#gerry: its free real estate

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, November 16

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s nights with Prince Andrew and teen Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Page 2: Brad Pitt kicked married galpal Nicole Poturalski to the curb after getting flak from his ex Angelina Jolie -- Brad’s relationship with Nicole hit the skids after Brad decided he needed to shore up his image during his ongoing custody battle with Angie and his focus right now is to get his dad image back on track and give Angie no more ammo to fling back at him

Page 3: Tiger Woods’ romance with Erica Herman has gone off course over legal troubles and wedding pressure and bickering over where to live and Tiger is so fed up he’s considering ditching his nagging girlfriend in Florida and moving back to his native California -- Erica’s been pressuring him to put a ring on it ever since she moved into his Jupiter Island mansion and that’s something he just won’t do and she’s already taken over his household buying new furniture and remodeling the master bath and building a new closet and hiring a gourmet chef -- California is looking better and better to Tiger who only moved to Florida to play on its tough Bermuda grass which helped improve his swing but now Tiger’s ex Elin lives in Florida with their two kids 

Page 4: Miranda Lambert is scoffing at ex Blake Shelton’s newly announced engagement to Gwen Stefani and she’s convinced Blake’s third walk down the aisle has failure written all over it because she thinks Blake’s bad to the bone and this marriage will wind up being a total disaster and after the hell Blake put her through Miranda can’t imagine his life with Gwen would be any different, lifelong bachelor Simon Cowell has had a change of heart since his horrific August accident and he’s finally ready to tie the knot with baby mama Lauren Silverman -- after spinal surgery to repair his broken back the entertainment mogul feels lucky to be alive and walking and the one constant in his difficult rehab after surgery has been Lauren and he wants to pay her back with a ring 

Page 5: Train-wreck Wendy Williams’ wacky behavior has TV producers scrambling behind the scenes to find her replacement after her unhinged performance on a recent episode of her talk show where she slurred her words and rambled incoherently -- there had been a hope a chatfest helmed by Nick Cannon could be a safety net should the daytime diva who spent a stint in a sober living house last year not be able to continue hosting but plans for that were pushed back after the comic made anti-Semitic rants in a podcast -- they also tried Jerry O’Connell when Wendy was out for three weeks last year but he tanked with viewers -- Wendy’s a mess and it remains to be seen how long producers will be able to put up with her problems before they decide to pull the plug 

Page 6: Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo hinted that she may be making her final rounds -- Ellen who has starred on the show since 2005 and makes $20 million a year admitted she’s considering slipping out of her scrubs after the current season 17 but her departure could spell the end of the beloved series and show creator Shonda Rhimes has said it’s unlikely the show could continue without her but Ellen has also expressed her desire to spend more time with her husband and their three children

Page 7: Mariah Carey’s brother Morgan blasted her memoir as filled with lies and distortions and he’s considering legal action -- the book called Morgan and sister Alison her ex-brother and ex-sister and Mariah wrote Morgan had a long history of violence and when she was six he slammed their mother into a wall -- Mariah also wrote her siblings and mother were heartless in terms of dealing with her as a human being and once she got famous they started treating her like an ATM with a wig on but Morgan is fighting back and looking to hire a lawyer

Page 8: Reese Witherspoon’s marriage to Jim Toth is in the muck after the stunning collapse of his new business venture and tensions are mounting in the Hollywood power couple’s already troubled union now that the streaming service Quibi crumbled after less than six months leaving content acquisition president Jim out of work while Reese’s star continues to rise and there’s a real balance of power that’s been building up and that’s put a serious strain on the relationship -- living in quarantine added to the stress between them as Reese has been holed up with her two kids with ex Ryan Phillippe Ava and Deacon and her son Tennessee with Jim at the family’s ranch in Malibu

Page 9: Dementia patient Kenny Rogers cut his three adult children out of his $250 million will and now sources fear the late country legend could have been tricked into signing the document -- Kenny left everything to his 16-year-old twins sons with fifth wife Wanda and the will also stated it was his intent to specifically exclude his daughter Carole with his first wife and son Kenny Jr. with third wife and son Christopher with fourth wife and their issue as beneficiaries of his estate -- Kenny Sr. would never disown his own children according to the source especially since the singer’s son Kenny Jr. is incorrectly referred to Kenny Rogers III throughout the will -- the wording is not like Kenny Sr. and something is not right and his older kids are thinking about contesting the will 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Kate McKinnon shot a Saturday Night live skit in NYC, Sophia Bush hit the road in L.A. with her co-pilot pup Maggie, pregnant Jinger Duggar Vuolo in Venice with daughter Felicity, Heidi Klum walking the streets in her native Germany, Snoop Dogg saluted young rappers as he accepted BET’s I Am Hip Hop award 

Page 11: Unwitting Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler once dabbled in the secret sex cult NXIVM -- the organization masqueraded as a self-help group but in 2017 it was exposed as a pyramid scheme for founder Keith Raniere who forced high-ranking female recruits to become his sex slaves -- in 2010 Jen and Gerry who were dating at the time wound up at one of the introductory seminars but they were turned off by the level of commitment expected and never returned -- they thought it was just a networking opportunity and had no idea what they were getting themselves into, cash-crunched Gwyneth Paltrow is facing hard times like everyone else and is looking to change her free-spending ways -- the belt-tightening caused by the coronavirus pandemic has even hit her lifestyle empire Goop causing her to shut down the London branch and make hard choices for the future -- Gwyneth may be worth $100 million but she and husband Brad Falchuk spend money like it’s going out of style on private jets they use on a whim and they own a fleet of fancy cars and pay steep salaries for staff who are at their beck and call 24/7 and it’s all draining their bank accounts -- they’re looking at making cuts across the board from personal trainers and chefs and drivers to the masseurs and beauticians who come to their house several times a week -- plus the couple believe it’s a bad look for them to be living so high on the hog when the rest of the world is suffering during the pandemic

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Angelina Jolie spent years developing her own version of the Hollywood classic Cleopatra and now she’s livid that Gal Gadot has stolen the Egyptian queen -- Angie’s dream was to play Cleopatra the role that made Elizabeth Taylor an icon and it was to be the part that won Angie an Academy Award for Best Actress and now that’s over thanks to Gal who will be playing the Queen of the Nile instead, after ABC scrapped plans to honor Regis Philbin with a prime-time tribute Jimmy Kimmel insisted on honoring Regis on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, MSNBC talking head Rachel Maddow is fleeing New York for her Massachusetts farm after hanging a $2.3 million price tag on her NYC pad but Rachel didn’t want potential buyers looking through all the personal stuff at her apartment so all the personal pictures and books and clothing and everything else was shipped out and replaced with staged furniture, Ariel Winter and her dog (picture) 

Page 13: Ailing Joni Mitchell opened up about how she’s still struggling to get back to her old self five years after a debilitating brain bleed -- after Joni was found unresponsive in her Bel-Air home in 2015 she said she was forced to relearn everyday tasks because the aneurysm took away her speech and her ability to walk and although she’s showing slow improvement she hasn’t been writing or playing the guitar or the piano, Randy Travis is defying all the odds as he plans the greatest comeback in country music history as he is making amazing progress after suffering a massive 2013 stroke that most believed would end his career forever and he was given just 1% chance of survival and even after he pulled through doctors believed he would be bedridden and unable to speak -- instead his grueling rehab efforts have miraculously put him on the road to realizing his dream of returning to the spotlight -- some of his motivation is financial; last year he sold his Nashville home and released his memoir which was fueled by his need to pay medical expenses after years of not being able to perform

Page 14: Hollywood Hookups -- Channing Tatum and Jessie J have split again, Cole Sprouse and Reina Silva dating, Kate Beckinsale and Goody Grace split 

Page 15: Ariana Grande is raising eyebrows with her raunchy new record Positions -- the former squeaky-clean Nickelodeon star who has been dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez spouted off X-rated odes to an unnamed lover on the LP, six months after sidelining her marriage to former quarterback Jay Cutler Kristin Cavallari admitted there are good days and bad days but insisted it’s been nice to be able to focus on herself and figure out who she is now and what she ultimately wants out of life, hotel heiress Kathy Hilton is joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a friend of the main cast which includes her half-sister Kyle Richards

Page 16: Crime 

Page 17: On Drew Barrymore’s talk show a psychic guest channeled the spirit of one of the host’s former in-laws but the man in question is very much alive -- medium Anna Raimondi told Drew she sensed the aura of a judge causing Drew to burst into tears and named David a relative of her ex-husband Will Kopelman claiming he’d passed but Judge David Kopelman is alive and still going strong -- Will slammed Anna was a submental hack and said he was surprised that Drew chose to give oxygen to someone like that

Page 18: American Life 

Page 20: Cover Story -- Prince Andrew is desperate to quash explosive testimony by his pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell but the socialite’s second secret deposition is torpedoing his return from royal exile -- after Ghislaine danced around details of her relationship with the disgraced Duke of York in testimony released a few weeks ago Andrew is sweating bullets about her second grilling under oath which contains details of their intimate friendship and nights with Epstein’s teen sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre 

Page 22: Don McLean viciously slammed ex-wife Patrisha Shnier as the worst person her ever knew but in their ongoing war of words she maintains he was abusive to her -- Don is still bitter over a 2016 domestic incident at their home in Maine that landed him behind bars and led to divorce after 30 years of marriage

Page 26: Matthew McConaughey confessed he nearly turned his back on Tinseltown to be a wildlife guide like late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin -- he made a splash in a string of blockbuster rom-coms in the ‘90s and ‘00s but he was eager to move on to meatier movies and even passed on a $14.5 million paycheck in 2010 to seek more substantial roles and the struggle left him considering other careers such as a wildlife guide, Jamie Foxx has been crushed by the death of his beloved sister DeOndra Dixon who was born with Down syndrome

Page 28: Good Catch -- Bachelor stars who are still up for grabs -- Jon Hamm, Owen Wilson, Drew Carey

Page 29: Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew Perry, some stars seem to say I do at the drop of the hat -- Larry King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Bob Thornton 

Page 32: Olivia Munn was caught on camera flashing what looked like engagement bling on her left ring finger as she exited a gym following a morning workout in Los Angeles but she reportedly broke up with boyfriend Tucker Roberts last year leaving fans wondering who bought the stunning sparkler 

Page 36: Health Watch 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Michelle Pfeiffer 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Allison Janney on Mom 

Page 47: Odd List 

#tabloid #grain of salt #tabloid toc #tabloidtoc #ghislaine maxwell #prince andrew #jeffrey epstein #virginia roberts #virginia roberts giuffre #brad pitt #nicole poturalski #angelina jolie #tiger woods #erica herman #miranda lambert #blake shelton #gwen stefani #simon cowell #lauren silverman #wendy williams #ellen pompeo #grey's anatomy #mariah carey #reese witherspoon #jim toth #kenny rogers #jennifer aniston #gerard butler #nxivm #gwyneth paltrow

[laresearchette]

Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: CHAMPAIGN ILL (YouTube Premium) KEN JEONG CRACKS CHRISTMAS (YouTube (Free)) MY TRUE BRILLIANT FRIEND (HBO Canada) 8:00pm PARIS TO PITTSBURGH (Nat Geo Canada) 9:00pm AGNOSTIC FRONT: GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE (Crave) 12:30am

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME/CRAVE/NETFLIX CANADA:

CRAVE TV ENTANGLEMENT AGNOSTIC FRONT: GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE WEXFORD PLAZA

NETFLIX CANADA BACK STREET GIRLS: GOKUDOLS OUT OF MANY, ONE

NHL HOCKEY (SNSN360) 8:30pm: Flyers at Flames

CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON JUNIOR (CBC) 8:00pm

SHARING CHRISTMAS (Super Channel Heart & Home) 8:00pm: A real estate developer is given the opportunity to transform an old shopping complex into a prime location. Unfortunately, there is one tenant who is holding out -- the Christmas shop owner he met just days ago.

