January 30, 2006

Hotel Online Special Report Global Update: Who’s Where and Doing What March 2006 Heads Above the Rest The Newsletter of The Boutique Search Firm   The Americas John Segreti, who had been the Chief Operating officer of the New York Palace, died of a massive heart attack in February, at age 52. Prior to coming home to New York to run the Palace, Segreti had a fast-track career with Shangri-La in Asia, culminating with a position of Chief Operating Officer, based at Shangri-La's Hong Kong Headquarters. A former football player, Segreti started his hospitality career as Health Club Manager at New York's United N...

Kemp Gallineau Promoted to SVP and General Manager of the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Kemp Gallineau Promoted to SVP and General Manager of the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida NASHVILLE, Tenn. - March 6, 2006 - Gaylord Entertainment Co. (NYSE: GET) today announced that Kemp Gallineau, vice president and assistant general manager of Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager of the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla. "Kemp has done an outstanding job at both the Gaylord Opryland and in managing our attractions businesses," said Colin V...

Gregory Smith Appointed Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administration Officer at the Corporate office, Boykin Management Company / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Gregory Smith Appointed Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administration Officer at the Corporate office, Boykin Management Company Cleveland, OH, March 24, 2006 - Boykin Management Company announces the appointment of Gregory Smith to the position of Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administration Officer at its corporate office in Cleveland, Ohio. Greg Smith returns to Boykin after 18 years with Interstate Hotels, where he was most recently the Vice President of International Finance and Regional Director of Finance.  Greg brings with him an understanding of the world hospitality market, ga...

Craig Marshall Appointed to Regional Director of Operations, Peabody Hotel Group / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Craig Marshall Appointed to Regional Director of Operations, Peabody Hotel Group Natick, Massachusetts. March 15, 2006. The Peabody Hotel Group (PHG) has appointed Craig Marshall to Regional Director of Operations at its’ Brand Management Division. Marshall has been with the Peabody Hotel Group since 1999 in a highly successful role as the General Manager of the award-winning Hampton Inn and Suites at Beale Street in Memphis.    In his role as General Manager for Peabody Hotel Group, Marshall has attained consistently high levels of achievement, and under his dedicated leadership the ne...

George Mahaffey Appointed Executive Chef for Hotel Jerome, Aspen / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report   George Mahaffey Appointed Executive Chef for Hotel Jerome, Aspen ASPEN, CO – March 08, 2006 — George Mahaffey has been appointed Executive Chef for Hotel Jerome, Aspen’s celebrated landmark hotel. Mahaffey brings 26 years of experience at world-class Mobile Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond and Relais & Chateaux properties, and will continue Hotel Jerome’s tradition of culinary excellence.  Named “Best American Chef” in the southwest by the James Beard Foundation, he demonstrates a deep passion for his culinary craft by delivering distinctive flair to the color, flavor, structure and execut...

The Greater Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association Booked 279 Future Meetings, Creating $313 Million in Economic Impact; Makes Point for New Co

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  The Greater Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association Booked 279 Future Meetings, Creating $313 Million in Economic Impact;  Makes Point for New Convention Hotel MINNEAPOLIS, March 30, 2006 - The Greater Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association (GMCVA) today announced that 2005 represented a marked shift in the size and kind of conventions booking Minneapolis.  Convention sales efforts that filled in "gaps" in hotel occupancy and short-term tourism sales and marketing strategies contributed to an incredible 82 percent hotel occupancy rate from June through October. Â...

200 Smoke Free Hotels Join the www.freshstay.com Online Directory in 1st Month / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report . fresh ideas for hospitality The Pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality for centuries. According to legend, captains of New England would mount a pineapple on their fence posts when they had a safe return from sea.  This served as an invitation for family and friends to visit and share a meal together.  Today, the pineapple serves as a symbol for the highest quality in hospitality . . 200 Smokefree Hotels Join www.freshstay.com SAINT CHARLES, MISSOURI — MARCH 22, 2006 — Just 2 months after FreshStayTM launched the www.freshstay.com online directory of hotels offering ...

The 150-room Hotel Proposed to Accompany a Conference Center at Northern Arizona University Has Fallen Short of Local Hotelier Expectations / March

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Rachel Peterson, The Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 6, 2006 - The 150-room hotel that's proposed to accompany a conference center at Northern Arizona University has fallen short of local hotelier expectations. So short members of the Flagstaff Hospitality Association are asking the city to renege on its approval of $2 million for the project. Mark Ross, president of the association, said Drury Southwest, the lone hotel proposal to accompany Northern Arizona University's confere...

