Tynette Lynch Named General Manager of the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive               BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 2007) -- Tynette Lynch, a 20-year hospitality veteran who currently serves as president of the Alabama Travel Council, has been named general manager of the award-winning Wynfrey Hotel at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Ala. In her new role, Lynch will oversee all operational aspects of the 329-room meetings and conventions property. The AAA Four Diamond hotel, which is connected to one of the region's largest indoor shopping malls, draws meeting and social groups, business travelers, and vacationers from around the world. L...

Elysian Hotels & Resorts Appoints Thomas Lind Executive Vice President of Operations and Managing Director of the Elysian Hotel, Chicago / December 20

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive CHICAGO, Dec. 3, 2007 - Elysian Hotels & Resorts has appointed Thomas Lind as executive vice president of operations and managing director of the Elysian hotel, its flagship property scheduled to open in fall 2008. "Thomas has earned an exemplary reputation for opening and operating the finest hotels throughout North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East," said David Pisor, founding partner and chief executive officer of Elysian Hotels & Resorts. "He will play an essential role in establishing the standards and service experiences to ensure the Elysian is one of the ...

Tom Luersen Appointed Regional Managing Director, Pacific Northwest for Lowe Hospitality Group / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Bend, Ore. – Dec. 3, 2007 – John B. Platt, chief executive officer for Lowe Hospitality Group, today announced that Tom Luersen recently was appointed regional managing director, Pacific Northwest for the company. In his new role, Luersen will search for the right expansion opportunities for the company as well as continue to oversee properties and projects in the area for LHG subsidiaries, Destination Hotels & Resorts and Lowe Destination Development.  Luersen previously oversaw all hospitality activities in the region at Sunriver Resort in Bend, Ore., Skamania Lodge in St...

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive LAS VEGAS – December 17, 2007 - The Light Group proudly announces that seasoned luxury hotel operator Thomas Becker has been named General Manager of The Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences, opening in Fall 2009 at MGM Mirage’s CityCenter.   An international hospitality management professional with over 20 years of experience, Mr. Becker has managed and developed hotel operations in multiple countries around the globe including Germany, United States, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Island of Mauritius.     “Thomas' global expertise and leadership successes will be instrumental ...

SynXis Adds Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to Global Customer Base; Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group will use RedX as its distribution so

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report  SynXis Adds Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to Global Customer Base . Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group will use RedX as its distribution solution SOUTHLAKE, Texas, 13 December, 2007  – SynXis, the Sabre Holdings business that provides hotel distribution and Internet marketing services globally, announced today that Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has chosen SynXis as its long-term distribution partner.  Shangri-La is Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group; its 54 properties include 24 leading hotels in mainland China. Shangri-La’s rapid expansion plans include properties thr...

Super 8 China Now Has 124 Properties Open or Under Construction in Sixty Cities Across China / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Super 8 Opens Thirteen Properties in China in November and December 2007 BEIJING, Dec. 28, 2007 - Super 8 China today announced that it has exceeded its 2007 development projection of 120 properties either open or under construction by year end -- the third consecutive year the company has exceeded its development goals -- due to continued strong growth in domestic demand for branded economy lodging in China. Super 8 China now has 124 properties either open or under construction in more than sixty cities across China, of which 65 properties are open and operating. Super 8 of...

Sunstream Hotels and Resorts Continues to Benefit After 5 Years As an EZ Yield.com Client / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive . December 11, 2007 -  “We have seen the evolution of EZ Yield from industry pioneer to the perennial industry leader.  We appreciate that EZ Yield solicits and implements features that we, the hoteliers, would like to have.  We look forward to continuing our relationship for years to come.     The new V3 system is sleek, and even faster than the previous version.  Yielding unlimited date ranges really eases up on loading my 2008 data.  ItÂ’s hard to think how life would be without the time savings that EZ Yield helps us achieve.” Scott Frothingham Revenue Director Â...

City of Albany, NY Selects SMG and Starwood to Operate the $325 Albany Convention Center and 400-room Sheraton Hotel / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Tim O'Brien, Albany Times Union, N.Y.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 1, 2007 - ALBANY -- A 400-room Sheraton hotel will be built as part of the Albany Convention Center project, with the center itself to be run by the same firm that operates the county's Times Union Center. The authority's board chose Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. of White Plains to run the hotel Friday, while SMG was selected to operate the convention center. The two once worked cooperatively in Providence, R.I., one of the sites aut...

