Wyndham Reports 2nd Qtr Results With 22 Fewer Hotels; Cost Containment Initiatives Narrows Loss / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report Wyndham Reports 2nd Qtr Results With 22 Fewer Hotels;  Cost Containment Initiatives Narrow Loss Hotel Operating Statistics . DALLAS (August 7, 2001) -- Wyndham International, Inc. (NYSE:WYN) today reported results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2001, including the following:  With 22 fewer hotels, EBITDA, as adjusted, was $151.9 million compared to $182.3 million for the same quarter last year.  Cost containment measures resulted in improved margins at quarter end. RevPAR Penetration Index continues to improve in competitive sets. Asset sales for the quarter of $164....

Restaurant Owner's Constant Turmoil Reflects Struggles of Business / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Restaurant Owner's Constant Turmoil Reflects Struggles of Business By Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 6--It can be a grueling life.  Sixty hours a week over six, sometimes seven days. Help can be hard to come by. Profit margins are slim. And family life often takes a back seat.  It's no wonder that restaurants, especially start-ups, are more likely than just about any other business to fail. But when three long-established eateries falter in a short time, it's enough to give even the most optimistic entrepreneurs p...

Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo Acquires Pamela Temples Interiors/ Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report  Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo Acquires  Pamela Temples Interiors  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif - August 2001- Ronald J. Holecek, AIA, president and chief executive officer of Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG), announced today the completion of the strategic acquisition of Pamela Temples Interiors (PTI), along with an affiliated procurement company, Interiors Purchasing Group (IPG).   "Having worked with PTI on several successful projects in the past two years, we have developed a lot of respect for Pam and her company.  We are delighted that she and her talented staff have joined us...

Actress Amy Aquino Assigns Coastal Hotel Group the Management Contract for Historic Villa Royale Inn, Palm Springs / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report Actress Amy Aquino Assigns Coastal Hotel Group the Management  Contract for Historic Villa Royale Inn, Palm Springs Chicago, IL, August 2, 2001 – Coastal Hotel Group, a Chicago based full-service boutique hotel management company, is pleased to announce its newest member, the Villa Royale Inn, an historic property located in Palm Springs, CA.    The Villa Royale Inn is a boutique hotel with 31 individually themed and decorated guest rooms and suites that feature down duvets and private fireplaces and patios.  The hotel also offers a complimentary breakfast and features an award-win...

Casa Casuarina, Site of Designer Gianni Versace's Murder, To Become a Six Star Hotel / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Casa Casuarina, Site of Designer Gianni Versace's Murder, To Become a Six Star Hotel The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 15--South Beach's most famous mansion -- historical landmark, celebrity palazzo and site of designer Gianni Versace's demise -- is about to become a high-end hotel and restaurant.  The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board voted unanimously Tuesday to allow owner Peter Loftin to proceed with renovating Casa Casuarina on Ocean Drive, best known for Versace's 1997 murder.  The new hotel at 1116 Ocean Drive, slated to open by ...

The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino Awarded Top Honors for Best Rooms, Best Theme, and Best Health Spa / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino Awarded Top Honors  for Best Rooms, Best Theme, and Best Health Spa Designed by WATG, Inc. Nevada NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., August 2001—The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas took top honors in a recent survey—“Best of Gaming”—conducted by Casino Player magazine.  Designed by WATG, Inc. Nevada in association with TSA of Nevada, LLP, the Venetian secured the number one spot in three award categories, winning for “Best Rooms,” “Best Theme,” and “Best Health Spa.”  The casino-hotel also ranked among the top three in the country for Â...

London Clubs International Continuing Negotiations to be Majority Owner of Aladdin Hotel Casino / August 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive London Clubs International Continuing Negotiations to be Majority Owner of Aladdin Hotel Casino By Dave BERNS, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 28--A deadline is once again pending in the ongoing financial saga of the financially troubled Aladdin.  The megaresort's controlling owners and bankers have been negotiating toward an agreement that would have a single company, London Clubs International, own most of the property.  One of the key issues hoped to be resolved by today: resolution of an $8.7 million accounting shortfall in the Alad...

As Casino Technology Marches On, Companies Fight to License New Gadgetry / August 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive As Casino Technology Marches On, Companies Fight to License New Gadgetry By Tony Batt, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 26--WASHINGTON--Invent a better glove for slot machine players and the world may beat a path to your door.  The U.S. Patent Office has issued at least two patents for gloves designed to improve slot hygiene. The explanation for one of them sounds like it might have been written by that fastidious Las Vegas icon, Howard Hughes.  "Because the coins contact numerous other individuals and because the coins can transmit d...

