Two Aging Omaha Hotels, the former Regency and the Bellevue Days Inn, Receiving Extensive Makeovers Featuring Indoor Water Parks / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Deborah Shanahan, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 3, 2006 - This fall, the Omaha area will have two hotels featuring indoor water parks that the developers say will be two-thirds to three-fourths the size of the water park at Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kan. Both Omaha-area parks are planned as part of extensive makeovers of aging hotels: the former Regency at 72nd and Grover Streets in Omaha; and the Bellevue Days Inn along Nebraska Highway 370 east of the Kennedy Freeway. The...

R.D. Olson Development Receives Approvals to Build a $35 million Marriott Residence Inn in Downtown Burbank, California / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report R.D. Olson Development Receives Approvals to Build a $35 million Marriott Residence Inn in Downtown Burbank, California BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 24, 2006 - R.D. Olson Development has received city approval to build a $35 million Marriott Residence Inn Burbank on a 1.7-acre property on the corner of South First Street and Verdugo Avenue -- the heart of Burbank's downtown and the focus of the city's redevelopment.  The Irvine-based development company purchased the land in August 2005 at a cost of $4 million. The development's 321 First St. location is within five miles from the Bur...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Ohio’s Lodging Market:  Historical Analysis & 2006 Forecast By: David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC, Laurel A. Keller, and Joseph Pierce March 2006 Summary This analysis reviews Ohio’s three major lodging markets over the past five years and projects future hotel performance in the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati MSA’s. It examines historic operating performance, hotel sales, new development and local attractions that affect demand to present a detailed view of each market’s performance and potential. Metropolitan, State, and National Hotel Performance Comparisons This chart shows th...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Ohio’s Lodging Market:  Historical Analysis & 2006 Forecast By: David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC, Laurel A. Keller, and Joseph Pierce March 2006 Summary This analysis reviews Ohio’s three major lodging markets over the past five years and projects future hotel performance in the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati MSA’s. It examines historic operating performance, hotel sales, new development and local attractions that affect demand to present a detailed view of each market’s performance and potential. Metropolitan, State, and National Hotel Performance Comparisons This chart shows th...

Happy With Your Hotel's Web Site Traffic? Now Turn Those Visits into Dollars / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Happy With Your Hotel's Web Site Traffic?  Now Turn Those Visits into Dollars by Keith Paulin, March 2006 I see all kinds of wild figures thrown around from 0.5% to 20.0% of site visitors that book then and there; this is broadly referred to as the conversion factor. I’m not going to tell you what it should be for your web site because I don’t believe in it. I use RevPOV – Revenue Per Online Visit - this is the RevPAR alternative for web site revenue benchmarking. It’s an easy sum; take your total DIRECT online revenues and divide it by the total number of visits to your site. Now, go ba...

Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges Sale of Radisson Convention Center Hotel in Visalia, California / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  .Special Report Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges Sale of Radisson Convention Center Hotel in Visalia, California SAN DIEGO, California -February 29, 2006 - Neptune Hospitality Advisors, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has arranged the sale of the Radisson Convention Center Hotel in Visalia, California. The 201-room hotel sold to Presidian Companies. Presidian plans to convert the hotel into a Marriott Hotel following a $6.2 million renovation. The hotel was sold by Heritage Hotels and Resorts. "This sale represents another successfully structured transaction for Neptune Hospitality Advisors. Californ...

Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges Re-financing of Hilton Garden Inn Tampa North / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  .Special Report Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges Re-financing of Hilton Garden Inn Tampa North SAN DIEGO, California - -March 6, 2006 - Neptune Hospitality Advisors is pleased to announce that it has arranged the senior financing for the 148-room Hilton Garden Inn in Temple Terrace/Tampa, Florida on behalf of American Property Management Corporation.  Neptune arranged the $11.5 million five-year fixed rate loan through a national commercial real estate lender.  The note bears interest at a rate of 5.89% and is amortized over 30 years.   Built in 2000, the hotel is located in the heart of the Tampa ...

Neptune Hospitality Advisors Advises Port Authority in Sale of the Two Largest Hotels in Downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  .Special Report Neptune Hospitality Advisors Advises Port Authority in Sale of the Two Largest Hotels in Downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota SAN DIEGO, California - - March 6, 2006 - - Neptune Hospitality Advisors, Inc. served as exclusive advisor to the Saint Paul Port Authority in the sale of the 475-room Radisson Riverfront and the 250-rooom Radisson City Center hotels in Saint Paul, Minnesota.  The hotels sold as a package to St. Paul Hotels LLC, a partnership between Trinity Hotel Investors L.L.C. and BayNorth Realty Fund IV.  The Riverfront hotel has already been converted to the Crowne Plaza Saint Paul ...

Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges $30 million Financing for Hansji Hotels / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  .Special Report Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges $30 million Financing for Hansji Hotels SAN DIEGO, California - - March 14, 2006 - - Neptune Hospitality Advisors announced today that it arranged the senior financing for two Anaheim, California hotels, the 190-room Desert Palms Hotel & Suites and the 150-room Desert Inn & Suites on behalf of Hansji Hotels.  Neptune arranged the ten-year fixed rate loans totaling $30 million through a national commercial real estate lender.  The two individual, non-cross collateralized loans bear interest at a rate of 5.55% on a 30-year amortization period.  . Deser...

The USA's Largest Hotel Union Targeting Hilton Hotels in New York City for a Major Labor Battle / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive The USA's Largest Hotel Union Targeting Hilton Hotels in New York City for a Major Labor Battle  by Juan Gonzalez, Daily News, New York Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  March 2, 2006 - The country's largest hotel union has targeted the Hilton Hotels Corp. for what could be the first-ever nationwide hotel strike this summer. "We've decided to isolate Hilton because they are the most recalcitrant and belligerent employer in the industry," said Peter Ward, president of the New York Hotel Trades Council. A major labor battle is not good news for this city's hotel owners, ...

Matthew Davis Named Senior National Sales Manager and Eddie Emeric as Senior Manager, Trade Shows for New York City's CVB – NYC & Company /

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Matthew Davis Named Senior National Sales Manager and Eddie Emeric as Senior Manager, Trade Shows for New York City's CVB - NYC & Company New York, NY (March 10, 2006) - NYC & Company, New York City's convention and visitors bureau, today announced the addition of two new staff members to help support meeting and convention business in New York. Matthew Davis joins NYC & Company's Convention Sales Department as Senior National Sales Manager, and Eddie Emeric joins the Sales Department as Senior Manager, Trade Shows.  . Matthew Davis Eddie Emeric . As Senior National Sales Mana...

Hotel Industry Supports New Orleans Through Hospitality Upgrade's Executive Vendor Summit / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotel Industry Supports New Orleans Through Hospitality Upgrade's Executive Vendor Summit March 17, 2006 - The Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans will be the host of Hospitality Upgrade’s Executive Vendor Summit, www.vendorsummit.com, April 4-6, 2006.  As members of the hospitality community, the Summit’s attendees are committed to helping New Orleans regain its strength and are thrilled it will be the location of the 2006 Executive Vendor Summit.  The Royal Sonesta did not sustain any damage from Hurricane Katrina and was fully operational four weeks after the storm.  The hotel continues ...

Mystery Shopping – Taking the Mystery Out / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Mystery Shopping - Taking the Mystery Out March 30, 2006 - If you have ever subscribed to Mystery Shopping you have some idea of the benefits which can be accrued from a Mystery Shopping program.  It has been our experience that the Hotel Industry tends to think in relatively narrow terms when implementing a Mystery Shopping program.  The industry applies Mystery Shopping primarily to insure Quality Assurance. This Quality Assurance approach is to assess the results of current training programs.  Let’s take a look at some other uses and benefits of Mystery Shopping.    Is your hotel refe...

Hilton Hotels Corporation Sells the 821-room Hilton Minneapolis for Approximately $92 million / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Hilton Hotels Corporation Sells the 821-room Hilton Minneapolis for Approximately $92 million BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - March 22, 2006 -- Hilton Hotels Corporation (NYSE:HLT) announced today that it has sold the 821-room Hilton Minneapolis to 1001 Marquette, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability, for approximately $92 million. It is estimated that the new ownership will spend $15 million in additional capital over the next three years to upgrade the property. The hotel will continue to be managed by Hilton Hotels Corporation and operate as a Hilton branded property under the terms...

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Focus on Swiss Quality and Service Drives Positive Results; Hotel Portfolio Grows to 54 at End of 2005 / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Focus on Swiss Quality and Service Drives Positive Results; Hotel Portfolio Grows to 54 at End of 2005 23 March 2006 - The Swiss hotel chain Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (MH&R) achieved good results in fiscal 2005. With overall sales of CHF 619.6 million (prior year: CHF 538.3 million), including consolidated sales of CHF 191.8 million (prior year CHF 178.7 million), MH&R was able to more than double its EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) result to CHF 6.1 million, up from CHF 2.9 million in 2004. The group’s secure and debt-free financial si...

First Three Missoni Branded Hotels Will be Located in Kuwait, Edinburgh, Dubai; The Interior Design of Missoni Hotels is Being Conceptualized and Con

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  First Three Missoni Branded Hotels Will be Located in Kuwait, Edinburgh, Dubai;  The Interior Design of Missoni Hotels is Being Conceptualized and Controlled by Studio Thun BRUSSELS, MARCH 10, 2006:  Rezidor SAS Hospitality, the Brussels-based, multi-brand hospitality management company, is pleased to announce the first three Missoni hotels – Kuwait, Edinburgh and Dubai.  Rezidor SAS signed a license agreement with the Italian fashion house Missoni in November 2005 to develop the Hotel Missoni brand worldwide. These three new properties are the first step by Rezidor SAS toward ach...

