Be a Part of Tourism’s Lobby Day at the State Capitol Join hundreds of your peers in support of our industry The Tourism Industry Coalition of New York State (TIC) — 19 association and industry-supporting organizations whose main goal is to represent the tourism industry on key legislative and regulatory issues — is hosting the 2009 Tourism Showcase on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at the Hart Lounge, in the Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY. Members of the State Legislature will meet with hundreds of tourism industry professionals from across the state to discuss the importance of tourism. Register today at www.nyshta.org

The Value of Hotel Loyalty Programs in a Recession
from Hotel Marketing
Hotel companies are making their loyalty programs more attractive with some of the biggest incentives we have seen in years. Despite these efforts, loyalty program "Effectiveness" scores dropped to record lows in 2008, according Market Metrix research. Although it took a serious recession and the near-collapse of the world economy, hotel companies are making their loyalty programs more attractive. As a result, loyalty travelers will be the recipients of some of the best incentives we have seen in years. More

Sustainability Still Gets the Green Light
from Hotel News Now
As environmentally responsible construction and operations become integral to hospitality culture, the greening of hotels will proceed no matter the economic outlook, according to hospitality executives from around the world. Hoteliers long involved in the greening of hotels said doing so makes economic sense, whether that means something as complex as building a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified property or as simple as changing light bulbs from incandescent to compact fluorescent lamps. More

Hoteliers Try to Hold the Line on Room Rates
from Reuters
Demand for both vacation and business travel has fallen off the same cliff as the rest of the economy, but U.S. hotel operators, still wincing from the discounting following the September 11, 2001, attacks, aim to hold the line on rates this time around. By this logic, more hotel rooms will sit empty, but the overall hit to the bottom line will be less severe. More

Cost Cutting - Alternatives to RedundancySolutions for 2009
from HVS
As the hotel industry is very labor intensive, it comes as no surprise that much of this cost cutting effort has been focused on payroll and other employee associated costs. According to Dale Wielgus, the former SVP of Human Resources for Sofitel Worldwide, "Eliminating jobs is usually one of the easiest and most traditional targets. However, there are other opportunities that must be explored. His personal feeling is that organizations put a number next to each [option] and measure the financial impact." More