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
Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Names Emil Lee, St.Maarten, as President-Elect for 2014-2016
Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association | July 12, 2013
THE CARIBBEAN (July 12, 2013) - The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has elected Emil Lee president-elect to take over the helm of the Association June 2014-2016. Lee is the president of the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), general manager of Princess Heights Hotel and co-operator of Atlas Construction Company in St.Maarten. Lee was elected by acclimation at CHTA's Annual General Meeting which was held in conjunction with the "Taste of the Caribbean" culinary competition in Miami, FL. "The current president, Richard Doumeng, and his executive board have done a tremendous job of laying a solid foundat...
San Diego Marriott Mission Valley Completes $9 Million Renovation of Guest Rooms and Public Spaces
Marriott Hotels & Resorts | July 12, 2013
San Diego, C.A. (July 12, 2013) - The San Diego Marriott Mission Valley has just completed a $9 million renovation project, it was announced by Erikk Hilgert, General Manager. According to Mr. Hilgert, the renovation encompassed the hotel lobby, all 350 guest rooms, six new Parlor Suites, an additional floor of Concierge Rooms to accommodate Marriott Rewards® travelers, the Concierge Lounge, and outdoor spaces. "We spent a great deal of time listening to guest comments with regard to what they felt would enhance their experience, and as a result, our renovation plan included many of these improvements as well as items which we felt wou...
Value Place Seeks Land, Plans to Develop Nine New Denver, Colorado Area Extended Stay Hotels
Value Place | July 12, 2013
WICHITA, Kan., July 12, 2013 -- Continuing a trend of rapid expansion across the U.S., Value Place plans to develop nine new extended stay corporate properties in the Denver area, with construction to start in early 2014. The company is working with Denver-based broker Steve Markey of David, Hicks & Lampert to explore possible sites and talk with landowners, brokers and commercial real estate firms (steve.markey@dhlb.com or 303.694.6082). Value Place plans to invest more than $63 million to build nine hotels, including about $13 million for land acquisition. The company can close immediately once a building permit is issued. Local f...
Washington DC Marriott at Metro Center Completes Multi-Million Dollar Guestroom Renovation
Washington Marriott at Metro Center | July 12, 2013
Washington, DC - July 12, 2013 – The Washington Marriott at Metro Center, situated at 775 12th Street and H Street, NW, announced today the completion of the renovation of its 459 guestrooms and suites, a multi-million investment by its owners, Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. In addition to the new look of the guestrooms; the hotel is an early adopter of Marriott Hotels' new mobile check-in, allowing smartphone users a convenient, easier and faster way to check-in. Marriott Hotels is the signature brand within the Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) global portfolio. "We are thrilled with our guestrooms' new look and to be one of ...
sbe Unveils Expansion Plans for Multiple SLS Hotels in China
sbe | July 12, 2013
SLS Hotels Brand to Debut Properties in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuxi, and Kunming by 2015 SHANGHAI - July 12, 2013 - sbe, an industry-leading hospitality, lifestyle and real estate development company, today announced the launch of its award-winning SLS Hotels brand into China at an exclusive event in Shanghai hosted by sbe President, Sam Bakhshandehpour. The announcement was made in collaboration with sbe's partner in its Chinese expansion, Palace Hospitality. SLS Hotels in China will feature an aesthetic composed by acclaimed hotelier and sbe Founder, Chairman and CEO Sam Nazarian and the SLS Hotels design team tailored for the Chinese ma...
Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, France Launches Renovation and Expansion Project
Dorchester Collection | July 12, 2013
Hotel to Close on October 1, 2013 with a May 2014 Re-Opening Planned July 12, 2013 - Having celebrated its first 100 years, Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris is looking ahead to the next century. In keeping with Dorchester Collection's continuous investment in taking the luxury experience to new levels, the iconic hotel will undergo a partial restoration to integrate additional buildings creating six new guest rooms, eight suites, a ballroom and two event spaces. Over the past several years, Hôtel Plaza Athénée has had the opportunity to purchase three buildings surrounding the hotel. These include a townhouse to the right of the hotel...
