Revenue Management

📈 Across ten hotels, 80% spend up to two days weekly on manual reporting, with an extra day added by head office. This affects general managers' time, impacting growth. Effective forecasting involves four conditions: one definition, cadence, meeting, and escalation line. General manager turnover averages one every 2.5 years, mainly due to owner conflicts. To improve, align definitions, reduce redundant reports, and focus on forward-looking profit views to ensure reliable forecasting and enhanced group performance.

💸 Choice Hotels International, Inc. reported second-quarter 2026 results in North Bethesda, Maryland: net income reached $64 million, yet declined 21% from 2025. U.S. room openings rose 27%, with 6,400 new rooms. Adjusted EBITDA hit $175 million, while adjusted EPS was $2.02. Global net rooms grew 2.6%, with U.S. RevPAR rising 1.3%. Choice returned $139 million to shareholders and reported $475 million in liquidity. Global franchise agreements increased by 20%, reaching 11,200 new rooms.

🏨 £3.5 billion in UK hotel revenue is at risk annually due to abandoned online bookings. Profitroom's study reveals 26.4% of travelers have "rage-quit" bookings, with 69% facing confusion or technical issues. Over half (55%) prefer online travel agents for smoother processes. Ancillary revenue losses total £32.6 million annually, equating to £154,000 per hotel. Simplifying booking could boost extras purchases, as 65% of 2,000 UK adults experienced difficulties adding services. Profitroom stresses the need to streamline direct booking.

💰 Marriott International reported second-quarter 2026 results in Bethesda, Maryland. RevPAR rose 3.4% globally, with U.S. & Canada seeing a 5% increase, while international RevPAR fell 0.5%. Net income was $766 million, with adjusted net income at $844 million. Adjusted EBITDA reached $1,592 million. The firm added 17,900 rooms, totaling over 1,814,000 rooms globally. Marriott repurchased 3 million shares for $1.1 billion. Their development pipeline reached 629,000 rooms, with 44% under construction.

🍻 The Trafalgar in Chelsea, owned by Three Cheers Pub Co, extends its £5 drink offer to weekends. Opened on King’s Road, it's the first new pub there in over 100 years. Offers include pints of ale, cider, and lager, plus wines and spirits from Monday to Friday, 4pm-6:30pm, and Friday to Saturday, 10pm-midnight. Select cocktails are £7. Affordable pub food ranges from £4 to £12. Events include a comedy club on Thursdays and a quiz every Monday.

💰 MGM Resorts reported Q2 2026 financials: Consolidated revenue rose 1% to $4.5 billion, with net income at $292 million (up from $49 million). Las Vegas Strip Resorts generated $2.2 billion (up 3%), and Regional Operations saw $924 million (down 4%) in revenue. MGM China revenue remained flat at $1.1 billion. MGM Digital grew 20% to $196 million. MGM Osaka to open in 2030. Diluted EPS was $1.11, a rise from $0.18.

⚽ Kansas City, MO, experienced the largest increase in Average Daily Rate (ADR) during the FIFA World Cup match days in US host markets. While ADR saw significant changes, occupancy rates fell short because corporate groups either held events elsewhere or rescheduled them for after the World Cup. This decline in corporate bookings was not completely compensated by leisure fans visiting the host cities on game days.

🔥 On July 19, the 54th Oyster Festival in Andernos-les-Bains concluded, followed by a fire on July 21 that spread over 40,000 hectares near Saumos. By July 25, 220,000 people evacuated, impacting 24 hotels and 33 campgrounds, causing weekly revenue losses of 2 to 5 million euros. Bordeaux housed 5,000 evacuees at its exhibition center. The fire disrupted tourism, with significant cancellations affecting local businesses like Catherine Parinaud's properties. Government measures were announced on July 27 to support the affected regions.