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This week in Opportunities:

Business Travelers Plan to Spend More on Travel in 2006
Market Metrix Ranks Top Brands and Loyalty Programs
Opportunities Watch!
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

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OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS

Business Travelers Plan to Spend More on Travel in 2006

A recent survey of financial executives conducted in February, 2006 indicates that nearly 92 percent of respondents plan to spend the same or more on travel, primarily because they are traveling more often, but also due to higher business travel costs this year. The findings are from a fourth-annual independent survey conducted for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), an organization dedicated to business travel management, and GetThere and Travelocity Business, both part of Sabre Holdings Corporation. While "rising air, car and hotel costs" and "getting good value for the money spent on travel" top the list of concerns for financial executives, nearly 68 percent are also worried about the potential for natural disasters and world events to affect their business and the safety of their travelers. And 77 percent are still concerned about their ability to track and locate travelers while on the road, even though the number has dropped from 86 percent in 2005. Survey findings show that executives prefer to use a preventative approach when it comes to keeping company travel costs down. Sixty-five percent of executives require that travelers have their itineraries approved before trips are booked, also known as a "Pre-Trip Approval" process. Limiting travel came in as the second way to control costs at 62 percent, but continued to drop in popularity, down 5 percent from 2005, and dropping nearly 16 percent from 2003 survey data. Use of corporate online booking tools continued to grow as an effective way to cut travel costs, with nearly 48 percent of executives using online booking within their companies, a 5 percent increase over 2005, and up from 31 percent in 2003. New questions added to this year's survey reflect the travel habits of financial executives themselves. Results show that while executives are cost conscious travelers, productivity on the road is equally important, if sometimes even more critical. Results include: 72 percent of executives typically fly coach class when traveling domestically; nearly 47 percent book their trips two weeks to one month in advance of their travel date; more than 47 percent would be willing to pay extra for in-flight Internet access, with in-flight meals as a second priority at 36 percent; and 56 percent would choose a direct flight or a flight option that works best for their business schedule over the cheapest airfare. Other significant trends gained from the survey in regards to corporate travel management include: Online meeting planning is growing in popularity. More than 84 percent are considering the use of online technology to plan and manage corporate meetings, up from 76 percent in 2005. Online agency service is improving. Nearly 62 percent of executives believe that online agencies effectively support business travelers on the road, up from 49 percent in 2005. Financial executives think online agencies offer better deals. More than 82 percent believe online agencies get the best business travel deals, up from 78 percent in 2005. Mandates for online booking continue to rise. More than 84 percent of executives require that some or all company trips be booked online, in the form of full or partial mandates, up from 81 percent in 2005. The survey was conducted from February 14 - March 10, 2006 for ACTE (Association of Corporate Travel Executives), by GetThere and Travelocity Business. Results are based on a poll of BusinessWeek subscribers and were limited to senior executives with financial and procurement responsibilities (CFOs, senior VPs, executive VPs and presidents) that work for companies with more than 1,000 employees.

Market Metrix Ranks Top Brands and Loyalty Programs

Market Metrix, LLC, provider of market research services for the hospitality industry, has announced results of the Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) for the first quarter of 2006. Drury Inns, JetBlue Airways and Enterprise Rent-A-Car ranked number one in hotel, airline and rental car industry customer satisfaction, respectively. This is the first time that Drury Inns has won top honors in customer satisfaction for the hotel industry. The chain, established in 1973 by the Drury family, is one of the only hotel chains to build, own, and operate all its hotels. The report also highlights the importance of loyalty programs in the industry. One of the key measures used by Market Metrix to evaluate brand loyalty is called Loyalty Program Effectiveness. This measure identifies the amount of influence a loyalty program exerts in hotel selection. Some guests will go to great lengths to stay at a hotel that contributes to their member benefits while other programs are less effective in their mission to persuade guests and change behavior. Evaluating annual results for this measure shows that it is grown in importance over the last several years. In 2002, 32% of guests said that the loyalty program was a key factor in deciding where to stay; in 2005, 34% of guests said that it was a key factor. The most effective program in the industry, and the most improved, is Hilton HHonors. HHonors program effectiveness has grown from 34% in 2002 to 39% in 2005. Marriott has the next highest effectiveness at 38%. Cendant's program has seen the largest decline (7%) over the same period. The top ten brand programs are all part of just three hotel companies: Hilton Hotels Corp. (Hilton HHonors), Marriott International (Marriott Rewards) and Choice Hotels International (Choice Privileges). Homewood Suites, a Hilton brand, ranked first in Program Effectiveness with 40.5%. This indicates that 40.5% of Homewood Suites loyalty club members said their membership was "Very important" in selecting where to stay. Hilton Garden Inn was second and Fairfield Inn by Marriott was third. Online, Courtyard by Marriott took the honors for top branded hotel reservations website and Hotwire claimed top travel website for hotel reservations. The Market Metrix Hospitality Index is a quarterly report of customer satisfaction with hotel, airline and car rental companies based on 35,000 in-depth consumer interviews. The MMHI ranks top hospitality brands by industry and, for hotels, by categories such as luxury, mid-price and economy. For more information, visit www.marketmetrix.com.

OPPORTUNITIES WATCH!

