Adding to the Hotel Experience – Chef on Demand: Whatever, Wherever for Dinner / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Adding to the Hotel Experience - Chef on Demand:  Whatever, Wherever for Dinner . Dubai, February 2004: Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, the upscale lifestyle resort in Dubai, has extended its facilities to assist the business traveller with the addition of Chef on Demand The “couture cuisine” service is available for all Club guests, who can choose their menus, as well as their place of dining.   According to general manager Michael Scully, the decision came after extensive research with Club floor guests, of which more than 50 per cent are made up of frequ...

Jackie Chan Conferred an Honorary Professorship at the School of Hotel & Tourism Management (HTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University / February 2

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Jackie Chan Conferred an Honorary Professorship at the School of Hotel & Tourism Management (HTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University  February 23, 2004 - Superstar Jackie Chan was conferred an Honorary Professorship at the School of Hotel & Tourism Management (HTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in January 2004.   With his international fame, Jackie has been appointed as Hong Kong’s official Tourism Ambassador since 1995. Over the years, he has taken part in many large-scale activities to build the positive image of Hong Kong and to promote Chinese arts and culture. ...

The $400 million Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Contracting with a Host of Top Names – Greg Norman, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Nick Bollettieri and Other

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report The $400 million Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Contracting with a Host of Top Names - Greg Norman, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Nick Bollettieri and Others to Create Unique Resort NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2004 - In a high-profile preview of its late 2004 opening, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman today introduced a group of internationally renowned brand leaders that, together, will produce an array of facilities, activities and amenities that promise to redefine residential and resort lifestyle in the Caribbean. When opened, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman will offer golf by Greg Norman, the preeminent golf co...

Caribbean Hotels & Resorts: The Seasonality Issue / Petr Kulic / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Caribbean Hotels & Resorts: The Seasonality Issue By Petr Kulic, February 17, 2004  HVS International has performed a number of appraisals and consulting assignments in the Caribbean in the past several years. In the process, we have inspected several hotels and resorts, and have spoken with hotel operators as well as officials on islands throughout the region. While each of the 32 countries forming the Caribbean is unique, they all share one characteristic: the seasonality of demand. This article highlights some of the seasonality issues, and illustrates how various parts of the...

Canouan Resorts Development Turning The Island of Canouan Into a Major Destination Resort / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Canouan Resorts Development Turning The Island of Canouan Into a Major Destination Resort February 9, 2004 - The island of Canouan is about to become big news with the grand opening of Raffles Resort Canouan Island in July, and the unveiling of TRUMP Island Villas later in the year. Canouan Resorts Development (CRD) has brought together a unique collaboration of high-profile partners to turn Canouan Island, one of the last undeveloped islands in the Caribbean, into a major, multi-faceted vacation destination.  When the resort redesign is complete, Raffles International Hotels a...

2003 an Unbelievably Strong Year for US Hotel Sales / Canadian Lodging Outlook – December 2003 Year-to-Date / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report 2003 an Unbelievably Strong Year for US Hotel Sales CANADIAN LODGING OUTLOOK December  2003 Year-to-Date The Canadian Lodging Outlook is a joint monthly publication  of Smith Travel Research and HVS International,  Vancouver and Toronto, Canada . By: Toni Viens, MAI, HVS International - New York February 2004 Major Hotel Transactions the Strongest Since 1998, Portfolio Purchases Increase, CNL Biggest Buyer of the Year, and the Hotel del Coronado tops the charts at $383 million.  The HVS Research Department highlights 2003 in terms of the economy, number of major transactions, portf...

The Camelback Inn's 453 Adobe-style Casita Guest Rooms Upgraded, Resort Now a JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  The Camelback Inn's 453 Adobe-style Casita Guest Rooms Upgraded, Resort Now a JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts WASHINGTON – Feb. 11, 2004 – Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) announced today that Marriott’s Camelback Inn Resort, Golf Club & Spa has joined the world-class collection of distinctive JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts.  Catering to discerning travelers around the world, JW Marriott properties are the most distinctive and elegant hotels and resorts carrying the Marriott name.  “Marriott’s Camelback Inn is one of the most unique and award-winning resorts in the c...

Carol Simon Opens Singapore Office for The Boutique Search Firm / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Carol Simon Opens Singapore Office for The Boutique Search Firm  Beverly Hills, California. — January 30, 2004 - The Boutique Search Firm is pleased to announce the opening of its first office in Asia. Located in Singapore, the company’s Asia outpost will serve the executive recruiting needs of top-luxury hotels and resorts throughout the region. "Whereas we have had the pleasure and privilege to serve some of the finest hotels and hotel companies in Asia since the inception of the Boutique Search Firm in 1992," said Boutique Search Firm founder and President Benoit Gateau-Cumi...

