Stuck at the Airport is heading to London today for a week-long adventure organized by airport mascot Gary Gatwick and his friends at Gatwick Airport (LGW), who suspect that not that many Americans don’t know the airport is just half an hour from downtown London by express train. Or that gin is distilled at the airport. (Stay tuned for that…)
Our journey to London starts in Seattle with a direct flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on JetBlue and an overnight at the very hip, super retro, landmark TWA Hotel.
We’re looking forward to hanging out in the Sunken Lounge, taking a dip in the rooftop infinity pool with runway views, visiting the Twister Room, and touring the onsite museum about TWA’s history and the Jet Age.
And, of course, we’ll have a cocktail or two in the Lockheed Constellation “Connie” that has been transformed into a cocktail lounge.
We missed out on the roller skating rink the hotel had on its tarmac, but we are pleased to see that bumper car rides are now offered instead on a race course near the Connie cocktail lounge.
Cars have names like Hammer Time, The Bumpty Dance, Nervous Wrecker, and One Hit Wonder. And operate Fridays from 4 to 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 8 pm. Which is perfect for our day-long layover.
Ride sessions are $20 for adults and $16 for kids under age 12. No reservations are available; it’s first come, first served until November 2022.
We’re writing this post from a hotel where we’re paying more than we’d planned to and getting way less comfort and service than we expect.
And that seems to be the travel experience many others are having in this easing-out-of-the-pandemic season.
According to the recent J.D. Power 2022 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, while demand for hotel rooms is on the rise, and prices for hotel rooms are way up, there is no improvement in amenities or service.
The study found that overall hotel guest satisfaction declines 8 points – on a 1,000-point scale – from 2021, driven primarily by dissatisfaction with cost and fees, and guest rooms.
“During the period of the study—June 2021 through May 2022—the average daily rate for branded hotels has risen 34.8%,” said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. “Many hotel owners and operators are using this post-pandemic surge in travel to get back on a steady financial footing, yet they held back on investing in upgrades and improvements during the pandemic.
Here are some other findings from the 2022 study:
Does that sound like what you’re experiencing with your recent hotel stays?
• The single biggest factor driving the decline in overall satisfaction is hotel cost and fees. • While hotels still get relatively high satisfaction scores for guest room cleanliness, scores for décor and furnishings, in-room amenities, and quality of bathrooms have declined from a year ago. • More guests are paying for internet access. • Fewer staff interactions: frontline hotel staff are spread thinner this year due to the industry labor shortage.
Image courtesy Joel Ross – Room 28
Where to stay?
Hoping to stack the deck in terms of satisfaction with your next hotel stay?
Here are the hotel brands that rank highest in the J.D. Power study for guest satisfaction in their respective segments:
Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton (885)(for a second consecutive year) Upper Upscale: Hard Rock Hotels (883) (for a second consecutive year) Upscale: Hilton Garden Inn (868)
Upscale Extended Stay: Hyatt House (857) Upper Midscale: Drury Hotels (877) (for the 17th consecutive year)
Fans of roller skating, fun at-the-airport activities, and the landmark TWA Hotel at JFK Airport (i.e.: everyone) will be looking forward to the return of the hotel’s retro-style roller skating rink.
The Roll-A-Rama at the Runway Rink opens for the season on April 15.
The checkered rink is located by the hotel’s 1958 Lockheed Constellation “Connie” airplane/cocktail lounge and is made up of 2,668 tiles.
The rink will open to the public on weekends only, weather permitting, through November 22.
Hours for skating will be Fridays from 4 to 8 PM and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 8 PM.
50-minute skate sessions will cost $20 for adults and $16 for kids under 12. The fee includes use of a pair of old-style four-wheeled “quad skates” (patented in 1863).
If you have your own roller skates, you are welcome to bring them along.
If you’re planning to go, note that admission to the rink can only be purchased by credit card and is first-come, first-served; no advance tickets are available.
And because that’s the way they roll, the TWA Hotel team shared some great roller skating factoids. Note that you can burn 350 calories in an hour of roller skating, so go ahead and have a retro cocktail in the Connie.
[This is a story we wrote for, and which first appeared on NBC Newsin a slightly different form]
Courtesy Home2 Suites by Hilton
Extended Hotels are having a moment
As travel picks up and the phenomenon of remote work continues to blur the lines between business and leisure, extended-stay hotels are having a moment.
Last year, the average occupancy rate for extended-stay properties climbed to 73% percent, compared to just 56 percent for hotels in general, according to data from STR, a research firm. Now, big hotel operators and real estate developers are investing heavily to make that moment last.
“There is a definite blurring of business and leisure that includes longer stays since employees can work from anywhere,” says Daniel Finkel, chief commercial officer for TripActions, a corporate travel service.
That blur has turned Airbnb and some other vacation rental companies into money-minting machines. During an earnings call last week, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told investors that 2021 was the company’s “best year in history.” He also described the changing landscape: Over the past two years, the average stay increased by 15 percent. Stays of a week or more now represent half of all nights booked, and long-term stays of 28 nights, or more, have become Airbnb’s fastest-growing type of booking.
