Hilton Hotels Corp. has appointed a new leader for its Asia/Pacific operations as it aims to quickly multiply its presence across the region. Martin Rinck began duties as president of Hilton Hotels Asia/Pacific in the company's Singapore headquarters on Nov. 17, overseeing 50 Hilton-branded hotels, leases and franchises in the region.

The outlook for the U.S. hotel industry continues to dim, as PricewaterhouseCoopers' hospitality and leisure practice is forecasting two consecutive years of declining revenue per available room and a reduction in rates next year.

Lodging research firm PKF Hospitality Research today announced a revised 2009 forecast showing sharp revenue drops and the lowest occupancy level in 20 years for the U.S. hospitality industry.

Smith Travel Research today released revised projections for the lodging industry through 2010 in which the firm predicts continued rate growth but declining revenue and occupancy, as supply outpaces demand for the next three years.

Early data shows annual 2009 corporate negotiated hotel rate increases should fall in the 1.5 percent to 2 percent range as the power shifts from seller to buyers, according to a trend analysis report released today by Bjorn Hanson, associate professor at New York University's Tisch Center.

This month, Marriott International confirmed that it is poised become the first multibrand company to extend its electronic folio data capabilities outside of the United States as it upgrades and furthers the international integration of its property management systems.

The Asia/Pacific region should see 828 new hotels with 134,673 rooms open this year, with an additional 1,304 hotels with 311,203 rooms to open in the following two years, according to a pipeline report for the region that research firm Lodging Econometrics released this month.

The upscale Sonesta International Hotels Corp. is on track to become a bigger player in the corporate travel market as it embarks on an aggressive growth plan, begins courting domestic franchising opportunities and readies for the launch of a new rewards program.

European travelers picked Steigenberger Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Dorint Hotels & Resorts and Premiere Inn as their top brands in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 European Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study released today.

Marriott is preparing to extend its e-folio data service for corporate clients outside North America for the first time. Program director for lodging finance Randy Jones told Business Travel News that the hotel company hopes to have 300 properties overseas offering the enhanced data by the end of 2010. It also intends to introduce an e-folio data supply from all of its Ritz-Carlton properties within the United States by the end of 2009.