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The One&Only Sol Kerzner / HOTEL Asia Pacific / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report The One&Only Sol Kerzner by Steve Shellum, HOTEL Asia Pacific, October 2004 The legendary hotelier will pick up the HICAP (Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific) Innovator Award on 14 October. He discusses his philosophy with HOTEL Asia Pacific Publisher/Editor Steve Shellum Characters don't come any larger-than-life than Sol Kerzner. Complex, committed, controversial and colourful, the "Sun King" never does things by half. The former college boxing and wrestling champ cuts an imposing figure - but his imagination is even more all-encompassing. Who else but Kerzner could dream up a Lost Ci...
Intrawest and Aspen Skiing Win Approval for $400 million Development at the Snowmass Village Ski Resort / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Jason Blevins, The Denver PostKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 21, 2004--The town council in Snowmass Village on Wednesday unanimously approved the final plan for a $400 million village anchoring the ski area in the resort community. A group of citizens in the town, population 1,822, said Wednesday it would launch a campaign for a special townwide referendum to overturn the decision. The project survived one vote earlier this year. The largest redevelopment plan in the town's history ranks as the smallest village that Canadian resort developer Intrawest Corp. has proposed. Int...
FaulknerUSA Drops Out of Oklahoma City's $46.4 million Skirvin Hotel Project / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Steve Lackmeyer, The Daily OklahomanKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 20, 2004 - One-third of a team attempting to redevelop Oklahoma City's Skirvin Hotel has dropped out of the project -- but the remaining partners say the project remains "on track." Austin-based FaulknerUSA was an equity partner in the $46.4 million plan to renovate the landmark and reopen it as a Hilton Hotel. When Skirvin Partners was first formed, the company was hailed as a "recognized expert in orchestrating public-private developments" and a leading national developer of public private hospitality proje...
Singapore High Court Summons Starwood to Appear at Hearing Concerning Damages Awarded to Asia Hotel Investments Ltd / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Singapore High Court Summons Starwood to Appear at Hearing Concerning Damages Awarded to Asia Hotel Investments Ltd October 28, 2004 - The High Court of Singapore has summoned Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Starwood Asia Pacific Management Pte Ltd to appear with Asia Hotel Investments Ltd on Tuesday, November 2, 2004, to take the Court's directions and fix hearing dates for the assessment of damages due from Starwood in Asia Hotel's US$53 million lawsuit. The Singapore Courts had earlier found Starwood guilty for breach of an agreement which caused Asia Hotel to lose the...
The 101 room Shee Atika Hotel in Sitka, Alaska Has New Owners, New Name – The Westmark Sitka / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report The 101 room Shee Atika Hotel in Sitka, Alaska Has New Owners, New Name - The Westmark Sitka October 2004 - Westmark Hotels, a subsidiary of Holland America Line, announces a name change from Shee Atika Hotel to Westmark Sitka in Sitka, Alaska. This name change became official on September 28, 2004 when ownership changed from Shee Atika Corporation to Yoo Jin Lodging, Inc. Westmark Hotels will continue to manage the property. The Westmark Sitka is conveniently located downtown near the Sitka harbor and a short walking distance from the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center, St. Michael's,...
Offering Crushed Pepper Before Tasting the Entrée; The Decline of Restaurant Service Etiquette / John Hendrie / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Offering Crushed Pepper Before Tasting the Entrée; The Decline of Restaurant Service Etiquette By John Hendrie, October 2004 As we move along the food chain (types of restaurants), we have certain expectations of service, courtesy, discourse. But, what I find remarkable is the lack of regard for the customer and the guest by the Service Staff, often unwittingly disrespecting my patronage. Sadly, they have been trained no better. To echo Rodney Dangerfield, I get no respect. It begins with the greeting, Hello, guys, my name is XYZ, and Ill be your server tonight. Fi...
Mariner's Ichiro Suzuki May Draw 8,000 Japanese Visitors to Seattle in 2005 / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveKyodo News International, TokyoKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 4, 2004 - TOKYO -- Major Japanese tour operators are hoping there will be more demand next year for tours to the United States to watch major league baseball following the Seattle Mariners' outfielder Ichiro Suzuki's record-breaking performance this season. "We are hoping it will stir demand for tours to go and watch (major league) baseball matches next season," an official of a major travel agent said after Suzuki set a single-season major league hits record Friday when he increased his season total to 259 hits. JTB...
Going Beyond Search Engine Optimization; Converting Looks into Bookings / Bhanu Chopra / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Going Beyond Search Engine Optimization; Converting Looks into Bookings By Bhanu Chopra, October, 2004 If you are in the business of selling online travel to leisure travelers, you understand the value of Search Engine Optimization for attracting more customers to your website. Though the importance of SEO is relevant, what happens after you do get the customer to your website? It is important to understand their needs and present your product that helps convert the customer. With a rising look-to-book ratio, it is important to convert the looks into bookings. Estimates suggest cur...
