HFTP® Acquires Leading Hospitality Industry Brands: Hospitality Upgrade, Hotel-Online, The CIO Summit and The Executive Vendor Summit
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals | June 25, 2024
Industry Happenings
RCI® Presents “Green Awards” to Grand Pacific Resorts
RCI | August 12, 2013
Properties Receive the Platinum, Gold, and Silver Awards for Their Environmentally-Friendly Practices PARSIPPANY, N.J. (Aug. 12, 2013) - RCI®, the global leader in vacation exchange and part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), recognized the winners of its 2013 RCI Green Awards at a recent ceremony in Carlsbad, Calif., home of Grand Pacific Resorts, the developer of all three winning properties. RCI senior leadership presented the awards to the general managers of Grand Pacific Palisades Resort, Carlsbad Seapointe Resort and Hilton Grand Vacations Club at MarBrisa. "Going Green is not only the right thing to do, it's...
How Does Great Customer Service Impact Your Digital Strategy?
Standing Dog Interactive | August 9, 2013
by Mike Wylie Standing Dog CEO and President Mike Wylie recently made a trip to California and decided to try HotelTonight. Here is his account of the customer service he received after arriving at the hotel he booked: The Digital Age we are in is a blast. (Did I just date myself using "blast?") At Standing Dog Interactive, we really enjoy developing and executing digital strategies. I am constantly thinking of how we can add more value for our clients and challenging myself and our team to come up with innovative ways to help our partners achieve greater success and, ultimately, more revenue. When taking a holistic view of the business...
Rethinking Renovations: How to Upgrade your Hotel While Reducing Costs / Mario Insenga
Mario Insenga | August 9, 2013
By Mario Insenga While a positive customer experience is the ultimate goal for any hotel, particularly during renovations, reaching such a goal takes time, effort and – as commonly believed – large sums of money. But as hotel guest satisfaction rates reach their highest levels in seven years, hoteliers must continue the push of securing return customers and improving room occupancy. Now, cost-effective best-practice solutions are proving their place in the hotel renovation market, as hoteliers continue to invest in more affordable, greener restoration options. One of the more popular solutions in the hospitality industry has been th...
Bernard Ibarra Named as Executive Chef for the 582-key Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Terranea Resort | August 8, 2013
Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. (Aug. 8, 2013) - Terranea Resort has appointed Bernard Ibarra as Executive Chef of the resort's Food and Beverage operations, a role that includes the supervision of the eight dining venues, in-room dining department, and banquets division. Ibarra brings more than 30 years of culinary and hospitality experience to Terranea Resort. After earning his Culinary Associate Degree at College Technique La Citadelle in France, he began working at Michelin rated Hôtel des Pyrénées with his mentor, Chef Arrambide. While next working with the Four Seasons Hotel group, he opened and operated locations in Calgary, Toron...
Electronic Procurement 2013 Report Released; Enterprise Businesses Seek Visibility and Efficiency
BirchStreet Systems, Inc. | August 8, 2013
Newport Beach, CA - August 8, 2013 - The hospitality industry spends billions of dollars each year in purchasing everything from bed linens and cleaning supplies to food and capital goods. Procurement is part of daily life for most hotels and resorts. In a new comprehensive study released by PayStream Advisors Inc., Electronic Procurement: Creating Buyer/Supplier Collaboration Through Procure-to-Pay Solutions, procure-to-pay (P2P) solutions for enterprise companies are on the rise. CFOs, along with Purchasing and IT management, are exploring the gaps in their existing procurement systems, and turning to eProcurement or comprehensive P2P...
IACC & PKF Release “Trends® in the Conference Center Industry 2013”
IACC | August 8, 2013
(New York, NY) - August 8, 2013 -- IACC has released the 2013 Edition of "Trends® in the Conference Center Industry." This year's trends report provides clear signs that IACC Conference Centres are experiencing recover and "outperforming the broader hotel sector in relation to occupancies and profitability." Demand for Conference Centres grew along with average rates, with Executive style Conference Centres performing better than average with an ADR increase of 5% over the previous year. This led to a higher-than-average rise in rates compared with the hotel industry average in 2012, indicating conference centres are in vogue and the c...
