Uncommon Hospitality to Open Boutique Hotel in Portland, Maine’s Historic West End District
Post Company | December 13, 2022
5 Telltale Signs It’s Time to Change Your S&C System and Why It’s Quicker and Easier Than You Might Think
Ryan Hamilton | July 6, 2022
All Things Independent
Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel & Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Resort to Open on Samoa by Mid-2014
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. | December 3, 2013
SYDNEY - December 03, 2013 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (NYSE:HOT) today announced that it has signed definitive management agreements to operate the Aggie Grey's Hotel & Bungalows and Aggie Grey's Lagoon, Beach Resort & Spa on the island of Upolu Samoa. The hotels will join the Starwood Hotels & Resorts group immediately, and will relaunch as the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey's Hotel and the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey's Resort, respectively, by mid-2014 following extensive renovations. The signings mark Starwood's debut into the region, with Sheraton once again the first international hotel brand to enter the m...
Saddlebrook Resort Adds Two Veterans to the Conference Sales Team, Katie Copenhafer & Marnie Hock
Saddlebrook Resort | December 3, 2013
Wesley Chapel (Tampa), Florida - Saddlebrook Resort has added two industry sales veterans to the property's experienced conference sales team. The two new additions complement the five tenured sales professionals who have worked at the resort for many years bringing the total to seven Directors of National Accounts. "We're very excited to add two strong sales professionals to our existing team. Katie and Marnie will allow us deeper market penetration and coverage in critical territories as we continue to grow our conference market segment" commented Pat Ciaccio, Saddlebrook's General Manager. A welcome addition to the Saddlebrook sales ...
Midas Hospitality to Build and Manage 125-room Courtyard by Marriott in St. Peters, Missouri
Midas Hospitality | December 3, 2013
SAINT LOUIS, MO, December 3, 2013 - An investment group led by Midas Hospitality, LLC announces the development of a new 125-room Courtyard by Marriott in St. Peters, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb. The St. Louis-based hotel owner, operator and developer, Midas Hospitality, LLC will manage the asset. Located in St. Charles County, the Courtyard by Marriott - St. Peters is 30-miles NW of downtown St. Louis ideally located on the I-70 corridor. The new Courtyard will replace the former 30-year old, 200-room, Holiday Inn. Demolition of the old asset will commence Q2, 2014 with a projected opening summer, 2015. The $14.6 million, 4-story proj...
Aqua Hospitality to Assume Management of Two Hotels in Guam Owned by Sentry Hospitality
December 3, 2013
Honolulu, Hawaii - December 3, 2013 - Hawaii-based Aqua Hospitality, founded in 2001, has announced it will assume management of two hotels in Guam beginning in December 2013. The two additional properties brings the number of hotels in the company's portfolio to 26. The new management contracts represent a milestone for Aqua as they will be the company's first hotels outside of Hawaii. The two Guam properties owned by Sentry Hospitality collectively offer almost 200 rooms. "We are excited in that just a little over a decade we have gone from one Hawaiian island to every Hawaiian tourism island. Now we are expanding our dynamic manageme...
Steve Contes Named General Manager for Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina | December 2, 2013
Fort Myers Beach, FL - December 2, 2013 -Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach Florida, the award winning AAA resort, appointed Steve Contes General Manager. He will be responsible for managing all aspects of Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina including guest services, the Marina, Jack's, Bongo's Bar & Grill, Aquagene Spa, Audrey's, sales & marketing and employee satisfaction. Contes' management style will allow Pink Shell to enhance its position as the premiere resort in the Fort Myers Beach market. Contes, a hospitality executive, has over 25 years of progressive management experience within the industry. ...
Boscolo Hotels in Rome and Milan, Italy Join Autograph Collection
Boscolo Hotels | December 2, 2013
London, United Kingdom, December 2, 2013 - Boscolo Hotels and the exclusive portfolio of independent hotels, the Autograph Collection, announced today the news that twoadditional luxury Boscolo Hotels in Italy will join its ensemble this fall. The Boscolo Milano will be the first to join the collection, followed by the Boscolo Exedra Roma in early December. Boscolo began its partnership with Autograph Collection in 2011 with the inauguration of its first hotels in the portfolio in four of Europe's most exciting cities, including the Boscolo Palace in Rome, Boscolo Venezia in Venice, Boscolo Prague in the Czech Republic and the Boscolo B...
