Hospitality Industry Revenue Growth On The Horizon

Posted on July 22nd, 2010 by Kelly Williams

The top three hospitality data research firms are predicting a positive year-over-year growth for revenue per available room by the end of 2010.

Smith Travel Research, PKF-HR, and Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels each presented updated forecasts during the ALIS Summer Update at the J.W. Marriott L.A. Live on Tuesday. The overall sentiment was that a substantial recovery is underway, with demand leading the charge.

Early recovery data shows for the first time in a long time occupancy is rapidly increasing. Average daily rate (ADR) is lagging behind, but there is still growth. June is the first month the industry has seen positive ADR growth year-over-year.

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels CEO Arthur de Haast supports this optimism, predicting a 40% increase in global transactions volume year-over-year from 2009 to 2010.

For more information check www.travelagentcentral.com.

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Arlington Heights Restaurants Suffer Water Main Break

Posted on July 21st, 2010 by Kelly Williams

Le Titi De Paris and all neighboring restaurants along Dundee Road in Arlington Heights were forced to close last night around 7 p.m. as a result of a water main break.

Le Titi Co-Owner Susan Maddox said that the Village of Arlington Heights assured all business owners that they should be open for lunch today, but guests should call ahead to confirm.

According to the Village of Arlington Heights, the water main buckled due to the soaring summer temperatures.

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Transformers Filming – CTA Reroutes

Posted on July 14th, 2010 by Kelly Williams

Please take note of the following information as it affects your guests, clients and employees. Due to the filming of Transformers 3 in Chicago, CTA will reroute bus lines near and around the Loop. There will also be street reroutes in and around Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. Many of the reroutes will occur in the late evenings but there will be evenings when travel time can be affected. Allow additional travel time.

Businesses along Michigan Avenue will remain open. In order to access some businesses near the filming, patience and a detour may be necessary to get you there on time. You may refer to the GNMAA website for detailed information.

Please extend questions to CTA personnel or refer the CTA website for more information about reroutes.

Streets Closures:

MICHIGAN AVE BRIDGE
3 days of filming: Friday (7/16), Saturday (7/17), Sunday (7/18)
Road Closure: Michigan Ave from Wacker to Ontario
8:00pm Thursday (7/16) through 5:00am Monday, (7/19)

UPPER WACKER DRIVE
3 days filming: Monday (7/19), Tuesday (7/20) & Wednesday (7/21)
Road Closure: Wacker between Michigan and Wabash
9:00pm Sunday (7/18) through 5:00am Thursday (7/22)

Bus Reroutes:
Northbound No. 14 Jeffery Express and No. 56 Milwaukee, westbound No. 60 Blue Island/26th and southbound No. 124 Navy Pier buses will travel over the regular route to Madison/Dearborn then will operate via Dearborn, Wacker then return to Madison and resume the regular route.

Southbound No. 14 buses will travel over the regular route to Monroe/Canal then will operate via Canal, Lake, Clark to Monroe and then resume the regular route. Eastbound No. 60 and northbound No. 124 buses are not affected and will operate over the regular route.

Eastbound No. 20 Madison and southbound No. 56 Milwaukee buses will travel over the regular route to Washington/Franklin then will operate via Franklin, Wacker, Clark to Washington and then resume the regular route. Westbound No. 20 Madison buses are not affected and will travel over the regular route.

Eastbound No. 126 Jackson and No. 130 Museum Campus buses will travel over the regular route to Jackson/Canal then will operate via Canal, Lake, Wacker, Clark, Jackson and then resume the regular route.

Westbound No. 126 buses will travel over the regular route to Adams/Dearborn then will operate via Dearborn, Wacker, Madison, Clinton to Adams and then resume the regular route.

Westbound No. 130 buses will travel over the regular route to Adams/Dearborn then will operate via Dearborn, Wacker, Madison to Clinton and then resume the regular route.

Southbound No. 151 Sheridan buses will travel over the regular route to Adams/Dearborn then will operate via Dearborn, Wacker to Madison, Clinton to Jackson before turning to begin northbound service.

Northbound No. 151 buses will depart from Jackson/Clinton and travel via Jackson, Canal, Lake, Wacker, Clark to Jackson and then resume the regular route.

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Travel Industry Sees Revival in Near Future

Posted on July 13th, 2010 by Anne Rakowiecki

With the economic decline the country has been experiencing in recent years, the multi-billion-dollar travel industry has suffered major losses. According to the U.S. Travel Association, during the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years, the travel industry lost more than 400,000 jobs and had approximately 41 million Americans cancel their travel plans annually. Also, Commerce Department figures show that 633,000 fewer overseas travelers chose the U.S. as a destination in 2008 than in 2000.

However, experts are saying that things may be looking up for the travel industry thanks to a helping hand from Congress. In March, President Barack Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act, which formed the National Tourism Board. The board’s main objective is to coordinate advertising and drum up interest abroad in traveling to the U.S. as well as streamline visa applications for overseas travelers. This program is expected to attract more than 1.6 million visitors from around the world, which means bringing in more than $4 billion in additional consumer spending. Furthermore, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts the act will create at least 40,000 jobs in the U.S., thus helping cut the federal deficit by $425 million during the next decade.

