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Industry Happenings
Real Estate Implications of a Successful Bid for Dubai to host World Expo 2020
Jones Lang LaSalle MENA | November 27, 2013
Seen as the Single Most Important Influence on the UAE Real Estate Sector in 2014 November 27, 2013 - "While the Dubai real estate market is poised for growth regardless of the 2020 World Expo, the success of this bid will act as the single most important influence on the real estate sector across the UAE in 2014". Says Alan Robertson, CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle, MENA. "Expo 2020 will not benefit all sectors of the Dubai real estate market to the same degree. The hotel and logistics sectors being the biggest winners, while the residential and retail sectors will also derive significant benefits" notes Mr. Robertson The impacts on the re...
Go Hard on Soft Service Skills by Roberta Nedry
Roberta Nedry | November 27, 2013
In today's world, a lot of times we think HARD is better. Work hard! Play hard! Drive a hard bargain! Hard may mean strength such as "hard as a rock" versus soft which may seam weak as in "Don't be a softy." Apples taste better hard and to many peoples' tastes, so does cheese. There may be lots of things that work or seem better when they are hard but when it comes to service, it's the soft skills that will enable the most memorable results, not the hard ones. Don't get me wrong...hard skills are essential and important and will get the job done. But, it's the soft skills that will make the em...
Canyon Ranch SpaClub Splits with The Homestead by Bernard Burt
Bernard Burt | November 27, 2013
Launched last summer, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub at Virginia's historic Homestead Resort will cease operations December 1 as a result of rebranding planned by the resort's new owner. Hailed for combining traditional hydrotherapy with new wellness programs, the partnership between Canyon Ranch and Omni Hotels & Resorts never developed momentum. Newly constructed facilities adjoining the resort's original spa will be integrated with plans to be announced by the Texas-based Omni group. The decision by Omni to terminate their project with Canyon Ranch added no details. Canyon Ranch pioneered the evolution of the wellness lifestyle and has...
Silverstein Properties’ Metro Fund JV Begins Development of Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown
Silverstein Properties | November 27, 2013
The Nearly $1 Billion Hotel & Residential Project will Open in Mid-2016 New York, November 26, 2013 - Silverstein Properties today announced that its Metro Fund Joint Venture has successfully financed almost $1 billion to build a Four Seasons hotel, a restaurant and private residences at 30 Park Place in Tribeca. At 926 feet, the property will be the tallest residential tower in Downtown Manhattan - and one of the tallest in the city. The tower will offer residents unprecedented panoramic views of the Midtown skyline and New York Harbor, and will also include a public plaza. Construction on the 82-story tower will officially begin ...
How Airbnb Is Crushing Traditional Hotel Brands
Vikram Singh | November 27, 2013
by Vikram Singh In April, I wrote one of my first ever articles about Airbnb's impact on the hotel industy. It started as a response to the Euromonitor report highlighting how little impact it was going to have. I fully disagreed. While I did not have the numbers to prove it, I have always known that Airbnb's impact was going to be HUGE based on the steps they were taking, and the rapidly changing needs of the global traveller. In the few short months since my first article, Airbnb has released some super cool stats that prove what I have always believed: they are changing the hospitality business. They created $632 million in economi...
Makar Properties Acquires Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana
Makar Properties | November 27, 2013
BIG SKY, Mont., Nov. 27, 2013 -- Lone Mountain Ranch, one of the Top 20 Ranch and Nordic Destinations in the America, announced today it has been acquired by Makar Properties, LLC, an innovative real estate development company committed to creating and preserving cherished experiences in resort travel. The All-Inclusive Montana guest ranch, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will continue to feature its dual season family adventure experiences hosted by passionate local staff – with one of the most extensive Nordic trail systems to be found in the United States. Makar Properties holds a unique position in its efforts ...
