Analysis-Companies Boost Social and Climate Reporting Amid ESG Backlash
November 4th, 2024
Philippe Attia Named Vice President, Operations Europe for Dolce International / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Philippe Attia Named Vice President, Operations Europe for Dolce International United Kingdom 12th October 2004: Dolce International, the global conference centre company, has announced a restructure of its European corporate team designed to support continued growth in its key European markets. Philippe Attia, currently Regional Area Director for Southern Europe and Managing Director of Dolce Chantilly, has been promoted to Vice President, Operations Europe, and will assume responsibility for European property operations. He will continue in his role as Managing Director of Chan...
Confrontation Between Striking Workers and Atlantic City Casino Hotels More Likely to Intensify than End / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-JournalKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 21, 2004 - The simmering confrontation between Culinary Local 226 and Harrah's Entertainment's more than 10,000 striking casino workers in Atlantic City is far more likely to intensify than end any time soon, union and company executives said Wednesday. The striking union bartenders, cocktail servers, housekeepers, porters, food servers and counter servers walked off their jobs Oct. 1 at seven Atlantic City casinos, including two owned by Harrah's. Three others are owned by Caesars Entertainment, which Harrah'...
Atlanta's 92,000 Hotel Rooms Hoping for Strong 2005; Limited-service Hotel Performance Expected to be Stronger than Full-service Hotels / Octob
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Leon Stafford, The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 6, 2004 - More travelers are expected next year at hotels across metro Atlanta. But it's the bargain over-nighters along interstates -- not the posh towers lining Peachtree Street -- that should fare best as leisure travelers continue to outnumber business travelers. Economy hotels, especially those outside I-285, will draw most of the area's leisure travelers, said Mark Woodworth of PKF, a hospitality consulting firm that recently released its annual report on the Atlanta hotel industry. He predic...
Mulpha Australia Ltd's Acquisition of Principal Hotel Group's Australian Properties Voted Deal of the Year at the 15th annual Hotel Investme
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Mulpha Australia Ltd's Acquisition of Principal Hotel Group's Australian Properties Voted Deal of the Year at the 15th annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific COSTA MESA, California, USA --- October 28, 2004 - Riding a wave of increased investment activity in China and the rest of Asia, the 15th Annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) drew a record crowd of top hotel industry leaders to Hong Kong October 13-15, 2004. Nearly 500 delegates attended the event, which has become the largest gathering of its kind in the region. HICAP is hosted by Burba Hot...
ARAMARK Harrison Lodging Grows Conference Center Niche Through Marketing, Services and Strong Financial Reporting / October 2004
April 30, 2004
ARAMARK Harrison Lodging Grows Conference Center Niche Through Marketing, Services and Strong Financial Reporting . Utilizes Best of Class Back Office Supplier Aptech for Seven Conference Centers October, 2004 - ARAMARK Harrison Lodging is a unique lodging management company with over 50 properties in its portfolio that offers something different than traditional convention hotel operation to owners. AHL focuses on organizations committed to life long learning, said Mike Fahner, vice president of sales and marketing at ARAMARK Harrison Lodging (AHL). We partner with colleges and conference center owners to c...
Highland Hospitality Corporation Acquires the 197-room Sheraton Annapolis for $18.0 million, or $91,400 per room / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Highland Hospitality Corporation Acquires the 197-room Sheraton Annapolis for $18.0 million, or $91,400 per room MCLEAN, VA, October 26, 2004 - Highland Hospitality Corporation (NYSE:HIH), a lodging real estate investment trust, or REIT, announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the 197-room Sheraton Annapolis hotel. The purchase price for the hotel is $18.0 million, or approximately $91,400 per room. James L. Francis, Highlands President and CEO, stated, We are very excited about our planned acquisition of the Sheraton Annapolis hotel. We beli...
A $29 million Hotel and Water Park on Track in Amana, Iowa / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Dave DeWitte, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IowaKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Sep. 30, 2004 - A $29 million hotel and water park that encountered zoning opposition at a site south of the Amana Colonies Golf Course last year is back on the drawing board at a site on the golf course's extreme northern edge. The Amana Society board of directors has agreed to sell 35 acres of land currently where a maintenance building is located for the development, according to a letter from board Chairman Reynold Moessner to the Society's stockholders. That land was already under lease to Amana Colo...
Alticor, Which Owns and Operates the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Planning a 300-400 room Marriott in Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Alticor, Which Owns and Operates the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Planning a 300-400 room Marriott in Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 5, 2004 - The respected brand name and travel networking power of Marriott International, Inc., will help steer convention-goers and other business travelers to Grand Rapids' new downtown hotel, Alticor Inc. announced today. Alticor chairman Steve Van Andel said: "Marriott is a great brand. Grand Rapids is a great city. There's no better combination. We are proud to put the Marriott name on our new hotel." The new hotel, which w...
Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau Wants Downtown Hotel with 800 rooms; Difficult to Compete with Tucson, Colorado Springs and Salt Lake Cit
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Rosalie Rayburn, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 18, 2004 - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The president of the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau is prescribing a new upscale, full-service hotel as the tonic to stimulate growth in the city's convention business. Dale Lockett, who became bureau president in January, says Albuquerque has too many limited-service hotels and not enough full-service properties that offer restaurants and meeting space for business visitors. In particular, the city needs a "headquarter hotel," a full-service hotel Downtown wi...
Age Discrimination Suit Filed Against Holiday Inn Express Hotels in Michigan for Turning Away People Who are Older than 18 but Under 21 / October 2
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Ben Schmitt, Detroit Free PressKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 21, 2004 - Thomas Zinn can go off to Iraq and fight a war, but he couldn't rent a room at two area Holiday Inn Express hotels. For that reason, Zinn, 20, and his 18-year-old girlfriend, Theresa Taylor, both of Zeeland in western Michigan, enlisted the American Civil Liberties Union to file an age discrimination lawsuit Wednesday against companies that own the Holiday Inn Express in downtown Detroit and the former Holiday Inn Express in Birmingham. Zinn, a member of the Army Reserve and a sophomore at Davenport Uni...
Hotels, Conference Centers, CVB's See Increased Number of Meeting Planners at HSMAI's 2004 Affordable Meetings Events; Schedule Set for 2005
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Hotels, Conference Centers, CVB's See Increased Number of Meeting Planners at HSMAI's 2004 Affordable Meetings Events; Schedule Set for 2005 MCLEAN, VA (Oct. 21, 2004) Organizers of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association Internationals (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings® events report that the three-show series welcomed more meeting planners and exhibitors this year than in 2003. A total of 3,419 meeting planners participated in 2004 (1,171 at Mid-America, 620 at West and 1,628 at National) as compared to 3,320 planners in 2003. In terms of exhibiting companies, HSMAIs Affo...
The Abbey Resort & Spa on Wisconsin's Geneva Lake Temporarily Closes for Multi-million Dollar Tranformation into a Condo-tel / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Chris Schultz, The Janesville Gazette, Wis.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 12, 2004 - FONTANA, Wis. -- The Abbey Resort & Spa announced to employees Friday that it plans to close from late November to mid-January while the first phase of work is done on a multi-million dollar renovation of the 41-year-old hotel. According to a news release from the Abbey Group Resorts of Oak Brook, Ill., the resort, on the shores of Geneva Lake in Fontana, will be fully renovated by Memorial Day 2005. Meanwhile, Fontana Village Administrator Kelly Hayden-Staggs said the village isn't too conce...
Atlantic City, N.J., Casino Strike is War of Words, Different Worlds / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Jacqueline L. Urgo, The Philadelphia InquirerKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 16, 2004 - ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- It is the struggle of the $8-an-hour workers versus the multibillion-dollar casino industry that is being played out in the streets, meeting rooms and gaming floors of this gambling mecca. It is a war of words, picketing civil disobedience, and a blitz of newspaper and radio ads. The casino strategy is to claim the strike has had no effect on its business and that it will hold out until the union agrees to a five-year pact. Local 54 of Unite Here counters that its me...
Atlantic City Strike Enters Fourth Day; Hotels Closing Guest Room Floors, Not Able to Provide Housekeeping and Other Services / October 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Atlantic City Strike Enters Fourth Day; Hotels Closing Guest Room Floors, Not Able to Provide Housekeeping and Other Services By Jacqueline L. Urgo Inquirer Staff Writer Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News ATLANTIC CITY, October 4, 2004 - As the strike between 10,000 casino-hotel union members and seven of the city's 12 gaming halls enters its fourth day today - the longest strike in the resort's casino history - many are beginning to wonder just how long it will last. And how much the standoff will end up costing. As the state's largest private employer, Atlantic City's c...
Worldwide Electronic Hotel Bookings Increase 5% in Third Quarter / November 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Worldwide Electronic Hotel Bookings Increase 5% in Third Quarter . Hotel revenue from electronic channels up more than 12% Chicago (November 29, 2004) - TravelCLICK's eMonitor results for the third quarter of 2004 show that worldwide electronic hotel bookings were up 4.7% for the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and Internet combined. Hotel revenue from the electronic channels also increased 12.1% as the Average Daily Rate (ADR) rose 6% over the same period last year. Hotel room nights booked electronically through the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and key Internet sites were al...
Zagat Survey 2005 – Top U.S. Hotel and Restaurant Ratings; Peninsula Chicago and Peninsula Beverly Hills Ranked #1 and #2, Fitness Centers the
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Zagat Survey 2005 - Top U.S. Hotel and Restaurant Ratings; Peninsula Chicago and Peninsula Beverly Hills Ranked #1 and #2 Fitness Centers the Most Important Hotel Amenity, Italian is Americans' Preferred Cuisine NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2004 - Zagat Survey(R), the world's leading provider of consumer survey-based leisure content, today released both its 2005 America's Top Restaurant Guide and its 2005 Top U.S. Hotels, Resorts & Spas Guide. This marks the 26th year that Zagat Survey has reported on the shared experiences of diners and the 19th year the company has covered hotels, resorts a...
