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Francis Ford Coppola, Looking for a Getaway to Write, Became an Innkeeper
February 8, 2014
Feb. 08--MOUNTAIN PINE RIDGE FOREST RESERVE, Belize -- As Hummingbird Highway carves away from Belize's resort-laden sands, pavement dissolves into rutted dirt tracks and the dense jungle canopy starts to press in from all sides. The tallest buildings pushing through the foliage are Maya ruins, and howler monkeys and macaws lurk in the ceiba trees. Late at night, distant thunderstorms ring the horizon, broad sheets of lightning illuminating the mountains. Before I brought my family to Belize for 10 days last summer, I packed a copy of "Heart of Darkness," knowing that although traveling through Central America wouldn't precisely paralle
Travel Industry Jobs Rebound; Surpass Pre-Recession Level by 11%
February 7, 2014
Feb. 07--While other sectors of the U.S. economy have yet to completely rebound from the recession, the travel industry has surpassed its pre-recession employment numbers. U.S. Department of Labor figures released Friday show that the travel industry added 7,000 jobs in January, reaching a total of 14.6 million. The same report revised previous data, showing that the industry stands 11% above the employment peak of February 2008. Much of the growth has been fueled by international travel to the United States, especially spending by visitors from China, Brazil, Japan and Australia. Some economists have played down the travel industry's r
$64M 220-room Westin Hotel Project Near El Paso, Texas Airport to Begin in June 2014
February 7, 2014
Feb. 07--El Paso engineer William Correa said he expects to have his dream hotel under construction by June. Correa, an El Paso native who is president and owner of Paragon Project Resources, an engineering and development firm he started in Dallas 25 years ago, is the brain behind the proposed, $64 million, 220-room, upscale Westin Hotel and 80,000-square-foot restaurant and retail project to be built on nine acres of El Paso airport-owned land on Airway Boulevard near Montana Avenue. Correa announced Thursday that Paragon's development company, EP Vida, selected Jordan Foster Construction, a large El Paso-based general contractor, to
Work Begins on 110-room Wingate by Wyndham in Niagara Falls, New York with Continued State Support
February 7, 2014
Feb. 07--The state is continuing its investment in downtown Niagara Falls with a $980,000 grant to a hotelier. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office announced the incentive package, set to be awarded to Plati Niagara Inc. for its $10.2 million Wingate by Wyndham hotel project in a press release Thursday. Cuomo said the grant -- which will be administered by USA Niagara Development Corp. -- will help provide quality accommodations in Niagara Falls, giving visitors another reason to stay on the American side of the gorge, according to the release. "Having a full supply of first rate accommodations is essential to supporting the tourism industry in N
Revel Casino, a $2 Billion Unfulfilled Vision, Could Sell for as Little as $200 Million
February 7, 2014
Feb. 07--It is a silvery, soaring monument to a stream of bad decisions. Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City offers a remarkable tale of government and industry collaboration on what has proven to be a magnificent failure that has obliterated at least $2 billion in investments. Despite a bankruptcy last year that wiped out $932 million in debt and cut yearly debt payments by 96 percent, losses grew, leading Revel's hedge-fund owners to put the casino up for sale. A deal -- for as little as $200 million -- could happen this month. That's not what officials hoped for. "If Revel is successful, Atlantic City is successful," Alisa Cooper, a
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Site to See Three New Hotels
February 7, 2014
Feb. 07--The cluster of hotels planned at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge in Mount Pleasant is starting to sprout. The first one to open is the Clarion Inn, which replaced the Rodeway Inn motel at 310 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Both economy-grade hotel brands belong to the Choice Hotels franchise group. The hotel was renovated with $1 million worth of updates, which included new landscaping and roofing, an expanded lobby and a total redesign of all 117 rooms, owner Vishal Patel said. "It definitely involved a full gut job. Basically everything in the rooms is new, all the furniture is new," Patel said. Meanwhile, another hotel development plann
New Orleans Tourist Numbers Finally Rebounding from Effects of August 2005 Hurricane Katrina
February 7, 2014
Feb. 07--One of the most popular visitor destinations in the U.S., New Orleans finally has shrugged off the devastating tourism effects of Hurricane Katrina. The August 2005 hurricane left sections of the city in shambles and played havoc with hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. All told, some 80 percent of the city was underwater for a time, and damage was estimated at $6 billion. But the year before the hurricane, in 2004, tourism was at a record high, with 10.1 million visitors spending $4.8 billion in the city. After the hurricane, the tourism economy went downhill and ended at scarcely half that figure, even though before
Al Ain Club & Starwood Enter Agreement for New 172-room Aloft Al Ain in Abu Dhabi to Open 2016
February 6, 2014
Feb. 06--Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has signed an agreement with Al Ain Club Investment Company to open a new 172-room Aloft hotel in Al Ain in Abu Dhabi. Created to shake up the traditional mid-market hotel sector, Aloft is redefining the category by delivering an urban-influenced, modern and vibrant design and a social guest experience at an affordable price point. Scheduled to debut in 2016, Aloft Al Ain will be the second Aloft hotel in the UAE joining Aloft Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2009, and it will be the first Starwood hotel to open in Al Ain. Aloft Al Ain will be an integral part of the city's spectacular 50