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HOTELS ARE THE top lodging choice for holiday travelers who are certain to take trips in the next three months, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. AHLA also announced a new system for indexing bookings. The new national Hotel Booking Index Survey, conducted by Morning Consult for AHLA, revealed that 31 percent of Thanksgiving travelers plan to stay in a hotel during their trip, compared to 22 percent who planned to do so last year. The survey of 4,000 adults, conducted between Oct. 14 to 16, said that 28 percent of Christmas travelers plan to stay in a hotel during their trip, compared to 23 percent in 2021. As many as 54 percent of those who are certain to travel for leisure in the next three months plan to stay in a hotel.

A GROUP OF InterContinental Hotels Group franchisees have filed a lawsuit against the company in connection with a cyber-attack that "significantly disrupted" its booking channels and other applications in mid-September. The lawsuit claims that IHG should have taken more steps to prevent the breach in light of warnings it received after a previous breach. IHG implemented a response plan, including notifying the relevant regulatory authorities, working with its technology suppliers and engaging external specialists to investigate the incident, according to the company. The breach affected IHG's reservations and customer care call centers, as well as internal systems, such as Merlin and the IHG Help Desk, according to a statement from AAHOA on the breach. The association said franchisees, including some of its members, saw a complete shutdown in guestroom bookings during this outage. On Sept. 15, several IHG franchisees filed a lawsuit against IHG in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division alleging the company should have done more to prevent the breach. The lawsuit references a similar breach the company experienced in 2017 as an example that IHG should have taken further steps to secure its system.

NATALIE ROBINSON IS now vice president of people and culture for Peachtree Group. Also, the Atlanta-based company, led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals, also says it's on the way to a record year for new hotel construction. Good with people Previously, Robinson was the human resource director of title company OS National, according to Peachtree Group. She began her career developing accounting and billing policies and procedures, as well as human resources systems for two Atlanta law firms. She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia. "It's an exciting time at Peachtree as our organization expands and evolves," said Vivian Clarke, Peachtree's senior vice president of people and culture. "Natalie's strong leadership skills will advance our culture, drive our growth and talent strategy, and strengthen our reputation as an employer of choice. We are proud of Peachtree's high team member engagement, and the company culture built and recognize the opportunity to improve our people processes and discipline as we further scale the business." Peachtree made several changes to its structure and leadership in September.

STONEHILL CRE, THE commercial real estate group of investment firm Stonehill, has originated and purchased $200 million in first mortgage loans since being launched in the second quarter of 2022. The companies expect to complete an additional $100 million in loan originations and other transactions by year's end, based upon deals in its pipeline, and Stonehill CRE is targeting over $500 million in transaction for 2023. Stonehill CRE, formed in May with Daniel Siegel as its president, is designed to work in all real estate sectors to navigate ongoing market volatility and enable real estate owners to execute their business plans, according to the company. Its work has made Stonehill the 10th largest U.S. hotel lender in 2021, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Atlanta-based Stonehill and Stonehill CRE are affiliates of Peachtree Group, led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals. "Stonehill CRE's formation came at a fortuitous time as market conditions have created a dislocated lending environment for commercial real estate," said Siegel. "Traditional lenders have not only slowed commercial real estate lending but also tightened underwriting standards, which allows us to provide needed liquidity for maturing loans, new acquisitions and construction projects."

RISHI SUNAK MADE his first speech as Britain's prime minister on Tuesday (25), acknowledging the mistakes of his predecessor Liz Truss while vowing to fix the economy, lead with integrity and fulfil the promises of the Conservative Party's 2019 manifesto. Below are the highlights from Sunak's speech: ON THE ECONOMY "Our country is facing a profound economic crisis. The aftermath of Covid still lingers. Putin's war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over." "I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come." MISTAKES WERE MADE "I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss. She was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country. It is a noble aim. And I admired her restlessness to create change. "But some mistakes were made - not born of ill will, or bad intentions. Quite the opposite, in fact. But mistakes, nonetheless. And I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister, in part to fix them."

