Editor's Note: Some linked articles may be behind subscription paywalls.
1. US, Japan Prepare To Reopen to International Travelers
As the U.S. ban on inbound international travel is set to lift on Monday, a Wall Street Journal video report lays out what travelers need to know about the new rules, including requirements that foreign nationals traveling by air must show a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days in addition to proof of vaccination. Those crossing the U.S.'s land borders do not need to take a test, just show proof of vaccination. There are also limited exceptions to the rules, including for travelers under the age of 18 and those with medical exemptions.
Meanwhile, Japan's government has also announced that it will begin to allow inbound international travel from vaccinated short-term business travelers and laborers, aligning closer with U.S. and European policy than that of its neighbor China, the Wall Street Journal reports.
"Since last year, Tokyo has barred most business people from making routine trips into the country and refused entry to tens of thousands of students and foreign workers who were otherwise eligible for residence in Japan. The government said those restrictions will be lifted Monday," the Journal reports.
There are still limitations on that travel. In addition to requiring travelers to be vaccinated, Japan has imposed a restriction on the number of international arrivals each day, and requires short-term visitors to have "a host organization such as a company or school that takes responsibility for managing their stay and submits an activity plan to authorities," the Journal reports.
2. US Employment Beats Expectations
The latest jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that companies hired 531,000 workers in October in "a sign that employers are feeling more optimistic as the latest coronavirus surge eases," the New York Times reports.
The U.S. unemployment rate declined from 4.8% to 4.6% as the number of jobs added beat expectations of 450,000 for the month. It also was a stark improvement from September, when the U.S. economy added 312,000 jobs.
3. Hotel REIT Executives Encouraged by Pace of Business Travel Bookings
Reporting third quarter earnings, executives at hotel real estate investment trusts Park Hotels & Resorts and Host Hotels & Resorts expressed optimism in the rebound of business and group travel in the U.S.
Demonstrative of that optimism is Park's reopening of its New York Hilton Midtown hotel, reports HNN's Robert McCune. The hotel is exceeding performance expectations after an 18-month shutdown.
Park CEO Thomas Baltimore Jr. said said "great cities of the world" such as New York City, San Francisco and Chicago are coming back from the pandemic, and anyone betting against them "is making an unwise bet."
Host's third quarter performance highlights included a 49% increase in business transient hotel room nights and a 72% increase in group bookings over the second quarter, HNN's Dana Miller reports.
Host Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Sourav Ghosh said the company's third quarter performance was buoyed by increased business from its top 10 corporate accounts, including Fortune 500, financial, government and consulting companies.
Click here for more Hotel News Now coverage of third quarter performance by hotel companies.
4. US Companies Face Jan. 4 Deadline on Vaccine Mandate
A U.S. federal mandate will go into effect on Jan. 4 for companies with more than 100 employees to require vaccinations or perform regular testing, the Washington Post reports.
"Companies that don't comply with the mandate, which preempts any state legislation that contradicts with it, face $13,000 fines per violation, or $136,000 per willful violation, potentially adding hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in fines for companies that are found to be well outside of the rules," the Post reports.
5. Australia Hotel Occupancy Rebounds as Lockdowns Lift
Since lengthy lockdowns in the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne lifted in October, hotel occupancy in the country has rebounded from a low of 25.9% in August to better than 50%, according to data from CoStar hospitality analytics firm STR.
Lockdown restrictions in Sydney, the New South Wales state capital, began lifting on Oct. 11 after 107 days of restrictions aimed at combating the COVID-19 delta variant. Melbourne, which began lifting restrictions on Oct. 22, is the world's most locked-down city, having spent a cumulative 262 days under stay-at-home orders since March 2020.
Contributor Tamara Thiessen reported for HNN that confidence in the Australia hotel industry's recovery hinges on the easing of lockdown restrictions as well as the reopening of the country's borders to international travelers.
STR's data shows that Australia hotel occupancy reached as high as 51.1% on Oct. 30. The market with the highest reported occupancy was Victoria at 56.9%, a market that only six days prior had filled only 22.6% of its hotel rooms. Sydney hotel occupancy improved from below 20% in early October to 37% on the final Saturday of the month, while Melbourne occupancy climbed from the mid-20% range to 33.5%.