Two Brands Better then One; Six ANA Hotels in Japan to be Co-branded ANA Crowne Plaza Hotels / November 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive • Six co-branded hotels to open in six cities during six consecutive weeks • Ensures unrivaled international brand presence all across Japan • New products and services to be based on in-depth customer research Singapore, 13 November 2007 – IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan today announced the re-branding of six ANA hotels to ANA Crowne Plaza hotels in a move that will combine the best of Japanese hospitality with global experience, products and services in a new and innovative manner. Domestic and international guests will be able to enjoy this new hotel experience all across Jap...

Designed by Morris Lapidus, The Americana's Architectural Pedigree Could Not Save it from Implosion; Once a Jewel in Miami Beach's Heyday

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Luisa Yanez, The Miami HeraldMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News Nov. 18, 2007 - John F. Kennedy slept there in the final week of his life. Frank Sinatra and his "rat pack" -- Dean, Sammy, Joey, and Peter -- held court at its Carnival Supper Club. And there were the hundreds of thousands of tourists, who strolled through the Sheraton Bal Harbour hotel's majestic and mosaic lobby during its half-century existence. Come Sunday, it all becomes part of the past. The hotel, which opened to the public in 1956 as the Ameri...

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive CHANHASSEN, Minn.- November 2, 2007 - The AmericInn hotel chain has announced that its proprietary AmericInn SoundGuard™ construction is the first of its kind in the hospitality industry. AmericInn’s quiet room environment is providing the hotel chain a pioneering competitive advantage in the hospitality industry by focusing on the latest amenity that is becoming of high importance to travelers, according to a recent study by the Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell/Yankellovich Inc., 2007 National Business Travel Monitor.  Each AmericInn hotel is built to strict standards ...

Developer Justin Chapman Puts Together Partnership to Build a $30 million Cluster of Three Hotels on I-40 in Amarillo, Texas; A Holiday Inn, a Candl

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Karen Smith Welch, Amarillo Globe-News, TexasMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News Nov. 6, 2007 -- A partnership announced Monday will invest almost $30 million to develop three hotels in west Amarillo. Amarillo West Hotel Group, a limited liability partnership, will bring the cluster of hotels -- a Holiday Inn, a Candlewood Suites and a Staybridge Suites -- to a 12-acre site behind restaurants along the north side of Interstate 40, east of Soncy Road, developer Justin Chapman said. The hotel group consists of Chapman and the...

Wright Investment Completes $16 million Renovation of the Historic Aladdin Hotel in Downtown, Kansas City; Reopens as a Holiday Inn / November 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Tom Uhlenbrock, St. Louis Post-DispatchMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News Nov. 18, 2007 - KANSAS CITY -- If location is everything, then the renovated Aladdin Hotel is sitting pretty. The boutique hotel is just blocks away from the Kansas City Power & Light entertainment district, the Sprint Center and other new attractions that have opened in the renaissance of Kansas City's downtown core. The 16-floor Aladdin, which had been a downtown fixture since 1926, just underwent a $16 million renov...

WexTrust Capital, LLC Expanding into Hotels, Forms Axela Hospitality, LLC Headed Elmer Coppoolse / November 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive CHICAGO— November 27, 2007 —WexTrust Capital, LLC, a globally diversified private equity and specialty finance company, announced today its expansion into hotels and resorts with the formation of a new subsidiary called Axela Hospitality, LLC.  WexTrust Capital also announced that it has appointed thirty-year hotel veteran Elmer Coppoolse as CEO of Axela.     WexTrust Capital has a strong history of delivering superior returns to investors through its diverse portfolio of real estate assets.  Since 2003, the company has acquired dozens of properties ranging from office pa...

Royal River Casino & Hotel Selects Agilysys for Point-of-Sale Solution; Property Implements InfoGenesis POS by Agilysys to Enhance Service and Efficie

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report Royal River Casino & Hotel Selects Agilysys for Point-of-Sale Solution . Property Implements InfoGenesis POS by Agilysys to Enhance Service and Efficiency BOCA RATON, Fla. – Nov. 12, 2007 – Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading provider of innovative IT solutions, including specifically-designed hospitality industry solutions, announced today that Royal River Casino & Hotel in Flandreau, S.D. has selected the InfoGenesis POS™ system by Agilysys. Royal River installed the system, along with 10 terminals, to streamline operations and enhance guest service at the 120-room property, which ...

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive By J Ragsdale Hendrie, November 2007 We spend an enormous amount of time defining our Hospitality products and services.  Then, we exert our energies to establish some Marketplace credibility.  We research, we learn about our perceived Market, we festoon our name attractively for entry, now ready to go to town, we think.  Then, “kaboom”, we realize that the Market in which we seek to do business is really a cluttered landscape – noisy, competitive, inattentive, unresponsive, disloyal, hard to please, harder to reach. But, we are steadfast and understand the need for an Adve...

