IMS today announced that it has added 165 hotels and resorts to its accommodations’ roster during the past fifteen months.
The faltering economy has put a damper on business and leisure travel, leaving many hotels and resorts experiencing occupancy levels at all-time lows. This wrinkle in the economy has opened up many doors for barter opportunities throughout North America.
“The amount of hotels, resorts and bed and breakfast establishments in business has not changed dramatically, but consumer fear, business budget and credit-line cuts, and online price shopping have diminished the days of rack-rate returns for the lodging industry. IMS has seized this opportunity,” said Executive Vice President John Strabley.
Since the beginning of the recessionary meltdown, IMS has added 22% more hotels, resorts and lodging establishments to the list of members accepting trade dollars as currency. This contradicts information published recently by industry analyst Smith Travel Research, which states: “The U.S. hotel industry posted a double-digit drop in revenue per available room during 2009. The metric fell 16.7 percent to US$53.71, the largest year-end decrease of any of the three key measurements.”
Since October of 2008, IMS has added 165 hotels and other resorts, increasing the company’s hospitality base to 752 establishments.