MR. D (CBC) 9:00pm: CBC is now releasing the episode plots, but I don’t care, so I’ll continue with my own plotlines. Tonight, with the new and improved antidote nearly complete, and the Ancient Blade of Defeat on its way to the Vampire Queen, Gerry must prepare for the final conflict with the assistance of his group of #Resistance Vampires and Cyborgs. Meanwhile, national donut reserves are at an all time low.

COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (CTV2) 9:00pm: Lizzie Richfield lands a job as house manager for the exquisite Ashford Estate in the Virginia countryside. While preparing the place for sale, Lizzie plans one final Christmas Eve gala for the family, although they seem to be a family in name only.

WEXFORD PLAZA (Crave) 9:00pm: A slice-of-life comedy about a lonely female security guard, and the misunderstood sexual encounter that unravels her life.

HA!IFAX COMEDY FEST (CBC) 9:30pm: Host Mark Critch welcomes stand-up comics Rob Pue, Courtney Gilmour and Tom Papa.

IRON CHEF CANADA (Food Network Canada) 10:00pm: Battle Nutcracker Sweet: Celebrity chef Anna Olson battles pastry chef Laura White in a seasonal showdown that is all about nuts; sous chefs Lisa Rollo, Mia Bachmaier, Christina D'Angela, and Andrea Mastrandrea join chef for a blizzard of baking excellence.

THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND: DIGGING DEEPER (History Canada) 10:00pm

NBA BASKETBALL(TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 10:30pm: Raptors at Warriors

CBC MUSIC FIRST PLAY LIVE (CBC) 11:30pm: Watch a special presentation of the 2018 Polaris Music Prize gala with performances from: Weaves, U.S. Girls, Jean-Michel Blais, Pierre Kwenders, Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Jeremy Dutcher.

#cdntv #cancon #canadian tv #canadian tv listings #canada's smartest person junior #mr. d #ha!ifax comedy fest #iron chef canada #the curse of oak island digging deeper #cbc music first play live #nhl hockey #nba basketball

[orbemnews]

Fact, or Corporate Fiction? Facts and foolishness Announcing phony news on April Fools’ Day is one of corporate America’s favorite occasions for shameless publicity stunts. But when stonks, Dogecoin and $69 million JPG files are real things that warrant serious business coverage, the risk of jokes being taken seriously could hardly be higher. Some say that’s a good reason to skip them, not to mention the gravity that a pandemic has cast over things. With that in mind, can you spot the prank among these recent announcements? (Scroll to the bottom for the answer.) A: To celebrate National Burrito Day today, Chipotle is giving away $100,000 worth of Bitcoin. B: Volkwagen’s U.S. operation is changing its name to “Voltswagen” to emphasize the company’s push into electric vehicles. C: Robinhood is nixing a confetti animation when app users make a stock trade to reduce “distraction.” D: Krispy Kreme is giving anyone who shows proof of Covid-19 vaccination one free doughnut per day for the rest of the year. E: Managers at Goldman Sachs are giving junior bankers gift baskets with fruit and snacks in response to complaints about burnout. HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING Business groups challenge President Biden’s proposed corporate tax increases. The Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce were among those that praised Mr. Biden’s plan to spend trillions on infrastructure. But they rejected his idea to pay for it by raising taxes, saying that doing so would endanger the economic recovery. The latest setbacks in quelling the pandemic. Johnson & Johnson said it would delay future shipments of its vaccine after a mix-up at a manufacturing plant. A top E.U. official said the bloc would allow “zero” shipments of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to Britain until the drugmaker fulfilled its commitments to Brussels. And France announced a third nationwide lockdown as its cases mount and inoculation efforts lag. A tough day for initial public offerings. As Deliveroo had “the worst I.P.O. in London’s history,” other offerings also struggled. In the U.S., the SoftBank-backed real estate brokerage Compass priced at the bottom of a reduced range, while the low-cost airline Frontier sold at the low end of expectations. And in Canada, the space tech company MDA priced below its range. Microsoft wins a huge contract to make augmented-reality headsets for the U.S. Army. The tech giant will receive up to $22 billion for equipping soldiers with sensors based on its HoloLens technology. It’s another big defense contract for Microsoft, which beat out Amazon to provide a $10 billion cloud computing system for the Pentagon. Executives get a ‘sense of urgency’ in Georgia A day after 72 Black executives signed a letter calling on companies to fight restrictive voting bills more forcefully, executives have begun speaking out more directly about laws that limit ballot access. But their statements came too late to affect a sweeping law passed last week in Georgia that added new requirements for absentee voting, limits on drop boxes and other restrictions that have an outsize impact on Black voters. Today in Business Updated  April 2, 2021, 3:58 p.m. ET Delta and Coca-Cola reversed course. Ed Bastian, Delta’s C.E.O., told employees, “I need to make it crystal clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values.” James Quincey, Coca-Cola’s C.E.O., said he wanted to be “crystal clear” that “the Coca-Cola Company does not support this legislation, as it makes it harder for people to vote, not easier.” The statements by the Atlanta-based companies angered local politicians, including Gov. Brian Kemp. In the past, corporate stands on controversial issues have led to political retribution: In 2018, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle stripped a tax break proposal from a bill that would benefit Delta after the airline ended a promotional discount for N.R.A. members. The State House passed a similar measure yesterday, but the Senate didn’t take it up before the chambers adjourned for the year. Retaliation also goes the other way: In an interview with ESPN, President Biden said he would “strongly support” moving Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game from Atlanta, scheduled for July. “It is regrettable that the sense of urgency came after the legislation was passed and signed into law,” said Darren Walker, the Ford Foundation president, who is a board member at Pepsi, Ralph Lauren and Square. Others companies based in Georgia remained circumspect. A UPS spokesperson said the company stood “ready to continue to help in ensuring every Georgia voter has the ability to vote.” A spokesperson for Home Depot reiterated the company’s stance that it believes “all elections should be accessible, fair and secure.” A spokesperson for Inspire Brands, the owner of Dunkin’ Donuts and Arby’s, said that it “values inclusivity” and believes that “every American should have equal access to their right to vote.” “The argument is they are recruited, they’re used up and then they’re cast aside without even a college degree. So they say, how can this be defended in the name of amateurism?” — Justice Samuel Alito, assessing the “stark picture” painted by college athletes in an antitrust case against the N.C.A.A. that the Supreme Court heard yesterday. The Red Sox sold a stake to private equity. Now what? RedBird Capital Partners confirmed its deal to buy a stake in Red Sox parent Fenway Sports Group, a transaction that values the company at $7.35 billion. DealBook spoke with RedBird’s founder, Gerry Cardinale, and Fenway’s chair, Tom Werner, about what happens next. Buy and build. RedBird plans to acquire more teams: Mr. Cardinale noted that his company doesn’t own teams in the N.B.A., N.H.L. or M.L.S. For its part, Fenway plans to tap new opportunities in ticketing, sponsorship and media. (As part of the RedBird deal, the N.B.A. star LeBron James bought a stake in Fenway.) In media, Fenway controls NESN, and RedBird owns a stake in the YES network. “You should expect that we’re going to continue to look for ways to innovate in that area,” said Mr. Cardinale, who helped create the YES network. Deepening ties with online gambling is also on the table. “We do have an excellent relationship with DraftKings,” Mr. Werner said, “and we’ve already had some conversations with them about partnerships.” The deal was a better fit for the private market instead of a SPAC, the executives said, after talks to take Fenway public via a blank-check firm fell through. “In the middle of Covid, with the mandate to re-underwrite the next wave of growth for Fenway Sports Group, we probably would be better off doing that privately and then give ourselves the option down the road,” Mr. Cardinale said of going public. He also called the current SPAC market “very frothy.” What worked at WeWork WeWork was founded in 2008, rose spectacularly, reached a $47 billion valuation and famously crashed before a planned I.P.O. in 2019. (It announced a deal last week to go public by merging with a blank-check firm that valued it at roughly $8 billion.) A new documentary, “WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn,” tries to find lessons among the ups and downs. It streams on Hulu, starting tomorrow. Jed Rothstein, the director, told DealBook that he believes what’s most compelling about WeWork isn’t what went wrong, but how it initially succeeded by turning strangers into a kind of tribe. “We still need that,” he said. “The core idea of WeWork met a real need for community,” Mr. Rothstein said. “The voids people were trying to fill have only become more real.” After a year of social distancing, he likes the notion of curated communal spaces, which is what WeWork offered. Talking to early WeWorkers who bought the vision and later felt betrayed, he was surprised to find how much the company gave its devotees, notably a feeling that they were part of something bigger. That is worth acknowledging in a world where people will increasingly work remotely and for many different companies in their careers, Mr. Rothstein said. WeWork’s co-founders, Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey, both had communal childhood experiences. Mr. Rothstein said he thought they sincerely wanted to replicate the good in group life and inspired people who hadn’t seen that before. But Mr. Neumann also focused on what he didn’t like — sharing equally — and emphasized an “eat what you kill” mentality. Ultimately, his hunger turned the community dream into a nightmare for many. After the director talked to people who followed the initial vision, his perspective changed. “People in the film experienced real growth and fulfillment mixed with their anger,” he said. “I realized the story is much more nuanced.” THE SPEED READ Deals The media conglomerate Endeavor filed to go public for a second time, while raising $1.8 billion to buy full control of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It also added Elon Musk to its board. (WSJ, CNBC) Vice Media is reportedly in talks to go public by merging with a SPAC. And the S.E.C. issued two notices for companies looking to go public via SPAC. (The Information, S.E.C.) Junior bankers aren’t the only ones feeling burned out. Young lawyers are, too. (Business Insider) Politics and policy New York became the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana. (NYT) Efforts by aides to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to hide New York State’s Covid-19 death toll coincided with his efforts to win a multimillion-dollar book deal. (NYT) An accidental disclosure by the I.R.S. revealed a $1 billion tax dispute with Bristol Myers Squibb. (NYT) Tech Best of the rest The ad agency Deutsch is doubling referral bonuses for Black job candidates. (Insider) Amazon wants its employees mostly back in its offices, while the Carlyle Group and IBM favor hybrid working models. (Insider, Bloomberg) Paul Simon is the latest musician to sell his entire back catalog: Sony Music Publishing will buy the collection, including classics like “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” for an undisclosed amount. (NYT) Feeling burned-out? As more workers consider a return to the office, our colleague Sarah Lyall is writing about late-pandemic anxiety and exhaustion. Tell her about how you’re coping. April Fools’ Day quiz answer: B. If you were fooled by Volkswagen’s prank, you’re in good company. Volkswagen reportedly told journalists that a draft of the announcement was not a stunt. It later called the stunt just “a bit of fun.” Source link Orbem News #corporate #fact #Fiction

[bangkokjacknews]

Thailand's foreign EX-PATS see the good life slip away

From the mountains of #ChiangMai to the beaches of #Phuket, #Thailand has long been a draw for foreign retirees wishing to spend their golden years in tropical bliss.

But for the many who have enjoyed paradise on the cheap, their dreams are ebbing away as the country opens up to a wealthier class of retirees. The Thai baht rose to a six-year high against the dollar last year to become one of the world's most stable currencies. Though it has depreciated in the past two months, it is still significantly stronger compared to three or four years ago. Seen as a safe bet amid the U.S.-China trade war, the baht has caused visitor numbers to drop and hotel occupancy rates to halve. But for those living here on fixed savings or pensions, the baht's strength has decimated their income. British expats have lost about 30% of their purchasing power following the pound's plummet in the wake of Brexit. The financial squeeze comes amid changes to visa rules for retirees. As of February last year, foreigners must have a security deposit of 800,000 baht ($25,364) in a Thai bank account for two months prior to application or a monthly income of 65,000 baht; or a combination of the two totaling 800,000 baht. https://bangkokjack.com/2019/10/29/tens-thousands-expats-leave-thailand/ Applicants must now also have health insurance. For someone aged 75, for example, that is a "big problem" as the premium could be as much as 100,000 baht per month, said Sebastian Brousseau, CEO of Isaan Lawyers. The stringent regulations have caught many elderly expats used to a free and easy lifestyle off guard, with many fearing for their future. In Pattaya, a coastal city with a big retired community, the sense of desperation is palpable. "Life in Pattaya has been getting worse for people ever since the economic crisis and since a few years ago," said Leng Leng, who runs Mercy Pattaya, a local Christian charity.

