“Gulf Shores, Orange Beach lodging taxes, occupancy rates down due to BP oil spill” plus 3 more |
- Gulf Shores, Orange Beach lodging taxes, occupancy rates down due to BP oil spill
- Hotels.com Guest Reviews Reveal Increase in Airport Hotel Popularity
- Room tax debt builds for several area hotels
- Oil Show hotels in demand
| Gulf Shores, Orange Beach lodging taxes, occupancy rates down due to BP oil spill Posted: 04 Sep 2010 10:18 PM PDT GULF SHORES, Ala., — The Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau released tourism figures today for the first portion of a challenging 2010 summer season, which show a decline not as high as once estimated for the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area. Taxable lodging rentals for May 2010 reached more than $20 million, a 7.3 percent decrease from $22 million collected in May 2009. Meanwhile, taxable retail sales topped $51 million for May 2010, which is a 4.3 percent decrease from $53 million for May 2009. "In May, our beaches and the public's perception were both in a completely different state," said Herb Malone, president/CEO of the AGCCVB. While June taxes are being processed, hotel and condominium occupancy rates for the month allude to a 20 to 30 percent decrease. Hotels were filled more than 60 percent while condominiums were about 44 percent full. These rates show a decrease of 22.7 percent and 38.4 percent, respectively, when compared to June 2009. July numbers should be available in August. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Hotels.com Guest Reviews Reveal Increase in Airport Hotel Popularity Posted: 04 Sep 2010 12:01 AM PDT Hotels.com is reporting that staying at airport hotels has gone from bleak to chic, according to guest reviews which show an increase in approval ratings for airport hotels. Dallas, TX (PRWEB) September 4, 2010 -- Hotels.com has revealed an increase in approval ratings for airport hotels. According to guest reviews collated by the accommodation provider, staying at an airport has gone from bleak to chic with the introduction of luxe amenities and convenient time and money saving services that rival more expensive city-centered hotels. It's a fact that airport hotels have always given travelers the ease and convenience of being as close as possible to their gate the night before a trip, and are also known as a place to crash in between bad weather and "technical difficulties". Hotels.com's guest reviews show airport hotels have surprisingly exceeded expectations and have made travelers reconsider staying at airport hotels. "Travellers today are highly influenced by the opinions of others," commented Hotels.com Director of Public Relations, Taylor L. Cole, APR. "Many of our 1 million guest reviews are showing an increase in the approval rating for airport hotels which indicates that more often airport hotels are meeting and exceeding the needs of busy business and leisure travelers who expect savings, amenities and the convenience of an airport location." Staying at the airport costs on average 42 per cent* less than staying at a centrally-located downtown property. Business travelers looking to save money during these difficult economic times can trim costs by utilizing airport accommodations versus more expensive downtown hotels. Many airport hotels aim to save money for the business traveler as well as the leisure traveler by offering complimentary Wi-Fi and hot breakfast. Additionally, many airport hotels are conveniently located within major cities, with easy access via subway, bus, shuttle or light-rail. For instance, Boston's Logan International Airport is a short ride to the world-famous Faneuil Hall Marketplace shopping and entertainment district. Many hotels in this area average $250-$400 per night. With rates as low as $119, the AAA Four Diamond Hilton Boston Logan Airport boasts its own skywalk that links guests to the airports terminals where Boston's public transportation can be accessed. Hilton Boston Logan Airport's Cafe Presto prepares travel-ready meals and is conveniently located in the lobby for guests in a hurry and in need of something on the go. A Hotels.com guest reviewer said: "Great place to stay, easy access to transportation. We were able to either take the shuttle or walk across the skywalk to the airport where we could hop on the Silver Line and then connect to whatever train line we wanted." Hotels.com makes it easy for travellers to choose an airport hotel. Customers can visit the Hotels.com homepage and use the 'Where are you going?' box to search by city/destination or airport code. Users can then add travel dates, the number of rooms required, view pictures of hotels and read guest reviews from real travellers. Notes to Editors: About Hotels.com For further information, please contact: ### Hotels.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Room tax debt builds for several area hotels Posted: 04 Sep 2010 02:12 AM PDT Several Green Bay-area hotels are collectively behind more than $100,000 in paying local governments the room tax they collect from guests, and there's not much that can be done about it. In the city of Green Bay, two hotels are behind about nine months in paying about $81,000 of the room tax they collect on each night's stay. One hotel in Ashwaubenon has been delinquent since the end of June, and consistently failed to pay the $11,000 it owes each month for much of the previous year. State law prohibits municipalities from publishing the names of delinquent taxpayers in the interest of confidentiality. Hotels in Green Bay and Ashwaubenon make up the bulk of the industry in the county. Delinquent hotel tax payments are not uncommon in the area. Some hotels may hold onto the money for a month, though officials couldn't speculate why. At least six or seven of Ashwaubenon's 19 hotels are behind one or two months out of the year, said Greg Wenholz, finance director for the village of Ashwaubenon. "It's frustrating because you try to get your arms around it and then one