Richard L. Hughes Named President of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Richard L. Hughes Named President of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City By Rick Alm, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 9--Indianapolis' top tourism official has agreed to take the same post in Kansas City.  Richard L. Hughes, who worked for the Marriott Corp. lodging group for 14 years, including a stint at Tan-Tar-A Resort in the Ozarks in the 1980s, has agreed to be president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City, said Bill George Jr., co-chairman of the bureau's search committee.  Hughes ...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Raymond T. Grant Named Executive Director  at Robert Redford’s Sundance Village SUNDANCE, Utah—Raymond T. Grant has been named Executive Director of Sundance Village.  Grant, 45, credited with heading the successful 2002 Olympic Arts Festival, will take his post immediately.  In announcing the appointment, Sundance founder Robert Redford said, “ Ray Grant’s creative talents and business skills uniquely position him to continue the nurturing of the Sundance Village as a one-of-a-kind community and as an environment where ideas flourish.”  Redford continued, “Ray is a highly creative ex...

Robert Fadel Appointed Vice President and Area Director, Middle East and West Asia, for Hospitality Marketing Concepts / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Robert Fadel Appointed Vice President and Area Director, Middle East and West Asia, for Hospitality Marketing Concepts Poised for Fastest Growing Region IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – January 6, 2003 - Robert Fadel, a well-respected veteran in the hospitality industry, has been appointed Vice President and Area Director, Middle East and West Asia, for Hospitality Marketing Concepts (HMC), the world’s leading provider of travel industry membership and database management programs.    Fadel will be stationed in Dubai and will lead the company’s most dynamic and fastest growing region, with spe...

SynXis Names Starwood Veteran as COO and Vice President of Marketing and Sales / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   SynXis® Names Starwood Veteran as COO and Vice President of Marketing and Sales MCLEAN, VA, January 13, 2003 - SynXis Corporation, a leading provider of reservation management and distribution systems for the hospitality industry, announced today the appointment of former Starwood Senior Vice President, Rick Betz as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Marketing and Sales. Betz will oversee all marketing and sales activities along with operations and product strategy.  The announcement was made by Jim Kelly, president and CEO.    “Over the last 15 years, Rick has earned ...

Prime Hospitality Corp. Creates New Hotel Brand, Prime Hotels & Resorts with the Rebranding of the Sheraton Hotel Saratoga Springs as the Prime Hotel

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Prime Hospitality Corp. Creates New Hotel Brand,  Prime Hotels & Resorts, Rebrands the Sheraton Hotel Saratoga Springs as the  Prime Hotel and Conference Center, Saratoga Springs FAIRFIELD, NEW JERSEY – January 7, 2003 – Prime Hospitality Corp. today unveiled its new hotel brand, Prime Hotels & Resorts, with the launch of the Sheraton Hotel Saratoga Springs as the Prime Hotel and Conference Center, Saratoga Springs.  Saratoga Springs is the first re-branded property in the company’s plans to develop under the Prime Hotels & Resorts flag a portfolio of upscale, full-servic...

Hotel Development Pipeline Continues Downward Descent for Fourth Year / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotel Development Pipeline Continues Downward Descent for Fourth Year PORTSMOUTH, NH —January 18, 2003 -  In 2002 the total Hotel Development Pipeline declined for the 4 th consecutive year, down 49.7% from the 1998 peak of 530,592 rooms and down 15.1% compared to 2001, Lodging Econometrics (LE) reported in its Guidance Memo to Wall Street analysts and corporate clients. The Total Development Pipeline at 1,919 Projects and 266,712 Rooms decreased by 35 Projects and 5,819 Rooms in 4Q 02, a 2.1% quarter over quarter decline. It is the 12 th consecutive quarterly decline and the 16 th out ...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Pink Beach Club & Cottages in Tucker’s Town, Bermuda, Completes $18 million Renovation  BERMUDA (Jan. 31, 2003) -- Pink Beach Club & Cottages, located in Tucker’s Town, Bermuda, will open its doors on March 12, 2003* after completing a $18 million renovations project.  The resort will unveil 16 brand new or fully refurbished oceanview and oceanfront cottages (comprised of 94 suites and junior suites) and the completion of its highly-anticipated Hidden Cove Condominium project.  Over the past four years, the resort has invested more than $18 million towards rebuilding, renovating and up...

Royal Phnom Penh Hotel and Juliana Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Suffer Damage During Anti-Thai Rioting / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Royal Phnom Penh Hotel and Juliana Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Suffer Damage During Anti-Thai Rioting Bangkok Post, Thailand Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 31, 2003 - The Thai-Cambodian conflict will take its toll on the two countries' tourism industries and hurt Thai players in the sector, say industry executives.  The Phnom Penh riots have cut the flow of Thai tourists to Cambodia and could lead many international travellers to think twice before going there.  "It's only natural for tourists to react like that to a place where they feel unsafe and Cambod...

