Orange County, California Ranked No. 2 in the Nation in Hotel Occupancy in July, Nearly 87% / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Michele Himmelberg, The Orange County Register, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 6, 2005 - Mary Doll and Angelica Rios, 24-year-old buddies from Bozeman, Mont., flew to Orange County last month for a sunny, summer vacation. They fled a job at Wal-Mart and studies at Montana State University to visit Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and Medieval Times in Buena Park. They stayed one night with family, then moved to the Tropicana Inn & Suites, a short walk from Disneyland, where they spent five days jostling with crowds an...

Novotel Brand Selected for 286 room Hotel Being Built Near the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Novotel Brand Selected for 286 room Hotel Being Built Near the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre BANGKOK, 27 September, 2005 — Accor is launching its 4-star Novotel brand in Kuala Lumpur in June 2006, right in the middle of the city centre and main commercial and entertainment hub.   Novotel Hydro Majestic Kuala Lumpur is strategically located across the street from the recently opened Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, and all the city’s main tourist and commercial districts within easy walking distance to the hotel.   Hydro Hotels Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Ms Angeline Mah, said the company...

Operators Weigh Options as Senate Moves toward New Data Security Rules / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  .Special Report Operators Weigh Options as Senate Moves Toward New Data Security Rules ”Insecure databases are now low-hanging fruit for hackers.” Sen. Patrick Leahe September 7, 2005 -- On July 28, 2005 politicians signaled a readiness to enact security breach and data safeguard laws and indicated new federal regulations could reach President Bush's desk by the end of the year. Bills from three different Congressional committees proposed during the last week of July share common points.These include requiring prompt notification when security breaches occur, awarding more regulatory power to the fede...

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Noble Investment Group Opens the 146 suite Embassy Suites Hotel Winston-Salem, NC; Part of the Conversion of the Former Adam’s Mark Hotel September 16, 2005 - Winston-Salem, N.C. - Noble Investment Group announced today the completion of the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Winston-Salem’s Twin City Quarter (460 North Cherry Street, Winston-Salem, North Carolina).  The 146-suite hotel is now officially open under the Embassy Suites brand and is the first new upscale full-service hotel in downtown Winston-Salem in 20 years. “This is the first huge step in the revitalization of downtown,”...

Hotel Occupancy in the Dallas – Fort Worth Area At Record Highs; Rita Evacuees Going to Oklahoma for Hotel Rooms / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Andrea, Ahles And Susan Schrock, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 22, 2005 - There is no room at the inn. Texas Gulf Coast residents fleeing from Hurricane Rita will have a hard time finding hotel rooms in North Texas because almost all of the area's 82,000 hotel rooms are booked. Hotel occupancy in the Metroplex is at record highs, partly because some hotels are still housing survivors of Hurricane Katrina and because two large conventions are in town this weekend. Houston residents wh...

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Nicklaus Design Building 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in Baha Mar’s Planned $1.6 billion Mega-resort on Nassau’s Cable Beach in The Bahamas NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS, September 16, 2005 – Golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his company, Nicklaus Design, and Baha Mar Development Company Ltd. have partnered to bring world-class golf to Baha Mar’s new multi-billion-dollar development on Nassau’s Cable Beach in The Bahamas.  Under the agreement, Nicklaus Design will create a new 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, the highest tier of the company’s design offerings.  The championshi...

The Shutdown of New Orleans' Economic Engine — its Convention and Tourism Business — Has Implications Nationally for Other Conventi

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Kathy Bergen, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 1, 2005 - The shutdown of New Orleans' economic engine -- its convention and tourism business -- has implications nationally for other convention cities, including Chicago. New Orleans ranks among the country's top five or six convention centers. So events planners nationally have been hitting the phones, blasting emails, and negotiating with hotels in attempts to relocate or reschedule meetings and conventions. "Every convention that is booked for the next 60 day...

New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau Update As of 9 A.M. Tuesday, September 6, 2005 / September 6, 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau Update As of 9 A.M. Tuesday, September 6, 2005 Current Summary - 9 A.M. Tuesday, September 6, 2005 J. Stephen Perry - President/CEO We offer the deepest and most profound thank you to governments, individuals, trade organizations, and especially our clients, customers, and long-time tourist visitors for the overwhelming show of support and affection for our city and people. You have touched our hearts. Your offers of assistance and your heartfelt expressions of eagernessness to return to our city when we are on our feet has moved us beyon...

