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Industry Happenings
Honor Business Company Opens Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas in Prachuap Khirikhan, Thailand
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts | October 16, 2013
HUA HIN, Thailand-- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced its world-renowned Sheraton brand has expanded its footprint in Thailand with the opening of Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas in Prachuap Khirikhan, a province famed for its sandy coastline and popular resort towns of Hua Hin and Pranburi. The converted and rebranded 55-villa property is owned by Honor Business Company Limited, a Bangkok-based property development firm that also owns the 240-room Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa. "We are thrilled to partner with Honor Business Company on this conversion in Prachuap Kirikhan, a popular seaside r...
Swissotel Hotels & Resorts to Manage New Build 400-room Swissotel Hangzhou, Expected to Open 2018
October 16, 2013
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Oct. 16, 2013) - Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, a leading brand in the FRHI Hotels & Resorts (FRHI) portfolio, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Hengli Management Co., Ltd to manage Swissôtel Hangzhou, a new 400-room hotel being developed in China's Zhejiang provincial capital. The hotel will enjoy a favorable Riverview location in the IOC project in Qianjiang Century CBD, adjacent to the Hangzhou Olympic Center and Exhibition Center. Qianjiang Century City is becoming the financial and business center of Hangzhou. The IOC project includes large scale meeting and convention facilities, ...
Benchmark Hospitality Names Charles Reece GM for Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Bonaventure Resort & Spa | October 16, 2013
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, October 16, 2013 - Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has appointed Charles (Chas) Reece general manager of Bonaventure Resort & Spa, a Benchmark Resort® located in Fort Lauderdale. Greg Champion, executive vice president & COO for Benchmark Hospitality, made the announcement. "It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Chas to this landmark resort," said Mr. Champion. "I can't think of a better professional than Chas to lead the property to great heights of achievement. He was extremely successful in building a top-notch resort management te...
Hotelier to Joint Committee: Imagine the Possibilities if Congress and the President Worked Together
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) | October 16, 2013
Arizona lodging executive provides first-person account of shutdown's impact on industry Washington, D.C. - October 16, 2013 - Greg Bryan, vice president and chief operating officer of the Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn, mayor of Tusayan, Arizona, and a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), is set to testify this morning at a joint hearing of the House Natural Resources and Oversight and Government Reform Committees. The hearing, "As Difficult As Possible: The National Park Service's Implementation of the Government Shutdown," has been convened by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hasti...
Guests Introduce Jupiter Beach Resort to Over 30,000 Friends & Family in First 90 Days with Flip.to
Flip.to | October 16, 2013
Orlando, FL - October 17, 2013 - Flip.to is the brand advocate platform that helps hotels boost brand awareness and earn new guests with the help of their most trusted, untapped marketing source- their guests. In the first 90 days, the hotel has turned 24% of their guests into brand advocates reaching over 30,000 social connections. The property was looking for a way to identify socially active guests and encourage them to talk about the hotel before, during and after their stay. They felt that Flip.to could help them broaden their social reach by engaging those customers and marketing into their social networks in a way that feels natu...
Compass Hospitality Switches to Pegasus Solutions
Pegasus Solutions | October 16, 2013
Prominent Chain Changes Distribution Provider to Expand International Reach DALLAS (October 16, 2013) – Bangkok-based Compass Hospitality has switched 28 hotels to Pegasus Solutions for global distribution through the Pegasus Connect+ UI chain code. The chain has properties in key Asian gateway cities, and will leverage traditional and online distribution through Pegasus Connect+ to increase its international presence and bookings. "We're experiencing rapid growth that will require consistent international exposure for all of our hotels," said Mr. Tejinder Sidhu, vice president, sales and marketing for Compass Hospitality. "After care...
