The Yuma Holiday Inn Stars in the 2007 Holiday Inn TV and Internet Advertising Campaign / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Joyce Lobeck, The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.McClatchy-Tribune Business News Jan. 31, 2007 - Hotel was named the chain's 2006 Newcomer of the Year Walking into the Holiday Inn the past several days was like entering a movie set. "We've had 142 film crew members here all week," said hotel manager Paul Rogers. "They took over the hotel." But he wasn't complaining. The hotel will be showcased in this year's Holiday Inn Internet advertising and in commercials to be aired for the next 12 months not only around the country but...

Xian Yungao International Hotel Company Limited Signs Starwood to Manage a 296-room Westin in Xian, the Capital of Shaanxi Province / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Xian Yungao International Hotel Company Limited Signs Starwood to Manage a 296-room Westin in Xian, the Capital of Shaanxi Province Singapore, 21st February, 2007 – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: HOT) and Xian Yungao International Hotel Company Limited announced an agreement for Starwood to manage a 296-room Westin in Xian, one of the four major ancient civilizations in the world, along with Athens, Cairo and Rome.  The Westin Xian is expected to open in 2010. The Westin Xian will be part of a planned Great Tang All Day Mall, which is expected to become the ...

Winston Hotel's Board of Directors Agrees to Sell to Wilbur Acquisition Holding Co. LLC for $14.10 a Share, Approximately $430 million / Februar

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive  Winston Hotel's Board of Directors Agrees to Sell to Wilbur Acquisition Holding Co. LLC for $14.10 a Share, Approximately $430  million RALEIGH, N.C., February 21, 2007 – Winston Hotels, Inc. (NYSE: WXH), a real estate investment trust and owner of premium limited-service, upscale extended-stay and full-service hotels, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which Wilbur Acquisition Holding Company, LLC has agreed to purchase 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of the company.  In the merger, each share of c...

Winston Hotels, Owner/Investor in 53 Hotels, Agrees to be Acquired by Wilbur Acquisition Holding Co. in Deal Valued at $850 million; Proposed Sale M

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Dudley Price and Jack Hagel, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.McClatchy-Tribune Business News Feb. 22, 2007 - RALEIGH -- Winston Hotels, which grew from a Wilmington hotel to a portfolio that spans 18 states, agreed to be bought by a New York real estate investment firm in a $850 million deal. The Raleigh real estate investment trust said Wednesday, after regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, that Wilbur Acquisition Holding Co. agreed to buy all outstanding shares of Winston common stock for $14.10 per share, or $...

Preventive Maintenance is Key to Stopping Carbon Monoxide Fatalities; Automated WinTrack PM Software Helps Keep Guests, Staff Safe/ February 2007

January 30, 2007

Preventive Maintenance is Key to Stopping Carbon Monoxide Fatalities . Automated WinTrack PM Software Helps Keep Guests, Staff Safe NATIONAL REPORT - February 21, 2007 -  Late December was not a good time for an upscale hotel in southern Florida. A 26-year-old man lost his life in a guestroom. The cause of death: carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The man’s father nearly died from the silent killer as well. He survived after being put on a ventilator.  According to a report in The Miami Herald, authorities concluded that the boiler room, which houses two boilers and two water tanks to heat water for the entire facility, was th...

Westin Hotels Reinventing the Happy Hour; Nightly Evening Experiences Featuring Local Indulgences in 129 Hotel Lobbies Worldwide / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Westin Hotels Reinventing the Happy Hour; Nightly Evening Experiences Featuring Local Indulgences in 129 Hotel Lobbies Worldwide  WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.- February 23, 2007 - Westin Hotels & Resorts today debuts a new signature social experience, Unwind… A Westin Evening RitualSM, featuring the tastes, sights and sounds of each destination. From lessons on mixing a Bellini in Venice to learning about fine Scottish Whisky in Turnberry to whipping up a spicy batch of guacamole in Tucson, each of the Westin brand’s 129 hotels worldwide have carefully curated social experiences which ...

