The Refinishing Touch Blog

This Fourth of July, 37.1 million Americans are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home. In the wake of hard financial times, even luxury hotels are putting their best foot forward with a mixture of extraordinary discounts and some really innovative online campaigns to broaden communications with potential customers.

With the typical U.S. hotel's net operating income expected to fall 37.8% in 2009 and a predicted further decline of 9.2% in 2010, it's no surprise that hotels are turning to online marketing, social media and new web initiatives to boost awareness of their deals. Competition is rife. Services are becoming more tailored at the point of booking from what will be stocked in the mini-bar, through to delivery time of breakfast.

Hotels are still being built, although at a sporadic rate. An estimated 48,000 fewer hotel rooms will be built this year, a 23% drop from last year, according to Smith Travel Research.

In the interim – it's a time of opportunity: for hotels to innovate at every level – from room design, services and how they market, and for consumers to support the industry and our own economy by trying out some of the best hotels in the world.

From all of us here at The Refinishing Touch, we would like to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July weekend!

Labels: Financial Crisis, Hospitality, hotel, July 4th 2009