Steve Wynn, Si Redd, and Parry Thomas First Inductees Into the University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Business' Hall of Fame / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Steve Wynn, Si Redd, and Parry Thomas First Inductees Into the University of Nevada, Las  Vegas College of Business' Hall of Fame By Jeff Simpson, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 22--There isn't much question about the critical roles three men inducted Thursday into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame played in the development of the state's gambling industry.  One was the first to provide bank financing to build Las Vegas casinos, another created The Mirage and Bellagio megaresorts and the third one invented the video poker machine.  Th...

Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at The University of Memphis Receives $1.5M Endowment from Six Continents Hotels / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report     Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at The University of Memphis Receives $1.5M Endowment from Six Continents Hotels February 7, 2002 - Six Continents Hotels, a global hospitality leader with more than 3,260 properties worldwide, announced a major gift to support the soon-to-open Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at The University of Memphis.  The $1.5M endowment will create a scholarship fund for women and minority students and establish a Six Continents Hotels Chair of Excellence for the Wilson School.  "Six Continents Hotels' end...

The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management Offers International Convention Management and Human Resource Management in MHMOnLine

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management Offers International Convention Management and Human Resource Management in MHMOnLine Program February 7, 2002 - The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management will offer HRMA 6397  International Convention Management and HRMA 6337 Human Resource Management  in the Executive MHMOnLine program for Summer 2002.  Courses in the MHMOnLine program lead to the Master of Hospitality Management (M.H.M.) degree. All courses are conducted online by Conrad N. Hilton College faculty members who are leading hospitality ...

Thistle Hotels Chain Completes UKpound 180 million Renovation, Introduces New Room Type / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Thistle Hotels Chain Completes UKpound 180 million Renovation, Introduces New Room Type By Gillian Upton, Evening Standard, London Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 7--Thistle Hotels has emerged from a three-year, UKpound 180 million revamp, which has seen its three- and four-star portfolio in Britain shrink from 90 to 56 hotels.  Some 30 hotels have been sold to concentrate only on city centre and business district locations, but Thistle is now the largest operator in London, with 24 hotels.  The refurbishment has seen the installation of spas, new restaurant c...

International Society of Hospitality Consultants Details Issues Most Relevant to the Hospitality Industry this Year / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report     International Society of Hospitality Consultants Details Issues Most Relevant to the Hospitality Industry this Year ALEXANDRIA, VA – February 5, 2002 – Members of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants recently released its annual Top Ten Issues and Challenges for 2002. Each year, the ISHC polls its members as to the issues and challenges most relevant to the hospitality industry in the coming year.  Once individual members have submitted their ideas, a “ballot” is circulated to the membership listing all of the current submissions as well as the Top Ten from the ...

Hospitality and Foodservice Technology Summit Identifies New World Challenges / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report Hospitality and Foodservice Technology Summit Identifies New World Challenges Paris, 14 2002 – A Summit on Hospitality and Foodservice Technology convened by the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) gathered top marketing and information technology executives to discuss priorities and action steps for the coming years in response to the many events of the past year. The full day discussion, held during HOSTEC-EURHOTEC Exhibition and Conference organised at Earl’s Court from February 4th to 8th in London, alongside Hotelympia, is the third such gathering of senior managem...

The Proponent of Global Distribution Standards for the International Leisure Travel Industry, TOWARD, Opens London Office / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report Proponent of Global Distribution Standards for the International Leisure Travel Industry, TOWARD, Opens London Office 19 Feb 2002 - TOWARD, the leading proponent of global distribution standards for the travel industry, today announced its expansion into Europe with the opening of a new London-based office.   Formed in November 2000 by leading figures in the US travel industry, TOWARD's (Tour Operators and Wholesalers Achieving Real-Time Distribution) mission is to create global distribution standards for the international leisure travel industry by bringing together key players in the ...

Investors Led by Tim and Diane Mueller, Owners of Vermont's Okemo Mountain Resort, Acquiring Steamboat Resort for $91.4 million / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online  .Special Report  Investors Led by Tim and Diane Mueller, Owners of Vermont's Okemo Mountain Resort, Acquiring Steamboat Resort for $91.4 million February 2, 2002 - American Skiing Company announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Steamboat ski resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to Triple Peaks, LLC, a consortium of investors led by Tim and Diane Mueller, the owners of Vermont's Okemo Mountain Resort and operators of Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire.      Triple Peaks, LLC will pay approximately $91.4 million for the resort and associated real esta...

