Higher Occupancy Rates Anticipated By Bahamas Hotels

According to a Smith Travel Research report commissioned by the Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA), Bahamas-based hoteliers are anticipating increased occupancy in 2012, as 85 per cent predict higher levels this year. In spite of the struggles the countrys tourism industry suffered in earlier years (2008 and 2009), it is expected that more travellers take Bahamas holidays from now on.

The optimistic report surveyed a total of 22 large and petite Bahamas hotels in the regions of Nassau, the capital, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands. After 70 per cent of hoteliers reported increased occupancy levels in 2011 in comparison to 2010, they are looking forward to a significant boost in 2012, overall after the challenging years of 2008 and 2009, when hoteliers declared occupancy declines of 78 and 85 per cent respectively.

Stuart Bowe, BHAs president, expressed his positivity about the Bahamas tourism industry this year, although he acknowledges that there are still many issues to work through. While we are encouraged, he said It is clear that many businesses are not yet out of the woods. The profitability picture is further constrained because higher airfares have forced hoteliers to restrain from increasing prices, and to invent more resources in marketing and promotional offers. Had we not invested more in marketing and promotions during the past year, we would not have seen the reported incremental improvements in business.

The report also discovered that 55 per cent of the properties that were polled realised increase revenues last year, while 72 per cent predict further growth in 2012. This recent revenue increase is a complete turnaround from the results obtained in 2009, when 85 per cent of the surveyed hotels reported a decline in revenue and 62 per cent declared a significant decrease in revenue.

Even when only 9 per cent of hoteliers were able to report growth in room rates in 2011, 50 per cent now say they are anticipating price rises in 2012, according to the Smith Travel Research Report. The countrys tourism industry has been recovering slowly since 2010. Stuart Bowe looks optimistically to the future and states his belief that rates will grow as more tourists take holidays in Bahamas this year.

Since 2010, the industry has recorded marginal gains in revenue, occupancy and customer satisfaction, said Mr. Bowe This is most evident in 2011 performance reports and projections for 2012 improvements in sales, occupancy, room rates and capital spending, as well as, reports by some hotels increased employment levels. We are clearly moving in the right direction.

Assessing Service Quality With Hotel Guest Service Checklist

One of the main goals of every hotel is to meet the requirements of their customers. Hotels depend heavily on their clients for profit just like any other business. To achieve hotel client service excellence, the customers must be satisfied with the services offered to them by the firm. In order for you to know how well you are implementing the services of your business, the hotel customer service managers should have a comprehensive hotel guest service checklist. This checklist will include all the important areas that should be checked so that goal accomplishment will be achieved.

Every hotel business has their own objectives and thus, the hotel guest service checklist differs depending on the hoteliers preferences. Nevertheless, there are standard things that you should always include in the checklist. To make things simpler, you should categorize the services so that you can easily keep track of them using the hotel guest service checklist. Among the classifications that you should use are the front desk services, the food and beverage, in room, environmental and facilities access, retail or gift shops and meeting and convention spaces.

In the hotel guest service checklist, it is significant that you include the identification of the employees or personnel in every category. Customers want to identify the individuals who are serving them and thus most of the prominent hotels now require their staff to initiate an introduction to the guests. Aside from uniforms and name badges, it is essential for clients to recognize the people especially those who are visually impaired.

Using the hotel guest service checklist, you will need to target the crucial things that might affect the hotel service excellence. The first are the customers, which you are obliged to know. Put yourself on their shoes so that you will understand their perception of what quality service is. Knowing your customers also mean that you are aware of their needs and expectations. The next is the competitions, which are after your customers. Find out their strengths and weaknesses.

The checklist should help you in communication as well. Most of your customers who are not happy with the services have reasons and the only method that will allow you to know them is to ask. Most of them will answer that it is the quality of the services while others will complain about the cost. Therefore, you need to talk with and greet them. Most importantly, smile at them whenever they are in front of you.

Another is the competence of your business. The checklist will inform you whether or not you are promoting hotel service excellence. If most of the things that have been jotted down on the list are not being met, you know that there is something wrong with the operations of your hotel. Managers often have to take ownership of a problem no matter whose fault it is. This is because the most critical thing here is the method of solving the problem and not the one who caused it.

Being in the hotel business does not only mean that you have to meet the requirements of your customers. You have to exceed them and one way to guarantee this is through the use of hotel guest service checklist.

Flights, Hotels and Gibraltar Weddings

Looking for a new and exciting destination in which to get married but need not be expensive? Want a beach, sunshine and an English speaking location but don’t want to travel miles away? Want your closest friends and family to attend your Big Day without burdening them with the huge cost (and embarrassment) of travelling transatlantic?

Then consider getting married in Gibraltar, just a short 2 and half hour flight from the UK and with year round sunshine, a choice of up to five beaches and being a duty-free tax haven, Gibraltar is fast entering the top ten bracket of favourite places in the world in which to get hitched! Unlike the Caribbean, it is not expensive and unlike Las Vegas, it is not crass! You can get married in Gibraltar within 24 hours of arrival without the residency requirements of other countries. Apart from the traditional registry office or church, you can get married al-fresco in a picturesque Italian garden with fountains and a magical backdrop of a waterfall and tropical flowers or even on a rose bedecked terrace overlooking the blue azures of the Mediterranean.