Pennsylvania Convention Center's Search for Executive Offers Insight Into the Convoluted Operations / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive  Pennsylvania Convention Center's Search for Executive Offers Insight Into the Convoluted Operations By Paul D. Davies, Philadelphia Daily News  Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 7--The search for two top executives to run the Pennsylvania Convention Center offers some insight into the convoluted operations there during the last six months.  For starters, two separate firms were hired to search for the top two executives to run the building. The search for a No. 2, or chief operating officer, began months before the hunt for a chief executive officer.  No...

In Last few Months 14 Major Conventions Have Canceled Plans for Pennsylvania Convention Center; Most Groups Cite Labor Costs as Reason / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive In Last few Months 14 Major Conventions Have Canceled Plans for Pennsylvania Convention Center; Most Groups Cite Labor Costs as Reason  By Paul D. Davies, Philadelphia Daily News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 9--The fallout is starting to emerge from the ongoing labor troubles and failed expansion efforts at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and it doesn't look good.  Since the fall, 14 major conventions have canceled plans or are no longer likely to come to the Convention Center, according to a document obtained by the Daily News.  And tourism officials...

Park Place Entertainment Enjoying Significant Growth in Online Room Bookings, Rates / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Park Place Entertainment Enjoying Significant Growth in Online Room Bookings, Rates By Rod Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 13, 2002 - Spurred by rising room rates that have been boosted by online room reservation programs, Park Place Entertainment Corp. this week is launching all-new resort Web sites.  Park Place room rate increases generally have been leading other major Strip operators.  "This has been a one- to two-year phenomenon. We've had steady and significant growth in online room rates," said Park Place Senior Vice P...

The 982-room Forum Hotel In Berlin Reflagged Park Inn Berlin – Alexanderplatz / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report The  982-room Forum Hotel In Berlin Reflagged Park Inn Berlin - Alexanderplatz MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Jan. 21, 2003) ---- Park Hospitality, parent organization of Park Inn hotels, today announced that the brand has added the first Park Inn property in Europe.  The 982-room Park Inn Berlin - Alexanderplatz, formerly the Forum Hotel, is located on the historic Alexanderplatz and within short walking distance to well-known landmarks such as the Dome, "Under the Linden Trees Boulevard", the  Park Inn Berlin - Alexanderplatz formerly the Forum Hotel  Alexanderplatz 10178  Berlin, Germ...

The Role of Paper in a Digital World / By: Bill Fitzpatrick / Hospitality Upgrade Magazine / Fall 2002

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report The Role of Paper in a Digital World This article is from the Fall 2002 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: Bill Fitzpatrick If you believe in technology for technology's sake, then you are now advised to move on to other more pleasing articles. If you ignore this warning and elect to read the following, be aware that you will face certain unpleasant and unexpected realities, such as a dreadf...

Patrice Spinner, 20 Year Sales Veteran with Marriott, Recognized for Sales Efforts Following Terrorist Attacks / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Patrice Spinner, 20 Year Sales Veteran with Marriott, Recognized for Sales Efforts Following Terrorist Attacks WASHINGTON, D.C. –Jan. 16, 2003 – Sales & Marketing Management Magazine bestowed its 2002 SAMA, Strategic Marketing Management Award, for strategic account management to Patrice Spinner, Director of Alliance Accounts for Marriott International (NYSE:MAR).  Spinner was among 15 top performers recognized by the magazine for outstanding achievement in sales and marketing within their industry.   She was the lodging industry’s only sales and marketing awardee.  In ...

The Palm Springs Marquis Hotel Closes, No Buyer at Auction / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive The Palm Springs Marquis Hotel Closes, No Buyer at Auction By Adam Eventov, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 9, 2002 - PALM SPRINGS, Calif.--A major hotel in downtown Palm Springs has closed and is up for sale.  The Palm Springs Marquis Hotel reverted to bank ownership after an auction Friday failed to produce a buyer for the long-struggling resort. As a result, more than 70 hotel workers must find jobs or wait until a buyer reopens the hotel.  Some of the employees showed up to work on Jan. 2 only to discover that the...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Puerto Rico Convention Bureau Selects Newmarket International’s CVBreezeTM and NetXchangeTM Solutions  Planned state-of-the-art 580,000-square-foot Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan to leverage proven destination sales and service automation tools  PORTSMOUTH, N.H. / SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — JAN. 23, 2003 — The Puerto Rico Convention Bureau — the sales and marketing agent for the 580,000 - square foot Puerto Rico Convention Center scheduled to open in San Juan in 2004 — has selected Newmarket International Inc.’s Destinations CVBreezeTM and NetXchangeTM MeetingBroker sal...

