The Reef Resort Selects Boutique Hotels and Resorts for Marketing, Reservation and Global Distribution Technology / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report The Reef Resort Selects Boutique Hotels and Resorts for Marketing, Reservation and Global Distribution Technology Miami Beach, March 24, 2003 - Boutique Hotels and Resorts International LLC adds it's third member hotel in the Caribbean: The Reef, Cayman’s premier beach resort.  Tom McCallum Director and principle of  “The Reef Resort” stated,  “We chose Boutique Hotels and Resorts International for their sophisticated marketing, technology and unique identity that specifically promotes our Island resort.”  Boutique Hotels & Resorts International was created exclusively...

Bank of America Appoints Rim Hospitality to Manage the Radisson Hotel in Union City, California / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Bank of America Appoints Rim Hospitality to Manage the Radisson Hotel in Union City, California March 3, 2003 - As of Thursday, February 27, 2003, Bank of America has chosen Rim Hospitality, formerly The Rim Corporation to manage the 271-room full service Radisson Hotel in Union City, California. "We are happy to have the opportunity to manage this asset for Bank of America and to use our management technology to improve efficiencies of day-to-day operations as well as the long term goal of improving the net operating income", said Mark Burden, President of Rim Hospitality. “One of...

Radisson Hotels & Resorts to Manage Luxury Hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Sena Hotel Developments Ltd. the Developer / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Radisson Hotels & Resorts to Manage Luxury Hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Sena Hotel Developments Ltd. the Developer MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (March 11, 2003) – Radisson Hotels & Resorts, along with its division's regional development and operations group, Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, today announced that it has signed an agreement to manage a new Radisson hotel currently under construction in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.  It will be Radisson's first hotel in that country.  The Radisson Water Garden Hotel is being developed by Sena Hotel Developments Ltd. (SHDL), a local joint venture betw...

Rebecca Wyatt Named SVP Electronic Distribution and Customer Relationship Management for Hilton Hotels Corporation / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Rebecca Wyatt Named SVP – Electronic Distribution and Customer Relationship Management for Hilton Hotels Corporation BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 18, 2003 – Rebecca Wyatt has been promoted to senior vice president – electronic distribution and customer relationship management for Hilton Hotels Corporation.  She most recently served as vice president - brand integration and will continue to report to Bala Subramanian, senior vice president – distribution and brand integration.   In her new position, Wyatt will be responsible for Hilton’s brand web-site design and functio...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report    ARAMARK Harrison Lodging's Rory Loberg Named One of the “Top 25 Most Influential Executives of 2002” by Business Travel News   PHILADELPHIA, PA – March 5, 2003 – Rory Loberg, executive vice president of ARAMARK Harrison Lodging, was named among the “Top 25 Most Influential Executives of 2002” by Business Travel News, a prominent industry trade magazine, in its January 20, 2003 issue.  The list features leaders who have had the most significant impact on the business travel industry in 2002.  Loberg was chosen for his outstanding role in ARAMARK’s acquisition of Harrison Confe...

Hotel Real Estate Transactions During the First Eight Months of 2002 – Way Down, But Not 'Way Different' / PKF Consulting / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotel Real Estate Transactions During the First Eight Months of 2002 - Way Down, But Not 'Way Different' by: John. B Corgel, Ph.D. and Kristin Rohlfs  Hotel real estate transaction volume in the U.S. during the first eight months of 2002 slowed to about 40 percent of the volume recorded in 2001, 2000, and 1999. The Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting (HRG) identified 173 sales year-to-date (September 1st) compared to 462, 553, and 409, respectively during the same period of the past three years. Why has the hotel real estate market stalled? Some possible explanations i...

Boykin Management Company Assumes Management of the Historic Crowne Plaza Quaker Square in Akron, Ohio / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Boykin Management Company Assumes Management of the Historic Crowne Plaza Quaker Square in Akron, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio, March 26, 2003 – Effective January 1, 2003 Boykin Management Company officially assumed day-to-day management operations of the unique and distinctive Crowne Plaza Quaker Square in Akron, Ohio. A local landmark for nearly 30 years, the Crowne Plaza Quaker Square is undoubtedly, one of the most unique properties in the Midwestern U.S. The hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed from 19th century mills and silos, which marked th...

