While the industry awaits the return of corporate and international travel, which is expected to return in the fall, hotel general managers see a growing transient business and signs of a recovery.
As part of an ongoing series, Hotel News Now asked general managers when they would feel their hotel and teams have fully reached the ramp-up period given fluctuation in demand seen over the past year.
In an interview for an article that published on July 13, Dream Hollywood general manager Vaughn Davis said his hotel is "already on the mend" and has leads flowing in.
"We actually had to hire a director of group and entertainment to come and help with the requests we are receiving. We are seeing groups already, [albeit] smaller than we're used to," he said.
Los Angeles, where the Dream Hollywood is located, will host the Super Bowl in 2022. Davis said that event will "be a major indicator to how the market has rebounded."
"Another major indicator, too, is the borders reopening, once we see a resurgence of international travel," he said.
The leisure guest has been back, so it is the return of corporate travel that will signal the bounce-back of the industry, said Tristan Haas, general manager of the Kimpton Sylvan Hotel in Atlanta, in an interview for an article published on May 24.
"Social events and social travel are full steam ahead. When companies start having their employees travel for business again, we will then reach the ramp-up period," he said.
At the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk and San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, dual general manager Loris Menfi said demand was improving at both properties and cancellations were "easing tremendously" in an interview for an article that published on April 26.
Transient demand is improving the fastest, and group demand is coming from smaller groups booking meetings in the near term, she said.
Menfi added that the San Antonio area benefited from good spring break demand.
"You couldn't even tell we were in a pandemic because of the amount of hustle and bustle and occupancy we saw throughout," she said.