Stephen Blackburne Named General Manager of Park Hyatt Hamburg / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Stephen Blackburne Named General Manager of Park Hyatt Hamburg Chicago, IL, January 7, 2003 - Mr. Bernd Chorengel, president of Hyatt International Corporation, is pleased to announce that Stephen Blackburne has been named general manager of Park Hyatt Hamburg. Blackburne is a graduate of University of Surrey and consolidated his studies with food and beverage management experience with Rock Resorts in St. John and the U.K., and as a consultant with Pannell Kerr Forster Associates in London.  He joined Hyatt International’s Europe, Africa and the Middle East divisional team in L...

The Former Sheraton Birmingham South Renovated by RFS Hotel Investors and Rebranded Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report The Former Sheraton Birmingham South Renovated by RFS Hotel Investors and Rebranded Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (January 9, 2003) -- A leading hotel property in Alabama’s largest city takes center stage today, when the Sheraton Birmingham South officially becomes the Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park.   This marks the first time since 1990 that Hilton has had a presence in Birmingham.  Formerly a Sheraton hotel, the Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park is situated in Birmingham’s most prestigious and fastest growing business and entertainment districts, with an abundance ...

Mississippi Marked 10 Years of Legalized Gambling in 2002; 12 South Mississippi Casinos – the Winners and Losers / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Mississippi Marked 10 Years of Legalized Gambling in 2002; 12 South Mississippi Casinos -  the Winners and Losers  The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss., Inside Gambling Column By Timothy Boone, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 5--Mississippi marked the 10th anniversary of legalized gambling in 2002, one of the few high points in what was a quiet year for the industry.  A slowing economy and maturing market kept casino revenues down for the year. Through the first 11 months of 2002, casino winnings were only slightly ahead of the 2001 pace, me...

Housekeepers Testify About Fired Hotel Manager Charles Bell's Credibility in $40 million Discrimination Trial / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Housekeepers Testify About Fired Hotel Manager Charles Bell's Credibility in $40 million Discrimination Trial  By Helen Peterson, Daily News, New York Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  January 24, 2003 - It's not easy being a housekeeper at Leona Helmsley's Park Lane Hotel. Chambermaids described yesterday cleaning up after a general manager whose private quarters were often strewn with used condoms, sex toys and evidence of rough sex. The X-rated testimony came at the $40 million discrimination trial of former general manager Charles Bell, who claims he was fired for...

Baymont Relies On Long-term Strength for Success in 2003 / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Baymont Relies On Long-term Strength for Success in 2003 New year brings new challenges, anticipation for continued achievement; Growth, commitments to quality and customers are in chain's plan MILWAUKEE, WIS. — (January 10, 2003) Baymont Inns & Suites is anticipating another year of success in its role as one of the leaders in the U.S. lodging industry. The keys to the brand’s success in 2003 include: committing to uncompromised quality and excellence in service; maximizing distribution channels that bring guests to the doors of the chain’s 182 properties; and seeing to it that those...

State of Florida Investigating Reports that Terra Firma Adventures Honduran Trip to Bayman Bay Club Was Scam / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive State of Florida Investigating Reports that Terra Firma Adventures Honduran Trip to Bayman Bay Club Was Scam By Michael A.W. Ottey, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 21, 2003 - By every account, the island resort was once a scuba diver's paradise.  But the Bayman Bay Club on remote Guanaja Island in Honduras became a hellhole, according to vacationers who paid a Plantation couple thousands of dollars in what they say was a scam.  The Florida Division of Consumer Services is investigating because the company that booked the vacations -- Terra ...

Best Western Flags First Hotel in Bulgaria; Best Western City Hotel in Sofia / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Best Western Flags First Hotel in Bulgaria;  Best Western City Hotel in Sofia PHOENIX, Jan. 22, 2003 — THE WORLD’S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®, Best Western International announces the addition of their first hotel in Bulgaria.  The Best Western City Hotel is a brand new, four-star property located in the capital city Sofia.   The hotel is ideally located in Sofia’s business district and just a few meters away from nearby attractions such as the St. Alexander Nevski Church, the national assembly, the presidency and assembly buildings and the opera house. Hotel amenities include 36 elegantly a...

Best Western Takes 10 Advertising Awards at International Hospitality Competition / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Best Western Takes 10 Advertising Awards at International Hospitality Competition PHOENIX, Jan. 7, 2003—Best Western, THE WORLD’S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®, is pleased to announce that it finished off 2002 with a number of awards for its advertising campaign.  The brand will receive 12 Adrian Awards at The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s Travel Industry Awards Night later this month.  HSMAI ‘s Adrian Awards are the travel industry’s most prestigious advertising awards, with more than 1,500 entries from companies in 45 countries. Best Western was awarde...