HSMAI Industry Event to Feature HeBS Digital & Google Discussing – Why Search Matters More than Ever
HeBS Digital | July 12, 2013
HeBS Digital and Google will co-present a HSMAI members-only program titled "Digital Marketing Best Practices and Planning for 2014" at the Google Campus in New York City on July 23. Speakers will be Max Starkov, President & CEO of HeBS Digital, and Chris Fong, Head of Travel, Google Sales. New York, NY (July 12, 2013) - HeBS Digital and Google will co-present a HSMAI members-only program titled "Digital Marketing Best Practices and Planning for 2014" from 11am-2PM on July 23, 2013 at Google's offices in New York City. This informative session will explore how search in travel continues to evolve, how search is changing marketing and ...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 105 Carl Graham Fisher and the Lincoln Highway; Quote of the Month
Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC | July 12, 2013
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC 1. Carl Graham Fisher and the Lincoln Highway In my 2009 book, "Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry", I wrote the following about Carl Graham Fisher: In 1915, a real-estate developer stood on the corner of Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue, watched the jungle of mangrove trees being chopped down and said, "Gentlemen, Lincoln Road will become one of the most beautiful shopping areas in the world." That developer was Carl Graham Fisher, and the legacy of his accomplishments lives on to this very day, as indicated by the following list of developments and projects that he envisioned and t...
Apple Tree Asia Plans August Soft Opening of Bagan Lodge in the Shadow of Bagan Temples in Myanmar
Bagan Lodge | July 12, 2013
BAGAN, Myanmar (July 12, 2013) - Poised on the doorstep of one of the world's most breathtaking archaeological heritage sites, Myanmar's newest boutique resort Bagan Lodge has targeted Aug. 1 for its soft debut in the ancient Buddhist capital. With stylized tenting and furnishings that evoke the Golden Age of Travel, Bagan Lodge's 85 rooms and suites skirt the boundary of the shrine-studded plains of the Bagan Archaeological Zone. More than two thousand historic temples and ruins rise from the landscape east of the resort, many dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries at the height of the Kingdom of Bagan. Conceptualized by noted Fren...
New Edition of EI’s Security and Loss Prevention Management Textbook Features Major Updates
American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute | July 12, 2013
Lansing, Michigan, July 2013 - The new edition of Security and Loss Prevention Management, published by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI), features three new chapters, a more global focus, and bonus online resources for instructors and students. Written by David M. Stipanuk and Raymond C. Ellis Jr., this textbook has been substantially updated to reflect current safety and security issues in the hospitality industry, presenting best practices and guidance related to risk management in the hospitality workplace. New chapters have been developed on the legal aspects of hotel security and safety, day-to-day safety...
Home2 Suites by Hilton® Opens Nashville, Tennessee Airport Location
Home2 Suites by Hilton | July 12, 2013
MCLEAN Va. - July 12, 2013 - Home2 Suites by Hilton, the award-winning mid-tier, all-suite hotel brand by Hilton Worldwide designed for modern business travelers and extended-stay guests, today announced the opening of its 19th U.S. hotel, Home2 Suites by Hilton Nashville-Airport. The first guest to check-in yesterday received a Nook tablet. "Nashville is a growing market for the extended stay segment, with the many businesses, universities and local attractions located in the area," said Bill Duncan, global head, Home2 Suites by Hilton. "We are excited to share our hip and humble offering with our guests and the local community, and we...
Budgeting for 2014? Remember Reputation Management Plus Social Media / Web / Mobile Marketing
Lodging Interactive | July 12, 2013
Lodging Interactive, the award winning full-service digital marketing and social media engagement agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry, says digital marketing must be a priority in the coming year to maintain loyalty, revenues and an impeccable image PARSIPPANY, N.J. - JULY 12, 2013 - If there is one thing hoteliers can't forget to budget for in 2014, it is digital marketing. Keeping website and mobile web content fresh, scrutinizing the property's reputation via the web and social media channels, plus responding to guest reviews is critical for operational success and true customer-relationship management. The good new...