Our Uneasy Psyche / John R. Hendrie / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Our Uneasy Psyche by John R. Hendrie, CEO, Hospitality Performance, Inc. September 2005 - Unless one resides on a remote mountain top, blissfully isolated, you can hardly miss our national shift in mood.  No matter our “stripes” or political persuasion, we are manifesting collective angst as a nation.  We have been assailed with doubt for our institutions, our industries, and our security.  And, anyone who manages Destination marketing and development needs to revisit their plans, budgets and strategies, for your Visitor will be ever vigilant and more discriminating on how they make thei...

Chic Loft Lodging Trend Propelled by NYLO / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Chic Loft Lodging Trend Propelled by NYLO . High-End and Highly Affordable - NYLO Hotels Launches New Lodging Category PHOENIX (Sept. 28, 2005) – NYLO Hotels introduces a new class of hotels featuring loft accommodations, innovative design and affordable rates, the company announced today before an audience of hospitality industry elite at The Lodging Conference 2005, Phoenix, Ariz. “Our brand is unique, offering the style and amenities of the world’s leading upscale hotels at mid-scale rates of $115 - $135 per night,” says John Russell, CEO of the Atlanta-based NYLO Hotels.  “We’ve re...

New Orleans Restaurants Foresee a Slow Recovery / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  September 13, 2005 - It is the place to revel in blackened redfish, boiled crawfish, he-man muffuletta sandwiches, achingly sweet pralines and beignets that coat you in a cloud of powdered sugar after the very first bite. It is the home base of celebrity chefs Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. It is famous for legendary restaurants such as Antoine's, Commander's Palace, K-Paul's, Nola and Galatoire's. And it is a major hub of production and transport for food products from coffee to shrimp. But will New Orl...

The Nation's Tourism Industry Is Battling for the Meetings and Conventions Business Once Headed for New Orleans / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By David Wethe, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 7, 2005 - The nation's tourism industry is battling for the meetings and conventions business once headed for New Orleans, and Dallas is poised to get a big piece of the pie. New Orleans, the country's fifth-busiest destination for meetings and conventions, has canceled events through the end of November. It's now asking other cities for help. Several of Dallas' largest hotels, the Wyndham Anatole, the Adam's Mark and the Hyatt Regency Dallas, have ...

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report The Cast of Characters Behind the Scenes of Mickey’s Newest Hotels –  the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel By Steve Shellum, Publisher/Editor, HOTEL Asia Pacific, September 2005 Build a better mousetrap, so they say, and the world will beat a path to your door. While Disney is aiming for a captive audience for its two Hong Kong hotels, opening in September, 2005 the rest of the market is going all goofy about getting a slice of its massive, all-American, pie.  When it comes to doing business, the world's largest purveyor of dreams and fantasies does not play ...

Morgan Stanley Creates Hotel Management Company, Panorama Hospitality K.K., to Manage 13 Hotels in Japan and Asia Pacific / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive Kyodo News International, Tokyo Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 30, 2005 - TOKYO -- U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley said Friday it has established a company in Japan to manage a portfolio of 13 hotels in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region acquired by its real estate funds since 2003. With the hotel business attracting Japanese and overseas investment funds, Morgan Stanley's realty funds plan to spend up to 300 billion yen to acquire more hotels in Japan, according to company officials. The 13 hotels include the Westin Tokyo...

Beijing City Inspectors Take Action Against The Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong in Beijing Over Quality Issues of its Mooncakes / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Ralph Jennings, Kyodo News International, Tokyo Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 20, 2005--BEIJING -- Beijing city inspectors have taken action against an upscale Japanese-managed hotel in Beijing over quality issues of its mooncakes, local media reported Tuesday. According to the Beijing News, a municipal taskforce on Friday investigated the Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong and took punitive action over the 368 yuan (about $45) wine and mooncake gift boxes produced and sold at the hotel. The paper did not say what action was taken. ...

March 30, 2005

Mintek Mobile Data Solutions Ranked Among Top 500 Global Software Companies . Software Magazine’s Ranking Based on 2004 revenues DUNEDIN, FLA.—September 28, 2005 — Mintek Mobile Data Solutions, a leading provider of turn-key, mobile data solutions for the lodging and cable industries, ranks among the top 500 global software and services providers based on 2004 revenues, according to the September issue of Software Magazine.  “We are excited to be included on this prestigious list,” says Lind Hutton, executive vice president for Dunedin, Fla.-based Mintek. “We have experienced tremendous growth since launching our busine...

