Welcome to the August edition of Hotel Business! Wait, can that be right? Is it really August already?
This year is flying by way too fast. But look how far we’ve come in just the last eight months. I’ve traveled to several well-attended conferences, summer leisure travel has been booming across the country, and this issue of Hotel Business includes the annual brand chart and franchise fees list.
So what’s so special about this year’s lists? Well, in 2020, we didn’t publish this information for the first time since the early days of Hotel Business due to the pandemic. We heard from our brand partners that last year’s unparalleled challenge presented so much uncertainty that it simply wasn’t the right time to submit and publish numbers of hotels and rooms. We agreed. But we are excited to be able to present this important content, starting on page 20, to the industry once again this year. As a reminder to our readers, this list is based on a voluntary survey filled out by hotel brands and submitted to us.
Keeping with the hotel brand theme, our exclusive cover story dives into the exciting changes unfolding at Radisson. From bringing on Jim Alderman as CEO to the launching of Radisson Hotel Group Americas. Senior Editor Adam Perkowsky talks to leadership about the separation of the Americas from other parts of the business and what the exciting future holds for Radisson and its brands, including its new headquarters coming in January 2022. The feature begins on page 16.
Technology has been a hot topic in our industry for as long as I’ve been at Hotel Business. And while many would argue that our industry has historically been a little slow in coming to the tech table, there is no doubt that the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated its adoption and its importance to our industry.
Included in this issue is the annual Technology Solutions supplement. Written by Hotel Business advisory board member and IDeaS Chief Evangelist Klaus Kohlmayr, we offer you what he’s titled the “Top tech tools for your hotel’s recovery,” which highlights several of the need-to-know tech solutions out there.
Enjoy all of the other nuggets of information packed into this August issue. September will bring us together at The Lodging Conference in Phoenix and HITEC in Dallas. The Hotel Business team will be at both. We look forward to seeing you there and reporting on the continuing recovery of our great industry. On behalf of all of us here at Hotel Business, we appreciate your readership, partnership and friendship.
