US hotel gives Hilton a boost in earnings… and other international news
US hotel gives Hilton a boost in earnings
Hilton Hotels has reported a 31% increase in third-quarter earnings, following a rise in revenue of company-owned hotels in the USA. The company, which acquired the hotel assets of its British namesake, Hilton Group, in February, said quarterly earnings grew to $117m (£61m) for the three months until end of September, compared with $89m (£47m) during the same period last year. Revenue doubled to $2.2b (£1.1b), while revenue from company-owned hotels grew 33% to $649m (£340m).
Canadian ski resort wins responsible tourism award Canada's Sunshine Village ski and snowboard resort has been awarded the 2006 responsible tourism award by Neilson Active Holidays. Located in Banff National Park, Sunshine Village is the first and only North American ski and snowboard resort to receive the award. Neilson Active Holidays, which is part of the Thomas Cook Group, said the award recognises the resort's commitment to environmental issues and responsible business practices, including staff training.
Hong Kong visitor numbers fall
Hong Kong experienced its slowest increase in the number of visitors in September, raising concerns that local expenditure may be affected. The Hong Kong Tourism Board said visitor numbers in September rose to 1.83 million and 2.4% on the same month last year, compared with an 11.2% increase in August. Economists said arrivals in October were also likely to be lower than estimated, as an expected influx of mainland Chinese during the week-long National Day holiday at the start of the month did not take place. Mainland Chinese tourists, who make up half of the visitors to Hong Kong, rose just 0.6% in September.
Rocco gets news global sales director
Rocco Forte Hotels has appointed Mark Allvey to the position of global sales director. Allvey, who will be based at the company's head office in London, will be responsible for the management and growth of Rocco Forte Hotels' international sales network. He joins the group from One&Only Resorts, where he was vice-president of sales. Previously, he worked for Morgans Hotel Group, where he was London regional sales director responsible for the Sanderson and St Martins Lane.
