Northern California Visitor Industry Outlook Conference Set for Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006 in San Francisco / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report     Northern California Visitor Industry Outlook Conference Set for Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006 in San Francisco February 6, 2006 - The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) Education & Research Foundation, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, PKF Consulting and the San Francisco Business Times are uniting to create the Northern California Visitor Industry Outlook Conference, to be held on Thursday, Feb. 23, at The Argent Hotel, 50 Third St. in San Francisco. "We are committed to presenting a high-level, informative conference the likes of which has never been produce...

HFTP Seeking New Technologies for its GUESTROOM 2010 Model Guestroom / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  HFTP Seeking New Technologies for its GUESTROOM 2010 Model Guestroom AUSTIN, TX; February 10, 2006 -Today, Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP) announced that it is now accepting applications for new and future technologies (including prototypes) for its GUESTROOM 2010 model guestroom. GUESTROOM 2010 will be part of a 90 x 40 foot pavilion featuring some of the latest and near-future technologies for the modern hotel room.  Included alongside GUESTROOM 2010 in the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) exhibit hall will be displays of concepts t...

Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges $25 million Financing of Downtown San Diego Radisson Hotel / March 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  .Special Report Neptune Hospitality Advisors Arranges $25 million Financing of Downtown San Diego Radisson Hotel SAN DIEGO, California - - March 6, 2006 - - Neptune Hospitality Advisors announced today that it has arranged the senior financing for the 333-room Radisson Hotel Harbor View in downtown San Diego, California.  Built in 1990, the 23-story full-service hotel is located in downtown San Diego in the Marina/Little Italy district.  The hotel is managed by American Property Management Corporation.  APMC plans a comprehensive renovation of the hotel.  Neptune arranged the $25.0 million five-year fixed...

Hotelier Rebuts Article Concerning Third-party Online Aggregators / Neil Salerno / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotelier Rebuts Article Concerning Third-party Online Aggregators You Can’t believe Everything You Read;  Watch-out for Hidden Motives By: Neil Salerno – February 2006 Thanks to electronic online newsletters and other media, we have access to news and articles from all over the world. This is how we stay current with travel industry trends and learn new ideas. Whether or not we agree with everything that is said, these online publications have become a necessity to those who want to stay informed.  Prejudiced articles are usually taken with a grain of salt, when we realize that ...

Neil Morris Promoted to Vice President, Franchise Services & Operations For US Franchise Systems / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report   Neil Morris Promoted to Vice President, Franchise Services & Operations For US Franchise Systems ATLANTA (Feb. 13, 2006) - Atlanta-based US Franchise Systems, Inc. (USFS) has promoted Neil Morris, CHA, to Vice President, Franchise Services and Operations for its Microtel Inns & Suites hotel brand.  Morris was formerly Director of Franchise Services and Operations for USFS.  In his new role, Morris continues to oversee the Franchise Services and Field Operation departments, which travel nationwide to provide hundreds of hotels with on-site assistance.  He is also responsible for project m...

Morgans Hotel Group Provides Update on Growth Plans with its Brands Delano and Mondrian / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Morgans Hotel Group Provides Update on Growth Plans with its Brands Delano and Mondrian Pending Acquisitions and Developments Expected to Nearly Double Company's Hotel Room Count  NEW YORK - Feb. 17, 2006 -- Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC), a fully integrated hospitality company that operates boutique hotels in gateway cities under well-known brands such as Delano and Mondrian, announced that it is moving forward on several growth initiatives that will increase its number of properties by one-third and is expected to nearly double the number of hotel rooms under management. The i...

Mohonk Mountain House Appoints Barbara Stirewalt Spa Director of the New, $13 million, 30,000-square-foot Spa / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Mohonk Mountain House Appoints Barbara Stirewalt Spa Director of the New, $13 million, 30,000-square-foot Spa NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -Barbara Stirewalt has been named Spa Director of the new, $13 million, 30,000-square-foot Spa at Mohonk Mountain House. Her devotion to indigenous spa programs and earth-friendly spa principles provides a perfect complement to the 137- year-old property, with its rich history of ecology. Located in the Shawangunk Mountains overlooking the Hudson Valley and set on 2,200 spectacular acres, Mohonk Mountain House is only 90 miles north of New York City.  With more than ...

Nine Miami-Dade Hotels Scratched from the 2007 Super Bowl Block; 2,175 NFL Contracted Rooms Move North to Broward and Palm Beach County Hotels / Feb

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Tom Stieghorst, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 5, 2006 - When the Super Bowl comes to South Florida in 2007, its bounty is likely to better benefit Broward and Palm Beach counties than in the past. A boom in hotel redevelopment in Miami-Dade County has shuttered some of its big hotels, prompting the game's organizers to shift business farther north. As a result, an extra 10 percent of the 17,000 hotel rooms reserved for the NFL's use during Super Bowl XLI will move to Broward or ...

