HERE Local 1 President Henry Tamarin Arrested in Front of Congress Plaza Hotel; Hotel Workers Walk Out on June 15, 2003 / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report HERE Local 1 President Henry Tamarin Arrested in Front of Congress Plaza Hotel; Hotel Workers Walk Out on June 15, 2003 CHICAGO – June 15, 2003 - Workers at the Congress Plaza Hotel walked out on strike at 11:00 a.m. today, protesting wage cuts the union believes are illegal and benefit cuts. The contract expired on December 31, 2002. Until last September, the 110-year old hotel had always paid wages and benefits in line with other prominent Chicago hotels. However, the owners of the Congress chose not to participate in last summer’s citywide hotel negotiations. Nearly 7,000 workers in ...

Compensation Trends in Trying Times / Keith Kefgen / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Compensation Trends in Trying Times By: Keith Kefgen, May 20, 2003 HVS Executive Search completed its fifth national survey of compensation and benefits in the hospitality industry.  Since the previous survey in 2000, a great deal has changed in the hotel industry, the dot-com implosion, September 11th, and the Enron scandal. Even with all that upheaval in the economy, the search for talent has continued unabated. It still takes talent, maybe even more, to remain profitable in a down market. Below is an excerpt from our recently published 2002 HCE Lodging Property Annual Report, profi...

Columbia Hospitality Appoints Key Corporate Executives / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report    Columbia Hospitality Appoints Key Corporate Executives June 9, 2003- Seattle, WA -- Columbia Hospitality, Inc. (CHI) a Seattle-based hospitality management and consulting company, is pleased to announce new hires and promotions: Columbia Hospitality, Inc. Bret Matteson  Bret Matteson was promoted to chief operating officer for CHI and will work to oversee the day-to-day operations of the companies and the properties CHI manages. Bret was previously the company vice president. Prior to joining CHI, Bret was the general manager for the Elliott Hotel in Seattle and food an...

Hotel Room Inventory Up 5,000 in Six Years in Colorado Springs Area; 55.4% Occupany For the First Four Months of 2003 / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Hotel Room Inventory Up 5,000 in Six Years in Colorado Springs Area; 55.4% Occupany For the First Four Months of 2003 By Rich Laden, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 17, 2003 - Colorado Springs is growing by two hotels and more than 200 rooms this summer, giving the local lodging industry enough space to house, say, the combined populations of Monument, Manitou Springs and Woodland Park.  Trouble is, folks in those towns don't stay in hotels and motels; they live in houses, apartments and condominiums.  The hotels will bring...

Fairmont to Manage a New $152 million, 416-room Fairmont Coco Beach Resort on Puerto Rico's Rio Grande; Will Invest $9.5 million for a Minority E

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   Fairmont to Manage a New $152 million, 416-room Fairmont Coco Beach Resort on Puerto Rico's Rio Grande; Will Invest $9.5 million for a Minority Equity Interest June 5, 2003 - Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. ("FHR") (TSX/NYSE: FHR) today announced that the company has entered into an agreement with Betteroads Asphalt Corporation ("Betteroads") to manage a new $152 million, 416-room resort on Puerto Rico's Rio Grande, 25 miles east of San Juan. In acquiring the long-term management contract, FHR will also invest approximately $9.5 million for a minority equity interest in the pr...

Coaching and Mentoring, Sometimes A New Paradigm Can Go A Long Way / Neil L. Salerno / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Coaching and Mentoring, Part Two Sometimes A New Paradigm Can Go A Long Way by Neil L. Salerno, CHME  June 2003 I was really surprised by the rather large response from my article on coaching / mentoring in last month’s Hotel-Online publication. I’m grateful that they were positive and supportive. Thank you to those who took the time to email me. Because of this, I’ll take the chance to amplify my feelings on coaching. Over the past thirty plus years, I have had several mentors who took the time to give me the benefit of their wisdom and experience. No one stands out more then Howard...

City Inn Equips Flagship Hotel in London with DelphiTM Multi-Property Edition v9.1 / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report City Inn Equips Flagship Hotel in London with DelphiTM Multi-Property Edition v9.1 Automated Sales & Catering solution to help sell and manage property’s 460 guestrooms and 6 meeting rooms; 3 other City Inn hotels expected to also deploy DMPE for optimal connectivity, cross-selling  PORTSMOUTH, N.H. / LONDON — JUNE 3, 2003 — City Inn Limited, a leading-edge hotel owner/operator company based in London, has selected DelphiTM Multi-Property Edition (DMPE) v9.1 as the automated Sales & Catering solution for its new flagship property, the City Inn Westminster, scheduled to open July 16...

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging Enters into an Agreement with ETS on Management of Chauncey Conference Center in Princeton, New Jersey / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report    ARAMARK Harrison Lodging Enters into an Agreement with ETS on Management of Chauncey Conference Center in Princeton, New Jersey PHILADELPHIA, PA – June 2, 2003 – Educational Testing Service, owner of the Chauncey Conference Center, has selected ARAMARK Harrison Lodging to partner on the operation of this world class Princeton, New Jersey conference facility.  Nestled on 370 acres, Chauncey offers technologically advanced conference space for up to 200 people with 100 newly renovated guestrooms.  Its serene location provides attendees with a distraction-free environment well suited f...