Two men watch the world go by in Pattaya, a coastal resort with a big foreign community that is being squeezed by a strong baht and new visa rules. (Photo by George Styllis) Pattaya has been a haven for expats ever since American servicemen flocked here for sun and sleaze during the Vietnam War, turning a sleepy fishing village into Asia's sin city. Gerry, a U.S. Navy veteran who declined to give his last name, first visited back then and has stayed ever since. At 83, alone and estranged from his family, Gerry has built his life here. But barely able to cover his living costs, let alone the deposit he now needs for a visa, he feels trapped, having been "out of the U.S. system" for more than 30 years. "I'm too old and too scared to go anywhere else," he said. Gerry does not own property here, but for those who do, a downturn in the real estate market has dashed their chances of a quick sell. Demand for properties has waned since last year as many expats, disgruntled with Thailand's tightening immigration system, have moved to other parts of Asia, while China has imposed new controls to curb capital flight, said Jean Charles, the founder of TwoFlat Real Estate. The situation has intensified Thailand's glut, which is set to worsen with arrival numbers decimated by the new coronavirus. Yet amid this turmoil, the country has been unflinching in its bid to capitalize on the world's aging populations, promoting Thailand, with its sunny weather and affordable health care, as a place to age with dignity. Thailand issued almost 80,000 retirement visas in 2018, an increase of 30% from 2014, with Britons accounting for the bulk. Research by Kasikornthai Bank estimated that in 2016, there were 68,300 foreigners over 50 years old holding long-stay visas, a 9% increase over the preceding two years. The market's niche but lucrative potential is prompting huge investment from health care operators. The Thonburi Healthcare Group launched Jin Well-being County in 2018, a 3.7-billion baht retirement city complete with a hospital and apartments aimed at wealthy Thais and Asians. The group plans to build a 43-hectare facility in Krabi targeting largely Westerners in the coming years, said Jin Well-being manager Ken Chen. "It'll be more like a five-star hotel," said Chen. At 99,000 baht per sq. meter, Jin Well-being's apartments are not cheap, but for foreigners they could help bypass some of the stringent retirement visa rules, said Chen. Bolstering this bid for wealthy retirees, the government has been successfully promoting an elite visa scheme, with options for five-, 10- and 20-year visas ranging from 500,000 baht to 2 million baht.

A resort in Thailand.    © AP Applications among retirees jumped on average 34% between 2016 and 2019 amid record growth, after citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners Group was appointed as exclusive global concessionaire for the program. By avoiding the need for annual renewal, the elite visas offer "longer-term certainty" for those wishing to live or invest here, along with other "bells and whistles," said Dominic Volek, Henley's Head of Southeast Asia. The bid to lure wealthier individuals has made many here feel they are being squeezed out, said Darren Low, owner of The Sportsman pub in Pattaya. Yet Low is hopeful that with Thai economic growth dropping to a five-year low last year and tourist arrivals forecast to drop as much as 50%, the government might look to expats to buffer the economic impact. A positive sign came earlier this year when the government quietly dropped a revived immigration law that drew heavy criticism, days after China announced a ban on overseas tours to contain the coronavirus. Meanwhile, relief from the baht is expected after it softened at the start of the year, following the central bank's announcement that it will relax rules on capital outflows to weaken the currency. Yet Low has noticed many around him have already abandoned themselves to despair, drinking heavily as their once-rosy vision of Thailand turns bleak. "People are just deteriorating," said Low. Even if the government does throw them a lifeline, it may be too late. "It probably already is," he said. - Nikkei Asian Review – You can follow BangkokJack on Twitter, Instagram, & Reddit. Or join the free mailing list (top right) Please help us continue to bring the REAL NEWS - PayPal Read the full article

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: HUSKIES OUT SLUG RED HAWKS

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The UCONN Huskies (4-6-3 overall) showed their best attributes and their worst in a 60-minute, wild, action-packed 6-4 non-conference win over the Miami (OH) RedHawks (4-7-3) before a holiday crowd of 3,006 at the XL Center on Friday afternoon. The win was the Huskies first at home this season. The two teams meet again Saturday afternoon at 4 PM. “I was certainly pleased with how we responded after the first period," UCONN head coach Mike Cavanaugh said. "We started out OK, but Miami took it to us the rest of the first period. In the second and third period we skated pretty well.” UCONN came out in the third frame and scored three unanswered goals. The pivotal first one, that knotted the game at four, came early in the period just as the Huskies had done in the second. Marc Gatcomb circled behind the net and chipped the puck in front. Both Jachym Kondelik and Alexander Payusov had whacks at it, but the puck squirted out in front allowing Gatcomb, who was right there, to gather and put in the goal at 1:21. “That was point of emphasis this week. Playing in front of the net, or net-front, whatever you want to call it because Providence (College) owned that on us all last weekend, and it paid off for Marc tonight,” Cavanaugh said speaking of the efforts of the sophomore. The Huskies had a great chance to break the deadlock, but Ruslan Iskharov was denied by Miami goalie, Ryan Larkin, nine minutes in. The Huskies then erupted for two more goals in just 28 seconds, getting the crowd on its feet and taking the win out from beneath the RedHawks. Iskharov came in a rush down the right-wing side and curled and hit the trailer, Alexander Firtsov. He made a patient move, almost too patient, but got Miami defenseman, Rourke Russell, to commit. As he did that, Larkin was semi-screened as Firtsov ripped his fourth goal of the season into the net. It capped Firtsov's first three-point game as a Husky (goal and two assists) and his first game-winner. “Vlad played very well tonight and all four lines gave us great efforts and it's good when you can get four lines rolling like that. It gave us that much more energy and becomes infectious,” said Cavanaugh. UCONNfollowed by executing a perfect three-way play that established a two-goal lead at 6-4 that would hold up as the final score. Zac Robbins made a perfect pass to Brain Rigali. He slipped a beautiful backhanded pass. The righthanded Rigali was on the left-wing side. He sent it to Justin Howell who finished the sequence perfectly for his first of the season at 12:14. “We have been working on that play the last couple of weeks after practice and it worked,” Rigali said with a laugh. Howell then finished the thought, just like he did the shot, “We weren’t linemates then yet. Now coach shuffled the lines around a bit, so it was a pretty neat play and I was just fortunate enough to be right there and finish it off.” With UCONN's play not going as the coach would have liked it to in the first period, there could have been some choice words for the team between the first and second periods, however, Kavanaugh was more professorial than say an Army drill sergeant might have approached it. “The mistakes we're making weren’t effort mistakes, but more self-inflicted. We were making poor decisions,” remarked Cavanaugh. “We turned the puck over, rather than making the right play. Basically, I said to them the effort is there making the right decisions. In the neutral zone turning some pucks over, if we play better puck hockey, putting pucks behind the defenseman, we're going to be OK.” The Huskies came out of the chute in the second period buzzing around the Miami net. Rigali was first and stopped, then a tremendous save on Zac Robbins off a shot from the puck came right to Ben Freeman who buried the shot at 19 seconds, narrowing the lead to 3-2. The fans, who were quiet with the PA announcement at the start of the second, “Here are your UCONN Huskies,” finally had something to cheer for. “Robbins, Rigali, and Freeman gave us a great effort for sixty minutes. It got our bench alive. It was a great way to start the second period,” said Cavanaugh. For Rigali, it was getting back-to-basics. “We just said, 'Stick to our motto... Keep it simple..." I just stayed with our systems the right way and played hard (on that shift) and put the puck in the back of the net. We wanted to set the tone and we took off right from there.” Rigali’s three-assist night was critical in the win, but game-in and game-out consistency were noted by Cavanaugh. “He’ll score on one of those breakaways one of these days. I tell the guys this every day, 'Be the same player every day. You can be great on Friday and not so good on Saturday. It’s a wash. Brian Rigali is the same guy every game, and that what you get from Brian, and the block he made on the penalty kill, that was as good as block your gonna see in a hockey game.” The Huskies evened the game as Rigali sprung Firstov on the right-wing. Firstov made a good move off the right-wing, cut to the middle on RedHawks defender, Derek Daschkle, and snapped a wrist shot across the grain on Larkin over his glove hand at 15:09 and tied the game at three. “We talk about it all the time; skill doesn’t mean anything if the will isn’t there. It has to be will over skill. When the will is there then their skill is gonna shine. If we're gonna rely on skill, we're gonna be in trouble, and we were trying that a bit there in the first period.” UCONN gave away the momentum it had built handing it right back to Miami (OH). They were able to get a three-on-two break as Monte Graham hit Scott Corbett off the right-wing and he hit the trailer Derek Daschkle perfectly with all sorts of free real estate down the middle. He blasted it past Tomas Vomacka for his fourth goal. Iskharov vainly tried to backcheck but was two paces behind. UCONN scored early on a five-on-three with Iskhakov parked at the right side of the net and tallied his third goal of the season at 2:51 converting Firtsov’s pass. The rest of the period was all RedHawks. Penalties were UCONN’s undoing on the first two Miami (OH) goals. Perhaps the effects of an over-indulgence of turkey and the tryptophan it from Thursday's Thanksgiving dinner had the Huskies looking sluggish. The first goal came on the backend of a five-on-three powerplay at 10:43. Karch Bachman perfectly redirected a Russell right point shot for his sixth of the season. UCONN’s penalty penchant created Miami’s second goal. The combo of Casey Gilling and Gordie Green was top on the menu. The RedHawks swarmed around the net as Chase Pietzker's shot from the right point was redirected by Grilling but stopped by Vomacka, but he couldn’t contain the rebound at 16:08. Green was at the left point and slipped a pass at the blue line to Grilling. From the right point, he skated in uncontested to about twenty feet at the top of the right-wing faceoff circle and wired his shot over the left shoulder of a thoroughly screened Vomacka by his own defenseman at 17:26 and a 3-1 Miami of Ohio lead. NOTES: UCONN’S trio of Firtsov, Kondelik, and Gatcomb combined for 19 shots on goal to help UCONN to a season-high 48. Kale Howarth is out of the lineup with a non-sports related spleen injury according to Cavanaugh. “His spleen is enlarged. The good news is that all of his lab results have come back clean at this point. He is skating however in a non-contact jersey until it resolves itself he can’t be in the lineup right now.” Miami (OH)'s Larkin is the younger brother of former Yale player, Adam Larkin (now with Greenville-ECHL) and is the cousin to NHL’er, Dylan Larkin (Detroit). Defenseman Bray Crowder is the son of former NHL’er, Troy Crowder. Ryan Savage is the son of ex-NHL’er, Brian Savage, while Chaz Switzer is the son of former Muskegon Lumberjacks, of the old IHL rearguard, Erle Switzer. Read the full article

#AdamLarkin #BrianRigali #CHL #DylanLarkin #ECHL #GerryCantlon #JachymKondelik #MikeCavanaugh #NHL #RiverHawks #RuslanIskharov #TomasVomacka #UConn #UCONNHuskies #XLCenter #Yale

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Austerity Has Ravaged U.K. Communities. It Has Also Spurred Reinvention.