Extremely competitively priced flight and hotel packages are available by booking online at http://www.mygibraltar.co.uk who also offer a fabulous one-stop Wedding service where they even match the colour of the bridal bouquet to the colour of the dress! You even get a 5.00 per person discount and free night offers when you book online!

Famous celebrities who have chosen the lush backdrop of palms and fountains in Gibraltar for their Wedding Day have included John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Sean Connery (married twice here!) and Roger Moore. Further 007 connections include the filming of -Living Daylights’ starring Timothy Dalton on The Rock itself.

Andrew writes about “Flights, Hotels and Gibraltar Weddings”. Collect More Information at http://www.mygibraltar.co.uk

Where To Stay In Trivandrum The Best Hotels

Thiruvananthapuram or Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, is one of the most fascinating tourist destinations in India. The city boasts some of the worlds most popular beaches, beautiful backwaters, fine historical monuments and lush tea plantations. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, finding a good, decent accommodation in Trivandrum is not difficult. However, tourists must ensure that they are well-informed about the place in which they will be staying during their visit. They must have a clear knowledge about the hotels in Trivandrum where they will be staying. This would surely help in ensuring a safe and hassle-free vacation.

Thomas Hotels and Resorts, owns various types of hotels, resorts and villas in Trivandrum, India that caters to the needs of the discerning Tourist. Thomas Hotels and Resorts is a popular group of Hotels in Trivandrum that stands out for its highly efficient state-of-the-art business services, entertainment facilities, excellent accommodation and a wonderful dining opportunity. The Ginger Hotel in Trivandrum finely combines business with pleasure. The hotel provides high-class business facilities and recreation for guests in the same location. Hotel Pankaj is located at the heart of the tow and hosts an exquisite outdoor restaurant where guests can leisurely enjoy the cool evening breeze and romantic sunset dinners.

Trivandrum hotels offer tourists something to suit their taste as well as their budget. There are numerous Economy class hotels or Budget hotels in Trivandrum that offer good accommodation to visitors who have limited budget. The rooms would be quite decent, ventilated and tidy. Besides, the rooms would be equipped with all kinds of modern facilities including attached bath with running water, TV, telephone and others. The highly professional staff at these hotels would be always at your beck and call, offering you personalized services. The economy class hotels in Trivandrum also provide numerous other facilities such as travel desk, money changer, doctor on call, laundry and much more. You can even relish some of the most delicious Keralite food at in – house restaurants in economy class hotels in Trivandrum at affordable prices. You can choose from a whole variety of sumptuous cuisines including Continental, Chinese, India and local Keralite food, especially sea food.

New York Hotels – Where Style Meets Elegance

Looking forward to a stay in New York hotels? With the best in luxury hotels available across New York, you can enjoy a hotel stay in utmost comfort.

Exploring Options

As a prominent city of America, New York is a leading name among tourist hot spots. Each year, many people head toward New York from all over the world. There are many New York hotels offering comfortable accommodation in several prime locations across the city. Hotels in New York are usually categorized on the basis of location into the following:

* Staten Island Hotels,
* Queens Hotels,
* Brooklyn Hotels,
* Times Square Hotels,
* Long Island Hotels,
* Bronx Hotels, and
* Airport Hotels.

Offering the best in services and ambience, New York hotels are at par with the leading hotels anywhere in the world.

Getting To Know The City

With the Internet connecting the entire world into a single web, information on almost any subject is available at the click of a mouse button. For the people interested in New York and all that the city has to offer, there are many websites available today offering a host of information. Prominent websites pertaining to New York provide the details regarding hotel accommodation in the city as well as offer information on major attractions as well. Today, there are many well-maintained websites offering a great deal of information on luxury hotels in New York. Along with the information on New York City hotels, these websites also provide details on various other aspects of the city, including information on the following:

1.New York restaurants or NYC restaurants which include many prominent names such as The View, Pastis, Four Seasons, Per Se New York, Nobu, Union Square Cafe, Tao, Le Bernadin;
2.New York shows, also referred to as New York broadway shows, which include shows such as Come Fly Away, Wicked, West Side Story, In The Heights, A Little Night Music;
3.New York tours such as Liberty Helicopter Tours, Circle Line Tours, Grand Central Tours;
4.New York attractions that include the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Times Square;
5.Famous New York clubs such as Stanton Public, Pacha New York, Cielo, Club Quo;
6.Prominent New York stores which include Fendi, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Barneys, Armani New York; and
7.New York city spas such as Tribeca Spa, La Peau Spa, Spa Ja, Great Jones Spa.

Leading websites offer comprehensive and well-researched information on almost every facet of life in New York.

When Only The Best Will Do

Accommodation in any of the luxury New York hotels can easily be sought online. A great many websites offer information on all types of hotels available throughout the city. Among the prominent hotels in New York are The Mandarin, Four Seasons Hotel, The Ritz, Carlyle Hotel, Waldorf Astoria, The London NYC, and many others.

Surveying the options available on the Internet is a good way to decide upon the most appropriate New York hotels for your individual requirements. With many websites offering information on almost everything related to New York, planning for a trip to New York – either for business or for pleasure – is a pleasurable experience devoid of unnecessary hassles.