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1. Maui Wildfire Evacuations Boost Oahu Hotel Occupancy
Hotel occupancy in Oahu for the week ending Aug. 12 was the third highest among U.S. hotel markets, due in large part to evacuations of Maui residents displaced by deadly and destructive wildfires, STR's Isaac Collazo, Chris Klauda and William Anns report for Hotel News Now. STR is CoStar's hospitality analytics division.
Meanwhile, on Maui island hotel occupancy plummeted to 57.1% for the week — down 14 percentage points from the prior week and 16.7 percentage points from the same week in 2019.
"The next weeks will be challenging for all of Hawaii as displacement and recovery efforts upend a region that is renowned for and dependent on travel and hospitality," the STR analysts write.
2. Hotels Substitue for College Dorms
The start of another school year in the U.S. generally means a slowdown in leisure demand for hotels, according to STR's Weekly Insights. But at least two hotels in college markets have booked some long-term guests this semester.
The Graduate Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, and the Hyatt Regency Sarasota on the Florida bayfront will stand in temporarily as college dorms, according to reporting by the local Richmond ABC affiliate and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
In Sarasota, dorms at New College of Florida were closed due to mold and air-quality issues, which pre-empted the plan to send students that were to be housed on campus to the four-star Hyatt Regency four miles away. The Herald-Tribune reports that the college also booked rooms to house students at two other hotels a mile from campus for at least the fall semester.
In Richmond, the issue is rising enrollment at Virginia Commonwealth University, where more than 4,500 freshmen enrolled in on-campus housing. Due to lack of dorm space, 80 of those students, along with five resident assistants, are being moved into the Graduate Hotel for the school year at a rate of $9,260, which is comparable to what students pay to live in the Brandt Suites or Gladding Residence Center Semi Suites dorms, ABC News reports.
3. Boutique Hotels Boom in Australia
Boutique hotels have traditionally underperformed the "big box" branded hotels across the continent of Australia, but the past few years that has started to change, Tamara Thiessen reports for HNN. Now, as international travelers seek out more experiential stays and ahead of Brisbane's 2032 hosting of the Summer Olympics, boutique hotel performance — and development — is booming.
“The shutdown gave the opportunity for some of these amazing hotels to come to life and for Brisbane to come into its own when it comes to boutique hospitality,” said Roberto Russo, general manager of a group of Brisbane hotels under the Ovolo Hotels brand, which has eight of its 12 hotels in Australia. “We didn’t really know then how the market would react. But thanks to COVID, we were a bit ahead of the game in bringing unique experiences. The market was really ready to have something fresh, something fun.”
4. Hotels on US Army Posts To End Discount Program for Military Families
The Military Times reports that "40 hotels on Army posts and some joint bases in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are reverting to their pre-COVID rates," ending a voluntary discount extended to military families who take longer than a 10-day government allowance to find housing after a permanent change of station.
IHG Army Hotels, a partnership between IHG Hotels & Resorts and Lendlease under Privatized Army Lodging, since March 2020 have been pricing rooms to match the government's Temporary Lodging Assistance allowance even after the 10 days are up. Defense officials have now extended the 10-day allowance to 14 days, and bases can request an extension up to 60 days. But military families who book rooms outside of the window will pay an average $35 more per night, the Military Times reports.
In a statement to Military Times, IHG Hotels & Resorts officials said the company began offering the discounted rate program to help families making a move during the pandemic “and extended it beyond its originally planned conclusion at the end of the 2022 fiscal year to continue serving military members and their families who faced housing challenges.”
“Given recent military housing guidance from the DoD and our own operational considerations, we have decided to discontinue the program following the end of the 2023 fiscal year,” the official stated.
5. Boston's Liberty Hotel Hires 14-Week-Old Director of Pet Relations
VIPs — Very Important Pets — at Boston's Liberty Hotel will be greeted by the hotel's newly appointed Director of Pet Relations, a 14-week-old Golden Retriever puppy named Benny, the Boston Business Journal reports.
The hotel's new hire was introduced during a special "Yappier Hour" event, as part of a promotion of the movie "Strays," starring the voice of Will Ferrell.