First New Resort Approved in Napa County in 20 Years – The Carneros Inn, Napa Valley, Scheduled to Open Early Fall 2003 / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report First New Resort Approved in Napa County in 20 Years -  The Carneros Inn, Napa Valley, Scheduled to Open Early Fall 2003 NAPA, Calif. (March 20, 2003) - Carneros Partners, a San-Francisco based development group, today announced a projected opening date of early fall 2003, for The Carneros Inn, a new luxury resort located in the heart of Napa Valley’s Carneros winegrowing district.  The Carneros Inn is the first new resort approved in more than 20 years in Napa County, and the first ever in the Carneros viticultural area.  The Carneros Inn project will provide visitors with w...

The Berger Family, a Long-term Investor in the Northern Territory Hotel Market, Acquires the Carlton Hotel Darwin / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   The Berger Family, a Long-term Investor in the Northern Territory Hotel Market, Acquires the Carlton Hotel Darwin Brisbane, March 5, 2003 – Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels is pleased to announce the sale of the 197 room Carlton Hotel Darwin to BG Investment Holdings, an investment company of the Berger family.  Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ Executive Vice President Mike Batchelor negotiated the deal.   “Interest in the asset came from both around Australia and South East Asia with specific interest being shown in the region’s massive infrastructure projects currently underway” said M...

The Caribbean Hotel Association Pulls Together in Contingency Plan / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report The Caribbean Hotel Association Pulls Together in Contingency Plan  - CHA has implemented Public Relations Plan to minimize adverse impact of eventual conflict with Iraq, in cooperation with public sector. - San Juan, Puerto Rico (February 28, 2003) – The Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) is setting in motion a number of preparedness and response measures on behalf of Caribbean hotels, in light of the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting impact on the tourism industry.   “From the experience of the Gulf War and the aftermath of September 11, 2001, a drop in demand is to be ...

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference Set for April 1-3, 2003 in Bermuda / All the Details / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference Set for April 1-3, 2003 in Bermuda SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (March 11, 2003) – World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) President Jean Claude Baumgarten, tourism forecasting and impact estimation consultant Dr. Douglas Frechtling, and travel trends authority Dr. Peter Yesawich will open the annual tripartite meeting between government, industry, and the investment community at the upcoming Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC 2003), to be held April 1-3, 2003, at The Fairmont Southampton Hotel, in Hamilton, Bermuda.   Baumg...

State of California May Eliminate the Division of Tourism; Likely to Knock California from Most Visited State in Nation / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive State of California May Eliminate the Division of Tourism; Likely to Knock California from Most Visited State in Nation By Michele Himmelberg, The Orange County Register, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 26, 2003 - SAN DIEGO, Calif.- Imagine you've finally finished restoring a classic car, and suddenly you discover you have no money left to drive it.  That's the picture California's tourism industry painted of itself Tuesday as it mobilized leaders in a campaign to halt proposed budget cuts that would eliminate the Division of Tourism.  The move, proposed...

The ABCs of CRM (Part 3 of 3) / Mark Haley & Bill Watson / Hospitality Upgrade Magazine / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report The ABCs of CRM part 3 of 3 Part 1 of The ABCs of CRM defines customer relationship management for the hotel enterprise and identifies the key strategic elements for any CRM initiative. Part 2 discusses the various tactical issues in implementing and using a CRM platform in your hotel company. Part 3 examines the role of the art and science of change management in driving CRM Implementation. This article is from 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 publ...

The ABCs of CRM (Part 2 of 3) / Mark Haley & Bill Watson / Hospitality Upgrade Magazine / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report The ABCs of CRM part 2 of 3 Part 1 of The ABCs of CRM defines customer relationship management for the hotel enterprise and identifies the key strategic elements for any CRM initiative. Part 2 discusses the various tactical issues in implementing and using a CRM platform in your hotel company. Part 3 examines the role of the art and science of change management in driving CRM Implementation. This article is from 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 publ...

The ABCs of CRM / Mark Haley & Bill Watson / Hospitality Upgrade Magazine / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report The ABCs of CRM part 1 of 3 part 2 of 3 part 3 of 3 This article is from 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 Mark Haley & Bill Watson, March 2003   Part 1 of The ABCs of CRM defines customer relationship management for the hotel enterprise and identifies the key strategic elements for any CRM initiative. Part 2 will discuss the various tactical issues in implementing and using a CRM platform in y...

