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Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals | June 25, 2024
Industry Happenings
The Emotional Impact of Overpriced In-Room Bottled Water
Larry Mogelonsky | August 1, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I am constantly perplexed at the continued reluctance of hoteliers to recognize activities that truly are unbecoming unbearable for guests. In this case, I am referring to our proclivity towards affixing outrageous prices to such basic amenities as bottled water. In a recent stay at a well-known chain property, my first vision upon entering was a largish bottle of water with the outrageous price tag of $7 (plus tax, of course). Most travelers look at this and, subconsciously reflecting on this number, conclude the following: Why is this bottle $7 when I can buy it in the supermar...
Scott Hermes, CMP Appointed President of Irvine Company Resort Properties
the Irvine Company Resort Properties | August 1, 2018
NEWPORT BEACH, CA – August 1, 2018 – Irvine Company Resort Properties® recently welcomed its new President, Scott Hermes, CMP, bringing over 30 years of hospitality and meetings industry expertise. He leads operations, marketing, and all other aspects of Irvine Company's Resort Properties division, which includes the world-class Coastal Collection— encompassing The Resort at Pelican Hill, Fashion Island Hotel and Hotel Irvine—as well as Irvine's Oak Creek Golf Club and California Recreation Company®, operating the finest California marinas. "Scott Hermes brings first-hand knowledge and deep-rooted relatio...
Virtual Reality – The Next Game Changer for Hotels
Chamberlin Public Relations | August 1, 2018
Virtual reality has quickly gone from niche to ubiquitous in the travel sector, with professionals in every facet of the industry finding a purpose for the technology. Two uses stand out for the hospitality industry — attracting guests to a hotel or destination, and keeping them engaged once they're there. Hotels across the country have already invested in VR, and guests are learning to expect a high-tech experience both before and during their stays. Here are a few ways hotels are already taking advantage of virtual reality to get heads in beds. Virtual Guests, Real Bookings Virtual reality can give potential guests a taste of a ...
Intelity Helping Hotels Boost Guest Satisfaction Scores With Its ICEapp and ICEbedside Tablets
Intelity | August 1, 2018
Study shows hotels adding mobile tablets to guestrooms can boost satisfaction by 47 points and those featuring a mobile app can drive approval ratings by 58 points [Orlando, Fla. – August 1, 2018] — 2018 is shaping up to be a pretty good year. A recent article published by Lodging magazine reports that "across the board, hotels are making their guests happier than ever." Citing results from a newly released J.D. Power 2018 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index study, "overall satisfaction for the industry increased eight points to 825 on a 1,000-point scale." Guestroom technology is one contributing factor to hotel-s...
Owned by ZH Landmark and Managed by Zachry Hospitality, New Embassy Suites by Hilton Opens in San Antonio, Texas
Embassy Suites by Hilton | August 1, 2018
SAN ANTONIO and MCLEAN, Va. - Embassy Suites by Hilton, a global brand of upscale, all-suite hotels from Hilton (NYSE: HLT), announced today the opening of a new hotel located in San Antonio. Embassy Suites by Hilton prides itself on offering guests an approachable and stress-free experience at each of its hotel properties. The modern and contemporary Embassy Suites by Hilton San Antonio Landmark is nearby many popular attractions, such as Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio's biggest amusement park, Top Golf and iFly. The hotel is near the shops at La Cantera and The Rim Shopping Center. The famous San Antonio Riverwalk, full of shops,...
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa Celebrates Topping Off of New Guestroom Tower as Part of $150 Million Transformation
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa | August 1, 2018
AUSTIN (August 1, 2018) – Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa has completed the topping off of construction on the resort's new guestroom tower, a significant milestone in a $150-million transformation of this iconic Texas Hill Country retreat. The new tower will be a signature feature when Omni Barton Creek reopens as a 493-guestroom resort in May 2019. "The evolution of Omni Barton Creek is our most highly anticipated project to debut in 2019 and it's an unprecedented investment in our resort collection," said Peter Strebel, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts. "Upon completion, Omni Barton Creek will be a mecca for relaxation...
