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This week in Opportunities:

Survey Finds Pursuing Personal Interests Driving Travel
New Study Details Hotel, Car Rental, and Meal Taxes in Top U.S. Markets
Opportunities Watch!
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

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OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS

Survey Finds Pursuing Personal Interests Driving Travel

From jetting overseas for a culinary experience to a desire to learn life-enriching skills while on vacation, travelers are intent on continuing to pursue travel experiences that allow them to indulge in their personal interests despite the softening economy, according to a recent survey of 501 U.S. adults by American Express Travel. Indeed, 87% of respondents indicated that the number of vacations involving one or more personal "passions" would either remain the same or increase over the next two years; of those, 28% indicated that they expect the number to increase. These findings may come as somewhat of a surprise in light of the fact that 90% of respondents indicated that they feel the US economy is currently in or edging toward a recession. But at least 60% of respondents say that it's because travel is so important to their mental health and lifestyle that they have not let economic concerns impact their plans. Although these travelers are not immune to the softening economy, they are still moving ahead with their vacation plans but acting more resourceful in their planning. Taking savvy approaches to travel, 66% of respondents are tapping into rewards points or miles earned to offset costs, 58% are visiting more affordable destinations, and 24% are taking shorter vacations. "Given the uncertain economy, we wanted to see how people's passions drive behavior when it comes to travel," says Audrey Hendley, vice president of marketing, American Express Travel. "The survey results overwhelmingly show that people whose vacations are tied to personal interests intend to continue to travel by taking advantage of money-saving resources, such as rewards programs."

From cooking and fitness to theatre and the arts to fashion and spectator sports, the survey found that personal interests are key drivers in vacation decisions. A few interesting facts:

• 87% of travelers indicate that personal interests drive the majority of their vacation plans
• 60% of travelers say the stronger they feel about a passion, the further they've traveled for it
• 57% of respondents are willing to travel any distance to explore their personal interests
• 36% of those surveyed said they wouldn't consider a vacation destination that doesn't help them fulfill at least one personal passion
• 71% of respondents have discovered a "new passion" while on vacation
• 34% of vacationers have discovered a passion on vacation and incorporated it into their home life

While the survey showed that Americans have a broad array of passions and interests, here are just a few popular ones:

• Culinary Interests: A growing number of travelers are inspired by the desire to expand their culinary horizons. In fact, 42% of respondents said that culinary factors, including the ability to try new cuisine and indulge in truly exotic/native dishes, were extremely/very important to their travel choices. This was particularly true among the younger respondents (18-34 year-olds), of which more than half (55%) said the ability to enjoy distinctive culinary experiences while on vacation was either extremely or very important.
• Sporting Events: 28% of respondents have traveled to attend a sporting event in the past.
• Adventure: 25% of respondents have taken a vacation in pursuit of adventure and thrill from hiking to whitewater rafting.
• Music: 21% of respondents have taken a vacation that included attending concerts and/or music festivals.
• Educational travel: More than 15% of respondents reported traveling to delve deeper into the history and/or culture of a particular destination.

Data for this travel survey was collected via an online poll conducted by Harrison Group on behalf of American Express Travel of 501 consumers across the U.S. The poll was fielded in early June 2008. All statistics reflect the percentages of consumers polled.

New Study Details Hotel, Car Rental, and Meal Taxes in Top U.S. Markets

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today released the findings of a comprehensive study of car rental, hotel and meal taxes in the top 50 U.S. travel destination cities (by number of air travelers), funded in part by the association’s research and education foundation, the NBTA Foundation. The study provides several different views of travel taxes to help readers make informed choices. The top 50 markets are ranked by overall travel tax burden, including general sales tax and discriminatory travel taxes, and by discriminatory travel tax burden, excluding general sales taxes to count only taxes that target car rentals, hotel stays and meals. Separate data are offered for central city and airport locations, as the tax regimes are often distinct. In addition to combined data on car rental, hotel and meal taxes, separate data are provided for each of the three spend categories.

The research shows the U.S. cities where travelers incur the lowest total tax burden in central city locations, factoring in general sales taxes and discriminatory travel taxes for lodging, car rentals, and meals, are:
1. Honolulu, HI $21.45/day
2. Portland, OR $22.83/day
3. Fort Lauderdale, FL $23.35/day
3. Fort Myers, FL $23.35/day
5. West Palm Beach, FL $24.67/day

The cities that impose the highest total taxes on travelers are:
1. Chicago, IL $42.44/day
2. Nashville, TN $39.55/day
3. Charlotte, NC $38.80/day
4. Seattle, WA $38.70/day
5. Houston, TX $37.62/day

Discriminatory travel taxes are those imposed specifically on travel services above and beyond general sales taxes. The U.S. cities with the lowest discriminatory travel tax rates for lodging, car rentals, and meals in central city locations are:
1. Oakland, CA $7.58/day
2. West Palm Beach, FL $7.62/day
2. Fort Lauderdale, FL $7.62/day
2. Fort Myers, FL $7.62/day
5. Orange county, CA $8.10/day

The cities that impose the highest discriminatory travel taxes on travelers for lodging, car rentals, and meals are:
1. Portland, OR $22.83/day
2. Seattle, WA $21.64/day
3. Atlanta, GA $19.82/day
4. Charlotte, NC $19.78/day
5. Chicago, IL $18.83/day

For the full report, please visit www.nbta.org/Research/Surveys.

