Sol Meliá and the Rank Group Open the 381 room Hard Rock Hotel Chicago / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Sol Meliá and the Rank Group Open the 381 room Hard Rock Hotel Chicago Spanish hotel chain’s debut in the United States . Wednesday, 28th. January, 2004. Coinciding with the opening of FITUR, the International Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid, Sol Meliá has announced the opening of its first Hard Rock hotel: the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. The first fruits of a 2003 agreement between Sol Meliá and the Rank Group, the company that owns the Hard Rock brand, the opening of the hotel also means the beginning of development of the Spanish chain’s fifth hotel brand, in addition to i...

Developer John Weeman Wins Oklahoma City Approval to Transform the Historic Skirvin Hotel to a 234 Suite Hotel / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Developer John Weeman Wins Oklahoma City Approval to Transform the Historic Skirvin Hotel to a 234 Suite Hotel By Steve Lackmeyer, The Daily Oklahoman Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 22, 2004 - Plans that call for removing the stucco facade from the first two floors of the Skirvin Hotel and gutting the room floors to create 234 modern suites were approved Wednesday by the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority.  Commissioners also approved a redevelopment agreement with Skirvin Partners LLC, a group led by former Hilton Development Officer John Weeman.  The agr...

Ark Investment Partners LP Assigns Prime Hospitality Corp. the Management of The Shoreham Hotel in New York City / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Ark Investment Partners LP Assigns Prime Hospitality Corp. the Management of The Shoreham Hotel in New York City January 30, 2004 - Prime Hospitality Corp. , today announced that effective January 26, 2004, Prime has assumed management of The Shoreham hotel in New York City. The Property was recently acquired by an affiliate of Ark Investment Partners LP and will continue to carry The Shoreham name. The Shoreham Hotel is located at 33 West 55th Street (off 5th Avenue). The 10 story hotel features 174 guest rooms with a significant retail component. Renovated in 1999, this styl...

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  .Special Report Shift4’s Direct, High Speed Connection to Fifth Third Bank Now Certified for Debit Las Vegas, NV, January 7, 2004 – Shift4 Corporation is pleased to announce that it has completed debit testing and certification on the Fifth Third Processing Solutions (FTPS) platform for its $$$ ON THE NET® product, the leading web-based e-payment gateway solution with real-time electronic payment authorization, settlement, reporting and fraud control capabilities. Shift4 is now among the few organizations certified to authorize and settle both credit and debit card transactions directly to Fifth Third B...

Shell Vacations Receives Multi-million Dollar Global Refinancing Commitment / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Shell Vacations Receives Multi-million Dollar Global Refinancing Commitment Northbrook, IL -- January 8, 2004 -- One of the nation's largest and most respected independent vacation ownership developers has received a multi-million dollar loan commitment primarily for acquisition and receivable financing.  The loan is considered to be one of the largest ever made to an independent vacation ownership developer.      With a commitment from Resort Finance of Bennington, Vermont, Shell Vacations LLC signed a multi-million dollar global refinancing agreement on December 19, 2003. The loan will...

Hotel Online: Hospitality News

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive Zhongshan, January 9, 2004 -- China's largest luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, continues to expand on mainland China with the opening of its second property in Guangdong Province. Shangri-La Hotel, Zhongshan, the first five-star hotel in the city, is set in landscaped gardens close to the Municipal Government offices and just 15 minutes from the Zhongshan Ferry Port, which provides convenient access to Hong Kong. The 463-room hotel consists of two accommodation towers: the Ea...

Sal Shahriar Promoted to Executive Vice President, Hersha Hospitality Management / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Sal Shahriar Promoted to Executive Vice President, Hersha Hospitality Management HARRISBURG, Pa., January 5, 2004 — Senior officials of Hersha Hospitality Management (HHM), a mid-sized, independent hotel management company, today announced that the company has promoted Sal Shahriar from vice president to executive vice president.  In his new position, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company’s 24 managed hotels.   “Since he joined HHM in 2002, Shahriar has played a key role in our properties outperforming their competitive set during arguably the ...

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Onity’s SensorStat® 2000x Geared to Help All Segments Save on Energy Costs Now, budget as well as luxury hotels can reduce energy usage as much as 30 percent with adaptable new electronic solution  ATLANTA — JAN. 18, 2004 — Onity / Senercomm® is introducing yet another electronic solution to help hoteliers reduce guestroom energy waste—and thus reduce operating costs—while at the same time enhancing guestroom comfort levels. According to Pascal Metivier, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Onity, the new SensorStat® 2000x product release will allow even small and mi...

