Considering the state of travel industry and changing travel patterns, is not a surprise to anyone that 2008 is optimistically predicted to be relatively flat. In some markets hotel general managers say they are being asked by corporate headquarters to lower their already budgeted occupancy levels. As the economy dips, hotels and others within the hospitality industry are again turning their attention to what may be this year's shining star, the gay and lesbian traveler. They are loyal, resilient and as a group, they have more discretionary income when compared to other groups, almost $800 billion. More, historically, they continue to travel even in tough economic times, even after 9/11. READ MORE

The gay and lesbian market is one market that hotels and other tourism-based companies have for too long overlooked, or simply chose to ignore. But can the industry continue to ignore this market? Can you? The simple answer, in my opinion, is no. And why would you want to? Most hoteliers understand the importance of diversifying their markets, but many aren't completely sold on the gay and lesbian market. I've identified three main reasons for why you and your hotel should choose to target this market. READ MORE

Last month I talked about the emerging gay and lesbian travel market, and why it's a market worth targeting. So now that you're convinced this is a market your property wants to enter, the question now is "How do you do it?" Deciding to enter the market is a big step, and making sure you do it right is critical. But don't worry, you don't have to go it alone; at the end of this article is a short list and description of some of the key organizations that can assist you in getting started within the gay travel market. These groups and businesses are great resources as you begin to reach out to this market. There are three main areas to consider when reaching the gay and lesbian travel market: Promotions, Relations, and Community Involvement. READ MORE

By now, since reading my last article, you've already started to take the first step in the product development phase: providing diversity training to your staff. With this training, you have the basics you need to offer the gay and lesbian traveller an experience where they can feel comfortable and the service they receive meets their expectations. But how do you build on that? How do you enhance that to really make your property appeal to, and capture, the market? Product development and packaging is where you get to be creative and have fun. Through the development of new products that are created specifically for the gay and lesbian market, you can provide them with the tailored experience that they are looking for. You might be thinking to yourself that you don't have any "gay" product to work with; that you have nothing that would be appealing for a gay and lesbian package. Where do you look? READ MORE

At the recent Americas Lodging Investment Summit conference there was quite a bit of good news - the industry has just finished up the year with record profits for 2006! Transition dollar volume is also at all time high and 2007 is expected to be another record year for RevPAR growth, industry profits and transactions. There was also some not so good news - supply growth is escalating; the rate of RevPAR growth is decelerating and there has been a significant decline in international business (as a percentage of total demand). Additionally, many hotels are facing increased expenses and human resource challenges. And there are also many areas of uncertainty. What does this all mean in terms of where we at in the investment cycle? And where do we go from here? READ MORE