January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   Florida International University’s Classrooms Go Global . -Students Have Opportunity To Earn Master’s Degree From Home The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University proudly presents an Executive Master of Science Degree Distance Program. This program is designed with busy hospitality/tourism executives and educators 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 through traditional classr...

Fred Benninger, Longtime MGM Executive, Las Vegas Resort Developer Dies at 86 / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Fred Benninger, Longtime MGM Executive,  Las Vegas Resort Developer Dies at 86 By Chris Jones, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 2, 2004 - Fred Benninger, who with longtime friend and business partner Kirk Kerkorian developed notable Nevada resorts including the International and a pair of MGM Grand properties, died Sunday at his Las Vegas home. He was 86.  A successful businessman whose professional history included stints with the U.S. Army Air Forces, Western Airlines and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer film studios, Benninger's career highlights ...

Five Critical Rules of Online Travel for Hotels / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Five Critical Rules of Online Travel for Hotels March 2004 Working with online travel websites is one of the hoteliers’ top challenges today. To ensure a profitable internet campaign, successful hotel managers follow these five  critical rules: 1.  RATE PARITY - Make sure you show the same selling rates across all channels. Maintaining rate parity is a “must” for hoteliers.  Rate Parity makes for better relationships and stronger positioning for your property on websites, resulting in higher revenue opportunities.  Most importantly, inaccurate rate parity causes a consumer to question the integrity of the hotel an...

Hotel Online: Hospitality News

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Patrick Danner, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 6--Extended Stay America, a chain of 475 low-priced hotels co-founded and chaired by Fort Lauderdale billionaire H. Wayne Huizenga, has agreed to be acquired by affiliates of The Blackstone Group in a transaction valued at $3.1 billion. Huizenga, the largest shareholder of the Spartanburg, S.C.-based company, stands to earn almost $185 million, ...

Hotel Online: Hospitality News

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Ben Werner, The State, Columbia, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 9--Wall Street went gaga over Extended Stay America stock Monday, the first day of trading since Friday's announcement that it would sell out to a New York investment firm. The stock closed Monday at $19.24 -- a 22 percent jump over Friday's close -- and near the $19.625 per share offer made Friday for the company by New York-based investme...

Jonathan Orr-Ewing and Bruno Brunner Appointed General Managers with Orient-Express Hotels Ltd / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Jonathan Orr-Ewing and Bruno Brunner Appointed General Managers with Orient-Express Hotels Ltd London (March 16, 2004) – Orient-Express Hotels Ltd has announced the appointment of two new general managers.  Jonathan Orr-Ewing has assumed the post of general manager at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire, U.K., and Bruno Brunner has been appointed general manager of Reid’s Palace in Madeira. Jonathan Orr-Ewing joined Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in February 2004, following the departure of Philip Newman-Hall.  He comes to Great Milton from London, where he has been gene...

Kinseth Hospitality Opening Third Hotel In the Omaha / Council Bluffs Area – Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites at the Eppley Airfield / March

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Kinseth Hospitality Opening Third Hotel In the Omaha /  Council Bluffs Area - Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites at the Eppley Airfield Greater Omaha – February 4, 2004 - Kinseth Hospitality Company and SAR Associates LLC of Nebraska are pleased to announce a late spring opening for the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites at the Eppley Airfield. Located in Carter Lake, IA on Abbott Drive, the hotel is less than a mile from the airport and downtown Omaha and within minutes of Creighton University, ConAgra, Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific, the new Gallup headquarters and the new Qwest ...

Hotel Online: Hospitality News

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive By Teresa M. McAleavy, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 9--If you've just put in five 60-hour weeks to complete a pressing project, chances are a free company mug isn't the kind of "thank you" that will make you feel appreciated. Well-meaning employers who give perks as incentives to motivate workers often end up causing ill will instead. "Any one giveaway generally isn't...

The Embassy Suites Hotel San Francisco Airport/Burlingame Undergoing $2.2 million in Renovations / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report The Embassy Suites Hotel San Francisco Airport/Burlingame Undergoing $2.2 million in Renovations Burlingame, CA, March 2, 2004 – The Embassy Suites Hotel San Francisco Airport/Burlingame which is part of the nations’ leading chain of upscale all-suite hotels, announced that the 340 suite hotel will undergo more than $2.2 million in renovations during the next 5 months. Planed refurbishment includes new lobby furniture, state of art key locks, guest floor corridor carpet, dedicated Hilton HHonors floors, Sweet Dream beds and bedding, new bathroom linens, suite carpeting and fur...

