Revenue Management

🏨 U.S. hotel industry, March 1, 2025: occupancy rose 0.4% to 62.8%, ADR increased by 2.7% to $159.26, and RevPAR grew 3.1% to $100.06, compared to the same week in 2024. St. Louis topped occupancy growth with a 12.1% rise to 59.4%. New Orleans, boosted by Mardi Gras, saw ADR soar 36.8% to $233.77 and RevPAR up 30.6% to $148.54, despite a 4.6% occupancy drop to 63.5%. Oahu and Boston faced RevPAR declines of 13.1% ($206.45) and 11.0% ($102.66), respectively.

📆 Hotels implement blackout dates to capitalize on high-demand periods, aiming to optimize rates, manage inventory, and increase profitability. The article, written by Vanshikha Dhar and shared on Hotelogix Blog, does not provide specific dates, locations, or numerical data within the provided text. The concept is presented broadly without specific examples or statistical information. The article's image was uploaded on March 6, 2025, according to the metadata.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, hosts the podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn." Wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), and in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. Graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University, studied at Le Cordon Bleu, and during Tiananmen Square in 1989, worked for ABC News. Won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award, was IFEC president in 2005, and authored food entries in Oxford publications (2012, 2015). Inducted into Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014, based in Brooklyn, New York.

🍴 Grassfed Hospitality, during the pandemic, emphasized sustainability in their operations. Los Félix, part of their portfolio, is a Michelin-starred restaurant focusing on heritage corn from Mexico. Krüs Kitchen serves seafood and seasonal dishes. Together, they have two Michelin Green Stars, the only ones in Miami and among three in Florida. Grassfed doesn't aim for accolades but to set industry standards. They've added composting, use local dairy, avoid seed oils, and source sustainably caught seafood over 30 pounds. Despite higher costs, they maintain their practices. The group is expanding with Süm in Atlanta, continuing their sustainability efforts.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, hosts a podcast and wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008). He joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999, after five years in Thailand writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times. A magna cum laude graduate from Tufts University and Le Cordon Bleu trained, Thorn won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award. Inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014, he's a Colorado native residing in Brooklyn, N.Y.

🍴 William Reed will publish North America's 50 Best Restaurants, featuring the U.S., Canada, and parts of the Caribbean, excluding Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic which are part of Latin America's 50 Best since 2013. The top-50 list is to be announced at a live ceremony later this year, on a date yet to be confirmed. U.S. restaurants like New York's Eleven Madison Park and Atomix, as well as California's SingleThread, have previously made the World’s 50 Best list. The North American rankings are derived from a panel of 300 anonymous voters, including chefs, journalists, and gourmets, with no participation fee for restaurants.

🏨 In a study tracking over 27 million CPC impressions, hotels allowing OTAs to undercut direct rates paid 47% more per click for their own brand name. Rate parity strategies still resulted in a nearly 36% CPC increase. This competitive bidding drives up marketing costs and diverts funds from other guest services. OTAs are not the villain; they help fill rooms and offer broad exposure. However, the key for hotels is to maintain rate integrity, ensuring the best prices on their own websites and fostering direct guest relationships. Industry trends indicate by 2030, direct bookings may surpass OTA reservations, highlighting the importance of prioritizing direct rate attractiveness for future business sustainability.

🍕 Roberto Levinson, after moving to New York City from Monterrey, Mexico, opened “Ánimo!” to offer authentic Mexican breakfast options. The 1,100 square-foot restaurant, located at 2nd Avenue and 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, seats 28 and serves breakfast and lunch, with dishes like Hot Cakes with Glorias and Chilaquiles Rojos. Also featuring a full espresso bar with drinks such as Mexican Vanilla Latte and Café de Olla, Ánimo! opened in October 2024 and plans to expand with a second location and a new dinner menu starting March 21.

🍴 Six locally owned restaurants were awarded the James Beard Foundation's 2025 America's Classics Award: Lem’s Bar-B-Q in Chicago, The Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, Idaho, Sullivan’s Castle Island in Boston, Lucky Wishbone in Anchorage, Alaska, Dooky Chase in New Orleans, and Gaido’s in Galveston, Texas. Since 1998, over 100 U.S. restaurants have been honored. The awards ceremony will take place on June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Restaurants are nominated by the public and awards voters from October through November.

🔥 Texas barbecue's popularity has led to craft joints earning Michelin recognition. Kafi BBQ in Irving, less than three months old, offers a halal, wagyu beef-centered menu, drawing on founder Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi's six years of experience after purchasing a Traeger smoker. KG BBQ in Austin, started by Kareem El-Ghayesh who left finance in Cairo for Texas in 2016, blends North African and Middle Eastern flavors with Texan tradition, earning a James Beard semifinalist nod and Bib Gourmand in Michelin Guide's recent Texas expansion. Texas Monthly’s top-ranked Goldee’s in Fort Worth serves smoked Lao sausage, while Fort Worth's Sabar and Arlington's Smoke’N Ash BBQ blend Pakistani and Ethiopian influences, respectively. Blood Bros. in Houston and other statewide restaurants incorporate Asian, Cajun, and Mexican flavors. These pitmasters view barbecue as a cultural bridge, with plans to create community hubs celebrating food, art, and culture.