OPPORTUNITIES WATCH!

JAL Hotels Announces Five-Star Hotel Nikko Guangzhou

JAL Hotels Co., Ltd. announced plans this week to open a new Nikko Hotels International five-star hotel, to be built in Guangzhou, in Guangdong Province, China. Guangzhou is China's third largest city and its southern manufacturing hub. Hotel Nikko Guangzhou will be located in Guangzhou Tianhe Software Park, one of China's biggest software manufacturing bases, in the city's Guangzhou Tianhe District. It is expected to open in March, 2010. The 13-story, 603,000-square-foot building will have 411 guest rooms. Facilities will include Japanese and Chinese eateries, banquet rooms, business center and fitness club. The hotel will cater to both business and leisure clientele. Guangzhou's attractions lure international business and tourism visitors alike. Business travelers venture there every April and October from all over the world for the Guangzhou Fair, China's biggest export fair. In addition, tourists flock to Guangzhou's historical sites, such as Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, a fifth-century pagoda; Shamian Island on the Pearl River, with splendid European architecture, once home to foreign merchants; and the second-century-B.C. tomb of the Han Dynasty Nanyue King, discovered and excavated in the 1980s.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

HOTELS & RESORTS: Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has announced the appointment of Vicki Q. Galindo as Director of Sales & Marketing for the Melrose Hotel, Washington, DC. Galindo returns to Crestline Hotels & Resorts from the Salamander Resort & Spa where she was National Sales Manager. She brings more than 20 years of hospitality industry sales and marketing experience to her new role including being the former Director of Sales & Marketing for the Crestline managed, Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center. In addition she has held management positions with Kimpton Hotels at the Hotel Palomar in Arlington, VA; The Boars Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA; and the Emerald Pointe Resorts on Lake Lanier Islands in Georgia. Galindo holds both an M.A. and a B.A. from Georgia State University, where she also served as an adjunct professor. She is active in the arts community as well as the hospitality industry... Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has also announced the appointment of Lynn Mitri as Director of Sales for the Hilton Garden Inn and the Homewood Suites hotels that opened last year in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Mitri joins Crestline from the Holiday Inn & Conference Center/ Holiday Inn Express in Frederick, MD, where she was Director of Sales & Marketing. She has also held sales and marketing management positions for Capstone Hotels and Concord Hospitality. Mitri holds a B.S. in Journalism from West Virginia University. She has been recognized with numerous industry accolades... Omni Hotels has announced that Tom Santora has joined the organization as its new chief marketing officer and senior vice president of sales. Santora is charged with leading the award-winning, innovative luxury hotel company's continued brand growth and development. He will be responsible for establishing and driving a strategic plan across all disciplines including advertising, public relations, e-commerce, customer loyalty, global sales, revenue management and electronic and call center distribution. Santora brings with him over 20 years in the hotel industry. As executive vice president of sales & marketing for Kor Hotel Group, Santora built the sales and marketing team and set the overall position for the company's two iconic boutique brands, Viceroy and The Tides, and also played an integral role with their substantial portfolio growth. Prior to joining Kor, Tom served in various sales and marketing positions during his 16 years with Marriott, including opening the flagship Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, establishing centralized group sales centers in the west and facilitating national sales schools... Vail Resorts has named Derek Koenig New Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Koenig will assume responsibilities for the Company's corporate marketing and sales functions, including pricing and research, e-commerce, marketing services, corporate communications, strategic alliances, central reservations, and domestic and international sales. He will also ensure coordination of the Company's marketing efforts in its Hospitality and Real Estate divisions. Koenig will begin his new position on Aug. 25, 2008. Koenig joins Vail Resorts from Discovery Communications, LLC, in Silver Spring, Md., where as senior vice president of marketing since 2005, he was responsible for all marketing strategies for the Company's brands of The Learning Channel (TLC), Discovery Home, Science Channel, Discovery HD Theater, Turbo, Military Channel and the Pro Cycling Team. He launched TLC's highly successful "Live and Learn" Life Lesson campaign, repositioning the cable TV brand into a comprehensive, insight-driven media brand resulting in tremendous revenue and ratings growth. He also led the marketing for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team featuring Lance Armstrong, creating integrated Emmy and Effie award-winning programming and advertising for the Tour de France. From 2003-2005, Koenig was vice president of brand advertising for America Online (AOL) in Dulles, Va., where he led campaigns for all of the AOL brands and created a 2004 Super Bowl promotion to introduce AOL TopSpeed technology. Prior to AOL, Koenig served as director of consumer marketing for Sony Electronics Corporation in Park Ridge, N.J., and oversaw consumer-driven marketing programs for all Sony Electronic products. From 1999-2002, he was director of advertising and brand management for Morgan Stanley's Discover Card in Riverwoods, Ill. There he led the critically acclaimed "Slightly Smarter" television campaign to reposition the Discover Card brand. He began his marketing career on the agency side in 1990, first at Maritz Communications in Detroit as a copywriter on the Ford Motor Company account and later at Leo Burnett USA Advertising in Chicago, where he worked his way up overseeing such consumer brand accounts as Altoids, Pillsbury, McDonald's and Procter & Gamble's Noxzema from 1994-1999. Koenig holds a bachelor's in economics from the University of Michigan (1989) and a master's in business administration from the University of Michigan (1994).

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