RLJ Lodging Trust and Interstate Complete Multi-Million Dollar Renovation of 176-Room Courtyard by Marriott Charleston Historic District
RLJ Lodging Trust | August 1, 2018
Charleston, SC – August 1, 2018 – The Courtyard by Marriott Charleston Historic District hotel located at 125 Calhoun Street is pleased to unveil its new look after a multi-million dollar transformation that includes extensive renovations to the guest rooms, guest bathrooms, public spaces and meeting rooms plus an upgraded Bistro. The 176-room hotel operates as a Marriott franchise, owned by RLJ Lodging Trust of Bethesda, Maryland and managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts of Arlington, Virginia. This six-story property is ideally situated downtown, adjacent to Marion Square, the host of many world-renowned festivals. Th...
Historic Little America Hotel in Flagstaff Completes Two-and-a-Half Year Renovation
Little America Hotel Flagstaff | August 1, 2018
Flagstaff, AZ– August 1, 2018– Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, today announced the completion of the third and final phase of the hotel's extensive reimagining, unveiling 123 remodeled guest rooms in Lodges 1 and 2. The two-and-a-half-year renovation project transformed all 247 guest rooms across four Lodges and included property-wide upgrades to the lobby, retail shop, Silver Pine Restaurant & Bar, new outdoor patio, and more than 13,000 square feet of contemporary meeting space. "We are thrilled to announce the conclusion of the final phase of renovations. Every detail of the hotel's refurbishment has been ...
Sea Sky International Development Group to Break Ground on 593-Key Wyndham Palau in Western Pacific Islands
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | August 1, 2018
PALAU (1 August 2018) – Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchisor with nearly 9,000 hotels and 20 powerhouse brands, unveiled a luxurious new resort with over-water villas in Palau, the pristine western Pacific island paradise, under its namesake Wyndham brand at a recent ground breaking ceremony. Wyndham Palau is being developed by the Sea Sky International Development Group, a subsidiary of Global International Development Group. The resort is located in the unspoiled region of Aimeliik, which is home to spectacular natural landscapes, ancient villages and crystal clear seas teeming with colourful marine...
The Hotel Group Rebrands Helena, Montana Hotel to Delta Hotels by Marriott Helena Colonial
The Hotel Group | August 1, 2018
Seattle, WA, August 1, 2018 — The Hotel Group (THG), a leading national hotel management and investment company, announced today the official conversion of the 150 room Delta Hotels by Marriott Helena Colonial located in historic Helena, Montana. This is Delta's first branded hotel in Montana and signals the continued global expansion of the brand since its endorsement into the Marriott signature portfolio. Focusing on truly meaningful elements that provide its guests with a memorable and frictionless journey, Delta Hotels delivers a fresh new lodging alternative in the Helena area and will be Montana's only full-service Marriott ...
PAH Management Chooses Kipsu
Kipsu, Inc | August 1, 2018
PAH Management, who owns and manages the assets of thirteen top tier Select Service hotels that span across several states and brands, has recently partnered with Kipsu to extend service to their guests via texting and digital messaging. Edward Kalashian, Regional Director of Operations for PAH, explains that the partnership between their hotels and Kipsu has greatly improved the way they engage and care for their guests. "Kipsu has been a great addition to our hotels, we originally were going to beta test it at one hotel, but the 9 point improvement in GSS in one month convinced us to do a portfolio roll out. We have been happy with th...
Horwath HTL Industry Report: Wellness-Themed vs Wellness Hospitality
Horwath HTL | August 1, 2018
With the rise of the global wellness industry, many hospitality companies increasingly incorporate various elements of wellness into their product and service offering. The reality is that merely highlighting healthy features or amenities is 'well-washing' and confuses developers and consumers alike. For a true wellness development, hospitality experts have to take into account multiple dimensions, including the choice of materials, usage of biophilic design, incorporating wellness into the overall master plan, and creating social spaces for guests to connect and engage. Horwath HTL Health & Wellness clarifies some of the ke...
