Analysis-Companies Boost Social and Climate Reporting Amid ESG Backlash
November 4th, 2024
Strategic Alliance Announced, Committed to Hospitality Excellence / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Strategic Alliance Announced, Committed to Hospitality Excellence E-mail: info@optimumrating.com Williamsburg, VA. August 30, 2004 - Recognizing their shared mission to provide Hospitality Excellence, Optimum Rating, LLC. and Hospitality Performance, Inc. have joined together in a Strategic Alliance. The Principals for Optimum Rating are Harry Nobles, former AAA Executive, and Cheryl Griggs, renowned Interior Designer. John Hendrie is the CEO of Hospitality Performance, Inc.  In a joint statement, the Partners noted their synergies. "Both Companies focus on image, reputation...
Searching for Bookings? Optimize / Dr. Matthew Dunn / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report - Searching for Bookings? Optimize - This article is from the upcoming Fall 2004 issue of Hospitality Upgrade magazine.To view more articles covering technology for the hospitality industry please visit the Hospitality Upgrade Web site or to request a free publication please call 678-802-5307 or e-mail. by Dr. Matthew Dunn, August 2004 Go to your favorite search page and query on “New York hotels.” Scan the results. Is your hotel (owned or favored) on the list?  How high up? Whether you own a hotel in New York or not, if you get customers through the Web, read on. O...
Hilton's Customer-information System, Called OnQ, Rolling Out Across 8 Hotel Brands; Seeking Guest Loyalty and Competitive Advantage with Proprie
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Hilton's Customer-information System, Called OnQ, Rolling Out Across 8 Hotel Brands; Seeking Guest Loyalty and Competitive Advantage with Proprietary Technology BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Aug. 31, 2004 -- Hilton Hotels Corporation (NYSE:HLT) announced today that having completed deployment of its proprietary technology platform called OnQ(TM) across all of its more than 2,200 Hilton Family Hotels, including Hilton(R), Conrad(R), Doubletree(R), Embassy Suites Hotels(R), Hampton Inn(R), Hampton Inn & Suites(R), Hilton Garden Inn(R), Hilton Grand Vacations Club(R) and Homewood Suites by Hilto...
The 663-room OHANA Waikiki West Receives $5 million Renovation / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report  The 663-room OHANA Waikiki West Receives $5 million Renovation HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII - August 23, 2004 - OHANA Hotels & Resorts has completed a $5 million upgrade to the 663-room OHANA Waikiki West, located across the street from the Kuhio Avenue entrance to the International Marketplace, just two blocks from Waikiki Beach.  This moderately priced hotel, located at 2330 Kuhio Avenue, now features corridors and guest rooms with fresh, new looks. Green and aqua tones highlight the corridor carpeting with taro, banana and monstera leaves interwoven throughout the design. Pale ...
Four Bidders Remain to Build Beach Resort in Oceanside, California / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Rob O'Dell, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 24, 2004 - OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- Oceanside has one less candidate for a new beach resort across from the Oceanside Municipal Pier. Pacific Hospitality Group has pulled its proposed hotel resembling the open sails of boats from the competition to build a resort on prime pier-side real estate, city officials said Monday. Pacific's pullout leaves the city with four finalists. C. Jay Scott, one of the city's four consultants for the hotel project, said the developer's decision to pull out would not je...
Orient-Express Hotels Reports 2nd Qtr Net Earnings of $12.9 million Up 37% Over the Year Earlier, Sees Greater Demand for Quality at a Higher Price;
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Orient-Express Hotels Reports 2nd Qtr Net Earnings of $12.9 million Up 37% Over the Year Earlier, Sees Greater Demand for Quality at a Higher Price; U.S. Owned Hotels ADR $377, Up from $357 HAMILTON, Bermuda, August 4, 2004 - Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. (NYSE: OEH, http://www.orient-express.com), owners of 45 deluxe hotel, restaurant, tourist train and river cruise properties (38 of which it manages) in 21 countries, today announced its results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2004. For the quarter net earnings were $12.9 million ($0.38 per common share) on revenu...
