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Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals | June 25, 2024
Industry Happenings
Embassy Suites by Hilton Miami International Airport Completes $10 Million Renovation
Embassy Suites by Hilton | March 28, 2018
Miami, Fla. – March 2018 – The 318-suite full-service Embassy Suites by Hilton Miami International Airport, has completed a $10M renovation of its atrium, lobby, restaurant, lounge, meeting space, breakfast area, fitness center and public space. The refresh includes design elements to brighten the ambiance and update amenities providing a fresh, modern urban environment for the only Embassy Suites by Hilton Hotel in the Miami area. Located near the Miami International Airport, the hotel was inspired by the color palette that surrounds the Florida landscape. The new design creates a soothing and comfortable, at-home atmospher...
The Buccini/Pollin Group Acquires 364-Room Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia
The Buccini/Pollin Group | March 28, 2018
PHILADELPHIA, March 28, 2018 —Officials of The Buccini/Pollin Group, a privately held, full-service real estate acquisition, development and management company (BPG), today announced that it has acquired the 364-room Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia, Pa. PM Hotel Group, a leading, national hotel management company based in Washington, D.C., will manage the hotel. "The Sheraton Society Hill is a remarkable asset in an unmatched location surrounded by numerous business and leisure demand generators, from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall to Fortune 500 companies like Comcast and Aramark," said Dave Pollin, co-founder...
Sage Hospitality Appoints Pierre-Louis Giacotto as General Manager of The Blackstone
The Blackstone, Autograph Collection | March 28, 2018
(CHICAGO; March 28, 2018)—Sage Hospitality, one of the leading hotel management and investment companies in the country, today announces the appointment of Pierre-Louis Giacotto to general manager of The Blackstone. A true luxury hospitality professional, Giacotto brings over 30 years of experience to his position, including a 23-year tenure with the Sofitel Luxury Hotels where he worked in all aspects of hotel operations. "I've been lucky to call Chicago my home since I began my career in hotel operations, and The Blackstone is the epitome of everything I love about this city," says Giacotto. "I look forward to continuing The Bla...
Ken Daugherty Rejoins Salishan Resort as General Manager
Salishan Resort | March 28, 2018
CENTRAL OREGON COAST – March 28, 2018 – Helmut Horn, executive chairman of Portfolio Hotels & Resorts, announced that Ken Daugherty was selected as the new general manager of Salishan Resort. One of Daugherty's first positions in the hospitality industry was working in food and beverage and culinary management for the property beginning in the 1980s. He rejoins the Salishan team after the award-winning property recently came under new ownership and management. "There's a refreshed vision and direction at Salishan," said Horn. "Daughtery brings the perfect combination of market knowledge and proven leadership skills to th...
The Psychology Behind Hospitality: How to Make Your Accommodation Universally Appealing
Lena Hemsworth | March 28, 2018
By Lena Hemsworth Nowadays, the range of guest profiles in hotels around the Globe is wider than ever, as well as the spectrum of types of accommodations and the services they provide. In this day and age, the typical traveller could really be anyone. Long gone are the days when travelling and hotels were mainly reserved for the wealthy or the business-savvy. With value increasingly being shifted from possessions to experiences and people making use of our connected world, frequent travelling is the norm for many, even amidst modern-day fears. The range of the types of visitors in hotels is wider now than ever, as are the types of accom...
Emaar Hospitality Group Appoints Riad Abi Haidar as General Manager of Address Dubai Marina
Address Hotels + Resorts | March 28, 2018
Dubai, UAE; March 28, 2018: Emaar Hospitality Group has appointed Riad Abi Haidar as General Manager of Address Dubai Marina, a popular urban waterfront destination set in one of the world's largest waterfront developments. He is mandated with strengthening the strategic positioning of the hotel, delivering creative initiatives, and focusing on enhancing operational efficiency and productivity. Address Dubai Marina opened in 2009 under Emaar Hospitality Group's Address Hotels + Resorts premium luxury hotel and serviced residences brand. Joining from Manzil Downtown, another hotel under Emaar Hospitality Group's Vida Hotels and Resorts, ...
