. Humphrey is the former executive vice president and COO for AAHOA, and
Elliott is co-founder of Acacia Hospitality LLC.
Dowling also held senior leadership positions with other hospitality companies, including Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Forte Hotels, Travelodge Canada, Royal Host REIT
and ARAMARK. She serves as a board member and advisor for several organizations, including Cubesmart, HSMAI, and WINiT by GBTA.
Dowling recently received the lifetime achievement awards from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, the NYU International Hospitality
Industry Investment Conference for her business performance, and GBTA WINiT for her leadership advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the hospitality
industry, according to DEI Advisors.
IHG HOTELS & RESORTS donated $500,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation's No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund to combat human trafficking.
It is the most recent donation by a large hotel company to the fund.
The Survivor Fund works to end human trafficking and support the economic stability of human trafficking survivors with the contribution, a statement added. It
supports survivors' immediate needs and long-term stability that will empower and equip survivors and their families to help prevent revictimization, including but
not limited to emergency housing and career development support by funding community-based organizations.
Since its inception, the fund has raised $2.5 million with contributions from Extended Stay America, G6 Hospitality, Hilton Global Foundation, Hyatt Hotels Foundation
and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
"IHG Hotels & Resorts is committed to eradicating human trafficking, and this support of the NRFT Survivor Fund underscores our long-standing effort to condemn this
exploitation and help survivors," said Elie Maalouf, IHG's CEO for the Americas. "The fund will play a crucial role in providing survivors with the support they need
for future stability and success. Recognizing that our industry has a unique opportunity to fight human trafficking collectively, we proudly join our peers and AHLA
Foundation in continuing to make impactful change."
IHG HOTELS & RESORTS hopes to draw more young college graduates to the hospitality field, particularly among historically underrepresented groups, through a
new partnership with Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College in Atlanta. As part of the tie-up, IHG will provide resources to support students' professional
development in the hospitality sector and create employment opportunities.
The initiative is part of IHG's early-career recruitment program, according to IHG, which also is based in Atlanta.
"Our partnerships with Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College underscore IHG's commitment to supporting the success of future leaders and increasing
ethnically and racially diverse talent within our company," said Elie Maalouf, CEO of IHG Americas. "Our goal is to create meaningful engagements that open more doors
of opportunity for underrepresented groups. I recently had the pleasure of meeting a few of our summer interns from both schools and it was inspiring to be among a
new generation of up-and-coming talent that we hope will soon come back to IHG."
WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS now has a mobile tipping solution for its U.S. and Canadian franchisees, the company said in a statement. Developed by Béné, the
platform enables guests to tip hotel team members digitally via their preferred mobile device.
According to consulting firm McKinsey, 82 percent of Americans are now using digital payments, Wyndham said in its statement. The trend was accelerated by the
pandemic, said Scott Strickland, Wyndham's chief information officer, and he expects it will only continue in the coming years.
"Having previously empowered our franchisees to accept digital, contactless payment for stays at their hotels, the next logical step was to find a solution that
allows guests to recognize housekeepers, wait staff and other frontline team members in a similar fashion," Strickland said. "This platform does exactly that and
at virtually no cost to franchisees."
DD PARTNERS, PEACHTREE Group, and Woodbine Development are collaborating on Embassy Suites Gulf Shores, a resort with a Gulf of Mexico view located in
tourism spot in Alabama. DD Partners and Woodbine lead the development and asset management of the 8-story joint venture project, with Peachtree overseeing
resort operations.
The project is currently in progress and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025, the companies said in a joint statement.
The 8-story property will feature 257 all-suite beachfront guestrooms, along with 13,620 square feet of enclosed meeting and pre-function space, including a
7,800-square-foot ballroom, the statement said. The resort will also feature a 3-story parking garage and 7,618 square feet of leasable retail space.
APPROXIMATELY 71 PERCENT of travelers seek a separate vacation to unwind after family time, according to a recent survey by IHG Hotels & Resorts. The survey
found that many respondents prefer to avoid staying with family during their trips as well.
Among respondents avoiding stays with friends and relatives, 55 percent expressed a preference for hotels. These travelers gravitate towards simple relaxation
activities, with 60 percent opting for a nap, 46 percent preferring a jacuzzi and 42 percent considering a spa day.
"The holidays often go hand-in-hand with traveling to see loved ones, but as much as we enjoy visiting friends and family, it can leave us feeling drained," said
Connor Smith, IHG's vice president of masterbrand strategy. "When that happens, people want to relax and be taken care of, enjoy a free breakfast from Holiday Inn
Express, or have a glass of wine at Kimpton's social hour without worrying about cleaning their room in the morning."
WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS' board of directors has officially advised the company's shareholders not to support an exchange offer from Choice Hotels
International to acquire Wyndham. The offer is "insufficient" and prone to regulatory risks, the board said.
Choice announced its latest offer directly to Wyndham stockholders last week. At that time, Wyndham's board said at that time that it would review the offer,
though it also said it appeared to be the same as the original offer it rejected in November. On Monday, the board released its official statement rejecting
the latest offer.
"Choice has, once again, failed to address the major value gap and risks of their offer - which remains virtually unchanged from the terms outlined in their
previous unsolicited proposal," said Stephen Holmes, chairman of the board. "The core issues we have articulated remain the same: a likely prolonged regulatory
review period of up to 24 months with an uncertain outcome; the pure inadequacy of the offer from a valuation standpoint, including the significant equity
component of Choice stock; and the lack of consideration for Wyndham's superior, standalone growth prospects."
MAJOR U.S. HOTELS firms Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced that they are ceasing operations in Russia due to its ongoing invasion in Ukraine. Also, AAHOA issued a statement condemning the war.
The hotel companies also emphasized their efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their employees and guests in both Ukraine and neighboring countries who
face these 'unconscionable challenges'.
"We have made the decision, effective immediately, to close our corporate office in Moscow, and pause the opening of upcoming hotels and all future hotel development
and investment in Russia," Marriott said in a statement. "We have been closely monitoring the deteriorating situation in Ukraine, Russia and neighboring countries,
and remain in regular contact with our teams on the ground, as we work to comply with sanctions and applicable laws. Our hotels in Russia are owned by third parties
and we continue to evaluate the ability for these hotels to remain open."