Vagabond Reflags Three Properties in California / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report Vagabond Reflags Three Properties in California LOS ANGELES, CA – August 22, 2001 - Vagabond Franchise System, Inc., today announced the addition of three locations in California to its growing family of economy and mid-market properties. Now open is the 121-room Vagabond Inn – Fresno, re-flagged from an Inn of America.  The property is located in Fresno’s southern commercial district at 2570 S. East Street.  Continuing as general manager is Zafar Kamal.   Opening early in September, the newly flagged Vagabond Inn in Merced, California offers 76 rooms adjacent to Highway 9...

Pertlink Launches VFLASH As Their Customer Releation eMessenger to the Hospitality Industry / August 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report Pertlink Launches VFLASH As Their  Customer Releation eMessenger  to the Hospitality Industry 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 – August 24, 2001 - Pertlink the global network linking HospitalITy with IT, announced today they will use VFLASH, the unique eMessenger to keep in touch with, and communicate timely information to their clients. Having successfully introduced VFLASH t...

Unirez Selected by Noble House Hotels and Resorts to Provide Private Label Reservation Services / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report   Unirez Selected by Noble House Hotels and Resorts to Provide Private Label Reservation Services DALLAS, TX / Kirkland, WA – (August 14, 2001)  -  Dwight Hendrickson, President and C.E.O. of Unirez, Inc., announced today that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Noble House Hotels and Resorts to provide private label reservation services. Headquartered in Kirkland, WA, Noble House owns and operates an outstanding collection of luxury hotels.  Under the agreement, Unirez will provide reservation services and electronic distribution for the Noble House properties. Unirez will provide ...

The US Grant – Owned and Managed by Wyndham, Rebranded as Wyndham Historic Hotel / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report The US Grant - Owned and Managed by Wyndham,  Rebranded as Wyndham Historic Hotel US Grant Undergoes $3.5 Million Upgrade DALLAS - Aug. 1, 2001-- Since 1910 the US Grant Hotel has been a gathering place for the visitors and residents of San Diego. Beginning today, Wyndham International, Inc.  will continue the hotel’s grand tradition by branding the historic property with the Wyndham name.  The US Grant - A Wyndham Historic Hotel, which is owned and managed by Wyndham, was originally built by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. in honor of his father, the nation’s 18th President. Located in the...

Hotels Scrambling to Win UPS Contract for 19,000 Room-nights Near Ontario International Airport / August 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Hotels Scrambling to Win UPS Contract for 19,000 Room-nights Near Ontario International Airport By Adam Eventov, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 30--RIVERSIDE, Calif.--Turnabout is fair play in the hotel industry.  Three years ago, the Holiday Inn Select in Riverside pulled a coup by winning a three-year contract to provide discounted hotel rooms to United Parcel Service for crew members flying through the company's West Coast Air Hub at Ontario International Airport. Before that, crew members had been staying at the 30...

Master of Science Degree in Hospitality Information Management Now Offered at The University of Delaware / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report Master of Science Degree in Hospitality Information Management  Now Offered at The University of Delaware 13 Aug 2001 - The HR&IM program at the University of Delaware has a new Master of Science degree in Hospitality Information Management beginning fall 2001.   The goal is to first develop students for successful careers as corporate hospitality information managers (for example with Marriott International and ARAMARK Corporation), and as hospitality implementation professionals.  The amount of technology systems in a hotel front desk and guest rooms and in restaurants is complex a...

Tulsa, Okla., Adam's Mark Hotel Manager Says Black Boycott Unjustified / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Tulsa, Okla., Adam's Mark Hotel Manager Says NAACP's Boycott Unjustified By Brian Brus, The Daily Oklahoman Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 8--The general manager of Tulsa's Adam's Mark hotel said the NAACP's planned nationwide boycott of the hotel chain is unjustified, especially in Tulsa.  "It's unfortunate that a boycott would be called. .... We have always had good relations with the African-American community in Tulsa, and have worked with the NAACP here," Manager Randy Myers said Tuesday. "However, I understand that it is their constitutional right to e...

Tribes in New Mexico Turning to Golf Courses as the Next Wave of Native American Business / August 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive  Tribes in New Mexico Turning to Golf Courses as the Next Wave of Native American Business By Steve Larese, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 12--SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M.--Peter Chase of Santa Fe searches for his golf ball among the pinon trees and Indian paintbrush surrounding the 10th green at the Twin Warriors golf course. Finding his Titleist 2, he chips it onto the green oasis and sinks his putt.  "I love this course," said Chase. "It's quiet, it's beautiful, and it's damn hard."  Opened to the public in May, the Gary Panks-designed Twin ...

TravelCLICK Hotelligence Reports Recommended by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report TravelCLICK Hotelligence Reports Recommended  by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Chicago - August 7, 2001 - Richard W. Gray, chairman and co-CEO of TravelCLICK, Inc., announced today that Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has recommended TravelCLICK's Hotelligence Reports for all of its properties.  This recommendation is based on the contribution these reports have already made to improving profitability at Starwood's owned and managed Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, Luxury Collection and Four Points by Sheraton hotels in North America. Hotelligence Reports will provide Starwood wit...

