The 100-year-old Collier Inn on Useppa Island Re-opening Following Renovations Spurred by Hurricane Charley Damage Incurred in 2004 / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report The 100-year-old Collier Inn on Useppa Island Re-opening Following Renovations Spurred by Hurricane Charley Damage Incurred in 2004 USEPPA ISLAND, Fla. - July 8, 2005 -- The 100-year-old Collier Inn on Useppa Island plans a re-opening preview on August 13, 2005, unveiling historic restorations and hurricane safe renovations spurred by damage incurred during Hurricane Charley's rampage in 2004. While the Useppa Marina and Tarpon Bay Restaurant, along with island infrastructure and amenities, were back in full operation earlier this year, the inn itself sustained such significant...

Hotel Rooms are Pricier this Summer; 9% Average Increase In Retail Hotel Room Rates For Summer 2005 / Priceline.com Survey / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Hotel Rooms are Pricier this Summer; 9% Average Increase In Retail Hotel Room Rates For Summer 2005 / Priceline.com Survey NORWALK, Conn. - July 13, 2005 -- Hotel rooms are a little pricier this summer. According to a new priceline.com(R) (Nasdaq: PCLN) survey of retail hotel room prices in 35 cities for the June 15-August 15, 2005 period, the company found that, on average, hotel rates are up 9% year over year. Destination choice is a big wild card this year as summer vacationers search out travel bargains. For example, in cities like New York, average hotel prices were up almost 25% compar...

Revenues Generated via Choice Hotels Proprietary Web Site Up 17% Year-to-date Over the Same Period in 2004 / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Revenues Generated via Choice Hotels Proprietary Web Site Up 17% Year-to-date Over the Same Period in 2004 Silver Spring, MD (July 14, 2005) – Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) boasted three days this month with over $8 million in reservations through the CRS: Wednesday, July 6; Friday, July 8; and Monday, July 11, which is the new record holding day with just over $8.1 million in reservations. As a whole, revenue numbers have been up for Choice this summer, topping the $7 million per day mark 11 times thus far this year. Likewise, the number of $6 million revenue days has almost tripled ...

Sleep Inn Brand Providing a Minority Incentive Program; Offers Qualified African American, Hispanic and Native American Entrepreneurs a Development In

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Sleep Inn Brand Providing a Minority Incentive Program;  Offers Qualified African American, Hispanic and Native American Entrepreneurs a Development Incentive Valued Up to $155,000 Minimizes Upfront Development Costs;  Provides Operational Support Silver Spring, MD  (July 20, 2005) — Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH), franchisor of all-new construction, midpriced Sleep Inn brand hotels today launched a Sleep Inn Minority Incentive Program that offers qualified African American, Hispanic and Native American entrepreneurs a special development incentive with a value of up to $...

Choice Hotels International Signed 276 New Franchise Contracts in the First Six Months of 2005, Up 19% Over the Same Period in 2004 / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Choice Hotels International Signed 276 New Franchise Contracts in the First Six Months of 2005,  Up 19%  Over the Same Period in 2004  Silver Spring, MD (July 27, 2005) – Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) signed 276 new franchise contracts in the first six months of 2005 – a 19 percent increase over the same time period in 2004 and the company’s strongest first half of the year for system growth since going public in 1996. More than a third of the new contracts signed were for new construction projects, up from 26 percent over the same time period in 2004 and a testamen...

A $20 million Redevelopment Plan for the old Chancellor Hotel in Champaign, Illinois Includes a Hilton Garden Inn and a Homewood Suites / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Debra Pressey, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 22, 2005 - CHAMPAIGN -- It's out with the Chancellor, and in with the Hilton. In fact, make that two Hilton hotels. Local developer Paul Tatman said he and his business partner, Steve Horve Sr. of Forsyth, have settled on a $20 million redevelopment plan for the old Chancellor Hotel property at Neil Street and Kirby Avenue that will include two new hotels an upscale Hilton Garden Inn and a Homewood Suites by Hilton. A new retail building right at the corner also is included in the plans. The d...

Hayes Reid Development Group Completes $2.5 million Renovation of the The Palms Hotel and Villas in Kissimmee, Florida / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Hayes Reid Development Group Completes $2.5 million Renovation of the The Palms Hotel and Villas in Kissimmee, Florida CELEBRATION, Fla.— July 20, 2005 - The Celebration, Fla.-based Hayes Reid Development Group Inc. is announcing The Palms Hotel and Villas as the first condo hotel in the Orlando-Disney area.  The Palms Hotel and Villas, which was purchased as a three-star, all-suite resort hotel and converted, is the first of many condo hotels coming to the area under the direction of Hayes Reid Development Group Inc. The Palms Hotel and Villas is a 156-unit property located at...