Is Your Hotel Prepared? Malicious Email Viruses Could Devastate Your Business / Terence Ronson / HOTEL Asia Pacific / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Is Your Hotel Prepared? Malicious Email Viruses Could Devastate Your Business It is not impossible for some unscrupulous individual to steal and sell your data to competitors or, worse, abuse  personal details of your guests By Terence Ronson, Managing Director, PertLink / March 2004 With the increase in malicious emails infecting internet users worldwide, hoteliers might soon find themselves having to build “virtual moats” around their properties and position electronic guards at various checkpoints to avoid being hacked. “So serious is the threat of malicious intrusion int...

E-site Marketing Wins Big with HSMAI's Golden Click Awards / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report E-site Marketing Wins Big with HSMAI's Golden Click Awards Bethesda, Md., March 4, 2004 --- E-site Marketing, an internet marketing firm specializing in the hospitality industry, scored seven wins in this year’s Golden Click Web Awards Competition of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Winning entries were for websites, e-mail campaigns, an interactive travel planner and an  e-newsletter. Specific awards included: Puerto Rico Tourism Company - Gold for Website Jumby Bay Resort E-mail Flash Campaign - Gold Puerto Rico Tourism Company Interactive Travel ...

Ed Proenza Named General Manager of the 387-room Hilton Long Beach Hotel & Executive Meeting Center / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Ed Proenza Named General Manager of the 387-room Hilton Long Beach Hotel & Executive Meeting Center BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 19, 2004 – Ed Proenza has been named general manager of the 387-room Hilton Long Beach Hotel & Executive Meeting Center located in Long Beach, California.  He reports to Glenn Hale, area vice president Los Angeles/Orange County/San Diego. A 22-year hospitality veteran, Proenza joined the Hilton Family in 1999 as general manager at the Doubletree Rockville Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Rockville, Maryland where some of his accomplishments included...

Dubai Shopping Festival Boosts Occupancy / Mar 8, 2004

January 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 Dubai Shopping Festival Boosts Occupancy DUBAI, February 2004 — While the Dubai Shopping Festival has brought the predictable boom in visitor numbers to the em...

The MeriStar Owned Renaissance Hotel Dallas North Reflagged Doubletree Hotel Dallas Near The Galleria / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report The MeriStar Owned Renaissance Hotel Dallas North Reflagged Doubletree Hotel Dallas Near The Galleria  DALLAS - March 18, 2004 -- Doubletree(R) Hotels (NYSE:HLT) has announced the Renaissance Hotel Dallas North has become the Doubletree Hotel Dallas Near The Galleria, representing another addition to the brand's portfolio of more than 160 fine properties across the U.S., Canada and Latin America.   Located just one mile from the Galleria Mall, the Doubletree Hotel Dallas Near The Galleria is conveniently located within a 15-mile radius of all major business centers in the Dall...

DOUBLETREE HOTEL NEAR UNIVERSAL ORLANDO TO HOLD OFFICIAL REFLAGGING EVENT IN APRIL

January 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 Doubletree Hotel Near Universal Orlando To Hold Official Reflagging Event in April ORLANDO, Fla. March 11, 2004 The Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance...

ADVISORY/Dole Food Company, Inc. to Hold Groundbreaking for Luxury Wellness Center, Spa and Hotel

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Dole Food Company, Inc. to Hold Groundbreaking for Luxury Wellness Center, Spa and Hotel     --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Governor Schwarzenegger to be Featured as Guest Speaker as Dole Chairman, President and CEO David Murdock Reveals Plans for World-Class Wellness Center and Spa/Hotel in Westlake Village WHAT: Dole Food Company, Inc., a produce industry leader in nutrition education and in the promotion of living healthy l...

Disney Planning for Big Year in Anaheim Amid Board Drama / Sandi Cain / March 2004

January 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 Disney Planning for Big Year in Anaheim Amid Board Drama By Sandi Cain, March 2004 Down the road from the drama playing out in Burbank, Walt Disney Co. is gearing up for a big year in Anaheim. The company’s publicity machine for its two Anaheim parks is revving, touting a much-needed addition to Disney’s Californ...