The JBG Companies Selects Crestline Hotels & Resorts as the Management Company for the New Westin Reston Heights in Reston, Virginia / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive  The JBG Companies Selects Crestline Hotels & Resorts as the Management Company for the New Westin Reston Heights in Reston, Virginia MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 27, 2007 - Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. today announced its appointment by The JBG Companies as the management company for The Westin Reston Heights in Reston, VA. The hotel will be located in the new mixed-use development at the corner of the Dulles Toll Road and Reston Parkway in Fairfax County, VA. The Westin Reston Heights is an upscale hotel with 175 guestrooms including 64 suites. It is lo...

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Signs Areement with the Westbank and Peterson Group to Manage the 220-room Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto Opening 2011 / Febr

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report  Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Signs Areement with the Westbank and Peterson Group to Manage the 220-room Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto Opening 2011 February 7, 2007 - Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts signed an agreement with Vancouver's Westbank and Peterson Group to manage the 220-room five-star Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto opening 2011. The hotel will be Shangri-La's second property in Canada following the debut of the Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver in September 2008 by the same development team. The Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto will be located on University Avenue at Adelaide Street within walking...

Number of Indoor Waterpark Destination Resorts Grows in 2007 / David J Sangree/ February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report  Number of Indoor Waterpark Destination Resorts Grows in 2007 By David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC -  February 2007 Summary: The year-end survey of indoor waterpark resorts in the U.S. and Canada by Hotel & Leisure Advisors, LLC (H&LA) indicates that the number of indoor waterpark destination resorts has grown from 30 available properties as of year-end 2005 to 43 available properties as of year-end 2006. Twelve waterpark additions to existing hotels or new construction properties, all of which meet our definition of indoor waterpark destination resorts, are projected to open in 2007. A...

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report Warmbrodt Hotel Investments (“WHI”) Advises in the Sale of the Travelodge, Omaha, NE Kansas City, Missouri - February 9, 2007-Warmbrodt Hotel Investments, Inc. (“WHI”), announced today that it  advised in the sale of the 79-room Travelodge located in Omaha, Nebraska. The property was sold by 8736 West Dodge, LLC to Omaha Hotel, Inc. for an undisclosed amount.  The 6-story limited service hotel is conveniently located in the center of Omaha in close proximity to Bergan Mercy Hospital, Crossroads Mall, Nebraska Furniture Mart, First Data Resources, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, Omnium Worldwi...

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Walton Street Capital Joint Ventures with Morgans Hotel Group in Ownership of Two MHG’s London Hotels: Sanderson and St Martins Lane NEW YORK - February 21, 2007 - Morgans Hotel Group Co. (Nasdaq: MHGC) (“MHG”) today announced the arrival of a new partner for the joint venture that owns MHG’s London hotels: Sanderson and St Martins Lane.  An affiliate of Walton Street Capital, LLC (“Walton Street”) has purchased the 50% joint venture interest of MHG’s previous partner, Burford Hotels Limited (“Burford”). For facilitating the transaction, MHG received over USD $6 mill...

Wyndham Worldwide 4Q Profit Edges Up 1% to $92 million; Revenue Up 13% on Higher Revenue Across Its Three Business Segments – Lodging, Vacation

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report  Wyndham Worldwide 4Q Profit Edges Up 1% to $92 million; Revenue Up 13% on Higher Revenue Across Its Three Business Segments - Lodging, Vacation Exchange and Rentals, and Vacation Ownership Hotel Brand Operating Statistics PARSIPPANY, N.J., Feb. 13, 2007 - Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) today announced results for the three-months and year ended December 31, 2006. Financial information discussed in this press release include both GAAP and non-GAAP measures, which include or exclude certain items, or reflect pro forma adjustments, related to the Company's spin-off effective J...

