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
Irvine Company Appoints Laura Parsons as Spa Director at The Resort at Pelican Hill®
July 31, 2018
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – July 31, 2018 – The Resort at Pelican Hill® today announced the appointment of Spa Director Laura Parsons. Parsons will lead The Spa at Pelican Hill®, Newport Beach's only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Spa, in delivering relaxing, renewing and invigorating spa experiences to guests from near and far. "As the Spa moves into its tenth year of nurturing minds, bodies and souls, Laura's leadership will guide our team of spa, salon and wellness professionals in creating inspirational spa memories that keep our guests coming back often," said Pelican Hill Managing Director Tom Donovan. "Laura brings...
Hospitality Upgrade Announces Recipient of the John Cahill Student Seat for the 2018 CIO Summit
Hospitality Upgrade | July 31, 2018
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management Student Selected ATLANTA, July 31, 2018 – Hospitality Upgrade Publisher and President Rich Siegel today announced the next recipient of the John Cahill student seat will be Juan Jesus Trevino, a student of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. The upcoming CIO Summit will be held Sept. 5-7, 2018, in Seattle. "With a stellar academic background and good hospitality and IT work experience, we believe Juan has a bright future and solid potential in hospitality technology ahead of him," said Dr. Agnes DeFranco. After gra...
AccorHotels Signs Agreement to Acquire 85% Stake of 21c Museum Hotels for $51 Million
AccorHotels | July 31, 2018
AccorHotels today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 85% of 21c Museum Hotels, an award-winning hospitality management company pushing the boundaries of the museum and hotel worlds to create a new kind of travel experience. 21c combines a multi-venue contemporary art museum, boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants, with 11 properties currently open and under development across the United States. 21c Museum Hotels was founded in 2006 in Louisville by philanthropists and contemporary art collectors Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. The pair had seen the region's farmland and rural landscapes fall to development while...
Hotel Tech Partner vs. Vendor: Knowing the Difference and Why It Matters
Glenn Wirick | July 31, 2018
By Glenn Wirick Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Pegasus Solutions As leaders in the hospitality industry, we're in the business of building and cultivating relationships. Not just relationships with guests, however — also relationships with the technology providers that hotels, resorts, chains and management companies align with to enhance their service offering. The software providers that lodging operators work with can play a pivotal role in the on-going success of their hotel. When in the market for new software, hoteliers should be vetting potential partners — not just vendors. Why? Because the software ...
HSMAI Adrian Awards Competition Introduces Facebook Mobile Video Award
HSMAI | July 31, 2018
(McLean, VA, July 31, 2018) As part of its 2018 Adrian Awards competition, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has introduced the Facebook Mobile Video Award. This and other awards for exceptional travel marketing will be presented to brands and agencies during HSMAI's hallmark event, the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala on January 22, 2019 at the New York Marriott Marquis. Now in their 62nd year, the HSMAI Adrian Awards recognize innovation and creativity in hospitality advertising, digital marketing, and public relations campaigns. For the Facebook Mobile Video Award, campaigns will...
Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide Honor 35 Hotels
Historic Hotels of America | July 31, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – July 31, 2018 11 hotels have been inducted into Historic Hotels of America® and 24 hotels have been inducted into Historic Hotels Worldwide® in 2018. The hotels accepted into Historic Hotels of America date from the 1770's to 1965 and include hotels located in eight states. Six of the 11 hotels are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and one has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Hotels approved for induction into the prestigious Historic Hotels Worldwide registry represent seven countries and date from the 11th century to the early 1930s. His...
Roxy Partners with Telkonet to Enable Voice Controlled Hotel Rooms
Roxy | July 31, 2018
Roxy, the speech enabled device built just for hotels has announced a partnership with leading room automation solutions provider Telkonet. The partnership will enable guests to adjust room controls like lights, blinds and the thermostat using their voice. This announcement comes shortly after Roxy's release of full phone functionality, which allows the smart speech-enabled device to replace the phone in hotel rooms in addition to the speaker, alarm clock, charging ports and the guest booklet. "Roxy is all about getting guests what they want quickly and easily," states Cam Urban, CEO of Roxy. "Integrating with Telkone...