Affiliate of The Blackstone Group Acquiring 9 Hotels and Golf Club from MeriStar for Approximately $367 / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Affiliate of The Blackstone Group Acquiring 9 Hotels and Golf Club from MeriStar for Approximately $367 BETHESDA, Md., February 1, 2006 — MeriStar Hospitality Corporation (NYSE: MHX), one of the nation’s largest hotel real estate investment trusts (REIT), today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell a portfolio of nine hotels (1,948 rooms) and a golf and tennis club, all located in Florida, to an affiliate of The Blackstone Group for approximately $367 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments and satisfaction of customary closing conditions.  The com...

MeriStar Hospitality Agrees to be Acquired by The Blackstone Group in Transaction Valued at Approximately $2.6 billion / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report MeriStar Hospitality Agrees to be Acquired by The Blackstone Group in Transaction Valued at Approximately $2.6 billion BETHESDA, Md., February 21, 2006 — MeriStar Hospitality Corporation (NYSE: MHX), one of the nation’s largest hotel real estate investment trusts (REIT), today announced that it has signed a merger agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of The Blackstone Group in a transaction valued at approximately $2.6 billion.  In the mergers contemplated by the merger agreement, each share of MeriStar common stock and each unit of limited partnership interest in MeriStar ...

Market Metrix Announces Fourth Quarter 2005 Hospitality Index Results; Kimpton Hotels Ranked Number One in Hotel Customer Satisfaction / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Market Metrix Announces Fourth Quarter 2005 Hospitality Index Results ... Kimpton Hotels Ranked Number One in Hotel Customer Satisfaction Ritz Carlton recognized for Best Hotel Restaurants;  Four Seasons wins Best Room Service;  and W Hotels voted Favorite Hotel Bar SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – February 8, 2006 -- Market Metrix, LLC, the leading provider of market research services for the hospitality industry, today announced results of the Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) for the fourth quarter of 2005. Kimpton Hotels, Independence Air and Enterprise Rent-a-Car ranked number one in h...

Manugistics Scientist Co-Sponsors Research Paper: Improving Revenue Management in the 21st Century; Manugistics teams with Georgia Institute of Techno

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Manugistics Scientist Co-Sponsors Research Paper:  Improving Revenue Management in the 21st Century . Manugistics teams with Georgia Institute of Technology Professor to Create Price-Boosting Revenue Strategy Tools ROCKVILLE, Md. –February 21, 2006 – Manugistics Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MANU), a leading global provider of supply chain and revenue management solutions, today announced that Manugistics Chief Scientist and Director of Operations Research Dr. Jon Higbie Ph.D., has co-authored a groundbreaking paper on Revenue Management practices for the hospitality industry in the 21st Centur...

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Mandarin Oriental Selected to Manage an Exclusive Resort on China’s Hainan Island;  The 292-room Resort Being Developed by Hainan New Superior Industry Company Limited HONG KONG, February 7, 2006 —Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group today announced that it will manage an exclusive resort currently under development on China’s second largest island and most southern province, Hainan Island. The 292-room resort will open in the second half of 2006.  Mandarin Oriental, Sanya will appeal to sophisticated travelers in search of serenity and tranquility in the beautiful surroundings of this self proc...

Nonunion Housekeepers at San Diego's Largest Hotel, the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, Performing One Hour Public Protests Claiming More Wor

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Michael Kinsman, San Antonio Express-News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 11, 2006 - Housekeepers at San Diego's largest hotel have begun public protests over what they say is a dramatic surge in their workload. An estimated 80 percent of the 135-member housekeeping staff of the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego have been participating in one-hour afternoon protests for the past 10 days outside the downtown waterfront hotel. The nonunion housekeepers say the Hyatt instituted new requirements in January that ...

Nantucket Island Resorts Installs Maestro Multi-Property Management System; 5-Property Chain with 240-Slip Marina Centralized Operations on Maestro

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  .Special Report Nantucket Island Resorts Installs Maestro Multi-Property Management System . 5-Property Chain with 240-Slip Marina Centralized Operations on Maestro Single-Image Database Software to Ensure Accurate Chain-wide Availability for Cross Selling  Markham, ON – February 14, 2006 – NORTHWIND, a provider of enterprise property management and reservation solutions for hospitality, announced Nantucket Island Resorts, with five properties and a 240-slip year-around marina, has installed Maestro Enterprise Multi-Property Front Office, ...

Melissa St. John Appointed General Manager at Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in Elizabeth, N.J. / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Melissa St. John Appointed General Manager at Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in Elizabeth, N.J. ELIZABETH, N.J. (February 16, 2006) ----- Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, the mid-tier lodging brand of Minneapolis-based Carlson Hotels Worldwide, today announced the appointment of Melissa St. John as the new general manager at its corporate-owned hotel in Elizabeth, N.J., where she is responsible for managing the overall operations of the hotel. St. John has an extensive background in the hospitality industry, most recently serving as general manager at the Wellesley Inns & Suites in Fairfie...