Holland American Continues Growth in Boston Market

From flowers to fuel and milk to wine, Holland America Line says its cruise operations have had a significant economic impact on Boston and Massachusetts. Last year that impact totaled US$21,429,680 million, and in 2006 it is projected to climb slightly to just under US$22,000,000 as the ms Maasdam sails to or from Boston on 17 cruises. Holland America Line's economic impact includes staffing at the cruise terminal, provisioning ships, refueling, passenger spending, crew spending, port fees and taxes, and marketing and sales expenditures in the region. Holland America Line begins calling at Boston on May 20, 2006, at the conclusion of a seven-day cruise between Montreal and Boston. To operate its 17 cruises, Holland America Line works with more than 100 Massachusetts vendors. Holland America Line estimates the direct impact of its 2006 Boston cruises to total approximately US$4,126,000 for Boston and US$9,300,000 for Massachusetts. This includes direct spending of US$1,693,600, by the company in Boston and US$2,433,000 spent by cruise guests and crew in shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, local sightseeing attractions and taxicabs. Other expenditures include maintaining its ships and provisioning its fleet, plus port fees, charges and taxes. Total, the company anticipates its overall economic impact in Boston and the surrounding region during 2006 will be US$21,948,000, using a 2.36 economic multiplier.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: UAL Corporation, parent company of United Airlines, has announced it is consolidating its airport operations and cargo divisions into one organization that will be led by Scott Dolan, who was previously senior vice president - Cargo. Dolan joined United in 2004 from Atlas Worldwide Holdings, where he was senior vice president and chief operating officer responsible for the day-to-day operations for both Atlas Air and Polar Cargo. As part of the move, the company will be eliminating an officer position currently held by Larry De Shon, senior vice president - Airport Operations. In his new role, Dolan will report to McDonald. Also reporting to McDonald will be Alex Marren, who was named vice president - Operational Services, which includes systems operations control, dispatch, and operations analysis, in addition to responsibility for the operational aspects of United Express and Ted. Marren most recently served as vice president - Airport Operations East Region.

HOTELS & RESORTS: Vail Resorts has announced that Keith Fernandez has been named the new president of the Company's real estate subsidiary, Vail Resorts Development Company (VRDC). Fernandez will assume his responsibilities on June 1, 2006, and will office in the Company's new corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colo., scheduled to open in late July. Fernandez, 54, brings more than 28 years of experience in the real estate industry to the Company, having overseen the development of more than 800 single family homes, 800 apartment units, 850,000 square feet of commercial space and approximately 1,200 luxury condominium units with mixed-use retail space within each project. Since 1997, Fernandez has been president and chief operating officer of Intracorp San Diego/Hawaii, part of a family of independent, privately held real estate development companies. Prior to joining Intracorp, Fernandez was affiliated with Molokai Ranch, Ltd. for four years, a major land owner/developer in Hawaii, and from 1985 to 1994, he had operated his own California-based development company, Wailoa Development. Fernandez obtained his bachelor's in business from the University of Colorado in 1975 and a master's in business from the University of San Francisco in 1984...Interstate Hotels & Resorts has announced that Christopher L. Bennett has been named executive vice president and general counsel. Bennett served as senior vice president and general counsel of Interstate and its predecessor companies since 1998 and of MeriStar Hospitality Corporation, a hotel real estate investment trust (REIT), between 1998 and 2003, when the two companies concluded their paper-clip REIT relationship. In his new position, Bennett is responsible for overseeing the company's legal and human resources departments. Prior to joining Interstate, Bennett was an associate with the law firms of Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine and Thacher Proffitt & Wood, both in New York...Choice Hotels International, Inc. has announced the promotions of Mary Beth Knight and Bill Carlson to senior vice presidents. Mary Beth Knight is the company's senior vice president, eCommerce, and Bill Carlson is Choice's senior vice president, consumer revenue growth. Both continue to report to Wayne Wielgus, Choice's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Knight and Carlson, in conjunction with their promotions, have been elected officers of the company by the Choice Hotels Board of Directors. Knight, who joined Choice in February 2002, is responsible for all electronic channel distribution, including choicehotels.com, third party travel sites, global distribution systems, and electronic database management. Prior to joining Choice, Knight served as vice president, eCommerce for Best Western International. In her 20-year hospitality career, she has also held various senior marketing and sales positions with Doubletree Hotels, Ramada International and Servico Hotel Management Corporation. Knight is a graduate of Columbia College. Carlson, who joined Choice in September 1998, has led the company's efforts in the consumer research arena and guided its rewards programs, promotions and industry partnerships. In his role, he has been instrumental in increasing membership in the company's rewards programs, Choice Privileges and EA$Y CHOICE. Prior to joining Choice, Carlson was senior director, marketing information and planning for Promus Hotel Corporation. A 20-year hospitality industry veteran, he also served in a variety of market/research analysis positions for Holiday Inns. He holds a BA and an MBA from Arizona State University...Resorts International Holdings, LLC has announced several new appointments including Anthony Rodio as Regional President of the Atlantic City Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City. Rodio will continue to serve as the Chief Gaming Executive of the Hilton. Also announced were the appointments of Phil Juliano as Regional Senior Vice President of Marketing; Francis X. McCarthy, Jr. as Regional Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration; and Patricia Rocco as Regional Vice President of Human Resources. McCarthy will continue to serve as the Senior Vice President and Chief Gaming Executive at Resorts Atlantic City...Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has announced the appointment of Adam G. Zembruski as General Manager for the 154 guest room Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Princeton, NJ. Zembruski joins Crestline Hotels & Resorts from the Holiday Inn Express and The Inn at Newport Beach, RI where he was area general manager. Prior to that, Zembruski has been a general manager at the Hampton Inn at Washington D.C. Dulles Airport and held various managerial positions with Marriott Hotels, Interstate Hotel Corporation and in the restaurant industry. Zembruski has an Associates Degree from Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL, and attended the University of Connecticut. He is a member of the American Society for Training and Development, a trained Marriott International Task Force Manager, a certified T.I.P.S. trainer, and a member of Toastmaster's International.

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