Building Your F&B Reputation Through Events
Larry Mogelonsky | March 28, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Good food can help put heads in beds, but few hoteliers fully grasp how this symbiotic relationship works. For today's case, events that showcase on-property chefs are not on every manager's calendar, most likely because they typically deliver an expense line well above operating revenues. However, they provide significant value in several indirect ways. First, events like this allow a hotel to demonstrate unbridled culinary excellence. Next, they allow your chefs to demonstrate creativity. Thirdly, they afford your public relations team with great fodder for continued media interes...
JW Marriott El Convento Cusco Appoints Heivel Bedoya as Executive Chef
JW Marriott El Convento Cusco | March 28, 2018
CUSCO, PERU – March 2018: The executive team at JW Marriott El Convento Cusco has appointed Heivel Bedoya as Executive Chef. In his new role, Chef Bedoya is leading daily food and beverage operations, menu conceptualization and staff management, among other duties, while implementing new culinary programming and concepts in line with the latest industry trends. The young Peru native knows his way around the JW Marriott Cusco kitchen, having opened the former 16th century convent turned luxury hotel as Demi Chef in 2012, helping to establish its in-house Qespi Restaurant as one of the highest rated in Cusco. In 2014, he accepted a ...
BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, Names Patrick Berwald Vice President of Food and Beverage
March 28, 2018
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, March 2018 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Patrick Berwald vice president of food and beverage. Greg Champion, president and COO of Benchmark, made the announcement. "It is such a pleasure to welcome Patrick to our company," said Mr. Champion. "He brings immense culinary talents, superb food & beverage managerial skills, and stellar academic credentials to his new position with us. We look forward to his active contributions to and participation within our growing leadership team." Patrick Berwald comes to Benchmark with a distinguished two-decade career of food and be...
TravelClick Acquires Hospitality CRM Solutions Provider Digital Alchemy
TravelClick | March 28, 2018
Acquisition Adds Expertise and Depth to Guest Management Solutions, One of TravelClick's Fastest Growing Products NEW YORK, March 28, 2018 – TravelClick ("the Company"), a leading global provider of data and revenue-generating solutions for hoteliers, announced today that it has purchased Dallas-based Digital Alchemy, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and email marketing solutions provider for hotels and spas around the world. Terms of the transaction were not announced. "With its highly regarded, full-service CRM offering and its talented team with deep hospitality expertise, we look forward to having Digital Alchemy join ...
SiteMinder Lands Its 30,000th Customer in River Palace Hotel
SiteMinder | March 28, 2018
Dallas, USA – The global hotel industry's leading cloud platform, SiteMinder, has signed its 30,000th hotel customer as a show of the worldwide demand for integrated hotel guest acquisition technology. SiteMinder has secured River Palace Hotel in Italy to achieve its most recent milestone and continue its strong trajectory in the dynamic European region where forty percent of its hotel customers today are based. According to the director of River Palace Hotel, Paolo Rivolo, what the property needed was flexibility in the setup of its management systems and more autonomy for guests. "Technology is imperative for a hotel like ours, ...
Navigating Hotel Industry Changes With a New Mobile PMS
March 28, 2018
By Jos Schaap CEO and Founder - StayNTouch The future is now, and the hospitality realm is rapidly changing as modern advancements are realized by savvy hoteliers at the forefront of industry-wide improvements. As guest expectations shift in a more mobile-focused, tech-forward direction, we're seeing countless hoteliers embracing the upgrade to a new, mobile PMS software. While the traditional, legacy PMS was confined to a dedicated desktop behind the front desk, mobile and cloud-based PMS frees that technology (and your staff) from those previous limitations. Right from a tablet device, staff can access guest info, manage rates and gro...
