Hospitality and Restaurant News –August 12, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In news this week, Holiday Inn Express launches a Smart index highlighting achievements around the globe, while Applebee’s and Flixster team up with a new app. Meanwhile, a study shows that Restaurant e-learning is on the rise, and the latest data shows high expectations and challenges in restaurant sales ahead.
Holiday Inn Express Smart Index to Showcase Best of Travel Destinations
To help all intrepid travelers in their quest to be world-savvy, Holiday Inn Express has launched its Smart Index, to showcase all the smart things that different countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa have given the world. The series of motion graphics showcase seven different countries, from South Africa to Australia. Viewers can watch the Holiday Inn Express Smart Index on the brand’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/holidayinnexpress.
Applebee’s Teams with Flixster to Help Moviegoers Find Restaurants
In a bid to lure moviegoers to add dinner nearby to their movie plans, Applebee’s has added a “Find Applebee’s Nearby” button in the popular Flixster movie-discovery application that comes up when a user searches for a theater location. When users click on the Applebee’s “Find” button, it takes them to a page that features the chain’s new “Take Two Menu,” and another button that transports them to Google Maps and the nearest Applebee’s location to the theater they have selected.
Study: Restaurant e-learning on the Rise
A new study has found that restaurant and other hospitality companies are shifting training functions from the operations divisions and increasingly incorporating e-learning into their development programs. “Trends in Hospitality Training Study,” was released July 29 during the CHART conference in Atlanta. The findings showed that about 80 percent of limited-service restaurants are offering e-learning and 48 percent of full-service restaurants, while in hotel and lodging establishments, 73 percent of operators are using e-learning training.
Report: Restaurant Same-Store Sales Improve, Traffic Falls in July
The second quarter started off on the right track for the restaurant industry as same-store sales returned to positive growth in July, according to the latest Restaurant Industry Snapshot from TDn2K’s Black Box Intelligence and People Report. The sales growth creates high expectations; traffic trends indicate challenges ahead. Same-store sales grew by 0.5 percent in July, which represents a 0.6-percent increase over June’s results. This is also the first time since March that the industry’s year-over-year growth has improved over the previous months’ results.
Hospitality and Restaurant Talking Points
The U.S. hotel industry recorded positive results in the three key performance measurements during the week of 27 July through 2 August 2014, according to data from STR. In year-over-year measurements, the occupancy rate rose 4.5 percent to 76.3 percent. Average daily rate increased 6.2 percent to finish the week at US$118.70. Revenue per available room for the week was up 11.0 percent to finish at US$90.54.