Numbers May Not Tell Full Story about Wyndham International Hotel Chain / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Numbers May Not Tell Full Story about Wyndham International Hotel Chain By Sean Wood, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 7, 2003 - DALLAS -- Wyndham International has gone years without turning a profit, its stock trades for pennies, and it has $2.8 billion in debt.  But Chief Executive Fred Kleisner is preaching the gospel that Wyndham will be ready when the recovery comes and that things may be better than the numbers show.  The luxury hotel company has been trying to right its ship since it absorbed the Patriot American Group...

Wyndham Achieves Critical Mass in the Caribbean / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Wyndham Achieves "Critical Mass" in the Caribbean By Suzanne Marta, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 17, 2003 - When Wyndham International Inc. debuts its 156-room resort in Vieques, Puerto Rico, this month, it will be the Dallas-based company's 14th property in the Caribbean and Florida Keys and the fourth to open in the region in the last year.  The Caribbean – where Wyndham now operates more hotel rooms than any single brand – has become one of the most important regions for the company, which struggled financially as business trav...

Unirez Wins Woodfin Suites Reservations Contract / February 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  .Special Report Unirez Wins Woodfin Suites Reservations Contract DALLAS – FEBRUARY 27, 2003 - Unirez, the fastest growing hotel reservations system in the world, was recently awarded business providing reservations systems to the San Diego-based all-suite Woodfin Suites Hotels chain.  Building on a year of phenomenal growth for the Dallas-based reservations technology leader, the Woodfin agreement adds another 18 hotels to the Unirez roster of more than 3,000 hotel partners worldwide. This next generation technology allows hotels to save time and money by updating all distribution channels -- GDS, Internet ...

January 30, 2003

. . Mobile Property Maintenance Solution for Hotel Operations & Engineering Management Mintek Corporation’s WinTrack® PM Selected by Marriott International to Provide Mobile Property Maintenance for its Full Service Properties  DUNEDIN, FL -- August 22, 2002 - Mintek Corporation, developer of WinTrack® software, today announced that WinTrack PM has been selected by Marriott International to automate engineering department preventative maintenance processes.  WinTrack PM, developed exclusively for lodging engineering departments, is a mobile, web-enabled property maintenance solution. Using handheld dev...

A $30 million Great Wolf Lodge with Indoor Water Park Planned Near Williamsburg, Virginia / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive A $30 million Great Wolf Lodge with Indoor Water Park Planned Near Williamsburg, Virginia Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 5, 2003 - YORK COUNTY, Va.-- A Wisconsin developer expects to break ground near Williamsburg, Va., as early as this summer on a $30-million resort with its own indoor water park and nightly room rates that will rank among the highest charged by any hotel in the Hampton Roads region.  With its log cabin motif, Great Wolf Lodge will be built at the Route 199 interchange off Interstate 64, east of Lowe's and Wal-Mar...

Hotel Website Optimization – The Blueprints for a Robust Direct-to-Consumer Online Distribution Strategy / Max Starkov and Jason Price / Februa

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotel Website Optimization - The Blueprints for a Robust Direct-to-Consumer Online Distribution Strategy By Jason Price and Max Starkov , February  2003   Direct-to-consumer online distribution should become the foundation, the main focus of any hotelier's online distribution strategy. In the offline world, hoteliers are the best direct salesmen with an estimated 75% of all reservations sold directly to consumers. Online, the industry direct sales average 52% (PhoCusWright, 2002) with many hoteliers reporting less than 5%. As a result, many hoteliers cede control of their inventory and...

Online Reservations Increasing As User Trust Strengthens / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Online Reservations Increasing As User Trust Strengthens NEW YORK, NY-February 10, 2003 - iPerceptions Inc. today announced the release of its new Hospitality Site Satisfaction And Competitive Analysis Report. With the addition of usage data from Carlson Hospitality web sites, this report now contains feedback from over 41,000 unique visitors to hospitality sites including Holiday Inn, Savoy, InterContinental, Radisson, and Omni to name just a few and represents over one and a half million plus data points. It is a follow up to the 2002 webValidator™ Industry Norms For The Hospitality Sector...

Wolfgang Wagner Named VP Technical Services for Rezidor SAS Hospitality / February 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Wolfgang Wagner Named VP Technical Services for Rezidor SAS Hospitality Brussels, February 2003 – Rezidor SAS Hospitality announces the appointment of Wolfgang Wagner as vice president technical services.  Formerly regional director for Germany, he is now responsible for the technical supervision of all of Rezidor’s new constructions and conversions, reporting directly to Kurt Ritter, president & CEO of Rezidor SAS.     Wagner was born in Pforzheim, Germany, in 1957 and began his hotel career in Switzerland working at The Hotel Nova-Park (now the Inter-Continental), Swissôtel Zurich a...

