Jan-Paul Kroese Appointed Resident Manager, InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Amsterdam, 3 August 2006 - Hendrik Bosch, General Manager of the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam has the pleasure to announce the appointment of Jan-Paul Kroese as Resident Manager. Kroese started his career at the Amstel Hotel as Director of Sales and Marketing in May 2004. Two years later in July 2006 he is promoted from Director of Sales and Marketing to Resident Manager. In his new capacity Kroese will be responsible for the day to day operations in the Amstel Hotel. In 1996 Kroese began his career at Hotel Des Indes in The Hague (then an InterContinental hotel) as F&B Cost Controller. In 1997...

Jeffrey Foresman Appointed Executive Chef of Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, San Antonio / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report . SAN ANTONIO, TX., August 1, 2006 -- Jeffrey Foresman, a 19-year veteran with Hyatt Hotels Corporation, has been appointed executive chef of Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa.  In his new position, Foresman will oversee the operations of three restaurants, the pool bar and grille, room service, convention services, and a staff of 70 culinary employees.  Additionally, Foresman will be responsible for off-premise catered events and for special events that take place at the resort. "Jeffrey's extensive experience and knowledge of international and regional cuisine make him a welcomed addi...

Value Place Hotels Appear to be Another Winner by Longtime Wichita Hotel Entrepreneur Jack DeBoer; Value Place Concept an Unusual Combination of Hot

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Dan Voorhis, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.McClatchy-Tribune Business News Aug. 10, 2006 - Top executives of Wichita's Value Place hotel chain sweated in Wednesday's 103-degree heat in the parking lot of their new hotel at 7525 W. Taft in west Wichita. But they didn't mind because they wanted to announce good news: The company has sold 517 franchises in less than two years, making it the fastest-growing hotel chain in the country. Investors have committed $2 billion to building those hotels over the next three to four years,...

War Ended 39 Months of Israeli Tourism Growth / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Dalia Tal, Globes, Tel Aviv, IsraelMcClatchy-Tribune Business News Aug. 23--The war in Lebanon ended 39 continuous months of growth, which began in April 2003, in Israel's tourism industry, the Israel Hotels Association reports. Hotel Association director general Tova Pinto said all the signs pointed to the start of another crisis in the industry. According to the Hotel Association, tourist overnights at hotels rose until the outbreak of the war on July 12, but subsequently plummeted 20 percent, compared with July 2005. Tour...

IPIX Liquidation Puts 360-degree Virtual Tour Technology, All Assets Up for Bid / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report IPIX Liquidation Puts 360-degree Virtual Tour Technology, All Assets Up for Bid FAIRFAX, Va., Aug. 16, 2006 - World-wide interest is expected in the liquidation of IPIX Corporation (Nasdaq: IPIX), a company whose patented 360-degree surveillance technology takes on heightened importance in an era of global terrorist attacks and security breaches. The Reston, VA-based company filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on July 31 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division (Case No. 06-10856). As a result o...

Intrawest Agrees to be Acquired by Fortress Investment Group LLC for about $2.8 billion Including Debt Assumption / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Intrawest Agrees to be Acquired by Fortress Investment Group LLC for about $2.8 billion Including Debt Assumption VANCOUVER and NEW YORK, Aug 11, 2006 - Intrawest Corporation ("Intrawest" or "the company") (IDR:NYSE; ITW:TSX) and Fortress Investment Group LLC ("Fortress") announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which funds managed by affiliates of Fortress will acquire all of Intrawest's outstanding common shares at a price of $35.00 per share payable in cash. The total value of the transaction, including the existing debt of Intrawest, is approximately $2.8 bil...

HSMAI's 7th Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference Set for Dec. 6, 2006 in Sunny Isles, Florida / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  HSMAI's 7th Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference Set for Dec. 6, 2006 in Sunny Isles, Florida Day-Long Workshop Held in Conjunction with HEDNA at the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort   MCLEAN, VA (Aug. 14, 2006) – Leading industry experts will gather to discuss the hottest issues and trends in Internet marketing when the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) holds its 7th Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference on Dec. 6, 2006 at the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort in Sunny Isles, FL.   Held in conjunction with ...

Dora Brothers Hospitality Building a Hotel Indigo in Downtown Columbus, Indiana / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report ATLANTA (Aug. 28, 2006) – InterContinental Hotels Group [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] (IHG), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today plans for its first Hotel Indigo® in Columbus, Ind., (USA) scheduled to break ground this quarter and open by fourth quarter of 2007. The Hotel Indigo Columbus will also represent downtown’s first hotel. The new, four-story branded boutique property will be owned by Vision Hotel Partners, LLC and managed by Dora Brothers Hospitality, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group. It is also one of two Hote...