Hilton Partners With Al Habtoor Group to Rebrand Three Hotels in Dubai’s Al Habtoor City
Al Habtoor Group | July 31, 2018
DUBAI - Three hotels in Dubai's Al Habtoor City are to be rebranded by Hilton which was confirmed today at a press event in Dubai. Mohammed Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman & CEO of the Al Habtoor Group and Ian R. Carter, President, Development, Architecture, Design & Construction, Hilton announced a new franchise agreement effective 1 August 2018. The properties will become known as Habtoor Palace Hotel, LXR Hotels & Resorts, V Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton and Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City. Mohammed Al Habtoor said: "We are pleased to extend our partnership with Hilton to three additional hotel properties at Al Habtoor City, o...
Noble Investment Group Acquires Residence Inn by Marriott Secaucus Meadowlands
Residence Inn by Marriott | July 31, 2018
ATLANTA (July 31, 2018) – Noble Investment Group ("Noble") today announced the acquisition of the Residence Inn by Marriott Secaucus Meadowlands. The all-suite, extended stay hotel, which opened in March 2015, is located in Secaucus, New Jersey, three miles from New York City via the Lincoln Tunnel. Secaucus, New Jersey is marked by a highly dense and affluent residential population, Class A office and strong leisure demand. The hotel is located within the Plaza at Harmon Meadows, a mixed-use development which features 30 restaurants and shops, a 14-screen AMC Theatre, the 61,000 square foot Meadowlands Exposition Center...
Gold Key | PHR Appoints Bertrand Daluzeau as Director of Food & Beverage At the Hilton Norfolk THE MAIN
Gold Key | PHR | July 31, 2018
(NORFOLK, VA; Jul 31, 2018) — Gold Key | PHR is excited to announce the addition of Bertrand Daluzeau as Director of Food & Beverage at Norfolk, VA's premier property, the Hilton Norfolk THE MAIN. Bertrand brings a wealth of hospitality experience to THE MAIN's three onsite restaurants. Under Daluzeau's leadership, THE MAIN's seafood concept, Saltine and upscale trattoria, Varia both secure the "2018 Award of Excellence" from Wine Spectator. As Director of Food & Beverage, Bertrand Daluzeau is responsible for the dining programs at all three of THE MAIN's signature restaurants, Saltine, Varia, and Grain. He currently works...
The Top 5 Things You Need to Know Now in Hotel Digital Marketing: July Edition
HEBS Digital | July 31, 2018
By Margaret Mastrogiacomo, VP Strategy This month, the latest digital innovations include big announcements from Google regarding new merchandising features on Google AMP Stories, new LinkedIn advertising opportunities, and Instagram's new questions sticker functionality for Stories. From SEO to design, find out the top five things you need to know now in hotel digital marketing. 1. SEO: Google releases AMP Stories 1.0 with advertising opportunities. If you haven't already heard, AMP stories are standalone compilations of pages with AMP and HTML layers of elements such as video, photography, analytics, text and more. Similar to Snapcha...
PortAventura Extends Revenue Strategy Partnership With Duetto
PortAventura World Parks & Resort | July 31, 2018
Europe's largest family leisure and holiday destination resort signs 5-year agreement with Revenue Strategy Platform provider. San Francisco, 31 July, 2018 —Spain's PortAventura has re-contracted with Duetto, hospitality's only Revenue Strategy Platform, after seeing a 12% uplift in revenue in 2017. The five-year contract will see all hotels in the PortAventura portfolio continue to use Duetto's Open Pricing application, GameChanger, and its solution for intelligent reporting, ScoreBoard. PortAventura, which operates four 4-star and one 5-star themed hotels with 2,100 rooms, has been working with Duetto for the past two years. The...