Pascal Bertrand Appointed Operations Director Abu Dhabi Grand / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Pascal Bertrand Appointed Operations Director - Abu Dhabi Grand Abu Dhabi, January 2003 - Pascal Bertrand, operations director for the Abu Dhabi Grand, has started 2003 with just one mission: to translate the vision of the hotel’s general manager Francesco Borrello as the hotel relaunches as Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi later this year.   Bertrand has held a number of high-profile positions around the world, specialising in food and beverage, before coming to the Abu Dhabi Grand as Borrello’s second-in-command. At the Abu Dhabi Grand, the 40-year-old has taken charge of the ope...

Atlantic City and Las Vegas Bartenders Feeding Fresh Air; Patrons Plunking Down $9 for a Shot of Oxygen / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Atlantic City and Las Vegas Bartenders Feeding Fresh Air; Patrons Plunking Down $9 for a Shot of Oxygen By Jean Rimbach, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 31--Patrons belly up, and plunk down $9 a shot.  But Atlantic City bartender George Kuhna isn't serving up the latest party drink. He's bubbling up scented oxygen and feeding gamblers, tourists, and conventioneers via a hose and a timer. Each hooks up to Lucite cylinders containing water in a choice of red, yellow, blue, or green and an array of fragrances to match.  "It's pretty co...

European Hotel Ownership Landscape Undergoes Change / Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Europe / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  European Hotel Ownership Landscape Undergoes Change / Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Europe 27 January 2003 - According to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ latest Hotel Topics Report  - Changing Ownership Structures - the broadening of hotel property ownership in Europe in recent years has been marked by the growth of more investor-friendly operating structures such as guarantees and turnover leases. These are playing an increasingly important role in attracting non-specialist hotel investors by providing a more secure and balanced investment product. Nick Marsh, CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Euro...

Orlando Redefining Itself, Some Tourists Doing Everything But Disney / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Orlando Redefining Itself, Some Tourists Doing Everything But Disney The Orlando Sentinel, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 20, 2003 -  Walt Disney World is the undisputed king of Central Florida's travel destination empire, but the dukes and earls have been elbowing their way to larger fiefs.  Disney is still the brand that brings in families from around the world, but its share of theme-park attendance has declined to 68 percent in 2002 from 75 percent in 1998, according to a Sentinel analysis of attendance estimates by the trade publication Amusement ...

Hotels, Attraction Parks in Orlando Make Changes, Hope to Recover in 2003 / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive  Hotels, Attraction Parks in Orlando Make Changes, Hope to Recover in 2003  By Todd Pack and Robert Johnson, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.  Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 13--Central Florida's No. 1 industry will continue slouching toward recovery in the coming year.  Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando expect the mini-boom they enjoyed over Christmas and even beyond New Year's to provide momentum this year. Both are opening new attractions, including the much-anticipated $100 million Mission: Space thrill ride at Epcot and the Shrek show at Universal Stud...

The $500 million Gaylord Opryland Texas Starts to Take Shape / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive The $500 million Gaylord Opryland Texas Starts to Take Shape By Kim Breen, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 5--On gentle slopes and in jagged ruts of dirt, Bobby Little and Trent Lander see a steak restaurant, a winding river, a European spa and a Southwestern-style pool.  It's starting to take less effort to help visitors in hardhats see it too, these days.  The evidence of what's to come is everywhere at the future Gaylord Opryland Texas resort and convention center in Grapevine, from the glass workers installing panes on the main a...

Colorado Springs Hotel Occupancy Rose to 61.1% During 2002, Average Rate Fell 3.3% / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Colorado Springs Hotel Occupancy Rose to 61.1% During 2002, Average Rate Fell 3.3% By Wayne Heilman, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 28, 2003 - More visitors stayed in Colorado Springs area hotel rooms last year than in 2001, but they paid less, according to the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report.  Area hotel occupancy rose slightly to 61.1 percent during 2002 from 60.5 percent in 2001, despite declines in the Denver area, ski resorts and statewide during the same period. Local hotels cut rates, however, to fill more rooms; the av...

New Hotels, Remodelings Spur Growth in Orange County Meeting Space Amid Slow Recovery / Sandi Cain / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online Special Report New Hotels, Remodelings Spur Growth in Orange County Meeting Space Amid Slow Recovery  By Sandi Cain  Staff Reporter Orange County Business Journal January 2003 Meeting space at Orange County’s largest hotels jumped 7% in the past year, thanks mainly to the opening of two hotels that added a combined 62,000 square feet of space.  That brings the total meeting space at the county’s largest hotels to 1.1 million square feet, according to this week’s Business Journal list. The list ranks the 50 biggest hotels in OC based on the square footage of permanent, indoor meeting space.  Bigger wa...