Dallas, Texas -- Leo Spriggs, President/CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation, has announced that the newly renovated Astor Crowne Plaza in New Orleans has been added to HMC’s portfolio of managed properties.

LONDON -- IHG, the world's largest hotel company by number of rooms, is trialling a new on-line system called 'Green Engage*', which will help hotel general managers manage energy consumption more effectively. Early trials have shown potential energy savings of up to 25%. If fully adopted by all hotels across the 4,000 strong IHG portfolio, it is estimated that the savings for hotel owners could be as much as $200 million.

As a supplier for the hospitality industry for two decades, it has always been interesting to see how hotels and hotel companies react during times of economic downturn. This current downturn has been especially interesting to observe because for most hotels, it follows several years of record profits, which all seasoned veterans know can’t last forever. Even with the downturn many hotels will still produce respectable profits next year overall.

AUSTIN, TEXAS USA -- Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP®) Education Advisory Council has designed an education program for the Club and Hotel Controllers Conferences that address current hospitality controller issues. High on the list of important topics addressed is the status of the economy. The conferences are scheduled for March 16 – 17 at the Westin Tampa Harbour Island in Tampa, Fla. and June 23 – 24 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Registration and the full conference schedule are available online.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, and BERGEN, Norway -- SynXis, the Sabre Holdings business that provides complete hotel distribution and Internet marketing services globally, announced today that De Historiske - Historic Hotels and Restaurants of Norway has switched to SynXis' RedX Distribution Management System to help achieve its online revenue strategy and meet the increasing demand for e-commerce tools. The group will use the Guest Connect booking engine to merchandise its 37 unique and distinguished properties across Norway.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today reported fourth quarter 2008 financial results.

Hong Kong -- The Conrad Hong Kong has earned a place on Conde Nast Traveler’s Fifteenth Annual Gold List 2009 and Travel + Leisure’s 500 World’s Best Hotels 2009. The prestigious readers’ choice awards are regarded among the most objective in the industry, providing a comprehensive guide to the world’s finest properties.

(Coral Springs, Fla.) January 26, 2009 -- Members from Americas Best Value Inn, Lexington Collection and Vantage Hospitality Group's corporate team recently earned certifications from two top hospitality trade organizations -- the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI).

Bethesda, MD -- Every year since 1998, Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) has been named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, earning the company a place on the magazine’s “all star” list. Marriott was number two among companies with more than 100,000 employees, and was ranked 78th overall.

How did you get stuck shelling out $229 for your room when the guy next door paid $159? According to Bjorn Hanson, who teaches hospitality courses at NYU, hotel-room rates can vary wildly depending on where you look (the hotel’s website versus online discounters), when you book (six months ahead or the day before), and when you’re traveling (spring break or a Tuesday in the dead of winter). To come up with a price, hoteliers crunch a number of variables—industry trends, economic factors, special events—to forecast an occupancy rate for every day of the year. (New York hotels are looking at a rate in the high seventies this year, Hanson says, down from the 80-plus percent it’s been in recent years.) Hoteliers keep close track of the pace of booking, and will bump or lower rates to help them reach their desired occupancy. “If the booking pace is ahead of what’s forecast, hotels will switch to a higher rate,” he says. Online-booking sites may not fluctuate in tandem with hotels, in part because they often buy blocks of rooms at discounted rates and are able to sell them for less than the hotel charges. So how can you take advantage of the price swings?

Scot Campbell sounds more like an impresario than a chief information officer as he describes the high-tech hotel rooms being built by his company, MGM Mirage. We are in Las Vegas, and MGM is trying to bring the sparkle of a show on the Strip to its guest rooms. "As you put the key in the door, it knows this is the first time you have entered the room, and the room says - let's put on the show, folks," he says.

The downturn in the U.S. hotel industry is becoming so acute that it has thrust the sector into crisis, leaving vacancies at a 20-year high and putting many properties in danger of missing payments to lenders. In the wake of cutbacks by business and leisure travelers alike, U.S. hotels this month are expected to post their 15th consecutive month of declining occupancy, longer even than their 12-month losing streak after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario -- The Shaw Festival, the renowned Ontario Theatre located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, announced today that the company has posted a surplus of $222, 000 on its 2008 season. The announcement was made to enthusiastic response at The Shaw’s Annual General Meeting, held today in the Festival lobby.