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Architecture & Design
Social Media’s Impact on Hospitality Industry Design
Michael Dehoyos | November 6, 2019
By Michael Dehoyos Design has always been a very important factor for the hospitality industry – restaurants, clubs, and hotels. However, in recent years it’s become exponentially more critical because of the popularity of social media. Influencers, celebrities, and regular customers are all taking photos and sharing them to potentially millions of people online, so it’s crucial to have a good design experience. Many locations now create specific locations to take photos and Instragram-worthy moments, so design is now almost exclusively centered on social media. Do It For The Gram Many restaurants, lounges, and clubs are now consid...
Historic Hotels of America Announces the Top 25 Haunted Hotels
Historic Hotels of America® | October 31, 2019
WASHINGTON--Historic Hotels of America has over 300 hotels with long and storied histories. Some hotels have reported ghosts and paranormal activity throughout the halls and in guestrooms giving those who stay a fright. From ghosts who have been around since the Revolutionary War to jilted lovers, heartbroken, there are an abundance of ghostly sightings in historic hotels. Here is a listing of the Top 25 Most Haunted Hotels: Concord’s Colonial Inn (1716) Concord, Massachusetts The original part of the Inn was built in the early 1700s before the Revolutionary War. With such a long and robust history, it’s no wonder there are spirits...
Performance Measures Help Hotel Owners and Managers Select the Right Hotel Renovation Contractor
Cicero's Development Corporation | October 30, 2019
PLAINFIELD, IL, OCTOBER 30, 2019 -- When selecting renovation contractors, many hotel owners’ and property managers’ decisions are based solely on the bottomline. In short, the lowest price bidder wins. Other hotel owners and managers, however, carefully consider the intricacies of their project’s scope and can assess the confidence they have in their selected contractor that the renovation can be finished on-time and on-budget. What these hotel owners appreciate that others don’t are the many value-added, non-financial advantages that a talented contractor brings to the project. For the purposes of this article I will refer to thes...
Why Universities Are Bringing Hotels on Campus
October 29, 2019
Universities are regularly pulling in visitors for big games, graduations and symposiums. Then there’s the steady flow of prospective students that come to tour, and families that need a place to stay when visiting their children. Often, there’s a shortage of accommodation nearby. So, to help fill the gap, universities have started building their own hotels. “Given their size and the academic and athletic events generated by many institutions, there are real opportunities for colleges and universities to build hotels on campus,” says Matthew Do, Senior Vice President at JLL. “We’re finding this approach can make a lot of...
Vacationing in a Tree House? Why Singapore Hotels Are Tapping Into Biophilic Design / Holden Madison
Holden Madison | October 29, 2019
By Holden Madison Singapore -- October 29, 2019 -- Singapore is stepping into this field by building a Super Low Energy (SLE) resort in the backyard of its National Singapore Zoo. This zone, called the Mandai Project, aims to support Singaporean flora and fauna and to eventually become a destination for nature lovers. WOW architects, in partnership with Banyan Tree Holdings Limited, is designing treehouses in the shapes of seeds. Perched above the canopy, 338 rooms will feature stunning rain forest vistas. What is biophilic design? How will this be made possible? By biophilic design of course. First coined by American biolog...
Reconfiguring Meeting Facilities to Meet the Growing Demand for Non-Traditional Spaces
September 20, 2019
By Allison Handy How do you go about finding innovative ways to create the unique environments and memorable experiences that today's meeting attendees are seeking? How do you reposition, reconfigure, and reinvent a meeting or event space to create something new and different? If your property already benefits from a distinctive meeting space, how do you leverage that space to make the most of a great opportunity and elevate your facilities to the point where they become a popular and profitable resource and a sought-after destination for businesses and organizations? Understanding both the general best practices and the specific str...
