Neighbors Forcing the Boca Raton Resort & Club to Modify Development Plans / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Luis F. Perez, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jan. 25, 2006 - BOCA RATON -- The elegant Camino Real has a resort for the rich on one side and a yacht club on the other, but the two sides are miles apart in a battle that has become familiar for owners of the city's signature hotel as it tries to modernize. Neighbors are once again forcing the Boca Raton Resort & Club to modify its development plans. This time, resort officials changed their designs to build The Golden Door Residences, a 62-unit...

Leading Hotels Adds Blue Square Studios to Leading Service Provider Network / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Scottsdale AZ – (January 5, 2006) -- The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd., the premier luxury hospitality organization representing nearly 430 of the world’s finest hotels, resorts and spas, has selected Blue Square Studios for membership in its exclusive Leading Service Provider Network.  The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. created the network to provide custom-designed business solutions for its members and for its affiliated partners. Companies in the group are endorsed by the organization and enjoy a preferred vendor relationship with its member hotels. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Blue...

Banner Year for the Gaming Industry's Bix Six (MGM Mirage, Harrah's Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, Boyd Gaming Corp. and St

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jan. 21, 2006 - The "Big Six" gaming operators ended 2005 with record-breaking profits nearly double the previous year's, thanks to surging demand for Las Vegas vacations and the two biggest mergers in industry history, analysts said this week. With gaming companies set to begin reporting fourth-quarter and yearly earnings next week, analysts are predicting that the combined net income for the six largest Nevada-based gaming companies will have surged in 2005 to ...

Shared Management Agreement Ends for the Bernardus Lodge and Quail Lodge, both Located in Carmel, California / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Marie Vasari, The Monterey County Herald, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jan. 14, 2006 - The relationship was good while it lasted. But in the end, the differences drove them apart. For the past four years, the upscale Carmel Valley resorts Bernardus Lodge and Quail Lodge have shared management and marketing resources under Valley Resort Management. That partnership will be phased out in the next few months, according to Valley Resort Management's general manager, Michael Oprish. Baylaurel, LLC announced F...

Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $58.5 million of Long Term Financing for the Benson Hotel and Paramount Seattle Hotel / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $58.5 million of Long Term Financing for the Benson Hotel and Paramount Seattle Hotel Los Angeles, CA  – January 19, 2006 - Sonnenblick-Eichner Company announced today that they have arranged $35.5 million in first mortgage financing for The Benson Hotel in Portland, Oregon as well as $23 million in first mortgage financing for the Paramount Hotel in Seattle, Washington.  The 10-year fixed rate loans were priced in the low 100 bps. range over the 10-year treasury, with a 30-year amortization.   The Benson Hotel is a 287-room, AAA 4-Diamond rated, ful...

Benchmark Hospitality Chefs Showcase Talents at Renowned James Beard House in New York / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Benchmark Hospitality Chefs Showcase Talents at Renowned James Beard House in New York  New York, January 2006 - Executive Chefs from three Benchmark Hospitality International properties cooked a sumptuous holiday dinner at the renowned James Beard House in New York on Thursday, December 29, 2005.  The chefs included Scott Lahey, executive chef at North Maple Inn of Basking Ridge, New Jersey; Anthony Loos, executive chef and director of food & beverage at The Founders Inn of Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Konrad Meier, executive chef at Lansdowne Resort of Leesburg, Virginia, n...

Barceló Hotels & Resorts Adds 21 New Hotels in 2005 / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Barceló Hotels & Resorts Adds 21 New Hotels in 2005 Palma de Majorca - January 4, 2006.  During the course of 2005, Barceló Hotels & Resorts has added a total of 21 new hotels, which, along with existing holdings, increases the company’s portfolio as of December 31, 2005 to 115 hotels and 29,278 rooms, distributed throughout 13 countries. The chain will end the fiscal year with a total of 115 hotels and more than 29,000 rooms in 13 countries. The company has increased its 4 and 5 star hotels from 68% of holdings in 2000 to 86% in 2005. These additions are in line w...

Boykin Lodging Company Acquires the Banana Bay Resort & Marina – Marathon, Florida for $12.0 million/ January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Boykin Lodging Company Acquires the Banana Bay Resort & Marina - Marathon, Florida for $12.0 million CLEVELAND, Jan. 13, 2006 - Boykin Lodging Company (NYSE: BOY), a hotel real estate investment trust (REIT), today announced that it has acquired the Banana Bay Resort & Marina - Marathon for $12.0 million, through a joint venture. The beachfront resort is located directly on the Gulf of Mexico in Marathon, Florida, and comprises 65 guestrooms on ten acres. Other amenities of the property include a heated freshwater pool, an outdoor whirlpool, garden tennis courts, conference rooms ...