PRESTON, England — In communities across Britain, funding from London was shrinking to nothing — the central equation of national austerity. But here in the fading industrial belt of northwestern England, the city of Preston took the crisis of budget-cutting as impetus for a basic refashioning.

In what has come to be known as the Preston model, the local government and other institutions began directing government spending toward local businesses. The city raised salaries for municipal employees, ensuring that they earned a living wage.

Local leaders replaced an aborted shopping mall construction project with a retro-chic market that has become a magnet for new businesses. They have aided cooperative businesses, including a farm-to-table-cafe that aims to boost the market for local produce while training people for jobs in the hospitality industry.

In short, Preston has exploited austerity as a catalyst for self-sufficiency.

Preston is not the only local council to adapt to austerity through radical experiments in governance. Other communities have doubled down on capitalism, venturing into real estate speculation in pursuit of revenues — a story not guaranteed to end in joy.

“It doesn’t look very wise at the scale that some councils have done it,” says Tony Travers, an expert on local government at the London School of Economics. “I am slightly amazed that the government has been content to sit and watch this.”

The architects of austerity, the Conservative-led coalition government that took power in 2010, championed it as the unavoidable reckoning with debts left by a global financial crisis. They described their budget-cutting as courageous and even transformative: Decreased public largess would force innovation in government, while spurring entrepreneurialism in place of an unhealthy reliance on the public sphere.

Spending on local services in England has plunged by more than one-fifth on average over the past decade, the Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated in a recent study, while especially troubled areas like the north of England have seen much deeper cuts.

Given statutory imperatives to maintain programs like care for older people and children, local councils have made sharper cuts where they have discretion. Spending has dropped by more than 60 percent on youth centers, by more than half on housing programs and by more than 40 percent on highways, transportation and cultural programs.

Some councils are running perilously close to exhausting their reserves, and a few have veered toward bankruptcy. Evidence of change is palpable and pervasive: Older people wait for volunteer-driven buses that have replaced discontinued public routes; patients sit for hours in hospitals before they can see an overwhelmed doctor; school administrators struggle to furnish basic items like winter coats and tampons to students.

Most of Britain now finds itself at an uncomfortable crossroads: Either taxes go up, or local services will almost certainly continue to decline.

In Preston, a city of 140,000 people, leaders have sought a route around that unpalatable choice. They have refocused public spending on area businesses, aiming to keep more money in the community rather than sending it away to global banks and international retail giants.

This refashioning began with the demise of the previous approach to economic development, a failed effort more than a decade ago to reinvigorate the forlorn downtown with a new shopping center.

The end came in 2009, just as austerity was beginning to force cuts to mental health and youth services, and just as the city was overwhelmed with joblessness, homelessness and despair.

“It was horrific,” recalls Matthew Brown, the leader of the Preston City Council, and an unabashedly left-wing member of the Labour Party. “We were totally constrained in our capacity to help people.”

One night in March 2012, Mr. Brown went to a local pub to meet an expert from a research institution focused on reviving the fortunes of local communities. Their conversation yielded the blueprint for the Preston model.

The model operates not with force of law, but as a social pact. In return for a reliable stream of public money, local institutions pledge to consider more than the bottom line in building new facilities, hiring and paying workers, and contracting for services.

At first, some of Mr. Brown’s council peers resisted his ideas as idiosyncratic flights of fancy. But as austerity tore at the fabric of life, basic ideological assumptions came up for reconsideration.

“It’s about systemic change,” says Neil McInroy, chief executive officer of the research institution, the Center for Local Economic Strategies, and the man Mr. Brown met in the pub. “There was a general aura of people searching for austerity answers.”

When the Preston model began, participating local institutions were directing only 5 percent of their spending within Preston and 39 percent within Lancashire County, according to an analysis by the center. By 2017, those shares had swelled to 18 percent and 78 percent respectively.

“There’s a correlation between deprivation and crime,” says Clive Grunshaw, the Lancashire police and crime commissioner. “If you can invest in these communities, then clearly they will benefit.”

On a chilly afternoon in January, a representative from the Preston Council left town hall and walked across the street to a boarded-up coffee shop owned by the local government. There, he handed the keys to Kay Johnson, founder of a local cooperative called the Larder.

Ms. Johnson’s company is devoted to boosting reliance on locally grown produce. It runs a culinary school and a catering operation. It offers free cooking classes at public housing complexes, giving low-income people strategies to eat healthier while staying within their budgets.

The coffee shop represents the Larder’s next phase. It will outfit the space as a farm-to-table cafe, serving as a place for graduates of its culinary classes to gain work experience. The council is supporting the effort with a discounted lease.

If austerity was the catalyst for moving toward self-sufficiency, the renovated 19th-century market is physical proof of the transformation.

“It forced us to start to looking inward,” says John Bridge, a Preston-born architect who helped design the new market as a partner at a local firm, and has since begun his own practice. “Because of austerity, we have had to think differently.”

Here is an irony of austerity’s consequences. Championed as a spur to rugged individualism, it has prompted communities like Preston to intensify government’s role in economic life.

“There was a culture shift,” Mr. Brown said, occupying a stool in a pub as a man with a banjo crooned Bob Dylan’s countercultural anthem “Maggie’s Farm.” “We’re trying to find alternatives to the capitalist model.”

Yet, in other communities contending with shortfalls, austerity has reinforced support for capitalism. Local leaders have adopted the mien of real estate magnates, using borrowed money.

Over the past two years, councils in England have raised purchases of land and buildings from 2.8 billion pounds annually (about $3.5 billion) to £4 billion (about $5 billion), according to government data. At the same time, total borrowing by English councils has risen to £10 billion, around $10.3 billion, from £4.4 billion.

The body that sets standards for the management of government funds, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, warned recently that tethering council finances to the swings of real estate investment portfolios was perhaps a less-than-fantastic idea.

“Council services are then linked directly to the success or otherwise of the property market, which can be volatile,” says Don Peebles, the institute’s head of policy. “The more services are funded through these returns on investment, the more that increases the risk.”

Tell that to Gerry Clarkson, who leads the Ashford borough council in the southeast of England. Austerity has lopped 40 percent from his council’s budget, yielding increased fees for trash and recycling, cuts to public sports centers and a surplus of lamentation.

“I said, ‘Stop moaning, and stop crying in your beer,’ ” Mr. Clarkson recalls. “‘We don’t need government funding. We are going to behave like a business.’ ”

A retired London fire chief and an unrepentant pounder of tables, Mr. Clarkson revels in telling stories that end with his dressing down some functionary whose doubts, arithmetic or ardor for regulation has impeded his grand visions.

He is intent on turning Ashford — home to 127,000 people, its downtown pockmarked with empty shops, tattoo parlors and liquor stores — into a thriving hub of commerce.

Thanks to high-speed rail links, the borough is but 38 minutes from London and two hours from Paris. “This is a sleeping giant right here,” he says.

Mr. Clarkson fancies himself a maestro of wealth-generating expansion. In 2013, his council bought a block of 30 apartments and some shops on the edges of town, paying a mere £1 million, or $1.3 million. The following year, the council purchased a 12-story office tower next to the train station, paying £7.8 million, or about $10 million, all of it borrowed.

Then the council bought a forsaken shopping center, the Park Mall, to inject life into the town center. Finally, it developed Elwick Place, a six-screen cinema plus restaurants, a hotel and a parking lot. That cost the council £42 million, or $53 million, 95 percent of it borrowed, though at an interest rate of about 1 percent.

All told, Ashford has sunk more than £50 million, around $65 million, into real estate ventures over the past six years. As Mr. Clarkson happily recounts, these investments have produced revenues expected to exceed £3 million, or about $4 million, this year. The office tower alone is yielding a 13 percent profit margin. The Park Mall is increasingly full of shoppers.

All this has cushioned the blow as Ashford’s grant from the central government has shrunk to £125,000 ($160,000) last year from £8 million ($10 million) in 2010, on its way to zero for 2019. Ashford has managed to largely maintain its public services along with some of the lowest property tax rates in the county.

But what happens if the economy turns down, or if property prices fall? To run a government as a business is to run it in a way that makes failure a possibility.

“You wouldn’t want to stop local governments from being entrepreneurial,” says Laurence Ferry, a public finance expert at Durham University. “At the same time, councils have to be careful. There has to be concern if they are stepping into areas outside their expertise.”

Governments may fail to properly assess the risks of industries like retail, now being swiftly refashioned by e-commerce.

Mr. Clarkson hears this and grins the grin of a man unwilling to be defeated by small-minded concerns. “You can’t get your nails done online,” he says. “You can’t get a cup of coffee online.”

Ashford will be fine, he insists, because its economy is built on housing — a commodity that, as he tells it, is somehow impervious to risk. “There’s nothing safer than houses,” he says.

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Never Pay For a Hotel Again: Savvy Travelers Swap Their Homes Instead

iStock; realtor.com

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. But by the time you’ve booked your travel, found the perfect place to stay, and then forked over a small fortune for that fancy hotel or Airbnb stay, the getaway has become more stressful than it would have been to just stay home.

That’s why more people are turning to home swapping. Again.

The practice of home swaps began in earnest back in the 1950s. But now it’s been given a new, gig-economy-type makeover, making it easier then ever for wanderlust-ridden folks to pull off. Over the last decade, a slew of home-swapping websites, like GuestToGuest and Love Home Swap, have cropped up. These sites allow travelers from all over the world to connect and arrange stays in fully furnished homes, in some cases equipped with gourmet kitchens, pets and even a car—without exchanging a cent (most sites charge an annual fee). That’s the premise of more than 70 home exchange websites, which allow homeowners (and renters, with permission from their landlords) to trade their homes for days, weeks, even months at a time.

The only catch: Participants must allow strangers to vacation in their own residences. Are free accommodations in far-flung locales worth a stranger sleeping in your bed, soaking in your tub or thumbing through whatever you haven’t locked away? For some thrifty folks, the answer is a resounding yes.

The practice has allowed retired social worker Gerri Molettiere to live abroad for free, doing 20 exchanges in nine countries since 2010 in Spain, Costa Rica, Iceland, and Ireland through HomeExchange.com. The site charges a $150 annual fee.

Listing a home for swap is a lot like listing a home for sale: You post pictures of your place on an exchange website, along with some info about your home and yourself. Then you browse other homes and correspond with their owners to negotiate swap dates and details.

Trades might be simultaneous, where each participant swaps homes for the same period, or delayed, with one set living with the other as guests in a spare room or guest house. Some sites, such as GuestToGuest, allow swappers to exchange points instead of visits in their homes. Members earn points for hosting travelers and can use them when they stay in someone else’s home.

To many, it’s a more immersive way to experience a new place.

“I like being in a house because you slow down your pace,” says Molettiere, 67. “You take your time and enjoy where you are.”

Gerri Molettiere swaps her Colorado home for accommodations all over the world.

The oldest of the swapping companies, HomeLink USA and Intervac, were founded in 1953, long before the internet. Back then, members would have to browse catalogs of homes and write actual letters (sent through the post office!) to arrange exchanges. The web, obviously, simplified the process.

GuestToGuest, founded in 2011, is now the largest platform, boasting a network of more than 413,000 homes in 187 countries. It purchased its biggest competitor, HomeExchange, which has more than 65,000 listings in 150 countries, last year. (The sites are still run separately.)

But size isn’t everything in home swapping—and specialty sites abound. Some are tailored for those in certain professions, such as airline employees (Airline House Exchange) or teachers (Teacher Home Swap). Others have age or religious restrictions. And then there are sites for folks seeking homes near ski resorts (IVHE.com), or in certain countries.

Would you let a stranger sleep in your bed? Frequent home swappers Syd and Joie Galloway on a trip to Siesta Key Beach, FL.

Syd and Joie Galloway

But while the new online process may require less effort, there’s an old-fashioned stumbling block to home-swapping for many folks: the fact that a total stranger will be using their space while they’re not around.