East Meets West – Hospitality Schools in Switzerland and Hong Kong Sign Student Exchange Program
October 16, 2013
October 16, 2013 - The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland have recently entered into an agreement on launching a student exchange programme dedicated to the development of students, particularly in the areas of global outlook and cultural appreciation. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor of the SHTM, and Professor Michel Rochat, General Director of EHL, today (16 October) at the SHTM premises in Hong Kong. The signing ceremony was witnessed by important officials f...
BAM Management Selects Agilysys for Monmouth Park Racetrack
Agilysys | October 16, 2013
New Jersey Racetrack Uses Agilysys Solutions for Inventory and Procurement, POS ALPHARETTA, GA. - Oct. 16, 2013 - Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading provider of innovative information technology and hospitality software and services, today announced that BAM Management has selected the Agilysys Eatec® inventory and procurement solution and the Agilysys InfoGenesis™ POS system to streamline operations at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, N.J. BAM Management oversees foodservice operations at the popular venue, which is using the Agilysys solutions at 26 food and beverage outlets, ranging from casual concessions to upscale di...
Video Report: InvoTech Demonstrates Automated Linen Operations using UHF-RFID Technology
InvoTech Systems | October 16, 2013
Laundry Cart Reading Station Counts and Records High-Volume Linens Instantly; Automatically Emails Production Reports to Housekeeping and the Laundry Manager with Real-Time Accurate Information LOS ANGELES, CA - October 16, 2013 - InvoTech Systems, Inc., a leading provider of systems that integrate the latest RFID technology to increase profitability for hotels, casinos, and commercial laundry operators, produced a video demonstration of its Linen Management System's UHF-RFID Laundry Cart Reading Station. InvoTech is recognized globally for its reliable, easy-to-use systems that save companies time and money. Click here for more informa...
Historic San Antonio, TX Pearl Brewery Brewhouse Being Revived as “Hotel Pearl” Opening Summer 2014
three: living architecture | October 16, 2013
DALLAS, OCT. 16, 2013 - A San Antonio landmark from 1883 to 2001, the historic Pearl Brewery Brewhouse is a familiar part of San Antonio's architecture and heritage. Although the brewhouse stopped operating in the 2000, it is now being renovated - based on design work by three: living architecture - to once again become a vital part of San Antonio's culture and economy. The new "Hotel Pearl", operated by Kimpton Hotels, will provide a very special experience for the guests who visit. The design, a collaboration between three: living architecture and Roman and Williams is an adaptation of the original buildings to include 146 guest rooms...
Are You Posting Properly to Facebook?
Lodging Interactive | October 16, 2013
CoMMingle by Lodging Interactive offers hotel marketers 10 Tips to making the most out of their social media marketing campaign on the No. 1 social site PARSIPPANY, N.J. - OCTOBER 16, 2013 - Today, there are more than 1.5 billion active Facebook users, with 699 million people logging onto Facebook each day and 4.5 billion "likes" generated daily as of May 2013, according to the leading social media giant. More important to note is that 16 million local business pages have been created since June, which is a 100 percent increase from 8 million in June 2012, Facebook reports. Hoteliers who want to compete effectively and maintain a compe...
Carlson Rezidor Signs Development Pact for Park Inn by Radisson Clark in Pampanga, the Philippines
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group | October 16, 2013
Agreement with SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation Identifies Five Additional New Sites in the Philippines for Park Inn by Radisson Brand Hong Kong (October 16, 2013) - Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world's largest and most dynamic hotel groups, announced its strategic partnership focus in the region less than two years ago with the intention of driving rapid growth of its brand portfolio across Asia Pacific. A total of 37 new hotel management agreements will be signed this year, building strong momentum for Carlson Rezidor's brands in its five focus markets in Asia Pacific (India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thail...
Grow Smarter – Guest-tek™ Brings New Expertise to its Global Expansion
October 16, 2013
CALGARY, October 16, 2013 - Guest-tek™ has found the right person to fill its newly created role of Vice President of Operations and Technical Services. Industry veteran, Mark Fetcenko will now be helping the technology provider streamline operations for its expanding global presence in hospitality. For the past nine years Mr. Fetcenko has served Sonifi Solutions, formerly LodgeNet, as Senior VP of Technical Operations. With more than three decades of telecommunications business experience, he has worked with hospitality and technology professionals all over North America, Europe and Latin America. "Lending his extensive knowledge and...
Radisson Signs 257-room Radisson Cincinnati North Coco Key Water Resort Opening Next Month in Ohio
October 16, 2013
CINCINNATI, Ohio. (Oct. 16, 2013) - Radisson, one of the world's best-recognized hotel brands, today announced the signing of the Radisson Cincinnati North CoCo Key Water Resort, Cincinnati. This 257-room, full-service, water park hotel is expected to open November 15, 2013. "The signing of this hotel reinforces one of our development goals to expand Radisson in key suburban markets," said Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Radisson, Americas. "This addition plays a key role as we continue developing the Radisson brand as a powerful, globally consistent, first-class brand complemented by the Radisson 'Yes I Can!' service spirit....
IHG and Auteles Kalionchiz S.A. de C.V Open the 128-room Holiday Inn® Hotel in Monclova, Mexico
Holiday Inn hotels | October 16, 2013
Monclova, Coah. - 16 October, 2013 – InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Auteles Kalionchiz S.A. de C.V announced the opening of the Holiday Inn® Monclova hotel. This is the first Holiday Inn hotel in Coahuila and is the fifth IHG®-branded hotel for the state. Other IHG®-branded hotels in Coahuila include a Crowne Plaza® hotel and three Holiday Inn Express® hotels. The scale and diversity of the IHG family of brands means that our hotels can meet our guests' needs whatever the occasion. "We are very happy to welcome the Holiday Inn brand to the State of Coahuila and especially to the city of Monclova, one of Mexico's key comm...
Is Your Property’s Website Delivering the Bookings You Need?
October 16, 2013
Is the Design Less Than Three Years Old? Is it Tablet Friendly? Get Vizergy's free hotel website assessment to gain clarity on the state of your site. Jacksonville, FL (October 16, 2013) - Vizergy® - Digital Travel Marketing, celebrating its 15th anniversary as an industry leader and educator, is offering a limited time free website assessment for both branded and independent hotels and resorts. The offer is designed to provide hoteliers the insight they need to better optimize their most important selling tool - their independent website. The assessments, which detail design, search marketing and usability, will be completed in the o...
Hotelier’s Action Plan to Benefit from Google’s New “Hummingbird” Algorithm
the Authors and HeBS Digital | October 16, 2013
by Sue Wiker & Asher Fusco What is the situation? In September of this year Google introduced a new, dramatically different search algorithm – dubbed "Hummingbird," meant to gather better, more intuitive results for users via conversational search. The Hummingbird rollout is more than just an adjustment to the search engine's formula (like the many prior iterations of Panda and Penguin algorithm updates issued over the past several years). Instead, it is a complete retooling of the Google search algorithm with wide-reaching effects. To quote search engine optimization expert Danny Sullivan of SearchEngineLand.com, "Hummingbird is ...
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® Chosen by RENDE to Manage the Rosewood Bangkok Scheduled to Open in 2017
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts | October 16, 2013
HONG KONG, Oct. 16, 2013 -- Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® has been appointed by hospitality investment company RENDE to manage the ultra-luxury Rosewood Bangkok, scheduled to open 2017. This latest signing marks Rosewood's ninth management agreement to be announced globally, and fourth this year in the Asia-Pacific region, heralding an unprecedented period of accelerated growth for the group. Rosewood Bangkok exterior Rosewood Bangkok will be located in a prime location within Bangkok's central business district along Ploenchit Road, adjacent to Ploenchit Skytrain Station, to which it will be directly linked. The hotel will be an inte...
