Accor divests real estate assets, China’s hotel construction show double-digit growth, rebranding doesn’t always mean starting over and event venue trends in 2019.

Accor progresses in divestment of real estate assets
Thursday, 13th June 2019

In line with its 'asset-light' strategy, and as presented at Capital Market Day in November 2018, Accor announced that it has made material progress in the disposal process of Orbis’ real estate assets.

Accor agreed key terms of taking over Orbis’ hotel services business for €286m, and begins disposal of its real estate operations, whose Gross Asset Value (excluding corporate overheads) >>

China’s hotel construction pipeline continues to expand
13 Jun 2019 : China’s total construction pipeline continues to expand with 2,845 projects/590,809 rooms, with double-digit increases: up 15% by projects and 8% by rooms year-over-year (YOY) >>

US government finally publishes arrival statistics
13 Jun 2019 : After a delay of a full year the National Travel and Tourism Office of the USA has finally published new arrival data, including data for its arrivals from China, showing a decline of 14% >>

Viceroy adds Washington hotels to its growing portfolio
13 Jun 2019 : Viceroy Hotels & Resorts announces the brand has been selected by Pebblebrook Hotel Trust to take over management of Donovan Hotel and Mason & Rook Hotel as of July 1, 2019, adding the east coast properties to the brand’s expanding portfolio of vibe-led luxury hotels and its entry into the Washington, DC market >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Singapore's Changi Airport May Be the Example to Follow, But There Are Different Models for Different Airports
Thursday, 13th June 2019

One of the largest transformation hubs in Southeast Asia, connected with more than 380 weekly services, Changi is regarded by many as the blueprint to follow when evolving airport technology and enhancing airport environments.

Every time I travel through Changi’s T4, what strikes me – aside from the stunning structure – is how its investment in innovation is transforming its operations and redefining passengers’ travel experiences. Seeing all this cutting-edge technology in action it’s almost impossible not to envisage a future >>

Rebranding Doesn’t Always Mean Starting Over
Digital rebranding strategies to give your hotel a head start and to be sure your property doesn’t make the same mistakes, here are six strategies to give your hotel a head start in the transition >>

Ways to Attract the Solo Female Traveler
A segment of the business and leisure traveler that had been ignored for far too long is the solo female traveler and going back to the stone ages, most hotels only worried about catering to men, as most business travelers were men and the man provided the income that paid for the bills >>

Improve Staff Productivity to Improve Guest Survey Scores
As we all know, the Holy Grail of the hospitality world is the guest survey score. Get a bad score and risk a fine, get too many bad scores, and you risk losing your flag, with so much on the line over a random survey, it is imperative the entire hotel staff operate on the same page when it comes to guest satisfaction >>

Keeping it Funky: Event Venue Trends in 2019
New and innovative venues are the latest trend for event planning in 2019. As the hospitality industry evolves to accommodate new consumer preferences for experiences over things, unconventional meetings and conference spaces are quickly becoming a draw for millennial-driven companies >>

Global Newsletter from yesterday: June 12, 2019
Emaar to expand in China, who dominate direct bookings, to win in corporate travel today, you need a tech edge and restaurants are throwing their hat into the co-working ring >>