But unlike Airbnb or other pay-to-stay websites, the people signing up for exchanges have some skin in the game—namely, their homes and possessions.

“The only way to participate in this is to offer your own home to other people, and so it tends to attract a very honest, respectful clientele,” says home swapper Andrew Rich, 60, of San Francisco. Most sites offer insurance, and can also arbitrate disputes.

Then there’s the fear that swaps will fall apart—perhaps at the last minute.

Syd and Joie Galloway, a Washington, DC-based couple in their 70s, estimate they’ve done more than 140 home swaps over 30-plus years, and only once did an exchange fall through. They called their swap partner shortly before their scheduled trip to Hawaii, and found out that her husband had just died. The Galloways contacted HomeLink, the swap service they were using.

“In no time, at all they found us another host and exchange in Oahu, HI. … We ended up exchanging with that family four times,” says Syd Galloway.

But while people have relatives to visit and weddings and conferences to attend all over, the reality is that those living in big cities or hot vacation destinations are more easily able to arrange swaps.

“I could live in France for the next year if I wanted to, because so many people there want to stay at my house,” says Betsy Hicks, a self-employed 52-year-old with a centrally located, two-bedroom apartment in San Francisco.

A new way to make friends

The pleasures of home swapping may extend beyond the vacation itself. Something about staying in someone else’s home really creates a bond—and for many swappers, the relationships they build are an essential part of the appeal.

“We stay in close contact with our partners during the exchange and that’s part of the fun too, seeing them enjoy your area,” says Weston.

The Galloways keep a scrapbook of their travels and the folks they’ve met along they way. It comes in handy when they hear from them again, sometimes a decade later.

As Joie Galloway says: “You should see our Christmas card list.”

The post Never Pay For a Hotel Again: Savvy Travelers Swap Their Homes Instead appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

Never Pay For a Hotel Again: Savvy Travelers Swap Their Homes Instead

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[gerrygoodmanblog]

How to go solar in Orange County CA? | Solar Solutions OC CA

Ever since it was announced that California will officially become the first American state to make it compulsory for newly built homes to get solar panels, the question – ‘how to go solar in Orange County CA?’, has been on everyone’s minds. California’s Energy Commission has come up with reinvigorated energy standards which necessitate virtually all newly built homes to be built with solar panels. At present, about 20% of single-family houses are constructed with solar facilities built in, but then again if the new-fangled standards are accepted as anticipated, this percentage will increase sharply.

HOW TO GO SOLAR IN ORANGE COUNTY CA– WHAT ARE THE BEST FINANCING OPTIONS

Several solar solution services are able to propose their clients with an assortment of financing possibilities in order for them to go solar. The most easily available financing options are System Ownership and having a lease on the system or getting a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Since these two are the main options, it is important for all homeowners to methodically calculate the expected benefits and negatives that these choices offer. Here is a complete homeowner’s guide for selecting the right financing option –

System Ownership compared to Entering a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

What will the homeowner pay for?

System Ownership – The price of a solar generation structure that covers approximately all of the house’s electricity requirements.

Lease – A static once-a-month rate regardless of how much electricity is created. In a PPA agreement, a set amount of money is charged for every Kilowatt Hour produced.

What will the homeowner purchase?

System Ownership – All machinery of the PV system together with solar panels and metering gear. Homeowners are also advised to purchase performance analysis software, prolonged service contract, and other choices. Hence, before even asking the question, ‘how to go solar in Orange County CA?’ it is important to know the costs of these contracts.

PPA – This is basically getting contractually affiliated with a solar service company who will provide certain services that most probably do not come with too many purchase options.

What benefits does the purchase bring?

System Ownership – All the gear, labor, municipal and resident taxes, the lowest standard guarantee, managerial correspondence (authorizing, etc.) and, occasional performance analysis – all of these benefits come free of cost for homeowners who opt for system ownership.

PPA – Generally it includes labor, state and local taxes, administrative paperwork (permitting, interconnection application, etc.), processes and preservation, inverter spares, insurance, constant monitoring, and production warranties.

The tax implications that the homeowner will have to face –

System Ownership –Homeowners must check with their tax consultant in order to determine whether or not they possess eligibility for the 30% Fed-Investment Tax Credit. In case their system ownership is being financed via a home equity advance, they might be entitled to a tax deduction. Hence, before answering the question ‘how to go solar in Orange County CA?’ all the tax implications must be considered.

PPA – The solar service providers usually receive the 30% Fed-Investment tax credit. They might also receive viable depreciation tax doles.

What are the risks?

System Ownership – For people who have System Ownerships, there is an added responsibility for operations and preservation expenses. They must at all times be mindful of system performance to warrant it is making the most of its energy manufacture. (Data analysis systems are crucial.)

PPA – A Solar service provider may jump ship and stop the company altogether making it incapable to deliver operations and care as discussed in the contract. PPAs typically have rates that spiral over time and generally have long-standing obligations of over twenty-five years. The homeowner must discuss all the buyout possibilities with the provider, in case such details are not detailed in the contract. Some preservation possibly will not be covered in the PPA contract.

Gerry Goodman Real Estate Services helps its customers address the all-important question –‘how to go solar in Orange County CA?’ in the perfect manner. Considered to be the best in the business since over 25 years, Gerry Goodman is presently operating in Orange County CA, in the cities – Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Newport Beach, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Tustin, and Aliso Viejo.

#Solar Solutions OC CA

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DGB Grab Bag: Boston's Self Own, Summer of Ovi Rages On, and No Sign and Trades

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: NBC Sports Boston – Their twitter account decided to make a joke about the Blackhawks playing at Notre Dame. It ended up being the equivalent of cutting across the blueline with your head down and getting smoked.

Shot:

Chaser:

Get the stretcher, I don't think they're walking this one off.

The second star: The NHL store – This image from the official league site, found by a Reddit user, is ice cold.

The first star: Alexander Ovechkin is celebrating again – Remember when you were a kid and summer vacation would be almost over and you'd start to get really sad about it? That's how I feel about Ovechkin's month-long Cup celebration right now. Ah well, at least we'll always have this extremely NSFW video of his very favorite song to remember the good times.

Also, here's Dmitri Orlov singing the same song to Ovechkin's mom, which isn't weird at all.

Be It Resolved

The Montreal Canadiens made some headlines recently. No, they didn't trade Max Pacioretty. No, they didn't finally acquire the first-line center they've been chasing for years. No, they didn’t find an invitation to the John Tavares sweepstakes at the bottom of their backpack and realize they hadn't been excluded after all. Look, I didn't say they made good headlines.

No, the Habs made news by announcing that Shea Weber will miss six months after having knee surgery. The strange part is that the team had known about this for weeks, and just decided not to tell anyone. GM Marc Bergevin went through his entire end-of-season press conference without mentioning it, then had the team slip it into a press release after everyone had left town. Not surprisingly, this has raised a few questions.

Clearly, Habs fans can be annoyed by this, since it suggests that they can't really trust what team management is telling them. And it plays into the larger pattern of teams around the league not wanting to tell their fans anything. That's been getting better lately, with most teams being more transparent around contracts and trade details, but it still happens.

But while the move opened the Canadiens up to some well-deserved criticism, it at least gave us something to talk about right around the time the NHL offseason gets boring. That's worth something. And maybe we can build on it.

So be it resolved: From now on, every NHL team should keep one semi-important story secret during the offseason.

The Habs have already shown us how it's done. Let's have everyone else follow their lead. Every team picks one thing—an injury, a signing, a trade, a buyout—and just doesn't tell us about it. Then we have to try to figure it out on our own. The only rule is that if someone guesses right, the GM has to fess up and tell us.

It would be fun. And it would give us all something to think about during those six or seven summer weeks when nothing is happening. Sometimes, we'd figure it out quickly. Other times it would take some work to piece everything together. Maybe there'd be a breakthrough, where some fan captures grainy footage of a star player limping around, or a "for sale" sign going up in front of a fourth-liner's house. Sometimes we'd make it to September without an answer, at which point we could have a fun press conference where the GM comes out and admits that the starting goalie retired two months ago and they don't have a replacement.

We already don't have any insiders around to break the news, since they're all at their cottage compounds trying to remember what their spouse looks like and how sleep works. So let's do the polite thing and wait until they're back before we wrap up all the loose ends.

Let's make this happen. Just like the next half-dozen draft lotteries, it isn't fair that Habs fans get all the fun.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

It's been a rough summer for Canucks fans. Their team's offseason strategy seems to be "sign all the fourth-liners you can to multi-year contracts," and even then they're getting out-hustled by the Islanders in that department. So today, let's help Vancouver fans celebrate the anniversary of one of the happiest moments in franchise history: The day that Mark Messier officially went the hell back where he came from.

That would be July 13, 2000, the day that Messier re-signed with the Rangers after three disastrous years in Vancouver. His divorce from the Canucks was already a done deal by then, but seeing him pull another team's jersey on helped give Vancouver fans some closure on what to this day stands as the biggest debacle in franchise history.

So today, let's mark the occasion by bestowing Obscure Player honors on a former Canucks captain that the entire fan base doesn't hate: Chris Oddleifson.

Oddleifson was a big center who was originally picked by the Oakland Seals in the 1970 draft, two picks behind Darryl Sittler and eight picks after the Canucks made Dale Tallon their first ever pick after the whole roulette wheel debacle. But the Oddleifson pick is probably more famous for another reason—it was the one the Seals acquired from Montreal as part of the classic Sam Pollock fleecing that saw them give up their 1971 first, which turned into Guy Lafleur.

Oddleifson never made it to California, as he was traded to the Bruins in 1971 and made his NHL debut in Boston during the 1972-73 season. In February 1974, the Bruins dealt him to the Canucks as part of a trade for the wonderfully named Bobby Schmautz. Oddleifson originally wore No. 11 in Vancouver, which was fine because he didn't force the team to take it out of retirement, unlike some players we could mention.

He broke through with the Canucks beginning in 1974-75, putting up 51 points and following that with a career-high 62 the following season. He did most of that damage on a line with Gerry O'Flaherty and Garry Monahan (who you might remember as the first overall pick in the league's first ever draft). For a franchise still finding its footing, Oddleifson's contributions were enough to earn him the honor of serving as the team's third ever captain, following in the footsteps of Orland Kurtenbach and Andre Boudrias. He did not force a beloved franchise icon like Trevor Linden to relinquish his "C," unlike some players we could mention.

Oddleifson's stint as captain lasted only that 1976-77 season, as he gave way to the combo of Don Lever and Kevin McCarthy. But he remained on the team until he was sent to the minors in 1980. He'd play a few years in Europe before retiring and going on to a career in real estate.

He occasionally showed up at Canucks alumni events and old-timer games, because the fans in Vancouver still like him and don't desperately want to pretend that his captaincy never happened. Unlike some players we could mention.

Trivial Annoyance of the Week

It's the NHL offseason, which means we've just had several weeks of constant speculation over various transactions that could happen. Many involve trades, and some of those involve players whose contracts have either expired or will soon. And inevitably, that speculation can only mean one thing: Somebody somewhere is going to suggest that we might see a sign-and-trade.

Everyone, please stop doing this.

A sign-and-trade isn't really a thing. At least, not in the NHL. It's something you occasionally see in the NBA, where the CBA carves out a special kind of transaction in which a signing and a trade are combined together to allow a player to reap certain contractual benefits he couldn't get on a new team. Years ago, that might mean getting a full max salary, although the rules have since been changed to narrow that loophole. Today, NBA sign-and-trades are relatively rare, although they still happen occasionally.

