The only weekly newsletter detailing essential trends, news and top executive moves in travel. Opportunities is a free newsletter that provides you with the vision to "see" travel industry opportunities in the making. Whether you are in sales, business development, guiding your company's growth or managing your career, reading opportunities will give you the advantage to succeed. Opportunities is another innovative tool brought to you by Travel Career Connexxions. For more information, visit http://www.TravelExecutive.com

This week in Opportunities:

Zagat: 75% Use Internet as Primary Means of Booking
Survey: Wealthy Gays Choosier About Vacation Spots
42 Million to Fly On U.S. Airlines During Winter Holiday Season
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

To ensure that you always receive this newsletter and other communications from Travel Career Connexxions, please add our address to your Address Book (newsletter@travelexecutive.com). This will keep most email filters from misinterpreting and discarding these emails.

Did you know? As of 12/12/06 there are 181 executive-level travel jobs published in the Travel Career Connexxions employment report. Positions include Director of Worldwide Accounts (12/11), Vice President – Product Development & Guest Experience (12/11), Director of Ethics and Compliance (12/11), Senior Account Director (12/04), Director of Sales (12/01), Director of Revenue Management (12/11) and more. It only takes one person to fill the job of a lifetime - and that someone could be you! http://www.TravelExecutive.com

OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS

Zagat: 75% Use Internet as Primary Means of Booking

Zagat Survey has released the results of its 2007 U.S. Hotels, Resorts and Spas Survey. The new guide is based on the shared experiences of 14,461 frequent travelers. The survey indicates that hoteliers are benefiting from high occupancy rates and travelers with bigger budgets. In turn, guests are enjoying luxury amenities, from celebrity chefs to WiFi to in-lobby flight check-ins and more. The Four Seasons once again was named Top Hotel Chain. The Peninsula Chicago was rated No. 1 large hotel, i.e., with 100 rooms or more, while the Four Seasons Big Island, Hawaii is the No. 1 large resort. Among small hotels, Twin Farms in Vermont is a multiple winner as Best Small Hotel plus Best Rooms and Best Service. When asked what cities they most like to visit, surveyors spoke loud and clear: New York City came in first with 25% of the vote, followed by Washington, D.C. (20%), San Francisco (17%), Las Vegas (7%) and Chicago (5%). Among the lodging options in this year's survey, the average cost of a standard double room is $361.08. It's not surprising that, at $524.41 a night, New York - the city that never sleeps - is the most expensive to sleep in. Spanning a wide range are Washington, D.C. ($413.16), Los Angeles ($371.36), Las Vegas ($311.72), and the least costly, Denver ($265.63). All of these prices are higher than those charged only two years ago. Unless occupancy rates decline, these prices are likely to stay high. With costs up, informed travelers are increasingly using the web to make their reservations and save a few bucks. A whopping 75% of surveyors say they now use the Internet as their primary means of booking, particularly air travel. The most commonly used website to book travel is Expedia.com while TripAdvisor.com takes the honors when it comes to finding travel information. Not all the news is good news: When asked what irritates them most about the hotels, resorts and spas which they visit, surveyors gave "poor service" a resounding 55% of all their complaints. "Dirty, small, bad" rooms were cited by 22% of surveyors while 12% pointed at their noisy fellow guests. The 2007 Top U.S. Hotels, Resorts & Spas guide ($15.95) was edited by Donna Marino Wilkins with Troy Segal and is available at bookstores and other retail outlets or through Zagat.com.

Survey: Wealthy Gays Choosier About Vacation Spots

Gay men and lesbians travel more than their mainstream counterparts, and those with higher incomes travel even more frequently, especially for leisure purposes, according to a recently released research study by Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI). Those with household incomes of over $100,000 took a median of 8 overnight trips, and those with household incomes exceeding $250,000 took a median of 11 trips in the last year. This is significantly higher than the 5 overnight trips taken last year by the median US lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) respondent. Respondents with household incomes of $250,000+ indicate they prefer places that are restful, luxury oriented, and either mostly LGBT or exclusively gay. Higher income respondents traveled widely, both domestically and internationally. The top destinations visited for leisure in the last year are: New York, London, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Los Angeles and Ft. Lauderdale. The destinations showing the highest number of expected visitors among all higher income respondents for leisure travel in the next year are: New York, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. However, those with household incomes of $250,000+ show a stronger preference for visiting Hawaii, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, than the median US LGBT respondent. Gay men and lesbians are prepared to travel internationally. 71% of US survey respondents, and 90% of higher income respondents hold a valid passport. Only 2% of respondents with household incomes in excess of $250,000 said they do not have a passport. European destinations show growing interest among higher income gays and lesbians. The United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain and Germany show the largest number of expected high-income visitors in the next twelve months. The United Kingdom and France are of even more interest to those with household incomes of $250,000+. Though Puerto Vallarta and Puerto Rico remain strong, higher income respondents show increased interest in visiting South America, while interest in the Caribbean appears to be waning among these travelers. Gays and lesbians may be growing tired of visiting these island nations that are often not portrayed as gay friendly. (Curaçao and Puerto Rico are the only Caribbean destinations with active LGBT outreach.) Higher income respondents also indicate strong interest in seeing new places, and show particular interest in visiting South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, China and Thailand. 27% of higher income respondents took a cruise vacation in the last twelve months, compared to 18% of the US full-field of LGBT respondents. In addition, 29% of the higher income respondents who took a cruise vacation in the last year took more than one cruise during the year. The median amount spent per day for travel increases along with income. Respondents with household incomes exceeding $250,000 spent an average of $470 per day; those with household incomes of over $100,000 spent $320; and the full-field of US respondents at all income levels spent $210 per day. The median length of trips (4 nights) was the same for all three groups. These higher income respondents traveled by plane for 62% of their overnight trips, and spent 24 nights in hotels during the last year. For more information on The 11th Annual Gay & Lesbian Travel Survey, visit: www.communitymarketinginc.com/demographics.cfm.