Owned by Starwood Capital Group and Managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Set to Open in Longmont, Colorado
Fairfield Inn & Suites | March 28, 2018
Longmont, CO – March 28, 2018 – The 95-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Longmont, Colorado is scheduled to open this Tuesday, April 3, 2018 with its smart, inventive public space and guest room design, and its bright and inviting décor. Located at 1089 South Hover Street, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Boulder Longmont will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by Starwood Capital Group and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality of Plano, Texas. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Boulder Longmont offers guests convenient access to downtown Denver, the University of Colo...
Eclipse Hospitality Matches Coloring Contest Prize Money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Eclipse Hospitality | March 27, 2018
PHOENIX, March 28, 2018 - Casegoods manufacturer Eclipse Hospitality has matched the prize money in a Coloring for Kids contest, awarding a private donation to further the work of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Organized by multi-line manufacturer's representative Louise Ross, president of Louise Ross & Associates, the Coloring for Kids contest challenged designers in the hospitality industry to feature their artistic talent by coloring any of the four alternating designs included in a pad of coloring book-style sticky notes. Eclipse Hospitality distributed the custom-designed sticky notes together with a set of mini col...
Mainsail Lodging & Development Promotes Neisja Jones to General Manager of Mainsail Housing of Tampa Overseeing Oakwood and ExecuStay Brands
Mainsail Lodging & Development LLC | March 27, 2018
TAMPA, Fla. (March 27, 2018) – Mainsail Lodging & Development announced today the promotion of Neisja Jones to general manager of Mainsail Housing of Tampa, LLC. As general manager, Jones will function as the operational leader of the Mainsail housing market, responsible for guest and employee satisfaction, financial performance, sales and revenue generation and operations effectiveness. In her new role, she will ensure implementation of the Oakwood® and ExecuStay® brand service standards and initiatives with the objective of meeting or exceeding guest expectations. "Neisja has been a loyal and valued member of the Mai...
Emaar Hospitality Group With Meraas Unveils Plans for Vida Za’abeel Hotel and Serviced Residences in Dubai
Emaar Hospitality Group | March 27, 2018
Dubai, UAE; March 27, 2018: Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, has expanded the portfolio of hotel projects under its upscale lifestyle hotel and serviced residences brand, Vida Hotels and Resorts, with the new Vida Za'abeel, set centrally in Zabeel, a mega-development by Emaar as a joint venture with Meraas. Za'abeel is a mixed-use development in the heart of Dubai, overlooking the Zabeel Park, and will feature world-class residences, commercial offices, hotels and leisure attractions. Vida Za'abeel is at the heart of Za'abeel, with direct views of the Dubai Frame, the iconic new a...
HVS Market Pulse: Downtown Chicago, IL
Dana Waud | March 27, 2018
By Dana Waud and Stacey E. Nadolny Chicago, America's "Second City" or, in the words of the poet Carl Sandburg, the "City of the Big Shoulders," has long enjoyed global recognition for its stories, intrigue, and ingenuity. The city's tourist attractions, international companies, celebrities, special events, and North America's largest convention center place it among the prime destinations in the U.S. for business, leisure, and conventions. The diverse neighborhoods surrounding the Loop are abundant in music, art, and culture, while Downtown Chicago's commercial and tourist attractions include Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Navy P...
TIN Hotels, Joint Venture Between GHM and van de Bunt Partners, Inks Deal with Tibet Da’ji for TIN Lhasa Set to Open in 2020
TIN Hotels | March 27, 2018
SINGAPORE (Mar. 27, 2018) – TIN Hotels International Group Ltd, the joint venture partnership between General Hotel Management Ltd (GHM) and van de Bunt Partners to introduce lifestyle travellers to a new generation of accommodations, has inked a management agreement with China's Tibet Da'ji Hotel Co. Ltd. to plant the TIN Hotels flag on the soil of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa, widely regarded as the centre of the Tibetan Buddhist world and an exotic travel destination, is, in essence, a microcosm of what TIN Hotels represents to the hospitality industry: unconventional, a place to connect (or reconnect), a sensitivity to b...
