Fitch Ratings has downgraded the following credit ratings of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:HST) and its operating partnership, Host Hotels & Resorts, L.P. (collectively, Host)

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How interesting it has been as an industry veteran to see the Internet website emerge as a major distribution channel over the last decade. For years we saw website bookings increase dramatically while reservations call volume declined, leading some to wonder if the hotel of the future would still need a reservations department.

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Net revenue for the quarter decreased nine percent to $180 million on gross bookings of $2.2 billion

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Sonesta International Hotels Corporation announced year-end 2008 system-wide RevPAR (revenue per available room) for its U.S. hotels averaged over $128 and indexed at 104 percent against their competitive set of hotels, according to Smith Travel Research.

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JAL Hotels Co., Ltd. announced that it is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Ginza Nikko Hotel this year, and has marked this milestone by reopening the newly refurbished hotel on February 11, after extensive renovation.

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Warwick International Hotels (WIH) has announced its first new affiliate member hotel of 2009, the five-star Rembrandt Hotel & Towers in Bangkok, Thailand. This marks the first time that Warwick International Hotels has been represented in Thailand, and it is the group’s fifth hotel in the Asia/Pacific region.

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Never in all of my 44 years in the business have I seen so much anxiety among hoteliers, owners and asset managers. Not without cause, hotels across the nation have taken draconian steps to deal with the current economic downturn that include layoffs, 35 hour weeks, consolidation of departments, hiring, management salary and bonus freezes, reduction of 401K contributions, closing F&B outlets, and suspension or elimination of existing services and amenities.

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Asia’s final outbound travel figures for 2008 and prospects for 2009 will be revealed in the ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009 to be presented at ITB Future Day, part of the ITB Convention, 11 March 2009

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Communications toolkit, educational sessions, Keep America Meeting endorsement among other initiatives

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First Connectivity Solution for the Hospitality Industry based on Proven OpenTravel Standards

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