A medical clinic and surgery center that once served Ybor City's Cuban community has taken on a new life as a gay-oriented hotel and men's club. The Ybor Resort & Spa opened last month on Eighth Avenue in the heart of the GaYbor District. Owners Vince Pawlowski and Fred Schwartz wanted to create a place where people visiting bars, restaurants and other gay businesses could stay for a weekend, a night or even a few hours.

At the tranquil Four Seasons Resort Aviara north of San Diego, a heated struggle for control of the deluxe hotel's future is playing out in a rare public spat. The increasingly nasty tussle at the Carlsbad resort is indicative of tensions throughout the higher end of the hotel industry, as travelers cut way back on spendingAt issue is the very definition of luxury. The real estate investors who own the hotel say Four Seasons, which manages the property, is spending too much money keeping up appearances. They want to eject the fancy hotelier and bring in an operator they control.

Global Hyatt Corporation today announced that the company has changed its name to Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Hyatt Hotels Corporation is the parent entity of companies that own, operate, manage and franchise hotel, resort, residential and vacation ownership properties under the brand names Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz™, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt Summerfield Suites™ and Hyatt Vacation Club®.

Even in the midst of Japan's deepest economic recession since World War II, the country's love hotel industry is thriving. "I'd hate to use the term "recession-proof," but it's certainly proven very resilient over the last six to nine months," said Steve Mansfield, CEO of New Perspectives, which operates six love, or "leisure," hotels in Japan. One of them, the Bonita Hotel in Isawa, boasts a 257 percent occupancy rate. Rooms can be rented for three to 24 hours. Mansfield's company estimates the industry in Japan pulls in $40 billion a year in revenue.

Whatever we do, whatever we plan, it’s always better to have a goal and set cornerstones to achieve it. Creating a sustainable development road map is essential to any business that’s serious about implementing such a strategy. It helps keep us on track and obliges us to strive to achieve and remain focused on the ultimate goals. A roadmap truly leads to operational commitment and culture change. It’s also a strong indicator of the company’s pledge to its strategy and helps negate any accusations of greenwashing. Some might wonder if it’s too difficult to design a road map, or if it’s too great of a pressure on their business. A roadmap helps put ideas together in a logical sequence. By defining goals for the future, it shows that even if results aren’t impressive, the achievements will be substantial eventually.

The U.S. hotel industry posted declines in all three key performance measurements during the week of 21-27 June 2009, according to data from STR. In year-over-year measurements, the industry’s occupancy fell 8.7 percent to end the week at 65.4 percent. Average daily rate dropped 9.5 percent to finish the week at US$97.49. Revenue per available room for the week decreased 17.4 percent to finish at US$63.74.

Expedia.com(R), the world's leading online travel site, today released the summer issue of the Expedia Travel Trendwatch(R). This issue of the Trendwatch(R) illustrates how industry dynamics have produced an abundance of values for travelers this summer in destinations around the globe - and how some consumer behaviors are shifting in order to take advantage of these opportunities.

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announces the Park Inn Ulysse Resort & Thalasso, Djerba – the first Park Inn in Tunisia and Rezidor’s 25th property on the African continent. The hotel featuring 259 rooms is scheduled to open its doors in November 2009.

Starwood Capital Group Global L.P. "(STARWOOD") is pleased to announce the signature of a binding agreement for an affiliate to purchase Golden Tulip Hospitality BV’s Franchise business, its Development & Representation businesses, Joint Venture interests, and the brands, trademarks and intellectual property of Golden Tulip, Tulip Inn and its related brands. This binding agreement is subject to certain formalities being completed and is expected to result in a full closing of the transaction by July 27 2009.

When it comes to creating positive first impressions, the job of front desk associate is arguably the most important of any hotel staffer. For guests booking online or via third parties, the front desk literally is their first impression. Even for those who have spoken with the reservations team by phone prior to arrival, their front desk arrival experience will set the tone for their entire stay. Guests who have a positive experience at check-in are certain to be more understanding later, if/when they have objections or complaints later during their stay. In other words if they have a good experience at the front desk, they will be much more forgiving later when a room service tray is delivered late, when the air conditioning breaks, or when a housekeeping request is overlooked.