Great Wolf Resorts Reports 2006 4th Qtr Net Loss of $49.0 million Compared to a Net Loss of $26.4 million in the 2005 4th Qtr / Hotel Operating Stati

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Great Wolf Resorts Reports 2006 4th Qtr Net Loss of $49.0 million Compared to a Net Loss of $26.4 million in the 2005 4th Qtr   . Hotel Operating Statistics MADISON, Wis., Feb. 28, 2007 - Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. (Nasdaq: WOLF), North America's leading family of indoor waterpark resorts, today reported results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2006. Fourth Quarter 2006 Highlights     -- Reported Adjusted EBITDA of $8.5 million, achieving the high end of        earnings guidance range, which was upwardly revised on February 9,        2007, resulti...

William T. Comstock Named General Manager of the 837 room Pacific Beach Hotel, Honolulu / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report  William T. Comstock Named General Manager of the 837 room Pacific Beach Hotel, Honolulu HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII — February 5, 2007 - PBH Management LLC, an affiliate of Outrigger Enterprises Group, is pleased to announce the appointment of William T. Comstock as general manager of the Pacific Beach Hotel. In his position, Comstock is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the property, including overseeing all departments and ensuring the growth and prosperity of the hotel. PBH Management LLC assumed management of the Pacific Beach Hotel on January 1, 2007. Comstock joins the P...

Internationally Renowned Design Firm WATG to Create Interiors For The Regent Resort at La Punta Papagayo, Costa Rica / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Internationally Renowned Design Firm WATG to Create Interiors For The Regent Resort at La Punta Papagayo, Costa Rica PAPAGAYO, Costa Rica (February 28, 2007) – Kirchert Pakonen Development and Regent Hotels & Resorts have announced that Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG) has been selected as the interior design firm for La Punta Papagayo, a new 60-acre, five-star resort development comprising a luxury Regent hotel, private villas, estate homes and a retail village. Recognized as one of the world’s leading design firms for the hospitality, leisure, and entertainment industries,...

A Luxury Hotel-Condo Golf Resort Preparing to Breakground on the Golf Club at Vistoso, Near Tucson, Arizona; Project Includes 440 Hotel Rooms, 220 C

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Levi J. Long, The Arizona Daily Star, TucsonMcClatchy-Tribune Business News Feb. 27, 2007 - A luxury hotel-condo project in Oro Valley could bring more options for leisure and business travelers frequenting the bustling Northwest burg. The Vistoso Resort and Spa, 500 W. Vistoso Highlands Drive, will feature 220 condo units and 440 hotel rooms and is scheduled to break ground in September, said developer David Williamson, president and CEO of Tucson-based Fairfield Homes Inc. Located near the 18-hole Golf Club at Visto...

Mark Cox Named General Manager and Matt Butler Named Director of Sales for The Villas Of Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report Mark Cox Named General Manager and Matt Butler Named Director of Sales for The Villas Of Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida . Both joined resort in 1989 ORLANDO, Fla. ­ February 15, 2007 - The Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort has promoted two veteran employees to key roles.   Mark Cox, previously director of marketing and operations, now is general manager.  Matt Butler, a national sales manager for the past 10 years, now is director of sales.  . Both Cox and Butler joined the resort¹s staff in 1989. Cox, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, began his hos...

Las Vegas May Add Up to 45,000 More Hotel Rooms by 2012; Where Will the 100,000 plus Employees Come From? / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-JournalMcClatchy-Tribune Business News Feb. 19, 2007 - Casino operators believe they will have no problem filling hotel rooms with guests and packing casinos with free-spending gamblers during the current building boom, which is expected to bring at least four new resorts to the Strip and an estimated 45,000 more hotel rooms to the Las Vegas market by 2012. Finding enough employees to clean the rooms, work the restaurants and staff the casinos may not be as easy. Deutsche Bank Securities...