Formerly a fragmented industry, the many parts of the travel industry now more than ever must work together rather than compete with each other to accommodate travelers. Hotels, airports, car rental companies, and even restaurants and shops should work with each other and complement each other to create smooth and well-rounded travel experiences for visitors. It seems the industry has already begun to enact these collaborations, as projections from the U.S. Travel Association show leisure travel increasing 2% and international inbound travel increasing by almost 3%. Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, expresses what many people may have only now begun to realize: “Travel and tourism aren’t just fun things to do. They’re the lifeblood of the economy.”

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Transformers Filming

Posted on July 10th, 2010 by Adam Marks

Summer blockbusters are always exciting, and the filming of Michael Bay’s newest project is stirring things up downtown. Starting today, there will be all sorts of closures for the filming of Transformers 3.

Though filming will be ongoing through mid-August, it seems as though the majority of the traffic disruptions will be early on in the process. Today and tomorrow, shots are planned which will feature people jumping out of helicopters and landing in the park near the Aqua building in Lakeshore East. Needless to say, these areas will be closed to pedestrians as well as drivers when the jumpers actually take flight.

So what do you tell your clients? I’d go ahead and bookmark the CTA’s page on service disruption so you can deliver the most up-to-date news on closures, delays or reroutes.

As for road closures, they are listed as the following:

From 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday:

LaSalle Street will be closed between Jackson and Randolph streets.

Washington Street will be closed between Wells Street and Clark Street.

Randolph Street will be closed from Wacker Drive to Wells Street.

From 8 p.m. July 16 until 5 a.m. July 19:

Michigan Avenue will be closed from Wacker Drive to Ontario Street.

From 9 p.m. July 18 to 5 a.m. July 22:

Wacker Drive will be closed between Michigan Avenue and Wabash Street.

The filming will affect more than car and pedestrian traffic, however. Note that many of the river cruises and water taxis will be changing their dock locations if it interferes with the filming sites. For example, Shoreline will not be able to have its water taxis stop at the Michigan Avenue bridge during filming, but all other services will remain normal.

So keep your eyes peeled for Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, and John Malkovich, though they likely won’t be the ones jumping out of helicopters.

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Hear Governor Quinn Speak July 13

Posted on July 9th, 2010 by Adam Marks

The River North Business Association is hosting a luncheon where you can learn about Governor Quinn’s vision for Illinois’ future.

The event takes place on Tuesday, July 13 at the Holidy Inn Chicago – Mart Plaza in the Wolf Point Ballroom on the 15th floor.

Main topics at the event will be job creation, small business tax credits, and more.

The River North Business Association connects local businesses to promote communication, marketing, and advocacy. This luncheon is a great opportunity to meet other businesses and network!

The event begins at 11:30 a.m. and will conclude at 1:30 p.m. Register online by clicking here. Each ticket is $60.

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Congrats Chicago!

Posted on July 9th, 2010 by Adam Marks

Let’s hope they are correct. Travel + Leisure magazine just came out with their Worlds Best Awards 2010 readers’ poll. and we did pretty well!

Out of all the cities in the U.S. and Canada to visit, we were selected as Number 4 (behind NYC, San Francisco, and Charleson SC).

And to top even that, the top-ranked large city hotel in North America is none other than our own Trump International Hotel & Tower.

Go Chi-Town! Now you have even more to brag about when you are touring guests through the city.

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Quick Hits – Industry News

Posted on July 1st, 2010 by Kelly Williams

–DMK Burger Bar in Lakeview made Bon Appetit’s list of the top ten best new burgers sports in the U.S.

–Lula Cafe in Logan Square hired Kate Neumann, former pastry chef of Boka and MK.

–Sweet Sensations Pastry in Ravenswood will being opening next week.

–The Boiler Room, a pizza, craft beer, and cocktail spot in Logan Square, will hold its grand opening on July 7th.

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Marriott is all Abuzz!

Posted on July 1st, 2010 by Adam Marks

What’s that? An infestation of vuvuzelas you might ask? Not quite…

If you are on the rooftop of the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, what you are actually hearing is the buzzing of the roughly 100,000 bees kept for their succulent honey.

It’s true, Executive Chef Myk Banas began keeping bees on the rooftop over a year ago, and has been expanding the program consistently. The honey harvested is used for dishes in the hotel food services. Most notably, it lends its flavor to the Rooftop Honey Wheat Beer.

Beekeeping is becoming an important part of the Go Green initiative sweeping the country. Even City Hall boasts a few hives in their rooftop garden!

The honey making is just one aspect of the home-grown style of food preparation at the Marriott. Chef Banas says that 95% of all food served is made on site, from the cured bacon to the fresh pastas. That being said, the next time I’m there, I’m going straight for the beer.

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Capitlize on World Cup Madness

Posted on June 30th, 2010 by Adam Marks

We may not be carrying vuvuzelas everywhere we go, but Chicagoans are caught up in soccer more than ever before thanks to this year’s exciting World Cup Games.

It’s what your clients are talking about, and possibly even what you are watching and discussing on your own time. So why not translate this interest into some hometown spirit?

The Chicago Fire is our local Major League Soccer affiliate, and they make their home at Toyota Park, just past Midway from downtown. Encourage tourists and other clients to see live soccer and support our great team!

The season starts in late March and runs through October with games every week. Check them out, if only so you can yell GOOOOAAAALLLLLLLLL at the top of your lungs without getting laughed at.

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