hotel may pay up. Then they're OK, but next month someone else falls behind," Wenholz said. "So you're probably chasing down one or two a month." In Brown County, hotels charge their guests an 8 percent room tax. In 2009, the tax stream generated about $3.4 million. Most of that revenue goes toward bond payments for the KI Convention Center in downtown Green Bay and the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, with a small percentage going to municipalities in the county. Failure to collect a large portion of the taxes could prevent the county from keeping up with its payments on those facilities. "It's certainly something municipalities need to be on top of because we don't want to be in a situation where we can't pay," said Brad Toll, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The consumer gives them the money, and they're supposed to give it to the municipality. It's just passing through them. They shouldn't be behind." (2 of 2) Municipalities have few options to collect on overdue hotel taxes other than issuing strongly worded letters, charging interest on the past due amount or assessing a small fine. Their strongest course of action can occur when it comes time for the hotel's liquor license renewal. While withholding a license can be used as leverage to collect overdue taxes, it only applies to establishments that sell alcohol. And that tactic doesn't always work. "It's kind of a double-edged sword," said Dawn Foeller, finance director for the city of Green Bay. "If we hold their liquor license, they can't make money to pay us. So we're just staying on top of them and making them aware that they are late." The catalyst for the problem has been the slow economy, Foeller said. Occupancy has been down across the board, although there are some signs of improvement, which could be aided by a Packers postseason run. "Unfortunately they're using the cash in their checking account instead of paying their liability," Foeller said. "I'm sure it's, 'Do I keep the money to pay my front desk clerk or give it to the city?'" Toll said bureaus like his across the country have come across the problem, especially during tough times for hotels. "Typically when you're experiencing a rough year, and 2009 was a rough year, during those years is when we see this issue start to surface," he said. "I don't think we're alone." However, even those within the industry say that isn't an excuse. "As an association, this is something we obviously don't endorse," said Scott Dettman, president of the Greater Green Bay Area Lodging Association. "Paying taxes is a pretty black-and-white issue." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 04 Sep 2010 06:18 PM PDT If you're looking for a hotel room during the Permian Basin International Oil Show, you should be able to find one that's close, nice or cheap. Just don't expect to get all three of those in the same place. A check of online hotel booking sites last week showed a few hotels available in Odessa during the Oct. 19-21 oil show. They ranged in price from an average of $43 a night for four nights at the Motel 6, 200 E. Interstate 20 Service Road to $349 a night at the Marriott TownePlace Suites, 4412 Tanglewood Lane. "For the oil show, most of them are already full," said Linda Sweatt, Odessa Convention and Visitors Bureau director. "There's a few that have rooms available." This year, the oil show has about a quarter more rooms available in Odessa than it did two years ago. Sweatt said Odessa now has around 2,700 hotel rooms, compared to 2,000 for the 2008 oil show. Sweatt expects all five of the new hotels that have opened since the last oil show to be full. That includes a 100-room Hilton Garden Inn at 5221 N. JBS Parkway that is in preparations to open. Mark Wyant, owner of Dallas-based Seabrook Lodging Corp., which owns the property, said it is scheduled to open Sept. 14, pending the result of inspections with the city of Odessa and Hilton. "Our target is to be open as soon as possible," Wyant said. "Obviously, we want to be open for the oil show. We've got good, strong advance booking for it." In Midland, some rooms are still available, though, like in Odessa, rooms at the newer hotels will cost you. A night at the Days Inn Midland costs $50 a night during the oil show, but the La Quinta, located a couple blocks down West Wall Street, runs $179 a night. Meanwhile, the Sleep Inn & Suites and Residence Inn, recently opened hotels near the Scharbauer Sports Complex, have rooms costing $280 and $299 a night, respectively. Like Odessa, Midland's lodging options have expanded since the 2008 oil show. Christopher Havins, convention salesman for the Midland Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Tall City has added between 350 and 375 new hotel rooms in the past two years. He expects that to lessen some of the demand for rooms during the oil show. "People were staying as far out as Monahans and Andrews and Stanton and Big Spring," Havins said. "I'm expecting that to ease, but I expect a high demand for the rooms in Odessa and Midland and probably in the surrounding cities." The new hotels in Odessa and Midland have lessened demand for hotel rooms in farther-away area towns, said Andy Patel, general manager of the Best Western Monahans Inn & Suites. "We hope to see some business, because the oil show is busier than usual," he said. "Right now, people are not calling looking for the rooms." That's not stopping some from trying to get top dollar. The new Comfort Inn in Monahans is asking $340 a night during the oil show, while a room at the America's Best Value Inn there goes for $140. Prices start to level out in Pecos, an hour west of Odessa. The Oak Tree Inn there is charging $63 for a room, while the Hampton Inn costs $84 a night. While some of them come from within the area, around 50,000 people attend the oil show, organizers say. It has around 700 exhibitors. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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