TREND WATCH
A roundup of business developments spotted by other publications.
Inn Style: The operators of inns and small hotels are using gadgetry from the home and office to increase business. Some offer videotape rentals through gift shops, front desks or vending machines, with outside contractors providing the videocassette recorders and keeping tapes up to date. The arrangement frees guests from the viewing schedules of cable television and pay-per-view movies and, incidentally, threatens Spectradyne Inc.’s hold on the captive hotel audience. For the business traveler, such amenities as fax machines, photocopying and computer hookups are being offered by inns bent on competing with the upscale chains. In a recent survey by Business Travel News, the economy hotel with the highest rating among business travelers was Hampton Inn, with Fairfield and Comfort Inns running second and third. Philadelphia Inquirer, Business Travel News
Power Pinch: U.S. utilities seem to find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Environmental regulations have slowed the construction of new power plants, with many utilities running close to full capacity. At a national conference of utilities executives, the chairman of Chicago’s Commonwealth Edison said new plants are needed to avoid blackouts similar to those experienced in central Florida in December. Yet more stringent acid rain legislation could prove expensive to utilities in the North and East, forcing them to hike rates to consumers. Under these circumstances, it is unlikely that consumers would be happy about paying even more for new construction. The outcome of debate over the federal Clean Air Act will determine the fate of consumers’ bills as well as the future of plant construction. St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, Des Moines (Iowa) Register
Too Little Snow: Mild weather in the Midwest may give farmers a chance to do outside repairs, but it is also likely to hurt harvests in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where the soil is as dry as has ever been recorded. Some of the aftereffects may be fewer fish, weakened forests and higher prices for livestock feed. Unless that part of the country gets some last-minute snow or a very wet spring, everyone from farm equipment dealers to nature lovers will suffer. St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press Dispatch
