25 March, 2008：Competition in the luxury hotel market is increasing. Just one example:
Of the 38 new hotel brands introduced in the United States in the last 38 months, 20 are luxury brands, said Bjorn Hanson of PricewaterhouseCoopers hospitality and leisure practice.
"Hotels are trying to define ´luxury,´ " Mr Hanson said. He added: "Five star properties of years past may not attract consumers now, who have upgraded their own homes to high standards and now expect the same top choices at a hotel, in everything from linens and bedding to electronics."
To meet those expectations, and competitive pressures, hotels are upgrading their own luxury offerings, he said.
“Whatever the property, the aim is to give high-rolling guests all the comforts of home, and then some, offering amenities designed to make guests forget they´re in a hotel room, until they pick up the phone and find hotel employees eager to grant their every wish,” says the Dallas Business Journal.
Texas seems particularly prone to adding more upscale properties.
"In North Texas, we´ve seen a lot of high-end luxury and boutique hotels come into the market, and that challenges the other properties to renovate, update and upgrade the products they offer," said Brooke Dieterlen, executive director of the Hotel Association of Greater Dallas.
Luxury hotel market getting even more competitive
03/27/2008|10:57:00 AM|Travelmole