Avoiding ADA Non-Compliance Issues in Commercial Renovations
Cicero's Development Corporation | September 19, 2019
PLAINFIELD, IL, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 -- Today, 28 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed, a surprising number of commercial properties remain non-accessible for the 50 million Americans – 18% of our population — with physical disabilities. In 2016 alone, more than 6,500 ADA lawsuits were filed in federal court relating to commercial properties which were deemed “disability unfriendly”. These lawsuits can cause headaches... and plenty of money, such as attorney fees and civil penalties as well as lost business due to negative publicity. In this article, I review how to ensure renovating your commercial building lea...
The Growth of Micro Hotels in North America
Sirinthorn Ramchandani | September 18, 2019
By Sirinthorn Ramchandani The pod hotel concept that originated in Japan in the 1970s has evolved and become one of the latest innovative trends in hotel development and design. Pod-sized accommodation was initially intended for short-stay business travellers who required a private space with basic amenities. Fast forward to today and we see that the pod hotel idea has evolved to meet the growing demands of the mid-scale and millennial travel markets with the introduction of the “micro hotel.” In this article, HVS defines what a micro hotel is, describes how room characteristics differ across brands, and identifies the markets that t...
JO&JOE Moves in With IKEA at Vienna West Station
JO&JOE | August 28, 2019
August 28, 2019 -- Preparations for the development of the new City IKEA at Westbahnhof station are progressing rapidly. Construction work on the seven-story building will commence in January 2020, and is scheduled for completion in 2021. The new hospitality offering is a perfect match for the innovative IKEA concept: the two upper floors of the building will contain an Open House by JO&JOE. Offering 345 beds, the JO&JOE location in Vienna will feature a fully integrated restaurant and bar on the rooftop as well as distinct JO&JOE event programming. After openings in Paris and Hossegor and with seven signed projects, this is...
Sustainability in Hotels Explores Growing Emphasis on Green Building Practices in the Hospitality Industry
The Urban Land Institute | July 16, 2019
WASHINGTON (July 16, 2019) -- A new report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) suggests that sustainable building practices, including those involving energy and water conservation as well as waste reduction, are increasingly being incorporated throughout the hotel sector to add value and provide a competitive edge to properties. Sustainability in Hotels: Opportunities and Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality assesses the state of sustainability in the hotel sector by identifying best practices, highlighting industry trends in sustainability, and offering solutions to sustainability-related obstacles. The report, published by ULI’s G...
How Art and Photography Are Positively Impacting Hotel Design
Morrison Hotel Gallery | June 20, 2019
By Peter Blachley When you first step into a hotel, you are immediately impacted by its surroundings. From the very first look at the hotel lobby to the front desk, up the elevators, to your room, and beyond, you can instantly determine whether or not the property is well-designed, put together, and luxurious. The expression “the eye of the beholder” is always at play in the art and design world because we gain awareness of things through our senses. When it comes to adding design elements to a hotel property, specifically, visitors and guests want to feel the influences of the surrounding areas and the coziness of their own homes,...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 215: Hotel History: The TWA Hotel
Stanley Turkel | June 19, 2019
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: The TWA Hotel (2019) On May 15, 2019, New York’s spectacular new TWA Hotel opened at John F. Kennedy International Airport. At a cost of more than $250 million, two new hotel wings containing 512 guestrooms were built behind the landmark Trans World Airlines Flight Center designed by famed architect, Eero Saarinen which first opened in 1962. Saarinen was born in 1910 in Finland and emigrated to the United States in 1923. He started his career with an apprenticeship with his father – the prolific Art Deco architect Eliel Saarinen – and went on to become one of the most important architects of...
Radical Innovation Announces 2019 Finalists
Radical Innovation | June 13, 2019
Cooper Carry, Danny Forster & Architecture, and SB Architects competing for the Grand Prize in New York City in October Radical Innovation, a competition and year-round community that challenges designers, hoteliers, and students to pioneer compelling ideas in travel and hospitality, is pleased to announce the finalists for its 13th annual edition. The three finalists are: Infinite Explorer by SB Architects, San Francisco, Volumetric High-Rise Modular Hotel by Danny Forster & Architecture, New York, Connectic by Cooper Carry, New York. These three firms will compete in a live pitch presentation at the New Museum in New York City...
Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Pros & Cons of Keeping a Hotel Open During Renovation
Cicero's Development Corporation | June 11, 2019
PLAINFIELD, IL, JUNE 11, 2019 -- Renovating an existing hotel is all about time and money. That's why it is essential to plan ahead for the challenges—and costs—a renovation can pose. If you are a hotel owner or operator, balancing the need for cash with your renovation objectives is one of those challenges, bringing to the forefront the most crucial decision made during renovation planning: "Should we keep the hotel open or should we close?" The answer lies in the scope of the project plus any role seasonality plays in the business. On one side of the ledger, closing a hotel makes good sense. It allows for a far broader scope so th...
North Carolina’s 133-Room Beaufort Hotel Joins Choice’s Ascend Hotel Collection
Ascend Hotel Collection® | June 11, 2019
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 11, 2019 -- The Ascend Hotel Collection by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) welcomes the Beaufort Hotel to its portfolio of unique, boutique, and historic hotels and resorts that reflect their surrounding community. The brand's newest addition, situated on the idyllic Crystal Coast, channels the Tar Heel State's rich maritime culture and highlights the collection's continued growth in top destinations across the country. Located on the Southern Outer Banks, the Beaufort Hotel is conveniently located at 2440 Lennoxville Rd., just minutes from the heart of Beaufort. Founded in 1709, Beaufort was recently rec...
Choice Hotels Signs With Legacy Partners to Develop Five Sleep Inn Hotels Outside of Houston, Texas
Sleep Inn® Dream Better Here® | June 10, 2019
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 10, 2019 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) has signed an agreement with Legacy Partners, LLC to develop five Sleep Inn hotels outside of Houston, Texas. The first hotel is slated to open in 2020. "With more than 550 Sleep Inn properties currently open or in the pipeline worldwide, Sleep Inn continues to be a strong leader in the midscale segment that appeals to business-savvy developers and guests alike," said Brian Quinn, head of development, new construction, Choice Hotels. "The brand's Designed to Dream prototype offers developers the lowest cost-to-build in the midscale segment, while guests love its...
W Hotels Debuts Newly Reimagined W Atlanta – Midtown, W Atlanta – Buckhead and W Atlanta – Downtown
W Hotels | June 10, 2019
Georgia is on our mind. W Hotels Worldwide is excited to reveal major upgrades to each of the city’s three W hotels (W Atlanta – Midtown, W Atlanta – Buckhead and W Atlanta – Downtown). Through the vision of talented design partners and the W brand’s own globally renowned design team, a collective of 750+ guestrooms, multiple bars and restaurants and more than 50,000 square feet of innovative meeting space will soon be revealed. These exciting changes in Atlanta are the first of several renovations expected to be completed at W Hotels across North America, as hotel owners are poised to invest $200+ million on renovations showcasing ...
Renaissance New York Times Square Unveils New Guestrooms and Suites With Multi-Million-Dollar Refresh
Renaissance New York Times Square | June 10, 2019
NEW YORK (June 10, 2019) – Renaissance New York Times Square continues to provide travelers with unparalleled experiences in the heart of Manhattan with the official debut of its completely redesigned 317 guestrooms and suites, following the earlier completion of its unique terrace suites. The hotel’s chic renovations pay homage to its bustling Times Square neighborhood and the area’s evolution as an iconic hub steeped in theatrical history. “This redesign fully encapsulates the pulsating energy of this city,” said Renaissance New York Times Square General Manager Christine Devers. “We’ve created an authentic New York experie...