Intrawest's Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort on Schedule with Multi-phase, $400 million Master Redevelopment Plan; 500 New Rooms in Pipeline / Oct
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Intrawest's Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort on Schedule with Multi-phase, $400 million Master Redevelopment Plan; 500 New Rooms in Pipeline Destin, Fla. (October 4, 2004) Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort ended its summer high season with record-breaking bookings. The resort closed the books on the 2003-2004 fiscal year, ending June 30, 2004, with a 14 percent increase in revenue over the previous year. The resorts newly designed website and e-commerce business contributed significantly to this growth with a 22 percent increase in room night bookings. The 2004-2005 fiscal year is o...
Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau Feeling Good About the Past, Number of Room Nights Booked Grows from 38,000 in 1984 to More than 500,000 Las
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Mike Gorrell, The Salt Lake TribuneKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 1, 2004 - Heading into the 20th anniversary of their organization, Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau officials are feeling good about the past and the future. Proud of the past because the number of "room nights" booked at county hotel rooms has grown from 38,000 in 1984 to more than 500,000 last year, boosting direct visitor spending in Utah's capital city from $11 million to $212 million. And optimistic about the future for multiple reasons: The city's single largest convention, the twice-yearly Outdoor...
It Wasn't Supposed to Happen this Way; Radisson on Okaloosa Island Closes After More than 50 years / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Morris Fraser, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton BeachKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 17, 2004 - Mattresses are stacked high in the lobby. Room refrigerators and television sets are in ordered ranks in the gift shop. But the guest rooms are empty. The historic Holiday Inn/Radisson is closing an era of tourism on what was once known as Tower Beach of more than 50 years. Owner French Quarter, which has operated the beach resort as the Radisson on Okaloosa Island since Jan. 1, 1998, has sold the property to Crescent Resources of Charlotte, N.C., which plans to build condom...
Samir R. Wildemann Appointed General Manager of Pan Pacific Bangkok / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Samir R. Wildemann Appointed General Manager of Pan Pacific Bangkok (Bangkok Thailand) - October 7, 2004 - Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts' President Ichigo Umehara recently announced the appointment of Samir R. Wildemann as the new General Manager of Pan Pacific Bangkok. For the past 17 years, Wildemann held various management and supervisory roles in the hotel industry. Prior to this appointment at Pan Pacific Bangkok, Wildemann was General Manager of Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, Phuket and then moved to Le Royal Meridien Baan Taling Ngam in Koh Samui. Samir R. W...
San Francisco Mayor Walks Picket Line at the Westin St. Francis; Reiterates Pledge to Divert City Business from the 14 Hotels Involved with Lockout
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy James Temple, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 27, 2004 - SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday briefly joined around 100 workers picketing the Westin Saint Francis, after 14 hotels here refused to end a two-week lockout affecting 4,000 employees before the mayor's deadline. "I won't let the corporate interests back East use San Francisco as a pawn," Newsom said at a rancorous press conference in front of the hotel, where he also reiterated a pledge to divert city business from the 14 hotels. "Why would I agree to do business wi...
Best Western Rio Rancho Inn and Conference Center Out of Receivership; Acquired by Total Management Systems / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Rory McClannahan, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 12, 2004 - RIO RANCHO, N.M. -- The Best Western Rio Rancho Inn and Conference Center is as much a part of Rio Rancho as AMREP Southwest. As a matter of fact, it was AMREP that gave life to the inn in 1967. Called the Panorama Inn at the time, the Rio Rancho Inn was the stopping place for prospective land buyers in a time before Intel and sprawling growth. "This place is as old as Rio Rancho," said Chuck Spurgeon, the inn's general manager. "It's a great property and a great location." And now, it's got...
Falor Companies Completes $12 million Renovation the 243 room Read House; The 78 Year Old Chattanooga Hotel Will be Branded Sheraton / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Mike Pare, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 1, 2004 - After years of partial renovations, a $12 million revamp of Chattanooga's Read House is to be finished this month when the hotel will unfurl a Sheraton flag, officials said Thursday. "It will bring more recognition to the Read House nationally," said general manager Dean Gerstein about the historic hotel's Sheraton affiliation. Operators of the 243-room property, under renovation since January, hope to quadruple its business in the coming year. While the standard corporate rate is $104, th...
Maxim Hotel Brokerage, Inc. Arranges the Sale of the 120-room Hilton Garden Inn Rancho Mirage, CA / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Maxim Hotel Brokerage, Inc. Arranges the Sale of the 120-room Hilton Garden Inn Rancho Mirage, CA NEWPORT BEACH, CA: October. 2004 Maxim Hotel Brokerage, Inc. has confirmed the sale of the 120-room Hilton Garden Inn in Rancho Mirage, California. The team of Jack Carr, Harry Pflueger and Chris Chiotis of Maxim Hotel Brokerages Newport Beach, CA office completed the transaction. Built in 2002 and continuing to ramp up in performance, the Hilton Garden Inn is a two-story, 120 room hotel located just steps from the deserts preeminent retail and entertainment venue, The River. The hote...