The Best Western Plus Brooklyn-Prospect Park is now in Brooklyn, New York. It is owned by Mahesh Ratanji and is near several major attractions. The 67-room property provides easy access to the area's top attractions, including Barclays Center, Flatbush Avenue, Luna Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Zoo, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Brewery and many more. The hotel is also nearby popular Brooklyn neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Dumbo, Red Hook, Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay. The new construction hotel provides amenities including a 24-hour fitness center and a business center. The hotel guestrooms are designed in bright colors and has 55-inch flat-screen televisions, mini fridges and coffee makers. Free wireless internet is available throughout the property.

WITH A ROCK and roll theme, Best Western Hotels & Resorts held its annual conference in Cleveland on Oct. 28 to 30. During the event, which marked the completion of the first year of the company's former general counsel Larry Cuculic as president and CEO, the company launched a new extended-stay brand, Home by BWH. Thousands of Best Western members attended the conference, with the theme "BW Rocks 2022." Cuculic, who took over for long-time president and CEO David Kong last year, gave an update on his first year. "When my journey began in this position last year, I was anxious," Cuculic said in the first general session of the recent conference. "The honor of the position and the responsibilities are absolutely huge. Consider, though, that being anxious is actually a good thing. It's a good thing. It's a reflection of my wanting to do my best for you."

DALLAS-BASED NEWCRESTIMAGE plans to acquire 45 hotels from a private investment firm. The portfolio includes approximately 3,300 rooms in 11 states, but other terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The hotels include 35 Marriott International-branded, seven Hilton-branded, two Choice Hotels International-branded and one Radisson Hotels-branded properties. They are in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas, according to NewcrestImage. "The current financial environment makes it very attractive to buy rather than build, and this group of fine hotels in high-traffic locations provides us with an exceptional opportunity to immediately start generating significant revenue, profit, and return on investment," said Mehul Patel, NewcrestImage managing partner and CEO.

PEACHTREE HOTEL GROUP continues to restructure itself, now with two changes to its leadership. Brian Waldman, previously chief investment officer for the company is now filling the same role for the company's newly formed subsidiary Peachtree Group. Also, Jeremy Stoler joins the company as executive vice president of debt capital markets. Waldman will manage Peachtree's multi-billion-dollar investment portfolio and direct investment strategies across its operating, lending and real estate divisions, according to the company. Stoler will support Peachtree's operating companies and growth into other real estate sectors. "With Brian and Jeremy, we are fortunate to have extremely talented, respected leaders who are highly experienced and energized to drive our growth," said Greg Friedman, Peachtree's CEO and managing principal. "These announcements also come at a pivotal time for Peachtree as we further position ourselves to expand into other real estate sectors and businesses."

HOSPITAITY FIRM OYO Rooms has filed fresh documents with India's stock market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India, for an Initial Public Offering in early next year, media reports said. The company filed fresh financial documents on Sept. 19 and is now targeting an IPO in January 2023, according to CoStar. OYO filed preliminary IPO documents in 2021, only to shelve the listing plan earlier this year after the prolonged pandemic hurt its growth and forced the company to cut thousands of jobs. The latest financial documents showed narrower losses and a rebound in sales for the year through March 2022 and in the three months to June 2022.

CONTACTLESS CHECK-IN TECHNOLOGY firm Virdee is now integrated with commerce technology platform FreedomPay. The companies will offer a PCI-validated, point-to-point encryption solution with EMV, NFC, currency conversion and real-time data capabilities. The transition will help Virdee to offer end-to-end protection for credit card payments made through FreedomPay's cloud-based payments platform. It also provided FreedomPay compatibility with Virdee's check-in/check-out process with software for identity verification, payment collection, access control and remote support, according to Virdee. "Our integration with Virdee offers our customers expanded options, flexibility and, most important, security," said Chris Kronenthal, president of FreedomPay. "We help streamline and simplify complex payment options, while providing a single flow of data to facilitate consumer insights and engagement for our hotel clients. We're proud to partner with best-in-class solution providers, like Virdee, as we work together to revolutionize hotel operations and guest-facing technologies."

SOME 87 PERCENT of hotels are now experiencing a staffing shortage and 36 percent said they witness severe shortage, according to a survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. However, the situation has improved now compared to May when 97 percent of respondents said they struggled to recruit staff. As many as 43 percent of the hotels said that the most critical staffing need is housekeeping, the AHLA survey found. To address the crisis, 81 percent of hotels have increased wages to potential hires, 64 percent are offering greater flexibility with hours, and 35 percent have expanded benefits, the survey said. But 91 percent said they are still unable to get adequate staff. Now, hotels are trying to fill an average of 10.3 positions per property, which was 12 vacancies in May. In May, 49 percent of those surveyed said they are severely short-staffed and 58 percent admitted housekeeping was the biggest challenge.

MORE THAN A week after Hurricane Ian devastated parts of Florida, AAHOA is on the ground providing aid and training for members. Hoteliers in affected areas are now in the process of working with insurance companies to repair damages while also taking care of their communities' basic needs. On Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian brought massive flooding from its storm surge in Florida, where at least 119 people died as of Oct. 18, according to NPR. According to AAHOA, 65 percent of hotels in Florida are owned by its members. Rahul Patel, AAHOA's Florida director, owns five properties in the Fort Myers-Sarasota area. He was at his America's Best Value Inn in Fort Myers, Florida, during the hurricane.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE rose from the previous week, while occupancy and RevPAR levels reached the second highest of the year, behind the week ending 18 March, according to STR's latest data through 22 April. Occupancy for the week ending April 22 came in at 67.2 percent, up from 64.2 percent the week before, and increased 2.3 percent than the comparable week in 2022. ADR stood at $155.76, up from $155.33 the previous week and 4.2 percent over the same period in 2022. RevPAR was $104.64, also up from $99.67 the week before and 6.6 percent rise over 2022. Among the Top 25 Markets, Chicago posted the highest year-over-year increases in each of the key performance metrics: occupancy rose 23.9 percent to 72.2 percent, while ADR increased 29.6 per cent to $174.71. RevPAR also rose 60.6 percent to $126.13. Notably, New York City (82.1 percent) and Las Vegas (80.8 percent) were the only two markets to report occupancy above 80 percent.

THE U.S. HOTEL construction pipeline grew 9 percent by both projects and rooms year-over-year, according to the latest U.S. Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics. It stood at 5,545 projects with 658,207 rooms at the close of the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the hotel construction pipeline in the top 25 markets in the U.S. also registered year-over-year growth in the first quarter. Dallas had a record 184 projects with 21,810 rooms at the close of the first quarter, followed by Atlanta with 144 projects containing 18,242 rooms, Los Angeles tally stood at 118 projects with 19,066 rooms, Phoenix with 117 projects with 16,100 rooms and Nashville had 115 projects containing 15, 354 rooms, LE report revealed. In another report, LE analysts also detailed the leading franchise companies and their brands in the construction pipeline at the close of the first quarter. Marriott International tops the charts with 1,499 projects containing 181,377 rooms, followed closely by Hilton Worldwide, with a record-high count of 1,436 projects with 161,359 rooms, and then InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) with 809 projects containing 80,679 rooms. Combined, these three franchise companies comprise 68 percent of the projects in the total U.S. pipeline, LE said.

