Two Irish Brothers Pay $250,000 in Legal Fees to Battle the Hilton Chain Over Pub Named Kitty O'Shea's / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Two Irish Brothers Pay $250,000 in Legal Fees to Battle the Hilton Chain Over Pub Named Kitty O'Shea's By Shelley Murphy, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 5--In a town where Irish pubs are as abundant as Red Sox hats, there is apparently only room in Boston for one establishment named Kitty O'Shea's.  But whether that honor should go to the quaint pub in Boston's financial district owned by two Irish brothers or to the lobby bar inside the Hilton hotel at Logan Airport may come down to this: Is Boston's connection to Ireland stronger than its li...

Virginia Investments Trust Developing The $110 Million 255-room Sanctuary at Kiawah Island / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Virginia Investments Trust Developing The $110 Million 255-room Sanctuary at Kiawah Island By John P. McDermott, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 25--KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C.--After years of preparation and speculation, Kiawah Island Resorts unveiled plans for a $110 million oceanfront hotel Monday that it vowed would rank among the finest upscale leisure properties in the country.  The 255-room Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, the costliest hotel ever built in South Carolina, is set to open in February 2004, said Prem Devadas, managi...

Kevin C. Pasek Namd Director of Franchise Development for Vagabond Franchise System, Inc. / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Kevin C. Pasek Namd Director of Franchise Development for Vagabond Franchise System, Inc. LOS ANGELES --June 20, 2002 -  Vagabond Franchise System, Inc. announced today the appointment of Kevin C. Pasek to the position of director of franchise development.  Working with Bruce Weitzman, Vagabond’s vice president, franchise development, Kevin is responsible for further establishing the company’s Vagabond Inn®, Vagabond Inn Executivesm, and Vagabond Plaza Hotelsm brands in the western United States. Pasek most recently was director of franchise sales and development for Cendant Corpo...

Kenneth Ford, CHB, Named Vice President of National Hotel Realty / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Kenneth Ford, CHB, Named Vice President of National Hotel Realty PORTSMOUTH, NH - June 20, 2002 -  Kenneth Ford, CHB, has been named Vice President of National Hotel Realty, a full-service hotel real estate advisory firm located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Serving the hospitality real estate and lending industries, NHR is the highest volume hotel brokerage, management and consulting company in the Northeast. Ford will assume responsibilities for developing new clients and servicing the disposition and acquisition needs of existing clients, specializing in hotels of 80 rooms or more w...

The President, a Fabled Kansas City Hotel, Receiving a $44.1 Renovation; Wyndham Will Operate the 200 room Hotel / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive The President, a Fabled Kansas City Hotel, Receiving a $44.1 Renovation; Wyndham Will Operate the 200 room Hotel By Dan Margolies, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 27--Developers on Wednesday bought the President Hotel and neighboring properties, setting the stage for the long-vacant downtown landmark's renovation starting later this summer.  Commercial real estate broker Ron Jury and his partners completed their purchase of the fabled Kansas City hotel located at 14th Street and Baltimore Avenue, as well as the Keystone Building just eas...

The 4-year-old Jordan Grand Hotel in Newry, Maine Experiencing an Outbreak of Mold / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive The 4-year-old Jordan Grand Hotel in Newry, Maine Experiencing an Outbreak of Mold  By Tux Turkel, Portland Press Herald, Maine Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 13--Industrial hygiene experts have been called to the Jordan Grand Hotel at the Sunday River ski area in Newry following an outbreak of mold inside the 4-year-old building, the resort said Wednesday.  No health problems have been reported, the resort said, and the building is safe for guests and staff.  "We have some mold-related problems at the Jordan Grand Hotel," said Susan DuPlessis, a Sunday River...

Feeling Pressure from Free-standing Restaurants, Shangri-La Hotels and Resort's F&B Director Jean Michel Offe Is Fighting Back / May 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report  Feeling Pressure from Free-standing Restaurants,  Shangri-La Hotels and Resort's F&B Director Jean Michel Offe Is Fighting Back Hotel Asia Pacific June 2002 By Steve Shellum As hotel restaurants come under increasing pressure from innovative outsiders, Shangri-La is fighting back with an arsenal of cutting-edge concepts. In an exclusive interview, group F&B director Jean Michel Offe tells Steve Shellum what lies ahead The knives are out – and hotel restaurants are falling victim to street-wise competitors intent on taking a big slice off their bottom lines with funkier concep...

Sourcing Almost 100% from the Domestic Japanese Market, Theme Parks Boom in Japan / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Sourcing Almost 100% from the Domestic Japanese Market, Theme Parks Boom in Japan Tokyo, June 18, 2002 – Attendance numbers at Japan’s mega theme parks continue to achieve stellar proportions, according to hotel and tourism specialist Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.  Strong demand from Japanese consumers has been recorded despite the difficult Japanese economy and rising unemployment.   According to Mike Tidbold, a theme park specialist at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels “the Japanese theme parks source almost 100% of their guests from the domestic Japanese market.  This is in contr...

