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CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL is implementing "Choice Direct Pay," a system that allows corporate customers to make reservations for their employees and guests at multiple Choice hotels. The new system then bills the companies directly through a single, centralized invoice. Choice Direct Pay also would provide weekly consolidated invoicing so corporate travelers can pay for all stays at one time. Users can download and manage their invoice data through an individualized online portal, and centralized customer support can help with the enrollment process, check the status of payments and invoices and resolve issues with charges. The program also allows users to add project costs and department codes to bills to further simplify the reconciliation process. They also can access to existing negotiated and chainwide rates and search for participating hotels, as well as adjust their stay dates.

THE BAIRD/STR HOTEL Stock Index jumped in July, ending a downward trend for two consecutive months. The index decreased 10.4 percent year-to-date for the first seven months of 2022. Baird/STR Index recorded a sharp increase of 14.3 percent in July, according to STR. The index fell 19.3 percent in June and dropped 5.8 percent in May. It went up 0.7 percent during April. It increased 2.2 percent in March after rising 4.1 percent in February. The Baird/STR Index surpassed both the S&P 500, up 9.1 percent from June, and the MSCI US REIT Index, increased 8.7 percent, respectively during July. The hotel brand sub-index rose 14.2 percent from June, while the Hotel REIT sub-index increased 14.6 percent during the month. "Hotel stocks rebounded sharply and outperformed their respective benchmarks in July; relative outperformance has continued in August," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Despite the big gains in July, hotel stocks did not fully recapture June's losses. Positively, second quarter earnings exceeded analysts' and investors' expectations, and broader recession fears have begun to subside, which has boosted sentiment and stock prices. All eyes are on the post-Labor Day outlook that should reflect a more normalized travel environment."

THE BAIRD/STR Hotel Stock Index fell 9.1 percent in September, according to STR. Experts said that they have concerns regarding recession and its impact on the sector. The index witnessed a sharp drop of 20.6 percent year-to-date through the first nine months of 2022. In September, the Index surpassed both the S&P 500, down 9.3 percent, and the MSCI US REIT Index, which fell 12.8 percent. The hotel brand sub-index decreased 7.7 percent from August to 8,268, while the Hotel REIT sub-index dropped 13.5 percent to 989. "September was a risk-off month for the broader market, and hotel stocks were down sharply as well. However, the Hotel REITs were modest underperformers only, while the Global Hotel Brands were slight relative outperformers," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Broader macroeconomic concerns continue to dominate investor sentiment and positioning, but underlying hotel fundamentals held steady throughout the month, which relatively helped the hotel stocks during a volatile time for the capital markets. Investors continue to ask about recession scenarios and downside analyses for our coverage list, which suggests a lot of the bad news is being priced into the stocks, particularly the Hotel REITs, in our opinion."

Phil Norman is executive vice-president of people resources and development for third-party hospitality management company Twenty Four Seven Hotels. Previously, he was chief human resources officer with Canyon Ranch where he operated human resources functions for 1,840 U.S. employees across hotels and cruise ships. Norman will provide oversight for talent management, including leadership development, organizational capability and change management in this newly created role, the company said. He also held similar positions as human resources director at the Homestead, America's oldest resort property dating to 1766, and the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, where he oversaw 1,250 team members, while ensuring safety and building an inclusive environment. "With 35 years of hospitality human resources experience, Phil is the ideal candidate to take over our people resources and development team as well as provide immediate support to our on-property teams," said David Wani, CEO for Twenty Four Seven Hotels. "His performance at both the hotel and corporate levels has been amazing, creating workplaces where every associate is gratified by their work and where they feel they belong. Phil's reputation of aligning systems and processes and his focus on workplace culture create the potential for exceptional stakeholder returns and in turn support the growth of the company."

When reserving a flight to Boston Logan International Airport, there are a number of key steps to make sure a clean and handy journey expertise. Firstly, begin by researching and evaluating flight choices from numerous airways to seek out the perfect offers and schedules. Consider flexibility in dates and departure times to increase your chances of finding affordable fares. Once you've selected your flight, proceed to book it directly through the airline's website or a reputable online travel agency.

