He had lots of hotel scoop, and here are some highlights:
1. "Probably the No. 1 (trend) is the greening of the hotel industry. If you would have talked about this a year ago, they would have looked at you as if you had two heads. Every hotel company now has an environmental specialist, and we're working with all of them to develop a certification program ... with someone doing an inspection, not just trusting (self-reported eco programs). They've got to have proof they're doing it. We're working with AAA, so it could affect their (hotel) ratings."
2. The average daily hotel rate in 2008 broke the $100 barrier for the first time ever, he says. "If we have a recession, I don't think rates will go down dramatically. We'll be OK in a recession. We have just 5% more rooms than we had at 9/11. The supply hasn't caught up with the demand. .. I don't think you're going to see discounting."
3. "We've been through the bed and pillow wars,so it will be interesting to see where we go. Everybody's changing armoires to dressers and putting in the flat-screen TVs and iPod docking stations. I see more research into what the consumer wants in the last five years than in the past 40 years. The technology is what the 20- and 30-year-old group is looking for." As for Joe, "All I want is a radio where you know where the button is to turn it on and off."
As for you, readers, what are your thoughts about hotels going "green" and eco-conscious? Do you look for a hotel that is ecologically friendly? And on a more mundane level, do you prefer TVs in armoires or out?
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