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Industry Happenings
The 200-room New-Build Transcorp Hilton Lagos Will Open in Nigeria in Mid-2016
Hilton Hotels & Resorts | September 25, 2013
DUBAI, UAE and MCLEAN, Va. - September 25, 2013 - Hilton Worldwide today signed an agreement with longstanding Nigeria business partner, Transcorp Hotels Ltd, to introduce a new Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotel to Lagos, Nigeria's commercial and cultural heartland. The 200-room new-build Transcorp Hilton Lagos will be strategically located in the exclusive residential and commercial district of Ikoyi in Lagos. The property will enjoy close proximity to the main financial and business centres of the city as well as offer convenient access to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, deve...
Development Begins for 212-room Holiday Inn Express Jakarta Cikini to Open in Indonesia in 2014
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) | September 25, 2013
Jakarta, 25 September 2013: InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, and PT Imesco Sejahtera Utama, have signed an agreement to develop Holiday Inn Express Jakarta Cikini, to open in 2014. In line with IHG's robust expansion plans in Indonesia, the 212-room hotel is part of a pipeline of 13 Holiday Inn Express hotels slated to open in the country, out of a total of 19 scheduled to open in South East Asia over the next few years. Holiday Inn Express is one of the largest and fastest growing hotel brands in the world. Since it first launched globally in 1991, it has grown quickly and there are now 2...
Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. to Acquire Four Hotels for a Total of $96.5 million
Summit Hotel Properties | September 24, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas - 09/24/2013-- Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. (NYSE: INN) (the "Company") today announced that it has four hotel properties, containing an aggregate of 503 guestrooms, under contract to acquire. The Company announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire a portfolio of three Southern California hotels containing an aggregate of 321-guestrooms for a purchase price of approximately $59.0 million. The Company expects to implement approximately $2.9 million in capital improvements to the portfolio. The Company anticipates a post-renovation estimated NTM capitalization rate for the portfolio in the range of 8...
Marriott Milwaukee Overcomes Cellular Signal Interferences with Roam Boost from RoamingAround
RoamingAround | September 24, 2013
Hospitality's mobile solutions provider is helping hotels give their guests what they are demanding... CONNECTIVITY BOSTON, MASS. - SEPT. 24, 2013 - When the new, full-service Milwaukee Marriott Downtown opened its doors in June, one of the hotel's contractors, Wave Renovations LLC, and its management company, White Lodging Services Corp., were confident that the building would deliver spectacular cellular service to meet guest demands. Enlisting the services of hospitality mobile solutions provider RoamingAround, Wave Renovations and White Lodging installed the Roam Boost cellular signal amplification system to ensure that all mobile ...
Milestone Internet Marketing Launches MediaConnect360 Social Media Marketing Tool for Hospitality
Milestone Internet Marketing, Inc. | September 24, 2013
Offers support for Google+ Page Management Santa Clara, CA - September 24, 2013 - For immediate release - Milestone Internet Marketing, Inc. today announced the release of MediaConnet360, a specialized social media marketing management tool designed for the hospitality and travel market. MediaConnet360 is an end-to-end social media marketing management software that helps hotels identify marketing opportunities, organize marketing calendar, execute social media marketing campaigns, and track performance. This tool enables hotel industry brands to interact with guests and consumers and facilitates enhanced brand discovery and consumer en...
Brad Hall Named Chief Financial Officer for Carlson
Carlson | September 24, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS, September 24, 2013 – The Board of Directors for Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., announced today that it has elected Brad Hall as chief financial officer (CFO) and treasurer. Hall has been serving as interim CFO since August 2012, and reports to Trudy Rautio, president and chief executive officer, Carlson. "Brad has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead and manage the finances for Carlson's global hospitality and travel businesses and was the obvious choice for the Board," said Rautio. "His long and distinguished tenure with Carlson, and keen understanding of th...
