How Can I Efficiently Manage All Those Travel Sites? 5…4…3…2…1…DONE!!! / February 2004

January 30, 2004

How Can I Efficiently Manage All Those Travel Sites? 5...4...3...2...1...DONE!!! February 2004 In the wake of the hotelier’s frustrations in dealing with multiple online travel site “extranets”, an internet based tool is now being successfully used by hotels across the world to intelligently manage their Online Travel Sites. In less than the time it typically takes to update rates and inventory on one travel site, “EZ Yield” can do 10, 20, 50 or more site updates with just the click of a button.  With this tool (www.ezyield.com),  hoteliers can update Rate, Availability, Inventory, Cutoff Dates, Stop Sell/Closeout...

How do I Successfully Manage All These Extranets – Top Hoteliers Find A Way / February 2004

January 30, 2004

How do I Successfully Manage All These Extranets – Top Hoteliers Find A Way February 2004 PROBLEM 1:  Effective Yield Management of the Top-Producing Internet Wholesalers, worldwide, has been a daunting, time consuming, and frustrating task.  --- Time constraints of managing these extranets SEPARATELY costs hotels tens of thousands of dollars of potential revenue per month. PROBLEM 2:  Hotels need to be competitively positioned on Internet wholesalers. --- SOLUTION:  Hoteliers say EZ YIELD.com™ is the answer. EZ YIELD.com™ provides the hotel the ability to Simultaneously Update Rates, Allotments and Inventory Rest...

Maker's Mark Bourbon Reaches the Half-Century Mark; Product Invented The 'Fine Bourbon' Category…And Became An American Icon Alon

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 Maker's Mark Bourbon Reaches the Half-Century Mark;  Product Invented The 'Fine Bourbon' Category... And Became An American Icon Along The Way  LORETTO, Kentucky - Feb. 25, 2004 -- Fifty years ago at a farmhouse near this rural village, Bill Samuels Sr., a sixth generation Kentucky distiller, burned his family's 1...

Martin F. Waechter Named Chief Marketing Officer for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Martin F. Waechter Named Chief Marketing Officer for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Hong Kong, February 5, 2004  - Asia's leading luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, announces the appointment of Martin F. Waechter as chief marketing officer from the end of March 2004.  With 42 hotels in Asia Pacific and the Middle East and a further 26 new projects under development, the group has decided to strengthen its corporate marketing team due to its rapid expansion. Martin F. Waechter will rejoin Shangri-La's corporate office in Hong Kong from Frankfurt-based Steigenberger...

With a RevPAR Increase of 7.4%, Austria Was an Island of Prosperity in the European Hotel Landscape in 2003; Chain Hotel Results in Europe – Y

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  With a RevPAR Increase of 7.4%, Austria Was an "Island of Prosperity" in the European Hotel Landscape in 2003; Chain Hotel Results  in Europe - YTD December 2003 February 2004 The 2003 MKG Consulting forecasts predicted a drop in RevPAR between -2% and -4%: the year closed with a fall of 3.5%. The budget categories once again come out ahead of the pack Austria strongly up, the United Kingdom and France resisted better than the other European countries. Corporate operated chain hotel results by  country in Europe -  year-to-date December 2003 Occupancy r...

2004 European Ranking of Hotel Groups; Best Western Holds Top Position of 25 Brands in Europe / MKG Consulting / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report 2004 European Ranking of Hotel Groups;  Best Western Holds Top Position of 25 Brands in Europe February 16,2004 - As a preview of the detailed European hotel industry report, compiled each year by MKG Consulting and published in the February/March 2004 issue of HTR, here is a ranking of the top ten groups and the top 25 brands established in Europe. Yearly European ranking of hotel groups (as of 01/01/2004) Hotels Rooms Change Rank 2003  Rank 2004  Group Country 2003 2004 2003 2004 ...

The Generation Companies Names Michael Donaldson Owner-partner for the Candlewood Suites – Raleigh/Crabtree / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  The Generation Companies Names Michael Donaldson Owner-partner for the Candlewood Suites - Raleigh/Crabtree February 23, 2004 - The Generation Companies, LLC, (Generation) a Research Triangle Park, North Carolina real estate developer, asset manager and operator of extended stay hotels, recently announced the addition of Michael Donaldson, previously General Manager of the Candlewood Suites - Raleigh/Crabtree, as its newest Operating Partner. Pioneered in the hotel industry by Generation in 2000, this innovative program promotes successful, talented hotel General Managers to owne...

Chef Andre Soltner Opened Lutece in 1961; Competition from Trendier Restaurants Forces 43 Year Run to End / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Chef Andre Soltner Opened Lutece in 1961; Competition from Trendier Restaurants Forces 43 Year Run to End  By Tracy Connor, Daily News, New York Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 12, 2004 - Say "au revoir" to Lutece.  The New York landmark, where the ladies lunched, Woody Allen wooed Mia Farrow, and Richard Nixon held court, is closing its doors Saturday night.  "It's a decision I should have made a year-and-a-half ago," said Michael Weinstein, head of Ark Restaurants, which bought the famous French restaurant from chef Andre Soltner in 1994.  Launched in 1961...