DOC-Economou Acquires Land from Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority for Development of a Luxury Hotel, Condominiums and Spa / December 2

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Daniel Malloy, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 14, 2007 - The $48 million coup de grace of the SouthSide Works complex is officially in the works. The city Urban Redevelopment Authority yesterday approved the sale of an acre of land to DOC-Economou for a mixed-use development containing a luxury hotel and condominiums, as well as a 20,000-square-foot spa. It is scheduled to open in summer 2009. "This is the crowning jewel of the SouthSide Works development," said Phil Hugh, a principal of DOC...

Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $19,300,000 of Acquisition Financing for Hotel Fifty, Portland, Oregon / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report  Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $19,300,000 of Acquisition Financing for Hotel Fifty, Portland, Oregon Los Angeles, CA – November 29, 2007 - Sonnenblick-Eichner Company (www.sonneich.com) announced today that it has arranged $19.3 million of first mortgage acquisition and renovation financing for the Hotel Fifty located in downtown Portland, Oregon.    The Hotel Fifty, formerly the Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Portland, is a 5-story, 140-room hotel which will be completely renovated and re-branded to an upscale, independent full service boutique hotel.  The loan provides funds...

Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $24 Million of First Mortgage Financing for Hotel deLuxe in Portland, Oregon / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report  Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $24 Million of First Mortgage Financing for Hotel deLuxe in Portland, Oregon LOS ANGELES, CA--(December 4, 2007) - Sonnenblick-Eichner Company (www.sonneich.com) announced today that it has arranged $24,000,000 of first mortgage financing for the Hotel deLuxe located in Portland, Oregon. The financing was a 10-year fixed rate loan priced at 200 bps over the 10-year treasury. The loan is interest-only for the initial two years of the term. The loan also includes an earn-out provision allowing the borrower to capitalize on increasing cash flow as the prop...

SoftBrands Signs Navy Lodges Contract; SoftBrands and Navy Lodge Program to Deploy Property Management Suite of Software to Navy Lodges Worldwide / De

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report SoftBrands Signs Navy Lodges Contract SoftBrands and Navy Lodge Program to Deploy Property Management Suite of Software to Navy Lodges Worldwide Minneapolis, Minn -- Dec 11, 2007– SoftBrands, Inc. (AMEX: SBN), a global supplier of enterprise application software, announces the signing of an agreement with Navy Lodge Program to operate SoftBrands enterprise solutions including Epitome, Core and Karyon across its worldwide Navy Lodges.  The Navy Lodge Program operates 43 Navy Lodges worldwide with its headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va. and a call center in Jacksonville, Fla.  Navy Lodges ...

SoftBrands Selected by Salamander Hospitality for Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club/ December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report SoftBrands Selected by Salamander Hospitality for Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club Minneapolis, Minn. – Dec 4, 2007– SoftBrands, Inc. (AMEX:  SBN), a global supplier of enterprise application software, today announced that Salamander Hospitality has selected SoftBrands to  implement a full range of SoftBrands technology solutions for its Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. SoftBrands Epitome Property Management System (PMS), Condotelware, Emerald Golf and Emerald Food & Beverage provide a “Best Of Breed” solution tailored to the resort environment.  Using standard hospitality industry spe...

Where Does User-Generated Content Fit Into Suppliers' Overall Online Marketing Strategy? Social Media Strategies for Travel 2008 Special / Decemb

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive   December 18, 2007 - Earlier this year, Starwood Hotels & Resorts had introduced the redesigned version of its website for members of Starwood Preferred Guest hotel loyalty programme, SPG.com.   On how the re-designing of SPG.com has shaped up, Philip Charles-Pierre, Director, Interactive Marketing Starwood Preferred Guest, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide recently told EyeforTravel.com's Ritesh Gupta: "Response has been terrific, customers have commented that the site and in particular the homepage design is more aspirational as it highlights well the SPG programme and ...

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive By: Neil Salerno December 2007 After my last article about social media, I heard from many hoteliers who are genuinely interested and excited about the potential use of social media to promote their hotels. There is no question that articles about social media are popping-up everywhere. I agree that the benefits could be enormous; maybe in the not-so-distant future for hotel franchises but, less likely for individual hotels. I believe that one segment of social media, travel-related sites, holds the most promise for hotels. But, some controversy exists about how the majority of...

Hotelier Jeroen Gerrese Leading the Sheraton Stockton Hotel at Regent Pointe to Four Stars and a Revival of Stockton's Historic Waterfront / De

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Michael Fitzgerald, The Record, Stockton, Calif.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 7, 2007 - Word got out that the Sheraton Stockton Hotel at Regent Pointe, the snazzy waterfront hotel under construction since 2005, has quietly opened to the public. The grand opening gala is not until January. But hey, open is open. The occasion is historic, not to mention a good excuse to expense happy hour. So a friend and I met at the spanking new seven-story building on the channel's north bank: Regent Pointe, formerly known as hu...

