The Folo by Travel Weekly Travel Weekly

With this year’s NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference just wrapped, it is a good time to look at the state of U.S. hotel business. And what we heard might surprise you. According to industry researchers STR, growth of RevPAR – that’s “revenue per available room” -- is now projected to be 2% this year, down from 4%. And luxury-hotel RevPAR growth is now predicted to be down 0.2%, instead of up 5%.

But is this downgrade troubling, or is it just a correction from the last few years of postpandemic growth? At the conference, hotel executives talked up the return of corporate travel, the growth of group bookings and the need to grow their brands' room counts. We delve into all that in this episode with Nicolas Graf, a clinical professor at NYU’s Jonathan Tisch Center of Hospitality, and hotels editor Christina Jelski.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands. https://www.globusandcosmos.com and https://www.avalonwaterways.com

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a special sponsored interview with Globus’ chief sales officer Camille Olivere, led by Mary Pat Sullivan, executive vice president of marketing and partnerships for Northstar Travel Group.

Related links

Demand for U.S. hotels drops, forecast adjusted https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Demand-for-US-hotels-drops-forecast-adjusted

With leisure leveling off, hotel CEOs welcome a surge in business travel and groups https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Hotel-CEO-panel-NYU-hotel-conference-2024
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last month ultra low cost carrier Frontier made a surprise pricing move: It introduced a package of fare products designed to pull passenger away from its traditional unbundled offering.

In this episode, Travel Weekly aviation editor Robert Silk and Cranky Flier founder Brett Snyder discuss with host Rebecca Tobin: Why did Frontier make this move? What are the challenges facing ultra-low cost carriers? And will there be a response from its nearest discount-fare competitor Spirit?

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands https://www.globusandcosmos.com https://www.avalonwaterways https://traveladvisorportal.com

Related links:

A new Frontier: Airline adds bundled fare options https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Frontier-Airlines-adds-bundled-fare-options

Spirit matches Frontier, ditching change and cancellation fees https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Spirit-matches-Frontier-eliminating-change-fees

JetBlue cuts cities and routes https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/JetBlue-cuts-cities-and-routes

Regulatory issues are too much for Spirit and JetBlue to overcome https://www.travelwekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Regulatory-hurdles-too-high-for-Spirit-JetBlue

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode we’re delving into one of the more unique aspects of the cruise experience, and that’s the one that takes place on land. We’re talking, of course, about private islands – or destinations – that are managed by the cruise line and provide dedicated spaces and special amenities to cruise passengers.

Senior cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and Mike Matthews, an advisor with Cruise Planners, talk with host Rebecca Tobin about the appeal of private cruise destinations, the explosion of upgrades and expansions and why this is taking place. Why some cruisers specifically seek out itineraries with private destinations. How private destinations are a solution to angst over cruise overtourism. Whether the private island concept could be expanded from the Caribbean to other areas of the globe. And how cruisers can find local culture in these places.

This episode was recorded May 23 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy. https://all-inclusive.marriott.com/

Related links:

The evolution of cruising’s private islands https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/evolution-of-cruising-private-islands

Cruise lines and crowd control https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Cruise-lines-crowd-control

Mike and Amy Matthews of Cruise Planners Fernandia Beach https://www.mmcruisetravel.com/

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we return to one of our favorite topics on the folo: The post-pandemic cost of travel. With pricing remaining high, we are continually asking our sources whether they’re seeing any resistance. In this episode, Travel Weekly's hotels editor Christina Jelski and host Rebecca Tobin talk about whether travelers on the upscale and luxury end of the travel spectrum are beginning to balk at high prices -- especially those who might be considered "aspirational" luxury travelers. We look at a new report from Mastercard Economics Institute, and examine data from travel consortium Virtuoso. The conclusion? As they say .... it might surprise you.

This episode was recorded Friday, May 17 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy. https://all-inclusive.marriott.com/

Related links

Have luxury travelers finally hit a price ceiling? https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Have-luxury-travelers-finally-hit-a-price-ceiling

Mastercard Economics Institute's report "Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries" https://www.mastercardservices.com/en/industries/travel/insights/travel-trends-2024-breaking-boundaries

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past few years, travel agencies have been inundated with business from travelers seeking expert advice and booking assistance on their travel. At the same time, we saw an influx of travel advisors into the business and some career-shifting during Covid from people who wanted to follow their passions. But good travel advisors need training – on systems, on suppliers, on sales tactics and more.

How does a travel agency train up new advisors? How long does it take to create a great advisor? What do experienced advisors need to know if they're planning on mentoring someone new to the business?

In this episode, host Rebecca Tobin and retail editor Jamie Biesiada speak with Gayle Smith and Sam Johnson of Prescription Travel about their innovative partnership with the University of Georgia’s hospitality-management program to create a travel agency internship program, as well as Smith’s passion for mentorship and what skills are critical to teach agents entering the business.

This episode was recorded May 9 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy. https://all-inclusive.marriott.com/

Related reports:

Mentorships bring on the next generation of travel advisors https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Mentorship-next-generation-travel-advisors

Prescription Travel https://prescriptiontravel.com/

 

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re talking about final rules from the U.S. Department of Transportation about when and how airline passengers qualify for a refund. This rule is widely seen as a win for customers -- but there is at least one provision of the rule that could make things tricky for parts of the travel-sales business. In addition, the DOT ruled on when flyers must be told about certain ancillary fees.

In this episode, host Rebecca Tobin goes over both rules with Laura Chadwick of the Travel Technology Association and our aviation editor Robert Silk.This episode was recorded Friday, May 3, and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy. https://all-inclusive.marriott.com/

Related reports:

Biden administrations finalizes rule establishing airline refund requirements https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Government/DOT-rule-finalized-airline-refunds

New airfare refund regulations are a win for consumers https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/New-airfare-refund-regulations-strike-a-blow-for-the-consumer

Mark Pestronk’s Legal Briefs column: Is the DOT refund rule still anti-agent? https://www.travelweekly.com/Mark-Pestronk/Is-the-DOT-refund-rule-still-anti-agent

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.