Greystar Realty Partners Planning to Acquire the 265 room Casa Sirena Hotel in Oxnard, California; Plans to Convert the Aging Hotel into Two Branded

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Jim McLain, Ventura County Star, Calif.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 9, 2005 - A special Ventura County Harbor Commission meeting will take place Monday to review a Phoenix-based development company's plan to spend at least $19 million to convert Channel Islands Harbor's aging Casa Sirena Hotel into outlets for two national lodging chains. Greystar Realty Partners will ask the Board of Supervisors this month to approve its proposal to buy the hotel's lease from Westbrook Real Estate Partners of Dallas, said Lyn Kreiger, the county-owned harbor's general manager. County offi...

Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Comments on Theme for 28th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference Set for October 21-26, 2005 in

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Comments on Theme for 28th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference Set for October 21-26, 2005 in U.S. Virgin Islands -- Conference theme focuses on tourism as the business of the Caribbean -- BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (July 19, 2005) – Every Caribbean national, including our leaders, must see tourism as a top priority because of its importance to the countries’ economies, the region’s top tourism public servant has said. Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace made this statement as he com...

Statement from the Director of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau Following Hurricane Emily / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Statement from the Director of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau Following Hurricane Emily Cancún Q. Roo, July 18, 2005, 11:00 A.M. (Central Time) - Cancun’s local government, The Municipality of Benito Juarez, reports no injuries or major structural damage after Hurricane Emily.   The hurricane swept over the south coast of the State of Quintana Roo, at least 80 miles away from Cancun Hotel Zone, during the early morning of Monday, July 18. Tourists who braved the hurricane in Cancun, the most important tourist destination in Mexico and Latin America, were moved to com...

Mid-Year Canadian Hotel Investment Market Overview / Including MidYear 2005 Hotel Transaction Summary / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Colliers International Hotels . INNvestment Canada Second Quarter 2005 Mid-Year Canadian Hotel Investment Market Overview Following a lackluster period of hotel investment activity in 2004, transaction sales and activity surged during the first half of 2005. Year to date (YTD) June 2005 transaction volume reached record levels, matching the all-time peak mid-year results of $1 billion in 1998 and exceeded more than five times prior year results of $185 million. Contributing to this tremendous activity were eight strategic trades, representing 68% of aggregate volume and totaling $692 million. This is the highest n...

Caesars Palace Opens Fifth Hotel Tower, Marks Completion of a Five-year Extreme Makeover / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Bill Ordine, The Philadelphia InquirerKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 25, 2005 - A FIFTH TOWER AND A REFRESHED LOOK PUT CAESARS PALACE BACK ON PAR: Caesars Palace marks both its 39th anniversary and the opening of the fifth hotel tower in its nearly four-decade history next month. The significance of those twin milestones is that the legendary casino resort can claim to be the oldest new resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The debut of the Augustus Tower, with 949 rooms, all of them suite-size with high-tech touches, marks the essential completion of a five-year extreme makeover o...

Literally Every Destination Marketing Organization Is Under Duress; The Challenge to CVB's / John R. Hendrie / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Literally Every Destination Marketing Organization Is Under Duress; The Challenge to CVB's by John R. Hendrie, CEO Hospitality Performance, Inc., July 2005 Literally every Destination Marketing Organization is under duress. Budgets have been slashed, resources and staff diminished, mandates of more with less to the echo of irritable stakeholders, "What have you done for me lately?"  The public trough and trust is no longer bubbling and rushing along – it is barely moist. Unexpected and warranted Executive departures, fiscal malfeasance, Convention Center Bonds defeated, dissension in ...

Christian Tavelli named Rooms Division Manager of Las Ventanas al Paraiso / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  Christian Tavelli named Rooms Division Manager of Las Ventanas al Paraiso LOS CABOS, Baja California, Mexico, July 18, 2005 - Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Rosewood's acclaimed Five-Diamond resort in Los Cabos, has recently named Christian Tavelli the new resort´s Rooms Division Manager, announced Managing Director Luis Fernandes. Tavelli, graduated at Glion´s Swiss Managment School, comes to Las Ventanas after 11 years of hospitality management experience, in both front desk and food and beverage positions, at various luxury hotels in Europe.  Most recently, he was director of rooms division ...

Cara T. Okawa Appointed VP Sales and Revenue Management for Aqua Hotels & Resorts / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Cara T. Okawa Appointed VP Sales and Revenue Management for Aqua Hotels & Resorts HONOLULU, Hawaii – Aqua Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Cara T. Okawa as Vice President Sales and Revenue Management.  In her new role, Okawa will be responsible for the global sales and revenue management efforts for the company’s five Waikiki condotel properties and reports directly to Mike Paulin, Aqua’s chairman and CEO. Okawa brings over 17 years of hospitality sales experience to Aqua, most recently serving as Director of Sales – Waikiki for Aston ResortQuest Hawaii.  Pr...

The Interlaken Inn Resort in Lakeville, Connecticut Appoints Charles Norman as Executive Chef / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report The Interlaken Inn Resort in Lakeville, Connecticut Appoints Charles Norman as Executive Chef LITCHFIELD COUNTY (LAKEVILLE), CT, July 2005 … The Interlaken Inn Resort has announced the appointment of Charles (Charlie) Norman as executive chef.  Chef Norman is responsible for overseeing all food and beverage operations at the Inn, as well as its award-winning restaurant, Morgan's. A noted culinary professional, Charlie Norman and his cuisine have been the subject of articles in numerous magazines and newspapers, including Aspen and Victoria magazines, The New York Times, Backroads, The Co...

