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This week in Opportunities:

NBTA: Business Travel to Grow Despite Economic Slow-Down
Opportunities Watch!
Opportunities Networking!
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

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OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS

NBTA: Business Travel to Grow Despite Economic Slow-Down

At the NBTA Business Travel Financial Forum analysts predicted that the economic slow-down in the United States will not last long. The forum, held earlier this month in New York, gave 215 travel managers and supplier participants a “Wall Street Look at the Business of Business Travel.”

Ken McGill, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Travel & Tourism, for economic analysis firm Global Insight, said that the United States is currently in a recession, which he labeled as “mild,” but that the negative growth will last only two consecutive quarters (a recession is generally defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth). McGill indicated that the globalization of business will play a significant role in keeping the recession short. He said, “The global economy is both robust and broadly distributed,” and the interplay between growing and slowing economies around the world will help the U.S. economy recover quickly. He also predicted that both increases in fuel prices and decreases in the value of the dollar would moderate in the medium term, contributing to recovery. “The global economy is a good-news story: slowing growth, then getting back on track.”

NBTA President & CEO, Kevin Maguire, CCTE, opened the Forum by explaining his outlook on the economic future of business travel: “I see the glass as half full, not half empty.” He said that travel managers are doing their jobs by continuing to contain their companies’ travel costs, but that he “has not seen companies taking drastic measures to cut travel.” He indicated an expectation based on NBTA research that “the growth of business travel will be slower, but we’ll continue to see growth.” Maguire’s comments were mirrored by McGill, who went a step further to say that while the pace of growth will slow, growth of travel prices will continue to outpace general inflation.

The airline industry, however, will likely face a longer down period than the broader economy, according to Randy Babbitt, Director of Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm with aviation expertise. He said that the airline business is “hyper-cyclic” – it is the first to drop into negative growth and the last to emerge from it. Despite significant success reducing labor costs and increasing fuel efficiencies, airlines face incredible challenges posed by rising fuel costs and fairly stagnant airfares. Babbit said that airline fuel spend increased from US$8.8 billion in 1992 to US$32 billion in 2006.

Frank Boroch, Associate Director, Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., reported that airline fuel costs represented 12 percent of airline revenues in 2000. By 2007, that fuel costs had grown to 26 percent of revenues, and this year it will be closer to 30 percent. In real terms, added Boroch, airline ticket prices have declined 50 percent since deregulation. Boroch predicated that this year, as airlines seek to gain traction in a slipping economy, travel buyers will likely face airline mergers, capacity reductions and fare hikes. “Buckle up,” he said. “2008 is going to be an interesting year,”

Panelists in a session covering innovation in travel technologies agreed that there is much progress still to be made in automating travel-related processes, but their companies differ on what innovations will be most important for the industry. Chris Kroeger, Senior Vice President, Sabre Travel Network, said Sabre will focus on improving the look, feel and usability of its tools, as well as blending the business and leisure travel aspects of its portfolio, with an eye toward boosting adoption rates for client companies. Tom DePasquale, Executive Vice President of Concur, said his company will focus on developing the “depth, rather than the breadth” of its offerings. He said that each travel provider Concur works with offers unique products, and by working closely with them Concur can ensure its end users can take full advantage of those offerings. DePasquale also indicated that Concur could provide its clients more value with this model than it could by trying to provide access to all travel providers. Patrick Grady, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Rearden Commerce, on the other hand, said he will focus on “consumerizing the process” – building one tool that provides access to every tool and service a traveler uses while on the road, from dining and ground transportation to maps and calendars. By building it all into the process, said Grady, Rearden can give travel managers the ability to control spend they may not be currently addressing while helping travelers save time.

OPPORTUNITIES WATCH!

The Plaza Project Receives Final Approval From the Las Vegas County Commission

The Las Vegas County Commission approved ELAD IDB Las Vegas LLC's Site Development Plan and Special Use Permit today giving the company all necessary entitlements to begin moving forward with their plans on expanding The Plaza brand to the Las Vegas Strip. The mixed-use multi-billion dollar Plaza project is set to have seven towers which will feature an ultra-luxury hotel, private residences, retail outlets, a casino, destination restaurants, an entertainment venue and a convention complex. The completion of the design and the start of the excavation is set to begin no earlier than the end of 2008.

OPPORTUNITIES NETWORKING!