BEST and The School of Tourism Industry Management at the University of Hawaii Schedule Think Tank to Evaluate Sustainable Travel and Tourism / Feb 2

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report BEST and The School of Tourism Industry Management at the University of Hawaii Schedule Think Tank to Evaluate Sustainable Travel and Tourism  14 Feb 2002  What: BEST (Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel), whose mission is to ensure the future of travel for the benefit of travelers, communities and companies, is a Conference Board initiative in association with the World Travel & Tourism Council.  At a Think Tank, co-sponsored by BEST and The School of Tourism Industry Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, travel industry and education leaders will convene to evalua...

Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts has Appoints Tim S. Hamid as Regional Director of Corporate Sales in New York / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report  Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts has Appoints Tim S. Hamid as Regional Director of Corporate Sales in New York MIAMI, Florida (Feb. 4, 2002) -- Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts has appointed Tim S.  Hamid as Regional Director of Corporate Sales in New York.  Hamid is responsible for corporate sales development in the New York area for Sol Melia's major capital city properties such as those in Mexico City, Caracas, Sao Paulo, London, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Milan and elsewhere in Europe and Latin America.  Previously, Hamid was a management consultant for Global Vacation Group in Washington D.C. a...

Once Brand-loyal Hotel Customers Have Become Deal Hunters on the Internet / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel OnlineSpecial Report Once Brand-loyal Hotel Customers Have Become Deal Hunters on the Internet WorldRes.com Survey Finds Consumers Say Price is Paramount When Buying Hotel Rooms Online SAN MATEO, Calif. Feb. 20, 2002 -- WorldRes.com, Inc., a leading online hotel reservation network, today released the results of a consumer survey conducted in December 2001 that confirms that price drives buying decisions for booking rooms online. The survey was conducted through PlacesToStay.com, WorldRes' leading consumer travel Internet service for finding and booking distinctive hotels, inns and resorts worldwide.  Â...

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report   StayOnline Unveils SuiteOnlinesm…The Most Complete Wireless Connectivity Solution for the Lodging Industry SuiteOnlinesm is the most cost effective yet advanced solution for hoteliers to offer high-speed connectivity to guests; the turnkey solution offers tangible returns, reliable service, scalable design and hassle-free functionality. ATLANTA — Feb. 19, 2002 — StayOnline, a leading provider of wireless Internet connectivity solutions for the lodging industry, is pleased to introduce SuiteOnline   — “Hospitality’s most complete, cost effective, yet advanced connectivity sol...

'Know Your Customer' was Consensus Advice from HSMAI's Moving the Industry Forward Strategic Conference; Discounting Is Not the Answer

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report     “Know Your Customer” was Consensus Advice from HSMAI's “Moving the Industry Forward” Strategic Conference;  Discounting Is Not the Answer NEW YORK, NY (Jan. 30, 2002) – “Know your customer” was the consensus advice from the various experts speaking at the “Moving the Industry Forward” strategic conference sponsored by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) at the Marriott Marquis in New York.  The conference, a second in a series of new Executive THINKs since the events of Sept. 11 put the travel industry into a tail spin, was created to help...

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report Park City Utah’s 185-room Lodge at Stillwater Opens in Time for Olympics Park City, Utah Feb. 13, 2002 - The  185-room Lodge at Stillwater opened last week to a full house of 2002 Winter Olympic visitors.    "We are very pleased to offer our gracious Utah hospitality to visitors from all over the world" said Richard C. Lee, General Manager of the Lodge. "Our fabulous mountain resort location lends itself to easy access to all of the Olympic Venues as well as Old Town Park City.”      The Lodge is the centerpiece of a master planned development located between America’s number...

Management by Spreadsheet Erodes Full-Service Core Values / Rick Swig / RSBA Associates / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

RSBA & Associates  Hospitality Consulting Services 400 Spear Street, Suite 106 San Francisco, CA 94105 Email: rickswig@rsbaswig.com Web site: http://www.rsbaswig.com   Email: rickswig@rsbaswig.com Web site: http://www.rsbaswig.com  Management by Spreadsheet Erodes Full-Service Hotel Core Values by Rick Swig, February 2002 Looking forward into 2002 necessitates a look back into 2001, which was the most challenging annual period in the hotel business for at least a decade.  There was clearly a trend throughout 2001 that expectations of growth after the millenium year were to be dashed quickly.  All three major d...

Closed by the Federal Court, Speaking Rock Casino Lays Off 800 Employees / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Closed by the Federal Court, Speaking Rock Casino Lays Off 800 Employees By John W. Gonzalez, Houston Chronicle Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 18--EL PASO, Texas--Like a wildcat gusher, the Tigua Indians' Speaking Rock Casino spewed prosperity across the impoverished Ysleta area for more than eight years. But after being closed by federal court order last week for violating state gaming laws, it just oozes sorrow across the community.  Layoffs among the casino's 800 employees begin this week as the facility decommissions its gaming equipment while continuing ...