Hotel Effectiveness, the Leading Hotel Labor Management SaaS Solution, Announces Growth Equity Investment From Growth Street Partners
Hotel Effectiveness Solutions | July 31, 2018
ROSWELL, GA, July 31, 2018 -- Growth Street Partners today announced a minority growth equity investment in Hotel Effectiveness Solutions, the leading provider of hotel labor management SaaS for the hospitality industry. Hotel Effectiveness' SaaS platform allows hotel owners, third party management companies, and property-level managers to control labor expenses according to occupancy rates, labor standards, and industry benchmarks. "We specifically chose to partner with Growth Street because the firm's culture, values, and goals align perfectly with our company's," said Mike Martin, CEO and co-founder of Hotel Effectiveness. "Part...
How to Make Hotels More Human
Dean Minett | July 30, 2018
By Dean Minett Isn't it strange that technology designed to bring people together could have the opposite effect? As smartphones and tablets have become more engrained in daily life, prospects for real human interaction feel strangely diminished. Why strike up a conversation – or look out the window, for that matter – when there's always a task, a search, or a social media post to absorb your attention? Academics and researchers have been saying plenty about this in recent years. The Media Consumer Survey 2017 by Deloitte found clear patterns of fatigue amongst social media users in Australia, with nearly half of the study's...
Migidi Tembo Joins Atrium Hospitality as General Manager of Bloomington–Normal Marriott in Illinois
July 30, 2018
NORMAL, Ill., & ALPHARETTA, Ga.--Atrium Hospitality today announced Migidi Tembo is the new general manager of the company's Bloomington–Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Illinois. Tembo joins Atrium with more than 20 years of hospitality experience to oversee the TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame hotel. The 228-room/suite Bloomington–Normal Marriott is owned and operated by Atrium Hospitality under license from Marriott international, Inc. or one of its affiliates. Alpharetta, Georgia-based Atrium is one of the nation's largest hotel and asset management companies. Prior to his role ...
Embassy Suites by Hilton Plainfield Indianapolis Airport Names General Manager and Director of Sales
Sun Development & Management Corporation | July 30, 2018
INDIANAPOLIS, In. - Embassy by Hilton Plainfield Indianapolis Airport, a Sun Development and Management Company hotel, today announced that Ben Joos has been appointed as the general manager, and Mike Grabowski has been appointed as the new director of sales. Embassy Suites by Hilton is a global brand of upscale, all-suite hotels from Hilton (NYSE: HLT). The seven-story, 174-suite hotel is located at 6089 Clarks Creek Road in Plainfield and is Hendricks County's only full-service hotel. The property is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in the first Quarter of 2019. As the general manager, Joos is responsible for dire...
The Inside Story of Hilton’s New High-Tech Hotel Rooms – and What It Will Mean for Travelers
Hilton | July 30, 2018
Imagine being able to set your favorite TV channels, optimal room temperature and turn the lights off from the comfort of your hotel room bed, all on your own mobile device. It's not a pipe dream: Welcome to Hilton's Connected Room. Through the award-winning Hilton Honors app, guests can use their mobile device as the in-room remote to control their television programming, lighting, and temperature controls –personalizing their preferences just as they do at home. Josh Weiss, Vice President of Brand and Guest Technology at Hilton, explains how and why Connected Room came to life and where it's going next: Q: What inspired the ...
OK, Computer: Why Hotels Are Employing Digital Concierges
JLL Real Views | July 30, 2018
By Natalie Holmes "Alexa, where can I get good sushi around here?" Digital concierges have arrived, bringing hotel guests unprecedented levels of personalization and control. As the technology driving AI and recommendation engines continues to evolve, hotels are starting to embrace the power of digital concierges to provide a customized and on-demand service. In June 2018, Amazon announced Alexa for Hospitality, an in-room version of its voice-activated virtual assistant designed especially for the hotel industry. As part of the launch, Marriott International is set to introduce the experience at a number of properties in their brand po...