TRAMS Annual Training Forum to Provide Extensive Hands-on Opportunities

TRAMS’ Technology & Marketing University (TMU) April 22-24 at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is already seeing record number of participants signing up with over a month to go. Part of the reason for the increased interest is the expansion of the program to the full array of stand alone as well as integrated leisure offerings available for all travel agents. TMU, now in its 12th year, is an intensive training conference for travel agents, agency owners/managers and agency marketing personnel who will learn ways to use technology and marketing services to improve the services they provide to their clients and dramatically increase their bottom line. The conference theme of ‘Better Together’ will demonstrate how travel agents can leverage the unique combination of product offerings from TRAMS, Sabre and a host of other allies. An example being the integration of a target promotion from ClientBase details, sent through TMA on behalf of the agency, integrated to cruise shopping and booking platform, Sabre Cruises, then passed back to ClientBase at the agency via Live Connect for processing. Any agent regardless of GDS affiliation can utilize TRAMS and the CRM tools it provides and many of the Sabre leisure tools such as Sabre Cruises, TripTailor Vacations, Agent59 and more via Sabre’s comprehensive travel site, VacationStudio. Examples such as these will be a focus of TMU this year and will showcase the result of work that has been done to integrate travel technology products and marketing programs to work better together. The TMU event will include opportunities for small groups of two to eight agents, in “study halls “ – providing the opportunity to meet with trainers and support staff in a face-to-face, hands-on environment. This year’s study hall program is four times the size of any previous year to better incorporate training for the entire line of Sabre leisure tools. Registration and information about TMU is available at www.trams.com/TMU08/.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., has announced that Cynthia Tinsley-Douglas has joined the company as corporate communications manager. Tinsley-Douglas will be responsible for media relations and external communications on behalf of AirTran Airways and will be based in Atlanta. A native of Owensboro, KY, Tinsley-Douglas brings 18 years of media and communications experience to AirTran Airways. She most recently served as founder and editor of Living Space Magazine, a home and lifestyles magazine. Prior to the magazine, Tinsley-Douglas spent 16 years as a television reporter and news anchor in several cities across the country including KXAS-TV in Dallas, WOIO/WUAB-TV in Cleveland and WXIA-TV in Atlanta. Tinsley-Douglas also hosted a home design show called "Creative Walls" on Home and Garden Television (HGTV). She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations from Western Kentucky University... UAL Corporation, the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, has announced that Douglas Register has been named vice president of Service Delivery and Engineering. Register comes to United with 33 years of information systems leadership experience. In this newly created role, Register will be responsible for the day-to-day information technology services of the airline and will also have responsibility for the Engineering and Data Center Operations organizations. Register joins United from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, where he was vice president of IT Service Delivery. While at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Register led the company's IT infrastructure and service management function. Register also held several other leadership positions, including a three-year role as vice president Systems Operations for Delta Technology where he was responsible for the operation and integrity of Delta's IT systems and network infrastructure. Register will assume his role on March 31, 2008, and will report to Halbert.

HOTELS & RESORTS: Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. has announced that two lodging and asset management veterans have joined the Company’s management team to lead Ashford’s asset management initiatives. Alan L. Tallis has been named Executive Vice President and Larry Doyle has joined as Senior Vice President of Asset Management. Ashford also announced the addition of Donald J. Denzin as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Tallis, who has been serving in an advisory capacity for Ashford since July, will oversee the asset management functions of the Company as well as the value-added, development and redevelopment projects underway and planned for its recent 51-hotel portfolio acquisition. A 27-year industry veteran, Tallis was previously a senior advisor to Blackstone Real Estate Advisors following its acquisition of La Quinta Corporation, where he was President and Chief Development Officer of LQ Management LLC and President of La Quinta Franchising LLC. Tallis has held numerous executive positions both at La Quinta Corporation and Red Roof Inns, Inc. During his tenure with both organizations, he was responsible for implementing growth strategies that included developing and implementing programs to franchise both brands. Doyle will be responsible for the day-to-day asset management of the Company’s hotels. Doyle was most recently Senior Vice President, Asset Management for Alcor Acquisition LLC, where he prepared and positioned the MeriStar portfolio of hotels for sale, working closely with Blackstone Real Estate Advisors. Prior to that time, he held the same position at MeriStar Hospitality Corporation. During his 27-year career in the lodging industry, Doyle has held various senior asset management, operations and general manager positions with a track record of successful start-ups, turnarounds, acquisitions, dispositions and operation of award-winning hotels in the U.S. and the U.K. Prior to joining Ashford, Denzin was Vice President of Human Resources at Brandywine Realty Trust and its predecessor Prentiss Properties for seven years. His background also includes several years as the Chief People Officer for The Travelers Realty Investment Company and GES America. His experience is highlighted by the creation and oversight of productivity enhancing and employee development initiatives in a range of corporate and field settings... Waterford Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Brien Fox as Vice President, Sales and Marketing for the national hotel management firm. Previously, Fox served as the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Waterford-managed Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa and later as the Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing for Waterford Hotel Group. Fox brings a wealth of hospitality experience to Waterford with more than 20 years of sales and operations experience in the industry. His background includes 10 years of sales leadership with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, working with both the Sheraton and Westin brands in the New England region. Prior to his tenure with Starwood, he served in operational roles with the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston and for Le Meridien Hotels. Fox holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from New York University... Tropicana Entertainment, LLC announced today that it has hired Scott C. Butera to become the company's President pending appropriate regulatory approvals. Butera joins the company immediately and is expected to lead Tropicana's senior management team in developing strategic initiatives to improve the company's capital structure and operating results. Butera has extensive experience in the gaming, lodging and real estate industries. He has been Chief Operating Officer of the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, since January 2007. Prior to that he was President, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Inc., where he played an important role in developing and implementing that company's recapitalization plan. From March 2000 to September 2003, he was an Executive Director for UBS Investment Bank, capping a fifteen year career as an investment banker focused on the gaming, lodging and leisure industries. Butera holds a Masters in Business Administration from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

TRAVEL TECH: WorldMate, Inc., a provider of travel services for business people, announced that Jonathan Michaeli has joined the company as vice president of marketing, and Brent Hoberman has been appointed to the company’s advisory board. As vice president of marketing, Michaeli will be responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s marketing initiatives and product strategy. He brings more than 10 years of marketing and product management experience for software and Internet companies to his new role, including several years in the online travel arena while working for Princess Cruises and National Leisure Group (NLG). Most recently, Michaeli has held leadership positions in marketing focusing on e-commerce and user-generated content. He holds a master’s of business administration from the Anderson School at UCLA and a bachelor of arts in Economics from Tufts University. Brent Hoberman, co-founder and former CEO of the groundbreaking travel and leisure Web site Lastminute.com that was sold to Travelocity for $1.1 Billion in 2005, brings a wealth of knowledge to WorldMate’s advisory board. Brent also serves as the executive chairman of MyDeco.com, an interior design site; non-executive chairman of Where Are You Now (WAYN), a travel and leisure social networking site; non-executive board director of Guardian Media Group; and a Governor of the University of the Arts College in London.

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