Inland American Real Estate Trust Acquires 501-room Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, CA for $93 Million
Inland American Lodging Advisor, Inc. | September 24, 2013
OAK BROOK, Ill. - September 24, 2013 - Inland American Lodging Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc. ("Inland American") and Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H), today announced the respective purchase and sale of the 14-story, 501-room Hyatt Regency Santa Clara in Santa Clara, Calif., for approximately $93 million or $185,000 per key. The total purchase price may increase to $100 million if certain performance thresholds are achieved at the hotel. A Hyatt affiliate will continue to manage the hotel under a new management agreement. "We are pleased to add this high-quality property, situated in...
Hersha Hospitality Trust to Sell Portfolio of 16 Non-Core Hotels for $217 Million
Hersha Hospitality | September 24, 2013
PHILADELPHIA - September 24, 2013 - Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE:HT) (the "Company"), owner of upscale hotels in urban gateway markets, today announced the Company has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 16 hotels to an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Advisors ("Blackstone") for gross proceeds of $217 million, or approximately $125,000 per key. This transaction marks the Company's exit from Long Island and suburban Philadelphia, as well as the sale of the Company's remaining consolidated properties in Connecticut and Rhode Island. "The anticipated sale of these non-core portfolio hotels completes our transformation into a ...
Agilysys Announces Availability of InfoGenesis™ Mobile v2.0
Agilysys | September 24, 2013
Mobile Point-of-Sale Solution Streamlines Service, Enhances Guest Satisfaction ALPHARETTA, GA. - Sept. 24, 2013 - Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading provider of innovative information technology and hospitality software and services, today announced general availability of Agilysys InfoGenesis™ Mobile v2.0, a full-featured mobile point-of-sale application that integrates seamlessly with the Agilysys InfoGenesis POS system. The solution can be seen at Global Gaming Expo 2013 in Las Vegas. Built on Android, the world's most popular mobile platform, InfoGenesis Mobile is designed to streamline food and beverage service in propertie...
Nestor Marchand Named as Food & Beverage Director for the 408-key Turnberry Isle Miami in Florida
Turnberry Isle Miami | September 24, 2013
AVENTURA, Fla. (September 24, 2013) - Turnberry Isle Miami announces the appointment of Nestor Marchand as Food & Beverage Director for the legendary South Florida resort. Effective immediately, Marchand will be responsible for overseeing and managing Turnberry Isle Miami's acclaimed culinary program, which features an onsite chef's garden, catering and banquets, along with award-winning establishments including Celebrity Chef Michael Mina's BOURBON STEAK restaurant. "Nestor brings 20 years of experience working at four and five-star luxury hotels and has held coveted positions at a variety of properties and dining venues," said Pai...
The Village at Squaw Valley Selects Percipia Networks for New Installation
Percipia Networks | September 24, 2013
[Chicago, Ill.] September 24, 2013 - Having recently completing a $2.7 million renovation, The Village at Squaw Valley continues to enhance its luxury mountain property with the new installation of telephony software by Percipia Networks. The popular mountain destination deployed Percipia Networks' Parallax software with XML applications, providing unique IP phone applications for their impressive 300 condominium suites. "The installation of Percipia software has greatly enhanced our guest experience by allowing our front desk to quickly and easily set reliable wake up calls for our guests and by enabling our housekeeping department to ...
John Trudeau Appointed General Manager for Two Bunch Palms Spa Resort in Desert Hot Springs, CA
Two Bunch Palms Spa Resort | September 24, 2013
Greater Palms Springs, CA - September 24, 2013 - John Trudeau, recently joined Two Bunch Palms Spa Resort, the legendary adult resort and spa known for its restorative hot springs, as its General Manager. A seasoned hotelier with more than 18 years of experience, John previously served as the Hotel Manager & Director of Operations for the Noble House's Riviera Resort in Palm Springs. John grew up in the mid-west and graduated from Purdue University in 1993 with a degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision. He spent the next 4 years fulfilling his passion for cooking and working in various kitchens as he worked his way up to...