But that's the NBA. In the NHL, there really isn't any situation in which it makes sense for a team to sign a player before trading him, except for one—a star player who is about to leave as a UFA, and wants to get the maximum eight-year deal on his new team. If John Tavares had insisted on an eight-year contract with the Leafs, the only way to get it would have been for him to sign that deal with the Islanders, who would then immediately trade him to Toronto for players or picks. But while that scenario is at least plausible, it wouldn't make much sense for anyone involved. The Leafs wouldn't want to give up assets to sign an unrestricted free agent, and the Islanders wouldn't want to surrender their extra-year advantage in negotiations, or to help Tavares get more money after he'd already decided to abandon them.

Beyond that very limited and probably unrealistic scenario, there's really no reason for the sign-and-trade concept to ever come up in the NHL. If some team wants to trade for Erik Karlsson or Artemi Panarin or Max Pacioretty and sign them to a long-term extension, they'd just do that. There'd be no need for the Senators or Blue Jackets or Canadiens to be involved in the contract. The teams would just agree on the trade, and the player would immediately sign an extension with his new team. That's it. Boring, maybe, but it's how NHL trades work.

The one NHL sign-and-trade you hear mentioned from time to time is Marian Hossa going from Ottawa to Atlanta within hours of signing a contract extension back in 2005. The fact that you have to go back 13 years to find an example should tell you something, but even that move doesn't fit because Hossa wasn't in on it. He thought he was signing to stay in Ottawa, and then the team swerved him by immediately trading him. Reportedly, he wasn't very happy about it, and rightly so. That's not how the whole concept is supposed to work.

And yet you still hear about NHL sign-and-trades at this time of year. Why? I have no idea, although my theory is that it just sounds cool. It's a term we hear thrown around in another sport, we don't fully understand what it means, so we start tossing it into hockey rumors to see if it fits.

But it doesn't. NHL sign-and-trades basically don't exist. So let's stop bringing the idea up.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

It can't be all that fun to be Bobby Ryan these days. Not only is he stuck on the worst-run franchise in the league, but that team has made it very clear that they desperately want to get rid of him. Normally, a pending escape from Ottawa would be good news. But the Senators have been so aggressive in trying to attach Ryan and his ridiculous contract to any Erik Karlsson, trade that it's got to be tough not to take it personally. And if he does get moved as part of a Karlsson deal, Ottawa fans will forever blame him for watering down the return. That can't be fun.

So today, let's look back on a Bobby Ryan trade that actually worked out pretty well. We only have to go back seven years to find it.

It's December 12, 2010, and Ryan and the Ducks are hosting the Minnesota Wild. It's a pretty typical and frankly not all that interesting regular season game that the Ducks will eventually win 6-2. But something strange is about to happen. If you've never seen the clip before, see if you can spot it before the announcers do.

The puck bounces around in the corner for a bit, and the first thing we notice is Ryan gesturing at the referee about something. He doesn't have a stick at this point, and there's one lying nearby, so it's not hard to put two and two together about what happened. Or is it?

Check out No. 20 on the Wild. That's Antti Miettinen, and he seems very confused about something. He's got the missing stick in front of him on the ice, and is half-heartedly pushing it back in the direction of Ryan. As the announcers point out, that's kind of a weird thing to do, since Ryan plays for the other team. Hmm….

Ryan does indeed pick up the stick, and just in time. A deflected shot bounces over to him, and he buries it into an open net. He immediately holds the stick up and waving it in Mikko Koivu's face, which seems like an odd way to celebrate a goal. Trust me, this is all going somewhere.

Also, and Senator fans can back me up on this, I'm pretty sure this is the most recent footage of Bobby Ryan scoring a goal.

Our announcers are still trying to figure out what happened, and why Miettinen was so worried about an opponent's stick. "That was absolutely bizarre," says one. He's right, but not for the reason he thinks.

We get a pair of replays, which don't shed much light on the situation but do highlight the celebration. Seriously, if you've never seen this clip before and you're just following along, go back to the beginning and see if you can catch what actually happened. It's one of those great "When you see it" moments.

Our clip skips ahead to later in the game, as our announcers have finally clued into what just happened. We got to a slow motion replay, complete with a Howie Meeker-style "stop it right there." This time, we can see that it's actually Koivu who doesn't have a stick… right up until he collides with Ryan and just blatantly rips his stick out of his hand.

That explains Ryan's reaction, and his complaint to the referee, since I'm pretty sure stealing somebody's stick and playing the rest of the shift with it should fall under the "holding the stick" section of the rulebook. It also explains Miettinen's confusion, since it was teammate's stick he was trying to retrieve, even though all his teammates still had one.

Also, the game is still going on at this point and the announcers don't care. That's my favorite part of the whole sequence. We get another replay, and with that our clip ends and all charges against Miettinen are dropped.

You can see another version of the play, in which the announcers realize what's happening right away, right here. Koivu actually tried to go to the officials and get the goal overturned, which is pretty rich. "Hey ref, he has an illegal stick. No, don't worry about which stick I'm using, we're talking about that guy."

And that's it. An underrated part of this whole scenario is that Ryan is a right-handed and Koivu is a lefty. You can see Koivu kind of fumble with Ryan's stick when he realizes that. More importantly, it means Ryan scored the goal with his curve facing the wrong way, which is pretty impressive.

Wait, are we absolutely sure he gave the stick back? Has Ryan's slump over the last few seasons been because he's still using a backwards curve? The Senators may want to look into that.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected].

DGB Grab Bag: Boston's Self Own, Summer of Ovi Rages On, and No Sign and Trades published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[touristguidebuzz]

Extended Stay America’s New CEO Looks to Business Model Changes to Drive Growth

Incoming Extended Stay America CEO Jonathan Halkyard spoke to Skift about his plans for the company and the future of the extended stay hotel. Extended Stay America

Skift Take: Given the rise of homesharing and shared workspaces, there are plenty of more external forces at work that will impact the extended stay market in the coming years. The key to success for Extended Stay America's new CEO will be taking these all into account.

— Deanna Ting

Just before the holidays set in, Extended Stay America made some news about a major leadership change: CEO Gerry Lopez would be succeeded by chief financial officer Jonathan S. Halkyard, effective January 1.

The hospitality industry’s extended stay sector is doing very well, with demand increasing and average daily rates staying steady or rising despite an influx ofsupply. And because it’s doing so well, other brands are also expressing more interest in the space, and competition is heating up.

In addition to the CEO change, Extended Stay America is undergoing a lot of changes as well as it pursues its ESA 2.0 strategy of becoming a more asset-light company. And like its peers, the company is embracing improvements in the guest experience.

With so much happening in this space, Skift spoke to Halkyard to get a better understanding of where he plans to take Extended Stay America, and where the sector is headed over the next few years. Here’s what he had to say.

On the CEO Change

When asked if he had been expecting to be named the new CEO, Halkyard said, “I, certainly, wasn’t expecting it, although when I joined the company four years ago as chief operating officer, and then as chief financial officer about two years ago, I was certainly, doing my best to prepare myself to be in a position to take this position. The timing, in the end, was really up to Gerry Lopez, our CEO, and our board, but I was delighted with the way the timing worked out.”

He added that he appreciates the fact that current CEO Gerry Lopez will stay on as a senior advisor for a 10-week transition period through March.

On His Goals as CEO

In short, Halkyard’s goals for Extended Stay America relate to growth so the brand can remain as competitive as it can be in the increasingly crowded extended stay space.

“We have, I think, a terrific company with a business model that is very appealing to our shareholders and a product offering that’s very appealing to our customers,” he said. “And, my No. 1 objective is to really build this brand, build its consistency, build its reach, and improve the value that it gives to our customers.

“Our customers, who spend with us an average of two to four weeks at a time when they’re away from home working on projects, or relocating, or doing training programs — our product is perfect for those folks who stay with us. And, we believe that we can continue to improve the value that we’re providing, as well as grow the reach of this brand through new hotels in North America. So, my No. 1 goal is to build the brand and improve the product that we offer, and take advantage of business model that we think provides a great return for our shareholders.”

That business model, Halkyard said, is a “a self-service hotel offering that’s really appealing to people who are very practical and very deliberate about their use.”

He added, “So, they appreciate the fact that we have full kitchens, they don’t require, and necessarily want, to pay for daily housekeeping. They often will cook in their rooms, so they don’t really require, nor do they want to pay for things like room service, or a food-and-beverage offering. So, it really starts with that, a product that really makes a lot of sense and is relevant to our customers.”

This type of hotel model, he said, gives Extended Stay America “a very lean operating model.”

“So, our hotels, really, will only have about a dozen employees, and because we own and operate our hotels, our performance, and our operating margins in the business, are very strong while we’re able to offer our customers an extremely competitive rate and a real value for that. So, it’s this symbiotic relationship between the product that we offer, which is very relevant to our customers, and then the economic model that we offer to our shareholders. And, we’ve made a lot of progress over the past several years in improving the financial shape of our company. And so, financially, our company is very strong, and it’s really turned out to be a very good situation for our shareholders, as well as our customers.”

On Going More Asset Light

But that owner-operator model that Extended Stay America has had for so long is beginning to change. With ESA 2.0, the company introduced the ability to franchise the brand for the first time in the company’s history. That asset-light trajectory is one that a number of companies have followed and continue to pursue.

When asked if he sees the company being more asset light going forward, Halkyard said, “We absolutely do, and you’re certainly correct in that that’s the way that the hotel industry has evolved over the past 10 years or so, and we’re evolving our company in that way as well.”

He said the brand was opening itself up to franchising “for two reasons. One, is to really just accelerate the growth of this brand. We intend to build new extended stay hotels — we have the financial capacity to do that — but we also think that developers, and ultimately, franchisees, can build new extended stay hotels as well, and really turbocharge our unit growth. The second reason is, that in so doing, we’re going to create, what over time will become a significant stream of franchise revenue. And, you’re right, investors value that more highly, and as you know, capital is not free, and yet franchise fees can grow, really, as others invest their capital to build hotels.”

In three or four years, he said, “this is going to be a company that, financially, looks a bit different than it does now. Although, if you’re a customer staying in one of our hotels, whether it be a franchise hotel or an owned and operated hotel, one thing I can be sure of is that there will be more Extended Stay Americas, we’ll have greater brand presence in the US.”

Halkyard said that the company, which has 625 hotels that it primarily owns and operates, hopes to have approximately 700 hotels by 2021. It has another 100 properties in the pipeline, with a mix of both owned-and-operated hotels and franchised ones. He estimates that mix will be 70 percent owned and 30 percent franchised, but added, “I do believe that we will be, over time, more franchised than owned. But, it takes a while to get there.”

On the Progress of an asset-light strategy

Halkyard described the ESA 2.0 growth strategy as part of current CEO Gerry Lopez’s legacy, and that strategy is “really just beginning.”

“I think Gerry’s legacy will be having established and begun this growth strategy that we’ve been talking about. I’ve worked closely with Gerry since he started here two-and-a-half years ago. He’s been a terrific CEO, a lot of fun to work with. Very bright, really welcoming of debate and discussion amongst the senior team, engages with employees. But, I think his legacy will be having launched this growth strategy.”

As for the strategy’s progress, Halkyard said, “We’ve articulated it, we’ve put in place some of the early leadership of it. You might have noticed, in our release [on December 18], we announced the sale of a hotel in Denver. This is an element of the strategy, which is to sell and monetize certain hotels in the system, for one reason or another, that are not strategic for us going forward. We have announced, recently, that we are working on the sale of, roughly, 25 hotel properties, which will be re-franchised. We’ve acquired several pieces of real estate and are close on others that will be where our new owned hotels are located. So, we’ve made progress on every front, but it’s still a relatively early. But, I think we’re making good progress. And, I expect that we’ll pick up the pace on all of those fronts as we begin 2018.”

the vision

Relevancy is something Halkyard wants Extended Stay America to have as a differentiating factor in an increasingly crowded extended stay market.