Playa Hotels & Resorts Names Kevin Froemming Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Playa Hotels & Resorts | December 2, 2013
FAIRFAX, Va., Dec. 2, 2013 -- Bruce Wardinski, Chief Executive Officer, Playa Hotels & Resorts B.V. ("Playa") today announced the appointment of Kevin Froemming, to the newly created position of Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for Playa Resorts Management. Previously Froemming was President of Unique Vacations, the worldwide representatives of Sandals & Beaches Resorts. The announcement follows Playa's recent agreement with an affiliate of Hyatt Hotels to own and manage Hyatt's two new all-inclusive brands: Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara, throughout Mexico and the Caribbean. Playa also recently acquired Real ...
Latest Obamacare Delay Causes Added Uncertainty for Hoteliers; AH&LA Releases Statement
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) | December 2, 2013
Washington, D.C. - December 2, 2013 - The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.8 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, issued the following statement subsequent to today's announcement that small business enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) SHOP exchanges has been delayed until 2014: "Today's announcement regarding online enrollment with federally-facilitated SHOP exchanges provides even greater uncertainty for small businesses attempting to both comply with the new healthcare law and focus on their operations," said Katherine Lugar, AH&LA pr...
The 126-room Hotel Indigo® Düsseldorf – Victoriaplatz Opens in Germany
The Hotel Indigo | December 2, 2013
2 December, 2013 - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world's leading hotel companies, is thrilled to announce that it has opened Hotel Indigo® Düsseldorf - Victoriaplatz at the centre of this fashion-forward German city, renowned for its style credentials. Hotel Indigo Düsseldorf-Victoriaplatz will operate under a franchise agreement with LFPI Hotels Management Germany GmbH. The hotel will be the third Hotel Indigo property in Germany, alongside Hotel Indigo Berlin – Alexanderplatz and Hotel Indigo Berlin – Ku'Damm. As IHG's boutique brand, every Hotel Indigo property is designed to reflect the local neighbourhood...
TravelClick Takes Home the Most Hotel Website Design Awards
TravelClick, Inc. | December 2, 2013
TravelClick Closes Successful 2013 Awards Season with 11 Adrian Award Wins NEW YORK - December 2, 2013 - TravelClick, a global provider of innovative cloud-based solutions that enable hotels to grow revenue, won more than 70 awards in 2013 for website design and media in hotel and lodging categories from organizations including the Interactive Media Awards, Travel Weekly Magellan Awards, The W3 Awards, Web Marketing Association's WebAwards and Mobile WebAwards. Most recently, TravelClick and its hotel clients took home four gold, four silver, and three bronze titles at the HSMAI Adrian Awards, along with two integrated marketing campai...
Hawaii Seaside Resorts Broadens their Social Reach by Over 20,000 in First Month with Flip.to
Flip.to | December 2, 2013
Orlando, FL — December 4, 2013 — Flip.to, the brand advocate platform for hotels, is helping Seaside Hotels Hawaii boost brand awareness and earn new guests with the help of their most trusted, untapped marketing source - their guests. Since going live with Flip.to in October, guests of the three Seaside Hotels have spread the word about their stay to over 21,000 of their closest friends, relatives and colleagues. Flip.to has turned 22% of Seaside Hotel's guests into trusted advocates. Each advocate shared a branded message with a unique link about the resort with their social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Each...
Direct Sales: Some Challenges for Leadership by Brenda Fields
Brenda Fields | December 2, 2013
December 2, 2013 Could it be that following the Age of Industrialization, we have entered into the Age of Impersonalization? How many times have you been a victim of "statistics" and not viewed on your individual merits? For example, did you pay premium rates for car insurance or health insurance just because you were a certain age or gender? Or was a loan denied despite an excellent credit history because "statistics" indicated you were a poor risk? And have you ever felt the frustration of trying to reach a "live" person to resolve a dispute or just to ask a question? And you went round and round in circles by pressing various numbers...