How to Book a Flight to Boston Logan International Airport

HIHOTELS BY HOSPITALITY International has entered into a partnership with the travel app Hopper. With this new partnership, Hopper will have a direct connection with hihotels' five brands namely Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn. These brands will gain access to Hopper's proprietary suite of fintech products that assist with conversion, repeat purchases and profitability, hihotels' said in a statement. According to the statement, Hopper will help hihotels expand its growing online presence, while retaining its customer base. "This strategic alliance with Hopper is yet another way of providing more revenue opportunities and increased exposure for our franchisees," said Gary Gobin, director of operations at hihotels'. "Hopper, previously known for its flights business, has rapidly expanded into hotels, homes and rental cars in recent years - with hotels currently comprising more than half of the company's travel bookings. We like how they are strongly focused on social media marketing, which will improve exposure of our hotels to younger generations who prefer to spend money on experience, rather than higher-priced accommodations." "At Hopper, we strive to provide the best accommodation offerings in the same place that users are booking the rest of their travel," said Lexi Caron, head of Hotel Marketplace at Hopper. "This partnership brings new direct inventory to the Hopper app, which has been downloaded over 100 million times to date and helps us deliver on our promise to offer customers the best price, selection and inventory available."

HOTEL EMPLOYEES NOW have their own day, Sept. 1, thanks to the American Hotel & Lodging Association. AHLA had the date included in the National Day Calendar as part of its effort to increase recruitment of new hospitality workers. National Hotel Employee Day will be celebrated annually to thank hotel employees for their hard work and dedication and recognize the role they play in the nation's travel, tourism and hotel industries, according to AHLA. AHLA's launching of the day is in response to the struggle U.S. hotels are facing to quickly fill more than 120,000 open hotel jobs by offering current and prospective employees higher wages, with better benefits, and more flexibility. "On this inaugural National Hotel Employee Day, we thank America's nearly two million hotel employees. Every day in communities across the nation, hotel employees' service and dedication help facilitate some of Americans' most important life events - from wedding receptions to family reunions and vacations," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO. "Now is the time to consider one of the more than 200 enriching careers in the hotel industry."

The index decreased 12.6 percent year-to-date through the first eight months of 2022. In August it also surpassed both the S&P 500, down 4.2 percent, and the MSCI US REIT Index, which dropped 6.1 percent. Also, the hotel brand sub-index fell 2.3 percent from July to 8,959, while the hotel REIT sub-index dropped 3.7 percent to 1,143. "Hotel stocks took a breather in August after July's sharp rebound. Despite the slight decline in stock prices, both the Global Hotel Brands and Hotel REITs outperformed their respective benchmarks in August," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Hotel trends have remained solid throughout the summer months despite all the capital markets volatility and macroeconomic uncertainties. However, investors appear somewhat skeptical about the prospects for a significant recovery in business transient travel post-Labor Day, and hotel stocks appear to be discounting this relatively conservative fundamental expectation, in our opinion."

THE BAIRD/STR HOTEL Stock Index dropped 2 percent to 5,739 in September, influenced by higher interest rates impacting stock prices and investor sentiment, according to STR, although the hotel stocks outperformed their relative benchmark. That is the second month of decline in the index following a surge in July. "Hotel stocks declined in September, yet they exceeded their relative benchmarks," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Both the S&P 500 and the RMZ recorded their poorest monthly performance this year due to elevated interest rates affecting stock prices and investor sentiment. Hotels likely gained from sustained, albeit gradual, RevPAR growth throughout the month. Year-to-date, the hotel brand sub-index stands at 23 percent, whereas the Hotel REIT sub-index lags at negative 1.5 percent."

THE U.S. STATE Department has indefinitely extended a program allowing consular offices to waive in-person interviews for low-risk non-immigrant visa applicants who apply within 48 months of their most recent visa's expiration. Initially scheduled to conclude on Dec. 31, the program will now persist without a specified end date, undergoing regular reviews. This policy applies to consular offices globally. Under the updated program rules, the State Department anticipates the pool of applicants eligible for an interview waiver will at least double, the U.S. Department of State said in a statement. From October 2022 to September 2023, the State Department issued a near-record 10.4 million non-immigrant visas worldwide, partly attributed to interview waiver authority. "Interview waiver authorities have significantly reduced visa appointment wait times at embassies and consulates," the State Department said. "In Fiscal Year 2022, almost half of the nearly seven million non-immigrant visas issued by the Department were processed without an in-person interview. This success in reducing global visa wait times, particularly post-pandemic closures, is ongoing, with continued efforts to swiftly minimize wait times, including for first-time tourist visa applicants."

