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92% of Timeshare Resorts Achieve Measurable Results from “Mystery Shopping”
Barker & Associates | October 31, 2013
Portland, OR - November 1, 2013-- According to a five-year analysis of aggregated data by Barker & Associates, a timeshare industry leader in mystery shopping services, mystery shopping reports have exposed ways to measurably improve resort performance 92% of the time. The analysis confirmed that cost savings, increased efficiencies, and higher closing rates have been realized from sales and operations, exclusively through the unique process of mystery shopping. Specific improvement opportunities varied by resort; 94% of those who shopped the sales process uncovered cost savings and profit-increasing areas such tightening discovery,
Global Wine Shortage Coming? Global Wine Production at Lowest Level in More than 40 Years
October 31, 2013
Oct. 31--Wine lovers received some alarming news recently: Morgan Stanley issued a report this week projecting a global wine shortage. As my colleague David Pierson reported Wednesday, poor weather ravaged European vineyards, causing global production to dip to its lowest level in more than 40 years. "After adjusting for non-wine uses, demand for wine exceeded supply by 300 [million] cases in 2012, the deepest shortfall in over 40 years of records," the report said. Prices are expected to rise in the future, and oenophiles might start hoarding. But before you do, click through these photos to see the top 10 wine-producing states in the
Blackstone’s Reach? Spent $7.5B Buying 40K US Homes Becoming the Largest Single-Family Landlord
October 31, 2013
Oct. 31--TAMPA -- Private-equity giant Blackstone began marketing the nation's first rental-backed security on Wednesday, a $480 million deal based partly on the cash flow from Tampa-area rental homes, Reuters reported. Investors in the securities will pocket income from monthly rents and potential returns if the homes are sold. More than 3,200 homes, many of which had been in foreclosure, back the deal, Reuters reported. Most of the homes are in Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix and three cities in California. Through subsidiary Invitation Homes, Blackstone has spent upward of $326 million buying up more than 2,000 local single-family homes to f
Flip.to Lands Hospitality Maverick to Lead European Sales
Flip.to | October 30, 2013
Orlando — October 31, 2013 — Flip.to, the brand advocate platform that helps hotels turn their guests into advocates, recently hired well-known hospitality sales executive, Alfredo Moreno de la Santa, to lead their European sales efforts. Moreno de la Santa has extensive knowledge of the European market. In his prior role, he helped establish EZ Yield as one of the premier channel management platforms in Europe. He led the sales efforts in Southern Europe and was instrumental in expanding their customer base. "The first time I saw Flip.to I was amazed at its simplicity. It uses the natural inclination of a hotels' customers to be so
Old Kinderhook Announces New Lodge & Conference Center at Lake of the Ozarks, MO
Old Kinderhook | October 30, 2013
Old Kinderhook Announces New Lodge and Conference Center Old Kinderhook, the Lake of the Ozarks' premiere golf and lake resort, unveils The Lodge at Old Kinderhook, a new 84-room lodge and conference center. "The lodge completes the destination resort experience at Old Kinderhook. For nearly 15 years, Old Kinderhook has built a reputation for exceptional golf, outstanding dining venues, marina facilities and lake living the way it's meant to be. With the addition of 84 guest rooms, a state of the art conference center and new amenities, we will better serve the 25,000 people that visit Old Kinderhook each year and welcome new guests," s
Renovated Historic Portland, Maine Hotel to Reopen Dec. 12 as The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel
October 30, 2013
Oct. 30--The city's most historic hotel is about to reopen after a top-to-bottom renovation. The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel -- still identified by the sign on its side as the Eastland -- will reopen Dec. 12, its general manager, Bruce Wennerstrom said. Wennerstrom said that date is considered a "soft opening" for the High Street hotel, although it will be marked by a small amount of hoopla, such as a ribbon-cutting and tours of the new space. Wennerstrom said a more elaborate grand re-opening will take place in the spring. The hotel has been undergoing a $50 million renovation that will increase the number of rooms from 201 to 289
Chapel Hill, North Carolina Approves Plan for 112-room Hotel at Mixed-Use Southern Village Project
October 29, 2013
Oct. 29--CHAPEL HILL -- The Town Council approved plans 7-0 Monday for a hotel at Southern Village on U.S. 15-501. The 112-room, five-story hotel will be a third anchor for the mixed-use village south of downtown, after Weaver Street Market and the Lumina Theatre developer D.R. Bryan said. Council member Jim Ward was concerned about hotel guests with mobility issues having only one path to the village business district -- a sidewalk along U.S. 15-501 and Market Street. A second, pedestrian-only entrance will be built on Barksdale Drive, replacing part of an existing plant buffer. It will be below street level and accessible via a series
Nevada OSHA Fines Cirque du Soleil and MGM Grand in ‘Ka’ Performer’s Death
October 29, 2013
Oct. 29--State occupational inspectors have concluded their investigation into the death of Cirque du Soleil "Ka" artist Sarah Guillot-Guyard, who fell more than 90 feet to her death during a performance June 29. After a nearly four-month investigation, Nevada OSHA has concluded that Guillot-Guyard fell after the wire rope suspending her during the show's Final Battle scene broke, causing her to fall a reported 94 feet to the floor. The 31-year-old Guillot-Guyard, who had two young children, was transported to University Medical Center's trauma unit and was pronounced dead from multiple blunt force trauma. OSHA's findings, issued this m