Mennonite Church USA's 15,000 Room Nights Prompts Charlotte Convention Center to Offer Free Space Rental / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Mennonite Church USA's 15,000 Room Nights Prompts Charlotte Convention Center to Offer Free Space Rental By Leigh Dyer, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 26, 2003 - Mennonites, known for their beliefs in peace and nonviolence, turned out to be hard bargainers when they looked at the Charlotte Convention Center for their 2005 convention.  Charlotte was pitted against convention centers in Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis in its effort to snag the Mennonite Church USA meeting. Each city offered incentives to lure the 10,000 attendees.  ...

Relunctant Lender Foreclosing on Historic Chamberlin Hotel in Hampton, Va. / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Relunctant Lender Foreclosing on Historic Chamberlin Hotel in Hampton, Va. By Kimball Payne, Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  May 31, 2003 - HAMPTON, Va.--A private lender to the Chamberlin Hotel's owner is foreclosing on the historic Hampton Roads landmark.  Barring an agreement or monetary windfall, the eight-story building on Fort Monroe will be sold at a public auction in three weeks.  The lender didn't want to be identified and refused to comment, but its lawyer said it had not been an easy decision.  "They would prefer to avoid t...

Cendant's Nearly 4,000 Hotels Distributed through Five Third-party Booking Web Sites / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report    Cendant's Nearly 4,000 Hotels Distributed Through Five Third-party Booking Web Sites PARSIPPANY, N.J. (June 17, 2003) – Cendant Corporation’s Hotel Group today said it has created a net rate program with nearly 4,000 properties with agreements that allow for distribution through five major third-party travel Web sites: CheapTickets.com, Lodging.com, Travelocity.com, Travelweb.com and WorldRes.com. Under the agreements, those Web sites will prominently display rates of participating Super 8®, Days Inn®, Ramada®, Travelodge®, Howard Johnson®, Knights Inn®, Villager, Wingate In...

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Baymont Inns & Suites Provides Regional Sales Support For Franchisees; Catherine “Cat” Taylor named Regional Sales Manager MILWAUKEE, WIS. — (JUNE 20, 2003) Baymont Inns & Suites, the “Best In Class” brand in the midscale without food and beverage segment, has created a new regional sales manager position to develop new and existing business for 30 properties in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia and Florida. The position was created to enhance revenue and occupancy at these properties specifically and increase brand awareness overall.  Catherine ...

TynanGroup Successful in Securing Financing and Equity for $31 million Hotel Project in Santa Barbara, Calif. / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive  TynanGroup Successful in Securing Financing and Equity for $31 million Hotel Project in Santa Barbara, Calif.  By Mark Van De Kamp, Santa Barbara News-Press, Calif.  Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 13, 2003 - Developers of the proposed Hotel Carrillo on Wednesday secured $20 million in final financing and named a Beverly Hills company as its future operator.  The 96-room, five-story hotel at the corner of Chapala and Carrillo streets in downtown Santa Barbara is to open in late 2004, said Dave Odell, an executive with the TynanGroup in Santa Barbara -- the...

Canopco Hotel Guest Conferencing Program / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Canopco Hotel Guest Conferencing Program A New Service for Hotel Business Guests (TORONTO - June 9, 2003) - Globalive Communications Inc., launched the Canopco Hotel Guest Conferencing Program to answer the growing demand for expanded hotel business services. “Our guests want options for conducting business effectively while staying at our hotels and when using our meeting rooms. This Program allows us to offer on-demand audio conferencing at very competitive rates, while generating revenue for the hotel on every conference call,” said Steve Montague, Director of Information Technology at W...

Year-to-date Occupancy through April is 50.4% for all of Canada / Canadian Lodging Outlook – April 2003 YTD / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Year-to-date Occupancy Through April is 50.4% for All of Canada  . CANADIAN LODGING OUTLOOK April 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: Elizabeth D. MacDonald, MAI, AACI - HVS International - Canada Year-to-date occupancy through April is 50.4% for all of Canada, compared to 52.4% for the same period last year. Good news, the average room rate is up, at $105.07 year-to-date 2003, compared to $103.32 for the same period last year.  Occupancy is down in the United St...

Interstate Hotels & Resorts to Manage Calypso Cay Resort Properties in Orlando; Contract Includes Three Hotels and Selected Services for Timeshare Uni

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Interstate Hotels & Resorts to Manage Calypso Cay Resort Properties in Orlando; Contract Includes Three Hotels and Selected Services for Timeshare Units and Apartments WASHINGTON, D.C., June 24, 2003 — Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: IHR), the nation’s largest independent hotel management company, today announced that it had signed long-term agreements with Epoch Properties and Florida Capital to manage three hotels in Orlando, Fla.  The three hotels—an AmeriSuites Hotel (151 rooms), a Country Inn and Suites  (162 rooms) and a La Quinta Hotel (148 rooms) are part of Calypso Cay ...

