Analysis-Companies Boost Social and Climate Reporting Amid ESG Backlash
November 4th, 2024
Timothy Kirwan Moving from Managing Director of Hotel Commonwealth to the InterContinental -Boston as its General Manager / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Timothy Kirwan Moving from Managing Director of Hotel Commonwealth to the InterContinental -Boston as its General Manager (Boston, MA) October 27, 2005 - Timothy P. Kirwan, a leading hotelier in New England for over 30 years has announced he is leaving his current position as Managing Director of Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square to join InterContinental -Boston as its General Manager, effective December, 2005. InterContinental Boston is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2006 with pre-opening offices at 470 Atlantic Ave in Boston, MA 02116. Under Kirwans direction, Hotel ...
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Belmonte Taps 20-Year Industry Vet to Head Firms Negotiating Services . As Hospitality Solutions new Senior V.P., former WorldHotels, Cendant executive will focus on negotiating agreements, resolving disputes RANDOLPH, N.J. OCT. 11, 2005 Steven J. Belmonte, President and C.E.O. of Hospitality Solutions LLC, has named 20-year hospitality industry veteran Thomas Giuliano as Senior Vice President of the full-service consulting firm. Giuliano comes to Hospitality Solutions after having served as Director of Business Development for WorldHotels for the past four years. There, he was...
Benchmark Appoints Tom Cross as Director of Food & Beverage at Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Benchmark Appoints Tom Cross as Director of Food & Beverage at Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu The Woodlands (Houston) Texas, October 2005 - Benchmark Hospitality International has announced the appointment of Tom Cross as director of food & beverage for Turtle Bay Resort, the signature property located on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Abid Butt, vice president and managing director for the resort, made the announcement saying, "I am pleased to welcome Tom as director of food & beverage for Benchmark at Turtle Bay Resort. He comes to us with over a decade of leadership experience at Hawaiia...
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report SynXis Partners with Disneyland . Disneyland Resort will use the RedX Distribution Management System for GDS and IDS Connectivity SOUTHLAKE, TX OCTOBER 24, 2005. SynXis announced today that they have been chosen by Disneyland Resort Hotels® as its new distribution partner for the three resort hotels in Anaheim, CA. They will begin using SynXis at the end of 2005. The Control Center (a feature of the SynXis RedX Distribution Management System) gives Disneyland Resort powerful distribution controls it needs to effectively manage sales of their product through multiple distribu...
John Svensson Named Director of Catering and Convention Services at Cornell's Statler Hotel / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report John Svensson Named Director of Catering and Convention Services at Cornell's Statler Hotel Ithaca, NY, October 20, 2005 - John Svensson has been appointed Director of Catering and Convention Services at Cornell University's Statler Hotel & J. Willard Marriott Executive Education Center. In this new position Svensson will take charge of the catering and convention markets for the 150-room property, which operates three restaurants including the award-winning Ristorante Banfi. Svensson joins the hotel with a proven record leading catering operations for Hyatt Hotels, Artistic Events, and S...
Developers Seeking Zoning Variance to Build $65 million Hotel-Condo in Stockbridge, Georgia / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive By Eric Stirgus, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 17, 2005 - In Henry County, where sprawl is a way of life, some people are thinking tall. A group of developers wants to build a luxury hotel, condominium and conference center complex that would rise 25 stories, making it by far the tallest building on Atlanta's Southside. Though small compared with the Bank of America building --- at 55 stories the tallest structure in metro Atlanta --- the hotel-condo complex would tower over the rest of Stockb...
The Generation Companies Rebranding the Hawthorn Suites in Memphis, Tennessee to a Staybridge Suites / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report The Generation Companies Rebranding the Hawthorn Suites in Memphis, Tennessee to a Staybridge Suites (RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.) The Generation Companies LLC (Generation), a Research Triangle Park-based real estate developer, asset manager and operator of extended stay hotels recently acquired the Hawthorn Suites of Ridgeway Center Parkway in Memphis, Tennessee, and repositioned the hotel as a Staybridge Suites. The property will undergo a $1.5 million renovation with plans for completion by spring 2006. Acquiring this well-located hotel and reposit...
StayOnline and Great Wolf Resorts – It's a Family Affair; Family Resorts Follow the Trend of Staying in Touch, Even on Vacation / October 2
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report StayOnline and Great Wolf Resorts - It's a Family Affair - Family Resorts Follow the Trend of Staying in Touch, Even on Vacation ATLANTA October 21, 2005 StayOnline, the leading provider of wireless high-speed Internet access (HSIA) network solutions to the hospitality industry in North America, has recently inked a deal with Great Wolf Resorts. Sprinkled liberally throughout the Northeast and Mid-West, with current locations in Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and plans to expand to Ontario, Texas and Washington, Great Wolf Resorts is the nations largest ...