Interactive Online Advent Calendar Offers Daily Tips for Hoteliers Leading into 2014
TrustYou | November 27, 2013
TrustYou gets festive with interactive 'Advent calendar' campaign, providing daily travel and hospitality insights throughout December. Dallas, TX and Munich, Germany -- November 27, 2013 -- Online reputation management leader, TrustYou has unveiled an interactive digital 'Advent Calendar' packed with newly released insights, best practices and industry trends, as well as popular TrustYou blog content from 2013. The digital calendar, aptly titled, "24 Days of Travel & Hospitality Insights," consists of twenty-four doors, each filled with content for hoteliers and travel professionals. One door will be unlocked daily, revealing new t...
M&R Hotel Management Names Louis Gonzalez as General Manager for Holiday Inn New York – JFK Airport
M&R Hotel Management | November 27, 2013
GREAT NECK, N.Y. (Nov. 27, 2013) - M&R Hotel Management of Great Neck, N.Y., today announced the appointment of Louis Gonzalez as general manager of the 201-room, full-service Holiday Inn New York - JFK Airport, which opens this week at the intersection of Brookville and Rockaway boulevards in Jamaica, N.Y., just east of John F. Kennedy International Airport. Gonzalez, a 27-year hospitality industry veteran who has managed and opened hotels at the airport and in Manhattan, will oversee all on-site activities including operations, maintenance, housekeeping, security, accounting, sales and marketing. He also will serve as liaison with...
Waterford Hotel Group to Manage the 119-key Fairfield Inn & Suites Boca Raton in Florida
Waterford Hotel Group, Inc. | November 27, 2013
Waterford, CT - November 27, 2013 --- Waterford Hotel Group, one of the nation's leading hotel management companies, has assumed management of the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Boca Raton, Florida. Waterford Hotel Group now operates 30 properties representing more than 3,600 rooms. The hotel is owned by Boca Suites, LLC, a joint venture partnership with affiliates of Connecticut-based Waterford Group. Collectively, the owners bring several decades of professional experience to the hotel, including hotel development and management. "The Fairfield Inn & Suites Boca Raton fits perfectly with our growth strategy, which includes expandin...
The 224-room pentahotel Luohe Under Development in China’s Henan Province to Open in 2016
pentahotels | November 27, 2013
27 November 2013 - Pentahotels has been chosen by Henan Guozhiji Real Estate Development Company Limited to manage pentahotel Luohe in China's Henan Province, opening in 2016, adding to the portfolio of current pentahotels in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and 15 properties in Europe. Pentahotel Luohe will join new China pentahotels in Guiyang and Shenyang, both opening in 2014, as the brand targets aggressive expansion in the country as part of a global growth goal of 80 pentahotels worldwide, in operation or under development by 2020. The 224-room hotel will be located on the top floors of a 37-storey complex including offices, residenc...
West Bay Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort in Traverse City, Michigan Opens After $6 Million Renovation
November 27, 2013
ATLANTA – 26 November, 2013 - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)], today announced the opening of West Bay Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort® hotel adding to its growing portfolio of vacation destinations. Located on the shores of West Grand Traverse Bay in Northern Michigan, the property re-opened this month as a Holiday Inn Resort brand hotel following a $6 million renovation. The Holiday Inn Resort brand now boasts nearly 40 locations across the globe. "We are thrilled to welcome another beautiful property into the Holiday Inn Resort® brand portfolio," said Heather Balsley, senior vice president, Americas Hol...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 116: Hotel History: Lucerne Hotel; Quote of the Month; My New Book
Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC | November 27, 2013
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC 1. Hotel History: Lucerne Hotel One of the most beautiful hotels on New York's upper west side is the Lucerne Hotel which opened in 1904 on the corner of 79th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The Lucerne was designed by architects Mulliken & Moeller with a reddish brown façade of wonderful richness. The detailing is heavy and thick making the building seem all the more like clay, but it is skillful enough so that it never feels overbearing. The entrance is one of the finest, thanks to the deeply modeled, banded entrance columns. In his Streetscapes column, "Mulliken & Moeller, Architects; Upper West Si...