42 Million to Travel On U.S. Airlines During Winter Holiday Season

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization representing leading U.S. airlines, is forecasting that approximately 42 million passengers will travel globally on U.S. airlines during the 2006 winter holiday season for the 21-day period from Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006, through Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007 -- an estimated increase of 2.4 percent compared to the same 21-day period a year earlier. The nation's airlines expect average load factors to exceed 80 percent and are projecting the busiest days to be Thursday, Dec. 21 (approximately 2.3 million passengers), Friday, Dec. 22 (approximately 2.2 million passengers) and Tuesday, Dec. 26 (approximately 2.2 million passengers).

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: Chris Roemmer has been named Midwest sales director for bmi, the UK's second largest scheduled airline. In his new position, Roemmer will be responsible for key sales and marketing efforts including account analysis, call planning and development of business strategies to maintain more than 150 accounts throughout mainly the Midwest. His sales territory includes the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Roemmer most recently was the Cleveland account manager at United Airlines. During his tenure, he generated more than $30 million in revenue for the airline. Prior to joining United Airlines, Roemmer was account executive at Ikon Office Solutions where he was the company's challenge winner for the Midwest region. His past sales experience also included a position as sales representative at Verizon Wireless where he received the top Winners Circle award for most sales. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Roemmer is an active volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and Columbus Northwest Civic Association where he created and maintains the organization's web site... The Board of Directors of Alaska Air Group (AAG) has elected Brandon Pedersen vice president of finance and controller. The company also named Andrew Harrison managing director of financial planning and analysis. Pedersen had been staff vice president of finance and controller, while Harrison was managing director of internal audit. Pedersen is responsible for Alaska Air Group's accounting, payroll, tax and financial reporting functions. Before joining Alaska Airlines in 2003, Pedersen was a partner with a major accounting firm, specializing in financial statement audit services for clients ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations. Pedersen graduated from the University of Washington, where he earned bachelor's degrees in business administration and economics. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the Accounting Advisory Board of the University of Washington. He also serves on the board of the American Red Cross of King and Kitsap Counties. Harrison came to Alaska Airlines in 2003 from KPMG International, where he was a senior audit manager. During his 16 years with the public accounting firm, he worked with a wide range of companies in Australia, Eastern Europe and the United States. A graduate of the University of Melbourne with a bachelor's degree in commerce, Harrison is an Australian chartered accountant and a U.S. certified public accountant.

HOTELS & RESORTS: Windsor Hospitality Group has recently appointed Tim Billing as new general manager at their Embassy Suites San Luis Obispo. Billing has been part of the WHG team for nearly 11 years... Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has announced the appointment of Kristyn Kennedy as General Manager for the 158 guest room Hilton Garden Inn BWI Airport, Maryland. Kennedy joins Crestline Hotels & Resorts from The Residence Inn by Marriott at BWI Airport where she was General Manager. Prior to that, Kennedy held several operations and management positions with various Marriott branded properties. Kennedy attended Florida State University where she majored in Business. She has received numerous designations and awards from Marriott Corporation and is active in the hospitality industry... Steve Winter has been promoted to Vice President, Operations for the Outrigger Condominium Collection. Winter previously served as Regional Director of Operations- Oahu and General Manager for Outrigger Luana Waikiki. In his new position, Winter oversees all operations and management of Outrigger's Condominium Collection resorts and vacation ownerships properties throughout Hawaii. Winter will provide leadership, vision, and management to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency of the condominium/timeshare division. Winter joined Outrigger in 2001 as General Manager and Director of Condominium Operations for Maui. He has an extensive background in hotel and resort management that spans well over 30 years. His previous management experience includes corporate positions held with Colony Resort and Hotels, Bentley Incentive Travel Inc. and the Waikiki Joy Hotel. In 1993, he founded Boutique Hotels of Hawaii, a marketing company to market 'boutique-style' hotels, resorts and inns. Prior to joining Outrigger, Winter was Corporate Director of Hotel Operations for HTH Corporation. Winter studied business management at Everett Junior College in Seattle before receiving his degree in hotel and restaurant management from Seattle College. Replacing Winter as General Manager at the Outrigger Luana Waikiki is Pam Cabrera. In her position, Cabrera is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of all departments including housekeeping, front desk, and maintenance. Cabrera is no stranger to Outrigger Luana Waikiki having served as the property's assistant general manager since 2004. Cabrera has been a member of the Outrigger and OHANA family since 1990, when she interned at the OHANA Maile Sky Court while attending the University of Hawaii. During the past 15 years with the company, Cabrera has worked at various Outrigger and OHANA properties including OHANA Maile Sky Court, OHANA Waikiki Malia, OHANA East Hotel and Outrigger Reef hotels. Cabrera is a graduate of the University of Hawaii, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

Looking for more?
Subscribe to Travel Career Connexxions' Executive Employment Report where you will find executive job listings throughout the travel industry, meet connectors, recruiters and read compelling articles, salary surveys and advice to help you manage your career for growth! Are you a Human Resources professional, hiring manager or recruiter? Sign up today for the free travel job listing and database search service.