Food for Thought: The Future of Revenue Management and Maybe Starbucks + More
Martin Soler | August 1, 2018
By Martin Soler It is always interesting to stop and look back at where the industry is going. We can imagine a future from our current stand point but as things happen that future is rarely what we imagined. And while it may have some parts of it, there are always twists and turns we didn't predict. Our industry has the advantage of being one of the few that can't entirely be replaced by tech or other solutions. As long as we live, we'll need a place to sleep, but that doesn't mean things wont change. Amazon's founder famously said they focused on what wont change and tried to build for that, the trick is pinpointin...
Lodging Interactive Launches Reputation Management for Restaurants
Lodging Interactive | August 1, 2018
PARSIPPANY, NJ, August 1, 2018 - Lodging Interactive, an award-winning digital and social media engagement agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced it has expanded its CoMMingle reputation management services into the restaurant industry. During the last 10 years CoMMingle has established itself as the hospitality industry's leading provider of guest review management services and has partnered with hundreds of hotels worldwide. "Providing our CoMMingle reputation management services to restaurants is a natural extension of our very mature and proven hospitality services," stated DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interact...
Gatehouse Capital Selects Hotel Equities to Manage Two Marriott Conference Center Hotels Near Dallas, Texas
Hotel Equities | August 1, 2018
Atlanta, GA – August 1, 2018 – Hotel Equities (HE) just announced their selection as the management company for two conference center hotels near Dallas, the Courtyard by Marriott-Dallas Midlothian at the Midlothian Conference Center located at 3 Community Circle Drive in Midlothian, and the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott-Decatur at Decatur Conference Center located at 1910 West US Highway 380 in Decatur. The hotels are owned by Gatehouse Capital, LLC based in Dallas. "We are thrilled to welcome this new ownership group and these two Marriott hotels to the HE family," said Joe Reardon, HE's SVP of Business Developmen...
Mandarin Oriental to Manage CastaDiva Resort & Spa on Lake Como, Italy
Attestor Capital | August 1, 2018
Hong Kong, 1 August 2018 -- Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced today that it has taken over management of CastaDiva Resort & Spa, an existing resort on Lake Como, Italy. The property will be rebranded as Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como in spring 2019 following a refurbishment of facilities. This will be Mandarin Oriental's first resort in western Europe and will complement the Group's Milan hotel. Located on the shores of Lake Como, and surrounded by lush botanic parkland, the resort is a landmark of historic importance, comprising 76 spacious rooms and suites housed in nine villas, dating from the 19th Century. Two of the vil...
Canyon Ranch Appoints Jack Breisacher as Managing Director of Canyon Ranch in Tucson
August 1, 2018
Fort Worth, TX – August 1, 2018 – Canyon Ranch, the integrative wellness industry leader for nearly 40 years, today announced the appointment of Jack Breisacher as managing director for Canyon Ranch in Tucson. Jack joins Canyon Ranch with over 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including the launch of the brand's first international expansion in Kaplankaya, Turkey. "We are so excited to welcome Jack Breisacher back into the Canyon Ranch family as the Managing Director of Canyon Ranch in Tucson," said President and COO Tom Klein. "Jack is joining Canyon Ranch at such a pivotal and exciting growth period for t...
Data, Data and More Data – The Most Valuable Currency in Hospitality
Carson Booth | August 1, 2018
By Carson Booth With massive amounts of data now available to hotels, it's safe to say that all future technologies will rely on data and integrations. The need for an independent system to collect and connect all existing data for hotels has become inevitable. Enter the data platform, but what does that mean and how does it work for hotels? Data analytics. Data intelligence. Harmonized data. Big data. We've all heard about the endless facets of data, but data is essentially worthless unless it is properly stored, intelligently related to the various parts, and made accessible to users and other systems. Yes, we can see and store the da...