Meander Hospitality Group Set to Open the 70-key Fairfield Inn & Suites in Jeffersonville, Ohio
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott | November 27, 2013
Jeffersonville, Ohio - November 27, 2013 - The 70-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Jeffersonville, Ohio is scheduled to open this Wednesday, November 27, 2013. Located at 11349 Allen Road NW, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Jeffersonville will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Meander Hospitality Group of Canfield, Ohio. Located off I-71 and within 30 miles to the cities of Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton, the hotel offers guests convenient access to downtown Washington Courthouse, Fayette County Fairgrounds, Cedarville University, Wilmington College and Wright Patterson Airforce Base. Rates...
UNH Lodging Executives Sentiment Index Continues its Slide Due to Economic Uncertaintity
The UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics | November 27, 2013
DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire Lodging Executives Sentiment Index (LESI) continued its slide from 76.8 in September 2013 to 75.0 in October 2013. Overall the lodging executives' sentiment for present business conditions was up during this current period while future business conditions continued to weaken. "There appears to be continued economic uncertainty among executives, with demand leveling off," said Nelson Barber, associate professor of hospitality management, who manages the index. Fifty-three percent of lodging executives indicated current business conditions were good, an increase from 38 percent last period, w...
Midas Hospitality Opens the New-Build 135-room Aloft Hotel – Beachwood in Ohio
Aloft Hotels | November 26, 2013
SAINT LOUIS, MO, November 26, 2013 - St. Louis-based hotel owner, operator and developer, Midas Hospitality, LLC announces the opening of a new, 135-room Aloft Hotel (a vision of W Hotels), Beachwood, OH. Just weeks after announcing the opening of a new Candlewood Suites - Greenville, SC, Midas Hospitality announces the opening of the new 135-room Aloft Hotel (a vision of W Hotels), in Beachwood, OH. The Aloft Hotel - Beachwood will be located 12 miles east of downtown Cleveland, OH, just off of I-271, on the northwest corner of the Harvard Rd & Richmond Rd intersection. Kurt Furlong, Midas Hospitality - EVP & Principal - Sales ...
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Florida Hires Jason Smith as Executive Chef
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa | November 26, 2013
DESTIN, Fla. (Nov. 26 2013) - Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, the largest full-service beachfront resort on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast, has appointed Jason Smith as the new executive chef for Sandcastles Restaurant and Lounge. Smith's professional background includes a variety of techniques and styles, including pastry and confectionery, wine pairing, butchery and international cuisine. He will play an important role in elevating the dining experience at Sandcastles, which is being dramatically upgraded as part of a $12.5 million dollar capital improvement project currently underway at the resort. "With his vast experi...
The Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston Awards Area Employees for Extraordinary Efforts
| November 26, 2013
November 26, 2013 - On Friday, Nov. 22th, Houston area hotels and lodging facilities came together to pay tribute to the men and women in its ranks who make the hotels across the area more than just places to sleep. It is an annual gathering to award the faces of hospitality. The Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston awarded seven men and women at its ninth annual Hospitality on Parade Gala at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The event recognized men and women whose day-to-day contributions give hospitality its meaning as well as an additional award going to a company allied to the industry through work and participat...
HTNG Honors Mövenpick Hotels (MH&R) & Hotel Lugano Dante Center as 2013 EMEA Technology Innovators
Hotel Technology Next Generation | November 26, 2013
CHICAGO (November 26, 2013) - Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), the premier technology solutions association in the hospitality industry, today announced that it has recently recognized two EMEA-region hotel companies with its EMEA Technology Innovators Award for the creative and innovative application of existing technology within their hotels. The winners were Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (MH&R) and Hotel Lugano Dante Center. Professor Ian Millar, of Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, announced the winners of the 2013 EMEA Technology Innovators' Award in a ceremony during HTNG's recent European conference in London. "HTNG cr...
