Small Luxury Hotels of the World Believes Luxury Market is Recession Resistant / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report  Small Luxury Hotels of the World Believes  Luxury Market is Recession Resistant DALLAS, July 23, 2001 - According to Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) Joint Managing Director, Brian Mills, upscale hotels have little to fear by the current economic downturn.  Speaking recently at an SLH-sponsored journalist lunch in Milan, he stated that the luxury hotel market is virtually recession resistant.  Mills believes this market will not face the highs and lows Wall Street is dealing with these days for several reasons: A greater segment of luxury travelers are retired and fin...

The 'Can Do' Concierge Brings Marketing Boost to Top Hotels / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report The 'Can Do' Concierge Brings Marketing  Boost to Top Hotels Summer 2001 - Concierges in luxury hotels are becoming unofficial marketeers responsible for hundreds of thousands of pounds of repeat business.                              Over three-quarters of hotel guests take advantage of the expertise offered by the concierge - most frequently to obtain tickets for events or to make last-minute dinner reservations.                              These are the findings of a Small Luxury Hotels survey of 50 hoteliers in capital...

American Skiing Co.'s Sale of its Prized Steamboat Ski Resprt is Staying Very Hush-hush / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive American Skiing Co.'s Sale of its Prized Steamboat Ski Resprt is Staying Very Hush-hush By Jason Blevins, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jul. 17-- Whatever is happening with ailing American Skiing Co.'s sale of its prized Steamboat ski hill is staying very hush-hush.  Not one group has publicly expressed an interest in buying Steamboat since American announced in May its intention to sell its flagship resort as an attempt to stave off bankruptcy.  American has required that all possible buyers sign a confidentiality agreement promising they will...

Denver Hotelier Steve Holtze is Planting the Seeds of a New Hotel Chain; Creates Business Boutique Hotels in Wilted Downtown Office Buildings / July 2

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Denver Hotelier Steve Holtze is Planting the Seeds of a New Hotel Chain; Creates Business Boutique Hotels in Wilted Downtown Office Buildings By Mark P. Couch, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jul. 30--Denver hotelier Steve Holtze is planting the seeds of a new hotel chain.  The Magnolia brand is a concept that Holtze hopes to spread across the country, creating a niche of business boutique hotels in wilted downtown office buildings.  This spring, the Holtze Hotel in downtown Denver was rechristened The Magnolia to match its name with a counterpar...

In Partnership with St. Petersburg City Authorities Radisson SAS Opens Royal Hotel, St. Petersburg; Erich Bänziger the Opening General Manager /

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report   In Partnership with St. Petersburg City Authorities  Radisson SAS Opens Royal Hotel, St. Petersburg;  Erich Bänziger the Opening General Manager  Brussels,  23  July 2001… Today,  the first class international  upscale Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, St. Petersburg opens its doors to the public.  With the unveiling of this 30 million USD facility, Radisson SAS further strengthens its brand awareness in Russia. Kurt  Ritter,  President & CEO for Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts,  says: "St.  Petersburg is a fascinating city and has been our target for  some time.   With ...

Lou Roelofsen Appointed General Manager at La Cabana All Suite Beach Resort in Aruba / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report    Lou Roelofsen Appointed General Manager at  La Cabana All Suite Beach Resort in Aruba  ORANJESTAD, Aruba (July 10, 2001) – La Cabana All Suite Beach Resort in Aruba has named veteran hotelier Lou Roelofsen as the new general manager of the deluxe property.  He will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the hotel. Prior to joining La Cabana, Roelofsen spent eight years as the general manager of the Princess Beach Resort & Casino, a Crowne Plaza Resort, in Curacao. Roelofsen, a Curacao native, is no stranger to Aruba.  In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, ...

Robin A. Kirk Named SVP – Operations and Craig P. Farrell Named SVP Sales and Marketing at Baymont Inns / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    Robin A. Kirk Named SVP - Operations and  Craig P. Farrell Named SVP Sales and Marketing  at Baymont Inns MILWAUKEE - July 12, 200 - Baymont Inns & Suites, the limited-service lodging division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS) today announced the addition of two senior executives to its management team. Robin A. Kirk has been named senior vice president - operations and Craig P. Farrell has joined the company as senior vice president-sales and marketing. "The addition of Robin Kirk and Craig Farrell completes the steps we have taken to field one of the strongest management teams...

How Philadelphia Luxury Hotels Court Hollywood Stars / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive How Philadelphia Luxury Hotels Court Hollywood Stars  By Michael Klein, The Philadelphia Inquirer Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jul. 6--The limos pulled into the Rittenhouse Hotel's driveway Tuesday afternoon, passed knots of teenage girls, and stopped at the squirting fountain. Eager doormen swooped in.  Each limo discharged a star: Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates.  Hollywood had come to town for Wednesday's nationally televised reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Art Museum. The production meant good ...