Frank I. Wolfe to Remain HFTP's Executive Vice President/CEO through March 2009 / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Frank I. Wolfe to Remain HFTP's Executive Vice President/CEO through March 2009 Austin, Texas; March 17, 2006 - Hospitality Financial and Technology Professional's (HFTP®) International President Ralph Miller, CA, CBV, CHA, CHAE, announced today that Frank I. Wolfe, CAE, has accepted an offer to remain at the helm of the association's management. Wolfe will continue as HFTP's executive vice president/CEO through March 2009, a job he has held since 1994. "Frank Wolfe is a well-known leader in the hospitality industry and has been a fundamental figure to the association’s growth and suc...

Four Seasons Reports a Net Loss of $28.2 million for the Full Year Ending Dec 31, 2005, Compared to Net Income of $25.7 in 2004; Takes $35.5 million C

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Four Seasons Reports a Net Loss of $28.2 million for the Full Year Ending Dec 31, 2005, Compared to Net Income of $25.7 in 2004 . Takes $35.5 million Charge in Switching the Senior Executives and Hotel General Managers from an Unfunded Defined Benefit Retirement Plan to a Fully Funded Defined Contribution Retirement Plan Hotel Operating Statistics TORONTO, March 9, 2006 - Four Seasons Hotels Inc. (TSX Symbol "FSH.SV"; NYSE Symbol "FS") today reported its results for the three months and full year ended December 31, 2005. Effective the first quarter of 2005, we adopted US dollars as our re...

Despite Four Hurricanes that Raked Florida in 2004 and 2005, a Record 85.8 million Tourists Blew into the State in 2005 / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Linda Kleindienst, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 28, 2006 - Despite the four hurricanes that raked Florida in 2004 and again in 2005, a record 85.8 million tourists blew into the state last year. "People are still going to want their sunshine. The natural disaster and hurricanes haven't seemed to deter that," said James Downey, associate dean for the College of Hospitality Management at Lynn University in Boca Raton. While Miami-Dade and Broward counties saw increases, Palm Beac...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Stafford Hospitality Installing Energy Eye™  Energy-Management System  . Stafford executive says system’s cost savings, coupled with its positive environmental impact and guest-satisfaction capabilities, cinched decision ROCHESTER HILLS, MICH. — MARCH 17, 2006 — Energy Eye™ is proving itself to be a viable solution in the hospitality energy-management field. Recently Stafford Hospitality, a Tifton, Ga.-based hotel-management and ownership company, selected the new Energy Eye™ Wireless Radio Frequency EMS over other systems in the hospitality market. Stafford Hospitality owns and/or ...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Select Hospitality Systems Distributes Energy Eye™ EMS in Canada  . Toronto firm to be Canadian distributor of new, rapidly-growing wireless energy-management RF product ROCHESTER HILLS, MICH. — MARCH XX, 2006 — Energy Eye™, a new Wireless Radio Frequency energy-management system that is rapidly being installed in a growing number of U.S. hotels, has now entered the Canadian hospitality market. The company finalized an agreement with Toronto-based Select Hospitality Systems whereby Select will serve as the distributor in Canada for Energy Eye™ EMS products.  “We’re excited to be ex...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Consolidated Resorts Management Looks to Energy Eye™ For First-Ever EMS Installation . President of upscale resort-management company says system’s affordability,  hassle-free installation and low operating cost made choice an easy one ROCHESTER HILLS, MICH. — MARCH 21, 2006 —Consolidated Resorts Management is the latest in a growing number of hotel companies that have seen the wisdom of installing the new Energy Eye™ Wireless Radio Frequency energy-management system. Consolidated Resorts Management, which operates eight upscale resorts totaling 555 guestrooms in Hawaii and four resor...

Hotel Energy Costs Surge; Shock Absorbed by Revenue / Robert Mandelbaum / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Hotel Energy Costs Surge;  Shock Absorbed by Revenue by Robert Mandelbaum, March 2006 Throughout 2005 we all heard the news of oil prices lingering above $50 a barrel and gasoline exceeding $3.00 a gallon.  For long-term lodging industry participants, vivid memories of the gas lines and high inflation of the 1970s resurfaced.  Understandingly, hotel owners and operators feared that a fall off in travel would cause occupancy to decline, and rising utility costs would kill profits. Looking back at 2005, it appears that the U.S. lodging industry was able to withstand the spike ...

Multi million Dollar Renovation Completed at the 400 suite Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Multi million Dollar Renovation Completed at the 400 suite Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe (South Lake Tahoe, CA) –March 27, 2006   - Embassy Suites Hotel-Lake Tahoe Resort recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation that expanded meeting space, added wireless technology throughout the property and enhanced dining service for weddings, banquets and business meetings.    South Shore’s highest rated all-suites resort, Embassy is centrally located in South Lake Tahoe just feet from Nevada’s casinos and nightlife and steps from Heavenly’s high-speed gondola, year-round outdoor recr...