Topland Group Acquires Menzies Hotels as Part of Strategy to Build £1bn Hotel Business
| December 2, 2013
LONDON, December 2, 2013 - Topland has acquired the parent company of Menzies Hotels from administration for close to £85m as part of an ambitious drive to build a £1bn hotel business. Topland Group, led by Sol Zakay, is one of the largest privately owned international investment groups. It already owns a number of hotels including Bath's Royal Crescent Hotel, the Brighton Metropole, the Glasgow Hilton and a portfolio of Thistle Hotels, six in central London and one in Edinburgh. The company acquisition which saved 1,200 jobs completed on Friday and sees Topland acquire the Group including the 12 hotels and Bakum House the company's f...
Hotel AG Closes 13 Hotel Transactions in November
Hotel AG | December 2, 2013
ATLANTA - December 2, 2013 - Hotel AG announced today the firm closed 13 hotel transactions during the month of November. The hotels sold consist of 5 Hampton Inn & Suites, 1 Hilton Garden Inn, 1 Residence Inn, 1 Staybridge Suite, 3 AmericInn hotels and 2 independent properties. The clients represented were CMBS servicers, balance sheet lenders, REITs, Asian rim investment groups and private companies. H. Keith Thompson, principal of the firm, commented, "These 13 recent closings were across the board in terms of product type, pricing, buyer profile, seller profile and valuation methodology. This real estate cycle is very diverse an...
Travel Outlook Premium Reservations Call Center Contracts with Skamania Lodge at the Columbia Gorge
Travel Outlook | December 2, 2013
December 2, 2013 - Travel Outlook Premium Hotel Call Center has signed an agreement to provide overflow reservations call services for Skamania Lodge at the Columbia Gorge, in Stevenson, Washington. Skamania Lodge is managed by Destination Hotels and Resorts. Travel Outlook will provide professional back up reservations services for Skamania's existing reservations team, and like the Skamania reservations team, Travel Outlook will connect directly to Skamania's property management system (PMS) providing real time access to a hotel's past guest information. "In the case of Skamania Lodge", says John Smallwood, Travel Outlook CEO, "this m...
Accor Launches Asset Reorganization; New Model Separates Asset Management and Services to Owners
Accor | November 27, 2013
(Paris) November 27, 2013 - A new strategy to enhance growth and sustained value creation --Redefinition of the Group's business model around its 2 core missions, for maximum operational performance & sustainable growth Hotel Services: a hotel operator and brand franchisor that will be fee-oriented and P&L driven. HotelInvest: a hotel owner and investor that will be yield-oriented and balance sheet driven. -- A value-oriented, disciplined hotel ownership strategy, entailing notably the end of expansion through leases, and no further disposals of owned hotels,unless they are structurally under performing assets. -- A new orga...
Real Estate Implications of a Successful Bid for Dubai to host World Expo 2020
Jones Lang LaSalle MENA | November 27, 2013
Seen as the Single Most Important Influence on the UAE Real Estate Sector in 2014 November 27, 2013 - "While the Dubai real estate market is poised for growth regardless of the 2020 World Expo, the success of this bid will act as the single most important influence on the real estate sector across the UAE in 2014". Says Alan Robertson, CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle, MENA. "Expo 2020 will not benefit all sectors of the Dubai real estate market to the same degree. The hotel and logistics sectors being the biggest winners, while the residential and retail sectors will also derive significant benefits" notes Mr. Robertson The impacts on the re...
Go Hard on Soft Service Skills by Roberta Nedry
Roberta Nedry | November 27, 2013
In today's world, a lot of times we think HARD is better. Work hard! Play hard! Drive a hard bargain! Hard may mean strength such as "hard as a rock" versus soft which may seam weak as in "Don't be a softy." Apples taste better hard and to many peoples' tastes, so does cheese. There may be lots of things that work or seem better when they are hard but when it comes to service, it's the soft skills that will enable the most memorable results, not the hard ones. Don't get me wrong...hard skills are essential and important and will get the job done. But, it's the soft skills that will make the em...