Sol Meliá Reports 14% increase in Revenues for 2001; Net Profits Decreased 45% / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report  Sol Meliá Reports 14% increase in Revenues for 2001; Net Profits Decreased 45% February, 2002 Company net profits reached 64.7 million Euros for the year The company ends 2001 with one of the most up-to-date hotel portfolios in the market Wednesday, 27th. February, 2002. Sol Meliá has published financial results for the company for the year 2001 showing a 14% increase in revenues to 1,016 million Euros compared to the previous year and a 3.2% increase in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and rentals (EBITDAR) to 299 million Euros. Net profits, ho...

Developers Want to Create Man-Made Ski Resort in Tropical Chiang Mai, Thailand / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Developers Want to Create Man-Made Ski Resort in Tropical Chiang Mai, Thailand By Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit, Bangkok Post, Thailand Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 15--Ski enthusiasts may no longer need to fly off to snow-capped mountains in cold countries -- they can head for Chiang Mai.  A Thai-Japanese joint venture is working on a project to turn hilly land in northern Thailand into a ski resort. The exact location was not disclosed. Leisure Patine International Co said the investment would be at least 150 million baht.  The joint venture is seeking partners ...

Shilo Inns 4th Quarter Results Very Impressive; RevPar Up 8.9% for First 15 Days of February, 2002 Compared to Previous Year / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online  Special Report  Shilo Inns 4th Quarter Results Very Impressive;  RevPar Up 8.9% for First 15 Days of February, 2002 Compared to Previous Year  Shilo Inns Outperforms Most of the Hotel Industry PORTLAND, OREGON - February 25, 2002 -  Shilo Inns continues to outperform the rest of the hotel industry, according to RevPar results released today. The well-managed and maintained chain of 47 diversified properties recorded a RevPar room revenue increase of 8.9% for mid-month February, 2002. RevPar is a common measurement of a hotel company's financial health.  4th Quarter Results Very Impressive ...

x

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive   ...

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report     Hawaii Hotel Association’s Na Po’e Pa’ahana Awards Recognizes Five Shell Hawaiian Resort Employees  Kailua-Kona, HI – February 11, 2002 – Five employees from two Shell Hospitality-managed resorts in Hawaii were were honored at the Hawaii Hotel Association’s Na Po’e Pa’ahana (“the hard-working people”) awards luncheon in January at Hilton Hawaiian Village for their outstanding service to the hospitality industry. Awards were granted in nine categories, along with scores of Honorable Mentions bestowed on dedicated workers in hotels of all sizes and brands within the Hawaiian ...

Shaner Hotel Group Again Offers to Acquire Interstate Hotels; New Proposal Would Attempt to Boost Shareholder Value / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online Special Report Shaner Hotel Group Again Offers to Acquire Interstate Hotels;  New Proposal Would Attempt to Boost Shareholder Value and Resets Course for Profitability PITTSBURGH - Feb. 18, 2002 - Interstate Hotels Corporation (Nasdaq:IHCO), which on February 13 announced a fourth-quarter loss of $3.1 million and a loss of $8 million for 2001, has received a new acquisition proposal from State College-based Shaner Hotel Group. Shaner tried to take over Interstate in October 2000, but was rebuffed when Interstate officials instead endorsed a $30 million cash infusion from affiliates of Lehman Brother...

To Save Species 60 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants Boycott Chilean Sea Bass / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive To Save Species 60 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants Boycott Chilean Sea Bass By Carolyn Jung, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 6--With its meltingly tender flesh and hefty price tag, Chilean sea bass long ago became the darling dish of upscale restaurants.  But with the wildly popular fish so overfished that environmentalists warn it could become extinct in five years, more than 60 Bay Area restaurants said Tuesday that they will no longer serve it.  The boycott is part of a campaign launched by the Washington D.C.-based Natio...

PGA Village Planned for San Antonio Area is Tied Up in Issues and Politics; Developers Put Forth Impact Numbers for High Profile Project / Feb 2002

January 30, 2002

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive PGA Village Planned for San Antonio Area Is Tied Up in Issues and Politics; Developers Put Forth Impact Numbers for High Profile Project By Melissa S. Monroe, San Antonio Express-News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Feb. 21--While the proposed PGA Village is tied up in environmental issues and city politics, a local group estimates that just the construction of one hotel and two golf courses would have a $193.1 million direct impact on San Antonio's economy.  But community groups advocating for higher wage jobs in San Antonio question the lasting impact in the commun...