A Dust-up Over Taxes Owed on Tip Income Has Las Vegas Bar and Restaurant Workers Seething and the Internal Revenue Service Beating a Retreat / Augus

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-JournalMcClatchy-Tribune Business News Aug. 19, 2006 - A nasty dust-up over taxes owed on tip income has Las Vegas bar and restaurant workers seething and the Internal Revenue Service beating a hasty retreat -- for now. The ruckus, which reached a head at a so-called "tip summit" between IRS and hotel-casino industry representatives on Thursday, stemmed from two recent developments that insiders said may or may not be related. The first involves negotiations between the IRS and Culinary Lo...

IH&RA Cancels 43rd World Congress and Human Resources Development Forum Scheduled for Buenos Aires in October, 2006 / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  IH&RA Cancels 43rd World Congress and Human Resources Development Forum Scheduled for Buenos Aires in October, 2006 Paris , August 7th 2006. IH&RA regrets to announce that it will cancel its 43rd Annual Congress and Human Resources Development Forum scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 26-29 October.  The new leadership of its prestigious Member and host FEHGRA, Federacion Empresaria Hotelera Gastronomica de la Republica Argentina, has decided that for purely internal reasons it is no longer in a position to honour the commitment made by its previous president to host the 43 ...

IDeaS Announces Certified Integration with Visual One; Integration Between IDeaS Revenue Optimization and Visual One Property Management System / Aug

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report IDeaS Announces Certified Integration with Visual One - Integration Between IDeaS Revenue Optimization and Visual One Property Management System  Minneapolis, MN – AUGUST 28, 2006  – IDeaS, the leading provider of hospitality  focused revenue optimization solutions and one of the industry’s fastest growing technology companies, today announced the immediate availability of a certified integration between IDeaS Revenue Optimization and Visual One’s Property Management System. The availability of the solution offers joint clients and future prospects the assurance of compatibility betw...

HEDNA, HTNG and OTA Providing Free Seminar for Hotel Industry Participants – October 5, Chicago; Will Highlight the Roles of the Major Industry

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report CHICAGO and FALLS CHURCH, VA (August 2, 2006) -- Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) and Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) announced today that they will offer a joint seminar program on October 5 in Chicago, featuring all major industry trade associations involved in distribution within the hotel industry.   The sessions will offer hotel industry participants a better understanding of the role of each association, and how they work together to address various industry challenges, to avoid duplication of effort, and to prevent the development of conflicting solutions. ...

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report . By: Neil Salerno August 2006 Dale Carnegie once said “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion”.  How often have you had a problem with an associate and tried to deal with it in a good logical business manner; only to make matters worse? Maybe using logic, instead of appealing to emotion, is part of the problem.  Turn-over has been the scourge of our industry for a very long time. The cost, in terms of both productivity and money, is huge; a problem which almost every hotel shares. I don’t propose to know all the answers ...

HSMAI Holding Workshop – Strategic Thinking: Innovative Training for Improving Hotel Profitability, Oct. 23-25, 2006 in Partnership with Lynn Un

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report HSMAI Holding Workshop -  “Strategic Thinking: Innovative Training for Improving Hotel Profitability,” Oct. 23-25 2006 in Partnership with Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida . MCLEAN, VA (Aug. 24, 2006) – The Hotel Directors of Sales and Marketing Special Interest Group of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), announces its inaugural three-day intensive workshop, “Strategic Thinking:  Innovative Training for Improving Hotel Profitability,” which is designed around the renowned hotel management simulation called HOTS (Hotel Operations Tactics and Strategy)...

Small Lodgings Must Seek Niche Distinction; Selling Authenticity, Intimacy, Customer Service / John R. Hendrie / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Small Lodgings Must Seek Niche Distinction . Selling Authenticity, Intimacy, Customer Service . by John R. Hendrie, August 2006 “We must hang together, or surely we shall hang separately”, stated Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  He was of course referring to the need for solidarity amidst a Revolution.  There were unknown risks, inspiring dreams and complex personalities and priorities in that colonial mix.  The adversary was well known, controlled the marketplace, and had a historical, dominant success rate in manifest destiny and compliance for the re...

Hotel Maintenance Creep: Nuts, Bolts, and Bodies / PKF / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Hotel Maintenance Creep: Nuts, Bolts, and Bodies ATLANTA, Ga., August 1, 2006 – As the hotel industry continues to enjoy strong uptrends in occupancy and rate in its third year of recovery, there are increasing signs that the pace of increases in certain areas on the expense side of the ledger is gaining momentum.  According to a recent study, from 2001 to 2005, hotel maintenance expenses grew 18.3 percent.  This is nearly 33 percent greater than the pace of growth for all other hotel operating costs during this same period.  As a result of these relatively strong increases, ...

