The U.S. hotel industry, already suffering through a dismal U.S. economy, an airline crisis and record fuel prices, now faces tough negotiations over a major source of its income – corporate room rates.
Corporate contracts account for almost 35 percent of the U.S. hotel sector’s revenue, according to lodging industry veteran Bjorn Hanson of New York [...]

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Internet service is getting cheaper, not more expensive, and hotels already are shelling out for multiple T1 lines for their own internal use. The cost of providing the service to guests is marginal, and hotels are pocketing the sizable difference between that and what they charge per night for the privilege of a high-speed connection.
Travel [...]

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The tourism industry appears to come across major dificulties for the first time in recent years, writes the Chicago Tribune. Hotels likely will see occupancy rates downtown and nationally drop by 2 percentage points this year, though prices should hold strong.
Some observers see a potentially harsher scenario.
“This is the bow wave, and the rest of [...]

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TripAdvisor has acquired VirtualTourist.com, a pioneer in user-generated travel content since 1999, and OneTime.com, a travel booking comparison site.
Including VirtualTourist and OneTime, the TripAdvisor Media Network now attracts nearly 32 million unique monthly visitors.
“VirtualTourist pioneered the concept of an online travel community, and with the help of over a million enthusiastic members, has created a [...]

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Web 2.0 was all about creativity, information sharing and consumers collaborating around content. Web 3.0 is all about personalization of the online experience and getting beyond the PC. EyeForTravel explains an impact of Web 3.0 technology on travel and tourism industry and what role in the industry will be playing “Travel 3.0 intelligent agents”.
“Travel 3.0 [...]

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