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While there's been continued hand-wringing about many employees not returning to the hotel industry after the pandemic forced record layoffs and furloughs, economists also say many jobs that existed prior to the downturn won't be coming back either, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Housekeeping positions are chief among those that are unlikely to see a full rebound, according to the newspaper, quoting Host Hotels & Resorts CEO Jim Risoleo, who noted the pandemic is "an opportunity to redefine the hotel operating model."

“It is really going to be opt in to housekeeping services as opposed to opt out going forward,” he said in November.

The J.D. Power 2021 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study shows guests were largely happy with hotels offering flexible cancellation policies but unhappy with scaled-back breakfast offerings. The survey also showed smart TVs are going to be one of the most in-demand room amenities.

The hotel brands that earned top guest satisfaction scores by their segment were:

• The Ritz-Carlton in luxury.
• Hard Rock Hotels in upper upscale.
• AC Hotels in upscale.
• Drury Hotels in upper midscale for the 16th consecutive year.
• Tru by Hilton in midscale for the second consecutive year.
• SureStay by Best Western in economy for the second consecutive year.

Bloomberg reports Ibiza, Spain-based Palladium Group has taken a significant hit on investments in "complex foreign-exchange derivatives" purchased from Deutsche Bank AG, and is one of up to 100 companies hurt by poor performance for the derivatives.

A statement provided to the news agency noted that the hotel brand "has a situation" with Deutsche Bank and the company is currently talking with its lawyers about ways they could possibly recoup losses from the investments.

The latest weekly hotel performance data from CoStar's hospitality analytics firm, STR, shows revenue per available room creeping closer to figures seen in 2019 on the back of stronger rates.

For the week ending July 10, occupancy was 67.2% in the U.S., down 9.3% from the comparable week in 2019. But average daily rate was up 5.4% in that span to $139.84, letting revenue per available room hit $93.99. RevPAR was still down 4.4% compared to 2019 figures, but it was up significantly from the double-digit drops seen during most of the pandemic.

Hersha Hospitality Trust started as one family-owned hotel in the 1980s and grew into a publicly traded real estate investment trust with properties that span the country, and HNN's Danielle Hess takes a look at what shaped that growth. Speaking during the Independent Lodging Congress' Indie Confab Philadelphia 2021, Hersha CEO Jay Shah said it's meaningful that the company, which was founded by his father, Hasu Shah, is named after his mother, Hersha Shah.

"My parents were very, very early in partnering as a husband and wife where they had their personal life, they had their married life, they had their lives as parents to my brother [Neil Shah] and I, but they were also partners to these professional matters, and it was very important," Jay Shah said. "I think that has served the company very well, because it’s informed values for us from as far back as 30 years ago."