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
SHR VP of Product to Lead Interactive Session at AAHOACON ‘18
SHR | March 26, 2018
HOUSTON, TX, March 26, 2018—Estella Hale, Vice President of Product for SHR, Sceptre Hospitality Resources, a pioneer in advanced hotel distribution technologies, will be co-hosting a special break-out session at the annual convention and trade show put on by AAHOA. This year's event will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, and will take place March 27-30. Capping off Thursday's activities, the special interactive session, entitled "Who Wants to Be (and Stay) a Millionaire?" will run from 5-6p.m. on Thursday, and will follow a creative game show format specifically geared towa...
Hospitality Social Media Marketing News – Issue #1
Lodging Interactive | March 26, 2018
What just happened in social media and what it means for hospitality. Mon, 26 March 2018 - Welcome to the first issue of Hospitality Social Media News, where we cover what just happened in social media and what it means for the hospitality industry. Marketing tactics are ever-changing, but social media is on another level. New features, changes, and updates to the algorithms happen so fast that it's easy to miss them. We don't want you to miss a single thing that could improve your hotel's social performance, so we'll be compiling bi-weekly lists of the most important changes happening on social media and how it will af...
Why Protection of Your Staff and Guests Should Be a High Priority
Victoria Lim | March 26, 2018
By Victoria Lim A hotel business is an industry in which people, experiences, and sensations are the key. This is why your ability to help people feel safe is something completely indispensable. Still, as you already saw, this takes place on several different planes. First, you have to make people feel physically safe and the only way to do so is with adequate emergency management. Second, you need to be able to guarantee the safety of their assets for as long as they are your guests. Finally, it is about assertiveness, competence, and people-skills of your team. The key to the last one lies in motivating your team to put in that extra ...
How Long Do Economic Cycles Last?
Hans Detlefsen | March 26, 2018
By Hans Detlefsen In June of 1857 the U.S. economy entered its 30th consecutive month of expansion. But banks were already starting to feel the impact of bad loans piling up. As the gold rush slowed, the pace of migration westward across the country also slowed. Railroad stocks began to decline. Land speculators lost big when new railroad construction projects did not materialize as they had hoped. When international newspapers reported that the British government had circumvented rules pertaining to gold reserves, U.S. depositors wondered whether something like that could happen here. Banks came under increasing pressure to meet withdr...
Boston & Cambridge Hotel Market Reaches Historic Highs in 2017 Before Next Wave of Supply
Sebastian Colella | March 26, 2018
As published in NEREJ, written by Sebastian J. Colella Mirroring the US national lodging market's eight straight years of demand growth, the Boston and Cambridge lodging market recorded an occupancy of 82.2% in 2017, its highest in history. Average daily rate (ADR) increased 1.4% to $258, another market record. Driven more by occupancy than rate, the resulting market revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased 3.0%, matching the growth experienced nationally in 2017. Although the market's RevPAR declined in 2016 for the first time in six years, dynamics shifted in 2017 as the market benefitted from a strong convention calendar with we...
Ferguson Hotel Development and True North Hotel Group Open TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Hays, Kansas
TownePlace Suites by Marriott | March 26, 2018
Hays, KS – March 26, 2018 – Get ready to be real and be you on long stays. Marriott International's TownePlace Suites by Marriott Hays has opened in Kansas. On average, a TownePlace Suites opens every six days. Built for travelers looking for a simple and friendly place where they can settle-in, keep their routine, and easily connect to the Hays area. The new TownePlace Suites located at 4001 General Hays Road, continues to exemplify the brand's rapid growth. The new hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, developed by Ferguson Hotel Development of Liberty, Missouri and managed by True North Hotel Group of Overland P...
Helping Hotel Workers Manage Their Financial Stress
Chris Whitlow | March 26, 2018
By Chris Whitlow PwC reports that a third of the American workforce is stressed about their personal financial situation and they bring those frustrations to work. Additionally, the average wage for many employees in the hotel and travel-related industries is about $11 per hour, with many desk and service workers making less. This means that many hotel workers are stretching their paychecks each month to both cover bills and try to plan for their future. For hotel and hospitality employers, helping their employees better address their financial stresses can not only reduce turnover rates, but also foster a healthier workforce overall. W...
SEH United Hoteliers makes the move to digital with its hotels
SEH United Hoteliers | March 26, 2018
SEH United Hoteliers makes the move to digital with its hotels via its "All on-board for change" programme As Europe's leading multi-brand hotel cooperative group, SEH United Hoteliers is embarking on a digital transition to better meet clients' needs and offer a unique experience in its 600 hotels. Having embraced the deep-set changes currently shaking up the hospitality industry, the Group decided to revolutionise its practices in a very different way to the techniques currently used by other hospitality and travel professionals: working in total synergy and partnership with the Group's independent hotel members....