The hotel industry has heard the message
Although extended-stay hotels still account for less than 10 percent of the total lodging market, their share has been growing, according to STR. And nearly every major hotel brand is adding, or has announced plans to add, properties that cater to travelers looking to stay awhile. Chains such as Extended Stay America, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and Residence Inn by Marriott, for instance, are light on amenities, but typically offer more space, full kitchens or kitchenettes, and lower rates than full-service hotels.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which already operates the mid-priced Hawthorn Suites chain, plans to launch its first economy-level, extended-stay brand this spring. CEO Geoff Ballotti announced the launch last week during an earnings call with investors, where he described the extended-stay market as “recession and pandemic proof.”
“I see it (extended stay) as one of the fastest-growing and one of the most exciting segments in the hospitality business,” said Kevin Davis, Americas CEO for the hotels and hospitality division of JLL, a commercial real estate service company. “The sector has attracted a tremendous amount of investor interest.”
In January, real estate heavyweights, Blackstone Inc. and Starwood Capital Group, which includes nearly a dozen hotels brands, together ponied up $1.5 billion for more than 100 properties from WoodSpring Suites. That deal came just a couple of months after the pair paid more than $6 billion for Extended Stay America, with more than 650 locations across the country.
What’s the attraction?
What’s the attraction? For 2019, the last ‘normal’ year for the industry, the average profitability for all full-service U.S. hotels was 27 percent, according to Carter Wilson, senior vice president of consulting for STR. “But it is not uncommon to see extended-stay properties putting 40 percent to 50 percent to the bottom line,” he said, even though prices are low.
A five-night stay at Extended Stay in Minneapolis, for instance, starts at about $75 a night. Marriott’s Residence Inn, one of the higher-priced, extended-stay options, costs $111 a night.
But fewer amenities and longer stays mean operating costs are lower, too. Housekeeping is typically offered once a week, rather than every day. Room service, if available at all, is limited. No one is restocking the minibar or replacing the coffee pods, and with fewer guests coming and going, the front desk requires fewer workers.
Peter Caputo, a senior hospitality executive with Deloitte, thinks the luxury equation could change, as the market expands, and new players come in. Even full-service hotels have been seeing more travelers who stay for a week. “People are used to having more space at home and now that they’re back traveling, road warriors will want more space and more upscale amenities wherever they are staying. Much like boutique hotels might offer,” Caputo said.
WhyHotel, for instance, turns apartments that are yet to be leased into temporary hotel rooms available for extended stays. The start-up has properties in a handful of cities, including Nashville, Tennessee, where a two-week stay starts at $160 per night for a studio. Prices are higher in New York City and Miami.
Pets getting the extended stay treatment too
Some hotel operators are looking to cash in by appealing to the needs of a different type of traveler altogether: one that often has four legs. Hilton WorldWide Holdings, for instance, recently made its extended-stay properties 100 percent pet-friendly. Pet fees at the company’s Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites start at $50 per stay. Hilton has also partnered with the pet food giant Mars Petcare to offer on-call pet experts who can answer guests’ questions on pet health, wellness, and behavior.
That could be a selling point for millions of pet owners, who have yet to road-test the new companions who entered their lives during the pandemic.
But starting today, up to 1000 free video therapy sessions will be available to guests staying at participating Kimpton Hotels. The program is a partnership between Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and mental health company Talkspace.
The unusual hotel perk will make licensed counselors available to hotel guests, some of whom may be among the many people who have been seeking counseling but haven’t been able to get an appointment.
According to a recent study, nine out of 10 therapists say the number of clients seeking care is on the rise, and most are experiencing a significant surge in calls for appointments. Therapists are also reporting longer waiting lists, and difficulty meeting patient demand. So this may be a good way to get to the front of the line.
To claim your session: contact talkspace@kimptonhotels.com with proof of stay. Sessions are on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition to making those 1000 hours of video counseling available, Kimpton is providing a $100 promotional code to any guest that wants to sign up for a Talkspace plan. (Offer available through December of 2022).
Even better, Kimpton is giving a year-long complimentary Talkspace subscription to all eligible employees – from front-line employees to managers.
Orlando International Airport’s new South Terminal C
The new thee-level South Terminal C will encompass over 2.5 million square feet, add 15 gates capable of accommodating up to 20 aircraft, and serve 10-12 million annual passengers. Special attention was made to incorporating water, live plants and trees, and plenty of light.
MCO shared photos of what will be the next generation of what they describe as a seamless, low-touch environment with great concessions, immersive media displays, and a definite sense of arrival.
The design team at StuckatTheAirport.com will be getting more information about the specific amenities coming to this new terminal. But in the meantime, here are some photos that MCO shared with us.
“The combination of sophisticated design and innovation truly puts people first in a world-class facility that will deliver ‘The Orlando Experience’ and more the minute they set foot inside,” said Carolyn Fennell, Senior Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “Orlando International Airport, the main gateway to Florida and one of the country’s most popular leisure destinations are preparing for the future of travel with this impressive construction endeavor.”
