Hotel News
March 3rd, 2010
SKIP HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING FOR POINTS OR DOLLARS? Guests at many Westin and Sheraton hotels can opt out of daily housekeeping in exchange for a $5 credit or 500 Starpoints. That seems like a good idea to me since my room remains mostly tidy when I’m traveling on business. It also has environmental benefits since less water and chemicals are used to clean the room. The Wall Street Journal points out that an average high-end hotel saves about $22 per room if the guest opts out of housekeeping. What do you think? Would you take a hotel up on an offer like this?
SHERATON MANHATTAN NO LONGER SHERATON. You might not be able to opt out of housekeeping at the Sheraton Manhattan, though. Starwood has announced that the hotel will loose its brand affiliation this spring due to it’s deteriorating quality. However, the Sheraton New York (across the street on the EAST side of 7th Ave) will keep its brand flag. (It always seemed a little weird to have two Sheratons so close to each other anyway…)
Updated room at the Best Western President Hotel near Times Sq- NYC
WHO KNEW IT WAS A BEST WESTERN? Check out my latest blog post on Best Western’s youmustbetrippin.com blog about the increasing number of Best Western hotels that may surprise you and make you say, “Wow! Who’da thunk THIS could be a Best Western?” I take a look at unusually cool BW hotels in San Francisco, Seoul, New York and Honolulu.
HOTEL BIZ IN BIND. Despite whispers of the return of business travelers, the hotel industry is still hurting. That’s because even as business travelers creep back, they are paying significantly lower rates. Evidence: IHG, the world’s largest hotel operator (Holiday Inn, InterConti, Crown Plaza, etc) said it’s revenue for 2009 was down 19% compared to 2008. However, the company said declines in January were less severe.