January 30, 2006

EasyRMS Achieves Record Growth – Now Searching for Dynamic and Credible Director of Sales – EMEA to Continue the Success Story Company Overview Founded in July 1999, EasyRMS has become a global leader and provider of ASP / Internet Revenue and Yield Management Solutions to the Hospitality industry, with solutions that keep us at least two years ahead of the competition. With more than 20 years of combined industry knowledge, EasyRMS is dedicated to the introduction of new generation technology and procedures within the hospitality industry and aims to deliver these services to its clients. Backed by the confidence of m...

Major Pharmaceutical Companies to Sue EZ Yield.com Inc. / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Major Pharmaceutical Companies to Sue EZ Yield.com Inc. March 15, 2006 - In an unprecedented legal move, multiple Major Pharmaceutical companies have announced their intention to form a class action lawsuit against EZ Yield.com Inc.   After a massive drop in anti-depressant prescription sales, major pharmaceutical companies worldwide have been able to pinpoint EZ Yield.com as a primary source of their financial woes. The EZ Yield.com V2 Channel Management software has been the non-prescription drug of choice for overworked, high-strung revenue managers everywhere. Frank Frankfurter from Frankfurter law has gone on the ...

Dow Hotel Company and AEW Capital Management Purchase 248-Suite Chicago Marriott Suites Deerfield; Plans to Undergo Multi-million Dollar Renovation Up

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Dow Hotel Company and AEW Capital Management Purchase 248-Suite Chicago Marriott Suites Deerfield; Plans to Undergo Multi-million Dollar Renovation Upgrade SEATTLE, Wash./Deerfield, Ill. – March 9, 2006 – The Dow Hotel Company, LLC (DHC), a hotel ownership investment and management company, today announced that it has purchased for an undisclosed price the 248-suite Chicago Marriott Suites Deerfield in a joint venture with AEW Partners V, L.P., a real estate opportunity fund managed by AEW Capital Management, L.P.  DHC also will operate the hotel under a long-term management agreement.  ...

Doubletree Using Television Advertising for First Time in Nine Years; Seeks to Carve Out Brand Differentiation / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Doubletree Using Television Advertising for First Time in Nine Years; Seeks to Carve Out Brand Differentiation BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 7, 2006  -  Doubletree Hotels today announced the launch of a new, nationwide television advertising campaign designed to strengthen and showcase the brand’s identity by continuing to bring its name and logo to life.   This is the first time the upscale, full-service hotel brand has presented its own television ad in more than nine years and also the first since Doubletree joined the Hilton Family of Hotels in December 1999. “The Leaf,” the theme fo...

Two Hotels Tied as the Top Performing Hotels in the Doubletree Brand with the Highest Overall Hotel Performance Scores: Doubletree Guest Suites Naples

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Two Hotels Tied as the Top Performing Hotels in the Doubletree Brand with the Highest Overall Hotel Performance Scores:  . Doubletree Guest Suites Naples, Florida and Doubletree Hotel Bay City, Michigan  Doubletree(R) Salutes Top Hotels for Excellence in Hotel Performance During 2005  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - March 29, 2006--Doubletree (NYSE:HLT) recognized its properties for outstanding efforts in 2005 as part of the brand's Hotel Performance Awards Program during the Doubletree General Managers Conference in Roanoke, Va. Nineteen awards in various categories were present...

Landmark Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort to Close its Doors After 48 Years in Operation / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Landmark Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort to Close its Doors After 48 Years in Operation CHICAGO-- March 21, 2006 -- Dorado Beach Hotel Corporation, owner of Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Country Club, announced today that it will cease operation of Hyatt Dorado Beach Hotel and terminate its management agreement with Hyatt Hotels Corporation, effective May 31, 2006.   “This is a tremendously sad day for Hyatt and for our loyal employees who have so well served this landmark property for 48 years,” said Chuck Floyd, chief operating officer and executive vice president of Hyatt Hotels Corp. ...

Steve Giblin Appointed Chief Operating Officer and Debra Bates as Chief Investment Officer at Dolce International / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Steve Giblin Appointed Chief Operating Officer and Debra Bates as Chief Investment Officer at Dolce International Montvale, NJ (March 02, 2006)   Andy Dolce, founder and chairman of Dolce International, a leader in the conference center and hospitality management industry proudly announces the promotions of two of its top executives.  President Steve Giblin was appointed chief operating officer and Debra Bates will serve as chief investment officer in addition to her previous title as chief financial officer. Steve Giblin will continue to oversee operations of all Dolce properties wor...

A Destination Under Scrutiny – Aruba – One Happy Island / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report A Destination Under Scrutiny - Aruba - One Happy Island by John R. Hendrie, March 2006 A jewel in the Caribbean crown of memorable Destinations, Aruba delivers a wonderful Visitor Experience.  You do feel very safe and welcome; the islanders are joyous, sparkling with enthusiasm and hospitality. Yet, Visitors still must balance perception with the reality.  Her name is on our minds – a most unfortunate incident – still unsolved after nine months  – the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The case put Aruba on the International map – a lovely Caribbean island caught in the harsh spotlight...