Best Western Adds 83 Hotels to the Brand During the Fourth Quarter; 42 hotels added in North America and 41 Internationally / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Best Western Adds 83 Hotels to the Brand During the Fourth Quarter; 42 hotels Added in North America and 41 Internationally PHOENIX, Jan. 20, 2003 — Further solidifying its position as THE WORLD’S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®, Best Western’s worldwide development team finished the year strong by signing 83 new hotels to the brand during the fourth fiscal quarter ending Nov. 30.  During the quarter, 42 hotels were added in North America and 41 were signed internationally.    The chain ended the fiscal year with 4,060 hotels in 81 countries across the globe.  In all, the compan...

Industry Marketing Pro Brenda Fields Opens Consultancy Focusing on Independent Properties / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report   Industry Marketing Pro Brenda Fields Opens Consultancy Focusing on Independent Properties New York’s Kitano Hotel Taps Fields’ Turn-around Expertise NEW YORK (January 2003) – Drawing on 20 years of success handling marketing, sales and yield management for a variety of highly visible properties in the U.S., Brenda G. Fields has launched Fields & Company to assist independent hotel owners and operators achieve target revenue results despite market current market conditions. The Kitano Hotel, Park Avenue at 38th Street in New York, recently engaged Fields to develop a marketing and o...

Asian Cash Fuels Australian Hotel Investment Surge in 2002 / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Asian Cash Fuels Australian Hotel Investment Surge in 2002 Sydney, January 9, 2002 – Asian investors clearly demonstrated their return to the Australian hotel market, purchasing 69.7% of the total value of hotel sales in 2002, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, who tracks major hotel sales (over A$5 million), recorded a total of 19 hotel sales comprising 3,661 rooms for over A$821.8 million. This corresponds to a 42.4% increase in the total value of hotels transacted in 2001. The average initial yield was 6.8%. “Domestic owners were the most active sellers in 2...

Developer FaulknerUSA Tops Off the 800 room Hilton Austin; Will Elevate Austin to a Higher Playing Field in the Convention Market / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Developer FaulknerUSA Tops Off the 800 room Hilton Austin; Will Elevate Austin to a Higher Playing Field in the Convention Market AUSTIN, Texas (January 21, 2003) – Hilton Hotels Corporation, FaulknerUSA and hundreds of construction workers and community leaders celebrated the “topping out” of the new 800-room Hilton Austin last Friday, January 17.  A topping out ceremony marks the construction milestone of the last concrete being poured at the top of the building, which signifies that the pinnacle of the structure has been reached and that the development project has now s...

Australia Accommodation Performance Results Reveal Serviced Apartment Demand Grew 7.9% During September Quarter 2002, While Hotel Demand Declined Sli

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Australia Accommodation Performance Results Reveal Serviced Apartment Demand Grew 7.9% During September Quarter 2002, While Hotel Demand Declined Slightly Sydney, January 13, 2002 – The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics tourist accommodation performance results demonstrate continued strong demand growth in the national serviced apartment sector, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.  The data reveals serviced apartment demand grew 7.9% during September quarter 2002, whilst hotel demand declined slightly. The results form part of the latest update of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ Hotel P...

Professional Convention Management Association Meets in Anaheim; Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau and Sponsors Spending Nearly $2 mil

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Professional Convention Management Association Meets in Anaheim - Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau and Sponsors Spending Nearly $2 million to Entertain 2,500 Meeting Suppliers  By Michele Himmelberg, The Orange County Register, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 5--The Professional Convention Management Association is in town, and area businesses are putting on a show for them.  PCMA's convention is small by Anaheim Convention Center standards -- but huge because of the future business it could muster. Leaders expect this week's visitors ...

Former Alderwood Inn at the Portland International Airport Flagged Country Inns & Suites Following Renovation by Northwest Hospitality Group / Jan 200

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Former Alderwood Inn at the Portland International Airport Flagged Country Inns & Suites Following Renovation by Northwest Hospitality Group MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-- (January 9, 2003) -- Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, a mid-tier international lodging chain with 316 locations worldwide, today announced the opening of its first hotel in Oregon at the Portland International Airport.  Formerly the Alderwood Inn, this new 153-room Country Inn & Suites By Carlson is located at 7025 NE Alderwood Road.     "We're very excited to bring the Country Inns & Suites By Carlson concept to Portland," sai...

Jean-Marc Espalioux Reappointed Accor's Chairman of the Management Board and CEO; Additional Appointments Made to Senior Management / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Jean-Marc Espalioux Reappointed Accor's Chairman of the Management Board and CEO; Additional Appointments Made to Senior Management PARIS, Jan. 6, 2003 - Accor's Supervisory Board has just nominated the Management Board, for a term of three years, pursuant to the Company's Articles of Incorporation.  Except Sven Boinet about whom Accor had informed in September 2002 that he would be leaving upon expiry of his term of office, the members of the former Management Board have been reconfirmed. Jean-Marc Espalioux has been reappointed Chairman of the Management Board and CEO.  In thi...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Abu Dhabi Grand’s Francesco Borrello Calls for Marketing Drive to Promote Abu Dhabi Rregionally and Internationally Abu Dhabi, January 2003:  Francesco Borrello, general manager of the Abu Dhabi Grand, has urged tourism and hospitality leaders in the capital to group together to promote Abu Dhabi, both regionally and internationally.    Borrello said: “I believe that a cluster marketing strategy of Abu Dhabi as a destination is the way forward this year. Intra-Arabian travel is one of our biggest growth markets, and with the eyes of the world on the region at present, it is time to ac...