Microtel Inns & Suites Sold 83 Franchises in 2005, Currently 260 Microtel Hotels Open / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Microtel Inns & Suites Sold 83 Franchises in 2005,  Currently 260 Microtel Hotels Open ATLANTA (March 23, 2006) - Microtel Inns & Suites - the chain of all new-constructed, interior corridor budget/economy hotels - continues to demonstrate its leadership position in the economy lodging segment with nearly half of all the economy hotels under construction in the U.S., according to the January 2006 "Smith Travel Research/TWR/Dodge Construction Pipeline" report.  The report cites that in January 2006, out of 59 hotel chains in the budget/economy segment, 43 hotels representing 2,660 rooms were ...

The Fontainebleau Closes for Two Year Renovation; Unite Here's South Florida Union Loses Hundreds of Its Members / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Douglas Hanks III, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 17, 2006 - When the landmark Fontainebleau Resort shut down most of its operations this week for a two-year renovation project, it left workers, tourism boosters and vacationers pining for days gone by. Add labor organizer Andy Balash to the nostalgic list. With almost 600 workers out of jobs, Balash lost his second-largest pool of union members. And with a second of South Florida's four unionized hotels set to close this summer, hotel organ...

Hotel Owners Chase Profits During Spring's College-style Craziness / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive By Douglas Hanks III, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  March 13, 2006 - Hotel owners chase profits during spring's college-style craziness What does spring break mean for the Haddon Hall Hotel? Beer bottles in the hallway, noisy parties by the pool and some good, clean profits added to the bottom line. ''Last year we did very well with them,'' said owner Anita Krieger. ``And we had minimal amounts of problems.'' Haddon Hall belongs to a minority of South Beach hotels actively courting spring breakers, a market notorious for low rates and big me...

Survey Finds a Proposed $50 million Expansion of the Miami Beach Convention Center Would Provide Minor Boost To Convention Bookings; Cheaper Hotel R

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Douglas Hanks III, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 28, 2006 - Adding a $50 million banquet hall to the Miami Beach Convention Center would bring only a minor boost to bookings because hotel room rates are still too high for most conventions, according to a survey released Monday. The findings contradict the long-standing argument by hotels and tourism leaders that Miami Beach consistently loses convention contracts to other cities because it can't offer a hall appropriate for large speeches and 1,00...

Melrose Hotel New York to Pay $800,000 in Damages to 13 Former Hispanic Employees; EEOC Wins Lawsuit Claiming Hotel Imposed English-Only Rule, Harasse

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Melrose Hotel New York to Pay $800,000 in Damages to 13 Former Hispanic Employees; EEOC Wins Lawsuit Claiming Hotel Imposed English-Only Rule, Harassed Hispanics NEW YORK, N.Y. - March 16, 2006 - The former Melrose Hotel New York and Berwind Property Group, Ltd. (Berwind) will pay $800,000 for national origin discrimination against Hispanic employees and take substantial steps to prevent future workplace bias as part of a major litigation settlement announced today by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  The EEOC's lawsuit charged the companies with subjecting Hispanic emp...

Meeting / Convention Planners Rule! Rightfully, They Are Becoming More Demanding / John R Hendrie / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Meeting / Convention Planners Rule!  . Rightfully, They Are Becoming More Demanding by John R. Hendrie, March 2006 If audacious, they will change the landscape of Hospitality. If trends are any indicator, the State of Hospitality, undergoing a recent boom, has a very weak seam.  Standards, whether in quality or performance, are low; the product has significant highs, a modest middle ground, and an enormous, disappointing base.  Service delivery is spotty, the attitude is careless, and the reception is disinterested. Only the Consumer can change this.  Enter the Meeting/Conventi...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Hyatt Selects MaximRMS’ e.FLEX Revenue Management System . MaximRMS expertise and advanced technology a good match for Hyatt’s vision CHICAGO, Illinois - March 27, 2006 - Maxim Revenue Management Solutions (MaximRMS), a leading global provider of revenue management systems announced that Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has selected MaximRMS’ e.FLEX revenue management system for a company-wide ASP implementation.   E.FLEX is being integrated with Hyatt’s PMSs, CRSs, S&CS and competitive data.  In addition, e.FLEX’s powerful features allow the accommodation of key strategic Hyatt revenue managem...

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Names Marriott Interanational as the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Names Marriott Interanational as the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year WASHINGTON, D.C.–March 14, 2006 – Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) has been named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for implementing programs that save more than 83 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electric energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 68,000 tons annually. Marriott is the only lodging company to be recognized and the only company to receive the EPA’s highest honor for two con...