Developer of Proposed 329 room Civic Center Marriott Hotel Entering Eighth Year of Negotiations with City of Tallahassee / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Rocky Scott, Tallahassee Democrat, Fla.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 25, 2004 - A newly appointed Civic Center Authority member's frustration over lengthy delays and spiraling cost estimates for the construction of a Marriott hotel drew an outburst Tuesday from the developer handling the project. "If you want to build a hotel, build a hotel," said Bruce Host, a former Leon County commissioner told developer Thomas Strauss in a meeting of the authority's hotel committee. "If you want to build condos, build condos." Host said the project had been delayed for eight years and a...

New Renaissance Las Vegas to Offer StayOnline's Wired and Wireless Network / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   New Renaissance Las Vegas to Offer StayOnline's Wired and Wireless Network StayOnline Rolls with a Vegas Connection Atlanta, GA, August 19, 2004 -- Contemporary design and high tech amenities will combine for a unique Vegas experience at the new Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, a new meetings and convention hotel adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.  The new hotel, which is scheduled to open early in 2005, will be adaptable to its guest’s needs for either wireless or wired High Speed Internet Access (HSIA), thanks to leading provider StayOnline, which was awarded the contract to ...

Stranded Airline Passengers and Regular Guests Benefit from StayOnline's Wireless Solution in Dayton / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   Stranded Airline Passengers and Regular Guests Benefit from StayOnline's Wireless Solution in Dayton Atlanta, GA – August 23, 2004-- StayOnline’s new wireless High Speed Internet Access service at the Dayton Airport Hotel has made a big difference with customers who visit the hotel, either by choice or by chance.  The hotel, located a stone’s throw from the Dayton, Ohio Airport, is often a voucher night’s stay for stranded airline passengers. “Shortly after we got the service installed, a gentleman came into the hotel with a very long face. It seems he was a displaced airline passe...

California, Florida and New York Top Three States in Spending by Domestic and International Travelers / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report California, Florida and New York Top Three States in Spending by Domestic and International Travelers Washington, DC --  According to data excerpted from the latest edition of the Impact of Travel on State Economies, published by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), California ranked number one overall in terms of total spending by domestic and international travelers, earning over $68 billion in expenditures.  Rounding out the top three were Florida ($54.5 billion) and New York ($34.4 billion).  These rankings are based on 2002 data—the most current year for which equ...

Dolce Selects StarCite To Power New Meetings Desk; Conference Leader Uses Lead Management Technology To Deliver Exceptional Service To Planners 24/7 /

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report     Dolce Selects StarCite To Power New Meetings Desk  . Conference Leader Uses Lead Management Technology To Deliver Exceptional Service To Planners 24/7 PHILADELPHIA AND MONTVALE, N.J. – Aug. 25, 2004 - StarCite, Inc., leading provider of innovative Web-based technologies and services for the $300 billion global meetings and events industry, today announced that Dolce International Conference & Resort Destinations selected StarCite’s lead management technology to power a new 24-hour call center for meeting planners. Using a custom version of StarCite’s RapidRFP®, call center em...

Following $40 million Reconstruction, Stanford Hotels to Brand 306-room San Diego Property the Marriott Gaslamp Quarter / Aug 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   Following $40 million Reconstruction, Stanford Hotels to Brand 306-room San Diego Property the Marriott Gaslamp Quarter SAN DIEGO - August 2, 2004 - Stanford Hotels Corporation announced today that its downtown San Diego property has officially been named the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter. The hotel is in the midst of a $40 million reconstruction and will operate as a Marriott franchise.   Opening December 2004 just across the street from the new Major League Ballpark, Petco Park, the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter hotel is undergoing a complete reconstruction of its exter...

Morgans Hotel Group Exploring Sale of St. Martins Lane and Sanderson Hotel in London / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Morgans Hotel Group Exploring Sale of St. Martins Lane and Sanderson Hotel in London NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2004 - Ian Schrager, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morgans Hotel Group, today announced that he has received expressions of interest to purchase two of his London Hotels -- the St. Martins Lane and Sanderson Hotel -- and, accordingly, MHG is retaining a property agent to explore the possible sale of those properties.  MHG will retain management of the properties in any sale that might take place.      "Given today's market and the prices we believe we can obtain for...

Spa Service has One Key Flaw: it Ends the Moment a Guest Leaves the Spa to Return to His or Her Room / Aug 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Spa Service has One Key Flaw: it Ends the Moment a Guest Leaves the Spa to Return to His or Her Room by Steven Ferry, August 2004 Many high-end hotels and resorts offer spa services and are looking for a way to excel even further and so differentiate themselves in the minds of their guests. The same could be said of the butler service offered by many such institutions. Both programs add value and prestige, but is there a way to improve these service offerings? The short answer is, “Yes!” Spa service has one key flaw: it ends the moment a guest leaves the spa to return to his ...