Several Top Executives at Marriott International, Inc. Assume Additional Responsibilities; Provides Leaders Opportunity to Broaden their Experience /

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Several Top Executives at Marriott International, Inc. Assume Additional Responsibilities; Provides Leaders Opportunity to Broaden their Experience January 15, 2003 - Marriott International, Inc. today announced that several top executives will assume additional operational responsibilities, effective immediately. In a communication to employees, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer J.W.  Marriott, Jr. and President and Chief Operating Officer William J. Shaw said, "Today we have the most seasoned, talented, cohesive leadership team in our industry. The changes we are announcing...

Money Counting Scale Saves Time and Improves Accuracy; Designed to Count out a USA Cash Drawer in Less than One Minute / Jan 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Money Counting Scale Saves Time and Improves Accuracy;  Designed to Count out a USA Cash Drawer in Less than One Minute Milpitas, CA - January 13, 2002 - A&D Weighing's improved MC-2000 Money Counter provides absolutely hands-free operation during an entire count-out of a cash drawer - coins, bills and coin rolls - maximizing speed and eliminating the risk of operator error!  Push a button only when you want to view the count total. The new MC-2000 has added features including $1 coin mode, automatic coin cup tare, and automatic "add to totalizer" as well as enhanced accuracy.  Counting m...

Nearly 25 Years after the First Casino Opened, Many of Atlantic City's Original Crop of Cocktail Waitresses Still On the Job / January 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Nearly 25 Years after the First Casino Opened, Many of Atlantic City's Original Crop of Cocktail Waitresses Still On the Job By Amy S. Rosenberg, The Philadelphia Inquirer Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jan. 26, 2003 - ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.--When they started back in 1978, they were young and fresh, high-heeled and short-skirted, size 8 or less, ready for a good gig.  And it was a good gig. So good, that now, nearly 25 years after the first casino opened, many of Atlantic City's original crop of cocktail waitresses still are on the job. High heels are a rare sight thes...

Hotels Experienced Considerable Growth in Room Nights Booked Electronically Through the Global Distribution Systems in Q4; Luxury Segment Room Nights

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotels Experienced Considerable Growth in Room Nights Booked Electronically Through the Global Distribution Systems in Q4 Luxury Segment Room Nights Booked Electronically Grow 21% Chicago (February 3, 2003)—TravelCLICK’s eMonitor results for the fourth quarter of 2002 show that hotels experienced considerable growth in room nights and revenue booked electronically through the Global Distribution Systems (GDS). Room nights increased 8.0%, revenue jumped 11.3%, and average daily rate (ADR) rose 3.0% compared to the fourth quarter of 2001. A key factor affecting these results was the ...

Unique Hotel School Adjacent to Hotel InterContinental Sydney Expands/ Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Unique Hotel School Adjacent to Hotel InterContinental Sydney Expands HOTEL SCHOOL INTERCONTINENTAL OPENS NEW FACILITIES New facilities at The Hotel School InterContinental have been opened by the recently appointed General Manager of Hotel InterContinental Sydney, Mr. Tony Zamora.   The Hotel School InterContinental, located in a magnificent heritage building adjacent to the Hotel in Macquarie Street, Sydney, has been expanded, refurbished and upgraded with leading edge technology in response to the demands of an exponentially increasing student head count.  Two new lecture rooms ha...

Minnesota Hotel Operator Builds Success With Locations Near Chain Restaurants, Web-Based Centralized Accounting / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Minnesota Hotel Operator Builds Success With Locations Near Chain Restaurants, Web-Based Centralized Accounting At Tax Time, Streamlines Reporting for 200 Investors, Reduces Corporate Data Re-Keying Time by 50%; Shaves Hours Off Weekly Operations at Properties February 5, 2003 - When the dramatic ‘Gales of November’ blustered over Lake Superior last September, Raija Macheledt was not watching, even though her office perches at the edge of the lake.  The vice president of finance for ZMC Hotels was installing a new Web-enabled, centralized accounting system to handle the 36 hotels and 50 legal entities for which sh...

GM Yancie Toran's Mission – To Revive the Floundering Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive GM Yancie Toran's Mission - To Revive the Floundering Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania By Ellen Lyon, The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 24, 2003 - Yancie Toran came to Harrisburg last September with a mission -- to revive the floundering Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Harrisburg.  The hotel at 23 S. Second St., which underwent major renovations and became the Crowne Plaza in 2000, has a troubled past. It's been the Harrisburg Hotel, a Holiday Inn and a Ramada. For a while, it was owned by the city.  ING Real...