A Meeting with Wall Street Analysts

On Tuesday night (April 13) I was at the Green Street Lodging Conference at our Ritz-Carlton hotel in Washington, D.C., and met with a group of Wall Street analysts and other industry leaders. We discussed what lies ahead for our company and the entire travel industry as we come out...

Great News - President Obama Signs the Travel Promotion Act

Thank you, Mr. President! President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act into law this week, representing a great victory for our business and the U.S. economy. We’ve been working on this for years and the credit goes to Senators Reid, Dorgan and Ensign and Congressmen Blunt and Delahunt for a...

International Visitors: A Great Economic Stimulus

Bravo to the United States Senate for supporting a much-needed bill that will spur international travel, boost U.S. hotel stays and help accelerate the recovery of the U.S. economy. My thanks to Senators Harry Reid, Byron Dorgan and John Ensign for their tireless work. The Travel Promotion Act will now...

The Face of Travel

Back in March, the U.S. Travel Association launched a contest to find the face of the travel industry. They were looking for someone who embodied the character and hard working spirit of our industry. I'm proud to announce that this extremely prestigious honor went to one of our Ritz-Carlton associates,...

The Faces of Travel

Today marks the beginning of National Travel and Tourism Week, which is especially important this year given the state of the economy and its impact on travel. I started my day at the Residence Inn Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia, where our associates were celebrating their brand's culture at their...

Meetings Mean Business and Jobs

Today I'm blogging from the great city of New Orleans. I'm here attending a conference we hold every year for General Managers from our Courtyard, SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn brands. We held this meeting to promote leadership, teamwork and to drive revenue. When it's over, our GMs will have...

Keep America Meeting

This past Sunday as I was reading The New York Times I noticed the huge full-page ad with a letter from John Stumpf, president and CEO of Wells Fargo bank. His bank was taking some heat for an upcoming annual recognition event for their employees in Las Vegas. It was...

Good Luck to Our New President-Elect Barack Obama

Like many of you, I have been thinking about the historic nature of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Nearly 130 million Americans came to the polls on November 4th because they were excited about the choice between two very talented and patriotic candidates. I was impressed on election night when...

Keeping Our Eyes on the Road Ahead

I was out in Los Angeles recently to check out the progress of the L.A. Live project - a brand new commercial and residential center revitalizing downtown L.A. When it opens in 2010, it will include two of our top brands - a JW Marriott and a Ritz-Carlton. Also, a...

Making It Easier for Travelers to Visit the United States

I'm thrilled with President Bush's announcement on Friday that seven new countries will be added to the U.S. government's Visa Waiver Program. The Visa Waiver Program allows travelers from certain qualifying countries, like the UK, Japan and Australia, to visit our country without having to get a visitor visa. The...