Business Travel News
Business Travel News
  • SECTIONSOpen Menu
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • New! Sustainability
    • Recent Issues
  • VOICESOpen Menu
    • Expert Q&A
    • OpEds
    • Sponsored Content
    • Podcasts
    • What to Watch 2022
  • RESEARCHOpen Menu
    • BTN's 2022 Essential OBT Guide
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
  • WEBINARSOpen Menu
    • View All Webinars
  • EVENTSOpen Menu
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Hall of Fame
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • DEI Symposium Series
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCESOpen Menu
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Hotel Search
  • SECTIONSOpen Menu
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • New! Sustainability
    • Recent Issues
  • VOICESOpen Menu
    • Expert Q&A
    • OpEds
    • Sponsored Content
    • Podcasts
    • What to Watch 2022
  • RESEARCHOpen Menu
    • BTN's 2022 Essential OBT Guide
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
  • WEBINARSOpen Menu
    • View All Webinars
  • EVENTSOpen Menu
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Hall of Fame
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • DEI Symposium Series
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCESOpen Menu
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Hotel Search
Business Travel News
  • Business Travel News on Twitter
  • Business Travel News on LinkedIn
  • Business Travel News on Facebook
  • SECTIONS
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • New! Sustainability
    • Recent Issues
    Subscribe to NewslettersNew! BTN SustainabilityBTN DailyBTN GlobalBTN Travel ManagementTravel Procurement
    Subscribe to Print IssuesBusiness Travel NewsTravel Procurement
  • VOICES
    • Expert Q&A
    • OpEds
    • Sponsored Content
    • Podcasts
    • What to Watch 2022
    Jina SanoneFlush With Infrastructure Funding, Amtrak Readies New Trains
    Alex ChatzieleftheriouFurnished Apt. Co. Blueground Leans into Corp. Market
    Flight Centre Ready to Invest in More InnovationFlight Centre Ready to Invest in More Innovation
  • RESEARCH
    • BTN's 2022 Essential OBT Guide
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
    Annual Supplier Ratings• Car Rental Survey & Report• Hotel Survey & Report• Airline Survey & Report
    Special Reports• The Future of Meetings• The Mechanics of Sustainble Business Travel
  • WEBINARS
    • View All Webinars
    Analytics, Sustainability and Traveler Safety: Shaping the Future of Corporate Travel

    Thurs., Dec. 8 at 1pm ET / 10am PT
    Sponsored By: Emburse

    The Future of Meetings

    Fri., Dec. 2 at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT
    Sponsored by: American Express Meetings & Events, Cvent, Group360

    Understanding Booking Behavior and Its Impact on Travel Experience

    Tues., Nov. 15 at 12pm ET / 9am PT
    Sponsored By: TripActions

  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Hall of Fame
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • DEI Symposium Series
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
    Business Travel Show Europe Kick Off

    Virtual Event - 23 February, 2023

    Strategic Meetings Summit Series

    In Person Event Series

    3rd Annual Travel Procurement Virtual Workshop Series

    Virtual Event Series - March/April 2022

    Business Travel Trends and Forecasts Series

    Business Travel Trends & Forecasts is a one-day,

  • RESOURCES
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Hotel Search
    BTN CTI Calculator

    Filter in or out as many as 200 cities, as well as hotel and car rental class and meals of the day and watch as the per-diem calculator automatically adjusts per diems to your program. Drill down into cost breakdowns and export the results.

  • Business Travel News Supplier DirectorySUPPLIER DIRECTORY

CEOs See Impact Of Oil Spill On Coastal Meetings

By Michael B. Baker / June 10, 2010 / Contact Reporter
Share
It's too early to know how big of an impact the Gulf Coast oil spill will have on business, according to multibrand hotel company chief executives, but it could be considerable if the spill spreads to the East Coast.

Best Western International president and CEO David Kong, speaking this week at a press briefing at New York University's International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, said he was concerned about his company's coastal hotels. While they had been reporting bookings as usual, that began to change last week, he said.

"Since Friday, they've had tremendous cancellations," Kong said. "Not only are they seeing cancellations, but the number of inquiries that have come in have dropped significantly."

Some hotel chief executives said imagery is having the biggest impact on bookings. Marriott president and COO Arne Sorenson said the photos of oil-covered storks last week "brought the tragedy home in a way that it hadn't been before," and InterContinental Hotels Group chief executive Andrew Cosslett said the webcam shot of oil gushing into the Gulf also plays a role in disrupting bookings.