Galaxy Entertainment to Purchase 5.3 Million Primary Shares of Wynn Resorts; Former CEO and Founder Steve Wynn to Sell Remaining Eight Million Shares
Galaxy Entertainment Group | March 23, 2018
HONG KONG and LAS VEGAS, March 23, 2018 -- Galaxy Entertainment Group (HKEx stock code: 27) and Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN) today announced that Galaxy Entertainment has agreed to purchase 5.3 million primary shares of Wynn Resorts at a price of $175 a share, resulting in $927,500,000 of gross proceeds to Wynn Resorts. Galaxy Entertainment Group Vice Chairman Francis Lui said, "This is a unique opportunity to acquire an investment in a globally recognized entertainment corporation with exceptionally high quality assets and a significant development pipeline." "It is an honor to have such a distinguished company a...
Owned and Managed by Duke Hospitality, New Courtyard Hotel Set to Open in Rome, Georgia
Courtyard by Marriott | March 23, 2018
Rome, GA – March 26, 2018 – Courtyard by Marriott Rome is scheduled to open its doors in Rome, Georgia on Wednesday, March 28, 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 300 West 3rd Street, the 124-room hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Duke Hospitality of Conyers, Georgia. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, the Courtyard Rome offers guests convenient access to the Forum River Center, the historic Desoto The...
Dave Johnson Named Chairman & CEO of Aimbridge Hospitality; Robert Burg Promoted to President & COO
Aimbridge Hospitality | March 22, 2018
DALLAS, Texas (March 2018) – Dave Johnson has taken on the additional title of chairman of Aimbridge Hospitality in addition to his current position of chief executive officer while Robert Burg has taken on the additional role of president in addition to his current position of chief operating officer. Aimbridge's board of directors asked Johnson, Aimbridge's current chief executive officer and co-founder, to step into the role of chairman in relation to former co-founder, Les Bentley's retirement. "I am honored that the board asked me to step into this additional role," said Dave Johnson. "It has been my pleasure to serve Aimbrid...
Grand Hyatt San Antonio Completes $19 Million Renovation Led by General Manager Ed Bucholtz
Grand Hyatt San Antonio | March 22, 2018
San Antonio, Tex. (March 22, 2018) – Grand Hyatt San Antonio, a luxury hotel located on San Antonio's famous River Walk, announces its 10th anniversary on March 22, 2018. Built in 2008, the hotel has accommodated more than three million guests, hosted more than 5,000 meetings, and has served millions of patrons in its bars and restaurants since opening. To complement the anniversary and honor guests, the hotel completed a $19 million renovation of guestrooms, meeting spaces, bar, corridors and lobby in time for the anniversary. "Grand Hyatt San Antonio is thrilled to celebrate 10 years of service to our guests and the City of San ...
BENCHMARK® Appoints Sean Ruddy Executive Chef for High Hampton Resort in Cashiers, NC
High Hampton Resort | March 22, 2018
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, March 2018… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Sean Ruddy executive chef for High Hampton Resort, located in Cashiers, North Carolina. The resort is a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® property. Tom Garcia, Benchmark's vice president and general manager, made the announcement. "I am so pleased to welcome Sean to High Hampton Resort" said Mr. Garcia. "He blends his love for cooking and his profound appreciation of the importance cuisine plays in our guests' lives with his tremendous love for the south and the region's unique flavors." Chef Sean Ruddy was previously the executi...
Sheraton Grand Los Cabos, Hacienda del Mar Promotes Manuel de Luca to Director of Food & Beverage and Cristian Schwuger Named Executive Chef
Sheraton Grand Los Cabos, Hacienda del Mar | March 22, 2018
Los Cabos, Mexico (March 22, 2018) – Sheraton Grand Los Cabos, Hacienda del Mar announced today that current Executive Chef, Manuel de Luca has been named Director of Food and Beverage and current Executive Sous Chef, Cristian Schwuger will step up to become Executive Chef. Manuel de Luca, who has been the Executive Chef at Sheraton Grand Los Cabos for the last six years and simultaneously running the food and beverage operations will take on the directorship full time. De Luca has always believed that quality and excellence require dedication and commitment and that is the ethic he will be bringing to his new position. Trained in...
Two Roads Hospitality Assumes Management of The Landing Lake Tahoe Resort & Spa
Destination Hotels | March 22, 2018
DENVER, CO. – March 22, 2018 - Two Roads Hospitality, the international lifestyle company featuring an unrivaled collection of truly individual hotels, resorts and vacation residences, has assumed management of The Landing Lake Tahoe Resort & Spa, the region's boutique lakeside resort, as part of its Destination Hotels collection. Situated on the lake's pristine southern shores located just blocks away from downtown South Lake Tahoe, the property originally debuted in 2013 and features 77 luxury guest rooms and suites and a full-service spa. Perched adjacent to the majestic Sierra Mountains, The Landing Lake Tahoe is also minu...
Brian Coughlin Appointed General Manager of Maryland’s New Flagship Live! Hotel
Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland | March 22, 2018
HANOVER, Md., March 22, 2018 -- Live! Casino & Hotel today announced the key appointment of BRIAN COUGHLIN as General Manager of the flagship Live! Hotel, set to open in the Spring of 2018. In his new capacity, Mr. Coughlin will manage day-to-day hotel operations and raise brand awareness to drive traffic to the hotel, including new staff training, best-in-class guest service, compliance, financial planning and revenue management. He will elevate the Live! brand through his leadership background in hotels within the four and five diamond segments, focusing on ensuring the effective execution of strategies to reflect the hotel's ...