Wolfgang Neumann Appointed Area President of Hilton UK & Ireland / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Wolfgang Neumann Appointed Area President of Hilton UK & Ireland February 10, 2003 - Hilton International are pleased to announce the promotion of Wolfgang Neumann to the position of Area President of Hilton UK & Ireland (HUKI), with effect from 1st February, 2003.  Wolfgang moves to HUKI from his current role of Senior Vice President, Hilton International, Nordic Region where he is responsible for over 140 hotels including the entire Scandic brand.  Commenting on the appointment, Anthony Harris, Chief Executive of Hilton International, said 'Hilton's depth in management gives us the op...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Wyndham Reports 4th Qtr Net Loss of $37 million;  RevPAR Up 7.6%,  Company’s Total Debt Now $2.827 billion $590 Million in Asset Sales in 2002 DALLAS (Feb. 6, 2003) -Wyndham International, Inc. (AMEX:WBR) today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year ending Dec. 31, 2002. Business Performance On a comparable pro forma basis, which reflects adjustments for acquisitions and dispositions, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), as adjusted, was $55.7 million for the fourth quarter versus $54.4 million for the same period in 2001.  For the ful...

Viva Resorts Constructing 228-room Viva Tangerine in Cabarete, Dominican Republic / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Viva Resorts Constructing 228-room Viva Tangerine in Cabarete, Dominican Republic MIAMI, FL (Feb. 19, 2003) – Viva Resorts, which currently owns and operates six all-inclusive resorts in the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Mexico, is bringing its popular  value-oriented vacation experience to a new tourist hot spot -- Cabarete, Dominican Republic -- with the addition of the 228-room Viva Tangerine.  Construction has already begun, and the all-inclusive resort is expected to open its doors in November 2003.  Viva Tangerine will be located on the north Atlantic side of the Dominican Rep...

Bombs and Environmental Concerns Aside, The $60 million Wyndham Martineau Bay Resort & Spa Set to Open on Puerto Rico Island of Vieques / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Bombs and Environmental Concerns Aside, The $60 million Wyndham Martineau Bay Resort & Spa Set to Open on Puerto Rico Island of Vieques By Nancy San Martin, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 13, 2003 - After years of raucous protests over bombing exercises that brought international attention to Puerto Rico's small island of Vieques, a luxury resort is hoping to attract vacationers to enjoy the coral reef-laden beaches.  The 156-room Wyndham Martineau Bay Resort & Spa is scheduled to open Feb. 24 -- two years after construction was completed.  "...

Frank van der Post, Regional Vice President Operations for InterContinental Hotels, Appointed to the Board of Directors for NYC & Company / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Frank van der Post, Regional Vice President Operations for InterContinental Hotels, Appointed to the Board of Directors for NYC & Company NEW YORK, NY (February 27, 2003) - Frank van der Post, Regional Vice President Operations for the Eastern United States and The Caribbean for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and General Manager of the InterContinental The Barclay New York, was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for NYC & Company, the official tourism and marketing organization for the City of New York.  With this appointment, van der Post becomes the first and only Inter...

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotel Online  Special Report Hong Kong’s Largest Hotel Operator Sees Reservation Numbers Jump 26 Percent In First 10 Months of 2002, Increases Global Presence with New Reservation Sales Provider Regal Hotels International Focuses On Multi-National Companies, Worldwide Clients Connect Toll-Free In Partnership With VIP International as Reservation Channel Sales Partner February 4, 2003 - Hong Kong-based Regal Hotels International had a problem last year: their corporate clients came from all across the world to do business in China, but Regal was unable to fully employ its...

Unirez Inks Deal With Hotel ZaZa / February 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  .Special Report Unirez Inks Deal With Hotel ZaZa Fastest Growing Reservations System in the World Partners with Dallas’ First Urban Lifestyle Hotel DALLAS – FEBRUARY 20, 2003 - Unirez and Hotel ZaZa have more in common than their hometown of Dallas.  Unirez, the fastest growing hotel reservations service in the world, and the urban lifestyle hotel recently teamed up to develop Hotel ZaZa’s reservations infrastructure.  Their mutual creative spirit and commitment to providing the best service in the business were cited as contributing factors.  Hotel ZaZa has quickly gained a reputation for cre...

Unirez Moves Crucial Reservations Infrastructure to Disaster – Proof Location; Server Relocation Ensures Peace of Mind for More than 3,000 Hotel

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  .Special Report Unirez Moves Crucial Reservations Infrastructure to Disaster - Proof Location Server Relocation Ensures Peace of Mind for More than 3,000 Hotel Clients DALLAS – February 17, 2003 - Unirez, the world’s leading Internet-based hotel reservations system, moved to strengthen their infrastructure by relocating their primary production site to the world-class Cable & Wireless Internet Data Center (IDC). The system relocation ensures that Unirez’s system will remain connected to a high - performance, dedicated and secure network at all times and through any unforeseeable situation.  Un...