“We want to be a hotel company that is directly relevant to what our guests want and need,” he said. “Business history is replete with examples of companies, who having hit the mark with their customers perfectly, for a variety of reasons, expand beyond that, or overshoot it, or get lazy and undershoot it. And, we understand our customers very well. They’re unique in terms of what they’re looking for, versus, say a person who’s just staying a night or two at a Hilton Garden Inn, or pick the other hotels [to stay in].”

He continued, “Our customers have a specific reason they’re using our hotels. They’re traveling, generally, for business purposes, and they’re looking for value and they know value. And, I want to be a company where, whether they’re guests, or they’re investors, look at it and say, ‘That company knows what they are, they know who their customers are, and when it comes to meeting those desires they, absolutely, nail it.'”

Halkyard added, “Our core customer is someone who is needs to stay at a hotel for longer than a week. We serve customers who stay with us only a night or two, but that’s not what we’re built for. We’re built for the customer who’s staying with us longer than a week. And, the number of people in this country who are looking for that kind of accommodation is astonishing.”

And when it comes to innovation, he said, “And, that’s not to say we won’t innovate. We, certainly, will, but we have to remain focused on our type of customer, and then realize the implications of that focus, the positive implications for our shareholders, and our employees, and that’s, really, what it’s about.”

Why Extended Stay is hot

Why is there so much demand for extended stay? And why are so many companies interested in growing in this part of the lodging market? Halkyard said he thinks it boils down to how we work today.

“I think it comes down to a question of mobility,” he said. “Companies are requiring mobility of their workers. Independent business people require mobility in order to do their business. At the same time, people don’t like to move, or aren’t as willing to move as they once were, and that’s the flip side of mobility. So, you have this intersection of an economy that requires workers to be in different locations, and a workforce that is unwilling to pick up and move to those locations. It could be driven by family, dual careers, aging parents, or simply the fact that you can, now, live in one place and work in another. And, that is, while it’s always been a part of this economy, it’s an increasing part of this economy. And, it’s not just at our level of our customers, the number of executives who are, essentially, super commuters living in LA and working in Dallas, or working in New York and living in Chicago.”

He continued, “It’s astonishing, and one of the things we’re going to be doing this year is offering some data in this regard. We have some and we’ve talked about it, but this is a trend, which, pick any of the residential lodging offerings, or, certainly, Extended Stay America, we’re right at the intersection of it. And, it’s a big issue, and it’s one of the reasons why there is so much demand for this product.”

And with more companies wanting to grow in the space, Halkyard also sees opportunity.

“I think, certainly, the fact that Choice is acquiring the WoodSpring Suites brand, I think, is further validation of the appeal of the segment. We don’t see a tremendous amount of supply growth amongst extended stay hotels, and the fact of the matter is, over the past few years, and looking into the next few years, there is some growth in extended stay hotels.

“It, typically, is at the higher end, meaning a Residence Inn, or a Home2Suites, or that kind of hotel, as opposed to, say, our price point, or WoodSpring Suite’s. So, new competition, real competition, meaning another extended stay hotel within our trade area of one of our existing hotels, has not been a big factor over the past couple of years, and we don’t think it’s a big factor going forward.”

He explained, “On the higher end, folks aren’t staying in Residence Inns for six weeks at a time. That’s a pretty expensive proposition, and you, probably, might as well just get an apartment or something. On the other hand, on the real economy end, companies aren’t putting their people there. So, we think we’re in that sweet spot where we’re affordable for an extended stay, but we’re of a quality that corporate customers are going to put their folks there. And, we like that place, and we don’t want much company there.”

And when asked if the popularity of homesharing has had any impact or influence on the extended stay market, Halkyard said he didn’t see any, nor is it much of a threat.

“No, we haven’t. Not that I can think of. We don’t think so,” he said. “Believe me, we look for it, we’ve done work analyzing it, we talked to our customers to understand what alternatives they’re reviewing. I think the data show that this is much more prevalent in Europe than it is in The United States, but, obviously, it’s a real factor here, as well. Those options tend to be concentrated more in urban areas than suburban areas where our hotels, typically, are and where the brand generators for our hotels, typically, are. So, we have not really seen an impact, I think that’s borne out by our financial performance. But, I don’t take it lightly, and we’re constantly on the lookout for that. And, we think we have ways to defend against that.

On Future Plans

Would Extended Stay America ever consider going international or launching another brand?

Halkyard said, “At this point, the answer to both of those questions is no. This brand is well-known. We have permission to open another two or three hundred of these units in the U.S., and we don’t think we need to go outside the U.S., nor introduce a sister brand in order to capture that economic opportunity.”

What about growing via mergers or acquisitions? Would the company consider doing that at some point down the line?

Halkyard said, “Again, I think that building our own hotels, or returning our capital to shareholders, are two very productive uses of capital, right now. I won’t say never, but an acquisition, with the potential confusion in integration risk, that that will bring, not to mention asset prices, right now, don’t make that option appealing to me.”

The consolidation that we’ve seen in hospitality hasn’t had much of an impact on Extended Stay America, he added.

“No, it really hasn’t,” Halkyard said. “I can’t think of how it’s affected, outside here, on the supplier side, or the competitive side. If anything, the consolidation amongst these larger brands have the potential to shift focus away from the extended stay brands in these larger portfolios. I haven’t seen any evidence of that, but there’s always that potential. But, no, I would say that the consolidation hasn’t really affected us, we just continue to try to execute, here, in our segment, and we think it’s a terrific segment.”

As for innovation and improving the overall guest experience, Halkyard said we can expect the brand to focus on how guests book, check-in, and check out.

“The way in which our customers access our reservation system, and access our hotels during check-in and check-out, is, certainly, an opportunity for us to innovate,” he said. “Ours are not highly transactional lobbies. Within the room, probably, the greatest opportunity, for us, is enabling our guests, increasingly, to cast from their personal devices onto the televisions in the rooms. Our customers are using our free Wi-Fi, increasingly, to stream video. And, so we’re just going to work to make it easier, and a better experience to do that, and also drive revenue at the same time.”

[bangkokjacknews]

Thailand's foreign EX-PATS see the good life slip away

From the mountains of #ChiangMai to the beaches of #Phuket, #Thailand has long been a draw for foreign retirees wishing to spend their golden years in tropical bliss.

But for the many who have enjoyed paradise on the cheap, their dreams are ebbing away as the country opens up to a wealthier class of retirees. The Thai baht rose to a six-year high against the dollar last year to become one of the world's most stable currencies. Though it has depreciated in the past two months, it is still significantly stronger compared to three or four years ago. Seen as a safe bet amid the U.S.-China trade war, the baht has caused visitor numbers to drop and hotel occupancy rates to halve. But for those living here on fixed savings or pensions, the baht's strength has decimated their income. British expats have lost about 30% of their purchasing power following the pound's plummet in the wake of Brexit. The financial squeeze comes amid changes to visa rules for retirees. As of February last year, foreigners must have a security deposit of 800,000 baht ($25,364) in a Thai bank account for two months prior to application or a monthly income of 65,000 baht; or a combination of the two totaling 800,000 baht. https://bangkokjack.com/2019/10/29/tens-thousands-expats-leave-thailand/ Applicants must now also have health insurance. For someone aged 75, for example, that is a "big problem" as the premium could be as much as 100,000 baht per month, said Sebastian Brousseau, CEO of Isaan Lawyers. The stringent regulations have caught many elderly expats used to a free and easy lifestyle off guard, with many fearing for their future. In Pattaya, a coastal city with a big retired community, the sense of desperation is palpable. "Life in Pattaya has been getting worse for people ever since the economic crisis and since a few years ago," said Leng Leng, who runs Mercy Pattaya, a local Christian charity.

Two men watch the world go by in Pattaya, a coastal resort with a big foreign community that is being squeezed by a strong baht and new visa rules. (Photo by George Styllis) Pattaya has been a haven for expats ever since American servicemen flocked here for sun and sleaze during the Vietnam War, turning a sleepy fishing village into Asia's sin city. Gerry, a U.S. Navy veteran who declined to give his last name, first visited back then and has stayed ever since. At 83, alone and estranged from his family, Gerry has built his life here. But barely able to cover his living costs, let alone the deposit he now needs for a visa, he feels trapped, having been "out of the U.S. system" for more than 30 years. "I'm too old and too scared to go anywhere else," he said. Gerry does not own property here, but for those who do, a downturn in the real estate market has dashed their chances of a quick sell. Demand for properties has waned since last year as many expats, disgruntled with Thailand's tightening immigration system, have moved to other parts of Asia, while China has imposed new controls to curb capital flight, said Jean Charles, the founder of TwoFlat Real Estate. The situation has intensified Thailand's glut, which is set to worsen with arrival numbers decimated by the new coronavirus. Yet amid this turmoil, the country has been unflinching in its bid to capitalize on the world's aging populations, promoting Thailand, with its sunny weather and affordable health care, as a place to age with dignity. Thailand issued almost 80,000 retirement visas in 2018, an increase of 30% from 2014, with Britons accounting for the bulk. Research by Kasikornthai Bank estimated that in 2016, there were 68,300 foreigners over 50 years old holding long-stay visas, a 9% increase over the preceding two years. The market's niche but lucrative potential is prompting huge investment from health care operators. The Thonburi Healthcare Group launched Jin Well-being County in 2018, a 3.7-billion baht retirement city complete with a hospital and apartments aimed at wealthy Thais and Asians. The group plans to build a 43-hectare facility in Krabi targeting largely Westerners in the coming years, said Jin Well-being manager Ken Chen. "It'll be more like a five-star hotel," said Chen. At 99,000 baht per sq. meter, Jin Well-being's apartments are not cheap, but for foreigners they could help bypass some of the stringent retirement visa rules, said Chen. Bolstering this bid for wealthy retirees, the government has been successfully promoting an elite visa scheme, with options for five-, 10- and 20-year visas ranging from 500,000 baht to 2 million baht.

A resort in Thailand.    © AP Applications among retirees jumped on average 34% between 2016 and 2019 amid record growth, after citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners Group was appointed as exclusive global concessionaire for the program. By avoiding the need for annual renewal, the elite visas offer "longer-term certainty" for those wishing to live or invest here, along with other "bells and whistles," said Dominic Volek, Henley's Head of Southeast Asia. The bid to lure wealthier individuals has made many here feel they are being squeezed out, said Darren Low, owner of The Sportsman pub in Pattaya. Yet Low is hopeful that with Thai economic growth dropping to a five-year low last year and tourist arrivals forecast to drop as much as 50%, the government might look to expats to buffer the economic impact. A positive sign came earlier this year when the government quietly dropped a revived immigration law that drew heavy criticism, days after China announced a ban on overseas tours to contain the coronavirus. Meanwhile, relief from the baht is expected after it softened at the start of the year, following the central bank's announcement that it will relax rules on capital outflows to weaken the currency. Yet Low has noticed many around him have already abandoned themselves to despair, drinking heavily as their once-rosy vision of Thailand turns bleak. "People are just deteriorating," said Low. Even if the government does throw them a lifeline, it may be too late. "It probably already is," he said. - Nikkei Asian Review – You can follow BangkokJack on Twitter, Instagram, & Reddit. Or join the free mailing list (top right) Please help us continue to bring the REAL NEWS - PayPal Read the full article

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Extended Stay America’s New CEO Looks to Business Model Changes to Drive Growth

Incoming Extended Stay America CEO Jonathan Halkyard spoke to Skift about his plans for the company and the future of the extended stay hotel. Extended Stay America

Skift Take: Given the rise of homesharing and shared workspaces, there are plenty of more external forces at work that will impact the extended stay market in the coming years. The key to success for Extended Stay America's new CEO will be taking these all into account.

— Deanna Ting

Just before the holidays set in, Extended Stay America made some news about a major leadership change: CEO Gerry Lopez would be succeeded by chief financial officer Jonathan S. Halkyard, effective January 1.