Total Hotel Room Count and Total Hotel Employment in 2004 Little Changed from Previous Year in Orange County, California / Sandi Cain / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Total Hotel Room Count and Total Hotel Employment in 2004 Little Changed from Previous Year in Orange County, California By Sandi Cain, August, 2004 No newcomers debuted among the top 50 hotels in Orange County this year, the first time that’s happened since 1999. But employment climbed 3% overall, reflecting at least some optimism. Total room count on this week’s Business Journal list of the largest OC hotels was 20,922, up slightly from 20,889 a year earlier. The very few changes in ranking on this year’s Business Journal list were the result of renovations and expa...
Best Western Saddleback Inn Deploys Netsys VDSL Solution to Deliver Free High-Speed Internet Services / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Best Western Saddleback Inn Deploys Netsys VDSL Solution to Deliver Free High-Speed Internet Services Bowie, MD August 24, 2004 – Netsys-America, LLC, the US Sales Representative for the Netsys line of networking products announced today that the Best Western Saddleback Inn of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has completed the deployment of its VDSL based networking equipment that delivers free high-speed Internet service in all of its 220 guest rooms. High-speed Internet service has now become a required amenity for all full-service hotels and the Saddleback Inn adds this amenity to the long list of ...
A Mainstay of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Tourism Since 1973, the Historic Strasburg Inn, Gets New Owners and a $1.1 million Makeover / August 2
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Rory Hassler, Lancaster New Era, Pa.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 9, 2004 - The former Historic Strasburg Inn is getting a makeover and now its patrons can too. Three Dutch hoteliers, who saw an abundance of untapped potential in the resort, bought the 17-acre property last August for $2.21 million and renamed it the Netherlands Inn & Spa. A mainstay of Lancaster County tourism since 1973, the Historic Strasburg Inn had experienced declining business in the years leading up to the sale, said Michael Levie, chief operating officer of the Netherlands Inn & Spa. The new owners ...
Xanterra Parks & Resorts Awarded 10 Year Contract to Operate the Concessions at Mount Rushmore National Memorial / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report  Xanterra Parks & Resorts Awarded 10 Year Contract to Operate the Concessions at Mount Rushmore National Memorial MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, August 25, 2004 - Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been awarded the contract to operate the concessions at Mount Rushmore National Memorial for another 10 years. The contract renewal was announced by the National Park Service (NPS) and is effective January 1, 2005. Xanterra has operated the foodservice facility and gift shop at the South Dakota national memorial since late 1995 when it purchased TW Recreational Services. TW was awarded the con...
Minneapolis-Based CSM Corporation Acquires the 197 room Holiday Inn Minneapolis West for $9.325 million / Aug 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Minneapolis-Based CSM Corporation Acquires the 197 room Holiday Inn Minneapolis West for $9.325 million MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 2, 2004 - CSM Lodging has added to its national hotel portfolio by acquiring the Holiday Inn Minneapolis West in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The hotel was owned by a joint venture of Boykin Lodging Company and Interstate Hotels and Resorts. The sale price of the property was $9.325 million.  The Holiday Inn Minneapolis West, located near the intersection of Interstate 394 and U.S. 169, is centrally and conveniently located to all major attractions and businesses in ...
The Morgans Hotel Group, Formerly Known as Ian Schrager Hotels, Completes $475 million Recapitalization / July 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report The Morgans Hotel Group, Formerly Known as Ian Schrager Hotels, Completes $475 million Recapitalization NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2004 - The Morgans Hotel Group, formerly known as Ian Schrager Hotels, today announced that it has completed a $475 million recapitalization, refinancing all of its third party corporate debt and all of the debt secured by its Hudson, Royalton, Morgans, Mondrian and Delano properties.     Ian Schrager, president of MHG, said that the new financing package both lowers the cost of MHG's debt and extends the maturities by, at MHG's option, up to five years.   Â...
