Hospitality feeling the pinch from FCC fines: The wave of Federal Communications Commission rules against convention center and hotel companies and vendors that have interfered with personal Wi-Fi hot spot signals has resulted from some push back from the hospitality industry, reports the New York Times. Several companies have faced significant fines over the past two years, including Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide Holdings.
Hoteliers have said that the personal hot spots leave the hotel and its guests open to security threats, and they believe they should have more leeway in how they deal with them.
Marriott brings Delta Hotels to the US: Marriott International has announced the planned opening of its first Delta Hotels and Resorts branded property in the U.S. The 241-room Delta Orlando Lake Buena Vista will open in December under a franchise agreement with Greenville, South Carolina-based JHM Hotels, according to a news release from Marriott.
Marriott bought the Delta brand in April. Its portfolio includes 37 hotels with nearly 10,000 rooms.
Revenue management automated, but still needs guiding touch: It’s now possible for a hotelier to completely hand over revenue-management operations to a set of sophisticated algorithms, but those automated systems still need some human guidance, writes HNN’s Patrick Mayock.
Both Best Western Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotel Group offer such sophisticated revenue-management tools, but both caution they should be treated as something to simplify a complicated process not replace human input. Kristie Dickinson of CHMWarnick agreed.
“Automation of data through revenue-management systems should free up time and empower revenue managers to conduct deeper analysis and identify more opportunity for profit enhancement while still remaining as the captain of the ship,” Dickinson said. “Autopilots need not apply.”
Starwood signs SLS Las Vegas: In what Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is describing as “its single largest addition of hotel rooms in North America since pre-recession,” the company has signed SLS Las Vegas to its recently launched Tribute Portfolio. The more-than-1,600-room property is owned by Las Vegas Resort Holdings.
Two of the property’s three towers will operate as SLS Las Vegas, a Tribute Portfolio Resort, while the 289-room “Lux Tower” will be converted into a W Hotel in 2016 following a renovation.
HVS: Metrics trending up in Spain: HVS says various markets across Spain have seen improved occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room over the last 18 to 24 months. Those key metrics are at their highest point since 2008 in Madrid, which saw rate increases of 5% through August, according to the recent HVS report.
Barcelona also has seen strong growth, with rates up 7% over the same time period.
Compiled by Sean McCracken.