The hospitality industry’s extended stay sector is doing very well, with demand increasing and average daily rates staying steady or rising despite an influx ofsupply. And because it’s doing so well, other brands are also expressing more interest in the space, and competition is heating up.

In addition to the CEO change, Extended Stay America is undergoing a lot of changes as well as it pursues its ESA 2.0 strategy of becoming a more asset-light company. And like its peers, the company is embracing improvements in the guest experience.

With so much happening in this space, Skift spoke to Halkyard to get a better understanding of where he plans to take Extended Stay America, and where the sector is headed over the next few years. Here’s what he had to say.

On the CEO Change

When asked if he had been expecting to be named the new CEO, Halkyard said, “I, certainly, wasn’t expecting it, although when I joined the company four years ago as chief operating officer, and then as chief financial officer about two years ago, I was certainly, doing my best to prepare myself to be in a position to take this position. The timing, in the end, was really up to Gerry Lopez, our CEO, and our board, but I was delighted with the way the timing worked out.”

He added that he appreciates the fact that current CEO Gerry Lopez will stay on as a senior advisor for a 10-week transition period through March.

On His Goals as CEO

In short, Halkyard’s goals for Extended Stay America relate to growth so the brand can remain as competitive as it can be in the increasingly crowded extended stay space.

“We have, I think, a terrific company with a business model that is very appealing to our shareholders and a product offering that’s very appealing to our customers,” he said. “And, my No. 1 objective is to really build this brand, build its consistency, build its reach, and improve the value that it gives to our customers.

“Our customers, who spend with us an average of two to four weeks at a time when they’re away from home working on projects, or relocating, or doing training programs — our product is perfect for those folks who stay with us. And, we believe that we can continue to improve the value that we’re providing, as well as grow the reach of this brand through new hotels in North America. So, my No. 1 goal is to build the brand and improve the product that we offer, and take advantage of business model that we think provides a great return for our shareholders.”

That business model, Halkyard said, is a “a self-service hotel offering that’s really appealing to people who are very practical and very deliberate about their use.”

He added, “So, they appreciate the fact that we have full kitchens, they don’t require, and necessarily want, to pay for daily housekeeping. They often will cook in their rooms, so they don’t really require, nor do they want to pay for things like room service, or a food-and-beverage offering. So, it really starts with that, a product that really makes a lot of sense and is relevant to our customers.”

This type of hotel model, he said, gives Extended Stay America “a very lean operating model.”

“So, our hotels, really, will only have about a dozen employees, and because we own and operate our hotels, our performance, and our operating margins in the business, are very strong while we’re able to offer our customers an extremely competitive rate and a real value for that. So, it’s this symbiotic relationship between the product that we offer, which is very relevant to our customers, and then the economic model that we offer to our shareholders. And, we’ve made a lot of progress over the past several years in improving the financial shape of our company. And so, financially, our company is very strong, and it’s really turned out to be a very good situation for our shareholders, as well as our customers.”

On Going More Asset Light

But that owner-operator model that Extended Stay America has had for so long is beginning to change. With ESA 2.0, the company introduced the ability to franchise the brand for the first time in the company’s history. That asset-light trajectory is one that a number of companies have followed and continue to pursue.

When asked if he sees the company being more asset light going forward, Halkyard said, “We absolutely do, and you’re certainly correct in that that’s the way that the hotel industry has evolved over the past 10 years or so, and we’re evolving our company in that way as well.”

He said the brand was opening itself up to franchising “for two reasons. One, is to really just accelerate the growth of this brand. We intend to build new extended stay hotels — we have the financial capacity to do that — but we also think that developers, and ultimately, franchisees, can build new extended stay hotels as well, and really turbocharge our unit growth. The second reason is, that in so doing, we’re going to create, what over time will become a significant stream of franchise revenue. And, you’re right, investors value that more highly, and as you know, capital is not free, and yet franchise fees can grow, really, as others invest their capital to build hotels.”

In three or four years, he said, “this is going to be a company that, financially, looks a bit different than it does now. Although, if you’re a customer staying in one of our hotels, whether it be a franchise hotel or an owned and operated hotel, one thing I can be sure of is that there will be more Extended Stay Americas, we’ll have greater brand presence in the US.”

Halkyard said that the company, which has 625 hotels that it primarily owns and operates, hopes to have approximately 700 hotels by 2021. It has another 100 properties in the pipeline, with a mix of both owned-and-operated hotels and franchised ones. He estimates that mix will be 70 percent owned and 30 percent franchised, but added, “I do believe that we will be, over time, more franchised than owned. But, it takes a while to get there.”

On the Progress of an asset-light strategy

Halkyard described the ESA 2.0 growth strategy as part of current CEO Gerry Lopez’s legacy, and that strategy is “really just beginning.”

“I think Gerry’s legacy will be having established and begun this growth strategy that we’ve been talking about. I’ve worked closely with Gerry since he started here two-and-a-half years ago. He’s been a terrific CEO, a lot of fun to work with. Very bright, really welcoming of debate and discussion amongst the senior team, engages with employees. But, I think his legacy will be having launched this growth strategy.”

As for the strategy’s progress, Halkyard said, “We’ve articulated it, we’ve put in place some of the early leadership of it. You might have noticed, in our release [on December 18], we announced the sale of a hotel in Denver. This is an element of the strategy, which is to sell and monetize certain hotels in the system, for one reason or another, that are not strategic for us going forward. We have announced, recently, that we are working on the sale of, roughly, 25 hotel properties, which will be re-franchised. We’ve acquired several pieces of real estate and are close on others that will be where our new owned hotels are located. So, we’ve made progress on every front, but it’s still a relatively early. But, I think we’re making good progress. And, I expect that we’ll pick up the pace on all of those fronts as we begin 2018.”

the vision

Relevancy is something Halkyard wants Extended Stay America to have as a differentiating factor in an increasingly crowded extended stay market.

“We want to be a hotel company that is directly relevant to what our guests want and need,” he said. “Business history is replete with examples of companies, who having hit the mark with their customers perfectly, for a variety of reasons, expand beyond that, or overshoot it, or get lazy and undershoot it. And, we understand our customers very well. They’re unique in terms of what they’re looking for, versus, say a person who’s just staying a night or two at a Hilton Garden Inn, or pick the other hotels [to stay in].”

He continued, “Our customers have a specific reason they’re using our hotels. They’re traveling, generally, for business purposes, and they’re looking for value and they know value. And, I want to be a company where, whether they’re guests, or they’re investors, look at it and say, ‘That company knows what they are, they know who their customers are, and when it comes to meeting those desires they, absolutely, nail it.'”

Halkyard added, “Our core customer is someone who is needs to stay at a hotel for longer than a week. We serve customers who stay with us only a night or two, but that’s not what we’re built for. We’re built for the customer who’s staying with us longer than a week. And, the number of people in this country who are looking for that kind of accommodation is astonishing.”

And when it comes to innovation, he said, “And, that’s not to say we won’t innovate. We, certainly, will, but we have to remain focused on our type of customer, and then realize the implications of that focus, the positive implications for our shareholders, and our employees, and that’s, really, what it’s about.”

Why Extended Stay is hot

Why is there so much demand for extended stay? And why are so many companies interested in growing in this part of the lodging market? Halkyard said he thinks it boils down to how we work today.

“I think it comes down to a question of mobility,” he said. “Companies are requiring mobility of their workers. Independent business people require mobility in order to do their business. At the same time, people don’t like to move, or aren’t as willing to move as they once were, and that’s the flip side of mobility. So, you have this intersection of an economy that requires workers to be in different locations, and a workforce that is unwilling to pick up and move to those locations. It could be driven by family, dual careers, aging parents, or simply the fact that you can, now, live in one place and work in another. And, that is, while it’s always been a part of this economy, it’s an increasing part of this economy. And, it’s not just at our level of our customers, the number of executives who are, essentially, super commuters living in LA and working in Dallas, or working in New York and living in Chicago.”

He continued, “It’s astonishing, and one of the things we’re going to be doing this year is offering some data in this regard. We have some and we’ve talked about it, but this is a trend, which, pick any of the residential lodging offerings, or, certainly, Extended Stay America, we’re right at the intersection of it. And, it’s a big issue, and it’s one of the reasons why there is so much demand for this product.”

And with more companies wanting to grow in the space, Halkyard also sees opportunity.

“I think, certainly, the fact that Choice is acquiring the WoodSpring Suites brand, I think, is further validation of the appeal of the segment. We don’t see a tremendous amount of supply growth amongst extended stay hotels, and the fact of the matter is, over the past few years, and looking into the next few years, there is some growth in extended stay hotels.

“It, typically, is at the higher end, meaning a Residence Inn, or a Home2Suites, or that kind of hotel, as opposed to, say, our price point, or WoodSpring Suite’s. So, new competition, real competition, meaning another extended stay hotel within our trade area of one of our existing hotels, has not been a big factor over the past couple of years, and we don’t think it’s a big factor going forward.”

He explained, “On the higher end, folks aren’t staying in Residence Inns for six weeks at a time. That’s a pretty expensive proposition, and you, probably, might as well just get an apartment or something. On the other hand, on the real economy end, companies aren’t putting their people there. So, we think we’re in that sweet spot where we’re affordable for an extended stay, but we’re of a quality that corporate customers are going to put their folks there. And, we like that place, and we don’t want much company there.”

And when asked if the popularity of homesharing has had any impact or influence on the extended stay market, Halkyard said he didn’t see any, nor is it much of a threat.

“No, we haven’t. Not that I can think of. We don’t think so,” he said. “Believe me, we look for it, we’ve done work analyzing it, we talked to our customers to understand what alternatives they’re reviewing. I think the data show that this is much more prevalent in Europe than it is in The United States, but, obviously, it’s a real factor here, as well. Those options tend to be concentrated more in urban areas than suburban areas where our hotels, typically, are and where the brand generators for our hotels, typically, are. So, we have not really seen an impact, I think that’s borne out by our financial performance. But, I don’t take it lightly, and we’re constantly on the lookout for that. And, we think we have ways to defend against that.

On Future Plans

Would Extended Stay America ever consider going international or launching another brand?

Halkyard said, “At this point, the answer to both of those questions is no. This brand is well-known. We have permission to open another two or three hundred of these units in the U.S., and we don’t think we need to go outside the U.S., nor introduce a sister brand in order to capture that economic opportunity.”

What about growing via mergers or acquisitions? Would the company consider doing that at some point down the line?

Halkyard said, “Again, I think that building our own hotels, or returning our capital to shareholders, are two very productive uses of capital, right now. I won’t say never, but an acquisition, with the potential confusion in integration risk, that that will bring, not to mention asset prices, right now, don’t make that option appealing to me.”

The consolidation that we’ve seen in hospitality hasn’t had much of an impact on Extended Stay America, he added.

“No, it really hasn’t,” Halkyard said. “I can’t think of how it’s affected, outside here, on the supplier side, or the competitive side. If anything, the consolidation amongst these larger brands have the potential to shift focus away from the extended stay brands in these larger portfolios. I haven’t seen any evidence of that, but there’s always that potential. But, no, I would say that the consolidation hasn’t really affected us, we just continue to try to execute, here, in our segment, and we think it’s a terrific segment.”

As for innovation and improving the overall guest experience, Halkyard said we can expect the brand to focus on how guests book, check-in, and check out.

“The way in which our customers access our reservation system, and access our hotels during check-in and check-out, is, certainly, an opportunity for us to innovate,” he said. “Ours are not highly transactional lobbies. Within the room, probably, the greatest opportunity, for us, is enabling our guests, increasingly, to cast from their personal devices onto the televisions in the rooms. Our customers are using our free Wi-Fi, increasingly, to stream video. And, so we’re just going to work to make it easier, and a better experience to do that, and also drive revenue at the same time.”