News Links from July 21, 2011

Group Business Up at U.S. Hotels in Q1
First-quarter group business at U.S. hotels has been stronger than expected, according to data just released from Smith Travel Research.  Read the entire article HERE.

The Power of Religious Meetings
Tough Economic times have put a damper on faith-based meetings, but the Religious Conference Management Association’s member survey shows that in 2010 religious conferences continued to be a strong component of the U.S. meetings industry.  Learn more HERE.

Increase direct hotel bookings with social media
For many hotels, the profitability of direct website sales justify investment in website optimization. Fortunately, this process does not have to be difficult or expensive. It simply requires an understanding of recent changes to search engine algorithms and consumer behavior that guide current best practices.  Read the article in its entirety HERE.

New Links from January 19, 2010

Haiti Relief Flows from Meetings & Hospitality Industries
The hospitality industry is reaching out to help the people of Haiti in the wake of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck 10 miles outside of Port-au-Prince on January 12.  Read more here.

Starwood Amends Suit to Implicate Top Hilton Executives
Starwood Hotels & Resorts on Thursday filed an amended version of its complaint of corporate espionage against Hilton Worldwide, claiming that the use of its confidential information “was known to literally dozens of executives within the Hilton organization,” including at least five members of Hilton’s executive committee, all the way up to CEO Christopher Nassetta.  Read more here.

Meetings International Joins Up With HPN
Hospitality Performance Network and Meetings International, the soon-to-be former international licensee of site selection firm HelmsBriscoe, late last month announced a joint venture that will launch on March 1.  Read more here.

Stay tuned for more later this week!