Emily Taflan
Tourism and Travel
Hospitality Emergency?
How far does America’s economic recession stretch? The slump may be stuck somewhere in the rolling Palouse Hills, but perhaps not. The La Quinta Inn in Moscow, Idaho has felt few repercussions from recent years’ market dive.
“We are not a destination point,” Jason J. Penkacik, general manager of the La Quinta Inn, said. The hotel’s primary source of business results from the University of Idaho and Washington State University.
“If the universities were to close tomorrow, we would have to shut down too,” Christian J. Perry, director of sales at the La Quinta Inn, said. “For us to have that guaranteed business is keeping us alive right now.”
The recent decline in the growth of the tourism and travel industry, from 3.9 percent in 2007 to 3 percent in 2008, has not shaken the United States from its presiding role as the largest tourism economy, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
However, Travel Industry Wire cited a national survey from Access America which says that American’s summer vacations are likely to be down 7 percent this year compared to 2007.
Penkacik said Moscow is not a place where families plan to spend their summer vacations. He said the hotel is not anticipating any new type of customer this summer or in the future. The hotel will remain focused on the existing market and will develop new strategies to beat out the competition.
“Our sales department has been shifting,” said Perry. He said the hotel is reaching out to the sports teams of colleges competing with UI and WSU.
Perry said the hotel wants both universities’ sports teams to do well. With the price of travel today, fans will not spend money to see a losing team.
Here in lies the issue for America. The U.S. may lead the world’s tourism market, but challenges are increasing in the form of a weak dollar, gas prices, and environmental concerns.
Perry said, “We have to shift with economy change, particularly gas prices.”
There is a general annoyance felt by guests as they learn that hotel room rates are rising along with gas prices. Perry said what a customer needs to understand is that hotels are not making money in the off-season. The La Quinta actually loses money a few months out of the year when school is not in session.
The latest trend in lodging hospitality is building, or remodeling, to environmentally safe standards. The U.S. Green Building Council developed a voluntary building certification program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This program rates buildings in several areas, including water efficiency and materials and resources.
Penkacik said the La Quinta encourages guests staying for more than one night to reuse the sheets they slept in the night before. A yellow card located on every bed-side table indicates to the housekeeping staff whether or not to change the sheets.
A majority of hotel owners, developers, and project managers said they will have at least one green hotel in the next five years, according to a survey by Lodging Hospitality magazine. The benefits of going green for the hotel industry are not only environmental but also economical. Changes can result in a lower operating cost and in a nation that is experiencing economic down-fall this is an important factor in decision making.
Penkacik said he will work harder to retain business because although the economy is not directly affecting the La Quinta, many other factors related to economy are. A trip to Moscow, Idaho is easily cancelled Penkacik said, but “People will still visit Disney Land.”
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