MeriStar Hospitality Acquires Interest in Radisson Lexington Hotel in Manhattan / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report MeriStar Hospitality Acquires Interest in Radisson Lexington Hotel in Manhattan ARLINGTON, Va., October 4, 2004 MeriStar Hospitality Corporation (NYSE: MHX), one of the nations largest hotel real estate investment trusts (REIT), today announced that it acquired an interest in the landmark 705-room Radisson Lexington Hotel, in Midtown Manhattan. MeriStar has made a $50 million structured investment which will provide a $5.75 million cumulative annual preferred return and a 49.99 percent equity participation. MeriStar financed this investment with cash on hand. We are...
Radisson Beach Resort on Okaloosa Island, Florida Sold, Will be Replaced by Condominiums / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Morris Fraser, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton BeachKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 12, 2004 - The Radisson Beach Resort has been sold and will be replaced by a condominium, according to the president of its management company. Marc Leffman, who has been general manager of the hotel since November, said the hotel would "go dark" Nov. 1. He and staff members are in the process of clearing out equipment. Leffman, who heads Innovative Hospitality Management, would not reveal the name of the new owner, other than to say it will be a division of a larger corporation. "It...
Italian Hotel Chain Starhotels Makes Strategic Decision On How to Manage Online Distribution Channels / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Italian Hotel Chain Starhotels Makes Strategic Decision On How to Manage Online Distribution Channels Milan, Italy October, 11, 2004 having used RateTiger Shopper by eRevMax for the last 2 years, Starhotels S.p.A. Italy has also chosen RTAllocator to manage its distribution channels. Working with RateTiger has been very beneficial to our hotels. We have been able to stay ahead of the competition with our pricing strategies which has had a direct effect on our bottom line said Elisabetta Fabri, VP and General Manager. RT Shopper allows you to constantly monitor your competitions prices on...
Richard A. Smith Appointed FelCor's Chief Financial Officer and EVP / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Richard A. Smith Appointed FelCor's Chief Financial Officer and EVP IRVING, Texas, Oct. 13, 2004 - FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated (NYSE: FCH), today announced Richard A. Smith as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President. Smith, 42, was most recently with Wyndham International as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He was responsible for the company's financial strategy and operations. Smith joined Wyndham International in September 1999 as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. Smith also previously worked with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Worldwide, Inc.,...
April 30, 2004
Lets Put Bush and Kerry Through the RFP Process By David M. Brudney, ISHC October 2004 Along with most Americans, Ive been watching the candidates debate on TV this fall. I find the debates very interesting but not necessarily that useful for my voting tastes. There always seems to be a follow up question that isnt asked, an answer in need of clarification, or a claim that goes unchallenged. Frankly, I think the candidates get off far too easily. All too often, voters are asked to make leaps of faith on what the candidates are promising, when the candidates state facts, or when each attempts to correct the o...
Ravaged by Charley, the 100 room Holiday Inn in Punta Gorda, Florida to be Demolished / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Dan Mearns, The Sun, Port Charlotte, Fla.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 19, 2004 - PUNTA GORDA, Fla. -- Damage caused by Hurricane Charley and inflicted by looters after the storm has rendered the Punta Gorda Holiday Inn uninhabitable, and the structure will be demolished early next month. Before then, the salvageable contents of the hotel and the in-house Coconuts Restaurant will sold at public auction. The sale will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 and 31 in the parking lot of the hotel on the Punta Gorda side of the northbound U.S. 41 bridge over Charlotte Harbor. The hotel ...
Parker Purchasing Technologies Announces General Release and Deployment of Prollinx 3.0, the Easiest, Most Comprehensive Web-native Purchasing Softwar
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Parker Purchasing Technologies Announces General Release and Deployment of Prollinx 3.0, the Easiest, Most Comprehensive Web-native Purchasing Software Available Miami, FL October 14, 2004 Parker Purchasing Technologies, LLP., an innovator of web-native purchasing software for the Hospitality Industry, today announced the immediate availability and deployment of Prollinx version 3.0 to customers around the world. Robust and flexible, version 3.0 is an easy to use, yet comprehensive purchasing tool offered as a hosted application which eliminates software installation, additional hardware p...
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Uncanny! Hotel Occupancies Key Indicator of Presidential Election Outcome Hospitality Research Group uses historical data to predict winner ATLANTA, Georgia, October 28, 2004 Hotel occupancy trends have accurately predicted the winner of the past three Presidential elections, according to The Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting (HRG). Many find our methods uncanny, but are forced to bow in the face of the facts, says HRGs Executive Managing Director Mark Woodworth, tongue slightly in cheek. Using hotel occupancy as its talisman, HRG accurately...
