Australian travel market

I found a couple of articles about the state of the Australian travel market this morning. Hopefully the first one is on the money and relief is indeed on the way for Australian hotels.

Click on the titles below to read the full stories.

It's been hard for hotels, but relief is on the way

Carolyn Cummins
July 18, 2009

IT'S been a tough 18 months for the hotel sector with sharp declines in tourism, but the latest figures for the March quarter show businesses have weathered the decline.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the accommodation sector continued to perform steadily, even though hotel occupancy levels eased.

Michael Thomson, the national director for hotels and leisure at Colliers International, said the best performing markets were Perth and Canberra, which showed strong room rate and growth in revenue per available rooms. He said most Australian cities experienced moderate room rate growth in the 12 months to March this year. While the Sydney hotel market was comparatively weak with lower room rates and declining occupancy, the Melbourne market remained resilient with slight improvements in average room rates in a period of weakening demand.

'In the first quarter of 2009, the deterioration in the global economy translated into cutbacks and fewer bookings in the corporate and leisure markets, and this was felt across most accommodation markets,' Mr Thomson said.


Business travellers benefit from bargains

Airfare wars and room-rate promotions are usually aimed at recreational travellers, but airlines and hotels are using similar tactics to entice their traditional cash cow - the business traveller.

Corporate travellers, who pay more to sit in the front cabins of planes or book close to the date of travel, are flying coach more often, or not travelling at all during the recession.

Employers are booking fewer banquet halls and blocks of rooms, leaving many hotels pining for the sizeable and reliable revenue that business meetings used to generate.

Having a Travel Problem? Share It on Twitter

"Social networking" has been the buzz phrase in marketing circles over the last few years. First there was MySpace, then FaceBook and more recently Twitter. I stood my ground for a while refusing to join the crowd but eventually relented and signed up to Facebook. I do spend a bit of time on there, but I have drawn the line and am not getting involved with Twitter.

Saying that tho, I came across an interesting article (excerpt below) about Twitter in an industry newsletter. Its interesting to see how these social networks are being used in the travel industry and it seems that there is some benefit for travellers. Click on the title below to read the full story.

Practical Traveler - Having a Travel Problem? Share It on Twitter - NYTimes.com

As hotels, airlines and other travel companies line up on Twitter to promote their brands, customers who voice their grievances in the form of tweets are getting surprisingly fast responses for everything from bad airplane seats to poor room service.

Take Tony Wagner, 34, a new-media director for an academic group in Washington. When he found out he wasn’t seated next to his wife and 2-year-old daughter on a JetBlue flight to San Francisco over the Memorial Day weekend, he first called up customer service. But the agent told him to take it up at the gate. So Mr. Wagner indirectly sent JetBlue a message, by posting a plea for help on his Twitter account: “@jetblue Advice to get both parents and 2 yr old seated next to each other on flight later today? Right now only one parent. Full flight.”

Exactly 19 minutes later, JetBlue tweeted back, suggesting they correspond privately, using Twitter’s “direct message” feature: “@tonywagner Please follow us so we may DM!” After a brief exchange, JetBlue flagged his tickets as a priority concern.

8th birthday

Yesterday, Capital Reservations officially turned 8 years old!

During these tough economic times, there was no champagne, no cake, no celebrating until the corporate accommodation market starts to pick up again.

We celebrated 5 years in style and enjoyed a slightly less formal 7th birthday last year, so going on that record we should celebrate again next year.

In the meantime, my sincere thanks to all of the staff I've had over the years, thank you to all our customers, supporters and suppliers. Your support is truly appreciated.

Emporium Hotel - Executive Stays Package

In these tough economic times, there's nothing more frustrating to me than hotels that don't adjust their rates or packages accordingly (State of Origin anyone?). That's why I was SO pleased to see this latest package from the Emporium Hotel in Brisbane.

24 hour free broadband internet AND a light breakfast for just $15 ... fantastic value!

Here are the details of the package:

Brisbane: Emporium Hotel announces Executive Stays Package for the Corporate Traveller

Brisbane’s stylish and multi-award winning Emporium Hotel has announced a custom-designed package created specifically for the corporate traveller – introducing Executive Stays.

The Executive Stays Package has been specifically designed for the corporate traveller, and includes luxury accommodation in a King Suite, free 24hr broadband access, an Executive Continental Breakfast enjoyed either in the comfort of the suite or packaged up to takeaway on the run, and a complimentary morning newspaper.

