Is “the new normal” a cliché? Yes. Did we use it in a headline recently? Yes. But the story it topped attracted so many HOTELS readers that it became our top-hitting story for the month of September. It also points to a top-of-mind concern about how hotels are valued, using a controversial valuation methodology that was the subject of a recent U.S. court case.
From the other top stories, it’s clear that hoteliers are very much in planning mode. They’re trying to figure out what the near- and longer-term future might look like – in hotel design, in owner-operator relationships, in corporate travel.
However, one company, interviewed in September as part of HOTELS HotelsLife feature, is very much seizing the moment: CG Hospitality, part of Nepalese billionaire Binod Chaudhary’s conglomerate, sees COVID as an opportunity to expand its empire. “If you look at our portfolio, we’ve always followed the philosophy, ‘where there’s war, there’s opportunity,’” company managing director Rahul Chaudhary told Editor in Chief Jeff Weinstein. “We foresee that in Q4, there will be tons of assets that are going to be available for the taking for 25 cents on the dollar.”
Here are the top five stories for the month of September:
1. Valuation strategies for the new normal
2. 5 thought leaders design the future of hotels
3. CG Hospitality seizing the moment
4. Owners vs. loyalty programs: Time for transparency, shared risk?
5. 10 reasons corporate travel will outperform