Downtown El Paso’s Plaza Hotel Undergoing $78 Million Renovation Now Rebranded to Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
June 10, 2019
Vic Kolenc | El Paso Times, Texas June 06-- Jun. 6--The Plaza hotel building being renovated into a boutique hotel in Downtown El Paso has a new, longer name and a new general manager. The 19-story, 90-year-old hotel building, undergoing a $78 million renovation, is now The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park. It will be run by Hersha Hospitality Management, or HHM, a Philadelphia hotel development and management company operating 125 hotels across the United States. The simple white, Plaza letter signs that have been atop the hotel's roof tower for years will remain.The giant letters have been refurbished. The 130-room, upscale boutique hot...
TRYP by Wyndham Transforms Former Pittsburgh Trade School Into Local Landmark Hotel
TownePlace Suites by Marriott | June 10, 2019
PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 7, 2019 -- TRYP by Wyndham today opens doors in Pittsburgh's trendy Lawrenceville neighborhood - once dubbed "America's Coolest Neighborhood" - transforming a historic trade school building into a celebration of local art and culture with TRYP by Wyndham Pittsburgh/Lawrenceville. The 108-room hotel was developed by The Century Group, a hospitality company with roots in Pittsburgh and a history of successful developments with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts brands. Lawrenceville, with a bustling art and design scene emerging from an industrial past, is a strategic addition for TRYP by Wyndham, a brand designed to offer g...
Days Inn® by Wyndham Debuts in New Zealand With Opening of Days Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Hamilton
Days Inn by Wyndham | June 10, 2019
HAMILTON, New Zealand, June 7, 2019 -- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company, has introduced its globally-recognized Days Inn by Wyndham brand to New Zealand with the opening of a new landmark hotel, Days Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Hamilton. The addition bolsters the Company's presence in New Zealand and in Hamilton, the region's fourth most-populous city and a key growth market. Since April 1, 2018, Wyndham has opened 34 total hotels in the South East Asia and Pacific Rim region, three of which carry the Days Inn flag. Globally, the brand has more than 1,700 hotels across 25 countries. A modern ...
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center Completes $25 Million Renovation
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center | June 10, 2019
ROCKVILLE, MD (June 7, 2019) — With the $25 million transformation of the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, the bar has been raised for business and social event expectations in and around the Montgomery County corridor. The elegantly modern and contemporary Rockville hotel includes 455 guest rooms and elegant VIP suites, 50,000 square feet of flexible event and exhibit space, and new food and beverage options including elevated flavors served in at The Corby Kitchen. “The transformation at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center has evolved continuously through this renovation. Guest satisfaction...
Two Arizona Hilton Hotels Complete Full-Scale Property-Wide Renovations
Homewood Suites by Hilton | June 4, 2019
CHANDLER, ARIZ. (JUNE 4, 2019) – Homewood Suites by Hilton Phoenix-Chandler and Hampton Inn Phoenix/Chandler Chandler announce the completion of two full-scale, property-wide renovations. The renovations include the modernization of all guest rooms, suites, meeting spaces and common areas including the fitness centers, public spaces and exterior areas. Both hotels feature higher quality public space seating as well as welcoming décor with modern and sophisticated color palettes. All guest rooms and suites received a full upgrade, including improved layouts, updated furniture, new lighting, wall coverings, carpeting, plush bedding and m...
Atlanta’s Historic Candler Building Begins New Life as 265-Room Boutique Hotel in July Under Hilton’s Curio Collection
May 23, 2019
May 24-- May 24--It was once Atlanta's tallest building, a 17-story beaux-arts tribute to Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler. For 100 years it has been home to the city's "finest baths" (back when that was a selling point), the law offices of famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, and a bank vault rumored to have briefly held the formula for Coke. But in two months, the Candler Building, with its grand marble staircase, brass gargoyles, detailed friezes and Tiffany windows, will become Atlanta's newest boutique hotel. SEE MORE: CANDLER BUILDING Take a sneak peek inside the new Candler Hotel Atlanta AJC Flashback Photos: At...