Customer Awareness or Customer Beware? Data Security in a CRM-Obsessed Industry / Elizabeth Ivey / Hospitality Upgrade Magazine / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report Customer Awareness or Customer Beware? Data Security in a CRM-Obsessed Industry This article is from the Summer 2003 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) 802-5303 or e-mail. by Elizabeth Ivey, June 2003     I may or may not be your ideal customer: A fairly frequent business traveler and avid vacationer, willing to pay more for better service, to behave loyally when impressed and to positively influence oth...

CHIP, Other Ownership Groups Eye New Scorecarding Tool To Communicate Common Vision of Enterprise Priorities, Control Costs, Raise Profit Margins in T

February 28, 2003

CHIP, Other Ownership Groups Eye New Scorecarding Tool To Communicate Common Vision of Enterprise Priorities, Control Costs, Raise Profit Margins in Tough Economy Aptech Announces Metricvue® Balanced Scorecarding Module to Set Milestones, Track Day-to-Day Operational Performance, Link Numbers to Managers  PITTSBURGH, PA, June 17, 2003 – Ownership groups are taking an increasingly active role in property operation through the use of new scorecarding technology that sets performance milestones; highlights operational areas where cost cutting could improve revenue; and communicates a common vision of enterprise prio...

Charlene Goo Promoted to Vice President-Operations, Outrigger's Pacific Region / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Charlene Goo Promoted to Vice President-Operations, Outrigger's Pacific Region HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII - Barry Wallace, Senior Vice President of Operations for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, is pleased to announce the promotion of Charlene Goo to Vice President-Operations, Pacific Region, based in Guam.  Goo replaces Cliff Olson, who has transferred to Outrigger's Australia Division as Vice President-Operations, Australia. Most recently, Goo was Hotel Manager of the Outrigger Guam Resort, where she was responsible for all facets of the daily operation of the 600-room beachfront resor...

Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) Resturctures; Reiterates Commitment to Ongoing Environmental Programs / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) Resturctures; Reiterates Commitment to Ongoing Environmental Programs PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (June 24, 2003) - Following an extensive restructuring exercise involving an overview of its operating systems, programs and services, the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), environmental arm of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), is pleased to announce a new five-year Organizational Business Plan that seeks to return the organization to its core mission and mandate, with a focus on the development of quality servi...

The Grollo Group Appoints Accor to Manage the Luxury Mt Buller Chalet in the Victorian Alps / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report The Grollo Group Appoints Accor to Manage the Luxury Mt Buller Chalet in the Victorian Alps Global branding and management to help mountain resort scale new heights 17 June 2003: The Grollo Group has appointed Australia's leading hotel management group, Accor, to manage their luxury Mt Buller Chalet in the Victorian Alps.    The hotel will be rebranded Mercure Grand Mt Buller, joining other deluxe Mercure Grand hotels such as the Mercure Grand Hydro Majestic in the NSW Blue Mountains, Mercure Grand Mt Lofty House in the Adelaide Hills, and 2002 New Zealand 'Hotel of the Year', Me...

The Buccini/Pollin Group Breaks Ground On New Homewood Suites by Hilton Newark/Wilmington-South / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report    The Buccini/Pollin Group Breaks Ground On New Homewood Suites by Hilton Newark/Wilmington-South Hotel to be Managed by PM Hospitality Strategies NEWARK, Del. June 10, 2003 — Officials of The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG), a leading hotel development and ownership company, today announced that the company has broken ground on a new hotel, the 91-unit Homewood Suites, located at 650 S. College Ave. in Newark, Del.  PM Hospitality Strategies, an affiliate of The Buccini/Pollin Group, will manage the hotel. “This is our first Homewood Suites and a strong complement to our oth...

Broadband Hospitality Inks Agreement to Supply Doubletree Hotel Boise Riverside with High-Speed Internet Service / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Broadband Hospitality Inks Agreement to Supply Doubletree Hotel Boise Riverside with High-Speed Internet Service NEW ORLEANS — June 24, 2003 — Broadband Hospitality, one of the lodging industry’s fastest growing High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) providers, has signed an agreement with Boykin Lodging Company (NYSE: BOY) to provide the Doubletree Hotel Boise Riverside’s 304 guestrooms and meeting rooms with HSIA. Boykin Lodging Company, based in Cleveland, Ohio, owns the property located alongside the Boise River in Boise, Idaho. The hotel is operated by Boykin Management Company, also based...

High-Speed Internet Leader Broadband Hospitality Becomes Vendor of Choice for Hotels with 100 Rooms or Less / June 2003

February 28, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report High-Speed Internet Leader Broadband Hospitality Becomes Vendor of Choice for Hotels with 100 Rooms or Less   YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — June 3, 2003 — Broadband Hospitality, one of the lodging industry’s fastest growing High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) providers, has become the vendor of choice for hotels with fewer than 100 rooms. Almost 80 percent of the 110 hotels the Youngstown, Ohio-based company either has installed or under contract fit into that category. “Hotels with around 100 rooms or less are a perfect match for us,” says Vince Lucci, president of Broadband Hospitality. “We ha...