Exterior Corridors Force Holiday Inn in Tyler, Texas to Change Brand Affiliation to Ramada / February 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Exterior Corridors Force Holiday Inn in Tyler, Texas to Change Brand Affiliation to Ramada By Greg Junek, Tyler Morning Telegraph, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 8, 2003 - In May the Holiday Inn-Southeast Crossing and Sheraton Hotel will cease to exist in Tyler.  The Holiday Inn will become part of the Parsippany, N.J.-based Ramada chain and the Sheraton will become a Holiday Inn Select hotel.  Penny Smitherman, Holiday Inn-Southeast Crossing general manager, said the name of that hotel, at 3310 Troup Highway, will officially change to Ramada midday May ...

Attend the Travel Commerce Conference & Expo on April 1-2, 2003 at the Hilton New York / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Attend the Travel Commerce Conference & Expo on April 1-2, 2003 at the Hilton New York February 3, 2003 - TravelCom will once again deliver the only event created for the industry, by the industry. Covering critical issues in marketing and distribution, TravelCom is crafted to give you relevant, actionable information.  Hear keynote presentations from Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity CEOs followed by a CEO Roundtable.  Also hear keynote presentations from Robert Crandall, Chairman & CEO Retired, AMR Corporation/American Airlines and Henry Harteveldt, Senior Analyst, Forrester Research.  V...

Leaders of Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity to Speak Together at 2003 Travel Commerce Conference & Expo / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Leaders of Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity to Speak Together at 2003 Travel Commerce Conference & Expo Fairfield, CT (February 19, 2003) – The Travel Commerce Conference & Expo (TravelCom), the travel industry’s defining event for marketing and distribution strategies, announced today that Erik Blachford, president, CEO and director of Expedia, Inc. (as of April), Jeffrey G. Katz, chairman, president and CEO of Orbitz and Sam Gilliland, president and CEO of Travelocity.com, will be speaking together on a panel at the 2003 event, being held in New York City at the Hilton NY on April 1-2. ...

TravelCLICK Reports 30% Growth in GDS Room Nights for Asia-Pacific in Q4 / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report TravelCLICK Reports 30% Growth in GDS Room Nights for Asia-Pacific in Q4 TravelCLICK Announces Top Ten Asia-Pacific Markets for Q4 and 2002 Full Year CHICAGO (February 7, 2003) - TravelCLICK reported today that Asia-Pacific region room nights booked electronically through the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) was up 30% in the fourth quarter of 2002 compared to the prior year period. In comparison, GDS worldwide room nights increased 8% for fourth quarter of 2002 versus fourth quarter 2001.  The average daily rate (ADR) for the Asia-Pacific region was $123.91, an improvement of 3.3...

TravelCLICK.net Enhances Free GDS Hotel Booking Data Average – Daily Rates Can Now Be Viewed for Over 400 Cities / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report - TravelCLICK.net Enhances Free GDS Hotel Booking Data - Average Daily Rates Can Now Be Viewed for Over 400 Cities  CHICAGO -- February 11, 2003 — TravelCLICK has added Average Daily Rate (ADR) to its free GDS market data on the www.travelclick.net Web site.  The GDS booking data is continuously updated to display the most recent e-commerce results for the hospitality industry.  TravelCLICK’s Web based GDS data has also been improved with easy-to-read charts, and now provides two full years of booking information for over 400 cities worldwide.  "TravelCLICK is making hotel booking in...

Thunderbird Hotel Becomes Ramada Affiliate / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online  Special Report  Thunderbird Hotel Becomes Ramada Affiliate February 3, 2003 - The Thunderbird Hotel & Convention Center has changed its hotel affiliation to Ramada, effective February 1, 2003. The new name will be the Ramada Inn Airport and Thunderbird Convention Center.    According to Kevin Sawatsky, President of Arrowhead Hospitality Group LLC, Bloomington, "With the upcoming closing of the existing Ramada property, due to airport expansion, the timing was right for the Thunderbird to become a Ramada affiliate. It's one of the best known brands in the hotel industry and Ramada features a great cen...

Mature Thai Resort Spots Bang Saen and Pattaya Fear Being Replaced by New Resort Destinations / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Mature Thai Resort Spots Bang Saen and Pattaya Fear Being Replaced by New Resort Destinations By Nina Suebsukcharoen, Bangkok Post, Thailand Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 24, 2003 -  While Thailand is renowned worldwide as an amazingly attractive tourist destination, it should endeavour to look after and maintain the quality of old resorts and not repeat past mistakes that occurred in Bang Saen and Pattaya, says Chanin Donavanik, executive director of Dusit Thani Hotels.  With the focus now shifting to developing other resorts such as Krabi, Phangnga and Ko C...

Triple Two Silom Hotel Designed as Thailand's First Genuine Boutique Hotel / Feb 2003

January 30, 2003

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Triple Two Silom Hotel Designed as Thailand's First Genuine Boutique Hotel By Nondhanada Intarakomalyasut, Bangkok Post, Thailand Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 27--The Narai Hotel Group has invested 170 million baht to convert 40 shophouses, next to its flagship Narai Hotel on Silom Road, to a modern boutique hotel, targeting young business travellers who prefer privacy and a home-like environment.  The 75-room Triple Two Silom Hotel was designed to tap the growing popularity of boutique hotels in Europe, North America and Australia, said Pichet Nithiwasin, ma...