Real-time Reservations By Jean Francois Mourier
Jean Francois Mourier | October 15, 2013
Have you ever experienced this issue at your property? You receive some reservations via some OTAs, a few from online wholesalers and others from your website booking engine. Most of these are emailed to your team to be inputted into your PMS. Unfortunately though, your front desk and reservation team are busy dealing with a chaotic day of issues and the arrival of an entire conference of people. The new reservations (which are for check-in tomorrow) are not noticed until much later that evening, once everything has settled down. When the reservation was originally made, your property was at 98% occupancy (due to the on-site conference)...
Conde Nast Traveler Names Winners of 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards; The “Best Of The Best” of Travel
| October 15, 2013
NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2013 - Conde Nast Traveler today announced the results of its 26th annual Readers' Choice Awards, ranking the best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and resorts in the world. This year, a record-breaking 79,268 readers participated in the survey, almost double the number of survey takers in 2012. These dedicated and discerning travelers cast 1.3 million votes for more than 16,000 properties around the world. The results? The most comprehensive "best of the best" travel awards ever. So many, in fact, that Conde Nast Traveler has introduced 15 new categories for popular destinations, including the Best Ho...
The 306-key Rosewood London Opens Completing Transformation of Circa 1914 Building
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts | October 15, 2013
LONDON - October 15, 2013 - Rosewood London, the capital's newest luxury hotel, opens today marking the presence of the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® brand in Europe. Located in Holborn, one of London's most historic locales where the City meets the West End, the hotel, with its wrought-iron gates leading to an intimate courtyard, is a unique retreat set in the very heart of London. Following an extensive renovation to sensitively transform the 1914 Edwardian Belle Epoque building, the original architectural features have been painstakingly restored by an expert team of craftsmen, including the magnificent Grade II-listed street front...
Huntington Hospitality Assumes Management of Holiday Inn® Atlanta Downtown – Centennial Park Hotel
Holiday Inn | October 15, 2013
IRVING, Texas - October 15, 2013 - Huntington Hotel Group is pleased to announce that the Holiday Inn® Atlanta Downtown - Centennial Park is now managed by Huntington Hospitality Management, an affiliate of the Huntington Hotel Group. Huntington Hospitality Management has assumed all facets of operations, sales, marketing and financial services, providing a turnkey solution for the owner. The hotel is located at 101 Andrew J. Young International Blvd., Atlanta, Georgia, and nestled in the heart of the city, surrounded by top attractions. With a central location in the Atlanta downtown area, the hotel is the perfect choice for travelers...
Prosperity Equals Accuracy When it Comes to Hotel Budgets / Robert Mandelbaum & Viet Vo
Robert Mandelbaum and Viet Vo of PKF Hospitality Research | October 15, 2013
Since 2001, PKF Hospitality Research, LLC (PKF-HR) has assessed the accuracy of hotel budgets. Over the past 12 years, one trend has become very predictable. During times of industry prosperity, hotel budgets are extremely accurate. During the depths of the 2001 and 2009 industry recessions, hotel managers underestimated their revenue levels by an average of 10.4 percent, while the profit deficits averaged 23.4 percent. Conversely, when market conditions were on the rise, the budget variance for revenues was a positive 1.2 percent on average, while profit goals were exceeded by 3.4 percent. For the purpose of this analysis, profits are ...
Summit Hotel Properties Closes Two Property Acquisitions and Three Dispositions
Summit Hotel Properties | October 15, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas - October 15, 2013 - Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. (NYSE:INN) (the "Company") today announced that it has closed on the acquisition of two of the four hotels previously announced as part of the Company's September 12, 2013 offering of common stock. The Company also announced the disposition of three hotels and the successful execution of the Company's new $300 million senior unsecured credit facility. Hotel Acquisitions The Company has closed on two of the three previously announced Southern California hotels. The two hotels have a total of 223-guestrooms and are both unencumbered by debt. The Company acquired the 115-gues...