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Opens First Hotel in Southwest China, the 593 room Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive December 18, 2007 - Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu opened as Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts’ first hotel in Southwest China.  More than 400 VIP guests gathered to commemorate the occasion, including acclaimed Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.  Chengdu is not only the hometown of the panda, but is also home to the only panda breeding and research center in the world.  One of China’s top tourism cities, Chengdu offers many World Heritage listed scenic areas and various direct transportation into Tibet.  Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province and was designated by the State Council a...

Present Day Travelers Checking into Shaner Hotels' Experimental Guestroom of the Future at the Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware / Decembe

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive   by Jerry Rhodes, Dec. 6, 2007 -- Although it sounds like something from the future, present day travelers who love the latest gizmos and gadgets might want to check into the Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware and check out the many innovative features in the hotel's new experimental guest room. Launched in September as part of Shaner Hotels' Experimental Guestroom of the Future project, the X-Room is both fun and functional thanks to amenities such as a guestroom digital assistant (GDA) that sports a color display touch-screen. The device allows guests to control climat...

Shaner Hotels Forms Partnership with an Investment Fund Managed by Rothschild Realty; Up to $200 million of Debt and equity Available for Up to Fiftee

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive STATE COLLEGE, PA (November 30, 2007) - Shaner Hotel Group announced today that it has formed a new partnership with Five Arrows Realty Securities IV, L.P. (Five Arrows) for the primary purpose of developing Marriott hotel franchisees throughout the eastern half of the United States.  The new partnership, Shaner Hotel Holdings Limited Partnership (SHHLP), consists of hotel interests from Shaner Hotel Group (SHG), a private company owned by Lance T. Shaner, and a capital commitment by Five Arrows. The contributed assets are comprised of twelve existing operating hotels from SHG, ...

The Inn of the Seventh Mountain Near Bend, Oregon Facing Dissident Condo Owners Following a Special Assessment of $17.7 million to Pay for Repairs t

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Jeff Manning, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 25, 2007 - It wasn't the kind of Christmas card Shirl Benjamin expected from the Inn of the Seventh Mountain. A bus driver for the Bend-La Pine school district, Benjamin got a bill early this month for $11,000, due and payable by Dec. 31, to cover her share of building repair costs. It was her first notice of the assessment. "How do they expect me to come up with that kind of money in a month?" asked Benjamin,...

Plaza Internacional Building a $77 million 264-room Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive ATLANTA (Dec. 4, 2007) – IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], one of the world's largest hotel groups by number of rooms, today announced plans to construct a 264-room Crowne Plaza hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Slated to open mid-2009, the new Crowne Plaza will be situated near the Hato Rey Business District and just minutes from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.  The new hotel, which is owned by Plaza Internacional and will be managed by Plaza Internacional Hospitality Group, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinenta...

Sage Hospitality Resources and the Amstar Group Partner with Inland Pacific Companies to Aquire the 369 room Westin Westminster in Westminster, Colora

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive   DENVER, December 14, 2007 - The Amstar Group, Sage Hospitality Resources and Inland Pacific Companies (IPC) today announced the purchase of the 369-room, AAA Four-Diamond award-winning Westin Westminster hotel in Westminster, Colorado. The full-service hotel, which will remain a Westin, has 30,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space including a 12,000-square-foot ballroom and a lakeside pavilion with spectacular vistas of the Rocky Mountains.   Sage Hospitality will manage the Westin, marking the sixteenth asset in Sage's Colorado portfolio of hotels under managem...

Sage Hospitality Resources Overshoots its Budget for The Nines Hotel Project in Downtown Portland; $118 million Cost Estimate Grows to $133 million

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Ryan Frank, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Dec. 11, 2007 - The hotel above downtown Portland's renovated Macy's store is $15 million over its construction budget and its developers want an infusion of public money to finish. Sage Hospitality Resources of Denver has defaulted on its construction loan because it can't cover what's now a $133 million renovation. The developer has until Dec. 31 to plug the budget gap. On Wednesday, Portland's urban-renewal agency,...

Stan Kantowski Named General Manager of the Miramonte Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, California / December 2007

April 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive (Indian Wells, Calif.)— Greg Miller, vice president and managing director for Destination Hotels & Resorts, announced that Stan Kantowski recently was named general manager of the Miramonte Resort & Spa, a Mediterranean-inspired desert resort in one of the country’s most affluent communities. In his new position, Kantowski will lead the resort’s team and continue to oversee the extensive $16 million transformation of this luxury property, making Miramonte a truly one-of-a-kind retreat for leisure visitors as well as expanding service for conference and meeting attendees.  ...