LAS VEGAS— This years Las Vegas Hotel and Restaurant show offered a pleasant surprise for vendors as there was a markedly strong showing of West Coast hoteliers in attendance at the event held here at the Las Vegas Convention Center June 21-22. Next years conference is expected to be even larger, as the AH&LA is currently in discussions with state association executives, hatching plans to eliminate the AH&LA annual April meeting in order to focus solely on the New York IH/M&RS in November and the springtime Vegas event. Furthermore, according to an AH&LA source, a replacement for Bill Fisher, the associations outgoing president/CEO, is expected to be finalized within two weeks. The new leadership is greatly anticipated by members and is expected to help keep the associations momentum going. Meanwhile, technology was the topic of focus at the show, as HITEC, being held in Orlando next week, quickly approaches. At a panel discussion entitled “E-Ubiquity: The Proliferation of E-Applications in Hotels,” held on June 21, the impact of the Internet on group sales and e-procurement was discussed. Pearl Brewer, from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) pointed out that although the first on-line reservations systems were launched in 1995, it has only been during the past 26-36 months that e-procurement and more advanced reservations systems have proliferated in the industry. Keeping in mind the newness of the technology, coupled with the recent shakedown in the dot.com industry, Brewer urged hoteliers to “do their homework” when making the decision to offer room inventory on a consumer or meeting planning website. She stressed the importance of researching a dot.com companys financial stability as well as its prospects for future growth before inking any deals or partnerships. On the topic of e-procurement, Frank Scharadin of the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, described this function as “a proactive move on the part of management rather than reactive,” and mentioned that the industry still has a long way to go in pinning down exactly which e-procurement model works most efficiently. “Hotels are in the process of pursuing different methods of e-procurement— companies are playing with different models to see what works best. There are definite benefits to be had, including a decrease in sourcing time, lower prices and decreases in the labor intensity of the process,” said Scharadin. The Las Vegas Hotel and Restaurant show wraps up this afternoon with additional educational seminars covering technology and other key industry issues.
