Advantage Gambler Wins $400,000 Judgment Against Imperial Palace, Las Vegas; Roughed Up for No Reason / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveLas Vegas Review-JournalKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 5, 2004 - Advantage gambler James Grosjean beat the odds by winning a $400,000 judgment against a Strip casino that a jury agreed violated his rights four years ago. The case's conclusion is unusual for advantage gambling cases, which are normally dismissed or settled out of court and for much less, usually between $15,000 to $20,000, according to several local attorneys. In Grosjean's case, a Clark County District Court jury recently found Grosjean's rights were violated by the Imperial Palace when security guards at the S...

G. Michael Thomas Promoted to Regional Vice President, ClubCorp / November 2004

April 30, 2004

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 G. Michael Thomas Promoted to Regional Vice President, ClubCorp Thomas to Oversee Additional Austin-Area Clubs Austin, Texas – November 4, 2004 – G. Michael Thomas, president and COO, Barton Creek Resort & Spa, was recently promoted to Regional Vice President, and in addition to his duties at Barton Creek, wi...

Belmonte Leads Session On Improving Franchise Relationships At IH/M&R Show / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Belmonte Leads Session On Improving Franchise Relationships At IH/M&R Show Randolph, N.J. — Nov. 2, 2004 —On Sunday, November 14, Steven J. Belmonte, Founder, President and C.E.O. of Hospitality Solutions LLC, will lead an educational session at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York titled “Franchisor/Franchisee: The Ulimtate Love/Hate Relationship.”  The session (10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon in Room 1D03-04) will highlight new ways to get increased value out of a franchise agreement. “This educational session focuses on ‘Fair Franchising,’ a topic that is oftentimes co...

Unique, Unusual, and Not-to-be-missed – Fodor's Choice Hotels 2005 / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Unique, Unusual, and Not-to-be-missed -  Fodor's Choice Hotels 2005 Fodor's List Answers the Question - What Really Makes a Hotel the Best?      NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2004 - When asked to name the world's best hotels, travelers almost reflexively name the world's most expensive lodgings.  One can hardly begrudge the status and grandeur of the world's Four Seasons and Ritz Carltons, but does being luxurious necessarily make a hotel the best?  Or the best choice for you?      The Fodor's Choice Hotels 2005 list is the annual round up of the Fodor's editors top picks for hote...

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   FastBooking Celebrates 2,000th Customer Milestone with Installation of Industry Leading Internet Booking Engine at New York’s Hotel 5A  NEW YORK — November 2, 2004 — FastBooking is celebrating a major milestone with the 2,000th installation of its industry leading Internet booking engine at New York’s Hotel 5A. The company, headquartered in Paris with an office in New York, announced the milestone this week.   Ed Brill “We are thrilled about this achievement,” says Ed Brill, chief manager Americas for FastBooking. “It is important because it is a milestone our company h...

New Growth and Design Directions for Fairfield Inn by Marriott; Initiatives Include Eliminating 40 Underperforming Hotels by Year end / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  New Growth and Design Directions for Fairfield Inn by Marriott; Initiatives Include Eliminating 40 Underperforming Hotels by Year-end WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nov. 10, 2004 - Fairfield Inn by Marriott, the company's "value" brand, today announced new initiatives - including growth and design directions - for Fairfield Inn & Suites properties that will improve guest satisfaction and service by year-end 2004 and aggressively drive growth and RevPAR into 2005. Liam Brown, senior vice president of owner and franchise services for Fairfield Inn by Marriott, announced these plans at a media briefi...

Four Seasons Hotels Inc. Posts Net Loss of C$11.1 million Compared with a Profit of C$4.4 million in 2003; Worldwide RevPAR Up 14.6% / Hotel Operating

April 30, 2004

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 Four Seasons Hotels Inc. Posts Net Loss of C$11.1 million Compared with a Profit of C$4.4 million in 2003;  Worldwide RevPAR Up 14.6% Hotel Operating Statistics TORONTO, Nov. 4, 2004 - Four Seasons Hotels Inc. (TSX Symbol "FSH.SV"; NYSE Symbol "FS") today reported its results for the third quarter ended September ...

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   Florida International University’s Classrooms Go Global ,. -Hospitality Professionals Have Opportunity to Earn Master’s Degree from Home November 2004 - The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University proudly presents a unique Executive Master of Science Degree Distance Program. This program is designed with busy hospitality/tourism executives in mind. Learn on your own time at your own location -- and obtain your Master's Degree in just twenty months. . "The distance learning program is the only way to go. I would be unable to pursue my Master's ...