CSM Lodging Acquires the 126-room Residence Inn Minneapolis – Eden Prairie / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report CSM Lodging Acquires the 126-room Residence Inn Minneapolis - Eden Prairie MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 3, 2004 - CSM Lodging announced the acquisition of the Residence Inn Minneapolis - Eden Prairie on Friday, January 30, making it the 27th Marriott hotel owned and operated by Minneapolis based CSM Lodging, under a franchise agreement with Marriott International, Inc.   The 126-room Residence Inn Minneapolis - Eden Prairie is located at 7780 Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie, MN and is situated on the Northeast side of Interstate 494 and Highway 212.  This residential-style hotel is de...

The Culinary Institute of America Files Lawsuit to Protect Its Name / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  The Culinary Institute of America Files Lawsuit to Protect Its Name HYDE PARK, N.Y. - Feb. 23, 2004 -- The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) announced today that it filed a complaint in federal district court in San Francisco against American Culinary Institute, Inc. The complaint alleges trademark infringement of the famous, registered trademark The Culinary Institute of America, as a result of the recent launching of defendant's new brand identity for its company and its "Gold Medal" awards program under the name American Culinary Institute. Founded in 1946, The Culinary I...

Christel DeHaan, Co-founder of Resort Condominiums International, Presented with 2004 International Society of Hospitality Consultants Pioneer Award /

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Christel DeHaan, Co-founder of Resort Condominiums International, Presented with 2004 International Society of Hospitality Consultants Pioneer Award New York City, February 2004 — Christel DeHaan, co-founder of Resort Condominiums International (RCI), will be honored at the lodging industry’s premier investment conference, the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), Jan. 19–21, 2004, at The Century Plaza Hotel & Spa and the St. Regis – Los Angeles.  During the event’s third installment, DeHaan will be presented with this year’s International Society of Hospitality C...

Boutique Hotels: Rethinking the Fundamentals in a New Business Environment / Brenda Fields / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report     Boutique Hotels: Rethinking the Fundamentals in a New Business Environment by Brenda Fields, February 2004 During the past decade, dramatic changes have occurred on all levels in the hotel industry. Eight years of record occupancies, average rates, and profitability were followed by a dramatic drop in occupancy, rate and profitability. During that period, technology advanced to the stage that, now, business is conducted almost exclusively with computers, cell phones, and palm pilots, and can be orchestrated as effortlessly in the back seat of a cab-- anywhere in the world-- as in an o...

Developers Secure $120 million Construction Loan for the 790-room Westin at Boston's New Convention Center / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Developers Secure $120 million Construction Loan for the 790-room Westin at Boston's New Convention Center By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 24, 2004 - Developers of the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center hotel said yesterday they have secured a $120 million construction loan, which means the 790-room Westin could be open in the summer of 2006, just in time for a Microsoft Corp. convention that tourism officials hope to land in June of that year.  That convention, drawing as many as 20,000 people over 10 days, would...

Best Western Soldiers Field, MN, Marches Forward with Latest ASP Solution / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Best Western Soldiers Field, MN, Marches Forward with Latest ASP Solution February 11, 2004 - Ramesys Hospitality Inc, South Plainfield, NJ, the leading provider of enterprise IT solutions to the hospitality and lodging industry, has completed their installation of Entirety Property Management System on an ASP (application service provider) basis at the 214 room Best Western Soldiers Field in Rochester, MN.  Entirety PMS is an advanced Windows based property management system that has been designed to provide a highly modular and configurable platform to match the needs of a wide variety of hotels. Ramesys installed a 17-user ...

Best Western Expects to Add 160 Hotels Through Conversions (60 percent) and New Construction (40 percent) In North America / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Best Western Expects to Add 160 Hotels Through Conversions (60%) and New Construction (40%) In North America PHOENIX, Feb. 2, 2004 - Best Western International, THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(R) will add approximately 380 hotels to its system in 2004 despite challenging economic conditions. "Our global growth strategy remains unchanged, which is to identify regions both throughout North America and internationally where the Best Western brand is under represented," says Tom Higgins, Best Western president and CEO. In North America, Best Western has projected adding 160 hotels to...

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  .Special Report Benchmark Adopts UniFocus’ MEETINGScope™ To Ensure Quality of Meeting Services DALLAS  — Feb. 23, 2004  — UniFocus, a company that delivers measurable enterprise value improvement through all of its products and services, today announced that Benchmark Hospitality of The Woodlands, Texas, has selected MEETINGScope™ for its properties that provide meeting services.  Benchmark Hospitality manages 28 award-winning resorts, conference centers and hotels in the United States, Canada and Japan. Leading hotels, conference centers and convention destinations are adopting the MEETINGScope appli...

Designed by Architects Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo from Hawaii, The Conrad Bali Resort & Spa in Indonesia Set to Open / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report  Designed by Architects Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo from Hawaii, The Conrad Bali Resort & Spa in Indonesia Set to Open BALI, INDONESIA (February 19, 2004) – Conrad Hotels, the award-winning luxury collection within the Hilton Family of Hotels, will add another luxury property with the opening of the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa in Indonesia on March 8, 2004.  The contemporary 313-room luxury resort is located on the southern coast of the island of Bali, conveniently situated only 10 km (6 ¼ miles) from the Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar) and next to the Nusa Dua re...