Hospitality Financial Leadership – Flower Power
David Lund | July 30, 2018
By David Lund It was the spring of 1995 and I had recently transferred from one hotel back to the regional base and into a newly created position as the regional operations analyst. The job was tailor-made for me. The position was the brain child of our regional vice president. I was to assist him in the review of operational financial performance for the hotels in our region. In the year that followed I learned so many valuable lessons from our work and his experience, style and, above all else, his common sense. Here's one of my favorite episodes as Regional Operations Analyst During one of our early discussions my new boss told me th...
Southern California’s San Manuel Casino Breaks Ground on Major Expansion, Adding First Onsite Hotel
the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians | July 30, 2018
Highland, Calif. (July 30, 2018) – The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians yesterday held a ceremony to officially begin its major expansion project through Yaamava', a celebratory event and groundbreaking ceremony. The expansion is set to include San Manuel Casino's first onsite hotel, a world-class entertainment venue, and an array of state-of-the-art amenities, including new dining experiences, retail and event spaces, and more. This project is a major step forward for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the surrounding community that brings employment opportunities as well as enhanced entertainment experiences to our cas...
Pivot Hotels l Resorts’ Key Largo’s Baker’s Cay Resort to Debut This Fall as Part of Curio Collection by Hilton
July 30, 2018
Key Largo, FLA. (July 30, 2018) — Carved into Key Largo's most lush and secluded region on the island, Baker's Cay Resort is set to debut this fall as part of Curio Collection by Hilton, delivering a timeless resort with contemporary appeal and preeminent style. Located on the Gulf side of the Overseas Highway, this beachfront resort is on 13 acres of tropical groves and provides exclusive access to one of the most secluded white-sand beaches in the area. Situated on a former pineapple plantation previously owned by the hotel's namesake Captain Ben Baker, Baker's Cay Resort pays homage to the historical notion that pineapples serv...
North Point Hospitality Acquires a Two Parcel Site for Development of Two Hotels in Midtown Nashville
North Point Hospitality Group, Inc. | July 30, 2018
NASHVILLE, TN — July 30, 2018 —North Point Hospitality recently closed on a two parcel site totalling .98 acres with plans to develop two hotels and a structured parking deck. The Phase 1 development will consist of a 200-key full-service hotel located at the intersection of Church Street and 19th Avenue, with a future Phase 2 development planned to include a second hotel with 150-keys fronting on Hayes Street and 19th Avenue. "We see this area as an emerging corridor for future development. This location has excellent access to key demand generators including Saint Thomas Hospital, Vanderbilt University and Music Row; as we...
Chesapeake Lodging Trust Sells 200-Room Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara for $90 Million ($450K Per Key)
Chesapeake Lodging Trust | July 30, 2018
ARLINGTON, Va.-- Chesapeake Lodging Trust (NYSE:CHSP) (the "Trust") announced today that it has closed on the sale of the 200-room Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara located in Santa Barbara, California for a sale price of $90.0 million, or $450,000 per key. The Trust used the net proceeds from the sale to repay all outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facility. The Trust acquired the Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara in June 2013 for $61.0 million, or $305,000 per key. In April 2016, the Trust sold a separate, five-room villa building and related land parcel at the Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara for $2.1 million to an unrelated buyer. The...
Todd Davidson and Spurgeon Richardson to Be Inducted into U.S. Travel Hall of Leaders
The U.S. Travel Association | July 30, 2018
PARK CITY, UT (July 30, 2018)— Destination leaders Todd Davidson, president and CEO of Travel Oregon, and Spurgeon Richardson, the former longtime president of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be honored as the 2018 inductees into the U.S. Travel Association Hall of Leaders. Distinguished individuals are named to U.S. Travel's Hall of Leaders for "sustained, noteworthy contributions that have positively impacted the travel industry, stimulated greater achievement, and raised industry-wide standards." Recipients of the award are for serving their place of employ with excellence, but also for contribu...