Interstate Hotels & Resorts Signs Agreement to Manage the Historic Yorktowne Hotel in York, Pennsylvania / November 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Interstate Hotels & Resorts Signs Agreement to Manage the Historic Yorktowne Hotel in York, Pennsylvania ARLINGTON, Va. - Nov. 1, 2004 -- Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: IHR), the nation's largest independent hotel management company, today announced that it has signed an agreement to manage The Yorktowne Hotel in historic York, Pa. The 122-room landmark property is a member of the National Trust's Historic Hotels of America, an elite group of hotels nationwide that are listed in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel is owned by a partnership known as Th...
Wynn Las Vegas Begins the Hiring Process for 9,000 Employees; $2.5 billion Project On Time and On Budget / November 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-JournalKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 31, 2004 - Curtains up. It's showtime at Wynn Las Vegas. With design work done, financing complete and shell construction wrapping up, the $2.5 billion project becomes operational Monday when it starts hiring an expected 9,000 line employees, developer Steve Wynn said. "We've passed the tipping point," he said. "However good we were at design and financing, it's the people who bring it to life. The hiring part is the real game; Sunday afternoon at the Masters." This time around, Wynn has his fans, and skeptics a...
The Former Radisson O'Hare Rebrands to the Wyndham; Managed by Aimbridge Hospitality the 467 room Hotel Will Undergo $6 million Renovation / Nove
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report The Former Radisson O'Hare Rebrands to the Wyndham; Managed by Aimbridge Hospitality the 467 room Hotel Will Undergo $6 million Renovation DALLAS - Nov. 1, 2004 -- Wyndham International, Inc. (AMEX:WBR) and Aimbridge Hospitality today announced the opening of the 467-room Wyndham O'Hare Airport, located in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Ill. The hotel, formerly the Radisson O'Hare, converted to the Wyndham brand through a long-term franchise agreement with the hotel's owner, Multi-Employer Hotel Partners, LP. The Wyndham O'Hare, which is managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, mar...
Red McCombs, Owner of the Minnesota Vikings, Wins County Support for Village at Wolf Creek in Southern Colorado; Includes 1,200 Hotel Rooms, Would
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Erin Smith, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 29, 2004 - CREEDE, Colo. -- Despite heavy opposition and requests to hold off on a decision, Mineral County commissioners, after about eight hours of hearings on Tuesday, unanimously approved a land use development plan and zoning for the controversial Village at Wolf Creek. Chairman Lonnie Rogers said the commission plans to decide Monday upon the developers' application for designation of a new phase, phase one. The 287 acres of mountain property east of the Wolf Creek Ski Area and south of U.S. 160 coul...
Winston Hotels Finds Business Niche with Mezzanine Loans to Hotel Developers; New Direction May Lead to Up to $100 million in Outstanding Loans in
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Dudley Price, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 16, 2004 - RALEIGH, N.C. -- Winston Hotels has spent the past decade developing dozens of inns nationwide. Now the Raleigh-based real estate investment trust is lending money to other companies to develop their own hotels. Since 2000, Winston Hotels has loaned $20.7 million to companies to develop new hotels or renovate existing ones, including a $5.5 million loan last month to build a 188-room Residence Inn by Marriott in St. Louis. In two years, executives said outstanding loans to other hotel d...
Having Introduced Free Wired High-speed Internet Service in all Guest Rooms in 1999, Wingate Inn® Hotels Now Also Provides Free Wireless Internet
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Having Introduced Free Wired High-speed Internet Service in all Guest Rooms in 1999, Wingate Inn® Hotels Now Also Provides Free Wireless Internet Access in all Guest Rooms PARSIPPANY, N.J. (Nov. 22, 2004) Wingate Inns International today announced the introduction of free wireless high-speed Internet access in guest rooms and public areas at its hotels throughout the United States and Canada. Guests with wireless-equipped laptops can access the Internet at speeds of up to 50 times faster than 56 Kbps dialup. Wingate Inn President Keith Pierce said the introduction of free wi...
Greater Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau Takes Some Heat Over Grammatically Incorrect Slogan "Wichita — We Got the Goods" / No
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Deb Gruver, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 10, 2004 - Raleigh Drennon ain't stupid. The man behind the tag line for the city's new marketing campaign, "Wichita -- We Got the Goods," Drennon knows the rules of the English language. But he also knows when to break them. Vice president and senior writer at the Greteman Group, Drennon realizes some people aren't taking to "We Got the Goods," criticizing it for being grammatically incorrect. "Oh, great. Now our new Wichita slogan shows that we're grammatically ignorant," said one caller to The Eagle's Opinion ...
Web Site Optimization for Hotels; Content and Ease of Use / Richard Zwicky / November 2004
April 30, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Web Site Optimization for Hotels by Richard Zwicky, November 2004 When visitors first arrive at your web site they are craving two important features. First and foremost content. People visit a web site because it is a source of information, they come back because it is good, credible content. Secondly, consumers want things simple. They don't want to have to learn how your web site works, or spend any time discovering how to get to point B. Consumers crave ease of use, and they want to be able to get to all the information they deem relevant as quickly and easily as humanly possible. ...