Luxury Link Travel Group Presents Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels
the Luxury Link Travel Group | August 8, 2013
Leading Luxury Vacation Website Welcomes Exclusive Portfolio of Properties Across the U.S.; Pinterest Sweepstakes and Twitter Chat Accompany Collection Launch Los Angeles, CA (August 8, 2013) - The Luxury Link Travel Group announced today that Luxury Link, the world's leading luxury vacation website (www.luxurylink.com), is now showcasing special offers from select Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels® in the United States. Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels includes unique hand-picked properties delivering personalized luxury in a spirit true to its own distinctive locale within spectacular U.S. destinations coast to coast and offsh...
Solmar Hotels & Resorts Names General Managers for Three of its Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Hotels
Solmar Hotels & Resorts | August 8, 2013
Los Cabos, Mexico (August 8, 2013) - Cabo San Lucas based hotel group Solmar Hotels & Resorts recently announced management changes at three of their popular properties - Grand Solmar Land's End Resort & Spa, Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa and Hotel Quinta del Sol. Rodrigo Gutierrez, Flora Camacho and Juan Carlos Milán, respectively, assume positions as new General Managers effective immediately. With over ten years of experience in the hospitality management industry, Rodrigo Gutierrez is an invaluable asset in his new position as General Managers at Grand Solmar Land's End Resort & Spa. Prior to his new role, Gutierr...
Resurrected from a 1970’s Beach Hotel, Hotel Icona Diamond Beach Opens on a Private New Jersey Beach
Great American Hotel Group, Inc | August 8, 2013
CAPE MAY COUNTY, N.J. - August 8, 2103 - Resurrected and reinvented from a 1970's beach hotel, Hotel Icona Diamond Beach is the first ultra-luxury, all-suites resort to actually sit on a private New Jersey beach. "This hotel is breathtaking! Team Achristavest hit a Grand Slam on style & comfort. It's as beautiful as a Miami South Beach resort hotel, dropped into Cape May County," says Pat Croce, restaurateur and former owner of the Philadelphia 76ers. Families will find Hotel Icona nestled in Diamond Beach, an ideal location perfect to take advantage of the largest collection of amusement rides outside of Orlando, yet private enough...
King George Hotel in Athens Joins The Luxury Collection Portfolio Following a Three-Month Renovation
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. | August 8, 2013
ATHENS, Greece - August 8, 2013 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announces the internationally-renowned King George hotel in Athens joins The Luxury Collection portfolio following a three-month renovation. Owned by Lampsa Hellenic Hotels S.A., King George, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens has been redesigned for a new generation of luxury travelers, offering discreet and personalized service in the iconic Greek capital. With this opening, Starwood expands its footprint in Greece where it now operates 11 hotels and resorts, including eight under The Luxury Collection brand. "Our long-term partnership wit...
Strategic Hotels & Resorts Reports Q2 2013 Net Income of $3.3 M; RevPAR Up 9.1%
Strategic Hotels & Resorts | August 8, 2013
CHICAGO, Aug. 7, 2013 -- Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: BEE) today reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2013. View the full press release with supporting tables. (a) Please refer to the tables provided later in this press release for a reconciliation of net income/(loss) to Comparable FFO, Comparable FFO per share and Comparable EBITDA. Comparable FFO, Comparable FFO per share and Comparable EBITDA are non-GAAP measures and are further explained with the reconciliation tables. (b) Operating statistics reflect results from the Company's Total North American portfolio (see portfolio definitions later in this...
Expedia Canada Releases 2013 Insiders’ Select™ List of the World’s Best-Reviewed Hotels
Expedia Canada | August 7, 2013
TORONTO--(Aug 7, 2013) - Expedia.ca®, the country's leading online travel provider, today announced the Expedia® 2013 Insiders' Select™ rankings, an annual crowd-sourced list of the world's best-reviewed hotels. The Insiders' Select™ list recognizes the top-ranked hotels available in the Expedia global marketplace, as judged by more than 1 million annual guest reviews and in-house experts. Hotels that consistently deliver value, in the form of competitive pricing, pristine amenities and superior customer service, will see that commitment rewarded in their ranking. The exclusive 2013 list designates only 650 hotels as Insiders' Sel...