NEWCRESTIMAGE HAS OPENED its first Canopy by Hilton upscale hotel in north Dallas. The Canopy is part of Frisco Station, a four-brand, 600-room "lifestyle hotel campus" developed by the company. The 150-room, seven-floor Canopy joins the first two hotels, an AC Hotel and Residence Inn dual-brand with 150 rooms each that opened in 2019. The fourth hotel, a 150-room Hyatt Place, currently has no scheduled date for start of construction. "The opening of this Canopy symbolizes the story of hospitality's comeback around the country and around the world," said Mehul Patel, chairman and CEO of NewcrestImage. "Our company's commitment to serve travelers is not a victim of coronavirus, and we have many hygiene procedures in place so guests can feel safe, comfortable, and special." Some of those procedures include disinfecting guest luggage on arrival; using technology to reduce physical interaction between guests and staff during check-in and check-out; and improving the hotel's HVAC system to prevent spread of microbes and virus.

For Teague Hunter, president and CEO of Hunter Hotel Advisors, buying and selling hotels is a family tradition. He shared that lifetime of experience with Asian Hospitality in the second installment of our Leadership Series interviews with top voices in the industry. Hunter leads the Atlanta-based hotel brokerage founded in 1978 by his father Bob Hunter with his brother Lee Hunter as chief operating officer. Last year, Hunter had its most successful year to date after closing nearly $2.5 billion in sales. In March it will host its 35th Hunter Hotel Conference, which has rebounded to full attendance three years after the COVID-19 pandemic. Teague Hunter also is the host of Teague Talks, a twice weekly series of podcasts offering advice and interviews with other industry heads. In his interview with Asian Hospitality, Hunter discussed his early days in the industry, current trends in the hotel market and the future of his company and its namesake conference. The video of the full interview is now available on our website, and the following includes excerpts from the interview with additional information. Rise up early in the morning Hunter said his first hotel job was as a bellhop in the morning shift at the old Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Powers Ferry in Marietta, Georgia. It was quiet, but instructive. "I ran around and helped everybody with everything and learned the business," he said. His experience in hospitality, however, began at a much earlier age. He was 5 years old when Bob Hunter started his business. Teague Hunter recalled stories of childhood trips to the beach, during which he would tour hotels with his father along the way. After graduating college, Hunter worked as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and held a position with IBM before he realized that was not what he wanted to do with his life.

STR HAS UNVEILED the forward-looking component of its product "Forward STAR" in 104 new markets/submarkets across the U.S. and Canada. Forward STAR, which is presently live in 450 areas around the globe, allows hotel property and portfolio users to benchmark the next 365 days of occupancy on the books against the competition and market. "This launch represents our largest Forward STAR expansion to date and adds significant value to our overall benchmarking offering," said Amanda Hite, STR's president. "Adding to the historical data that drives so many operational decisions around the industry, this directly sourced forward data provides intel into where hotels can gain available business, adjust their approach to pricing, and implement actions around market events. When combining historical metrics, profitability data and these forward bookings insights, industry stakeholders are positioned to analyze performance from every angle." According to the statement, Forward STAR was launched in 17 of the country's 25 largest hotel markets, including Las Vegas, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston and Phoenix. More granular submarkets were added with the addition of central business districts in markets such as Austin, Chicago, Nashville and New Orleans as well as airport submarkets in areas such as Miami, San Francisco and Bradenton, Florida.

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association has announced the dates, cities, and registration information for its "On the Road" State Hotel Conferences for 17 states in 2023. The conferences will provide hoteliers, suppliers, and service providers opportunities to connect with their peers as well as hospitality and policy leaders to learn about the latest news and information affecting the hotel and lodging industry, AHLA said in a statement. Anyone who works in the hotel industry can attend these half-day, free events, it added. "AHLA's 'On The Road' State Hotel Conferences are designed to help local hoteliers connect with their peers, gain insights on national and local market business performance trends and learn from top hospitality leaders, service providers and policy experts," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO. "The events are also a vital tool to help AHLA build coalitions, grow our grassroots network and rally hoteliers around the industry's goals and initiatives. We are excited to bring AHLA's successful On The Road State Hotel Conference series to a record number of cities in 2023." AHLA will host these conferences in partnership with its state or city lodging association partners. Since starting with four events in 2021, AHLA's On The Road State Hotel Conferences have brought together thousands of hoteliers in cities across the nation. Last year, 11 events were held.