Dart Realty Taps Kimpton to Manage Grand Cayman’s 263-room Resort Development on Seven Mile Beach
Dart Realty (Cayman), Ltd. | July 12, 2013
A 2016 Opening is Planned SAN FRANCISCO (July 12, 2013) - Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants today announced plans for the brand's first Caribbean resort with the development of a 263-room hotel on acclaimed Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Developer Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd. awarded Kimpton the management contract for what will be Grand Cayman's first design driven, boutique-style hotel and the first new development on famed Seven Mile Beach in a decade when it opens in 2016. With a project team including SB Architects and interiors designed by Powerstrip Studio and Mark Zeff Design, the new Kimpton hotel will offer five...
Are We There Yet? PKF’ 2013 Hospitality Investment Survey – A Video Overview
PKF Hospitality Research, LLC | July 12, 2013
ATLANTA, Ga., July, 2013 - Scott Smith, Senior Vice President of PKF Consulting USA, LLC, and Jack Corgel, Senior Advisor to PKF Hospitality Research, LLC discuss the 2013 Hospitality Investment Survey. The theme of this year's survey is "Are we there yet?" ...
Carey Watermark Investors Acquires Sonoma Resort in Joint Venture with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Carey Watermark Investors | July 12, 2013
NEW YORK, July 12, 2013 -- Carey Watermark Investors Incorporated (CWI) announced that it has acquired a joint venture interest in the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Fairmont, the prior owner, will continue to manage the luxury resort under a long-term management agreement. CWI's interest in the joint venture is 75 percent while Fairmont will retain a 25 percent ownership interest. The joint venture's total investment in the property is approximately $97.1 million, which was financed with $44 million of debt. CWI's investment is approximately $73.3 million, including its allocated portion of debt....
Denton, Texas CVB Launches Regatta Travel Solutions on DiscoverDenton.com
Regatta Travel Solutions Inc. | July 12, 2013
Charlottesville, Virginia (July 12, 2013) - Regatta Travel Solutions announced today that the Denton, Texas CVB has signed an agreement to use the Regatta booking engine on discoverdenton.com. The project was launched in April and has already produced bookings for almost every hotel in Denton. The CVB will launch a new website by August and Regatta will re-design its booking engine to match the new look, free of charge. "It has really been a pleasure to work with Regatta," said Kim Phillips, Vice President of the Denton Convention & Visitors Bureau. "They were brought to our attention by our agency, Aria Media, and we have all been ...
World’s Top 30 Indoor Entertainment Centers: Theme Parks Focus on Education and Entertainment Part 2
Jeff Coy | July 11, 2013
A Profile of the World's Top 30 Largest Indoor Entertainment Centers By Jeff Coy, ISHC Ten (10) of the world's top 30 largest indoor entertainment centers are focused on education mixed with entertainment, a concept now called edutainment, while 9 are focused on providing a themed experience with characters such as Iron Man and Spider Man. Six centers specialize in providing amusements & thrill rides and 3 feature high-tech games and motion simulators. Large indoor theme parks, indoor amusement parks and family entertainment centers are a relatively new phenomenon. No one had studied indoor entertainment facilities as a special grou...
FairBridge Hotels Opens 98-room Brookside Resort in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee
FairBridge Hotels International | July 11, 2013
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, July 12, 2013 - The hospitality firm headquartered in downtown Spokane, FairBridge Hotels International, today announced the opening of its newest hotel 1900 miles away in the mountain resort city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The 98-room Brookside Resort by FairBridge is located at 463 E Parkway at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The rustic resort offers stream-side rooms and cozy cabins with access to quiet nature trails while still being only a half-mile from Gatlinburg's main strip. Brookside goes above and beyond the standard amenities expected at a FairBridge, like free hot breakfast and wi-fi...