Elite Island Resorts Now Overseeing Management and Marketing of the 154-room Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas on Tortola, British Virgin Islands / Febru

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 Elite Island Resorts Now Overseeing Management and Marketing of the 154-room Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas on Tortola, British Virgin Islands DEERFIELD BEACH, FL   February 19, 2004   Elite Island Resorts recently announced the newest member of the company's collection of hotels the renowned Long Bay Beach R...

Lodgian Sales Three Holiday Inns for Aggregate Price of $9.2 million / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Lodgian Sales Three Holiday Inns for Aggregate Price of $9.2 million ATLANTA, Ga., February 19, 2004 — Lodgian, Inc. (AMEX: LGN), one of the nation’s largest independent owners and operators of full-service hotels, today announced that it has sold, in separate transactions, three Holiday Inn hotels.  The sales were part of the company’s previously announced plan to sell 19 non-strategic hotels.  The hotels were sold for an aggregate price of $9.2 million.  The company has used a significant portion of the net proceeds, together with proceeds from the November 2003 sale of th...

All the Facts: Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show – April 14-15, 2004, Mandalay Bay Convention Center / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report All the Facts: Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show - April 14-15, 2004, Mandalay Bay Convention Center WHITE PLAINS, NY, February 13, 2004...Building on the excitement of new dates and a new venue, the 25th annual Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show (LVIHRS) will offer a full slate of educational programs, memorable special events, and exciting exhibit floor competitions, April 14-15, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. (Note: A complete schedule of seminars and events is attached.  “LVIHRS offers something for everyone. Informative educational sessions ...

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report New Guestroom Supply Additions for ‘04 and ‘05 Expected to be Below ’03 Levels; Falling Supply Good News for the Industry PORTSMOUTH, NH — January  30, 2004 -  A further decline in the Development Pipeline, combined with a resurgence of business travel and the continued strength of leisure trips, will help boost year-over-year operating performance in 2004 and 2005 as growing guestroom demand outweighs declining new supply, Lodging Econometrics (LE) is reporting in its Guidance Memo to Wall Street analysts and corporate clients. LE reported that New Guestroom Supply Addition...

Belmonte Appoints Lee Dushoff To Hospitality Solutions Team / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Belmonte Appoints Lee Dushoff To Hospitality Solutions Team  Hospitality industry veteran brings 20+ years of management expertise to franchise-relationship consulting group  RANDOLPH, N.J. — JANUARY 21, 2004 — One of the U.S. hotel industry's leading experts on management issues is joining the team at Hospitality Solutions LLC. Lee Dushoff, a Philadelphia-based consultant and advisor to hoteliers and hotel-company executives for more than 20 years, is joining Steve Belmonte's Hospitality Solutions LLC staff as an associate. Through Hospitality Solutions, Belmonte and his...

U.S. Raised Kobe Beef In Short Supply, Even at $100 A Pound / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  U.S. Raised Kobe Beef In Short Supply, Even at $100 A Pound February 9, 2004 - There's a rapidly-growing appetite for the most delicious and most expensive beef money can buy, reports Allen Brothers of Chicago, one of the nation's largest purveyors of USDA prime beef and other fine meat, as it tries to meet an eight-fold increase in demand for its U.S.-raised Kobe beef, which sells for as much as $100 a pound. Called the perfect indulgence and renowned for its incomparable rich and juicy flavor and extraordinary tenderness and texture, Kobe beef originated in Japan, where it ...

Kinseth Hospitality Companies Ventures with Sky High Speed to Feature Hi Speed Wireless Internet Access in their Hotels / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Kinseth Hospitality Companies Ventures with Sky High Speed to Feature Hi Speed Wireless Internet Access in their Hotels North Liberty, IA – February 2004 - Sky High Speed and Kinseth Hospitality Companies have teamed up to better serve the Internet needs of travelers. Steve Fairchild, Sky High Speed, Inc.'s President and CEO called Kinseth "a high quality and progressive company".  Kinseth Hospitality Companies is a hotel management and ownership company based in North Liberty, Iowa, with a proven track record of developing and operating award-winning hotels and restaurants. A leader in...

KSL Recreation Corp., Wants to Sell Six of its Properties; Time to Unlock the Value Created in Longer Held Resorts / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive KSL Recreation Corp., Wants to Sell Six of its Properties; Time to Unlock the Value Created in Longer Held Resorts By Jonathan Shikes, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 11, 2004 -- KSL Recreation Corp., the La Quinta-based owner and operator of some landmark California hotels, has announced that it wants to sell six of its properties.  But a longstanding labor dispute now centered at KSL's most recent acquisition, the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, could complicate those plans.  The La Quinta Resort and Club and PGA West;...