Extended-stay Hotels Driven by Customers With Long-term Assignments and an Interest if Frugality; About 3 Extended-stay Properties Built for Every

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Leon Stafford, The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 14, 2004 - If you want to know what's happening in the economy, just visit your local extended-stay hotel. For the past three years, the apartment-like properties have reflected economic changes through who stays in them. When the overall economy faltered but low interest rates fueled residential construction, many extended-stays were filled with construction crews and homeowners waiting to move into new or renovated houses. Now, as the economy has picked up, so have the numbers of corporate trainers an...

Evergreen Pte Ltd. Contracts with Four Seasons to Operate Hotel in Beijing; Stefan Simkovics Appointed General Manager of the 300 room Four Seasons Ho

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Evergreen Pte Ltd. Contracts with Four Seasons to Operate Hotel in Beijing - Stefan Simkovics Appointed General Manager of the 300 room Four Seasons Hotel Beijing Opening in 2005 TORONTO, Nov. 9, 2004 - Four Seasons announced that it has signed an agreement with Evergreen Pte Ltd. to manage a new hotel in Beijing, scheduled to open in mid 2006. With this announcement, Four Seasons establishes itself in China's three most important markets. Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai opened in 2002, and Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong is scheduled to open in 2005. "We look forward to opening th...

Erie Hoteliers Oppose Public Financing for Proposed 200 room Hotel at Erie's Planned Convention Center / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy George Miller, Erie Times-News, Pa.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 28, 2004 - HVS International believes the proposed 200-room host hotel for Erie's planned convention center will have an occupancy rate of 67 percent a few years after its start-up. U.S. Realty Consultants thinks the occupancy will rise only to about 60 percent, and that the hotel won't make money. Those differing occupancy figures -- and other projections -- are likely to play a central role in what is expected to be a contentious debate over the next couple of months over whether public financing should build ...

Wynn Resorts Intends to Expand Las Vegas Site; Adding $900 million 1,500 Suite Hotel Tower / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Wynn Resorts Intends to Expand Las Vegas Site;  Adding $900 million 1,500 Suite Hotel Tower  LAS VEGAS - Nov. 8, 2004 -- Wynn Resorts, Limited (Nasdaq:WYNN) announced today its intended expansion of its Wynn Las Vegas project on 20 acres of land adjacent to the existing site. The new development, tentatively named "Encore at Wynn Las Vegas," may include an approximately 1,500 suite hotel tower, additional casino space and additional restaurants, a spa and swimming pools, and retail and convention space designed to capitalize on the significant infrastructure of Wynn Las Vegas, which is s...

Empire Resorts to Acquire Concord and Grossinger's Catskill Mountain Resorts and 72 holes of Golf; Consolidation of the Two Properties Provides S

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Empire Resorts to Acquire Concord and Grossinger's Catskill Mountain Resorts and 72 holes of Golf;  Consolidation of the Two Properties Provides Strategic Locations For Future Gaming and Resort Development Acquisition of Over 1,200 Acres Includes -- Sites for Future Development of Native American Casinos, Hotels, and Monster, International, Challenger and Grossinger's Golf Courses MONTICELLO, N.Y. -- Nov. 15, 2004 -- Empire Resorts, Inc. ("Empire"; NASDAQ: NYNY) has filed an 8-K with the Securities & Exchange Commission reporting that, on November 12, 2004, with the una...

Emerson Inn & Spa Named 'Most Outstanding Inn' in North America by Conde Nast Johansens / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Emerson Inn & Spa Named 'Most Outstanding Inn' in North America by Conde Nast Johansens MOUNT TREMPER, N.Y., Nov. 29, 2004 - The Emerson Inn and Spa, which has been featured in a number of leading travel publications, has been selected for one of the tourism industry's most prestigious honors, establishing its presence among the world's finest luxury inns. Named the "Most Outstanding Inn" in North America, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Pacific by Conde Nast Johansens, The Emerson received the honor during a recent ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Conde Nast Johansen...

Federal Aviation Administration Rules John Q. Hammons' Proposed 10 Story Embassy Suites Too Tall for Omaha Airport Site / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Stacie Hamel, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 18, 2004 - Developers of a proposed $50 million hotel in La Vista would have to lop off a third of the design's height to fit under the Federal Aviation Administration's airspace restrictions around the Millard Airport. The FAA has ruled that the 10-story hotel would create a hazard for aircraft trying to land. Developer John Q. Hammons' proposed Embassy Suites Hotel near 126th and Harrison Streets would be, at 120 feet, 39 feet too high, according to the FAA. Hammons is developing the 280- to 300-room hote...

Elsafe Asks: Are Your In-Room Safes REALLY Safe? / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Elsafe Asks:  Are Your In-Room Safes REALLY Safe? Only Elsafe has achieved the prestigious UL listing in the 1037 anti-theft device category, passing physical break-in, endurance and jarring tests; UL listing also covers safes with optional 110v duplex outlets, making them compliant with the National Electrical Code DALLAS — NOVEMBER 14, 2004 — Since many safes on the market today can be easily opened within 30 seconds by experienced thieves, it is important to know that only Elsafe in-room safes have passed extensive testing for physical break-ins, endurance and jarring by the worl...