Pegasus Solutions Reports Global Leisure Rates Surged by +4.2% in August
Pegasus Solutions | September 24, 2013
Corporate Travel Bookings and Rates Maintain Generally Positive Year-to-date Gains DALLAS (September 24, 2013) – Rates paid for leisure hotel stays grew by +4.2% over 2012 in August, according to Pegasus Solutions, the world's largest processor of electronic hotel transactions. While leisure booking volumes fell just short of 2012 levels, the corporate market maintained enough productivity to post positive year-to-date gains in both bookings and rates over the prior year. Leisure data, drawn from bookings made through online channels, showed leisure bookings were within -0.2% of August 2012. Year-to-date, bookings in the channel incre...
Foster Burnett Joins Valencia Group as Area Director of Operations
Valencia Group | September 24, 2013
HOUSTON, TX - September 24, 2013 - Foster Burnett brings more than 25 years of hospitality industry experience to his new role as Area Director of Operations for Valencia Group, an award-winning, Texas-based hotel development and management company. In his new role, Burnett will be overseeing property level operations in addition to supporting the central reservations office and projects related to pre-opening for Valencia Group's newest hotels: : Hotel Sorella Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, MO and Lone Star Court at The Domain in Austin, TX. Both properties are slated to debut in November 2013. According to Valencia Group's Vice Pr...
Michael Bonsor Named Hotel Manager at Rosewood London Opening Next Month in Circa 1914 Building
Rosewood London | September 24, 2013
September 24, 2013 - Michael Bonsor has been appointed Hotel Manager at Rosewood London. The transformed 1914 Edwardian, Grade II-listed building on High Holborn, with its wrought-iron gates, tranquil private courtyard and the grand Pavonazzo marble staircase rising over seven storeys, opens its doors on 15 October 2013. With more than 15 years hotel management experience in the luxury segment, Michael started his career at Four Seasons in several North American locations, in particular with the opening of the Michelin-starred restaurant L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Four Seasons in New York as Director of Restaurants. Prior to join...
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Selects Infor Hospitality
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa | September 24, 2013
NEW YORK - Sep 23, 2013- Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, today announced that Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, in in Atlantic City, has selected Infor Hospitality to help create a more efficient time and attendance management system. Infor Time and Attendance for Casinos and Infor Workforce Performance will help the organization to reduce payroll costs, automate pay rules, and provide clear visibility into every aspect of labor. News Points: "From full-service hotels, to gaming, to alternative lodging, specialized applications from Infor Hospitality give our customers the dep...
The 212-room Courtyard Montreal Downtown/Centre-Ville Opens This Week in Quebec, Canada
Courtyard by Marriott | September 24, 2013
Montreal, Quebec - Sept 24, 2013 - Courtyard by Marriott is rolling out its innovative lobby and room design in Montreal, Quebec. This is the newest Courtyard in the area featuring the Refreshing Business lobby environment, where guests can enjoy an open and flexible space. Along with media pods, Wi-Fi and a variety of seating zones, the redefined space is ideal for everything from pop-up meetings to social gatherings. Scheduled to open this Thursday, September 26, 2013, the 212-room Courtyard Montreal Downtown/Centre-Ville also offers a refreshing and stylish room design that helps guests stay connected, productive and comfortable. Tho...
FRHI Promotes Key Leaders in the Americas; Adds New Vice President of Food and Beverage
FRHI Hotels & Resorts | September 24, 2013
TORONTO, September 24, 2013 - FRHI Hotels & Resorts (FRHI), the parent company of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, has promoted two senior executives along with appointing a new Vice President of Food and Beverage for the Americas region. These strategic moves follow FRHI's recent regional realignment and are intended to maximize performance and provide dedicated support to the company's regional hotel portfolio. "We have added a very seasoned and dynamic group of executives to our Americas region; individuals who will help us achieve our long term objectives and maximi...
