Slow year for new hotels
What kind of year was it for hotel building? Slow, says a new study by Smith Travel Research. The travel marketing group said there were 569 hotels opened in the US in 2003, compared to 806 in 2002. What types of hotels were popular? The vast majority of the new openings were mid-scale facilities that do not serve food and beverages, such as La Quinta and Holiday Inn. Their locations were often in secondary markets. “There’s not as much risk in the secondary markets, and these hotels aren’t as expensive to build,” said Smith researcher Bobby Bowers. Hotel building was weakest in the upscale market. Only 23 luxury hotels opened this year, compared to 45 in 2003. Another study found some good news in US lodging demand. PricewaterhouseCoopers said industry demand will set a new record level in the fourth quarter of 2003. The company also forecast lodging demand to increase 4.5% next year, while lodging industry supply will only grow at 1.4%.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements