-"The mission of the California Lodging Industry Association is to promote, protect and advance the interests of lodging owners and their management teams statewide, and to provide a network of resources to support member efficiency, profitability and professionalism.”-

July 26, 2023

California Travel CEOs Solidify European Relations with Multi-Market Mission

Visit California capped FY22/23 with the inaugural CEO mission to Europe in June, which connected 17 California destination and business CEOs with more than 265 media and trade representatives across 11 events in London and Paris, with delegations from Germany, Italy and Scandinavia also participating. The multi-market mission strengthened important relationships with Europe — a market critical to returning the state’s tourism industry to sustained growth, particularly as Asian markets continue to lag.

The U.K. is California’s largest market in Europe and is expected to deliver $1.5 billion in visitor spending this year. Deputy Chief of Mission at the London Embassy Matthew Palmer hosted the traveling delegation, along with more than 80 C-suite industry professionals and media, at the Wychwood House in Kensington, and Visit California held a press conference with 25 journalists from top-tier U.K. consumer and trade outlets, announcing marketing campaigns timed to launch the week of the mission and answering questions from the press.

MICHELIN Guide 2023

Throughout the week of events in London and Paris, California’s one-of-a-kind culinary culture took center stage, including events with renowned chef, author and TV host Samin Nosrat and Gwendal Poullenec, international director of the MICHELIN Guide.

This week, California’s focus on farm-to-table freshness, innovation and sustainability continued with MICHELIN’s release of the fifth edition of its statewide guide to dining at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland. In total, 614 restaurants are included in the MICHELIN Guide California, including one- to three-star restaurants, Bib Gourmand and Plate recommendations and 15 Green Stars for sustainability practices (there are only 17 Green Stars in North America!).

New Industry Leadership

July marks the beginning of the new fiscal year with a robust $184 million industry-led plan of work kicking off under the guidance of new board-elected leadership. Visit California is grateful for the guidance of the following dedicated officers:

Board Chair: Dan Gordon

CEO

Gordon Biersch

Vice Chair of Marketing: Julie Coker

President & CEO

San Diego Tourism Authority

Vice Chair of Operations: Carla Murray

President, U.S. Western Region, Full Service MxM

Marriott International

Chief Fiscal Officer: Kevin Fat

CEO

Fat Family Restaurant Group

It’s also a time of transition for the new two-year leadership terms to begin. Stakeholders from across the industry offer support and expertise to inform the development of Visit California’s marketing plans. Unity has been the cornerstone of the tourism industry’s success. The industry-guided global marketing program is designed to deliver for every region and tourism-related business, showcasing our collective strength.

California’s tourism industry is especially grateful for the steadfast leadership of outgoing board chair Gene Zanger, partner at Casa de Fruta, a family-owned and operated business that grew from an orchard into a diverse multi-prong tourism operation. Under his leadership, the industry navigated the pandemic and accelerated the recovery for California.

Joe D’Alessandro, outgoing Vice Chair of Marketing, has helmed San Francisco Travel as President & CEO since 2006, where he gained acclaim for developing the San Francisco Tourism Improvement District. This unique and sustainable funding structure has become a model for tourism marketing across the country. He has been key in reinvigorating the international and meetings segments after the pandemic.

Sima Patel, CEO of Ridgemont Hospitality, deserves recognition as our outgoing Chief Fiscal Officer. Sima’s career and service to the industry are truly groundbreaking. She moved to California from India in 1979 and began working in a family lodging business, and now oversees a collection of branded and boutique hotels in the Bay Area. She has served in both elected and appointed roles since 2006, and in 2016, Sima became the first industry-elected board Chair.

As always, thank you for your partnership as we look ahead to a prosperous summer for California’s travel industry.

Cheers~

Caroline Beteta

President & CEO

Visit California

Reasonable Care: Two Legal Cases That Illustrate the Scope of the Hotel Operator’s Duty

By Peter T. Tomaras, CHA, FMP

Hotels are places of public accommodation where the duty to provide reasonable care and safe premises extends to group activities in function rooms. In an illustrative case, after downtown bars closed, an “after-party” moved to a conference room of a full-service hotel. Plaintiff in the resulting lawsuit was an invited guest to the continuing festivities.

Generally accepted management procedure calls for executing a contract with groups renting space. If a potentially boisterous crowd is anticipated, security requirements are heightened, as failure to control crowds can lead to liability. A typical group contract includes a stipulation that either the group provides security meeting the hotel’s requirements, or the hotel will provide security at the group’s expense.

For this spur-of-the-moment booking, the hotel could produce no contract, let alone any evidence of security arrangements. Because of prior experience with this kind of group, the hotel was forewarned of risk and should have insisted on provision for security.

Federal Reserve credits Taylor Swift with boosting hotel revenues through her blockbuster Eras Tour

by Rob Wile

Taylor Swift is a force to be reckoned with,” one local tourism official said as the pop superstar draws legions of fans nationwide.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is boosting the U.S. economy.

Ticket sales for Swift's concerts have been so explosive, one Federal Reserve office said, the pop superstar is helping fuel the national tourism industry.

The central bank on Wednesday released its Beige Book, in which Philadelphia Federal Reserve officials reported hotel bookings rose, showing the strongest growth since the beginning of the pandemic, thanks to Swift's show dates.

The Latest Trends in Hotel Room Entertainment Offerings

by Mia Taylor

Who doesn’t love a nice hotel room? An escape where you can ditch the chores and stress of daily life, enjoy much needed relaxation and indulge in the hotel amenities on offer.

The added bonus at many hotels these days? The growing diversity and sophistication of in-room entertainment options.

And lest you be confused, the days of pay-per-view in-room movies being the primary source of entertainment are old school. In 2023, in-room entertainment at hotels is evolving to include everything from virtual reality and augmented reality to customized content recommendations derived from AI and the use of mobile phones and iPads to provide your own entertainment.