Happy New Year! I always love the start of a new day, new week, new year, as it represents a chance to begin anew and go get ‘em. The start of a year also brings with it the forecasts, the predictions of what the year will hold, whether in terms of the economy, the weather or any array of influences that analysts like to prognosticate. Toward that end, we’re including our annual Industry Outlook in a piece that follows page 38, in which organizations STR and CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research, as well as various owners and operators, provide data for each of the chainscale segments. By giving you the numbers at the beginning of the year, it’s our intention to arm you with the knowledge you need, supported by projections, to inform your business decisions throughout the year.
But while a new year is also a time to look forward, for Hotel Business, it is also a time to look back. 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of our publication, and gives us the chance to reflect on not just our history, but also the quarter century that has shaped and shifted our industry. And while the true anniversary of our magazine is not until May, we wanted to take the whole year to celebrate with you some of the news, memories, trends and people that have made our industry such an incredible one.
We begin with this issue by taking a quick—and, in some cases, light-hearted—look at our beginning up through the present. On pages 74 and 83, we invite you to take a brief visual journey with us. We highlight some of our favorite—and most talked-about covers—giving you a sense of not only our style throughout the years, but the topics we’ve covered and the newsmakers of the time. Do you have a favorite?
Early in my career in B2B publishing, my boss said to me, “The readers of our magazine might be businesspeople, but they’re also people, so every now and then, give them something on the lighter side to keep them interested and entertained.” This has always stayed with me, and so I decided now would be a good opportunity to follow that advice. Sandwiched between those pages is our first of four special anniversary sections we will publish in 2017. This one focuses on the industry at large and the major trends that have impacted and influenced its direction. We hope you enjoy this 25-year retrospective as you take a trip back in time and see how the thoughts and lifestyles of an era have determined the course of business. We hope there’s enough nostalgia to keep you interested—and even smiling. With all of the ups and downs and talks of cycles and innings—a little laughter in the mix is always a good thing.
Let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you…