"If they can get it capped, and we stop seeing that webcam shot and start to see some solutions coming in and get to work on the recovery, people will show their support," Cosslett said. "The next few weeks will be critical."

A survey of 50 coastal hotels in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama last week indicated that 60 percent are seeing event cancellations as a result of the spill. Hotel company leaders said the impact could be great, however, if the oil continues to spread to Atlantic beaches.

"As you get further east and around the Keys, increasingly the markets get bigger and bigger," Marriott's Sorenson said. "If that does come up the East Coast, it becomes that much more disconcerting."

Monty Bennett, CEO of upscale and upper upscale hotel owner Ashford Hospitality, said he expected that regardless of the oil spill's impact, it would not reduce overall demand but rather would shift it elsewhere. He said its impact could be similar to Hurricane Katrina, which caused an influx of bookings to such nearby locations as Houston and Dallas.

"It warped the market for years," Bennett said. "Depending upon how much of a natural disaster this might be, you'll have all these travelers that may not go to the Gulf Coast, but usually, they're not going to just not travel."

For the hotels along the coast, demand from workers and cleanup crews could mitigate the loss of bookings from group travel and tourism, said Richard Kelleher, CEO of full-service hotel owner Pyramid Hotel Group. "We're seeing upticks in demand from consultants and other types of business," he said. "It's a difficult set of circumstances."
More

Sponsored Content

VIEW ALL
Delta’s Accelerated Sustainability Flight Plan
Delta’s Accelerated Sustainability Flight PlanBy Pam Fletcher, Chief Sustainability Officer – Delta Air Lines

At Delta, we see travel as a noble force for good – and the miracle of flight is helping us to better understand the far-reaching impacts of climate change.  KEEP READING

Delta: Your Partner in Travel
Delta: Your Partner in TravelBy Delta Air Lines

Partner with Delta and get access to innovative products and services, award-winning account support and powerful tools that help your business reach new heights. KEEP READING

Travel is back – easy solutions to maximize your travel budget
Travel is back – easy solutions to maximize your travel budgetBy United Airlines

As the world returns to travel, you may have more questions than answers when it comes to managing your resurgent business travel needs. KEEP READING

Subscribe to Our

Free Newsletters

pixel2

Click Here for our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

  • Most Read
  • Most Shared
  1. Amex GBT Restructuring to Two Global Segments: Multinational, SME
  2. Managed Travel Unicorn TripActions to Rebrand as ‘Navan’
  3. Race Away From Transaction Fees Remains Close to Starting Line
  4. As Airline Rollovers End, Buyers Assess Status-Loss Fallout
  5. Contracted Corp. Business Losing Prominence at American
  1. Report: U.S. Mtg. Volume Exceeds 2019, Signaling End of Recovery Efforts
  2. AHLA Survey: Most U.S. Corp. Travelers Returning to Normalcy
  3. TakeTwo Partners with Serko to Offer Zeno Booking Tool
  4. Delta to Offer Free Wi-Fi, Special Content for SkyMiles Members
  5. Could the FAA Outage Hinder Business Travel's Recovery?
Business Travel NewsBusiness Travel News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Business Travel News on Twitter
  • Business Travel News on LinkedIn
  • Business Travel News on Facebook
BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS
NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP
Business Travel News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Upload Print Ad Material
  • Purchase Reprints
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Subscribe to BTN
  • Subscribe to Travel Procurement
  • Subscribe to Newsletters
  • BTN Europe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Business Travel News
Business Travel News Travel Procurement The Beat
Northstar Travel Group
  • Retail Travel
  • Travel Weekly
  • Travel Weekly Asia
  • Travel Weekly China
  • TravelAge West
  • TravelPulse
  • TravelPulse Canada
  • TravelPulse Quebec

  • Hotel Investment
  • Burba Hotel Network

  • Travel Technology
  • Inntopia
  • Phocuswire
  • Phocuswright
  • Web In Travel
  • Meetings & Incentives
  • Northstar Meetings Group
  • Meetings & Conventions
  • Meetings & Conventions China
  • Meetings & Conventions Asia
  • Meeting News
  • Successful Meetings
  • Incentive
  • SportsTravel

  • Data Products
  • Agent Studio
  • AXUS Travel App
  • Intelliguide
  • travel42
Northstar Travel Group
Copyright ©2023 Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. 301 Rte. 17N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000
RRManagement rrtestprocurement