T. O. Sooraj Appointed Director of Kerala Tourism / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report T. O. Sooraj Appointed Director of Kerala Tourism   August 19, 2004 - Former District Collector of Kozhikode, Kerala, Mr. T O Sooraj has taken over charge as the Director of Kerala (India) Tourism. He succeeds Mr. Alkesh Kumar Sharma, who has now been posted as Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation in the Union Government.   An IAS officer of the 1994 batch, Mr. Sooraj has also served as the District Collector of Trichur and Inspector General of Registration. He also held the posts of RDO in Pala and Muvattupuzha and Sub-collector, E...

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   Air Pacific, Fiji’s International Airline, Upgrades Denarau Island Resort Project from Novotel Brand to Sofitel Bangkok, 4 August 2004 — Fiji’s newest and most deluxe hotel and spa resort is set to open on Denarau Island in mid-2005.  Construction of Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa is currently well advanced on a prime waterfront location on Denarau Island. The project, which was originally to be a Novotel Resort, has been upgraded to include additional Presidential and Executive Suites, larger standard room sizes, a luxurious resort spa centre, a new restaurant and bar, and Denarau Isl...

Intrawest Corp's Redevelopment of Aspen's Snowmass Village Threatened by Locals Opposed to the Scope of the Project / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Jason Blevins, The Denver PostKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 16, 2004 - Intrawest Corp. is hoping its ambitious redevelopment plans for Aspen's Snowmass Village don't mirror the fate of similar plans at its Copper Mountain resort. The Canadian company has spent three years working on a new village at Snowmass. However, its effort is being threatened by locals opposed to the scope of the project. With transportation, employee housing, construction impacts and the general size and density of the proposed new village irking some in the resort community, it's almost certain the ...

WCI Communities Selects Starwood's Luxury Collection as Brand and Operator for The Resort at Singer Island / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report WCI Communities Selects Starwood's Luxury Collection as Brand and Operator for The Resort at Singer Island  WHITE PLAINS, N.Y Aug. 19, 2004 -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announced that it has been selected by acclaimed U.S. residential developer WCI Communities, Inc. (NYSE: WCI) as the hotel manager for The Resort at Singer Island on Florida's Atlantic beachfront situated just north of Palm Beach. The luxury condominium and hotel will be a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection portfolio of prestigious hotels and is scheduled for completion in early 2007. The h...

Brett Schoenfield Named President of The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia / Aug 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Brett Schoenfield Named President of The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia Hot Springs, VA -  August 4, 2004 – Officials from ClubResorts announced today that Brett Schoenfield has been named president of The Homestead, the historic resort located in Hot Springs, Virginia.  Schoenfield, who was promoted from his position as The Homestead’s executive vice president, will assume his new role on August 20, 2004. Schoenfield will replace current president, Gary K. Rosenberg, who announced his resignation earlier this week.  Rosenberg, a 35-year hospitality veteran, had been at the helm ...

Airport Inn in Sarasota the Third Florida Hotel Accused of Price Gouging / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Matt Griswold, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 24, 2004 - BRADENTON, Fla. -- Florida's attorney general on Monday filed a lawsuit alleging price gouging against a Manatee County hotel, saying Airport Inn management purposefully increased room prices for residents seeking emergency shelter from Hurricane Charley. The lawsuit says that the Airport Inn, 8440 N. Tamiami Trail, employed "unconscionable, deceptive and unfair" business practices when it charged guests more than 80 percent more than the hotel's typical rates. Repeated phone messages to Airpo...

Marriott International Inc. Opens the 465-room Sanya Marriott Resort on China's Hainan Island; Robert Lohrmann the Opening GM / Aug 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Marriott International Inc. Opens the 465-room Sanya Marriott Resort on China's Hainan Island; Robert Lohrmann the Opening GM WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2004 - Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) has opened the new Sanya Marriott Resort in China. It is the first Marriott managed resort to open in China. The 465-room resort operates under a management agreement with Sanya Jahwa Resort Development Company, Ltd., a subsidiary of Jahwa Group which has core businesses in manufacturing and trading of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mineral water and real estate development. The general ...

Access to Sanibel and Captiva Islands May be Blocked for a Week or More / August 2004

March 31, 2004

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Owned by Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the 255-room, $125 million The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Opens / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Owned by Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the 255-room,  $125 million The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Opens KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C., Aug. 20, 2004 - The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, one of America's most anticipated resorts, opened its Atlantic oceanfront doors at 1 p.m. Friday. The doors opened after a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by a "Who's Who?" of South Carolina politicians, business leaders and celebrities. The hotel was formally opened by owner William H. Goodwin and his wife Alice, Managing Director Prem Devadas, U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings, Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Kiaw...

