Hotel E-Business Projected To Triple

NEW YORK— Roger Cline, director of hospitality consulting services/Arthur Andersen LLP, said that e-business activity is expected to double over the next few years, with hotel and travel industries seeing an even greater jump in on-line sales. During the NYU Research Project: Hospitality e-Business- The Future panel, Cline stated that on-line hotel reservations currently represent approximately 5% of all hotel reservations, and that number is expected to triple to 15% within the next three years. He also added that video conferencing may be the next big thing to effect business travel, and expects it “to be very prevalent in the not too distant future.” He also said it will have great “impact on meetings business,” in the future. –Diana M. Rodriguez