Atlantis, Paradise Island Appoints John Washko as Vice President of Group Marketing and Sales
Atlantis, Paradise Island Resort, The Bahamas | August 7, 2013
PARADISE ISLAND, THE BAHAMAS - August 7, 2013 - Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Atlantis, Paradise Island Marcy Miles is pleased to announce the return and appointment of John Washko as Vice President of Group Marketing and Sales for Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas. A veteran in luxury hospitality sales and marketing with more than 20 years of experience, Washko first joined Atlantis in 1995 as the Director of National Sales and later was promoted to Executive Director of Group Sales, a position he held until departing the company in 2002. Most recently, Washko was the Vice President of Sales and Marketi...
Choose Chicago Turns to nSight to Make Business Intelligence Uniquely Chicago
Choose Chicago | August 7, 2013
Plans to Grow Record Tourism Numbers by Focusing on the Traveler and Search-Driven Data NASHVILLE, TN - August 7, 2013 - Choose Chicago, the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Chicago, has contracted with nSight to provide actionable insight into online travel consumers and attract more visitors to Chicago with its new travel intelligence solution. nSight, the largest aggregator of global travel search and booking data, will enable Choose Chicago to understand its active travel consumers, create more relevant marketing and make better business decisions, all based on searches that are happening now. Chicago set record...
CSM Lodging Appoints Kathleen J. Burda as Vice President Sales and Marketing
CSM Lodging | August 7, 2013
Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 7, 2013 - CSM Lodging, a division of CSM Corporation, has named Kathleen (Kate) J. Burda as vice president sales and marketing for the hospitality company. Bill Upshaw, president, made the announcement. "It is with extreme pleasure that I welcome Kate to CSM Lodging," said Mr. Upshaw. "Her highly successful professional background in sales, marketing and revenue management for leading hotel brands and hospitality management companies will be a tremendous asset to the future growth of our company. We look forward to Kate being an active member of our executive team." Kate Burda joins CSM Lodging having prev...
Benchmark Hospitality International Names Sara Sullivan Vice President, Owner Advisory Group
Benchmark Hospitality International | August 7, 2013
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 7, 2013 ... Benchmark Hospitality International®, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has appointed Sara Sullivan vice president, owner advisory group, for Benchmark's asset management business. Alex Cabañas, Benchmark's president, business development & finance, made the announcement. Ms. Sullivan will be based in Benchmark's Home Office in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. "It is a pleasure to welcome Sara to Benchmark Hospitality International," said Mr. Cabañas. "She comes to us with great depth of experience and a myriad of business relationships in place that will ac...
Veracity Hospitality Appoints Mukund (Mac) Rao as Chief Financial Officer
Veracity Hospitality | August 7, 2013
GURNEE, Ill. - August 7, 2013 - Veracity Hospitality, a newly formed independently held hotel and resort management company, announces the appointment of Mukund (Mac) Rao as Chief Financial Officer. As CFO, Rao is responsible for all aspects of corporate accounting, finance, and budget planning, as well as information technology and purchasing for Veracity Hospitality managed properties. "Mac's financial experience within the hospitality industry is extensive," said Dale McFarland, president and chief operating officer of Veracity Hospitality. "His exceptional leadership, proven track record and the professional and personal integrity w...
Kiev, Ukraine Hotel Market Update – H1 2013 Results Reported by Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle | August 7, 2013
Moscow, 7 August 2013 — Jones Lang LaSalle' Hotels & Hospitality Group announces the H1 2013 Kiev hotel market results. "The Kiev hotel market, for a number of reasons, is proving to be highly competitive and as expected is showing a decline in performance in 2013 compared with 2012. For the first 6 months, the 'branded market' is down in RevPAR by almost 32% compared to the same time period last year – an alarming situation. This is coming through a drop in occupancy for the year of 10% and a drop in average rate of over 20%," - reports David Jenkins, Head of Jones Lang LaSalle' Hotels & Hospitality Group, Russia & CIS....