Ty Warne Acquires the Montecito Country Club; 86-year old Clubhouse Structure a Stately Santa Barbara Icon / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Ty Warne Acquires the Montecito Country Club; 86-year old Clubhouse Structure a Stately Santa Barbara Icon SANTA BARBARA, CA – Today, Ty Warner finalized the purchase contract with the Tsukamoto Sogyo Company, Ltd. to add the Montecito Country Club to his unique collection of properties that include: the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel - Santa Barbara, the San Ysidro Ranch - Santa Barbara, the Sandpiper Golf Course - Santa Barbara, Kona Village Resort - Big Island of Hawaii, and the Four Seasons Hotel - New York. Tsukamoto Sogyo have been esteemed owners of the private golf club since 1973, ...
Middle East Hotel Performance – Is this as Good as it Gets? All 26 Markets Improve During First Six Months of 2004 / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report  Middle East Hotel Performance - Is this as Good as it Gets? . All 26 Markets Improve During First Six Months of 2004 August 2004 - Excellent news for hotel markets in the Middle East. All 26 markets tracked on the Middle East edition of the HotelBenchmark Survey by Deloitte saw performance improve during the first six months of 2004. The majority of these saw double-digit growth in revenue per available room (revPAR). This news is not surprising following the events of 2003, as growth was to be expected. Therefore, to set hotel performance in context, this article looks at how perfo...
Middle East Hotel Industry Undergoes Change; Governments in the Region are Making Tourism a Priority / MKG Consulting / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report  Middle East Hotel Industry Undergoes Change; Governments in the Region are Making Tourism a Priority Paris, 27 August 2004 The hotel sector in the Middle East is the focus of much attention on the part of tourism and leisure professionals. The various governments of the region see in the development of tourist activity a long-term relay with the oil industry as a source of wealth. With a 36% rise in RevPAR in the past year, hotel results demonstrate the increasing interest in these destinations. The geopolitical situation of the region implies major changes in terms of to...
Metamend Launches Search Engine Optimization Site For Hotels; Web Site Promotion for Hotel and Accommodation Industry / Aug 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Metamend Launches Search Engine Optimization Site For Hotels . Web Site Promotion for Hotel and Accommodation Industry August 11, 2004 - VICTORIA, BC - Metamend today announced it has launched a new web site specifically designed to supply search engine optimization (SEO) solutions and web site promotion services to the Hotel and Accommodation Industries. http://hotels.metamend.com/ Geographic location is becoming increasingly important as search technology matures. Each independent bricks and mortar location needs to stand alone as a visible entity, whether or not they are part of a chain. ...
MeetingMatrix International, Inc. and CEO Software Form Strategic Alliance / Aug 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report  MeetingMatrix International, Inc. and CEO Software Form Strategic Alliance Portsmouth, NH., August 2, 2004 -- MeetingMatrix™ International, Inc., of Portsmouth, NH, and CEO Software, Inc.® of Tucson, AZ announced that a new distributor agreement has been forged which will allow CEO immediate distribution rights of MeetingMatrix’s full line of products and service to its current and future customers.  CEO Software, now under new ownership, has opted to partner with the industry’s most advanced and leading edge room diagramming solutions company in the world, MeetingMatrix Internationa...
Leaving the Good Old U.S.A on a Vacation-Surgery Package / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Maria M. Perotin, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, TexasKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 22, 2004 - Carolynne Bond Kent and her cousin Patsy embarked on a vacation getaway to the mountains of central Mexico three years ago. There, the women strolled along cobblestone streets, sampled restaurant dishes and relaxed in a quaint hacienda. They also recuperated from the face-lifts that were the real purpose of their trip. Both 69 at the time, the pair traveled to Mexico to have plastic surgery -- joining the ranks of "medical tourists" who are venturing outside the United States for cosmetic...