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report People, Product, Service: An Operator’s “Back to the Basics” Manual for Success By Wayne Goldberg, Senior Vice President, La Quinta Corporation, February 2004 In mid-March, La Quinta Corpration (NYSE:LQI) will bring together hundreds of general managers, owners and associates from our 370 hotels at our annual conference in Las Vegas. Many topics will be discussed, and we will review the accomplishments of the past year and anticipate the year ahead. Like our colleagues in the industry, we will report the news back to the trade. Underpinning the news is a formula that has prove...

JAL Hotels and Beijing Capital Tourism Joint Venture to Create Hotel Management Company Focusing on Eleven Cities in China Served by JAL Airlines / F

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report JAL Hotels and Beijing Capital Tourism Joint Venture to Create Hotel Management Company Focusing on Eleven Cities in China Served by JAL Airlines TOKYO, Feb. 2, 2004 - JAL Hotels Company, Ltd., operating company of Nikko Hotels International, announced today in Tokyo that it will form a 50:50 joint venture corporation with Beijing Capital Tourism Co., Ltd., a Chinese company, to provide hotel management services. The joint corporation, BTG Nikko International Hotel Management Co., Ltd. will be based in Beijing, China. JAL Hotels and Beijing Capital Tourism are each leading compani...

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Brent Barker, Concierge at Chicago’s Hotel Burnham, Inducted into Les Clefs d’Or USA CHICAGO, Feb. 25, 2004 – Brent Barker, a concierge at Chicago’s Hotel Burnham, has been inducted into Les Clefs d’Or USA, the American section of the elite corps of the world’s finest hotel concierges.  Les Clefs d’Or is represented in 37 countries, with only 450 members in the United States.  Founded in Paris in 1929, Les Clefs d’Or means “keys of gold” and refers to the crossed gold keys that are the international symbol of the organization.  Displayed on a hotel concierge’s uniform lapels, th...

The Revenue Management Machine – Powered by Aspire – Announces Dates in Dallas, March 8 and Washington DC, March 18, 2004 / February 2004

January 30, 2004

The Revenue Management Machine ... Powered by Aspire -  - Announces Dates in Dallas, March 8 and Washington DC, March 18, 2004 Scottsdale, Feb. 11 – Get 2004 started right and take advantage of the easiest, fastest and most cost effective way to drive revenues and profits.  Tough talk to make the cash register ring is the hallmark of Aspire. In its own unique way, Aspire has developed a crash course in Revenue Management that moves your property up the ladder quickly and efficiently. “The Revenue Management 101SM  workshops have created such dramatic demand we are moving up the dates for Dallas and Washington DC” ...

Coming to a City Near You – Revenue Management 101 – Understanding the Fundamentals of Revenue Management / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Coming to a City Near You -  Revenue Management 101 . Understanding the Fundamentals of Revenue Management to Drive RevPAR and Market Share in as little as 30 days! Scottsdale, Jan. 30, 2004 -  Get 2004 started right and take advantage of the easiest, fastest and most cost effective way to drive revenues and profits.  Tough talk to make the cash register ring is the hallmark of Aspire. In its own unique way, Aspire has developed a crash course in Revenue Management that moves your property up the ladder quickly and efficiently. “The Revenue Management 101SM   workshops kick off February 20, 2004 in Phoenix. This...

Asbestos Removal Slows and Adds Major Expenses to Hotel Renovation or Redevelopment / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Asbestos Removal Slows and Adds Major Expenses to Hotel Renovation or Redevelopment By Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 7, 2004 - Workers on Friday completed asbestos removal and demolition of the Vagabond Inn and Tam O'Shanter Motel on the Strip and Sands Avenue, Las Vegas Sands officials said.  The asbestos-removal project, which took 19 days to complete and cost between $500,000 and $1 million, was the first step in the site preparation for the Sands' new $1 billion, 3,000-room resort, now called The Venetian Phase II, at th...

Arlington Hospitality, Inc. Reports Occupancy at 54 AmeriHost Inns Drops to 41.5% in January, 2004 / February 2004

January 30, 2004

Hotel Online  Special Report Arlington Hospitality, Inc. Reports Occupancy at 54 AmeriHost Inns Drops to 41.5% in January, 2004  ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., February 24, 2004 — Arlington Hospitality, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM: HOST), a hotel development and management company, today announced January 2004 same-room operating results for the AmeriHost Inn hotels in which the company has an ownership interest. The January 2004 same-room results include 54 AmeriHost Inn hotels which have been opened for at least 13 months. Same-room revenue per available room (RevPAR) in January 2004 increased 1.4 percent to $22.64, compa...