The Dubai Hotel market suffers as summer proves to be slower than predicted, compounded by changing travel trends and the Israel - Lebanon conflict.

"Dubai's hotel industry could be beginning to see the start of a slowdown with summer trade less buoyant than expected. According to hotel operators, analysts and estate agents, hotel occupancy rates are lower than anticipated and where they have remained high it is often because room rates have been slashed."

Read the whole article: Khaleej Times Online - Dubai hotel industry faces downturn with less than buoyant summer trade | Post on the Dubai Expat Diaries

tags: dubai, hotels, hospitality, summer, israel, lebanon, travel

Marriott is the latest hotel company to join the Hotel Smoking ban, following a move pioneered by Starwood's Westin brand. Yet another place you can't smoke? An interesting trend, definitely profitable for hotels...but lets see how smokers vote on this move in the future!

"Marriott International, Inc. announced today that all of the Company's lodging brands in the United States and Canada will become 100 percent smoke-free, beginning in September, 2006. This represents the industry's largest move to a non-smoking environment, with more than 2,300 hotels and corporate apartments and nearly 400,000 guest rooms under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and Marriott ExecuStay brands."

Source: ehotelier.com News Archives

tags: marriott, starwood, hotel, smoking, ban, hospitality

Starting with the Sheraton Brussels, guests can stay in touch while out of town with free Wi-Fi and broadband internet access at participating Sheraton Hotels

Manama, Bahrain, 25th June 2006 – Sheraton Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide the largest Starwood hotel upscale brand, has announced today a new way to keep guests connected in comfort while on the road. The Link @ Sheraton, a unique and convenient online experience, makes its debut at the Sheraton Brussels as part of a pilot programme in Europe Africa and Middle East.

33 Hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East Raised over $200k For Charity

Manama, Bahrain, 4th July 2006 - Teams from 33 Starwood Hotels across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, raised a magnificent $236,776 for UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, by cycling 360km from Amsterdam to Brussels over the weekend of the 2nd to 4th June.

The money raised by the Starwood EAME Bicycle Challenge will support a UNICEF project which helps youth clubs in Ethiopia to set up their own businesses, providing them with regular work and an income out of which they can give financial assistance to local orphaned and vulnerable children. In addition, by selling their goods and services to local people the youth clubs will make everyone in the community aware of the plight of the children they are trying to help, making it easier to bring about an increase in the care provided to children in the community itself.