City of Baltimore Selling $301.7 million in Revenue Bonds to Finance the Publicly Owned 756-room Hilton; City Expects an Interest Rate Below 5% / Ja

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive The Baltimore Sun Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jan. 20, 2006 - Baltimore's planned $305 million convention headquarters hotel will carry risks such as operating in an intensely competitive convention and lodging business and depending upon increased attendance at the city's flagging convention center, rating agency Standard & Poor's said yesterday. But even in a down market, the rating service said, the city should be able to repay the $301.7 million revenue bonds the city expects to sell next week to finance the publicl...

Jury Trial Ends Suddenly; Bacara Resort & Spa Owners Reach Settlement Over Alleged Building Defects / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Frank Nelson, Santa Barbara News-Press, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jan. 10, 2006 - A long-running dispute over alleged building defects at the upscale Bacara Resort & Spa has been settled, cutting short a Santa Barbara Superior Court jury trial that was scheduled to run for several more weeks. Jurors who began hearing the case on Dec. 12 were told last week that a settlement had been agreed to between the resort owners, ADCO, and the TIG Insurance Company. No details of the settlement have been made public by the cou...

Ben Seidel Named Vice President, Development for Waterford Hotel Group, Inc. / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Ben Seidel Named Vice President, Development for Waterford Hotel Group, Inc. WATERFORD, CT (January 19, 2006) --- Waterford Hotel Group, Inc. today announced the recent appointment of Ben Seidel as Vice President, Development for both Waterford Hotel Group, Inc. and its affiliate, Waterford Venue Services.    Waterford Hotel Group currently operates 29 properties nationally; Waterford Venue Services professionally manages the newly-opened, 550,000 square foot Connecticut Convention Center.   As Vice President, Development, Seidel will have the primary responsibility for securing third-p...

PKF Capital Markets Group Opens West Coast Office in Orange County, Calif.; Hotel Real Estate Veteran Bob Perlman Named Director / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report PKF Capital Markets Group Opens West Coast Office in Orange County, Calif.;  Hotel Real Estate Veteran Bob Perlman Named Director ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., January 12, 2006—Officials of PKF Capital Markets Group, a leading, national real estate brokerage firm specializing in the hospitality industry, today announced that it has opened an office in Orange County, Calif. to capitalize on the West Coast region’s growing market for hotel real estate.  Located in Huntington Beach, Calif., the office will focus primarily on six western states, but will be national in scope and work closely with the ...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report The Opening of the Doubletree Guest Suites in Anaheim Caps a 40-year Career for Hotelier Bill O’Connell By Sandi Cain Orange County Business Journal Staff January 2006 The opening of the Doubletree Guest Suites hotel in Anaheim next month is set to cap a 40-year career for hotelier Bill O’Connell. The Doubletree also is the first full-service hotel to open in Orange County in more than a year. O’Connell and two partners of Orangewood LLC earned a developer of the year award from Hilton Hotels Corp. in 2004 for their efforts with the 251-room Doubletree. It’s his first ventur...

Marriott International, Inc. Appoints Robert J. McCarthy as President, North American Lodging Operations / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Marriott International, Inc. Appoints Robert J. McCarthy as President, North American Lodging Operations WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jan.17, 2005 – Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) today announced the appointment of Robert J. McCarthy as President, North American Lodging Operations for the company’s nearly 2,300-property North American hotel division, which reported sales of more than $6 billion in 2004.  In his expanded role, McCarthy will become a member of the company’s Corporate Growth Committee and will chair a newly-created North American Lodging Leadership Council.  He is also res...

The Holiday Inn on The Hill Appoints Bobby Brandt New Executive Chef; Award-Winning Brandt Will Help Enhance the Hotel's Restyled, Redesigned, Re

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report The Holiday Inn on The Hill Appoints Bobby Brandt New Executive Chef . Award-Winning Brandt Will Help Enhance the Hotel's "Restyled, Redesigned, Remembered" Experience WASHINGTON, DC  (January 5, 2006)  The recently renovated Holiday Inn on the Hill, Washington DC's premier hotel for the Capitol Hill area, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bobby Brandt as executive chef.  Mr. Brandt’s appointment is made following an extensive $10 million upgrade and renovation to the hotel’s 343 guest rooms and public spaces.  Mr. Brandt joins The Holiday Inn on the Hill from the renowned Gab...

Aspire Opens its Exclusive Beyond Revenue Boot Camp Program to All Hospitality Professionals / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Aspire Opens its Exclusive Beyond Revenue Boot Camp Program to All Hospitality Professionals Phoenix, Arizona – January 18, 2006 -  Aspire, creator of  the hospitality industry’s most innovative and technically astute learning programs and solutions, is offering an open seminar for hospitality professionals who need to jump into the revenue management revolution with both feet.  Beyond Revenue Boot Camp – New Game, New Rules has previously been introduced to hospitality clients around the country on an exclusive basis and, as a result, Aspire’s clients have witnessed astounding results.  The Phoenix forum is a rare o...