Denihan Hospitality Strengthens Senior Team With Promotion of Gul Goknar Turkmenoglu to Regional Vice President of Operations
Denihan Hospitality | March 22, 2018
NEW YORK - March 22, 2018 - Denihan Hospitality ("Denihan" or the "Company"), a full-service hospitality company focusing on developing, owning, managing and franchising boutique luxury and lifestyle hotels, is pleased to announce the promotion of Gul Goknar Turkmenoglu to Regional Vice President of Operations. Ms. Goknar Turkmenoglu will also continue to serve as General Manager of The Benjamin, the Company's 209-room luxury boutique hotel located in Midtown Manhattan. In her new position, Ms. Goknar Turkmenoglu will oversee Denihan's growing operations team including all general managers. She is also responsible for implementing prove...
Protecting the Hotel Brand by Providing ‘Reliable’ Information
Dr. Isabella Blengini | March 22, 2018
By Dr. Isabella Blengini and Dr. Giuliano Bianchi Elle Darby may not be a household name but this video blogger does have influence in social media circles with some 87,000 YouTube subscribers and 76,000 Instagram followers. According to media reports – some 114 articles in all across 20 countries -- she contacted the Charleville Lodge Hotel in Dublin, offering the owner exposure on her social media channels in exchange of a free stay for her and her boyfriend over the Valentine's Day weekend. The hotel owner declined, posting his reply online and publicly banning all social media influencers from his hotel. This provoked a series...
Berlin – In Search of ADR Growth – an HVS Market Pulse Overview
Dayk Balyozyan | March 22, 2018
This market pulse provides an overview of the tourism and hotel market in Berlin, Germany. It discusses recent tourism trends, challenges encountered in pushing average rate and provides a summary of the extensive hotel pipeline. Click here to view. ...
dormakaba White Paper: Steps to Deliver a 21st Century Mobile Access Experience
dormakaba | March 22, 2018
White Paper Details What is Behind The Click When a Guest Opens Their Hotel Room Door and How to Deliver a Perfect Mobile Access Experience MONTREAL, QC, CANADA – March 22, 2018 – dormakaba, the provider of Saflok™ and Ilco™ electronic locks, announced its new white paper detailing why mobile access is becoming essential to property success and how operators can deliver it. The paper, "Guests Demand a 21st Century Stay: Secure Mobile Access Unlocks Your Competitive Edge," reviews the accelerating mobile use in travel, and explains what goes into seamless property mobile access control system delivery. Click here...
Beekeeper to Showcase Hospitality’s ‘Most Innovative Technology’ at AAHOA Convention
Beekeeper | March 22, 2018
Award-winning digital workplace app that connects desk and non-desk hotel employees across locations and departments in real time via mobile or desktop will be on display in Booth #1075 SAN FRANCISCO, CA March 22, 2018 - Next week members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Assn. can experience hospitality's "most innovative technology" at the AAHOA Annual Convention & Trade Show, to be held March 27 to 30 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. The Beekeeper digital workforce platform, considered to be the best employee app in the industry, will be on display in Booth #1075. With Beekeeper, hot...
From Dreaming to Booking Part IV: The Booking Phase – How to Capitalize on the Booking Phase of the Travel Planning Journey
HEBS Digital | March 22, 2018
By Margaret Mastrogiacomo, VP Strategy This article is part four in a five-part series that uncovers top strategies for reaching potential guests in meaningful moments throughout every stage of the travel planning journey to increase direct bookings. This article focuses on the fourth stage of travel planning: the booking phase. Finally, after the daydreaming, advice-seeking, and travel planning comes to an end, the long-awaited moment arrives where travelers are ready to book. This is the moment of truth where your hotel brand must not only be present, but compelling enough to win the direct booking. Below we explore the booking phase ...
Agilysys Participates in HTNG Whitepaper on GDPR
Agilysys | March 22, 2018
Guidance for Hospitality Industry Professionals on GDPR Regulations in Newly Released Whitepaper ALPHARETTA, GA. — March 22, 2018 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced the release of an HTNG whitepaper on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Stephen Clay, Product Manager, represented Agilysys in the workgroup assembled to discuss the GDPR and its impact on the hospitality industry. The workgroup was coordinated by Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG), a global not-for-profit trade association. The GDPR is a...
Rainmaker VP to Speak at Tribal Casino & Hotel Development Conference
Rainmaker | March 22, 2018
Presentation to focus on the tracking mechanisms casinos can use to increase profitability ALPHARETTA, GA – March 22, 2018 – The Rainmaker Group (Rainmaker), a leading provider of cloud-based hospitality revenue and profit optimization software, today announced that Angie Dobney, vice president of casino and gaming sales, will be a featured speaker at the 11th Annual Tribal Casino & Hotel Development Conference. The conference will be held March 26-27 at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. Rainmaker is a gold-level sponsor of the event. Dobney will participate in a panel discussion entitled, How Tracking...