Summit Hotel Properties Reports Q2 2013 Net Income of $6.8 million; ProForma RevPAR Up 5.8%
Summit Hotel Properties | August 7, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas---Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. (NYSE: INN) (the "Company") today announced results for the second quarter of 2013. View the full press release with supporting tables. Second Quarter Highlights Same-Store RevPAR: Same-store revenue per available room ("RevPAR") in the second quarter of 2013 grew to $75.76, an increase of 8.0 percent over the same period in 2012. Same-store average daily rate ("ADR") grew to $99.96, an increase of 4.9 percent from the second quarter of 2012. Same-store occupancy grew by 219 basis points to 75.8 percent. Pro Forma RevPAR: Pro forma RevPAR in the second quarter of 2013 grew to $85.43, ...
Reimagining Meetings Spaces: Inspired by People, for People, and the Way they Collaborate
Marriott Hotels | August 7, 2013
August 7, 2013 - London – Marriott Hotels, the signature brand of Marriott International (NYSE:MAR), is "re-imagining" traditional meeting spaces to meet a growing demand for more inspiring and creative work environments. Marriott Hotels is re-thinking everything from boardrooms, breakouts and pre-function spaces, taking a holistic approach to meetings and seamlessly integrating service, technology and contemporary design. The Munich Marriott Hotel and Amsterdam Marriott Hotel will be the first hotels in Europe to offer the "people-inspired" meeting spaces, opening in September 2013. Research conducted by Marriott and the publishers o...
Marcus Hotels Names Michael Carsch Managing Director of Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, WI
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa | August 7, 2013
Milwaukee, Wis., August 7, 2013 - Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced that Michael Carsch has been appointed managing director of the AAA Four-Diamond, all-seasons Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wis. Carsch has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry and mostly recently served as general manager of the Hotel Sax in Chicago, Ill. Carsch joins Marcus Hotels & Resorts after a 20-year career with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and most recently with Thompson Hotels. While at Thompson, he served as general manager of the Sax Chicago, Hollywoo...
Allan Farwell Appointed as General Manager for Hawaii’s Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa | August 7, 2013
Lahaina, Hawaii (August 7, 2013) - Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa recently announced the appointment of Allan Farwell as General Manager. Farwell, most recently the General Manager at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells, joins the Hyatt Regency Maui team as General Manager with over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry. A seasoned Hyatt veteran, Farwell has served as General Manager for various Hyatt hotels for 23 years, overseeing luxury and flagship properties across the United States. "After six years in beautiful Indian Wells, I am thrilled to bring my experience to the outstanding team at Hyatt Regency Maui," remarked Farwe...
Alain Bachmann Named as Inaugural GM for The Chedi Andermatt Opening in the Swiss Alps Late in 2013
GHM (General Hotel Management Ltd.) | August 7, 2013
URI, Switzerland (Aug. 7, 2013) - Alain Bachmann, a Swiss native whose resumé includes management stints at some of the world's finest hotels, has been engaged as general manager of GHM's forthcoming debut, The Chedi Andermatt. Scheduled for a Winter 2013 opening, GHM's ambitious new hotel is the centrepiece of the Andermatt Swiss Alps project, the largest integrated year-round holiday destination currently under development in the canton of Uri, Switzerland. Bachmann starts work in September. "With The Chedi Andermatt, we're focused on delivering the quintessential Swiss experience - an experience that pays due homage to the past but ...
Springhill Suites by Marriott Boston Peabody in Massachusetts Completes $3.5 Million Renovation
SpringHill Suites by Marriott | August 7, 2013
PEABODY, Mass. (August 7, 2013) - Refurbished guest rooms, redesigned breakfast area, renovated fitness center and pool area, and a new lobby are among the updates recently completed at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Peabody, Mass. The renovations, a $3.5 million investment, are the first for the hotel since it was built more than a decade ago and are focused on enhancing the guest experience. "The upgrades have all been completed according to SpringHill's new brand standards," said David Compton, director of sales. "Our guests are delighted with these updates and the inviting feel throughout the hotel." Upon arrival, guests first...