Asia Hotel Investments Ltd., Lawsuit Against Starwood Hotels & Resorts Enters the Final Damages Phase / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Asia Hotel Investments Ltd., Lawsuit Against Starwood Hotels & Resorts Enters the Final Damages Phase Singapore, January 9, 2006 - Asia Hotel Investments Ltd., a resort developer and hotel investor in Southeast Asia, is on the verge of dealing a heavy blow to Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. as it enters the final damages phase of a $35 million lawsuit for breach of an agreement that it won in the Court of Appeal, the highest Court in the land.     In 2001, Asia Hotel Investments sought to purchase the majority ownership stake of the Grand Pacific Hotel in Bangkok from its then ow...

Asian Hotel Brands, Such as Banyan Tree, Shangri-La, Marco Polo and Dusit Thani, Likely to Grow at a Stronger Pace in the International Market as In

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Somporn Thapanachai, Bangkok Post, Thailand Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jan. 27, 2006 - Asian hotel brands are likely to grow at a stronger pace in the international market as investors shy away from American chains over fears about terrorism, according to the director of a Thai hotel chain. Pornsarin Meathivacharanondh, director of property development and investment at the Dusit Group, said Asian brands such as Banyan Tree, Shangri-La, Marco Polo and Dusit Thani had performed well over the past five to 10 years. ...

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging Announces Strategic Alliance with Chief Learning Officer Magazine / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report ARAMARK Harrison Lodging Announces Strategic Alliance with Chief Learning Officer Magazine - Leading conference center operator aligns with top publication for Fortune 500 learning officers   PHILADELPHIA (January 10, 2006) – ARAMARK Harrison Lodging, a leader in the conference and corporate training centers industry, today announced it has signed an unprecedented strategic alliance with Chief Learning Officer (CLO), the industry’s preeminent publication for Fortune 500 corporate learning officers.  “Our partnership with CLO is an innovative step to get in front of large volume meetin...

Customer Stories Drive Sales and Reduce Marketing Costs / Julie Keyser-Squires / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Customer Stories Drive Sales and Reduce Marketing Costs By Julie Keyser-Squires, APR Vice President, Softscribe Inc. January 2006  . Whether your company’s business objective is to drive sales, solidify brand awareness, attract buyers, position for a possible IPO or a combination of the above, customer stories power the kind of public relations momentum needed to support these goals.  For best results we like to generate an average of one customer story a month for our clients, and then reuse the material to leverage their PR investment through multiple placements of the same conte...

Italy-Based Hotel Marketing Solutions Selects AnyRate Software as Its New Provider of Competitive Rate Intelligence / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Italy-Based Hotel Marketing Solutions Selects AnyRate Software as Its New Provider of Competitive Rate Intelligence . HMS to Exclusively Promote AnyRate Products in Italy  Rome, Italy & Germantown, Tennessee - January 31, 2006 – AnyRate Software, Inc. and Hotel Marketing Solutions, s.r.l., today announced the formalization of an alliance that will allow HMS to exclusively market the AnyRate competitive rate shopping products throughout Italy.  HMS becomes the first European company certified to sell AnyRate products and services. The agreement will allow AnyRate’s leading-edge competi...

Accor Appoints Five to GM Posts / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Accor Appoints Five to GM Posts BANGKOK, 5 JANUARY 2006 — Accor Asia Pacific is pleased to announce the following appointments in its Asia hotel network.   Blandine Cressard is the General Manager for both Hotel Ibis Siam Bangkok and Hotel Ibis Huamark Bangkok. Accor’s first two Ibis hotels in Thailand are scheduled to open January 2006. Blandine joined Accor in 1989 working with Novotel Paris and she later moved on to positions in West Africa and the United Kingdom. She relocated to Thailand in 2002 and was most recently Revenue Analyst, Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square.   ...

Gilles Pelisson, Chief Executive Officer of Accor, Names 11 Managers to Executive Committee / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Gilles Pelisson, Chief Executive Officer of Accor,  Names 11 Managers to Executive Committee PARIS, January 11, 2006 - In line with the new corporate governance structure put in place at the Shareholders' Meeting on January 9, 2006, Gilles Pelisson appointed as Chief Executive Officer by the Board of Directors, has presented to Accor managers his Executive Committee.      The new team combines operating executives and corporate support executives. Philippe Adam, who just joined Accor, is appointed Executive Vice President, Strategy and Hotel Development, Firmin Anto...

Barceló Hotels & Resorts Appoints Anthony G. Stone as Director of Sales, North America / January 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Barceló Hotels & Resorts Appoints Anthony G. Stone as Director of Sales, North America   Miami, January 4, 2006 – Barceló Hotels & Resorts today announced the appointment of Anthony G. Stone as Director of Sales.  He joins Fiona Taylor, Linda Finley and Rick McCauley as Barceló continues to enhance its North American sales and marketing team.  In this position, Mr. Stone will be an integral part of the Barceló sales and marketing team that serves the travel industry trade representing Barceló Hotels & Resorts that are located throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.  Mr. Stone ...