Canyon Ranch SpaClub Splits with The Homestead by Bernard Burt
Bernard Burt | November 27, 2013
Launched last summer, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub at Virginia's historic Homestead Resort will cease operations December 1 as a result of rebranding planned by the resort's new owner. Hailed for combining traditional hydrotherapy with new wellness programs, the partnership between Canyon Ranch and Omni Hotels & Resorts never developed momentum. Newly constructed facilities adjoining the resort's original spa will be integrated with plans to be announced by the Texas-based Omni group. The decision by Omni to terminate their project with Canyon Ranch added no details. Canyon Ranch pioneered the evolution of the wellness lifestyle and has...
Silverstein Properties’ Metro Fund JV Begins Development of Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown
Silverstein Properties | November 27, 2013
The Nearly $1 Billion Hotel & Residential Project will Open in Mid-2016 New York, November 26, 2013 - Silverstein Properties today announced that its Metro Fund Joint Venture has successfully financed almost $1 billion to build a Four Seasons hotel, a restaurant and private residences at 30 Park Place in Tribeca. At 926 feet, the property will be the tallest residential tower in Downtown Manhattan - and one of the tallest in the city. The tower will offer residents unprecedented panoramic views of the Midtown skyline and New York Harbor, and will also include a public plaza. Construction on the 82-story tower will officially begin ...
How Airbnb Is Crushing Traditional Hotel Brands
Vikram Singh | November 27, 2013
by Vikram Singh In April, I wrote one of my first ever articles about Airbnb's impact on the hotel industy. It started as a response to the Euromonitor report highlighting how little impact it was going to have. I fully disagreed. While I did not have the numbers to prove it, I have always known that Airbnb's impact was going to be HUGE based on the steps they were taking, and the rapidly changing needs of the global traveller. In the few short months since my first article, Airbnb has released some super cool stats that prove what I have always believed: they are changing the hospitality business. They created $632 million in economi...
Makar Properties Acquires Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana
Makar Properties | November 27, 2013
BIG SKY, Mont., Nov. 27, 2013 -- Lone Mountain Ranch, one of the Top 20 Ranch and Nordic Destinations in the America, announced today it has been acquired by Makar Properties, LLC, an innovative real estate development company committed to creating and preserving cherished experiences in resort travel. The All-Inclusive Montana guest ranch, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will continue to feature its dual season family adventure experiences hosted by passionate local staff – with one of the most extensive Nordic trail systems to be found in the United States. Makar Properties holds a unique position in its efforts ...
Interactive Online Advent Calendar Offers Daily Tips for Hoteliers Leading into 2014
TrustYou | November 27, 2013
TrustYou gets festive with interactive 'Advent calendar' campaign, providing daily travel and hospitality insights throughout December. Dallas, TX and Munich, Germany -- November 27, 2013 -- Online reputation management leader, TrustYou has unveiled an interactive digital 'Advent Calendar' packed with newly released insights, best practices and industry trends, as well as popular TrustYou blog content from 2013. The digital calendar, aptly titled, "24 Days of Travel & Hospitality Insights," consists of twenty-four doors, each filled with content for hoteliers and travel professionals. One door will be unlocked daily, revealing new t...
M&R Hotel Management Names Louis Gonzalez as General Manager for Holiday Inn New York – JFK Airport
M&R Hotel Management | November 27, 2013
GREAT NECK, N.Y. (Nov. 27, 2013) - M&R Hotel Management of Great Neck, N.Y., today announced the appointment of Louis Gonzalez as general manager of the 201-room, full-service Holiday Inn New York - JFK Airport, which opens this week at the intersection of Brookville and Rockaway boulevards in Jamaica, N.Y., just east of John F. Kennedy International Airport. Gonzalez, a 27-year hospitality industry veteran who has managed and opened hotels at the airport and in Manhattan, will oversee all on-site activities including operations, maintenance, housekeeping, security, accounting, sales and marketing. He also will serve as liaison with...