Adam's Mark Hotel in Dallas Could Become a Sheraton; Texas' Largest Hotel, with 1,840 rooms and 230,000 square feet of Meeting Space / Novem

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive By Suzanne Marta, The Dallas Morning NewsMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News  November 13, 2007 - Three agenda items for Dallas' City Plan Commission meeting Thursday ask for permission to post signs with the Sheraton name and logo on the downtown hotel at 400 N. Olive St.  A local spokesman for the Adam's Mark said he was unaware of the sign proposals and declined to comment further.  The hotel's owner, HBE Corp. of St. Louis, announced in May that the property was being sold to Oxford Lodging, a San Francisco hotel group. Officials for the two companies could not be rea...

The Former Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix Now the Arizona Grand; Sam Grossman, One of the Few Owner Operators of Big Resorts, Bought the 21

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Donna Hogan, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Nov. 16, 2007 - The former Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix became the Arizona Grand a week ago, the most street-visible sign of its new ownership, outlook and image. But drive through the sprawling 164-acre property, and there is a lot more evidence that the hotel is in transition. The formerly dirty-beige adobe style buildings have been painted sparkling white, a new lobby building and 52 villas are under constr...

Andreas Nieto Named Executive Chef at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, Los Angeles / November 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive LOS ANGELES, Calif., November 5th, 2007 –  He comes to the hotel with outstanding experience and a passion for his craft.  Nieto, who was most recently Executive Chef at the US Grand Hotel in San Diego, has held positions at: Westin Century Plaza & Spa and St. Regis Hotel in Century City; Le Bel Age Hotel, Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows in Los Angeles; Lowes Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas; and the Mirage Hotels and Resorts in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his new role, Nieto oversees the entire culinary operation, including the L.A. Prime Restaurant, a New York-style steakhouse.  A ...

Andrew Furrer Joins Destination Hotels & Resorts as Chief Information Officer / November 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Englewood, Colo. – Nov. 12, 2007 – Kathleen McIntee, senior vice president and chief financial officer for Destination Hotels & Resorts, recently announced that Andrew Furrer joined the company as vice president of information technology/chief information officer.  In his new role, Furrer will lead and manage the DH&R corporate and property information technology team of nearly 50 professionals at more than 30 hotels, resorts and satellite offices. He also will be responsible for interfacing with DH&R affiliate Lowe Hospitality Group and parent company Lowe Enterprises busines...

HPL Hotels & Resorts Appoints Andrew J. Drummond as the General Manager of Kandooma – Maldives, a 160 Villa Resort Occupying an Island in the So

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive 7th November 2007, Singapore – HPL Hotels & Resorts today announces the appointment of Andrew J. Drummond as the General Manager of Kandooma ~ Maldives, which is scheduled to open its doors in mid 2008. Andrew, an Australian national, is now based on Kandooma Island, located in South Male Atoll in the Maldives, overseeing the pre-opening preparations of the resort. Andrew was most recently the General Manager of another HPL Hotels & Resorts beach property, Casa Del Mar Langkawi in Malaysia. The resort has been frequently voted the number one hotel in Langkawi on Trip Advisor, for...

Eight Hotels Achieve 2008 AAA Five Diamond Status For the First Time; Complete List of 100 Hotels and 60 Restaurants / November 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Orlando, Fla. - 11/9/2007 - AAA has announced the 100 hotels and 60 restaurants that have achieved Five Diamond status, the travel authority’s highest rating for hotels and restaurants. For 2008, eight hotels made their first appearance on the list: The Canyon Suites at the Phoenician, Scottsdale, Ariz.; St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, Dana Point, Calif.; The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, Las Vegas; The Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary, N.C.; Four Seasons Resort Whistler, Whistler, BC; The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman; the JW Marriott R...

The Top Ten Unconventional Buildings Converted to Hotels Determined by TripAdvisor Travelers and Editors / November 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive NEEDHAM, Mass., Nov. 30, 2007 - TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel community, today announced its list of the top ten converted hotels in Europe, as determined by TripAdvisor travelers and editors. These unconventional buildings have been wonderfully converted into hotels, retaining the spirit of the original structure, while offering luxurious accommodations and modern amenities. 1. Watershed Moment: Hotel Im Wasserturm, Cologne, Germany - Average Nightly Rate: $341 A former aquatic hub, the unique Hotel Im Wasserturm was the largest water tower in Europe before its con...