UniFocus Enhances its System for Measuring and Improving Hospitality Employee Satisfaction; Staff Attitude is the Most Important Factor in Guest Satis
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online .Special Report UniFocus Enhances its System for Measuring and Improving Hospitality Employee Satisfaction - Staff Attitude is the Most Important Factor in Guest Satisfaction DALLAS Oct. 21, 2005 UniFocus, L.P., announced today it has launched course-setting enhancements to its employee attitude measurement system, STAFFScope, one of the companys many hospitality Loyalty Management services. STAFFScope transforms employee attitude measurement programs into a comprehensive, ongoing process that moves organizations to real improvement. The system delivers to management teams a comprehensive u...
St. Regis Hotel & Residences, San Francisco, a New 40-story Landmark and 260-room Luxury Hotel Set to Open / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report St. Regis Hotel & Residences, San Francisco, a New 40-story Landmark and 260-room Luxury Hotel Set to Open SAN FRANCISCO (October 28, 2005) -- On November 1, 2005, San Franciscans will discover a new dimension of bespoke luxury and timeless elegance with the opening of the highly anticipated St. Regis Hotel & Residences, San Francisco, a 40-story landmark comprising a 260-room luxury hotel and 102 private residences. From legendary butler service, "anticipatory" guest care and impeccable staff training to the signature Remède spa, luxurious amenities and interior design by...
Developer Louis Wane Appoints Starwood's St. Regis Brand to Manage Luxury Bora Bora Resort with 101 Overwater and Beach Villas / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Developer Louis Wane Appoints Starwood's St. Regis Brand to Manage Luxury Bora Bora Resort with 101 Overwater and Beach Villas Opens in April 2006 WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Oct. 17, 2005 -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced today the first St. Regis Resort in French Polynesia. Currently under construction and scheduled to open in April 2006, St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora is owned by prominent real estate developer Louis Wane who also owns three other hotels managed by Starwood in the region. St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora will feature 101 luxury overwater and beach vi...
Accor Adding a Third Hotel to Sydney's Olympic Park, AUD$50 million 210 room Sofitel Planned Near the Novotel and Ibis Hotel Complex / October 20
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Accor Adding a Third Hotel to Sydney's Olympic Park, AUD$50 million 210 room Sofitel Planned Near the Novotel and Ibis Hotel Complex Sydneys supposed White Elephant Olympic Park a roaring success 11 October 2005: Five years after the staging of the most successful Olympic Games, Sydney Olympic Park is to take gold once again with the announcement today of Sydneys first new 5-star hotel this century, the Sofitel Sydney Olympic Park. Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) and Accor finalised an agreement for the construction of the Sofitel opposite Accors existing Novotel ...
Arora International Hotels Selects Sofitel Brand for Hotels at Gatwick and Heathrow Airports / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Arora International Hotels Selects Sofitel Brand for Hotels at Gatwick and Heathrow Airports 19 October 2005 - Sofitel, the prestige brand of Accor Hotels with nearly 200 properties worldwide, today continues its UK expansion with the rebranding of Le Meridien Gatwick into Sofitel London Gatwick, together with the planned opening in 2008 of a brand new 600-bedroom hotel at Heathrow Airports Terminal 5, Sofitel London Heathrow. Both properties are in a franchise partnership with Arora International Hotels. Directly connected to Gatwicks North Terminal and close to the airports London E...
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Get Smarter with E-mail and Direct Mail and Youll be Rewarded October 10, 2005 - How fortunate we are to be witness to another great technology shakeout. I am, of course, talking about e-mail and direct mail as marketing tools. As a long-time marketer from the hospitality industry, I share everyones enthusiasm over the promise that e-mail brings. But at the same time, Im starting to get the feeling that something is not right in the world of marketing and that we need to start making a change right now. It all started when I began reading more and more about declining click through ra...
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online .Special Report Shift4 Releases New Technology to Insure the Security of Its Merchants and Partners Payment Processing . Tokenization Moves the Liability for Securing Credit Card Data away from Merchants and POS Application Developers Las Vegas, NV, October 5, 2005 To abide by the Card Associations current requirement of not storing credit card data, Shift4 has developed a new Tokenization technology which enables merchants and payment application vendors to enjoy the highest level of payment processing security possible without requiring a lot of time, money or resources. During the rec...
Sheraton Safari Hotel and Suites Lake Buena Vista Completes $2 million Renovation, Named MeriStar's Hotel of the Year / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Sheraton Safari Hotel and Suites Lake Buena Vista Completes $2 million Renovation, Named MeriStar's Hotel of the Year Orlando, Fla. (Oct. 7, 2005) Located less than a quarter of a mile from Disney World, Central Floridas 489-room Sheraton Safari Hotel and Suites Lake Buena Vista, formerly the Sheraton Safari Hotel, welcomes guests with a unique African safari theme, outstanding amenities and first class service. This has earned the property the MeriStar Hospitality Corporation Hotel of the Year Award. MeriStar Hospitality owns the Sheraton Safari, along with more than...