Harmony Hospitality Planning a 156-room Embassy Suites Adjacent to its Doubletree Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Deirdre Fernandes, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.McClatchy-Tribune Business News Feb. 6, 2007 - VIRGINIA BEACH -- The Doubletree Hotel wants to expand and become the city's convention center headquarters hotel, joining three other companies vying for that title. Harmony Hospitality of Virginia Beach, which owns the Doubletree Hotel on 19th Street that is next to the convention center, plans to build a 156-room Embassy Suites on the same property. The two hotels would have a combined 455 rooms, said Page Johnson II,...

Hotel Capitalization Rates Continue Record-Breaking Decline / USRC Winter 2007 Hotel Investor Survey / February 2007

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotel Investor Survey Winter 2007 . Hotel Capitalization Rates Continue Record-Breaking Decline . Results Demonstrate Most Aggressive Parameters in Survey History  by:  Jeffrey H. Walker, MAI, CHME and Rajesh Shah, February 6, 2007 The just-released Winter 2007 USRC Hotel Investment Survey indicates that discount rates and capitalization rates for both limited-service and full-service hotels have continued to decline. After holding rather steady to slightly moderating in the Mid-Year 2006 Survey, rates have resumed their fall, and are now at the most aggressive levels we have seen in th...

Two Bunch Palms Resort and Spa Gets Approval from City of Desert Hot Springs, California for Massive Expansion; Up to 285 Additional Hotel Rooms and

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Julia Glick, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.McClatchy-Tribune Business News Feb. 14, 2007 - DESERT HOT SPRINGS -- A developer has secured approvals to grow one of the city's most exclusive spa resorts into a massive refuge for health-conscious retirees and tourists, complete with hundreds of upscale homes, fountains, bungalows, an IMAX theater and a health-oriented retail complex. Story continues below City Council members say their approval last week of a massive expansion of Two Bunch Palms Resort and Spa marks a tu...

Travel Industry Association Announces TravelCom Res-Expo Innovators Award for Outstanding Achievements in Travel Technology and Distribution / Februar

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive First Annual Award to Recognize Travel’s Most Innovative Companies at TravelCom Res-Expo April 6, 2007, in Las Vegas WASHINGTON, DC – February 22, 2007 - The Travel Industry Association (TIA) announces the first annual TravelCom Res-Expo Innovators Awards to recognize those special companies whose outstanding innovations in the areas of technology, e-commerce and distribution have transformed their business and had a broad impact across the travel industry. TIA will present the award at the forthcoming TravelCom Res-Expo Conference April 4-6, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Resor...

TravelCLICK Selected by Exel Inns of America For Comprehensive Central Reservation System Solution; Regional Chain Switches to iHotelier CRS at 22 Pro

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report TravelCLICK Selected by Exel Inns of America for Comprehensive Central Reservation System Solution . Regional Chain Switches to iHotelier CRS at 22 Properties Across Six States  CHICAGO (March 21, 2007) — TravelCLICK Inc., a leading provider of hotel business process management (BPM) solutions, announced today that Exel Inns of America, in Madison, WI, has  selected the iHotelier central reservation system (CRS) for website reservations and connectivity to the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) at its 22 properties throughout the Midwest and Texas. Exel Inns selected TravelCLICK for its expe...

The Bowery Hotel in New York Selects TravelCLICK For Robust Central Reservations Solution; BD Hotels' Newest Property Implements iHotelier CRS to

January 30, 2007

Hotel Online  Special Report The Bowery Hotel in New York Selects TravelCLICK for Robust Central Reservations Solution . BD Hotels’ Newest Property Implements iHotelier CRS to Build Brand Identity Online, Drive Reservations CHICAGO (February 26, 2007) — TravelCLICK, Inc., a leading provider of hotel business process management (BPM) solutions, announced today that The Bowery Hotel, the newest addition to the prestigious Born-Drukier hotel portfolio, has selected the iHotelier central reservation system (CRS) for website reservations and connectivity to the Global Distribution Systems (GDS). The property selected Trave...