According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ latest forecast, revenue per available room is going to go up 6.3 percent in 2004, the biggest leap in 20 years.

“We were criticized for being too negative in 2002 and 2003, but our forecasts were almost exactly the actual results, and for 2004 and 2005 we have been criticized for being too positive. But this regularly scheduled quarterly update is for even more positive growth in rate; our demand forecast for 2004 is unchanged,” said Dr. Bjorn Hanson, Global Practice Leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality & Leisure Practice.

Smith Travel Research also has optimistic findings for hoteliers:

The hotel industry is in its first solid year of recovery, posting a 5.3% increase in room revenue in the week of Sept. 18 from a year earlier, according to Smith Travel Research.

Following a three year slump, occupancy in the week rose 4% to 67% and the average daily rate rose 1.3% to $85.23. Revenue per available room rose 5.3% to $57.08.

Do you suppose that those tacked-on fees for everything from fitness centers to newspapers to energy will go away as RevPAR increases? Somehow, I’m not holding my breath…

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Ever have one of those days where the IT guys get all smug about what you did wrong that ended up crashing your system and losing that database of registrations two days before the show?

It won’t help you fix the problem, but Wack-a-Nerd could be pretty cathartic for your relations with your techies. Perfect for those who run technology programs with really picky attendees and/or exhibitors.

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For your “awww” of the day, check out this article about how the way the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, Jamaica, handled itself during hurricane Ivan may just result in new homes for some homeless babies. Too sweet for words.

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Great advice from the folks at 3M.com on how to handle that person—and most meetings have one—who just wants to shoot down everyone and everything under discussion.

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