Vietnam's Largest Resort Property, Vinpearl Resort & Spa in Nha Trang, Will be Re-branded to Sofitel / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Discount Hotels London, Sydney, Rome, AmsterdamParis, Melbourne, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, Hong Kong, New York, Auckland Discount Hotels London, Sydney, Rome, AmsterdamParis, Melbourne, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, Hong Kong, New York, Auckland Vietnam's Largest Resort Property, Vinpearl Resort & Spa in Nha Trang, Will be Re-branded to Sofitel BANGKOK, 8 February, 2005 - Accor has won the management contract for Vietnam's largest sea side resort property, Vinpearl Resort & Spa in Nha Trang, and the hotel will be re-branded to Accor's luxury hotel brand, S...

Moshe Mor Leads Investment Group Acquiring the Greek Isles Hotel and Casino for $52 million; Wants to Demolish former Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Bui

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-JournalKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 22, 2005 - A Convention Center Drive hotel-casino that was once owned by a Hollywood legend and nearly became a wrestling-themed property has been sold to a New York real estate developer who plans to add the 5.65-acre site to the ever-growing high-rise luxury condominium market. Moshe Mor, president of M&M Real Estate Development of Queens, N.Y., said Monday his investment group will pay $52 million for the Greek Isles, which Chicago-based Mark IV Realty owns. Mor said he hopes to close the transaction in ...

New Urgency for Atlantic City – Trying to Shed Image as a Day-trip Market / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Suzette Parmley, The Philadelphia InquirerKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 1, 2005 - ATLANTIC CITY - Avi Toledo, 48, walked past the gambling hall at Tropicana Hotel & Casino recently and headed straight for the new retail stores. Instead of testing his luck on the slot machines or table games, Toledo is wagering on Atlantic City; he spent his entire visit trying to find a location on the Boardwalk for his upscale Manhattan-based women's couture shop. "I like what they did in the city with all the stores," said Toledo, as he peered inside a Brooks Bros. men's store inside the ...

Vantis Expands Services with Viz-it, Rich Media Site Content to Boost Online Hotel Reservations / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Vantis Expands Services with Viz-it, Rich Media Site Content to Boost Online Hotel Reservations Raises Web Shoppers’ Focus to Value from Room Cost;  Motivates Scores of Buyers through Third-Party Distribution and Compelling Visuals  Calgary, Alberta, Canada — February 1, 2005 — Vantis, the largest provider of marketing and revenue generation services for independent hotels, car rental companies and airlines, demonstrated its continued commitment to helping clients optimize their profitable revenue today by launching Viz-it, a comprehensive suite of online rich media solutions....

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Vancouver Olympics Lodging Information on Vancouver-area vacation rentals for Winter 2010 is supplied by Rent 2010. If planning to attend the 2010 Olympic Games, consider registering as an Accommodation Seeker as well. Vancouver’s Lodging Industry:  2010 Olympic Impact by Eric S. Pateman, MBA, MHCIMA, February 2005 Introduction In July 2003, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) accepted Vancouver, Canada’s bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The local lodging and tourism industry met the announcement with optimistic predictions of the potential benefits such a mega-event woul...

New River Holdings Building 120 unit Value Place in Kansas City, Missouri; Jack DeBoer's New Lodging Concept Has 45 Properties Under Development

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Discount Hotels London, Sydney, Rome, AmsterdamParis, Melbourne, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, Hong Kong, New York, Auckland Discount Hotels London, Sydney, Rome, AmsterdamParis, Melbourne, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, Hong Kong, New York, Auckland New River Holdings Building 120 unit Value Place in Kansas City, Missouri; Jack DeBoer's New Lodging Concept Has 45 Properties Under Development WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 21, 2005 - Construction for the first Value Place in Kansas City, Mo. -- one of seven planned for the area -- is now under way. The franchisee, New Ri...

The Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue Appoints Vincent J. Alberici as Executive Chef / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report The Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue Appoints Vincent J. Alberici as Executive Chef PHILADELPHIA, Penn., February 11, 2005 -  The Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue, an upscale 209-room hotel with 35,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, today announced the hiring of Vincent J. Alberici as Executive Chef. Chef Alberici will also oversee Delmonico's Steak House, the hotel's fine dining restaurant.  Chef Alberici brings more than 25 years of culinary expertise to the food service operations of the hospitality industry, and received his degree from the prestigious Culinary Institute of...

William S. Boyd, Chairman of Boyd Gaming, Gifts $25 million to His Namesake Law school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report William S. Boyd, Chairman of Boyd Gaming, Gifts $25 million to His Namesake Law School at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas LAS VEGAS, Feb. 25, 2005 - Boyd Gaming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William S. Boyd today announced a gift of $25 million to his namesake law school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  The gift is one of the largest private donations ever pledged to the university. Mr. Boyd, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming, commented on the announcement, "I am so proud of what the Boyd School of Law at UNLV has accomplished in such a short time.  ...