Craig Madison Named President & CEO of the The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   Craig Madison Named President & CEO of the The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa ASHEVILLE, N.C. (March 2003) – In a historic and unprecedented decision, Sammons Enterprises, Inc. (Dallas, TX) has named current vice-president and general manager of The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, J. Craig Madison, as President & CEO of the resort. Madison was awarded the promotion effective March 1. “Craig has met and exceeded all of our expectations,” said Elaine Sammons, Chairman of the Board of Sammons Enterprises, Inc. “We are proud of the work he has done. We have confidence in him, he has brought...

Passkey Appoints Chris Avery as New VP, Business Development / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report Passkey Appoints Chris Avery as New VP, Business Development . -Sales Team Continues to Grow with Hospitality Expertise QUINCY, Mass. – March 15, 2003 – Passkey, the leading provider of group housing management technology, announced today the appointment of Chris Avery to the position of vice president, business development.  With 20 years of hospitality and technology expertise, Avery helps round out the company’s growing sales team and will be instrumental in securing business from a significant cross section of customers; hotels, management companies, meeting planners, convention and vis...

Buccini/Pollin Group Sells the Comfort Suites at Baltimore/Washington International Airport for $12.45 million / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Buccini/Pollin Group Sells the Comfort Suites at Baltimore/Washington International Airport for $12.45 million BALTIMORE, Md., March 25, 2003 — Officials of The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG), a leading hotel development and ownership company, today announced that it has sold the Comfort Suites at Baltimore/Washington International Airport in Maryland to a partnership comprised of Nutmeg Partners and Magna Hospitality, an Annapolis, Md., based hotel ownership and management company, for $12.45 million.  “We are delighted to have consummated such a mutually attractive deal for all ...

Branson, Mo., HCW Development Move Forward With $300 million Convention Center, 300 room Hotel and Entertainment Complex / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Branson, Mo., HCW Development Move Forward With $300 million Convention Center, 300 room Hotel and Entertainment Complex March 4, 2003 - The City of Branson, Missouri and Branson-based developer HCW Development Co. are preparing to move forward with development of an $300 million entertainment, retail shopping and convention center on the shores of Branson's scenic Lake Taneycomo. The project, currently being developed under a working title of "Branson Landing" will open, in phases, through 2005. The retail component will open in mid-2004 and the convention center will begin hosting gro...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report Global Update: Who’s Where and Doing What March 2003 Heads Above the Rest The Newsletter of The Boutique Search Firm The Americas Following a three-month search "outside" the company¹s own ranks, a new General Manager has been appointed at the Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park South. He is Rick Evanich, who did not have to travel from afar since he was the property¹s Hotel Manager. Evanich was once the Director of Food and Beverage at the Westin Maui. Michelle Taylor, former President of Kiehl's, has been appointed Managing Director of Montecito's San Ysidro Ranch. Anne-Edith Cam...

Massachusetts Lawmaker Suggests Turning Boston's Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center into Casino / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Massachusetts Lawmaker Suggests Turning Boston's Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center into Casino By Rick Klein, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 17, 2003 - It could be Bally's Back Bay, or Caesars Copley Square.  With talk percolating of selling the Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center and bringing casino gambling to Massachusetts, a key state senator is floating a novel idea: Do both at once, by letting a developer transform the Hynes into a gambling mecca in the heart of Boston.  "If we're really going to maximize revenue for the Com...

HMC Selected To Develop Membership Program For Boscolo Hotels / February 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report HMC Selected To Develop Membership Program For Boscolo Hotels Irvine, California - 28 February, 2003 (PRN): HMC (Hospitality Marketing Concepts), one of the world's leading providers of travel industry membership and database management programs, was selected by Boscolo Hotels, owners of luxury, 5-star properties located throughout Europe, to develop and manage their guest loyalty program. The loyalty program will provide a variety of benefits to members choosing any of Boscolo Hotels' 18 luxury properties in 12 major destinations around the world. Members will receive a voucher for a complime...

Business Travel Industry May Be Forever Changed / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Business Travel Industry May Be Forever Changed By Suzanne Marta, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 12, 2003 - Grappling with the dual clouds of war and a sluggish economy, the business travel industry is nowhere near a return to what was once considered "normal."  And many businesses are coming to grips with the idea that "normal," as they remember it, won't ever return.  "The profile of the business traveler has forever changed," said Kevin Iwamoto, president of the National Business Travel Association.  "With travel budgets slashed...

Beth Olson Appointed Director of Sales & Marketing at Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   Beth Olson Appointed Director of Sales & Marketing at Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort Santa Barbara, California - March 12, 2003 - General Manager Tim Bridwell, CHA, has announced the promotion and appointment of Beth Olson as Director of Sales & Marketing at Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort, located at 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard, overlooking the Pacific Ocean at East Beach.    As a member of the Resort's executive team, Olson will be responsible for all aspects of the property's marketing-including formulating and implementing advertising, direct mail, publicity, sales and Intern...