Marshall Management, Inc. Signs Three Mid-market Hotel Management Contracts / Aug 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Marshall Management, Inc. Signs Three Mid-market Hotel Management Contracts SALISBURY, Md., August 6, 2004 — Marshall Management, Inc., a leading, mid-sized hotel management company, today announced that it has signed management contracts to operate the 151-room Holiday Inn Express Camp Springs in Maryland and two just under-construction properties: the 121-room Hampton Inn & Suites Fredericksburg in Virginia, and the 73-room Hampton Inn & Suites Ephrata in Pennsylvania.  “All three hotels are strong additions to our portfolio of mid-market and upscale hotels,” said Michael Marshall...
J. Willard Marriott Jr, the 72-year-old Chairman of Marriott Hotels International, Talks about Starwood's Beds, Why It Is Expensive to Use Hot
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveThe Boston GlobeKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 15, 2004 - When J. Willard Marriott Jr. popped into Boston recently, it was an opportunity to talk with one of the most recognizable names in the world about the business he knows best: hotels. From a conference room in the Marriott Copley Plaza, the 72-year-old chairman and namesake of the 2,700-hotel Marriott Hotels International chain spoke with Globe reporter Keith Reed on security, on why hotels can raise rates again, and why it costs so much to make a phone call from a hotel room. QUESTION: Are things beginning to pick up in...
Marriott Vacation Club International Opens Second Resort on the island of Aruba, The 165 villa Marriott Aruba Surf Club / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report  Marriott Vacation Club International Opens Second Resort on the island of Aruba, The 165 villa Marriott Aruba Surf Club Palm Beach, ARUBA – August 25, 2004 – Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI), the vacation ownership division of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), announces the opening of its highly anticipated second resort on the island of Aruba, Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club. The first 165 two-bedroom villas are now available for lifetime vacation owners as well as for nightly rental guests. Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club opens on Palm Beach, with two and three-bedroom v...
Market Metrix Announces Second Quarter 2004 Hospitality Index Results Four Seasons, Jet Blue Airways and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Take Top Industry Categ
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online Special Report Market Metrix Announces Second Quarter 2004 Hospitality Index Results - Four Seasons, Jet Blue Airways and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Take Top Industry Categories New Proprietary Measure Reveals Customer Switching Habits SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Aug. 10, 2004 - Market Metrix, LLC, the leading provider of market research services for the hospitality industry, today announced results of the Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) for the second quarter of 2004. Four Seasons, Jet Blue Airways and Enterprise Rent-A-Car ranked number one in hotel, airline and rental car industry customer...
Swiss Hotelier Hans Maissen Turns Career to Golf Course Hospitality / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Michele Himmelberg, The Orange County Register, Calif.Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 16, 2004 - A big New Orleans bash was planned that evening at the Windsor Court Hotel, then rated the No. 1 place in the world to lay down your head for the night. The staff was smoothing linens and setting tables when the ballroom drapes arrived from the cleaners – a bit shorter than when they left. The staff re-hung them swiftly, thinking the small gap along the floor would go unseen. But Hans Maissen noticed. Within minutes, the hotel's general manager had someone sewing fringe along the...
After Almost Seven Decades, Legalized Casino Gambling May Return to Mexico / August 2004
March 31, 2004
Hotel Online News for the Hospitality ExecutiveBy Hugh Dellios, Chicago TribuneKnight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 17, 2004 - TIJUANA, Mexico--In 1935, one of Mexico's national heroes, President Lazaro Cardenas, banned casinos across the country, putting a damper on the good times of Hollywood stars and mafia types who made Tijuana a playground of gambling and other vices during the Prohibition era. Seven decades later, in a new world full of casinos, the gambling houses could return to Tijuana under a proposal before Mexico's Congress to again legalize them across the country. The initiative, presented to Congress in April, wor...
