Nearly 80% of hotel rooms across the US are empty because of the coronavirus outbreak
The Hyatt Regency strategically lit up rooms to create a heart on April 2, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Hotel operations have ceased since the outbreak of the coronavirus, resulting in an empty hotel void of lights.
Karen Ducey/Getty Images
- Close to 80% of US hotel rooms are empty, according a new report by leading hospitality analytics company STR.
- Chip Rogers, CEO and president of the America Hotel and Lodging Association, has described the impact of the coronavirus on the hospitality industry as worse than the impacts of 9/11 and the 2008 recession combined.
- Hotels across the US are beginning to partner with government and healthcare agencies to offer empty hotel rooms to medical workers and vulnerable populations.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Almost 80% of hotel rooms across the US are empty as the coronavirus pandemic brings travel to a halt, according to new data released by hospitality analytics company STR for the week ending April 4.
That’s a 68.5?crease in occupancy from the same period of time last year.
Bogotá LRT concession contract signed
On January 7, the government of Cundinamarca Department, a district of Bogotá, has signed with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) a Pesos 3.43 billion contract for the Regiotram de Occidente (Regiontram of the West), the new light rail line in Bogotá.
The concession contract of Regiotram, signed for a period of 26 years, envisages the design, construction, financing, operation and the supply of the rolling stock, including maintenance services and rail systems.
The project comprises the construction of a 40 km LRT line connecting Bogotá with the municipalities of Sabana de Occidente region, such as Funza, Mosquera, Madrid and Facatativá. The LRT will be served by 17 stations, of which 8 in Cundinamarca and 9 in Bogotá.
The construction works will take 4 years and the commercial operation are expected to be launched in 2024. The route will be developed mostly on the existing railway corridor in the Sabana de Occidente region and will connect with the first metro line of Bogotá.
“Regiotram will be constituted as a strategic mobility solution for the inhabitants of the Sabana Occidente region who will see a significant improvement in their quality of life thanks to a significant reduction in travel time between the west and Bogotá,” said theVice Minister of Transport, Juan Camilo Ostos Romero. The LRT line will reduce travel time to only 48 minutes from Facatativá to downtown Bogotá.
The project will have a total contribution of Pesos 1.91 billion from country’s budget and Cundinamarca government, with Pesos 1.32 billion coming from the national sources, while the Cundinamarca authorities will cover the investment with Pesos 594 million.
Car Rental Services Market 2020 Business Scenario – Enterprise Holdings, Localiza – Rent a Car, Eco Rent a Car, The Hertz Corporation
The Car Rental Services Market report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.
25 brand new routes US airlines are adding in 2020, connecting cities that didn’t have an air link
- Over 100 new air routes are scheduled to launch in 2020 as airlines grow domestic route networks in the US.
- All major airlines are adding routes for the summer travel season as well as permanent year-long routes to new destinations.
- Ultra-low-cost carriers are among those growing the fastest with new routes for underserved cities across the country.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The US is expected to see over 100 new air routes form in 2020 as the nation’s airlines continue expanding their domestic route networks.
With the summer travel season fast approaching, airlines are adding seasonal routes to popular getaway destinations such as the Massachusetts islands, Montana, and Florida, as well as year-round routes to destinations with consistent demand.
Though the spread of coronavirus and associated airline industry downturn may lead to airlines canceling some individual flights on these routes, the routes themselves remain intact.
All the major carriers in the US are adding routes but the most growth is coming from the ultra-low-cost carriers and one in particular, Allegiant Air. The Las Vegas-based airline is filling in the gaps left by the major carrier through an expansion of bases in underserved markets like Knoxville, Tennessee; Memphis, Tennessee; Asheville, North Carolina.
American Airlines and JetBlue Airways are also seeing new routes added to connect the East Coast with the Rocky Mountain region through new flights to Bozeman and Kalispell in Montana from New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Regional airlines including Silver Airways, JSX, and Contour Airlines are also seeing their networks expanded in various markets.
Here are 25 of the newest routes scheduled to open in 2020.
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