Kimpton Group to open first hotel on East Coast; the Topaz Hotel in Washington, DC / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report Kimpton Group to Open First Hotel on East Coast;  the Topaz Hotel in Washington, DC SAN FRANCISCO, August 8, 2001 – The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, announces the opening of the Topaz Hotel in Washington, DC slated to open in October 2001. Owned by LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE:LHO) and located in the heart of downtown Washington, the Topaz Hotel will be an exotic oasis on quiet, tree-lined N Street.  Only minutes from the business district, monuments and museums, the 99-room boutique hotel will offer personalized service.  Stepping through the doors of the Topaz Hotel, ...

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online Special Report  Welcome to TomorrowÂ’s Hotel                      We take a look at the new hospitality industry gadgets  and gizmos on show at the recent HITEC 2001 By Terence Ronson - August 2001 Picture this: a guest checks in and is greeted at reception by staff wearing a one gigabyte computer, and with one eye covered by a monitor (great for maintaining eye contact while going through check-in formalities).  Other staff instantly greet the guest by name – thanks to the digital jewelry they are wearing, with earrings containing speakers and a ring with a hidden microphone.Â...

The Former Cleveland Downtown Travelodge Hotel Rebranded as Best Hotel & Suites by Owner U.S. Tommy Inc. / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report The Former Cleveland Downtown Travelodge Hotel Rebranded  as Best Hotel & Suites by Owner U.S. Tommy Inc. Cleveland, Ohio ATLANTA (Aug. 9, 2001) - U.S. Tommy Inc. and Atlanta-based US Franchise Systems, Inc. (USFS), parent company of the franchisor of the Best hotel chain, have opened a Best Hotel & Suites at 3614 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland, Ohio.  There are currently two additional Best properties open in Bellefontaine and Canton, Ohio.   "The Best Hotel & Suites in Cleveland is a terrific addition to our chain of high-quality, mid-priced hotels and evidence of our growing pre...

HSMAI Turns to Daniel Teitelbaum, Author of The Ultimate Guide to Mental Toughness, to Develop Continuing Education Program to Master Sales Techniques

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report HSMAI Turns to Daniel Teitelbaum, Author of The Ultimate  Guide to Mental Toughness, to Develop Continuing  Education Program for Mastering Sales Techniques WASHINGTON, DC (Aug. 10, 2001) – The world's greatest Olympic and professional athletes study performance training to reach the highest baselines of focus and motivation.  As that same practice and philosophy applies to the sales and marketing profession, HSMAI has partnered with Daniel Teitelbaum, nationally-syndicated columnist and author of the book, The Ultimate Guide to Mental Toughness, to develop a state-of-the-a...

Mayor of Tampa Up all Night Dealing with Contaminated Punch Bowl Incident at Marriott Waterside / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Mayor of Tampa Up all Night Dealing with Contaminated Punch Bowl Incident at Marriott Waterside By Philip Morgan, Tampa Tribune, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 10--TAMPA, Fla.--Thousands of black conventiongoers prepared to leave the city in protest Thursday after complaints of a server contaminating a punch bowl at their anniversary banquet.  Instead, the president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention vowed to seek "full recovery of our losses" from downtown's Marriott Waterside.  The Rev. C. Mackey Daniels later spent two hours meeting with...

Developers Could Reveal Plans for Three Tampa Hotels in the Next 18 Months, with Westin, Renaissance, Hilton and Omni the Likely Brands / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online News for the Hospitality Executive Developers Could Reveal Plans for Three Tampa Hotels  in the Next 18 Months, with Westin, Renaissance,  Hilton and Omni the Likely Brands  Tampa Tribune, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News  Aug. 9--TAMPA, Fla.--Developers could reveal plans for at least three Tampa hotels in the next 18 months, with Westin, Renaissance, Hilton and Omni the likely brands, a national hotel consultant predicts.  The Plasencia Group, based in Tampa, sees a promising future in its back yard despite an industry slump the nation's economy has created.  International Plaza will get a h...

Thomas Ryan Named Executive Chef at Salt Lake City's The Grand America / Aug 2001

March 30, 2001

Hotel Online  Special Report Thomas Ryan Named Executive Chef at  Salt Lake City's The Grand America Salt Lake City, Utah (August 13, 2001) - The Grand America, Salt Lake City's first luxury hotel, announces the appointment of Thomas Ryan as Executive Chef effective August 1, 2001.  Ryan joins The Grand America from his most recent position as Executive Chef to the culinary team opening the Omni Interlocken Resort in Boulder, Colorado.  A native of New York, Ryan began his culinary career in 1986 with an internship at Fountainbleau Hilton Hotel in Miami Beach while attending the prestigious Culinary Institute of ...