Mayor of Dallas Asks for Resignation of Chris Luna, the Chairman of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau Board / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive  Mayor of Dallas Asks for Resignation of Chris Luna, the Chairman of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau Board By Dave Michaels, The Dallas Morning News  Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 20--Mayor Laura Miller asked the chairman of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau board to resign Thursday, saying he was not moving fast enough to reform the bureau's questionable spending practices.  Chris Luna, whom Ms. Miller appointed in July, did not agree to immediately leave the unpaid position he has held since October. The former City Council member issued a b...

For Developer Charlie Givens, the Hotel ZaZa is a Different Kind of Project; Will Rely on Word-of-mouth Advertising / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive For Developer Charlie Givens, the Hotel ZaZa is a Different Kind of Project; Will Rely on Word-of-mouth Advertising By Suzanne Marta, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 7, 2002 --In the days leading up to this week's opening, Hotel ZaZa developer Charlie Givens could usually be found walking briskly through the corridors with a cellphone to his ear and a pocketful of notes.  Every time Mr. Givens would stop, a handful of people would line up -- the landscape supervisor with a handful of tree photos, a subcontractor discussing how to match ed...

Broadband Hospitality Finishes 2002 With Flurry of Agreement Activity / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Broadband Hospitality Finishes 2002 With Flurry of Agreement Activity YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO -- Dec. 18, 2002 -- Riding the growing tide of interest in offering High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) in hotels, Broadband Hospitality, one of the country’s fastest growing HSIA providers, is finishing 2002 with a flurry of agreement activity. The Youngstown, Ohio-based company recently signed an agreement to install HSIA in a new 96-room AmeriHost Inn & Suites hotel in Columbus, Ohio. The property, a joint venture of Athens, Ohio-based SJB Management Inc. and Arlington Hospitality Inc. (NASDAQ: HOST), Arli...

Contrasting Sharply with Luxury, First-class, the Budget Segment Performing Well Across UK and Continental Europe / Deloitte & Touche / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Contrasting Sharply with Luxury, First-class, the Budget Segment Performing Well Across UK and Continental Europe 16 December 2002 - Our research examines the relative performance of the European hotel sector over the last 12 months and highlights strategies that have been adopted to cope with 9/11 and the deteriorating economic conditions.  To mitigate the impact of seasonality we have tracked the performance of a consistent sample of hotels between January 1999 and September 2002 and analysed the data on a rolling 12-month basis.   Our analysis looks at hotel perform...

National Brands Infiltrate Miami's South Beach Historic Boutique Hotels / December 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  News for the Hospitality Executive  National Brands Infiltrate Miami's South Beach Historic Boutique Hotels By Cara Buckley, The Miami Herald  Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 26, 2002 - Ah, Washington Avenue, the heart of South Beach's clubland, one of the last vestiges of SoBe's edgier past. Near 15th Street, the sexy and the seedy converge. Behold crobar nightclub, Grooveman Music, the Madonna strip club and -- a Courtyard by Marriott?  Four blocks down, cast your gaze toward Level nightclub, the 1950s-era 11th Street Diner and, across the street, a delightful cluster of small Art Deco hote...

Chain-affiliated Occupancy Rising in 2003 – Rates to Follow in 2004 and 2005 / Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Chain-affiliated Occupancy Rising in 2003 -  Rates to Follow in 2004 and 2005 Boston, MA and Atlanta, GA, December 17, 2002 - Quarterly lodging industry performance forecasts prepared by Boston-based Torto Wheaton Research and Hospitality Research Group were recently released to clients and subscribers.  The forecasts are for chain-affiliated properties in the 54 largest metropolitan markets and are based on actual performance levels through the third quarter of 2002 as compiled by Smith Travel Research and are developed using HRG/TWR proprietary forecasting models. “The reco...

Texas-Based Hotel Chain Captures 104% More GDS Reservations YTD, Speeds Ahead of Economy / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Texas-Based Hotel Chain Captures 104% More GDS Reservations YTD, Speeds Ahead of Economy . Bradford Homesuites Partners With Channel Marketing Firm, Adds Real-Time Internet Reservations; Offers Refined ‘Home’ Setting to Long- and Short-Term-Stay Travelers December 4, 2002 - What is your evening routine when you are on the road?  When traveling to a weeklong training session or for a stint in a branch office, do you like to barbeque by the pool to unwind after dark, or do you work with all the lights on until 2:00 a.m.?  You labored a long time to make your home as comfortable as possible; why not stay in the sam...

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report Global Update: Who’s Where and Doing What December  2002 Heads Above the Rest The Newsletter of The Boutique Search Firm The Americas After nearly fifteen years as General Manager of New York's The Mark, Raymond Bickson is taking up the position of Chief Operating Officer for Taj Luxury Hotels, the luxury division of 100-year-old Mumbai-based Indian Hotels Company. Hawaii-born, Lausanne educated Bickson literally put the Mark on the map, turning the dusty former Hyde Park Hotel into a temple of refinement known the world over. Bickson, a gentleman if there ever was one, learned his...

Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Plans to Acquire Casinos in Black Hawk and Cripple Creek, Colorado for $84 million / December 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Plans to Acquire Casinos in Black Hawk and Cripple Creek, Colorado for $84 million  December 26, 2002 - Isle of Capri Black Hawk L.L.C. (“Isle Black Hawk”), a joint venture between Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. and Nevada Gold & Casinos, Inc. , announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Colorado casino operations of International Game Technology, Inc. for $84 million, which is approximately 5.8 times trailing twelve months EBITDA through October, 2002.  The agreement is subject to the satisfaction of several conditions including f...

Half Of All Business Travelers Utilize Alternative Technology In Place Of Travel; Is this Change short-term or Permanent / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report Half Of All Business Travelers Utilize Alternative Technology In Place Of Travel;  Is this Change Short-term or Permanent? WASHINGTON, DC --  December 20, 2002 - The Travel Industry Association of America’s (TIA) latest consumer poll, the Air Travel Survey, examines the possible reasons for the continued declines in air travel.  Sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the survey was based on a representative sample of 4,000 travelers who have traveled by air at least once in the past year.  Thirty percent of all air business travelers reported traveling less by air in th...

The Biggest Tradeshow On Earth – Few Vendors Put Internet Marketing in the Same Category / Michael Squires / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report The Biggest Tradeshow On Earth By Michael Squires, December 2002 Tradeshow participation is a six-digit line item in most marketing budgets, but few vendors put Internet marketing in the same category of importance as tradeshows. This is old thinking; the Internet is the biggest tradeshow on earth. While many purchasing companies are cutting their tradeshow travel budgets, the Internet is growing as a primary source of product and vendor information for buyers. Just look at this year’s COMDEX technology exposition in Las Vegas; the show attracted only half the attendees it did in...

The Annual Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference Set for April 1-3, 2003 in Hamilton, Bermuda / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report The Annual Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference Set for April 1-3, 2003 in Hamilton, Bermuda SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (December 9, 2002) – The Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), in conjunction with Burba Hotel Network (BHN) will once again present the annual Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC), April 1-3, 2003, at The Fairmont Southampton Hotel, in Hamilton, Bermuda.    CHTIC has been designed to be a tripartite meeting between government, industry, and the investment community, with the specific objectiv...

Hayman Great Barrier Reef Training Ground for The Hotel School InterContinental Students / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Hayman Great Barrier Reef Training Ground for The Hotel School InterContinental Students Dec 01, 2002 - A group of eight year one students from The Hotel School InterContinental will depart for Hayman Island as soon as their examinations finish to spend 2 ½ months over the Christmas vacation having the best kind of working holiday. The students have been offered food and beverage and front office positions at this award-winning Barrier Reef resort throughout the peak holiday period and are looking forward to experiencing a totally different hospitality workplace environment to the five ...

Barrick Gaming Corp. Plans to Acquire Six Hotels in Downtown Las Vegas for $82 million / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Barrick Gaming Corp. Plans to Acquire Six Hotels in Downtown Las Vegas for $82 million By Jeff Simpson, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 10--A Barrick Gaming Corp. executive Monday said the company's $82 million deal to buy a collection of downtown casino and motel properties was a vote of confidence in the future of downtown.  Barrick executives aren't sharing details of their long-term plans for the purchases, but they made it clear they expect to redevelop the properties.  The company announced it will buy four of the five downtown cas...

Bruce J. Himelstein SVP Sales and Marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Will Host HSMAI's Travel Industry Awards Dinner in January 2003 /

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Bruce J. Himelstein SVP Sales and Marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Will Host HSMAI's Travel Industry Awards Dinner in January 2003 MCLEAN, VA (Dec. 27, 2002) – Taking center stage as emcee of the travel industry’s largest and most prestigious international awards competition, presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), will be Bruce J. Himelstein, CHME, senior vice president of sales and marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and global chair of HSMAI.  The black-tie gala event, which celebrates its 13th year, will be held at the New Y...

Bill Bennett, Developer of Circus Circus and Excalibur, Dies at Age 78 / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Bill Bennett, Developer of Circus Circus and Excalibur, Dies at Age 78 By Jeff Simpson, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 24--Casino pioneer Bill Bennett, who died Sunday at age 78, may be best remembered for welcoming Middle America to the Strip.  Bennett, owner of the Sahara hotel-casino and a former chairman of Circus Circus Enterprises, the forerunner of Mandalay Resort Group, died at Desert Springs Hospital following a lengthy illness.  One of Las Vegas' most powerful casino operators during a two-decade stretch in the '80s and '90s,...