After 11% RevPAR Decline In the First Quarter, Jameson Inns RevPAR Trending Improved Significantly in April and May / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report  After 11% RevPAR Decline In the First Quarter, Jameson Inns RevPAR Trending Improved Significantly in April and May ATLANTA, June 11, 2002 - Jameson Inns, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAMS), a hotel real estate investment trust (REIT), and owner of Jameson Inn and Signature Inn hotels, today announced that revenue per available room ("RevPAR") at its owned properties was $31.9 in April, down less than one percent from April 2001, and RevPAR in May 2002 was $32.7 down less than 2% from May 2001. Average daily rate ("ADR") increased 3% in April and 2% in May 2002. Occupancy rates for owned hotel...

Furniture Maker and Master Potter Combine to Create Unique Suite at the Jackson House Inn in Woodstock, Vermont / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report    Furniture Maker and Master Potter Combine to Create Unique Suite at the Jackson House Inn in Woodstock, Vermont WOODSTOCK, Vt., June 2002 -- One of New England’s most elegant inns, The Jackson House, a 15-room, AAA four-diamond country manor and fine dining restaurant located in Woodstock, VT, recently unveiled a newly renovated suite designed by Vermont artisans Charles Shackleton, a renowned furniture maker, and Miranda Thomas, a master potter.     The new suite has been aptly renamed the Shackleton-Thomas Suite.  This husband and wife team is responsible for creatin...

Johnson & Wales University Closing Culinary Schools in Norfolk, Va., and Charleston, S.C. in 2006 / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Johnson & Wales University Closing Culinary Schools in Norfolk, Va., and Charleston, S.C. in 2006 By Sarah Sue Ingram, Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 22--Hampton Roads chefs and food-service workers expressed shock and sadness Friday after learning that Johnson & Wales University, a highly successful culinary school, will close its Norfolk campus in 2006.  The Norfolk campus of Johnson & Wales has produced 2,000 graduates in its 20 years, and 100 percent of those have been employed within 60 days of graduation, said Marisa Marsey, ...

Johnson & Wales University Investing $82 million to Develop New Campus in Charlotte; Will Offer Bachelor's Degree Programs in Business, Culinary

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Johnson & Wales University Investing $82 million to Develop New Campus in Charlotte; Will Offer Bachelor's Degree Programs in Business, Culinary Arts and Hospitality CHARLOTTE, N.C.- June 20, 2002 - Johnson & Wales University, a national leader in combining career-focused educational programs with a full university experience, today unveiled its plan to develop a new campus in downtown Charlotte, with classes to begin in fall 2004. The University campus will be an anchor in Gateway Village, a mixed-use urban development with a range of commercial and residential buildings locat...

John J. Toner, 18 Year Veteran with Ritz-Carlton, Named VP for Ko Olina Resort & Marina / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report John J. Toner, 18 Year Veteran with Ritz-Carlton, Named VP for Ko Olina Resort & Marina KO OLINA, HI,  June 3, 2002 -- John J. Toner has been named vice president of Ko Olina Resort Association (KORA), an affiliation of resort-wide businesses within Ko Olina Resort & Marina, effective this month. His responsibilities include supervising the operations of the resort management, directing the branding and marketing of the resort's collective entities, and pursuing new development within the resort. Toner was formerly with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company for 18 years and spent nearly the las...

Jeff Symes Named Vice President and Assistant Controller for FelCor Lodging Trust / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report   Jeff Symes Named Vice President and Assistant Controller for FelCor Lodging Trust IRVING, Texas…June 13, 2002 - FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated (NYSE: FCH), one of the nation’s largest hotel real estate investment trusts (REITs), today announced the appointment of Jeff Symes as Vice President and Assistant Controller.  Mr. Symes, a certified public accountant (CPA), brings extensive experience in dealing with complex accounting and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issues in the commercial real estate industry.          Mr. Symes, 36, was most recently with...

Jim Bridger Named Director of Franchise Services For AmericInn International, LLC / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report   advertisement Jim Bridger Named Director of Franchise Services For AmericInn International, LLC Chanhassen, MN (June 14, 2002) – AmericInn International, LLC announces the appointment of Jim Bridger to Director of Franchise Services.  Jim has been in the lodging industry since 1990 and has been part of the AmericInn Lodging System since 1995.  Jim has managed AmericInn lodging properties in Park Rapids, MN and Detroit Lakes, MN and has been AmericInn's Quality Assurance Manager since 1998.  He has received many accolades as an instructor at both the AmericInn Certified Lodging Tr...

Linchris Hotel Corp. Obtains $13.2 million Permanent Mortgage For New Hilton Garden Inn In Islip, New York / May 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report   Linchris Hotel Corp. Obtains $13.2 million Permanent Mortgage For New Hilton Garden Inn In Islip, New York  New York - May 31, 2002 - Insignia/ESG Hotel Partners has arranged a $13.2 million permanent mortgage through G.E. Capital on behalf of Linchris Hotel Partners of Long Island, LLC, for the development of a new Hilton Garden Inn in Islip, Long Island, New York.  Paul Fitzpatrick of Insignia/ESG Hotel Partners' New York office was the lead broker for this assignment. The 165-room Hilton Garden Inn will be located on Veterans Memorial Highway in Ronkonkoma in the town of Islip, ...