San Ysidro Ranch Owner Ty Warner Undertaking Multimillion-dollar Renovation; Honoring the Storied History of the Hollywood Hideaway / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive San Ysidro Ranch Owner Ty Warner Undertaking Multimillion-dollar Renovation; Honoring the Storied History of the Hollywood Hideaway By Camilla Cohee, Santa Barbara News-Press, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 24, 2004 - A multimillion-dollar renovation is under way at the San Ysidro Ranch and owner Ty Warner is seeing to the details as if in his own home.  The Beanie Babies creator, who purchased the 540-acre Montecito ranch and hotel in 2000, is hand-selecting oriental rugs, antiques and artwork, arranging knickknacks on bookshelves, even advising on colo...

La Quinta Founder Sam Barshop Receives Hotel Industry Lifetime Achievement Award; Credited with Creating the Limited Service Lodging Concept / January

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  La Quinta Founder Sam Barshop Receives Hotel Industry Lifetime Achievement Award; Credited with Creating the Limited Service Lodging Concept Los Angeles, CA (January 20, 2004) – Sam Barshop, who along with his brother Philip founded La Quinta Motors Inns with a single property in 1968, and is credited with creating the concept of the “limited service” hotel, was honored by the hotel industry with its Lifetime Achievement Award.  Barshop accepted the award at a luncheon in his honor at the annual Americas Lodging Industry Summit (ALIS) held at the Century Plaza Hotel & Spa i...

January 30, 2004

Message to Hotel Sales Associates: “It’s Not You!” By David M. Brudney, ISHC January 2004 I’m a big movie buff and a huge fan of Robin Williams. One of my favorite scenes in the film “Good Will Hunting” is when Williams’ psychiatrist character is treating Matt Damon’s gifted MIT janitor character. You remember the line, don’t you?  Williams saying over and over to the denial-laden Damon, “it’s not your fault, it’s not your fault, it’s not your fault.”  Well, lately it seems that in my practice of reviewing hotel Sales departments, I find myself identifying with Williams’ character and feeling an urge to tell ho...

Tom Griffiths, Former Carlson Hotels Executive, Brings New Vision, Infrastructure to SRS-WORLDHOTELS / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Tom Griffiths, Former Carlson Hotels Executive, Brings New Vision, Infrastructure to SRS-WORLDHOTELS NEW YORK – (January 16, 2004) – Energized by its new leadership’s commitment to rapidly expand throughout North and South America, SRS-WORLDHOTELS, the Americas is quickly transitioning away from being a fledgling organization of a year ago, and moving toward becoming a leader in the independent hotel sales, marketing and distribution industry. While the early chapters of SRS-WORLDHOTELS’ rebirth continue to unfold, the newly defined infrastructure, business process and memb...

Profile of Hotel Ownership in the San Francisco Bay Area / Anwar Elgonemy / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Profile of Hotel Ownership in the San Francisco Bay Area By Anwar Elgonemy – Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels January 26, 2004 - Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels has undertaken a survey of hotel ownership in the San Francisco Bay Area. The survey analyzed the Bay Area’s largest hotels by major markets: the City of San Francisco, SFO Airport, Silicon Valley, East Bay, and the North Bay/Sonoma/Napa. San Francisco Bay Area Hotel Ownership REIT 27% Private Hotel Company 21% Opportunity/Equity Fund 13% Publicly Traded C-Corp 13% High Net Worth Individual / Family 11% Deve...

State of South Carolina Considering Privatizing the Operation of 80 Motel Rooms, Two 18-hole Golf Courses and Campsites at State Parks / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive  State of South Carolina Considering Privatizing the Operation of 80 Motel Rooms, Two 18-hole Golf Courses and Campsites at State Parks By Joey Holleman, The State, Columbia, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 12, 2004 - It's not hard to find precedent for privatizing public park accommodations, an issue raised for S.C. parks in Gov. Mark Sanford's budget recommendations.  Most National Park Service hotels always have been operated by private concessionaires. On the state level, Georgia has tried privatization of its lodges with varying degrees of success.  ...

New Hospitality Intelligence Report Tracks User Satisfaction and Website Performance / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   New Hospitality Intelligence Report Tracks User Satisfaction and Website Performance iPerceptions and Hospitality eBusiness Strategies launch the RUSH Report, a collaborative Report on User Satisfaction & Hotel Website Performance for the hospitality industry, based on feedback from over 72,000  actual website visitors to hotel brand websites.  New York, NY (January 13, 2004) – Two of the most respected names in hospitality-related eBusiness and eMarketing strategy and intelligence announced today the upcoming release of a new strategic report for the hospitality vertical. The RUSH...

Dieter Huckestein, President of Hilton Hotel Operations, Joins Austin City Officials to Open the 800 room Hilton Austin / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Dieter Huckestein, President of Hilton Hotel Operations,  Joins Austin City Officials to Open the 800 room Hilton Austin Coach Darrell K. Royal And Wife Edith Honored With Suite In Their Name AUSTIN, Texas, January 5, 2004 – City officials, the president of Hilton Hotel operations and legendary University of Texas coach, Darrell K. Royal cut a red ribbon Monday to ceremoniously open the city’s biggest and grandest hotel, the Hilton Austin at the convention center. “The promise of this project was to bring more and bigger conventions and meetings to our great city, and ...

