

The U.S. hotel industry recorded positive results in the three key performance measurements during the week of November 16th through 22nd, according to data from STR. In year-over-year measurements, the industry's occupancy rose 5.5 percent to 60.7 percent. ADR increased 4.1 percent to finish the week at $112.52, and RevPAR for the week was up 9.8 percent to finish at $68.34. Among the top 25 markets, Anaheim/Santa Ana, California, recorded the largest occupancy increase, rising 15.3 percent to 72.9 percent, followed by Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia (up 12.8 percent to 46.4 percent), and Washington, D.C. (up 12.4 percent to 72.7 percent). ...

As unemployment levels nationwide drop, leisure and hospitality industry hiring sees significant improvement per the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. New Jersey's unemployment rate in particular fell from 7.2% to 6.9% in April 2014, buoyed largely by hospitality jobs. New Jersey's leisure and hospitality industry added 3,200 new positions. Nationwide hospitality unemployment has fallen 1.5% in 2014, from 9.5% at the beginning of the year to 8% in April. CONTINUE READING AT NJ.COM

One person’s vacation is another’s job opportunity. Summertime offers a chance to take a break from work or school and enjoy your free time. But for many, the summer months provide the ability to gain work experience in a new field while earning some extra spending money, and jobs in hospitality are some of the most promising. Hospitality and leisure companies ramp up hiring to meet the demand of summer travelers. Every year since 2010, employment in the hospitality and leisure industry has increased from May to June, and peaked in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ...

Millennials will travel more than their older counterparts in 2015, according to Hotwire’s 2014 American Travel Behavior Survey. More than any other age group, approximately one-third of Millennials intend on traveling more in 2015. Those aged 18-34 are more likely than their older counterparts to take one or two large vacations in 2015 (35 percent versus 23 percent of those ages 45-54) and intend to be more deal conscious when booking travel in 2015 (24 percent versus 16 percent of those ages 65-plus). Younger adults ages 18-34 (70 percent) are more likely to have any money in their travel budget ...

The U.S. hotel industry reported positive results in the three key performance metrics during November 2014, according to data from STR. Overall, in year-over-year results, the U.S. hotel industry's occupancy was up 2.5 percent to 58.7 percent; its ADR rose 4.5 percent to $112.52; and its RevPAR increased 7.1 percent to $66.09. Of the top 25 markets, nine reported double-digit RevPAR increases: Anaheim/Santa Ana, California (up 16.9 percent to $91.96); Chicago (up 16.4 percent to $97.01); Seattle (up 15.2 percent to $88.75); Nashville (up 15 percent to $79.36); Boston (up 14.8 percent to $131.04); Washington, DC (up 11.5 percent to ...

According to the hotel booking site Getaroom.com, and hospitality reputation management company ReviewPro, Millennials/Gen Y rely on user-generated peer reviews to help make their travel booking decisions much more than older generations. They also explained the reasons and motivations behind that behavioral trend with Skift. Since launching in 2009, Getaroom has amassed over 90,000 hotel listings, with about 60-65% of those located in North America. READ MORE AT MASHABLE

Marriott International said it expects its portfolio of hotels either open or under development to surpass one million rooms by the end of 2015. When open, the hotels under development will have generated more than $50 billion in real estate investment globally by Marriott's owner partners and created more than 150,000 new hotel jobs. "In 2014 alone, Marriott signed agreements for more than 650 hotels and 100,000 rooms to be added to its worldwide system over the next few years, a signing pace of nearly two new hotel deals a day,” says Arne Sorenson, Marriott's president and CEO. READ MORE ...

It's been an extended happy hour at U.S. bars and restaurants, which led hiring gains last month. U.S. dining establishments added 58,700 jobs in February, the Labor Department said Friday. It was a sign that solid job growth — more than 3 million positions added over the past 12 months — is causing more consumers to splurge on lunches, lattes and dinners. The additional spending should help power overall economic growth, given that consumers account for 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. READ MORE AT NEWSOK

While some industries are still trying to return to pre-recession employment numbers, hospitality and leisure are flourishing like never before. And, with the busiest travel time of the year still on the horizon, the sector's growth should continue. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports as of February 2015, hospitality and leisure employment was at 15,053,000. That actually continues a steady month-to-month increase that has persisted since June 2011. The industry actually surpassed pre-recession marks by October 2011, and has shown zero signs of slowing down. That remarkable growth helps bolster employment numbers in certain regions. In Washington state, ...