General Manager of the Emporium Hotel, Mr Peter Savoff said the needs of corporate travellers were always changing. “Today with tighter budgets, the corporate traveller has to fit even more into what is an already packed meetings schedule. Because of this we have tailored a package which includes exactly what they need – 24 hour internet access, breakfast packaged up on the go if required, newspapers and of course the King Suite so they can rest easily,” he said.

“In addition to the Executive Stays package, guests also receive the very best the Emporium Hotel has to offer – exceptional concierge services, gym and pool facilities, meeting facilities and much more. As a corporate traveller myself, I understand what guests expect, and this is why we have created this package.”

The Executive Stay package is only an additional $15 on a King Suite rate and is available from Sunday to Thursday nights inclusive, valid through until September 30, 2009. It is subject to availability and conditions apply.

State of Origin accommodation

With just two weeks to go until State of Origin 3 in Brisbane (July 15), I thought I'd give you a quick update on accommodation for that night.

A number of the hotels require pre-payment or have a 7 day cancellation policy in place.

Starting at the top, almost all of the 5 star hotels have availability still, prices start from around $400 for the night of the 15th.

The 4 and 4.5 star hotels, some have availability some are sold out already. The best value accommodation now starts at $350 but is within walking distance of Suncorp Stadium.

There are a number of apartments still available. Of course, the longer you stay the cheaper the per night rate becomes. Based on a two night stay, the night of the State of Origin would be just under $350 and the other night would be under $200.

Even 3.5 star hotels in the CBD are almost $300 and the only one we'd use has a two night stay in place.

If you need State of Origin accommodation in Brisbane, e-mail or call us and we'll let you know what the best available option is.

Michael Jackson's funeral and grave major travel destinations

I came across this article in an industry newsletter and its an interesting (travel-related) thought regarding the passing of Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson's funeral and grave major travel destinations

Macabre though it may seem to talk about it, tourism officials in California are looking at one of the biggest possible potential boosts to the State’s tourism, with millions already travelling to Los Angeles filling hotels and planes while doing so, to pay their respects to Michael Jackson,.

According to examiner.com in the USA, celebrity funerals and graves have always attracted legions of fans who travel from all parts of the globe, with Rudolph Valentino the first, but hardly the last and once the funeral is over, the pilgrimages reallybegin.

Tourists will travel thousands of miles to visit the gravesite of their favourite celebrity, for example, Elvis Presley's grave at Graceland is the biggest example, drawing tens of thousands of fans annually.

Jim Morrison's grave in Paris and Princess Diana's final resting place in Althorp, England, are also other examples of how popular celebrities can be even in death and how far tourists are willing to travel to pay homage.

The gravesite of Michael Jackson, who died suddenly last week at 50, will undoubtedly be the next great destination for celebrity worshipers who have the time and money for a long-distance cemetery trip and while Jackson's funeral plans have not yet been announced he is likely to be buried in California.

So, while some people might consider celebrity grave visits to be a bid macabre, it's actually an intriguing niche in the travel world, with a number of groups around the world specialising in locating and publicising celebrity graves, or arranging visits, with these groups stressing respectfulness, encouraging fans to say goodbye to a favourite star with dignity and a sense of peacefulness.

If you can't actually travel to a celebrity grave, there are Web sites that post photos and provide precise details about noteworthy graves – check some of these out:
http://www.hollywoodusa.co.uk/celebrity-graves.htm
http://www.findagrave.com/
http://www.gravehunter.net/

Sofitel "$100 reasons why" special

While reading one of the industry newsletters I get each day I came across the following package announcement from Sofitel. For the quality 5 star hotels that Sofitel are, its a great deal!

Do you think the hotels are a little quieter than normal?

Special offer - $100 reasons why packages with Sofitel Australia

Proving that luxury can still represent great value, Sofitel Luxury Hotels is now offering travellers 100 good reasons to stay at a Sofitel hotel or resort in Australia this winter.

Guests who book to stay on this package at one of Sofitel’s five great destinations in Australia until 31 August 2009 will receive a $100 hotel credit each night of their stay, which can be used within the hotel for a wide range of dining options and services.

Sofitel rates start from just $250 per night* (inclusive of the daily credit).

Sofitel Luxury Hotels offer five brilliant destinations along the east coast of Australia: Sofitel Brisbane Central, Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, Sofitel Melbourne On Collins and the majestic Sofitel Werribee Park Mansion Hotel & Spa just 25 minutes from the heart of the Melbourne CBD.