University of Central Florida's Rosen School of Hospitality Management Opens $28.1 million Facility / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive University of Central Florida's Rosen School of Hospitality Management Opens $28.1 million Facility . The Orlando Sentinel, Fla., Tourism Column By Jerry W. Jackson, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 5, 2004 - ROSEN SCHOOL OPENS ITS DOORS: Future leaders in the region's hotel, tourism and restaurant industries walk through the doors of the new campus of the University of Central Florida's Rosen School of Hospitality Management this week.  The $28.1 million facility near International Drive holds its first classes today, and a formal de...

Room Configuration – Are Your Rooms Configured for the Best and Highest Use? / Brenda Fields / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report     Room Configuration - Are Your Rooms Configured for the Best and Highest Use? By Brenda Fields, January 2004 “Build it and they will come” may work in The Field of Dreams, but not necessarily in the hotel industry. The more accurate sentiment may be “Build it RIGHT and they will come”. To realize the highest room sales potential, it is important for owners and managers to make sure that each room is configured to its highest and best use. Many times, with very little expense, room revenues are significantly impacted through occupancy and/or average rate increases, by making minor a...

Rocco Forte On His Way to Hitting Target of 20 Luxury Hotels / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Rocco Forte On His Way to Hitting Target of 20 Luxury Hotels By Nicholas Faith, Evening Standard, London Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 25, 2004 - Eight years ago, Sir Rocco Forte appeared to be heading for business oblivion. Within two years of finally being allowed to take charge of the family hotels business by his redoubtable father, the veteran Lord Forte, he had conceded defeat to a hostile bid from Granada. It was a humiliating episode -- one from which there seemed to be no return.  Roll forward, though, and the tables are well and truly turned. Grana...

The 106 room River Terrace Inn Opens as Luxury Boutique Hotel in Downtown Napa, California / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  The 106 room River Terrace Inn Opens as Luxury Boutique Hotel in Downtown Napa, California (January 2004) - The River Terrace Inn opened November 2003 as a new luxury boutique hotel in downtown Napa, featuring 106 graciously appointed guestrooms and suites, a restaurant and wine bar, meeting space, and much more.  This is the newest hotel construction in the downtown area. "The River Terrace Inn features spectacular design, amenities and location, we anticipate that this property will quickly become a  River Terrace Inn 1600 Soscol Avenue Napa, California favorite ...

Revenue Boot CampSM for Hotels

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive Scottsdale, Jan. 9 - Get serious for hotel training like never before! Tough talk to make the cash register ring is the hallmark of Aspire Marketing, which announces Winter 2003 Revenue Management Boot Camp SM - Beyond RevenueSM, a highly interactive training program customized to help independent hotels, resorts and boutiques increase revenues and improve revenue management critical for today's challenging times. Participants spend three intense days, February 24 to 26 in warm Phoenix AZ...

New Year's Eve Partying Forces Ramada Inn and Convention Center to Evacuate in Southfield, Michigan / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive New Year's Eve Partying Forces Ramada Inn and Convention Center to Evacuate in Southfield, Michigan By Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 2, 2004 - They partied like it was 1999, but it was actually the dawning of 2004.  And after the New Year's Eve party was over, authorities had to force hundreds of people to evacuate a 19-story Southfield hotel Thursday morning.  Southfield Fire Capt. Pete Healy said the bash reminded him of one held in the same hotel, the Ramada Inn and Convention Center at 17017 W. Nine Mile, in 1999. He said...

Stormont-Noble Selected to Build $60 million 400-room Marriott in Downtown Raleigh, N.C. / January 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Stormont-Noble Selected to Build $60 million 400-room Marriott in Downtown Raleigh, N.C. By J. Andrew Curliss, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 9, 2004 - RALEIGH, N.C. -- City and county administrators late Thursday picked an Atlanta hotel developer, one of the nation's largest, to put a 400-room four-star Marriott hotel in downtown Raleigh next to a proposed convention center.  Taxpayers would provide $20 million in cash to Stormont-Noble Development for the project, plus provide 100 free parking spaces and offer city-owned lan...

The Standard Check-in by 3:00 pm and Check-out the Following Day at 12 noon No Longer Applies at Raffles Hotels; Flexible 24 hour Check-in/Check-out I

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report The Standard Check-in by 3:00 pm and Check-out the Following Day at 12 noon No Longer Applies at Raffles Hotels; Flexible 24 hour Check-in/Check-out Initiated  Singapore, 8 January 2004 – Raffles Hotels & Resorts has taken quality service standards to new heights by introducing flexible check-in and checkout. Residents staying at Raffles hotels and resorts in Singapore; Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Beverly Hills, USA; Hamburg, Germany and Montreux, Switzerland will now enjoy flexible check-in and checkout services.  This flexible check-in/check-out innovation means t...