“Why do hospitality employers not respond to job applications?” – This is a question that I often get asked by young hospitality students and alumni. A fair question if this is indeed the case, and seemingly it is. Just this month I visited 3 hotel schools in Switzerland and during the question and answer session at the end of my presentation, I asked if anyone had directly experienced this scenario. Approximately 70% of the students indicated that they had submitted job applications in response to an advertisement, and they had never received a response from the prospective employer.

"Scene @ Sheraton" to Provide Guests with Unique Access to Highly Acclaimed Content Through Partnerships with Coveted Entertainment Brands, Including Showtime and Sony BMG Music Entertainment

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is announcing a new in-room entertainment initiative, entitled "Scene @ Sheraton," that will offer guests special access to a wide variety of entertainment content. The program is one component of a comprehensive effort to enhance the guest experience at Sheraton's 398 hotels across 75 countries, currently rolling out in key cities nationwide. Through "Scene @ Sheraton," Starwood's most global brand is taking a leadership position in the hotel category by forging exclusive partnerships with coveted entertainment brands, including Showtime and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. These alliances enable Sheraton to provide unique access to content that is highly acclaimed, popular among guests and, in some cases, exclusive to Sheraton.

After a year of successful operations in India, Dynamic Vertical Software Pvt Ltd is all set to strategically expand internationally, and has come up with its new office in Dubai to service the Gulf, Middle East and North African regions.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has just launched a new website www.starwoodpro.com to cater exclusively to the information and booking needs of a wide and important travel professional base. The official blurb:

Why we’re here: To make matching specific client requirements with the perfect hotel effortless. How we’ve done it: By putting you first. Created by professionals, for professionals, StarwoodPro puts the information and tools you rely on most – the ability to research locations, dynamic search that helps pinpoint the right properties, and a booking shortcut tool – all in easy reach. We’ve also included textural information – such as vivid descriptions of each of our brands and local area information so that you can unite clients with hotels that will not just meet, but exceed expectations.

Choice Hotels has just announced a new contest, where people get to upload a video showing us how their “Stay 2 times. Earn a free night at over 1,000 hotels.” promotion has let them visit a loved one, an important business client or a favorite place. Submissions are open from Sept. 6 to Oct. 22, 2007, following which site visitors may vote on top videos... submitter of the video collecting the most votes wins a walk-on part in the next television commercial by Choice Hotels, roundtrip airfare to the location of the shoot, three days and two nights accommodations, meals and spending money.

A New Concept in Social Networking - InnHospitality.com Developed Especially for the Hospitality Industry: Many students and professionals in the hospitality industry would like one website where they can do it all - participate in forum discussions, write blogs, search for jobs, post jobs, post events, chat with friends, and connect through social networking. InnHospitality (innhospitality.com) is the first website where hospitality folks can do all of these things and more.

I had the pleasure of getting some professional and personal insights from Pascal Bordat, who is a driving force behind the new online travel start-up, Sprice.com. Pascal tells us about the milestones along his journey here, and his views on online travel distribution and meta-search.

Name: Pascal Bordat

Current Company and Title: Co-Founder and Director of Sprice.com

[JJ] What do you currently do and what is your main professional focus?
[Pascal] I essentially focus on developing the revenues of Sprice.com worldwide with Travel Suppliers and advertisers. As well as extending the reach of Sprice.com in terms of countries.

White Plains, NY, August 31, 2007 – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announced today that Frits van Paasschen, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Coors Brewing Company, will join Starwood as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 24. Mr. van Paasschen, who will relocate to the White Plains area, succeeds Bruce W. Duncan, who has served as interim CEO since April and will continue as Starwood's Chairman.