Hotel industry executives discuss post-Covid challenges | FRANCE 24 - Karin Sheppard

Article by France24 September 30, 2021

Interview conducted during the Global Lodging Forum 2021, on September 28, 2021 at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/people-profit/20210930-staying-power-hotel-industry-executives-discuss-post-covid-challenges

Although travel has slumped over the past year and a half due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many tourist destinations in Europe had a better summer season than expected. Karin Sheppard, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Europe at IHG, the hotel group that includes brands like the Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn. She tells us how her summer season compared to 2020 and pre-pandemic years.

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Europeans remain upbeat about travel despite Delta

Article by European Travel Commission - September 23, 2021

Rising COVID-19 cases and the Delta variant might have been affecting Europe lately but travel sentiment among Europeans has remained high over the summer.

Almost 70% of Europeans surveyed stated they have plans to travel between July 2021 and January 2022, while significantly fewer expressed unwillingness (17%) or uncertainty (15%) about travelling in the short-term. This is according to the latest research on “Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel – Wave 8” [1] by the European Travel Commission (ETC), which provides timely insights on Europeans’ [2] travel intentions and preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccine shows the way to steady tourism recovery

The COVID-19 vaccine remains an essential prerequisite for traveller confidence and booking behaviour. Recent vaccination rollouts allowed more than half (54%) of Europeans to feel much more optimistic regarding trip planning within the next months, with only 21% expressing scepticism.

Furthermore, 1 in 2 Europeans plan to book a trip as soon as they are vaccinated. At the same time, more than half (57%) of the respondents expect the EU Digital COVID Certificate to facilitate planning their next trip and crossing borders, while only 18% doubt that it will ease and simplify their travel experience.

• Almost 70% of all surveyed Europeans plan to travel by the end of January 2022.

• Of those with short-term travel plans, over half favour visiting another European country and 35% plan to travel domestically.

• An increasing share of Europeans sticks to their original travel plans but concerns over rising COVID-19 cases at destinations have intensified by 20%.

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U.S. Market Recovery - May 2021

Article by STR May 06, 2021

For a third week, U.S. hotel occupancy remained just above 57% and 54% on a total-room-inventory basis (TRI), which accounts for temporarily closed hotels. Room demand fell slightly with the weekly level staying above 21 million for a seventh consecutive week. A closer look revealed that room demand dropped during the weekdays and increased over the weekend. Weekend occupancy advanced week over week to 71%, with room demand up 1.1%. Notably, Saturday’s room demand was the highest recorded since 15 February 2020 with occupancy at 73% (69% TRI).

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