Flagstone Property Group Selects Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to Operate 147 room Hotel Within the Mixed-use Island Gardens Project in Miami / Octobe
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Flagstone Property Group Selects Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to Operate 147 room Hotel Within the Mixed-use Island Gardens Project in Miami Miami, October 5, 2005 - Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group, will operate the 147-room Shangri-La Hotel, Miami, to be developed by Flagstone Property Group. The Miami property is Shangri-La's second hotel under development in the United States following the announcement yesterday of the Shangri-La Hotel, Chicago. The Miami property will open in 2008 and the Chicago property in 2009. Situated on ...
Shangri-La Hotels Selected as Operator for 200-room Condominium Hotel Within the 90-story Waterview Tower Development in Chicago / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Shangri-La Hotels Selected as Operator for 200-room Condominium Hotel Within the 90-story Waterview Tower Development in Chicago Chicago, October 4, 2005 - Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group, announced today its first hotel in the United States, the Shangri-La Hotel, Chicago. The group signed a management contract with Waterview LLC, the project's developer, to operate the luxury hotel, which will open in early 2009 in the new Waterview Tower located along the Chicago River at the corner of West Wacker Drive and Clark Street. The 200-room hotel ...
Seminole Tribe Sells $730 million in Taxable Bonds to Redeem $560 million in Tax Exempt Bonds that IRS Claims Were Improper for Florida's Hard
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive By Christina Hoag, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 14, 2005 The Seminole Tribe will pay $560 million to redeem the tax-exempt municipal bonds the IRS says may have improperly financed the tribe's Hard Rock gambling resorts. The tribe said Thursday it plans to use most of the proceeds of a $730 million bond sale it concluded on Thursday to buy back the municipal bonds. The rest will be used to refinance debt and pay for a $30 million parking garage currently under construction at the Hollywood complex. The Inte...
Person-to-person Sales Provides Best Return on Investment for Hotel Marketing Departments, Followed Closely by the Properties Web Site / HSMAI PKF Sur
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Person-to-person Sales Provides Best Return on Investment for Hotel Marketing Departments, Followed Closely by the Properties Web Site / HSMAI PKF Survey MCLEAN, VA (Oct. 13, 2005) According to a just-completed survey conducted by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and PKF Hospitality Research examining Sales and Marketing Expense Trends in the U.S. Lodging Industry, person-to-person sales is the best return on investment (ROI), followed closely by property web site, public relations, internet marketing and advertising, e-mail marketing, nat...
Here's a Conversation I Had Recently with a Front Desk Clerk at a 3 1/2 Star, Internationally Branded Hotel / Barry Williams / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Here's a Conversation I Had Recently with a Front Desk Clerk at a 3 1/2 Star, Internationally Branded Hotel By Barry Williams, October 2005 Good Day Good People of Hotel Land! Here's a conversation I had recently with a front desk clerk at a 3 1/2 star, internationally branded hotel: . Me: "But I never used it!" FD Clerk: (looking very manufactured in his reply) "Yes, I know, the charge is for insurance only sir - not for using it, we charge extra for that..." Me: "But I didn't ask for it!" FD Clerk: "Sir, there's a sign right here and it's been here on the front desk forever. You should ...
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Nobody Asked Me, But . By Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC October 28, 2005 1. Do you sometimes feel as though you are living through some familiar reruns? Or as Yogi Berra said Its déjà vu all over again? When the large franchise companies trumpet the headline Reorganization Aims to Improve Licensee Services, it usually means to cull those properties that are not meeting quality standards. My impertinent questions are seeking pertinent answers: Will the franchisor give reasonable notice and time for a cure period? Will they impose liquidated damages? Will they dea...
Passkey Names Steven Shapiro CFO & Senior VP of Operations / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Passkey Names Steven Shapiro CFO & Senior VP of Operations - Key Addition To Leadership Team To Support Solid Demand From Meeting Planners And Serve Rapidly Growing Hotels & CVBs Customer Base Quincy, MA - October 18, 2005 - Passkey International, Inc., the worldwide leader in on-line group reservations, has appointed Steven L. Shapiro as its CFO and senior vice president of operations. With over 25 years of financial, administrative and operational management experience, Steve Shapiro is a versatile Chief Financial Officer with a history of accomplishments, including leading companies t...
Small Luxury Hotels Experiences Continued Growth With 12% Revenue Increase, Average Rate to $317 per Night Worldwide / October 2005
April 30, 2005
Hotel Online Special Report Small Luxury Hotels Experiences Continued Growth With 12% Revenue Increase, Average Rate to $317 per Night Worldwide LONDON, October 11, 2005 Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has recognized steady growth in 2005 with a consistent 12% increase in revenue YTD compared to the same period in 2004. The luxury brand, which now boasts over 350 hotels in nearly 60 countries around the world, has seen a steady rise of nearly 10% in both reservations and room nights YTD that accounts for the growth in revenue. Also factoring into the exclusive groups success has been guests willingnes...
