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Apr 24 09 3:17pm EDT

Starwood's Chief: The Freefall Is Over

The scene inside the new W hotel is happily chaotic. It's the grand opening of the 29th property in the 10-year-old hip and luxury offshoot of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. This one is in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the skyscrapers of Manhattan are just across the Hudson River. Hundreds of revelers are packed into the lobby and the restaurant for what's billed as a 40s-theme party (even though disco from the 70s and early 80s is the music of choice). The booze is flowing, the hors dourves don't stop. Sitting in a corner banquette is Frits van Paasschen is Starwood's president and chief executive officer. A relative newcomer to the hospitality industry--he's been with the company for two years, after a two-year stint as was a senior executive at Nike for seven years before spending two years as president and CEO of Coors Brewing Co. and seven years as an executive with Nike--van Paasschen took time out from his party to speak with me about the state of the lodging business, the push to get business travelers back on the road, and whether the market has too many niche hotel brands ... Continue


Apr 23 09 11:35am EDT

$2 Billion in Losses for Airlines

The last of the big US carriers reported earnings this morning. The bottom line: it's not a good time for the traditional carriers (though it could be worse) but there are profits to be had for the budget airlines.First, a ... Continue


Apr 22 09 5:56pm EDT

The Answer Man

Watch for more travel executives make the argument that to make money, businesses need to spend money and one way to to do that is to get out in the world. It's a nice line, but as long as companies continue to lay off swaths of their workforce, it's a tough sell ... Continue


Apr 22 09 12:23pm EDT

Biting Boeing

Boeing Co. saw its first-quarter profits nearly cut in half, the Chicago-based company reported today. The declining fortunes were attributed to many of the same problems afflicting the companies flying Boeing's planes--a downturn in the number of passengers flying and ... Continue


Apr 22 09 10:11am EDT

An Airline That Made Money?

Two airlines reported first-quarter earnings today--the legacy carrier Continental and the budget carrier AirTran. One of them carries on the trend of other airlines this earnings season by posting a loss. The other does something we haven't seen lately by ... Continue


Apr 21 09 5:55pm EDT

Into the Boneyard

Ever wonder what an airplane graveyard looks like? Scott McCartney, the Middle Seat columnist for The Wall Street Journal, has a great account today of one place big jets go to die (or rest, or get reborn)--the "boneyard" at the ... Continue


Apr 21 09 4:51pm EDT

Hilton Halts Denizen Project

Slapped with a federal grand jury subpoena seeking documents related to its new Denizen Hotel chain, Hilton today said it was putting the project on hold and would put executives in charge of the project on paid administrative leave.The top ... Continue


Apr 21 09 2:10pm EDT

How Much Do Your Planes Really Cost?

Get an executive from Airbus and another from Boeing on the same stage in what's billed as a debate, and you might think that what you'd hear is a long back-and-forth over which new airplane is better or in worse ... Continue


Apr 21 09 12:05pm EDT

Losses Continue for Delta, United

No surprise here, but airline losses continue in the first quarter of the year as Delta and United are the latest to report disappointing earnings. Delta reported a net loss of $693 million, or 84 cents a share. UAL, United's ... Continue


Apr 21 09 9:00am EDT

The Chaotic Traveler

A theme emerges from business travel coverage so far this week: chaos and uncertainty make for unpredictable times.Here's Joe Sharkey in the New York Times on Monday:Nobody -- not us business travelers, not the online bookers, not the airlines themselves ... Continue


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