The Big Picture
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 6/28/2004
Lodging rates
- Average U.S. hotel rates will rise by 3 percent in 2004, driven by inflation and an uptick in business travel, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. PwC forecasts 2004 hotel occupancy of 60.8 percent, compared with 59.2 percent in 2003.
Hiring
- Of the 16,000 U.S. employers contacted as part of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, 30 percent expect to add to their payrolls in the third quarter, while 6 percent predict a decline. Fifty-nine percent foresee no change, and 5 percent are unsure.
Retail sales
- May U.S. retail and food services sales of $335.8 billion were 8.9 percent higher than in May 2003, according to the Commerce Department.