Intervest Uncovers Profitable Rewards with Ramesys' Data Consolidation Solutions / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Intervest Uncovers Profitable Rewards with Ramesys' Data Consolidation Solutions June 2002 - For Intervest Companies, the challenge of manually consolidating marketing and financial information from its nine hotels stretching across the states of Texas and Colorado was becoming an inefficient, time-consuming task. They needed a solution that would allow them to consolidate and mine data from all of their properties at the touch of a button. According to their mission statement, Bradford Homesuites by Intervest (www.bradfordsuites.com) specializes within the hospitality industry by offering exceptional value and quality to their ...

Hotel Technology Leaders Launch Industry Initiative on Guidelines for Inter-Vendor Cooperation and Systems Integration / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Hotel Technology Leaders Launch Industry Initiative on Guidelines for Inter-Vendor Cooperation and Systems Integration CHICAGO, June 27, 2002 -  Nine prominent hotel industry technology leaders from around the world, meeting over a two-day period prior to HITEC, have formed an initiative to break through the current impasse on systems integration and productivity. The initiative, known as Hotel Technology - Next Generation (HTNG), aims to define a new approach to providing systems and technology services at the property, brand, management company and ownership levels. The grou...

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report InnLink Acquires USinns.com – Internet-based Search Engine and Travel Web Site with over 25,000 Bed and Breakfast Listings Hendersonville, TN – June 19, 2002 - InnLink, L.L.C., a company specializing in reservation representation services for hotels, inns, and lodging companies including toll-free, private label voice reservation services, seamless global distribution system (GDS) connectivity, Internet distribution system (IDS) services, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and marketing assistance programs designed to increase reservations announces its acquisition of USinns.com (ww...

Training a Large and Diverse Staff Becomes Easier with Infinium / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report June 3, 2002 - Coordinating training for a large and diverse workforce can be a taxing responsibility, especially when you operate 24x7x365. Yet, in the hospitality and gaming industry, training is an important means of motivating employees, reducing turnover, and ensuring compliance with government regulations. It is key to providing exceptional guest service. Infinium understands the complex training needs of hotels, casinos, resorts, restaurants, and entertainment organizations. It is an established provider of human resources solutions, including training, to industry leaders like Ameristar Cas...

Partnership Helps Colonial Williamsburg Align Execution with Strategy / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report June 21, 2002 - Infinium, a leading provider of enterprise business solutions to the hospitality and gaming industry, recently announced a partnership with Cognos, the world leader in business intelligence, to deliver Infinium Corporate Performance Manager (CPM). The combination of Infinium’s domain and industry expertise and Cognos’ comprehensive framework for corporate performance management gives hospitality organizations a pre-packaged solution that helps them harness their transactional data and transform it into business insight. As a result, they are better able to measure execution agains...

Independent Hotels Weekly Update Report / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Independent Hotels Weekly Update Report Published each Friday, 48 weeks per year.  This recent week is provided courtesy of Hotel-Online.com,  Research Report for Foodservice and ihospitality. Find out who, what, where and when before and as they open.  Subscribers receive between 15-35 new hotel location openings per week. Report data is derived from more than 400 daily and weekly sources including legal filings, license filings, permits, press releases, web sites, newspapers and classified ads.  Each day our research department verifies, qualifies and updates new and expanding activity in the hotel industry. Through daily...

Miami Beach Boutique Hotel and its Mortgage Holder GMAC at Odds Over Possible Foreclosure / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Miami Beach Boutique Hotel and its Mortgage Holder GMAC at Odds Over Possible Foreclosure  By Douglas Hanks III, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jun. 5, 2002 - A pricey designer hotel is facing the first foreclosure to hit the Miami Beach resort industry since Sept. 11, city and lending officials said, adding to worries over a possible shakeout of the city's prized roster of boutique hotels.  The Hotel Impala in South Beach insists a stubborn lender is causing its ruin. But others following the industry say the Impala reflects the grim situation fac...

Opinion: Hotel Brand Franchise Impact Policies Must Change / Richard J. Welch, C.H.A / June 2002

February 28, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report Opinion:  Hotel Brand Franchise Impact Policies Must Change June 19, 2002  By Richard J. Welch, C.H.A., C.H.M.E. There is an old saying in Arkansas that comes in the form of a question. “ What do the two words “Divorce” and “Tornado” have in common”? The answer is: “Somebody is going to lose a trailer.” Or, in the hotel industry when referenced is made to an Impact Study, “Somebody is going to lose a Hotel”. In the franchiser case, revenue stream. It really becomes a “Win-Lose” situation, and somebody is going to lose. But what if both the Franchiser and the Fra...