Are You Sure that Kitchen Design Will Work? But How Well? / Lee Simon – Drawing Conclusions / March 2004

January 30, 2004

  Drawing Conclusions Foodservice Design By Lee Simon / The General Group / March 2004   No way, there is just no way that will work.  Imagine … a restaurant that serves over 1200 covers every evening but only has one 10’-0” long prep table with a single sink.  No way.  A facility with dry storage that can only be accessed from the exterior – you must leave the kitchen to get to dry storage.  Not happening.  The travel distance from one table to the bar or ware washing area (two areas frequently accessed by table’s server) is nearly two-thirds of a football field … each way.  Can’t be done … or so I used to th...

Denver Hotels Scurry for High Speed Networks; Wireless vs Wired?, Free vs Fee?, Customer Service? / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Denver Hotels Scurry for High Speed Networks; Wireless vs Wired?, Free vs Fee?,  Customer Service? By Eric Hübler, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 29, 2004 - "Must" and "have." "Three years ago wireless Internet and high-speed Internet in guest rooms was considered to be something 'out there,' on the edge," said John Montgomery, a hospitality consultant with Horwath Horizon in Denver.  "Who would have thought that, in a few years, your customer base would demand it?" That's what's happening throughout the Denver area, where hotels are scurryin...

Franchisees on the De-flagging Fence: A Gamble Or A Golden Goose? Former Franchisees Talk Specifics About Channel Loyalty and How They Leverage VIP I

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Franchisees on the De-flagging Fence:  A Gamble Or A Golden Goose? - Former Franchisees Talk Specifics About Channel Loyalty and How They Leverage VIP International Channel Marketing to Succeed as Independents Calgary, Alberta, Canada – March 29, 2004 – As major brands become more expensive with franchise fees and marketing and reservation fees, franchisees are feeling the squeeze.  Because of new Internet marketing options, some owners are asking, “Would I make it on my own as an independent hotel?  Can I sacrifice the brand identity, but use the Internet to give me the same distribut...

Dan Miller Appointed FelCor's Vice President, Capital Transactions / March 2004

January 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 Dan Miller Appointed FelCor's Vice President, Capital Transactions IRVING, Texas…March 1, 2004 - FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated (NYSE: FCH), the nation’s second largest hotel real estate investment trust (REIT), today announced Dan Miller as Vice President, Capital Transactions. Mr. Miller, 45, was most rece...

Dallas Hoteliers, Restaurateurs Find it Difficult to Quantify Losses Due to Smoking Ban / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Dallas Hoteliers, Restaurateurs Find it Difficult to Quantify Losses Due to Smoking Ban By Mary Mckee, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 28, 2004 - DALLAS -- Matt's No Place was the rustic restaurant where Julia Child chowed down on her first chicken-fried steak and cigar-chomping patrons gathered for dinners of wild game and fine wine.  But about two months ago, No Place ceased to exist. Business simply dried up, restaurateur Matt Martinez said, after the City Council enacted a smoking ban in restaurants and other public places.  ...

Donna Wheeler Promoted to Assistant Vice President of Marketing for Aston®Hawaii / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Donna Wheeler Promoted to Assistant Vice President of Marketing for Aston®Hawaii HONOLULU, HI (March 19, 2004)— Aston Hotels & Resorts®Hawaii announces the appointment of Donna Wheeler to the newly-created position of Assistant Vice President of Marketing. Wheeler will focus on the company’s global branding efforts, oversee marketing strategies, direct internal and external communications, and manage the annual marketing budget for the company’s 30 properties. Having worked for Aston Hawaii for 18 years, Wheeler brings a wealth of experience to her position.  She served in m...

Dennis Ricci Appointed Franchise Sales Director For Cendant Hotel Brands in Eastern Canada / March 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Dennis Ricci Appointed Franchise Sales Director For Cendant Hotel Brands in Eastern Canada PARSIPPANY, N.J. (March 3, 2004) – Cendant Corporation’s Hotel Group today announced the appointment of Dennis Ricci as franchise sales director, responsible for selling the company’s Ramada, Super 8, Wingate Inn and AmeriHost Inn franchises in eastern Canada. Ricci previously operated his own Ontario-based franchise sales and consulting firm, Dennis Ricci & Associates.  In that capacity he supported Days Inn, Ramada and Travelodge franchise sales efforts in Canada. From 1985 to 1990 he...