Electrobug Launches Rate Change & Rate Parity Control, Offering Hotels One-Click Rate Parity / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Electrobug Launches Rate Change & Rate Parity Control, Offering Hotels "One-Click Rate Parity" LONDON -- 23 November 2004 - To complement its Rate Check product, Electrobug is pleased to announce two new products which should prove to be a major improvement on the status quo of revenue and distribution managers. Both these products will be on display at Electrobug's booth at the HEDNA conference in Los Angeles on December 7-9. The first product, Rate Change, enables hotels to change rates and allocations on multiple extranets through one interface. By integrating with its Rate Check product,...

Orient-Express Hotels Acquires El Encanto Hotel in Santa Barbara, California for $26 million / November 2004

April 30, 2004

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 Orient-Express Hotels Acquires El Encanto Hotel in Santa Barbara, California for $26 million HAMILTON, Bermuda, November 8, 2004 - Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. (NYSE: OEH), investor in 47 leisure properties in 21 countries (39 of which it manages) announced today the acquisition of the El Encanto Hotel and Garden Vill...

The 2004 IH/M&RS Editors' Choice Awards Presented to Six Companies; Rational Cooking Systems Voted 'Best of Show' / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report The 2004 IH/M&RS Editors' Choice Awards Presented to Six Companies; Rational Cooking Systems Voted “Best of Show”  NEW YORK, NY, November 14, 2004…The ninth annual Editors’ Choice Awards were presented to six winners, along with the Kenneth F. Hine award for “Best of Show”, during the opening ceremony of the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show® (IH/M&RS), at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Editors from the top hospitality and culinary trade publications reviewed more than 130 submissions and selected outstanding new products in six categories: Décor, ...

Less than Four Years after Opening, the Earl Holding's Grand America Hotel Designated a Five Diamond Hotel by AAA / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Mike Gorrell, The Salt Lake TribuneKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 12, 2004 - Less than four years after it opened, the Grand America Hotel has reached the elite status of being designated a Five Diamond Hotel by AAA. The prestigious ranking will be announced today and formalized Monday in a ceremony at the ornate Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The Grand America becomes Salt Lake City's first hotel -- and only the second in Utah, following Deer Valley's Stein Eriksen Lodge -- to receive a Five Diamond rating from the not-for-profit travel organization, representing 82 motor clu...

ClubResorts Selects E-site Marketing as Website Development and Internet Marketing Partner / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report ClubResorts Selects E-site Marketing as Website Development and Internet Marketing Partner Bethesda, MD (November 16, 2004) -- E-site Marketing, L.L.C. was recently chosen to partner with ClubResorts, a division of ClubCorp, to provide online marketing services to their resorts across the United States. E-site Marketing will initiate the partnership with Pinehurst, one of ClubCorp’s nationally recognized golf resorts.  Utilizing a strategic e-business plan, E-site Marketing will provide customized products and services, including a new website and Internet Marketing program. “We are honored ...

Ella Messerli, General Manager of the Marquis Los Cabos Resort, Honored as Maître Hotelier by the Gastronomic Society La Chaîne des R&ocir

April 30, 2004

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 Ella Messerli, General Manager of the Marquis Los Cabos Resort, Honored as “Maître Hotelier” by the Gastronomic Society La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Los Cabos, Mexico (November 30, 2004) – Ella Messerli, General Manager of the Marquis Los Cabos, Beach, Golf, Spa and Casitas Resorts, Los Cabos, Mexico, was honored ...

Educational Institute Announces New Training and Education Advisory Council; Industry Leaders Will Guide Development of Hospitality Training Resources

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Educational Institute Announces New Training and Education Advisory Council Industry Leaders Will Guide Development of Hospitality Training Resources NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.— November 13, 2004 - A new Training and Education Advisory Council has been established to assist the Educational Institute in its development of targeted training resources for the hospitality industry, announced Anthony Farris, CHA, chairman of the board of directors of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation at a board meeting held Saturday, November 13,  during the AH&LA Fall Conference. The Advisory Coun...

Eric Adame Appointed General Manager for Hotel ICON, Houston / November 2004

April 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Eric Adame Appointed General Manager for Hotel ICON, Houston THE WOODLANDS (HOUSTON), TEXAS, November 2004 - Benchmark Hospitality International has announced the appointment of Eric Adame as general manager for Hotel ICON.  The exclusive property is a Personal Luxury Hotel by Benchmark, and is set in the Landmark Union National Bank Building at the gateway to downtown Houston's arts & entertainment district.  Burt Cabanas, founder, chairman & CEO of Benchmark Hospitality, made the announcement.  The appointment represents a promotion for Adame, a highly accomplished hotelier with...