National Labor Relations Board Rules Benihana Wrongfully Terminated Chefs in Tip Dispute / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive National Labor Relations Board Rules Benihana Wrongfully Terminated Chefs in Tip Dispute By Paula Dobbyn, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 20--Benihana chefs fired in a labor dispute with the Japanese steak house's management have won their case.  A National Labor Relations Board judge ruled recently that management at Benihana's L Street restaurant in downtown Anchorage wrongfully terminated the chefs in December 2001 and that the cooks should get their jobs back, along with lost wages.  The restaurant engaged in unfair labor practi...

Hal Powell Receives Benchmark's Director of Sales & Marketing of the Year Award / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Hal Powell Receives Benchmark's Director of Sales & Marketing of the Year Award 2003 Recipients - Benchmark's Annual Sales Executives Awards THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS, March 2003 ... Benchmark Hospitality has announced the 2003 recipients of its annual Sales Executives Awards.  Presented at Benchmark’s annual sales meeting held recently at Cheyenne Mountain Resort of Colorado Springs, Colorado, award winners were selected from among 140 sales and marketing executives company-wide.   Awards are given out based on exemplary sales performance, team participation, and strong leadership. ...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report     Belmonte ‘Talks the Talk’ in Role as Motivational Speaker  Former Ramada President Takes to the Podium to Deliver Straight Talk on Improving Customer Relations by Empowering Employees  RANDOLPH, N.J. — MARCH 17, 2003 — An ad lib moment during a speech he was giving perhaps best describes Steve Belmonte’s reputation for not only talking the talk, but walking the walk. Belmonte, then president and c.e.o. of Ramada Hotels, one of the world’s largest hotel franchise companies, was giving the keynote speech at the chain’s annual convention when a cell phone rang in the aud...

Interstate Hotels Renames the Financially Troubled The Creeks at Beechwood Hotel & Conference Center to Doral Tesoro Hotel & Golf Club; Investing $2 m

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Interstate Hotels Renames the Financially Troubled The Creeks at Beechwood Hotel & Conference Center to Doral Tesoro Hotel & Golf Club . Investing $2 million in Makeover of Greg Norman Designed Golf Course to Make it Easier By Bill Bowen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 25, 2003 -- FORT WORTH, Texas -- The financially troubled Beechwood conference hotel and golf course is revamping its marketing and management strategy again, armed this time with a new name and Texas Motor Speedway alliance.  Beechwood has temporarily closed it...

Acapulco Fighting Sewage Runoff into Beaches; Mexican Government Acknowledge Serious Problems / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Acapulco Fighting Sewage Runoff into Beaches; Mexican Government Acknowledge Serious Problems By Laurence Iliff, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Mar. 10, 2003 - ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Don't drink the water? Heck, don't even swim in it.  That's the message coming from environmentalists and some government officials after a series of federal reports detailing high levels of sewage, garbage and industrial waste at popular beach resorts just as spring break begins.  Some of the worst offenders: bay-enclosed beaches in Acapulco and Zihuatanejo in G...

Green Suites International Strikes a Partnership with Bayview Technology to Sell the VendingMiser to Hospitality / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Green Suites International Strikes a Partnership with Bayview Technology to Sell the VendingMiserTMto Hospitality  Costing less than $180, the VendingMiser reduces related energy consumption 40% to 50% — saving $150-$200 per machine, per year!  UPLAND, CALIF./DENVER— March 6, 2003— Chuck Philipp, VP of Sales & Marketing for Denver-based Bayview Technology Group L.L.C., estimates that his company’s VendingMiserTM solution conservatively could save the U.S. lodging industry more than $50 million every year. The VendingMiserTM, a proprietary patented solution that sells for ...

Baymont Inns & Suites Launches State-of-the-Art Training Program / March 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Baymont Inns & Suites Launches State-of-the-Art Training Program Delivers DVD Players, DVD Training Program FREE to Franchisees MILWAUKEE, WIS. — (MARCH 3, 2003) Increased competition in the lodging market and customers who are demanding more in their lodging experiences require an extra effort on the part of the lodging industry's employees. That is one reason Baymont Inns & Suites instituted a new DVD-based training program aimed at assuring consistency in product and service across the chain's 183 company-owned and franchised properties. "Hotel guests want comfort and cleanliness in a...