BOUTIQUE HOTELS GENERATED more annual RevPAR than traditional hotels in the U.S. last year, according to a report from consulting agency The Highland Group. Hotels focused on experiential stay, exceptional design and amenities also attracted a rate premium, the report said. Boutique hotels are classified into independent boutique, lifestyle hotels and soft brand collections. The Boutique Hotel Report 2022 has said that upper midscale, upscale and luxury soft brand collections recovered strongly in 2021 in performance metrics against their US upscale counterparts, while the upper upscale class was ahead in rate recovery and lagged in occupancy. According to the report, lifestyle upper upscale and luxury hotels recovered at parity with their counterparts, while upper midscale and upscale lifestyle hotels reported slower recovery in both occupancy and average rate. "Upper midscale and upscale independent boutique hotels in urban locations recovered at a stronger pace than all U.S. hotel in urban locations in both performance metrics.

ZERO-BASED BUDGETING is essential for hotels amid near- and long-term volatility, according to a blog from HotStats. The blog also suggested that hoteliers need to turn to other futureproofing or future-cushioning methods. In a recent blog post, Michael Grove, COO, HotStats said that zero-based budgeting, a method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period starting from a zero base, is very necessary given the fluidity of the global economy and, ultimately, its impact on hotel operations. At the recent 2022 M3 Partners meeting, Grove first illustrated the pandemic's effect on worldwide profits and how it's changed the landscape. "It's worth reminding ourselves of the importance and magnitude of the U.S. hotel industry's share on the global scale, which has only grown during the pandemic," Grove said in the article. According to the blog post, almost half of global profits are produced in the U.S. and that share only rose as the pandemic slackened. "A massive 47 percent of hotel profits are achieved in the U.S., up 6.6 percentage points since 2019, the result of myriad variables, including a large domestic market and staycation trend," Grove said in the post. "Meanwhile, severe lockdowns and restrictions in Europe and Asia-Pacific sent their percentages down as the Middle East received a boost in the fourth quarter 2021 from Expo 2020 in Dubai."

STAFFING PROBLEMS CONTINUE for 97 percent of American Hotel & Lodging Association members, according to a recent survey. In response, AHLA is expanding its "A Place to Stay" multi-channel advertising campaign to help with recruitment. AHLA's member survey also found that the staffing shortage is severe for 49 percent of respondents. For 58 percent, finding housekeepers is their biggest challenge. Nearly 90 percent of respondents have increased wages to help meet the demand. Also, 71 percent are offering greater flexibility with hours, and 43 percent have expanded benefits. As a result, in the last three months the respondents say they have hired an additional 23 new employees per property, but are also trying to fill an additional 12 positions. Still, 97 percent say they have been unable to fill open positions. "If you've ever thought about working at a hotel, now's the time because the pay is better than it's ever been, the benefits are better than they've ever been, and the opportunity is better than it's ever been," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO.

AS MANY AS 47.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day weekend from June 30 to July 4, an increase of 3.7 percent over 2021, according to AAA Travel. It added that car travel will set a new record, despite historically high gas prices, with 42 million people hitting the road mainly due to recent issues with air travel and ongoing concerns of cancelations and delays. Independence Day will be the second busiest since 2000, as travel volumes continue to trend upwards, AAA said in a statement. However, the share of air travel will be the lowest since 2011. According to AAA, 46.2 million people traveled during Independence Day last year and the number was 49 million in 2019, before the pandemic.

DAYS INN BY Wyndham has released a new, limited-edition pillow that offers compliments at the push of a button Voiced by comedic actor Patrick Warburton to celebrate summer, according to a statement. From compliments on travelers' PJs to a serenade sung by Warburton-each prerecorded message is a gift for guests, the company said. Best known for characters like Puddy on the NBC comedy Seinfeld, Buzz Lightyear on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Joe Swanson on Family Guy, Warburton brings his signature baritone bravado to his newest role with Day Inn. "The absolute best part of any job in entertainment is getting the chance to make people laugh and smile, which is what made this project with Days Inn such a perfect fit," said Warburton. "I can't wait for guests to open their eyes after a great night's sleep and hear fun and unexpected compliments to help them start their day. It's officially my new favorite kind of pillow talk."