Sage Hospitality Fights Directive to Unionize Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Sage Hospitality Fights Directive to Unionize Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel By Tim McNulty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jul. 13--The Murphy administration has directed the operators of the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel to recognize a hotel union, reversing a decision the administration made last month.    But the hotel's operator, Denver-based Sage Hospitality Resources, is rejecting the city directive, claiming a series of events preceding it violated labor law.  Sage has a pending unfair labor practice charge filed against Local 57 ...

Serge Ragozin Appointed Executive SVP Global Services for Accor Hotels / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    Serge Ragozin Appointed Executive SVP Global Services for Accor Hotels Paris, July 19, 2001 - Serge Ragozin has been appointed Executive Senior Vice-President Global Services for Hotels, as from 1 August 2001, a structure that brings together computer services, reservations, purchasing, construction and the environment. Serge Ragozin will coordinate Hotel distribution policies. He will concentrate on cost optimization and the translation of competitive advantages acquired in the technical and technological fields in recent years into customer margins.   Serge Ragozin is a graduate o...

Radiant Systems, Inc. Acquires the Majority of HotelTools Assets; Suburban Lodges Writes Off the $7.6 million Loan to HotelTools and Terminates Relat

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    Radiant Systems, Inc. Acquires the Majority  of HotelTools.com Assets Suburban Lodges  Writes Off the $7.6 million Loan to  HotelTools and Terminates Relationship Atlanta, GA July 26, 2001 -Radiant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: RADS) today announced its purchase of assets from HotelTools, Inc., an emerging provider of enterprise software solutions for the hospitality industry. The transaction, which included the purchase of the majority of HotelTools assets, closed on July 26, 2001. HotelTools, Inc. is a private entity with headquarters in Atlanta, GA.    HotelTools' product suite in...

Riu Grand Palace Maspalomas Oasis Receiving Extensive Renovation from RIU / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report   Riu Grand Palace Maspalomas Oasis  Receiving Extensive Renovation from RIU 19/07/2001 - RIU chain to complete modernisation of its Grand Palace Maspalomas Oasis on Gran Canaria. This is the second phase of renovation of the prestigious 5-star establishment acquired in 1997. During this month, the second phase of modernisation work began on the hotel Riu Grand Palace Maspalomas Oasis, located next to the Faro de Maspalomas in the far south of Gran Canaria. The 5-star, 342-room establishment was acquired by the RIU group in 1997.  Following a first, partial renovation, full moder...

For First Time in 32 Years, Lodging Industry Annual Nominal RevPAR Will Decline in 2001 / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    For First Time in 32 Years, Lodging Industry  Annual Nominal RevPAR Will Decline in 2001 NEW YORK - July 18, 2001--PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasts that fourth quarter RevPAR(revenue per available room) growth will be insufficient to result in positive RevPAR growth for the full year 2001. For the year, PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasts RevPAR to decline 0.3 percent from 2000 levels. The statistical range of the forecast includes values slightly above 0. This forecast is highly dependent on the GDP growth forecast of 1.8 for 2001 by Macroeconomic Advisers. PricewaterhouseCoopers forec...

Real Estate in a Slow Motion Economy / Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report   Real Estate in a Slow Motion Economy By: Anwar R. Elgonemy  Associate, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels - Miami July 2001 - The high-tech craze of late 1996 to March 2000 left real estate an all-but-forgotten asset class.  Now, investors are interested once again in real estate as an asset class that holds its own while stocks and bonds suffer - as a refuge in a slow motion economy.   In 2000, real estate securities returned 26.8%, while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ indices fell by 9.1% and 39.2%, respectively, exhibiting the quality of property as a defensive asset class.  While most ot...

Robin Brown, the Longtime GM of the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Leaving Position to Work on New Hotel Project / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Robin Brown, the Longtime GM of the Four Seasons Hotel Boston,  Leaving Position to Work on New Hotel Project By Michael Rosenwald, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Jul. 18--Robin Brown, the longtime general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, is leaving his position to work full time on the development of a hotel and residential complex at the Prudential Center.  Brown said yesterday that he will leave the hotel on July 28, his 13th anniversary as GM. He will become principal of CWB Boylston, a company made up of himself and developers Stephen Wei...

Prime Hospitality Converts Four Howard Johnson Inns to Wellesley Inns & Suites / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report   Prime Hospitality Converts Four Howard Johnson Inns  to Wellesley Inns & Suites  FAIRFIELD, N.J., July 19, 2001 - Prime Hospitality Corp.  (NYSE: PDQ) has continued its aggressive expansion of its Wellesley Inns & Suites brand with the addition of four recently converted properties in Whippany, NJ, Wayne, NJ, Santa Clara, CA and Atlanta, GA.  The hotels, previously operated as Howard Johnson Inns, will be managed by Prime. The Wellesley Inn Wayne, NJ is located at 1850 Route 23 and Ratzer Road.  A $3.5 million renovation encompassed the exterior facade as well as the com...

Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Awards Membership To Four North American Properties / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Awards  Membership To Four North American Properties CHICAGO, IL -- July 16, 2001 - Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a prestigious brand of more than 110 distinctive, independent luxury hotels and resorts, has expanded its member portfolio with the addition of four properties in the United States. These luxury properties include: Hotel Derek in Houston, Texas; Maison Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana; Marco Beach Ocean Resort in Marco Island, Florida; and Saugatuck Lodge in Saugatuck/Douglas, Michigan.                    Â...

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    New Castle’s VP of Sales and Marketing, Robert Pope  Manages Sales Data from the Company’s  24 Properties His Own Way Database Creates Roadmap to Sales Success SHELTON, CT — July 18, 2001 — What is one of the most valuable tools a salesperson can possess?  Experience.  One hotel ownership and management company is using leading edge database and Internet technology to give its sales teams “virtual sales experience.” New Castle Hotels’ Borrowed Experience Sales Tool compiles sales data from the company’s 24 properties, puts the information in an on-line database, and h...

New Profit Center Potential for Colleges and Universities – the Development of Hotels and Conference Centers on Campus / Pinnacle Advisory Group

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report  New Profit Center Potential for Colleges and Universities -  the Development of Hotels and Conference  Centers on Campus July 2, 2001 - The scene for colleges and universities of today has changed from bygone years.  The protected environment of a not-for-profit entity focused solely on research and teaching is part of the past.  College and university presidents are under more and more pressure from boards nowadays to ensure profitable investments are undertaken.   Many capital requirements at campuses are related to cost centers and generic improvements.  The opportunity to ha...

Pinehurst Brings Together Landscape and Building Architects, Botanists, Cosmetic Chemists, Historians and Spa Experts to Develop $12 million Spa / Jul

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report Pinehurst Brings Together Landscape and Building  Architects, Botanists, Cosmetic Chemists, Historians  and Spa Experts to Develop $12 million Spa VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C., July 3, 2001 - The new Spa at Pinehurst, whose steel structure has now risen on the grounds of the venerable Carolina hotel, will embrace its North Carolina roots in both form and function. Construction on the 31,000-square-foot building began in December and a mild winter has kept the work on schedule.  In Spring 2002, the $12 million luxury spa will open to Pinehurst guests as the largest spa ever built east of ...

Marcello Pigozzo Leaves Sol Melia for Chief Executive Officer Position at Elegant Hotels / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    Marcello Pigozzo Leaves Sol Melia for Chief Executive Officer Position at Elegant Hotels New York, NY/London, UK - July 17, 2001 - - Elegant Hotels, one of the Caribbean’s leading hotel groups has appointed Marcello Pigozzo as its new Chief Executive Officer.  A seasoned hotelier with a strong vision, Pigozzo’s primary objective will be to guide the Elegant Hotels growth in the future. A 30-year veteran of the global hotel industry, Pigozzo was most recently Managing Director of the European Resorts and the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa division for the world’s largest res...

Pertlink Appointment As It Architect and Project Manager for Guangdong Asia International Hotel, Guangzhou, China Confirms Expansion Plans Into Asia /

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report Pertlink Appointment As It Architect and Project  Manager for Guangdong Asia International Hotel, Guangzhou, China Confirms Expansion Plans  Into Asia Origins of the name Pertlink Pertinent - Having logical, precise relevance to the matter at hand Link - a connecting element    Pertinent - Having logical, precise relevance to the matter at hand Link - a connecting element  Hong Kong – July 12th, 2001- Pertlink the global network linking Hospitality with IT, announced today that Guangdong Asia International Hotel, Guangzhou, China has enlisted its services to advise and over...

Peabody Hotel Group Acquires 100% Ownership of The Peabody Orlando / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report    Peabody Hotel Group Acquires 100% Ownership  of The Peabody Orlando ORLANDO, Fla.- July 19, 2001--Marty Belz, president and chairman of the board, Peabody Hotel Group, Memphis, Tennessee, has announced the company's acquisition of 100% ownership of The Peabody Orlando, the luxury, 891-room, 57,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, convention/resort hotel on International Drive, directly opposite the main entrance to the 1.5-million sq. ft.  (soon-to-be 3-million sq. ft.) Orange County Convention Center.      "Our 50% partnership agreement with La Salle Hotel Properties ...

PRofit from PR Specializes in Hospitality and Tourism / July 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report     PRofit from PR Specializes in  Hospitality and Tourism SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla.  (July 3, 2001) – A new public relations firm has located its main offices in the Central Florida region.  PRofit from PR, which opened its South Daytona offices June 11, provides a wide range of public relations and marketing services designed to meet the needs of its clients.   Led by Doug Luciani, PRofit from PR will work to deliver results with creative, strategic and proactive public relations plans. PRofit from PR focuses on media relations, marketing communications, e-marketing strategies and ...