What Do You Think? Is the Hospitality Industry Poised for a Multi-Year Up Trend? By Scott Brush
Scott W. Brush | November 26, 2013
If So, How Long is Multi-Year? If Not, When Will the Bubble Burst? An Opinion by Scott W. Brush You can get as many contrary opinions as you want on the future of hotels — just read the trade publications and pay attention to the blogs and newsletters. U.S. hotel rates poised for increases this year, next year, 2015 and 2016. Upper-priced segments are all forecast to achieve occupancy levels of 70% or greater through 2017. Luxury and upper-upscale brands could be pricing themselves out of favor with the traveling public. Should the good news be even better? MGM Resorts is on pace to surpass its prior peak in convention business mix. 2...
Hoteliers Worldwide Prepare for Russian Travel Boom; U.S. Remains a Strong Destination
November 26, 2013
LONDON, November 26, 2013 - Fueled by its growing middle class and rising spending power, Russia is experiencing a travel boom like never before, according to research by Hotels.com, which today publishes its Russian International Travel Monitor (RITM). Almost half (49 percent) of hoteliers worldwide have seen a rise in Russian guests in the last year, with 54 percent of those hoteliers seeing bookings grow by 10 percent or more. Moreover, three of the top 20 overseas destinations for Russian travelers are in the United States. Russia is now the world's second-fastest growing outbound travel market in terms of spending, up 32 percent in...
New Royalton White Sands All-In Luxury™ Resort Opens in Jamaica
Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts | November 26, 2013
TORONTO, ON--(November 25, 2013) - The new Royalton White Sands in Montego Bay, Jamaica opened on schedule on November 16, 2013, welcoming guests to experience All-In Luxury™. Royalton White Sands offers vacationers outstanding service and exceptional attention to detail. The resort boasts luxurious room amenities including the Dreambed™ designed exclusively for Royalton Resorts, unlimited reservation-free luxury dining in first-class venues, 24-hour room service, and the unique 'All-In Connectivity' features including Free WiFi throughout the resort, unlimited in-room calling to North America and most of Europe, as well as convenie...
Midas Hospitality Acquires the Staybridge Suites and the Holiday Inn Express in O’Fallon, Missouri
Midas Hospitality, LLC | November 26, 2013
SAINT LOUIS, MO, November 26, 2013 - An investment group led by Midas Hospitality, LLC has acquired the 97-room Staybridge Suites and the 122-room Holiday Inn Express - O'Fallon, MO. St. Louis-based hotel owner, operator and developer, Midas Hospitality, LLC will manage the assets. Opening in 2005, the Staybridge Suites and Holiday Inn Express sit adjacent to each other, located at 1155 and 1175 Technology Drive, O'Fallon, Missouri respectively. The hotels are located on the northwest corner of I-63/Hwy 40 and Hwy K, 30 miles west of downtown St. Louis. Robert Willard, President & Principal, Midas Hospitality, LLC states, "We are ex...
Radisson Hotel Cincinnati North Coco Key Water Resort Opens; Renovation Slated for Q2 2014
November 26, 2013
CINCINNATI, Ohio. (Nov. 26, 2013) - Radisson, one of the world's best-recognized hotel brands, today announced the opening of the Radisson Cincinnati North CoCo Key Water Resort, Cincinnati. This 257-room, full-service hotel boasts a 50,000 square foot indoor water park. The hotel is scheduled to begin a comprehensive renovation in the second quarter of 2014 and will remain open during the renovation. "We look forward to welcoming both leisure and business guests to the hotel," said Albert Bashir, general manager, Radisson Hotel Cincinnati North CoCo Key Resort. "We are committed to providing our guests with an exceptional guest experie...
Hotel Equities Selected to Manage Newly Converted 145-room La Quinta Inn & Suites Pittsburgh North
Hotel Equities (HE) | November 26, 2013
Atlanta, GA-November 26, 2013 - Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (www.hotelequities.com) has been selected to manage the newly converted 145-room La Quinta Inn & Suites Pittsburgh North in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to its portfolio. "We are delighted to expand our portfolio in Pennsylvania with this well-positioned hotel in Pittsburgh," said Joe Reardon, Vice President of Business Development for HE. "Our management team looks forward to making this hotel the flagship property for the La Quinta brand by building a rewarding and profitable working partnership with the hotel's ownership group and adding value to their asset." The La Quinta...