Prism Hotels of Dallas Sells the 355-room Sheraton Capital Center – Raleigh for Approximately $21.4 million / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Prism Hotels of Dallas Sells the 355-room Sheraton Capital Center - Raleigh for Approximately $21.4 million By Dudley Price, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 20--RALEIGH, N.C.--A unit of Lehman Brothers Holdings has acquired the Sheraton Capital Center, Raleigh's largest downtown hotel, in a deal valued at $21.4 million.  L.B. Raleigh Hotel, an affiliate of the New York investment bank, obtained the Sheraton from Prism Hotels of Dallas, which had owned the 355-room hotel since 1998.  The hotel's fortunes have fluctuated since i...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report   PrinterOn’s PocketWhere for the Pocket PC Wins TMC’s Planet PDA Product of the Year -         Printing and faxing application recognized for industry innovation and market growth contribution  Kitchener, ON – March 3, 2003: PrinterOn Corporation, a Web services company specializing in wireless and remote Internet printing, announced that its printing and faxing application for the Pocket PC, PocketWhere, received Planet PDA Magazine’s 2002 Product Of The Year Award. The Technology Marketing Corp. (TMC) Planet PDA® Product of the Year award honors outstanding products and servic...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Three Independent Luxury Hotels Complete Preferred’s Standard’s of Excellence Quality Assurance Program -  St. Julien Hotel in Boulder, Colorado;  Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Ft. Meyers, Florida; and  Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach, California CHICAGO, Illinois, March 27, 2003 - Preferred Hotels® & Resorts Worldwide, a prestigious brand of more than 116 distinctive, independent luxury hotels and resorts has extended its member collection with the addition of three new properties: St. Julien Hotel in Boulder, Colorado; Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Ft. Myers, F...

Like a Rhyme — Motel, Hotel, Patel; Indian-Americans Own Approximately 35% of All Hotels in U.S. / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Like a Rhyme -- Motel, Hotel, Patel; Indian-Americans Own Approximately 35% of All Hotels in U.S. By Hugh R. Morley, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 6, 2003 - If the traditional image of the roadside motel is one of dusty highways, dog-tired truckers, and cheap sleeps, then the modern face is Kundan Patel.  A native of India, Patel, 57, and her husband, Chanbrakanp, 62, own the Edison Days Inn, one of four budget hotels purchased by the Patels since they came to the United States two decades ago.  The couple is part of a sizable num...

University of Hawaii's TIM Interim Dean Pauline Sheldon and Professor Juanita Liu Elected to International Academy for the Study of Tourism / Mar

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report University of Hawaii's TIM Interim Dean Pauline Sheldon and Professor Juanita Liu Elected to International Academy for the Study of Tourism March 25, 2003 - The University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Travel Industry Management (TIM) Interim Dean Pauline Sheldon and Professor Juanita Liu were two of the three scholars from across the globe selected to join the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (Academy).  The Academy is an international organization created to enhance both theoretical and practical research in the field of tourism and its appointed members are recog...

Can Six Continents Stem Online Wholesaling? / Dr. Bill Carroll / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   Can Six Continents Stem Online Wholesaling?  By Dr. Bill Carroll, March 4, 2003 The market, not chains, properties, wholesalers, travel agents or consumers, control price. The market has, and always will, control price in a capitalist system.  Hotels, aided by their chains, management companies and franchisors, can control the availability of their inventory. They are most knowledgeable about allocating their inventory to improve profits.  This is the best that Six Continents can hope to do.  Ernst and Young in its 2002 National Lodging Survey called 2002 the "perfect storm" of n...

The 544-room Ritz-Carlton and the 1,000-room JW Marriott Hotel Commence Filling 1,200 Jobs in Orlando / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive The 544-room Ritz-Carlton and the 1,000-room JW Marriott Hotel Commence Filling 1,200 Jobs in Orlando By Jerry W. Jackson, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 27, 2003 - The economy may be limping along, but the luxury Grande Lakes Orlando resort is in full sprint to fill 1,200 jobs during the next four months.  The $600 million project, under construction in south Orange County, will feature a 544-room Ritz-Carlton hotel and a 1,000-room JW Marriott hotel on 500 acres. It is scheduled to open in July.  To fill all those positions -- eve...

P.R.S. 'Biki' Oberoi Awarded 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the 6th International Hotel Investment Forum; Exceptional Leadership

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report P.R.S. “Biki” Oberoi Awarded “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 6th International Hotel Investment Forum; Exceptional Leadership and High Standards for Hospitality  DELHI, March 17, 2003 -- Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman & CEO, EIH Limited, was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), held recently in Berlin. Mr. Oberoi’s son, Vikram Oberoi, received the award on his behalf.  The annual award is given to those who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and is voted upon by an Advisory Board comprised of leade...

Hotel Expansion Is Key in Oklahoma City's Move to Attract Events / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Hotel Expansion Is Key in Oklahoma City's Move to Attract Events By Paul Monies, The Daily Oklahoman Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 23, 2003 - Downtown Oklahoma City is expected to have 1,200 hotel rooms in the next couple of years, reaching the "critical mass" necessary for attracting bigger conventions and more sporting events.  But will it be enough?  Some organizers scouting Oklahoma City for future events say it may be too early to tell.  Meanwhile, local sports and development officials contend the city is well positioned to be one of the cities biddin...