Peppertree Inns & Suites Reap the Benefits of MSI Two-way Interface; Best Western member properties maximize room revenue via two-way CRS rate-tiering

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Peppertree Inns & Suites Reap the Benefits of MSI Two-way Interface . Best Western member properties maximize room revenue via two-way CRS rate-tiering feature  PHOENIX — FEBRUARY 27, 2006 — The Peppertree Inns of Washington, a group of three-diamond Best Western-affiliated hotels with locations in Auburn, Yakima, Liberty Lake and Spokane, Washington, are part of the growing number of lodging properties to team up with Multi-Systems Inc. to benefit from a two-way Central Reservation System interface.  Phoenix-based Multi-Systems Inc. (MSI), a leading supplier of property-management and ...

MSI Announces Management Promotions – Sales and service capabilities further enhanced as MSI anticipates a year of unprecedented success / Febru

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report MSI Announces Management Promotions - Sales and service capabilities further enhanced as MSI anticipates a year of unprecedented success PHOENIX — FEBRUARY 23, 2006 — Multi-Systems Inc (MSI), a leading supplier of hotel technology and property management systems, announced management promotions in the leadership of the company’s operations team, which will prepare MSI for continued rapid growth and further enhance its industry-leading customer service capabilities.  The promotions were announced by Tim Tiller, MSI’s Chief Operating Officer, and include:  Judy McKinney  - promoted to ...

Mitchell Presnick, Super 8 Hotels China Chief Executive, Named Top Leader in Chinese Hospitality Industry / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Mitchell Presnick, Super 8 Hotels China Chief Executive,  Named Top Leader in Chinese Hospitality Industry BEIJING, Feb. 22, 2006 - The Super 8 Hotels China chief executive officer, Mitchell Presnick, was honored this month as one of 2005's "10 Most Influential People in the Chinese Hospitality Industry" at a ceremony in the prestigious Diao Yu Tai State Guest House in Beijing. It is the second national Chinese tourism industry award that Presnick has received this year. The event was sponsored by Hotel Modernization Magazine, considered one of the most influential magazines in China's hospita...

Benchmark Hospitality Launches Chairman's Award of Excellence; Inaugural Award presented to Mario Herrera, North Maple Inn, Basking Ridge, NJ / F

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  Benchmark Hospitality Launches "Chairman's Award of Excellence";  Inaugural Award presented to Mario Herrera,  North Maple Inn, Basking Ridge, NJ The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, February 14, 2006 - Benchmark Hospitality International has launched a new company-wide initiative to recognize extraordinary employee contributions to their communities and the organization -- the "Chairman's Award of Excellence."  Burt Cabanas, chairman & chief executive officer, made the announcement.  In doing so he presented the first recipient of the Chairman's Award - Mr. Mario Herrera - who is being recog...

MeriStar, Which Owns 58 Hotels, Reports Net Loss of $241.6 million in Fiscal 2005; Forecasts Net Income of $7 million to $11 million for 2006 / Februa

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report MeriStar, Which Owns 58 Hotels, Reports Net Loss of $241.6 million in Fiscal 2005;  Forecasts Net Income of $7 million to $11 million for 2006 BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 7, 2006 - MeriStar Hospitality Corporation (NYSE: MHX), one of the nation's largest hotel real estate investment trusts (REIT), today announced financial results for the full year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2005. Highlights of the company's strong performance include(1):                                        Q4 2005    Q4 2004    FY 2005    FY 2004             ...

MGM Mirage Ups Cost of Project CityCenter to $7 billion from $5 billion; Enhances the Strip Project's Hotel Operations, Adds Monorail Component

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 10, 2006--MGM Mirage raised the price tag on its Project CityCenter by $2 billion Thursday as part of its plans to upgrade and expand what was already the largest privately financed development project in the U.S. hospitality industry's history. The Strip development is now projected to cost $7 billion, largely because of plans to enhance the project's hotel operations, add a new monorail component, expand its residential component and upgrade const...

Despite Closure of Beau Rivage, MGM MIRAGE 2005 4th Qtr Net Income Grows to $97.8 million Compared with $74.9 million a Year Ago / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report Despite Closure of Beau Rivage, MGM MIRAGE 2005 4th Qtr Net Income Grows to $97.8 million Compared with $74.9 million a Year Ago LAS VEGAS, Feb. 23, 2006 - MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) today reported record fourth quarter and full year 2005 financial results, highlighted by impressive revenue growth in all operating areas. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share ("Adjusted EPS") was $0.35 in 2005, representing the Company's best fourth quarter performance ever, and an increase of 25% over the $0.28 earned in the 2004 quarter(1,2). The Company continues to benefit from the addi...

ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, Inc. Strengthens Global Security Positioning With Marc Freundlich Leading the Way / February 2006

January 30, 2006

Hotel Online  Special Report  ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, Inc. Strengthens Global Security Positioning With Marc Freundlich Leading the Way Global security expert named president of VingCard Elsafe® and TimeLox® for U.S. and Canada; Brings RFID expertise to security brands . Dallas — February 28, 2006 —Successfully completing an 18-month consulting agreement to help reorganize operations and strengthen its security positioning, Tod Fitzpatrick has stepped down as President of ASSA ABLOY Hospitality North America. Effective immediately, global security expert Marc Freundlich will assume the post, spearheading o...