Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Knowland: Group travel is happening

Most is related to corporate meetings

GROUP TRAVEL IS coming back, mostly corporate related, according to Knowland. This could be good news as the summer vacation season is, so far, ending on a down note leading into Labor Day.

Knowland tracks group market performance by segment on a weekly basis. For the week of Aug. 24, this was the breakdown of group travel in the U.S.:


  • Corporate: 65.2 percent
  • SMERF (Social, Military, Education, Religious and Fraternal events): 13.3 percent
  • Association: 9 percent
  • Wedding: 7.9 percent
  • Government: 4.6 percent

“The important take away is that there are meetings happening now and over 65 percent are corporate events today – as compared to 50 percent in 2019,” Knowland said in a statement. “The meetings we are seeing today are relationship-based, repeatable meetings that hotels should be competing for today. Group is returning, and while it may look different, there is business to be had.

Knowland, which also offers a recovery dashboard for hotels, will provide the meetings data weekly.

U.S. hotel occupancy ended at 48.2 percent for the week ending Aug. 29, a 27.7 percent fall from last year and down from 48.8 percent the week before, according to STR. STR experts and others in the industry have expressed concern about whether there will be enough corporate group business to pick up the slack when tourist travel drops after Labor Day.

“That is all before Labor Day. We’re very, very curious to see what happens once Labor Day comes and goes and people stay a little bit closer to home,” said Jan Freitag, STR’s senior vice president of lodging insights, in a video deep dive of the data for the week.

More for you

Colliers: US hotel assets improve in 2025, led by Northeast and Central regions

Report: Hospitality health up on travel, events

What are the key findings from Colliers’ 2025 Hospitality Outlook?

THE FINANCIAL HEALTH of hospitality assets, especially in the northeast and central regions, is improving, driven by leisure travel and the return of conferences and events, according to Colliers. U.S. hotels saw RevPAR rise 2.4 percent, ADR 1.9 percent and a slight uptick in occupancy from April 2024 to March 2025.

Colliers' 2025 Hospitality Outlook report found that some regions are still returning to pre-pandemic demand levels, while others are reaching prior cyclical peaks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Extended Stay America survey 2025

Study: Extended-stay hotels feel more like home

What makes extended-stay hotels better than vacation rentals?

EXTENDED-STAY HOTELS OUTPERFORM vacation rentals and apartments in comfort, value and sense of home, according to a survey by Extended Stay America. About 79 percent of respondents said extended-stay hotels are like a home away from home, while 82 percent said they offer a stronger sense of home than vacation rentals or apartments.

In the national survey by ESA and Wakefield Research, respondents preferred extended-stay hotels over other options, citing amenities at 34 percent, comfort and familiarity at 33 percent and personalization at 30 percent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Analyze competitive set data to boost revenue in the USA hospitality market

HotStats: Updated comp sets boost revenue

Why U.S. Hotels Must Regularly Update Their Competitive Sets

HOTELS SHOULD USE an updated competitive set to maximize revenue, control costs and maintain market position, according to HotStats. Those that fine-tune their comp sets consistently outperform others by using real-time insights to guide pricing, labor and revenue strategies.

The comp set should be reviewed at least once a year, HotStats wrote in a recent blog post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Two best friends reunite on a Days Inn trip for social media ambassador campaign

Days Inn launches $10K bestie contest

How Can You Win $10K with Days Inn’s Best Friends Contest?

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS’ Days Inn brand is launching a nationwide search to reunite five pairs of long-distance friends as brand ambassadors. The pairs, named “Days Inn-siders,” will spend a weekend highlighting a destination on the brand’s social media and receive $10,000, accommodations, flights and a daily stipend.

The initiative aligns with National Best Friends Day on June 8, and applications are open online through July 1, Wyndham said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ameyalli Park City by Appellation resort

Appellation, Chopra launch Utah retreat

Introducing Ameyalli Park City by Appellation

APPELLATION HOTEL BRAND co-founders Charlie Palmer and Christopher Hunsberger are working with wellness expert Deepak Chopra to launch a new branded hospitality concept, “Ameyalli Park City by Appellation”, near Park City, Utah. The 78-acre retreat, set to open in 2026 in Midway, will include an 80-key hotel, a wellbeing center and multiple dining venues.

The resort will feature the Ameyalli Center of Excellence, offering health and longevity programming based on Chopra’s seven pillars of wellbeing: emotional regulation, sleep, mindfulness, movement, relationships, nutrition and laughter. Appellation will operate the property.

Keep ReadingShow less