Built in 1980, the 236-unit Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Sells for $14.4 million / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Built in 1980, the 236-unit Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Sells for $14.4 million New York, NY - March 31, 2003 - GE Capital Realty Group, acting as the owner's representative on behalf of JPMorgan Chase Bank - the trustee for the registered holders of Merrill Lynch Mortgage Investors, Inc., Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates - has sold the 236-unit Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to a private investment company in a transaction valued at approximately $14.4 million.  Insignia/ESG Hotel Partners was the owner's exclusive representative in this sale.  Tom Ives...

Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. Reports Net Earnings of $25.3 million for Year Ending 2002; RevPAR Down 2% for the Year / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. Reports Net Earnings of $25.3 million for Year Ending 2002; RevPAR Down 2% for the Year HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 5, 2003 - Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. (NYSE: OEH, http://www.orient-express.com), owner-operator of 41 luxury hotels, tourist train and river cruise properties in 17 countries, today announced its results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2002.  For the quarter, net earnings were $4.2 million ($0.14 per common share) compared with $3 million ($0.10 per common share) for the fourth quarter of 2001.  Revenue was up 25% quarter to quarter,...

What the Hotel Operator Needs to Know About Legitimate Telecommunications Charges versus Nuisance Charges / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report What the Hotel Operator Needs to Know About Legitimate Telecommunications Charges versus Nuisance Charges Nuisance Charges: Legitimate Taxes and Surcharges or Questionable Price Increases? By Jeff Blackey, US LEC Senior Vice President  March 2003 In the six years since Congress deregulated the telecommunications industry, the majority of telephone customers have benefited from more choices, lower costs and better service.  But the Telecommunications Act of 1996 also created new surcharges for telephone services, adding to the confusing mix of mandatory charges already in...

South Korean Tourists Describe Sightseeing Trip Across the DMZ to a Floating Hotel / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive South Korean Tourists Describe First Sightseeing Trip Across the DMZ to a Floating Hotel By Michael A. Lev, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 3, 2003 - ONJUNG-RI, North Korea -- When the villagers of isolated, poverty-stricken North Korea saw the 16 fancy busloads of South Korean tourists coming up the road, no welcoming party formed.  The North Koreans turned their backs or avoided eye contact. A shovel brigade hid by crouching low in a ditch. Children at a school scampered for cover behind a wall and then peered cautiously around.  When some of ...

Kaharuddin Salamun Named Resident Manager for Le Meridien Nirwana; Additional Appointments Made / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Kaharuddin Salamun Named Resident Manager for Le Meridien Nirwana; Additional Appointments Made  March 21, 2003, Denpasar, Indonesia — Le Meridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort, Bali,  General Manager Mark Griffiths announces four appointments and promotions for the first quarter of 2003.   Kaharuddin Salamun joins Le Meridien Nirwana this month as Resident Manager, replacing Kenneth Sorrensen, who is promoted to General Manager at Le Meridien Tahiti. Known by his friends and co-workers as “Kahar”, he most recently was general manager at Intan Village Resort in Bali and previou...

New Nightlight Program Provides Energy-Efficient Solutions for Hotels/ March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  New Nightlight Program Provides Energy-Efficient Solutions for Hotels Green Suites International’s Nightlights Made Easy program helps hotels electronically order energy efficient solutions that save $60/room per year while boosting guest satisfaction Upland, Calif.—March 6, 2003—A WRA Research study found that 16 percent of travelers bring their own nightlights while traveling — an alarming percentage given that the study found fewer travelers prayed before going to bed. Perhaps those guests that are “hitting their knees before turning in” are praying they don’t stub thei...

Nexus Technology Propels Warwick International Hotels Through Year of Successful Changes; Integration of Nexus Account Management System with Sales E

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  .Special Report Nexus Technology Propels Warwick International Hotels Through Year of Successful Changes . Integration of Nexus Account Management System with Sales Efforts Key Denver, CO – March 26, 2003 – “It has been a very good year at Warwick International Hotels in spite of difficult times. Restructuring of our internal sales process and our re-branding initiatives required efficient, intelligent, well-targeted efforts by all our staff.  Nexus World Services was key to the successful implementation of our plans,” Said Gregory Habeeb, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales at Warwick Internation...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Hyatt International Deploys Newmarket International’s DelphiTM at Two Renowned Conference Hotels in Dubai  Delphi Multi-Property Sales & Catering software automates business-center hotels with cross-selling capabilities that enhance operations, while bolstering world-class customer service    PORTSMOUTH, N.H. / CHICAGO — MARCH  11, 2003 — Hyatt International Corp. — a Chicago-based operator of 84 hotels and resorts worldwide, with another 16 properties under development — recently deployed Newmarket International Inc.’s DelphiTM Multi-Property Edition automated Sales & Cater...