IH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center / October 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveIH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center IH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center It's not too late!.   The Technology Innovation Center at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show is where attendees first visit to keep abreast of today’s hotel and restaurant software and Internet solutions.  Sponsored by Hospitality Upgrade, the Center includes numerous exhibitor kiosks where buyers can test-drive today’s cutting-edge software and Internet products.  For exhibitors, it’s turn-key as everything is included; kiosk, carpeting, signage, electrical...

IH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center / October 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveIH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center IH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center It's not too late!.   The Technology Innovation Center at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show is where attendees first visit to keep abreast of today’s hotel and restaurant software and Internet solutions.  Sponsored by Hospitality Upgrade, the Center includes numerous exhibitor kiosks where buyers can test-drive today’s cutting-edge software and Internet products.  For exhibitors, it’s turn-key as everything is included; kiosk, carpeting, signage, electrical...

IH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center / October 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveIH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center IH/M&RS Technology Innovation Center It's not too late!.   The Technology Innovation Center at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show is where attendees first visit to keep abreast of today’s hotel and restaurant software and Internet solutions.  Sponsored by Hospitality Upgrade, the Center includes numerous exhibitor kiosks where buyers can test-drive today’s cutting-edge software and Internet products.  For exhibitors, it’s turn-key as everything is included; kiosk, carpeting, signage, electrical...

Worldwide Electronic Hotel Revenue Up 16.4 Percent In Q3 2007, According to TravelCLICK; Quarterly eMonitor Reports Annual Growth for Room Nights at 5

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report Worldwide Electronic Hotel Revenue Up 16.4 Percent In Q3 2007, According to TravelCLICK  . Quarterly eMonitor Reports Annual Growth for Room Nights at 5.9 Percent  CHICAGO (December 20, 2007) — TravelCLICK's quarterly eMonitor results indicate continued steady health for the hotel industry based on electronic distribution performance for the third quarter of 2007.  Key indicators of growth compared to the third quarter of 2006 are: Worldwide electronic hotel revenue from the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and key Internet sites increased 16.4 percent.  Number of room nights book...

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive December 13, 2007 - Rosewood Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce that Bald Mountain de Mexico’s ultra-luxury resort currently in development in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, will be a Rosewood Resort. Opening in late 2009, Rosewood San Miguel de Allende will combine an intimate ultra luxury resort, private residences and a spectacular spa, with the local charm and culture of San Miguel de Allende, a historical colonial town located in the mountainous state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. Located within the historical heart of downtown San Miguel de Allende, Rosewood San Mi...

Sage Hospitality Spends $6 million to Ready the Connecticut Grand Hotel and Conference Center in Waterbury, CT for Conversion to Holiday Inn Brand /

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Marc Silvestrini, Waterbury Republican-American, Conn.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 19, 2007 - WATERBURY, Conn. -- The city's largest hotel, the Connecticut Grand Hotel and Conference Center, officially began flying the Holiday Inn flag Tuesday. The 284-room hotel at 3580 East Main St., which was purchased by Sage Hospitality Resources LLC of Denver in June, became an official member of Holiday Inn's global network Tuesday, said Christopher Costabile, the hotel's manager. The hotel will be known as the Holiday In...

Aston Development Eyeing Waco, Texas for 120-room Hotel Indigo / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Mike Copeland, Waco Tribune-Herald, TexasMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 14, 2007 - A Central Texas development group hopes to put a 120-room Hotel Indigo near downtown Waco -- one of several projects brewing in or near the central city, sources say. Those ventures include breathing life into an old Austin Avenue building; placing a day spa near RiverSquare Center; and building a new Staybridge Suites hotel near Taco Bueno in South Waco. Kenny Bhakta, spokesman for Temple-based Aston Development, confirmed he wants...

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive CHICAGO - December 26, 2007 - A group of local investors led by real estate and private equity firm Oxford Capital Group (www.oxford-capital.com) has purchased Hotel Wacker, 111 W. Huron, from BAC.Corp in a transaction valued at $24M.  The new owners, which call themselves HCP Oxford OBG Wacker Property Company, LLC, plan to redevelop the property into an upscale boutique hotel, scheduled to open in early 2009, according to managing principal John W. Rutledge, Oxford Capital Group president and CEO.  “The Hotel Wacker is a historic structure that is well-located in a burgeoni...

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive NEW YORK - December 12, 2007 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced that it will open a W Hotel in Minneapolis, Minn. in the legendary Foshay Tower, one of the country’s most inspiring and iconic art deco buildings. Soaring 447 feet into the air, W Minneapolis–The Foshay will feature 229 luxury guest rooms, including 18 suites, and will provide travelers with spectacular city views, expansive meeting space, a world-class signature restaurant and a destination bar.  Owned by Foshay Hotel LLC, W Minneapolis–The Foshay will be centrally located ...