ZDirect’s New Guest Dashboard Making Satisfaction, Sentiment Analysis a Snap
ZDirect | September 24, 2013
At a glance, hoteliers can see exactly what customers like or don't like about their facility, services, amenities and staff using Big Data that captures top sentiment [HALLANDALE BEACH, FL- SEPTEMBER 24, 2013] - What do guests think about the cleanliness of your hotel bathrooms, the atmosphere in your restaurant or the friendliness of your staff? A new Guest Dashboard from ZDirect will let hoteliers know exactly how they measure up, and the data is presented in a visual format that is fresh and engaging. ZDirect's patent-pending guest sentiment analysis engine helps hoteliers make sense of the massive amount of guest feedback and data ...
Marcus Hotels & Resorts Appoints Joseph Khairallah as COO & Jeff Peterson as VP of Operations
Marcus Hotels & Resorts | September 24, 2013
MILWAUKEE - September 24, 2013 - Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced that Joseph Khairallah has been appointed chief operating officer and Jeff Peterson has joined the company as vice president of operations. A seasoned hospitality veteran, Khairallah began a 30-year career with Hyatt Hotels in 1983 at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York, N.Y. and has worked in various locations and roles for the global hospitality company. In his most recent role as vice president of rooms, spa and security for Hyatt Americas Group, Khairallah supported 383 hotels and was directly responsibl...
Top 5 Marketing Must Haves Any Hotel Can Afford
Lodging Interactive | September 24, 2013
Lodging Interactive identifies the Top 5 digital marketing programs that hoteliers can affordably add to their 2014 budgets and remain competitive PARSIPPANY, N.J. - SEPT. 24, 2012 - Just because a hotel may not have a $50,000+ marketing budget, it doesn't mean that its marketing department can't compete effectively and build a strategic plan that includes website updates, guest reviews, mobile marketing, social media monitoring and management, and reputation management. For a small investment, Lodging Interactive, a full-service digital marketing and social media engagement agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry, can cos...
Ann Arbor’s 225-room Holiday Inn Near the University of Michigan Completes Extensive Renovation
the Holiday Inn Near University of Michigan | September 24, 2013
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Sept. 24, 2013) - For the first time, visitors and guests will get a glimpse inside the completely renovated Holiday Inn Near the University of Michigan (hiannarbor.com). A north-side landmark since 1971, hotel staff is thrilled to welcome the community with a grand-reopening that reveals the $5 million, yearlong renovation, which included an overhaul all guest rooms and public spaces, as well as Guy Hollerin's, renamed Guy Hollerin's Ann Arbor Bar & Grill. "Our guests - especially our regulars - are excited to see the final results of this renovation," said Joe Sefcovic, general manager of the Holiday Inn Near the...
SAI’s SynergyMMS Selected by Starwood Vacation Ownership for Enhanced Asset Management & Maintenance
Systems Associates Inc. | September 24, 2013
The software as a service solution will extend the lifecycle of property equipment and villa appliances, and reduce costs for timeshare owners BOWLING GREEN, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 - As a preferred vendor of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT), Systems Associates Inc. has been selected by Starwood Vacation Ownership Inc. (SVO) to implement its SynergyMMS maintenance management solution at all villa resort properties. This initiative was recently rolled out in Hawaii at The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas on the island of Maui and The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas on Kaua'i. Sixteen resorts - with a...
Rob Koger – Putting the Whole Story Into Perspective / Jim Butler
Loews Regency Hotel | September 24, 2013
For the most recent update on this topic, click here ByJim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 24 September 2013 Since August 2011, HotelLawyer.com has been following some of the significant events in the unfolding story of surrounding Robert T. Koger and his fraudulent schemes. But yesterday (September 19, 2013), Jason Freed of Hotel News Now published a great article that provides a more comprehensive timeline and overview, and puts together the whole story from many parts of this fascinating tale. I highly reccomend it. I was pleased to be interviewed by Jason to provide some back...
