Revved-up revenue

3 Dallas luxury hotels register among the 10 most lucrative in Texas

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas checks in as the No. 1 moneymaker in Texas.

Photo courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Dallas

When it comes to friendly competition among Texas' most-visited cities, Austin’s hotel scene may have clobbered its bigger-city rivals last year, but one Dallas hotel was the biggest revenue generator in the state: The Ritz-Carlton.

And two other Dallas hotels notch into the top 10.

A new report released March 3 by San Antonio-based hotel consulting firm Source Strategies Inc., shows hotels in the Austin metro area dominated the state’s revenue-generation leaders last year. Austin claimed 30 of Texas’ 100 highest-revenue properties, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Galveston (eight each), and San Antonio (seven).

Austin bested Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio last year in revenue per available room (RevPAR), a key indicator of financial success for hotels. In 2019, Austin hotels notched a RevPAR of $107.93. The RevPAR figure for San Antonio was $76.59, with Dallas-Fort Worth at $76.24 and Houston at $65.55. The statewide RevPAR average was $69.86.

However, the state’s top revenue-producing hotel of 2019 was NOT in Austin — it was the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. The Uptown luxury hotel posted RevPAR of $360.95. Just one other hotel in Texas surpassed the $300 mark.

The Ritz-Carlton was on track to earn the accolade, as a report released in December 2019 said the hotel was the No. 1 moneymaker in the third quarter of last year.

Two other Dallas hotels make the top-10 list of 2019: Hotel Crescent Court (RevPAR of $251.29) and The Joule (RevPAR of $235.51).

Here are the top 10 revenue generators in Texas for 2019, based on RevPAR:

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas — $350.95
Four Seasons Hotel, Austin — $308.16
Hotel Emma, San Antonio — $296.66
The Driskill, Austin — $262.83
Hotel San José, Austin — $259.93
Hotel Van Zandt, Austin — $257.92
South Congress Hotel, Austin — $255.98
Hotel Crescent Court, Dallas — $251.29
The Joule, Dallas — $235.51
W Hotel, Austin — $234.79

Statewide, hotel revenue grew 4.7 percent in 2019. Total hotel revenue in the Austin area jumped 12.1 percent last year, bested only by Corpus Christi and El Paso. Dallas-Fort Worth saw hotel revenue climb 5.4 percent, with San Antonio at 2 percent and Houston at 1.3 percent.

In the Houston area, the top revenue producer last year was The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, which recorded RevPAR of $217.13. It ranked 13th statewide for RevPAR in 2019.

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Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

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