Radisson Hotel City Center in Downtown Tucson Wants to Expand to 700 Rooms; Plans Dependent on Reconstruction of Tucson Convention Center / Februar

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Joe Burchell, The Arizona Daily Star, TucsonKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4, 2004 - The owners of the Downtown Radisson Hotel City Center have unveiled plans to more than double their rooms, to 700, and add up to 40 condominiums in a pair of new high-rise towers. But they warn that the plan is 100 percent dependent on the city's building a new arena and the Tucson Convention Center's being reconstructed into more of a true convention facility to attract potential guests. If the arena plans are scrapped, or the city opts to put Rio Nuevo money into another Downtown conventio...

Ashley Cooper Named Managing Partner of Trump's New Company, Trump Golf Management LLC; Planning Exclusive Golf Developments Around the World /

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Gary D'Amato, Milwaukee Journal SentinelKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 8, 2005 - Ashley Cooper was having a really bad time. It was the fall of 2002 and Cooper, an Oconomowoc native, was fighting off creditors and on the verge of taking a financial bath. He and a partner had purchased the John DeLorean Estate out of bankruptcy for $17.5 million and planned to develop real estate and a golf course on the 500-acre site in affluent Bedminster, N.J. "We had $7 million worth of contracts in real estate, then two cataclysmic things happened," Cooper said. "We had state zoning issue...

Recognizing Best Practices in Tourism Development, the World Travel & Tourism Council Names 12 Finalists for Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2005 / Februa

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Recognizing Best Practices in Tourism Development, the World Travel & Tourism Council Names 12 Finalists for Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2005 London - 18 February, 2005 - Today the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced the shortlist for the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.  The Awards, until last year under the auspices of British Airways, recognize and promote best practice in tourism development all over the world.  The finalists were selected from over 90 applications from 30 countries representing the full spectrum of Travel & Tourism enterprises, large, medium and...

Sixth Annual Tourism Safety & Security Conference Scheduled for March in Anaheim / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Sixth Annual Tourism Safety & Security Conference Scheduled for March in Anaheim Anaheim, Calif. - February 10, 2005 - The Southern California Tourism Safety & Security Association, and the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau will host the sixth annual California Tourism Safety & Security Conference at the Anaheim Marriott on March 15. The conference has grown to be the largest such event in the nation, drawing approximately 300 attendees for each of the past three years. Part of the attraction is the one-day format packed with information as useful to tourism marketers, meeting p...

What's the Point of Offering High Tech Gadgets in Hotel Rooms When It Provides the Guest with Total Frustration / Emmanuel Gardinier / February 2

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report What's the Point of Offering High Tech Gadgets in Hotel Rooms When It Provides the Guest with Total Frustration by Emmanuel Gardinier, February 2005 In the high tech age we are living in, high end properties are starting to install every piece of tech they can in their rooms, from plasma screens, surround sound systems, DVD players, high end radio alarm clocks, Wi-Fi connections, etc… This trend is fine by me, I am after all a Geek at heart and my home has more computing power and electronic gadgets than NASA had to go to the moon. What is highly annoying for the guest is that too ofte...

$26 Million in Publicity Value Accelerates Tiburon Hospitality Management Exposure / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report $26 Million in Publicity Value Accelerates Tiburon Hospitality Management Exposure Carefree, AZ - February 28, 2005 -  In just two short years of taking over the management of its three destination resorts, Tiburon Hospitality Management has garnered more than $26 million dollars in estimated publicity value for its properties.   According to Carol Baetzel, corporate director of public relations for Tiburon Hospitality, each of the properties have been featured on national television networks or prime time cable programming, and have received more than 93 million editorial impressions in le...

Tiburon Hospitality Management Website Receives Prestigious Adrian Award / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Tiburon Hospitality Management Website Receives Prestigious Adrian Award Carefree, AZ . .February 1, 2005 . . Tiburon Hospitality Management has received a Silver Adrian Award from the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for its design and functionality of the new Tiburon website. Presented at the 15th annual HSMAI Adrian Awards in New York City on January 24th, the Adrian Awards Competition is considered the largest travel-related marketing awards competition of its kind in the world, attracting more than 1,500 entries from 50 countries.  More than 700 travel and hospita...

Interactive Sites and Tiburon Hospitality Management See Web Bookings Soar by 136% / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Interactive Sites and Tiburon Hospitality Management See Web Bookings Soar by 136% SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- February 8th, 2005 - Tiburon Hospitality Management and its web development firm, Interactive Sites of Scottsdale, reported a 136% increase in web bookings in 2004 over 2003, according to Lisa Stice, Tiburon’s corporate director of internet marketing. Stice attributes the surge in web revenues in 2004 to an aggressive search engine optimization strategy developed in partnership with Interactive Sites.  After carefully analyzing and reviewing Tiburon’s three property web sites, Interactive Sit...