MeriStar's Disposition of Former San Pedro Marina Hilton Hotel Property Rejected by Harbor Board of Commissioners / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  MeriStar's Disposition of Former San Pedro Marina Hilton Hotel Property Rejected by Harbor Board of Commissioners SAN PEDRO, Calif - Aug. 16, 2004 -- The Board of Harbor Commissioners last week voted against a resolution that would permit the transfer of operation of the Cabrillo Beach-area Marina Hotel on the San Pedro marina waterfront from MeriStar Sub 1A LLC to Cabrillo Hospitality LLC. After receiving port staff recommendation supporting the transfer, as well as written and verbal opposing views by community members, Mayor Hahn's office and Councilwoman Janice Hahn, the ...

Transforming the Hotel Sales Organization; Alignment with the New Realities of Sales / Carol Verret / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Carol Verret Consulting  and Training Consulting Training Seminars . Transforming the Hotel Sales Organization . Alignment with the New Realities of Sales . Carol Verret / August 2004 August 2004 The increases in demand in the first half of 2004 appear to have flattened in July and August. While demand grew at approximately 4% in quarters 1 and 2 according to Smith Travel, the gains in REVPAR in July and August to date have come from increases in ADR. This is in alignment with a slowing of economic growth in the country in the third quarter. Will demand increase through the rest of the year? That is anyon...

Understanding the Importance of Travel Agents, SRS-WORLDHOTELS Creates Web Portal Specifically for Travel Agents / Aug 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Understanding the Importance of Travel Agents, SRS-WORLDHOTELS Creates Web Portal Specifically for Travel Agents NEW YORK – (Aug. 6, 2004) – SRS-WORLDHOTELS, the Americas, a leader in the independent hotel sales, marketing and distribution industry, today announced that it has launched a new web portal designed specifically for travel agents. The portal, which is part of a broader travel agent marketing campaign called “Be Connected,” is password protected, and requires an email address and IATA number for access. Located online at http://srs-worldhotels.net/travelagency, t...

Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc. with Ownership Interests in 14 Properties Reports 2nd Qtr Net Loss of $41.8 million / Hotel Operating Statistics / Augu

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc., with Ownership Interests in 14 Properties, Reports 2nd Qtr Net Loss of $41.8 million  Hotel Operating Statistics CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2004 - Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc. (NYSE: SLH) (the "Company") today reported results for the period ended June 30, 2004 and its business outlook for 2004. Second Quarter 2004 Highlights Successful completion of our initial public offering of 20.24 million shares, including (subsequent to the close of the quarter) full exercise of the underwriter's over-allotment option for net proceeds of $263.5 million. RevPAR increa...

The CNL Owned 293-room Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza Opens / Aug 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report The CNL Owned 293-room Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza Opens WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2004 - Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, an upscale, full-service brand of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR), today announced the opening of the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza.  The hotel is situated next to International Plaza and Bay Street, a world-class shopping destination.  The 293-room, eight-story hotel is owned by CNL Hotels & Resorts, Inc., the nation's second largest hotel real estate investment trust, and managed by Renaissance Hotels & Resorts.  Renaissance Ta...

Raffles Hotels and Resorts Creates Alliance with India-based Taj Luxury Hotels / August 2004

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Raffles Hotels and Resorts Creates Alliance with India-based Taj Luxury Hotels SINGAPORE, 19 August 2004 – Raffles International Limited has signed a strategic marketing alliance with Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, an entity of Indian Hotels Company Limited, India’s largest group of hotels. This alliance enables the two hotel groups to harness each other’s strengths in their respective stronghold markets. The geographical distribution of both companies’ hotel portfolios is complementary. Raffles International has a global footprint of 37 luxury and deluxe hotels spread throughout ...

Radisson Encore Hotel Serves Up Customized In-room Service: Laptop, TV Internet for Corporate Travelers, TV Wedding Highlights for Leisure Guests / Au

March 31, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Radisson Encore Hotel Serves Up Customized In-room Service: Laptop, TV Internet for Corporate Travelers, TV Wedding Highlights for Leisure Guests Property Uses In-Room Technology to Alert Guests to Outlet Promotions and Heavy Weather; Access Internet, Movies, Games; Capture Guest Comments And Assist Checkout August 10, 2004 - In 16 years working at South Dakota hotels, Jo Kelling has learned there are a few things she can’t control – seasonal business patterns for one thing, and the area’s ever-changing weather for another. But the general manager of the Radisson Encore Hotel Sioux Fal...