In Hotel Franchising, Reality Trumps Wishful Thinking / Stanley Turkel / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report In Hotel Franchising, Reality Trumps Wishful Thinking - Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 15 By Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC, August 2006 Is hotel franchising important?  Since almost 75% of all U.S. hotels are franchised, perhaps you would agree with me that franchising is of major importance in the hotel world. What should a franchisee expect from a hotel franchisor?  Franchising is recognized as an excellent vehicle for capital formation and rapid business expansion.  Business franchising is essentially a mechanism of product or service distribution.  Typically, any service business must build ...

Holiday Inn Denver International Airport Hotel and John Q. Hammons Convention Center Complete Four-year $10 million Makeover / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Holiday Inn Denver International Airport Hotel and John Q. Hammons Convention Center Complete Four-year $10 million Makeover DENVER and SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Aug. 16, 2006 – John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC (www.jqhhotels.com) announced that the Holiday Inn® Denver International Airport Hotel and John Q. Hammons Convention Center (www.holidayinndenverairport.com) have completed a four-year, nearly $10 million makeover.  The extensive renovation’s $4 million final phase concentrated on improvements to the hotel’s guestrooms, bathrooms, atrium and ballroom.  The 256-room hotel and a...

Multimillion Dollar Renovation and Redesign Converts the Former Doubletree Guest Suites to a 345-suite Hilton Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile / August

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report CHICAGO - Aug. 2, 2006-- Hilton Hotels announced today the opening of its newest property, the Hilton Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile, an upscale, all-suite property located in the heart of Chicago's most exciting neighborhood. The hotel recently completed a multimillion dollar renovation to redesign the hotel's 345 guest suites with guests' needs in mind. As the most recent addition to the Hilton brand in downtown Chicago, the Hilton Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile is unique in its close proximity to the nightlife, shopping and dining for which the Magnificent Mile is famous.  The Hilton Suites C...

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Davidson Hotel Company Names the Hilton Kansas City Airport Hotel the Company’s 2005 Hotel of the Year KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 31, 2006—Davidson Hotel Company, one of the nation’s largest hotel management companies, today announced that the Hilton Kansas City Airport Hotel recently received two distinct honors.  It was named the company’s 2005 Hotel of the Year, and also won the title of Food & Beverage Team of the Year.  It is the second time in four years that the hotel has received the Food & Beverage Team of the Year recognition and is the first time that one hotel has received both...

Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. Selling the Hilton Burbank Airport for $125 million, or $256,000 per room / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. Selling the Hilton Burbank Airport for $125 million, or $256,000 per room CHICAGO, Aug. 24, 2006 - Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: BEE) today announced that the company has signed an agreement with Pyramid Hotel Opportunity Venture II LLC, to sell the Hilton Burbank Airport in Burbank, California, for $125 million, or $256,000 per room.      The 488-room property was projected to contribute approximately $10.1 million in EBITDA in 2006, resulting in a 12.4x EBITDA multiple on the sale. The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, is ...

Le Meridien Hotel to Anchor Mixed-use Project, Hayden Ferry Lakeside, in Tempe, Arizona / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report . WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Aug. 8, 2006-- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) and SunCor Development Company announced today that a Le Meridien hotel is the latest addition to the stylish, mixed-use, master-planned project, Hayden Ferry Lakeside, in Tempe, Arizona. Le Meridien at Tempe Town Lake is the brand's first new build property since it was acquired by Starwood in November of 2005, and follows the May 2006 opening of Le Meridien San Francisco. The brand is on an aggressive global growth path, particularly in the U.S., Asia-Pacific and Latin America.  Le Meridien is recognized ...

Hilton's Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites Brands On Pace for Opening 90-100 Hotels in 2006, Opens 13 Hotels in July / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Hilton's Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites Brands On Pace for Opening 90-100 Hotels in 2006, Opens 13 Hotels in July Third time this year brand opens more than 10 properties in a month MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 7, 2006—Hampton (www.hampton.com), the national brand of more than 1,350 mid-priced Hampton Inn® and Hampton Inn & Suites® hotels, has opened 13 properties in July 2006-- representing 1,239 new rooms.  The new openings include five Hampton Inn hotels and eight Hampton Inn & Suites properties.  The opening of 13 hotels this month helps the brand continue its incredible develo...

Azuan Noordin Appointed General Manager of The Mangosteen Resort & Spa, Phuket, Thailand / August 2006

March 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Azuan Noordin Appointed General Manager of the Mangosteen Resort & Spa, Phuket, Thailand August 7, 2006 - Mr Hajo Von Keller , Managing Director of The Mangosteen Resort & Spa has announced the appointment of Mr. Azuan Noordin as the new General Manager of The Mangosteen Resort & Spa effective from 1 August 2006. . (L - R) Azuan Noordin and Hajo Von Keller  . Malaysian by birth Mr. Azuan Noordin holds a BS (Honours) degree in Hospitality Administration from well recognized and  reputable Cornell University, Ithaca City , New York  School of Hotel Administration . He also hold a Diploma...