World’s Top 30 Indoor Entertainment Centers: Major Theme Parks Are Going Indoors, Part 1
JLC Hospitality Consulting | July 11, 2013
Anchored by Shopping Malls, Hotels, Waterparks & Casinos; KidZania is fastest-growing in edutainment By Jeff Coy, ISHC When you think about Six Flags, Sea World or Cedar Fair, it is typically an outdoor experience during summer when kids are out of school. But now, major theme parks and amusement parks are going indoors --- where they can attract visitors 365 days a year and not worry about poor weather wiping out profits. Indoor theme parks are not new, but there is a surge of new development. The first large-scale indoor amusement park, Galaxyland, built in 1985, was a giant success with 400,000 sf of amusements and thrill rides i...
StepStone Hospitality Builds Leadership Team with Five New Executive Appointments
StepStone Hospitality | July 10, 2013
PROVIDENCE, R. I. (July 2013) StepStone Hospitality, a hospitality management company specializing in full and select-service hotel operations, today announced five new leadership positions. The positions include: vice president of operations, vice president of human resources, regional director of revenue management, regional director of operations and analyst. Based in Providence, R.I., StepStone has more than doubled its portfolio during the past several months from four to 10 hotels and increased the room count of its managed hotels from 750 to more than 1,700 rooms. With even more management contracts planned for the remainder of 2...
Suzhou Science and Technology & Starwood to Open First Element Hotel in Asia Pacific
Element Hotels | July 10, 2013
Starwood's Eco-Wise Brand will Debut in China with the Opening of Element Suzhou Science and Technology Town in 2015 SUZHOU, China--Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today signed an agreement with Suzhou Science and Technology Town Kexin Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd. to open a new-build Element® hotel in Suzhou Science and Technology Town (SSTT), an eco-city adjacent to the commercial and administrative center of the city's high tech industrial development zone. Slated for completion in mid-2015, the hotel, Element Suzhou Science and Technology Town (Element Suzhou), marks the Element brand's entry to A...
Leigh Ann Waters Joins Interstate Hotels as Corporate Regional Director, Sales And Marketing
Interstate Hotels & Resorts | July 10, 2013
Interstate Hotels & Resorts announces the addition of Leigh Ann Waters as corporate regional director of sales and marketing for Atlanta and surrounding areas. Waters will be responsible for supporting the senior vice president of sales and marketing by overseeing the planning and management of sales, marketing, catering and revenue management efforts. Her portfolio of Ga.-based properties includes The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens, Marriott Macon City Center and the new Hyatt Atlanta Midtown opening July 2013. "With 23 years of experience within the hospitality sales industry, Waters brings extensive insight and knowledge of th...
Istra-Kurort LLC & Hyatt Hotels to Open New Hyatt Regency Moscow Istra Resort in 2017
Hyatt Regency | July 10, 2013
CHICAGO (July 9, 2013) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Istra-Kurort LLC, a Russian real estate development company, for a Hyatt Regency hotel in Moscow. Expected to open in 2017, Hyatt Regency Moscow Istra Resort will join the luxurious Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow already open in the city. Located on the shores of the famous Istra Reservoir, Hyatt Regency Moscow Istra Resort will feature 168 guestrooms and 52 extended-stay apartments, as well as a conference center with a 3,760 square-foot (350-square-meter) ballroom, a spa, and a fitness center with in...
Faik Celik Holding & Starwood Hotels Open the Sheraton Bursa Hotel and Aloft Bursa Hotel in Turkey
Starwood Hotels & Resorts | July 10, 2013
BURSA, Turkey--Jul. 10, 2013-- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announces the opening of the Sheraton Bursa Hotel and Aloft Bursa Hotel, marking the company's entrance into Bursa. Owned by Faik Celik Holding, the two hotels expand Starwood's rapidly-growing portfolio to nine hotels across Turkey, adding more than 300 rooms to the culturally-charged industrial centre. The opening of the Sheraton Bursa Hotel fuels the brand's growth as it remains on track to celebrate the opening of its 500th hotel by 2015. Aloft Bursa Hotel contributes to the phenomenal growth of the mid-market brand as it is poised to grow by 30% in 20...
