2011 Latin America Pipeline: 132 Hotels, 23,693 Rooms

Lodging Econometrics (LE) has compiled and released its first 2011 Forecast for New Hotel Openings in Latin America, projected to be 132 hotels/23,693 rooms. Adjusted for the global recession, LE has made further downward revisions to its forecasts for 2009 and 2010.Still, Latin America remains in the midst of a four-year New Openings surge that began in 2008. 151 new hotels/26,204 rooms are expected to open in 2010, a cyclical high for room counts. The 2009 forecast calls for 220 new hotels/20,754 rooms to come online, of which 73 hotels/10,678 rooms opened in Q1-Q2.

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http://www.hotelsmag.com/article/ca6676859.html

NPC International, Inc. Reports Second Fiscal Quarter 2009 Earnings

OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, (AUGUST 14, 2009) - NPC International, Inc. (the "Company"), today reported results for its second fiscal quarter and year-to-date period ended June 30, 2009.
SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS:
-Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations (reconciliation attached) of $25.6MM exceeded the prior year by $6.4MM or 33.1%.
Income from continuing operations of $3.4MM was $2.3MM greater than the $1.1MM recorded last year.
-Debt declined $12.1MM from the first quarter to $438.7MM and our Leverage Ratio remained largely the same as our first quarter at 3.83X Consolidated EBITDA, as defined in our credit agreement.
-Comparable store sales from continuing operations declined -12.6% rolling over an increase of +7.2% last year.

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http://www.npcinternational.com/investors/financial_report/66

Restaurant Marketing: iPhone Revolutionizing Restaurant Marketing

Restaurant Marketing: The iPhone, Blackberry and other smartphones are revolutionizing restaurant marketing and the way guests find restaurants. Specific dining “apps” have been developed that that can be downloaded onto smartphones that are either exclusive to specific chains or exclusive to specific food categories. Most apps feature location-based technology. For the user, they provide instant information just with the tap of your finger. For the restaurants, they get in front of the millions who are depending on their smartphones for instant dining information.

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http://www.restaurantmarketingblog.com/index.php/weblog/restaurant_marketing_iphone_revolutionizing_restaurant_marketing/

Analyst increases Las Vegas Sands price target

NEW YORK -- An analyst boosted Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s price target Friday after the casino operator reworked a credit agreement so that it could potentially sell a minority stake in its Macau operations to raise cash.
Thursday, the Sheldon Adelson-led Las Vegas Sands said the amended Macau facility would improve its financial flexibility.

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http://www.newsobserver.com/1566/story/1647242.html

Hotel's rooms for 1p blunder costs thousands

It was an offer to lure even the most committed "staycationer" away from UK shores: a two-night stay at a four-star hotel near Venice for €0.01, or less than a penny.
Rooms at the Crown Plaza Venice East Quarto D'Altino normally cost between £90 and £150 a night, so when the deeply discounted rate started appearing on travel websites it prompted a sudden flurry of reservations.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/14/crown-hotel-venice-promotion-error