Three Oaks Hospitality Adds Exclusive Nemacolin Woodlands Resort to Client List / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Three Oaks Hospitality Adds Exclusive Nemacolin Woodlands Resort to Client List February, 2005 - Boca Raton, FL - Three Oaks Hospitality, Inc., a resort/hotel and private club Management Company based in Boca Raton, Florida, has recently added Nemacolin Woodlands Resort to their impressive list of clients. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, located 70 miles outside of Pittsburgh, in Farmington, PA is one of the nation’s most comprehensive resort properties. The resort includes the award winning LaFayette Chateau, with its exclusive penthouse floor and luxurious European-style decor, 36 holes of champi...

Bringing Back the Host / Emmanuel Gardinier / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Bringing Back the Host by Emmanuel Gardinier, February 2005 The rise of the boutique hotels, and the success of small properties and Inns throughout the country show that our guests are demanding a more guest-centric experience. How can we give them that special attention they are looking for? The very first step is to bring back the Host in all of your staff. It’s about making each employee having a sense of ownership of the property so they are actually welcoming people to their own home. It’s about making them proud of their work and their company. It’s about spending time with you...

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Temple University School of Tourism and Hospitality Management Class Partners with the Hampton Inn — Manhattan Madison Square Garden MANHATTAN, N.Y./PHILADELPHIA, Pa., February 3, 2005 — Officials of the soon-to-open Hampton Inn — Madison Square Garden today announced that the hotel has formed a unique and innovative partnership with Temple University School of Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) to introduce the new hotel to the surrounding neighborhood.  Students will join with the hotel sales staff to complete a sales blitz targeted to 200 potential guests and corporate acco...

Pyramid Advisors LLC Appointed to Manage the Former Hilton Hotel in Tarrytown, N.Y; 250-room Hotel Converts to Doubletree Brand / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Pyramid Advisors LLC Appointed to Manage the Former Hilton Hotel in Tarrytown, N.Y; 250-room Hotel Converts to Doubletree Brand BOSTON, Mass., February 17, 2005 — Pyramid Advisors LLC (Pyramid), a Boston-based hotel development, management and ownership firm, today announced that the company has signed an agreement to manage the former Hilton Hotel in Tarrytown, N.Y.  The 250-room hotel recently was acquired by new ownership and will reopen today as the Doubletree Hotel-Tarrytown.  The two-story property will undergo a $10 million renovation, beginning this summer.  The renovation wil...

Tom O'Donnell Named SVP and General Manager of Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Tom O'Donnell Named SVP and General Manager of  Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel in Western North Carolina LAS VEGAS, Feb. 11, 2005 - Tom O'Donnell has been named senior vice president and general manager of Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel, effective March 7, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET) announced. O'Donnell will succeed Patrick Dennehy, who was previously named senior vice president and general manager of Horseshoe Bossier City Hotel & Casino and Harrah's Louisiana Downs.  Both appointments are subject to the receipt of required regulatory approvals. O'Donnell has 2...

TIG Global Expands Account Management Division and Continues to Deliver the Highest Level of Interactive Marketing Services in Hospitality / February

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report     TIG Global Expands Account Management Division and Continues to Deliver the Highest Level of Interactive Marketing Services in Hospitality Growth of Internet Marketing Firm Brings Promotions, Staff Additions Washington, D.C. – Feb. 10, 2005 - Due to its unprecedented growth in 2004, TIG Global has expanded and refined its client service department to support the company’s continued role as the premier strategic e-business partner for hotels. As part of the expansion of the client service division, TIG Global has created a new layer of management, oversight and strategic ser...

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Names Tom Hewitt Chief Executive Officer; Steven Jorns to Lead Proprietary Investment Fund / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Interstate Hotels & Resorts Names Tom Hewitt Chief Executive Officer; Steven Jorns to Lead Proprietary Investment Fund ARLINGTON, Va. - Feb. 17, 2005 - Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: IHR), the nation's largest independent hotel management company, today announced that Thomas F. Hewitt has been named chief executive officer of the company. Steven Jorns, the former CEO, will become the full-time managing director of the Interstate Real Estate Investment Fund, which currently is under development. Jorns served as CEO of the company since October 2003. Hewitt was the chairman of the boa...

Thompson Calhoun Fair Brokers Sale of the Four Points by Sheraton – Niagara Falls, New York / February 2005

January 30, 2005

Hotel Online  Special Report Thompson Calhoun Fair Brokers Sale of the Four Points by Sheraton - Niagara Falls, New York ATLANTA, Georgia, February 7, 2005 - Thompson Calhoun Fair, LLC, an Atlanta-based hotel real estate firm, announced today that it advised Lodgian, Inc. in the disposition of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York. The Sheraton is a 189-room, full-service hotel situated on an approximately 2.8-acre parcel of land in the heart of the Niagara Falls’ downtown sector.  Hotel amenities include an indoor swimming pool, a Jacuzzi/sauna, a fitness center, a gift shop and game room.  In ad...