Mintek Mobile Data Solutions Ranked Among Top 500 Global Software Companies / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Mintek Mobile Data Solutions Ranked Among Top 500 Global Software Companies - Software Magazine’s Ranking Based on 2004 revenues DUNEDIN, FLA.—September 28, 2005—Mintek Mobile Data Solutions, a leading provider of turn-key, mobile data solutions for the lodging and cable industries, ranks among the top 500 global software and services providers based on 2004 revenues, according to the September issue of Software Magazine.   “We are excited to be included on this prestigious list,” says Lind Hutton, executive vice president for Dunedin, Fla.-based Mintek. “We have experienced tremendous growth since launching our ...

The Private Club Industry to Benefit from New Strategic Partnership / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report   The Private Club Industry to Benefit from New Strategic Partnership PORTSMOUTH, NH – September 2005 - MeetingMatrix International announced today that it has signed an exclusive reseller agreement with ClubTec, a leading provider of technology solutions and services for the private club and public golf course industries.  Per this agreement, ClubTec will exclusively sell the full line of MeetingMatrix™ products and services to their clients. “We are pleased ClubTec is joining the MeetingMatrix family, as they provide a strong line of product offerings, and impressive market share in th...

Rick Medwedeff Named General Manager of the 727 room Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Rick Medwedeff Named General Manager of the 727 room Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa MARCO ISLAND, Fla., September 13, 2005 – Rick Medwedeff was recently named General Manager of the 727 –room award-winning Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa.  Formerly the General Manager for Evergreen Conference Resort in Stone Mountain, GA, Medwedeff is a 23-year veteran with Marriott, 16 of which was with the Resort division.  He holds a Bachelor Degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.  Medwedeff now calls Southwest Flori...

Buccini/Pollin Group and Lubert Adler Management Inc. Acquiring the 427-room Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel for $54 million from the Blackstone Group and

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Buccini/Pollin Group and Lubert Adler Management Inc. Acquiring the 427-room Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel for $54 million from the Blackstone Group and Prime Hospitality Corp EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J - Sept. 19, 2005 -- Officials of The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG), a leading real estate development, management and ownership company, today announced that the company has entered into a joint venture with Lubert Adler Management Inc., a private investment firm, to acquire the 427-room hotel Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel and Conference Center for $54 million from a joint venture between The Blackstone G...

Marriott South Florida Business Council Executives Deliver Lunches to All Area Fire and Police Stations / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Marriott South Florida Business Council Executives Deliver Lunches to All Area Fire and Police Stations SOUTH FLORIDA, September 13, 2005 – In remembrance of September 11th, the Marriott South Florida Business Council sponsored the fourth annual Adopt a Station in appreciation and dedication of South Florida’s firefighters and police officers. General Managers from Marriott branded properties throughout South Florida delivered the warm Marriott hospitality of “Spirit to Serve” to all area fire and police stations on Friday, September 9th.  Marriott’s food and beverage staff worked behind ...

Marriott International and the Marriott Family Pledge a Total of $3 Million to Support Hurricane Katrina Relief / September 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Marriott International and the Marriott Family Pledge a Total of $3 Million to Support Hurricane Katrina Relief Disaster Relief Fund to Benefit Affected Associates and American Red Cross  WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2005 - Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) and the Marriott family's private foundation, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, have pledged a total of $3 million to aid employees and victims of Hurricane Katrina. "Hurricane Katrina has caused heartbreaking loss for the people of the Gulf Coast region, including our associates, their families and their communities," s...

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Will Manage the Hotel Anchor at MGM Mirage's $5 billion CityCenter Project on Las Vegas Strip / September 200

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 16, 2005 - The prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will manage the hotel anchor at the $5 billion CityCenter project on the Strip, MGM Mirage officials announced Thursday. Mirage Resorts President Bobby Baldwin, who is overseeing the CityCenter project, said the local Mandarin Oriental will at least be on a par with the Bellagio and will serve as a magnet for visitors who want a more intimate vacation experience than a 4,000-room hotel-casino can offer. ...

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report AmeriSuites Upgrades to MSIÂ’s WinPM - Multi-Systems Inc. Transitions 43 Properties in 35 Days from its DOS System to the Windows-based Property-management Platform Innovative data migration tool and superior customer service made the transition quick and efficient.  PHOENIX — SEPTEMBER 13, 2005— Multi-Systems Inc. (MSI), the hospitality industryÂ’s leading provider of fully integrated property-management and marketing systems, recently transitioned 43 corporate-owned AmeriSuites hotels from a DOS-based PMS platform to the companyÂ’s Windows-based WinPM platform in just 35 days.  Â...