Travel slump hits hard in South Florida

The U.S. Travel Association has taken its case for business travel and corporate perks to the White House. Regions such as South Florida have been hard hit by corporate spending cutbacks that have curtailed conventions, conferences and performance reward trips, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, which operates the Westing, W, and Sheraton brands, all staples of South Florida’s hotel industry, estimated a 40 percent drop in group revenue at its company-operated hotels so far in 2009, which has meant eliminating 6,000 employees nationwide, a 10 percent cut in staff.