CNL Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Selling Five Hotel Properties to Pyramid Hotel Opportunity Venture LLC for $109 million / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  CNL Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Selling Five Hotel Properties to Pyramid Hotel Opportunity Venture LLC for $109 million July 15, 2005 - CNL Hotels & Resorts, Inc., the nation's second-largest hotel real estate investment trust, announced today that, through its subsidiaries, it has entered into an agreement with Pyramid Hotel Opportunity Venture LLC to sell five non-strategic hotel properties for $109 million, or $113,424 per key. CNL Hotels & Resorts purchased the five properties --  the DoubleTree Hotel San Diego/Del Mar,  Hotel Rex (San Francisco),  Beverly Heritage (Milpitas, ...

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Caribbean Hotel Association Recognizes Individuals that Raise the Bar for Caribbean Hospitality - Eustace Guishard, GM of Cap Juluca Resort in Anguilla Named  “Caribbean Hotelier of the Year”  During the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC 2005) held June 26-29 at the Hyatt Regency in Miami, Florida, the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) recognized, as every year, those individuals that raise the bar for Caribbean hospitality. CHA and American Express were proud to present the 2005 Salute to the Stars of the Caribbean. And the 2005 winners are... Anguilla's Eustace G...

Recap: 70th Semi-annual Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) Hospitality Training Conference / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Recap: 70th Semi-annual Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) Hospitality Training Conference - Training Topics Draw Record Attendance Boston, MA – July 29, 2005 - The 70th semi-annual Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) hospitality training conference, held July 23-26, 2005 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, attracted over 340 trainers, human resources and hospitality executives; increasing 36% from last year’s summer conference attendance of 250. “Hospitality businesses are increasingly recognizing the crucial role of the trainer in organizational ach...

Caribbean Hotel Association Parnters with HSMAI to Produce Annual Caribbean Hotel Sales and Marketing Strategy Conference; First Conference Will Be De

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Caribbean Hotel Association Parnters with HSMAI to Produce Annual Caribbean Hotel Sales and Marketing Strategy Conference First Conference Will Be Dec. 9-10, 2005 in Miami MCLEAN, VA (July 18, 2005) – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) have signed an agreement to co-produce an annual Caribbean Hotel Sales and Marketing Strategy Conference. Both associations will work together to plan, promote and produce an annual event with the goal of providing sales and marketing professionals in the Caribbean with in...

3Rivers Lodge in Dominica and Sunscape Casa del Mar in the Dominican Republic Named the 2005 Caribbean Hotel Association Green Hotels of the Year / Ju

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report 3Rivers Lodge in Dominica and Sunscape Casa del Mar in the Dominican Republic Named the 2005 Caribbean Hotel Association Green Hotels of the Year Miami, Florida (July 2005) – The Caribbean hospitality industry’s growth continues to have a major impact on the environment. Sensitizing hotels and fostering a way for them to integrate better social and environmental practices into day-to-day business decisions is a critical first step to preserve the tropical paradise. Working towards that goal each year, the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and American Express recognize those Caribbean hotels ...

Cheri Farrell Named Outreach Ambassador at Cornell Hotel School; Will Expand Relationships with Alumni, Friends and Corporate Partners / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Cheri Farrell Named Outreach Ambassador at Cornell Hotel School . Will Expand Relationships with Alumni, Friends and Corporate Partners Ithaca, NY, July 15, 2005 – Cheri Farrell has been named Outreach Ambassador for the Cornell University School of Administration, the School announced today. Farrell, who has held many leadership positions during her 33-year career at the School, begins this new part-time role effective today after a brief retirement. Farrell will support the School’s outreach to alumni, friends and corporate partners. She will concentrate her efforts on developing resourc...

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report  InterContinental Hotels Group Adds Carrie Chen and Connie Wang to Singapore Sales Team to Tap Vast Potential of China’s Travel Growth Singapore, 6 July 2005 – InterContinental Hotels Group today announces two latest additions to the regional sales team. Based in Shanghai, Carrie Chen, Sales Manager, Travel Industry & MICE, and Connie Wang, Sales Manager, Corporate & Government, will boost the regional sales team with specialist experience and tap the vast potential of China’s exponential travel growth. "Domestic and international travel in China is growing rapidly with increasing a...

Christopher Bowers, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau's Chief Executive, Resigns Unexpectedly / July 2005

March 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Kathy Bergen, Chicago TribuneKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 14, 2005 - The revolving door at the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau continued to spin Wednesday as it was announced that Christopher Bowers, the chief executive hired with great fanfare 16 months ago, was resigning to return to the private sector. A polished and aggressive salesman who was well-liked by the bureau's board, Bowers, a former United Airlines senior executive, will become senior vice president for customer strategy, sales and marketing at NES Rentals, a Chicago-based equipment rental company run ...