Hotel and Lodging Research

[AFAR] Michelin Unveils New Hotel Ratings, Michelin “Keys”

Only 11 hotels in the United States were awarded Michelin's highest distinction as part of the company's newly announced hotel rating system. The system is similar to Michelin's restaurant guide but instead of stars, hotels are given "keys": three denoting the top honor, or an "extraordinary stay"; two marking hotels that... More

[NPR Marketplace] 2023 was a big year for the hotel industry. Has its recovery peaked?

InterContinental Hotels Group — which owns Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and others — reported on Tuesday that it had good earnings in 2023. The company made more money per room last year and increased its profits to over $1 billion for the first time. 2023 was a big recovery year for a... More

Real estate investment trusts during market shocks: Impact and resilience

Dr. Apostolos Ampountolas, SHA Assistant Professor of Hospitality Finance, recently published an article in the Tourism Economics Journal that examined five real estate investment trusts (REITs) market indices’ responses to market shock from the initial COVID-19 pandemic announcement using an event study design. This study advances our understanding of pandemic-related market... More

Insider – New York City is enforcing a ‘de facto ban’ on Airbnb. Will travelers be better off without it?

Airbnb isn't fun anymore and new rules only make it worse... New York City's new requirement that a host is on-site will likely deter potential Airbnb customers, according to Makarand Mody, BU SHA associate professor of hospitality marketing. "Nobody wants a host in there," professor Mody told Insider. "I think over... More

USA Today – Some Hilton hotels to bring back daily housekeeping. See how other hotel policies compare

Hotels have been adjusting their housekeeping policies post-COVID-19 lockdowns, with various brands shifting toward an opt-in model that provides daily housekeeping only to guests who request it. At least one operator is reversing course. Hilton will begin offering automatic daily housekeeping at its luxury, full-service, lifestyle brands as well as its Embassy Suites hotels... More

BU Today – The Pandemic Changed How We Eat, Travel, Tip. Now Things Are Changing Again

It wasn’t all COVID’s fault, but the pandemic profoundly changed how we eat, travel, and even tip—it upended the entire hospitality business.  When the pandemic started in March 2020, hospitality, like a lot of other industries, all but stopped. People stayed home, didn’t travel for business or pleasure, and didn’t eat... More

[The Points Guy] Professor Leora Lanz on Why Luxury Trains are the Next Stop for some Luxury Hotel Brands

You have more than Agatha Christie to thank if you immediately think “Orient Express” when someone brings up the notion of luxury train travel (preferably sans murder). The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express still runs today thanks to travel company Belmond (formerly known as Orient Express Hotels). The luxury train operates between a variety... More

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[Elsevier] Dr. Makarand Mody, Ph.D., Publishes an Article Exploring Effects of Airbnb on Non-hosting Residents

[Elsevier] Dr. Makarand Mody, Ph.D., Publishes an Article Exploring Effects of Airbnb on Non-hosting Residents

Dr. Makarand Mody, Ph.D., recently published an article in the Tourism Management Perspectives journal exploring the effects of Airbnb on non-hosting residents. The article, "Does Airbnb impact non-hosting Residents' quality of life? Comparing media discourse with empirical evidence," shows that despite the media's portrayal of Airbnb disrupting residents' quality of... More

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A Segmented Machine Learning Modeling Approach of Social Media for Predicting Occupancy Demand. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Photo by Rhema Kallianpur on Unsplash

A Segmented Machine Learning Modeling Approach of Social Media for Predicting Occupancy Demand. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

By: APOSTOLOS AMPOUNTOLAS, Ph.D. Abstract Purpose This study aims to predict hotel demand through text analysis by investigating keyword series to increase demand predictions’ precision. To do so, this paper presents a framework for modeling hotel demand that incorporates machine learning techniques. Design/methodology/approach The empirical forecasting is conducted by introducing a segmented machine learning approach... More

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