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report Brazil’s Atlantica Hotels International Finishes 2002 with 30 Hotels Open and Operating; Achieves Systemwide RevPar Growth of  8.7 Percent  SÃO PAULO, December 9, 2002 – Brazil’s Atlantica Hotels International has maintained its aggressive stance and will finish 2002 with more 20 hotels added to its existing inventory in 12 months and 30 hotels open and operating. A total of 85 hotels are now open or under construction in the Atlantica portfolio.  Total assets under management now represent more than US $875 million. “We have so many projects under way right now that our technical...

Aston Hotels & Resorts®Hawaii Appoints Four New General Managers / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Aston Hotels & Resorts®Hawaii Appoints Four New General Managers HONOLULU (Dec. 17, 2002) - Aston Hotels & Resorts®Hawaii, a ResortQuest International Company, recently appointed Dawn Kane general manager of Mahana at Kaannapali and David Hadrick general manager of Aston Islander on the Beach. The company also promoted both Patty Maher to general manger of Aston at the Waikiki Banyan and Roland Ruiz to general manager of Aston Kaha Lani. Dawn Kane, a 23-year veteran of the hotel industry, joins Aston®Hawaii as general manager of Mahana at Kaanapali from Whalers Realty Managem...

ARESCOM Presents a Hospitality Industry 1st: Video on Demand to Laptops in a High Speed Internet Access Environment / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report ARESCOM Presents a Hospitality Industry 1st: Video on Demand to Laptops in a High Speed Internet Access Environment ARESCOM’s online access to hundreds of DVD-quality movies acts as magnet for the 74% of business travelers who bring laptops on the road; 24-hour pay-per-day access to a record number of movies with pause, rewind, fast-forward features now just one click away for guests FREMONT, CALIF. — DEC. 19, 2002 — It’s Christmas time for U.S. hotel guests, who now can receive a hospitality-industry first: Video on Demand (VoD) direct to laptops for the 74 percent of business trave...

Noble House Hotels and Resorts Makes Key Personnel Changes to Revenue Management Department / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Noble House Hotels and Resorts Makes Key Personnel Changes to Revenue Management Department SEATTLE, WA -- (December 10, 2002) - Yogi Hutsen, Chief Operating Officer of Noble House Hotels and Resorts, has announced the following personnel changes to the company’s Revenue Management Department. “Noble House Hotels and Resorts is continuously growing and these management changes represent some great steps for the company,” said Hutsen.  “We have put together a very dynamic and talented revenue management team.” Martha Ansotigue has been promoted to Corporate Director, Revenue ...

Amsterdam Hoteliers Achieve the Highest Occupancy Performance of Any City in Europe / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Amsterdam Hoteliers Achieve the Highest Occupancy Performance of Any City in Europe Findings from the inaugural HotelBenchmark Survey for Belgium & The Netherlands 4 December 2002 - Results from the inaugural HotelBenchmark Survey for Belgium & The Netherlands by Deloitte & Touche launched last week in Amsterdam reveal that hotels in Amsterdam significantly outperformed their Brussels counterparts in 2001 with occupancy levels of 80 percent compared to 69 percent in Brussels.  Year-to-September 2002 data reveals that Amsterdam hoteliers have managed to restrict the downturn in deman...

The Ambrose Hotel Group, a Subsidiary of MOA Hospitality, Inc. Set to Open 77 Room Boutique in Santa Monica; a Non-hotel Hotel / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report The Ambrose Hotel Group, a Subsidiary of MOA Hospitality, Inc. Set to Open 77 Room Boutique in Santa Monica; a "Non-hotel" Hotel Crafted in the Tradition of Home SANTA MONICA, Calif. – December, 2002 - Upscale tranquility paired with exceptional value sets the stage for Santa Monica, California’s newest hotel.  The Ambrose, a uniquely crafted boutique hotel, inspired by the legendary Arts & Crafts Movement of the turn-of-the-century, debuts at 20th & Arizona in early winter, 2003.  Featured in the 2002 edition of Travel and Leisure's 100 Great Escapes, this 77-guestroom es...

Albany, N.Y. Considering Ambitious Plan to Build $185 million Downtown Hotel and Conference Center Complex / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Albany, N.Y. Considering Ambitious Plan to Build $185 million Downtown Hotel and Conference Center Complex  By Kevin Harlin, Times Union, Albany, N.Y. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 16, 2000 - When 1,600 members of the Civil Service Employees Association got together in the fall, they rested their heads on Manhattan hotel pillows and spent their money in New York City shops and restaurants.  In previous years, the Albany-based union for government workers held its annual meetings in Lake Placid, Rochester and Buffalo.  But why not hold it down the street from ...

Alaska Colleges and High Schools Gear Up Hospitality Training, the Fastest Growing Industry in the State / Dec 2002

April 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Alaska Colleges and High Schools Gear Up Hospitality Training, the Fastest Growing Industry in the State By Sarana Schell, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Dec. 8--U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens steered $100,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor toward Alaska's high school students earlier this fall, in the form of training for the restaurant and hotel industry.  Hotels, bars and restaurants in Alaska are growing faster than the rest of the state's economy, said state labor economist Neal Fried, and they make up a sizable industry already. As the h...