THE BAIRD/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 2.7 percent in November according to STR. However, hotel stocks were relative underperformers during the month for the first time since June. The index jumped 15.8 percent in October. The index was down 5.5 percent year-to-date through the first 11 months of 2022. In November, the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index fell behind both the S&P 500, up 5.4 percent and the MSCI US REIT Index, increased 5.6 percent. The hotel brand sub-index increased 3.7 percent from October to 9,804, while the Hotel REIT sub-index fell 0.2 percent.

THE AHLA FOUNDATION has introduced a scholarship application platform for U.S. hospitality students. The platform features a built-in eligibility assessment tool, ensuring students can easily access all qualifying foundation-hosted opportunities. Meanwhile, the foundation, supported by individual donors and corporations, has contributed almost $17 million to eligible students across the U.S. to date. "The AHLA Foundation has been committed to supporting hospitality students for 70 years," said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation president. "Increasing access to resources and opportunities is a critical investment in the future talent of our industry." The new system will allow students to apply for multiple scholarship opportunities in one application, the AHLA foundation said in a statement. This new portal allows AHLA Foundation to manage eight other scholarship opportunities as well:

U.S. EXTENDED-STAY hotels experienced their first quarterly decline in RevPAR since the first quarter of 2021, according to The Highland Group. In the first quarter, the segment saw a 1.6 percent drop in RevPAR, despite a 1.5 percent increase in revenues. Demand increased by 1.7 percent, contrasting with a 2.8 percent fall in total hotel demand when excluding upper upscale and luxury segments. STR/CoStar estimated that overall hotel RevPAR, excluding upper upscale and luxury segments, which have minimal extended-stay room supply, increased by 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The Highland Group's 2024 First Quarter U.S. Extended-Stay Hotels report indicated that overall hotel RevPAR and room revenues declined by 1.1 percent and 0.9 percent year-to-date, respectively, excluding upper upscale and luxury segments.

NEXGEN HOTELS RECENTLY acquired the 137-room Hotel Versey in Chicago, Illinois. The boutique property will be managed by Genuine Hospitality Group of St. Louis. The acquisition marks the first for NexGen in 2024, under the leadership of Chris Patel as president. In November and December, the company acquired around three hotels within a few weeks. "The Hotel Versey has been on our radar for a long time as it is steeped in rich hospitality tradition that dates back to the 1920s," said Patel. "We hope to continue on with this tradition with this completely one-of-a-kind hotel." The hotel is located near 1920s Diversey Arms building, a Northside Chicago landmark that once served as the home of jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke. Additionally, it is close to Wrigley Field, Lake Michigan, Lincoln Park Zoo, DePaul University, and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

PEACHTREE GROUP, A commercial real estate investment firm with a $6.4 billion portfolio, has secured approximately $660 million in credit investments since Dec. 1, with an additional $350 million expected to close within the next 30 to 45 days. These investments focus on hotels, multifamily, industrial, and student housing, Peachtree said in a statement. "We are witnessing heightened activity in response to the anticipation of sustained elevated interest rates and continued reductions in bank exposure," said Greg Friedman, Peachtree Group's managing principal/CEO. "The pressing need to refinance maturing debt, estimated at $2.8 trillion in U.S. commercial real estate debt by the end of 2028, is a growing concern. Commercial real estate stakeholders are grappling with the challenges of increased capital costs and constrained liquidity, particularly in securing capital for acquisitions, recapitalizations and development initiatives." Peachtree recently closed one of its largest individual credit transactions to date, securing a $102.9 million, three-year loan to recapitalize a 350-room Marriott dual-brand AC Hotel Sunnyvale Moffett Park and TETRA Hotel, Autograph Collection in Sunnyvale, California, the statement added.

THE 12TH EDITION of Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry is now launched. Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals published the revised edition, overseen by the Global Finance Committee and jointly sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and HFTP. The publication added financial and operating changes, a sustainability section, and a section specific to all-inclusive hotels, with an adoption date of Jan. 1, 2026. The GFC comprises global financial leaders from AHLA's financial management committee and HFTP members representing the most prominent global hotel brands, operators, owners, and other industry authorities, AHLA said in a statement. "The USALI has long been the compass guiding financial and operational reporting in hospitality," said Gina Tallarico, GFC co-chair and Hyatt's global head of acquisition integration. "This update signifies GFC's commitment to globalization, sustainability, and informed decision-making. With this 12th Revised Edition, we're excited to introduce a new all-inclusive reporting section - an initial step toward standardization and benchmarking capability in this rapidly -growing segment."