CNL Hospitality Properties Deal for 6 KSL Resorts Valued at Over $2.1 billion / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive CNL Hospitality Properties Deal for 6 KSL Resorts Valued at Over $2.1 billion By Douglas Hanks III, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 13, 2004 - -An Orlando-based real estate fund on an acquisition spree plans to buy the Doral Golf Resort & Spa as part of its purchase of the resort chain that owns the suburban getaway, the buyer said Thursday.  CNL Hospitality Properties has signed a contract to pay $1.37 billion for KSL Recreation Corp., which bought the Doral in 1994.  CNL also will assume $794 million of KSL's debt, pushing the value of the de...

Sea Trail Plantation Promotes Kimberley Curtis Johnston to Director of Resort Operations / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Sea Trail Plantation Promotes Kimberley Curtis Johnston to Director of Resort Operations February 18, 2004, Sunset Beach, N.C. – Sea Trail Plantation has promoted Kimberley Curtis Johnston to Director of Resort Operations. Johnston’s responsibilities include overseeing all food and beverage facilities, conference services, conference sales, resort buildings, reservations, housekeeping, and the resort’s Village Activity Center. Johnston will work closely with Executive Chef, Mike Bodjiak, and Director of Rooms and Activities, Toni Henry, to assure all resort operations run prope...

Marcus Hotels & Resorts Names Keith Halfmann Director of Project Management and Food and Beverage / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Marcus Hotels & Resorts Names Keith Halfmann Director of Project Management and Food and Beverage MILWAUKEE, Wis., February 17, 2004 — Marcus Hotels and Resorts, a leading third-party, independent hotel management company and a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced that it has promoted Keith Halfmann to the newly created position of director of project management and food and beverage.  “Keith has a unique background that combines different but compatible disciplines in project management and food and beverage operations,” said Bill Otto, president o...

Jason Yarbrough Appointed Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales and Development for the Country Hearth Inn Franchise System / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Jason Yarbrough Appointed Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales and Development for the Country Hearth Inn Franchise System February 18, 2004   Atlanta, GA - With aggressive growth in the year 2004 - Country Hearth Inns announced the promotion of Jason Yarbrough to Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales and Development for the Country Hearth Inn Franchise System, a limited-service lodging chain. Mr. Yarbrough will be responsible for all phases of franchise sales and development and will oversee the expanding sales force. Yarbrough, who previously served as Senior Franc...

Jennifer Trevino Appointed General Manager for the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Pharr, Texas / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Jennifer Trevino Appointed General Manager for the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Pharr, Texas Dallas, TX, February 16, 2004:  Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) announced today that Jennifer Trevino has been appointed general manager for the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Pharr, Texas, slated to open in April 2004. As general manager, Trevino will oversee the successful management of the hotel, including operations, sales and marketing, associate and guest satisfaction, and brings to the position more than 10 years of experience in the hotel industry.   P...

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Names J. William Richardson Chief Financial Officer / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Interstate Hotels & Resorts Names J. William Richardson Chief Financial Officer ARLINGTON, Va., February 23, 2004 — Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: IHR), the nation’s largest independent hotel management company, today announced that J. William (Bill) Richardson has joined the company as chief financial officer.   Previously, he was vice chairman and CFO of Interstate Hotels Corp., where he oversaw the completion of that company’s 2002 merger with MeriStar Hotels & Resorts to form Interstate Hotels & Resorts. “Bill brings 30 years of hotel industry finance and operation...

JRK Hosptiality Group Adds Two New York Properties to the SynXis Reservation Management System / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report   JRK Hosptiality Group Adds Two New York Properties to the SynXis Reservation Management System - McLean, VA – February 10, 2004 - SynXis, a provider of reservation management and distribution systems for the hospitality industry, announced today that JRK Hospitality Group will be adding their two new acquisitions, The Roger Williams Hotel and The Franklin Hotel, both in New York City, to the SynXis Reservation Management System for Global Distribution System (GDS) connectivity, Internet distribution and web site booking engine. JRK, a West Coast based owner of luxury and boutique hotels,...

John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. Reports 2003 Year End Net Loss of $7,061; Total Revenues Down 2.1% Compared to Prior Year / Hotel Operating Statistics /

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. Reports 2003 Year End Net Loss of $7,061; Total Revenues Down 2.1% Compared to Prior Year Hotel Operating Statistics SPRINGFIELD, MO., February 18, 2004  ---- John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc. (AMEX: JQH) today reported results for the year-end and fourth quarter 2003.  Year-to-Date Results Basic loss per share for the twelve months ended January 2, 2004 was ($1.39), compared to a loss per share of ($0.54) for the twelve months ended January 3, 2003.  Net loss for the twelve months ended January 2, 2004 was $7.1 million, compared to a net loss of $2.8...