Hospitality Industry Amateur Hour: Hotel & Resort Fees
Vertical Booking | August 1, 2018
By Mark Lewis-Brown, CEO & President at Vertical Booking USA After you've been in the hospitality industry for as many years as I have (more than 30 years… how time flies when you're having fun!), you get used to seeing human error manifest in so many truly unfortunate instances: from putting the decimal point in the wrong spot (hello, $10 rooms!) or using overbooking as a revenue management strategy, I've seen it all. While these types of mistakes may make the front page (of our favorite hotel trade publications), there are also a HUGE number of mistakes caused by human error in all types of operational processes that are (a...
General Manager Alicia Jacobson Set to Welcome Guests to New 128-Room Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Northwest/Veterans Expressway
Courtyard by Marriott | July 31, 2018
Tampa, FL – July 31, 2018 – Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Northwest/Veterans Expressway is scheduled to open its doors in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. Featuring an innovative lobby space as well as Courtyard's latest contemporary room design, the new hotel provides flexibility and choices that allow guests to optimize and elevate their travel experience. Located at 12730 Citrus Park Lane, the 128-room hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by Citrus Park Hotel, LLC and managed by Hotel Equities of Atlanta, Georgia. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, the Courtyard Tampa Northwest/Veterans Exp...
RAM Hotel Management Set to Open New 95-Room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Birmingham, Alabama
Fairfield Inn & Suites | July 31, 2018
Birmingham, AL – July 31, 2018 – The 95-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Birmingham, Alabama is set to open on Thursday, August 2, 2018 with a new décor that provides guests with a feeling of warmth and calm while traveling. Located at 3930 Colonnade Parkway, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Birmingham Colonnade will operate as a Marriott franchise, managed by RAM Hotel Management, LLC of Columbus, Georgia. Located 13 miles from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport and 15 minutes from downtown, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Birmingham Colonnade offers guests convenient access to The Summit Shopp...
IHG Opens First Hotel Indigo in Mississippi, The Hotel Indigo®-Hattiesburg
July 31, 2018
HATTIESBURG, MS (July 31, 2018) – IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is proud to announce the opening of its newest location, The Hotel Indigo®-Hattiesburg. The first and only Hotel Indigo in Mississippi opened July 26, 2018. The Hotel Indigo-Hattiesburg hotel is located at South 31st Ave. and Chevy Chase Dr. and is within walking distance to the University of Southern Mississippi and The Avenues. The five-story boutique hotel features 100 rooms and business conveniences such as a 24/7 business center with wireless internet and printing available. "All of the team is really excited to be a part of this, especially with it bei...
What Hotel Chains Are Learning From Industry Disruptors… and You Can Too
Dean Minett | July 31, 2018
By Dean Minett Part of the problem with disrupting the hospitality industry (or any industry, for that matter) is that if you are successful, others will emulate. The changes sparked by AirBnb and OTAs like Expedia cannot entirely be patented or trademarked – if they could, an army of lawyers would slap down any encroachment on its business model. As it stands, all they've done (aside from creating billion dollar brands) is open the door. They've shown the world that hotels and hospitality can be reimagined. It should come as no surprise that some of the biggest and most innovative hotel groups are doing a whole lot of emulating o...
Prestige Hospitaliy Group Celebrates Opening of New 122-Room Courtyard by Marriott Wayne Fairfield in Wayne, New Jersey
Courtyard by Marriott | July 31, 2018
Wayne, NJ – Prestige Hospitality Group hosted a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the opening of the new 122-room Courtyard by Marriott Wayne Fairfield hotel in Wayne, New Jersey on July 26, 2018. Christopher P. Vergano, Mayor of Wayne Township, and Judy Ross, Vice President of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber, joined 263 Hotel Group, LLC and Riverlink Hotels, owners and developers, to mark the official opening of the new hotel. The property, adjacent to Wayne Plaza, has been the focus of various development plans for nearly a decade. At the ribbon cutting event, Christopher P. Vergano, Mayor of Wayne Township, recognized the Cour...
