Hotels: Breakfast Is On Us
Once the domain of limited-service and all-suite hotels, complimentary breakfast and beverage services increasingly are becoming more common at full-service, resort and convention hotels as part of packages, guest loyalty programs and corporate deals, according to figures in the Trends In the Hotel Industry report published last week by PKF Hospitality Research. The study looked at U.S.-based hotels in five segments—full service, limited service, resort, convention and all suite—and found that hotel segments combined spent 13.1 percent more on complimentary food and beverage services in 2004, compared with 2003. Growth—but not overall spending—was most significant at convention and full-service hotels. According to the PKF report, convention hotels in 2004 spent 18 cents per occupied room on complimentary food and beverage, more than 35 percent higher than in 2003. Meanwhile, full-service hotels spent 32 cents per occupied room last year, which was nearly 25 percent more than in the prior year. Resorts' complimentary food and beverage spending grew by roughly 10 percent to 23 cents per occupied room from 2003. A primary factor for the growth of complimentary food service, PKF said, is higher expectations among business travelers. "Since the proliferation of limited-service and all-suite hotels, a growing percentage of travelers have grown accustomed to complimentary breakfast and/or cocktail receptions," the company said in a statement. Kevin Maguire, travel manager at Austin, Texas-based Tokyo Electron America, said he recently noticed some Marriott International properties have been more likely to throw in complimentary breakfast. Despite the rise in complimentary food costs among many hoteliers, hotel food and beverage revenues grew 6.7 percent last year. "The 6.7 percent growth rate is certainly very healthy, but it does fall short of the 8.6 percent growth in room revenue, and 7.6 percent increase in total hotel revenues achieved during the same time period," said R. Mark Woodworth, executive managing director of Atlanta-based PKF Hospitality Research.
Embassy Suites Bolsters Business Centers Chainwide
Embassy Suites Hotels this month said it will upgrade business centers at all of its 175 properties during the next 12 months, offering guests 24-hour-a-day complimentary computer use, local faxing and high-speed Internet access. Embassy Suites partnered with PrinterOn to incorporate secure printing in business centers, giving business travelers in their suites the ability to print documents directly from personal laptops to the business center or front desk. The hotel chain also partnered with Uniquest, a provider of public PC workstations, to ensure consistency across properties. Each Embassy Business Center would feature two workstations. "The Embassy Suites Hotels brand always has put guest service and satisfaction first, and the business center experience is a critical component of that commitment," said David Greydanus, senior vice president, brand management at Embassy Suites Hotels. "We recognize our guests' needs to stay connected and remain productive while traveling on business. Our new business center solutions and remote printing capabilities will help them do just that."
LodgeNet To Offer Flight Info Through Hotel TV Screens
LodgeNet Entertainment Corp.—provider of interactive television services to nearly 6,000 hotels—last month partnered with travel content management firm OAG Worldwide to provide hotel guests with up-to-the-minute televised flight information. The company also said for a "nominal charge" to wireless phone bills, guests can opt for text messages to keep them abreast of flight status.
Amenity Upgrades Continue With Radio, Games And TV
Hotel amenities just keep on creeping. Hyatt Hotels Corp. late last month partnered with XM Satellite Radio to offer complimentary satellite radio in more than 50,000 U.S. Hyatt guest rooms beginning this fall. The companies will roll out custom-designed XM tabletop radios, allowing guests to tune in to more than 150 digital radio channels. Meanwhile, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is offering "first come, first serve" PlayStation Portable video game consuls for guests staying at any of its Canadian properties this summer. For business travelers who prefer television to video games or radio, the Omni Chicago Hotel recently capped off a $9.5 million renovation by furnishing each guest room with 37-inch plasma TV screens, leaving the property to boast the "first all-suites, all-plasma TV hotel in Chicago." Meanwhile, Hilton Hotels Corp.'s alarm clocks have joined the digital age, offering guests MP3 player plug-ins.