Make the Hotel the Most Beautiful Place on Earth…Opportunities to Seize!
Georges Panayotis | March 27, 2018
By Georges Panayotis Tell me what you love, I'll tell you who you are. This old adage is even truer today since many customers are developing statutory consumption including for travel. In order to attract and develop the loyalty of these clients, today it is all the more necessary to tell a story, make them dream, make them want to stay at your hotel... what could be more logical for a major group than to rely on its brands and reputation. Seems obvious, doesn't it? And yet, we question ourselves; we even sometimes worry when we see the direction some are headed in as they leave behind their brands' values to die after decades of reno...
WTTC Research Shows Travel & Tourism Responsible for Creation of 7 Million New Jobs Worldwide
WTTC | March 27, 2018
WTTC's annual Economic Impact Research, released today, shows that Travel & Tourism was responsible for the creation of 7 million new jobs worldwide. The report also shows that 2017 was a bumper year for the global Travel & Tourism sector, which grew at 4.6%, much faster than the economy as a whole (3% growth during 2017). Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO said, "Travel & Tourism creates jobs, drives economic growth and helps build better societies. Our research shows that our sector was responsible for the creation of one in five of all jobs globally. In the last few years, Governments around the world are realising ...
Singha Estate PCL Partners With Hilton to Open New 198-Room Boutique Resort in the Maldives by End-2018
Singha Estate Public Company Limited | March 27, 2018
MALDIVES and MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has entered into a franchise agreement with Singha Estate Public Company Limited (Singha Estate PCL) to open a new boutique resort in the Maldives, which will join the Curio Collection by Hilton portfolio of nearly 50 upper upscale independent hotels around the world. The new Curio Collection property forms part of CROSSROADS project, the first-ever integrated leisure and entertainment resort destination that is currently under development in Emboodhoo Lagoon, Maldives. The new resort will be managed by S Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Singha Estate PCL, and is scheduled to open in en...
HFTP Announces Exclusive CIO/CFO Event Sponsorship Agreement With Fourteen IP at HITEC Amsterdam
HFTP | March 27, 2018
AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA -- Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), an international nonprofit and producers of the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®), is pleased to announce its exclusive CIO/CFO event sponsorship agreement with Fourteen IP Communications Ltd at the upcoming HITEC Amsterdam 2018. The invitation-only event that brings together CIOs and CFOs from leading hotel and hospitality companies from across Europe will take place on 11 April to kick-off HITEC Amsterdam, which is taking place from 11-13 April at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre. The CIO/CFO pre-conference eve...
Hilton Signs With Wessal Capital for 150-Room Hotel Set for 2022 Opening in the Moroccan Capital City of Rabat
Hilton | March 27, 2018
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 27, 2018/ -- Hilton (NYSE:HLT) (http://HiltonWorldwide.com) will once again be welcoming guests to the Moroccan capital city of Rabat from 2022 after a landmark deal was signed with Wessal Capital. At a ceremony in Dubai, a management agreement for a 150 room Hilton Rabat to form part of the city's Wessal Bouregreg project was confirmed. The Wessal Bouregreg master development contains a range of high-end residential, entertainment and cultural attractions on the banks of the river Bouregreg. Guests at Hilton Rabat will enjoy close proximity to a range of new state of the art facilities including a sho...
Spring Hotel Outlook Shows Stability and Consistency in North American Markets
TravelClick | March 27, 2018
Strong Transient Booking Growth is Welcomed News for Hoteliers in Q1 NEW YORK – March 27, 2018 – TravelClick, a leading global provider of data and revenue-generating solutions for hoteliers, today released new data from the Company's March 2018 North American Hospitality Review (NAHR). According to this data, North American hoteliers are continuing to see growth across all travel segments, up 0.7 percent in average daily rates (ADR) and 1.7 percent in bookings during the first quarter of 2018. This marks an ongoing positive trend from the beginning of the year. Transient travel in particular is experiencing solid growth in ...
