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
HSMAI and National Geographic Traveler to Celebrate Sustainable Hospitality
HSMAI | February 15, 2018
These Gold Award honorees are finalists in the running for the top honor, a Platinum Award, to be awarded at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala on February 20 at the New York Marriott Marquis. The Leader in Sustainable Tourism Award recognizes a person, company, or community for demonstrable leadership and innovation in preserving and communicating an authentic sense of place through a wisely managed tourism campaign. Nominees were judged by how their efforts preserve the environmental, cultural, and historic integrity of a destination, and how the program demonstrated leadership, innovation and accomplished its goals. En...
NAVIS Appoints Michelle Marquis to Vice President of Strategic Market Development
NAVIS | February 15, 2018
Newly formed position to explore emerging opportunities and strategic markets for hospitality technology leader BEND, Ore. (February 15, 2018) –NAVIS, the #1 sales and marketing platform for hotels, resorts, management companies and vacation rentals, today announced that Michelle Marquis will move into the newly formed position of Vice President of Strategic Development. In her new role, Michelle will identify and evaluate new market opportunities as well as play a key role in assessing evolving trends and future demands as part of the company's growth strategy. "Michelle's proven success at NAVIS and her deep understanding of th...
HMC to Manage 104-Room Holiday Inn Express in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) | February 15, 2018
Dallas, TX – Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), is pleased to announce the management of this 104-room Holiday Inn Express in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to their portfolio of managed hotels. HMC will be working in partnership with new ownership group Newstream Commercial®, headed by Scott Tarwater, President of the company's Hotel and Resorts Division. HMC continues its ongoing business expansion which is made up of full service, conference center, select service and limited service hotels. HMC is one of the country's largest third-party privately held hotel management companies, ranked i...
Denihan Hospitality Names John Chan SVP of Development and and Garine Ferejian-Mayo SVP of Market Strategy and Revenue Management
Denihan Hospitality | February 15, 2018
NEW YORK--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 appointments of John Chan as Senior Vice President of Development and Garine Ferejian-Mayo as Senior Vice President of Market Strategy and Revenue Management. Collectively, Mr. Chan and Ms. Ferejian-Mayo bring to Denihan a 35-year record of accomplishment in the hospitality industry. As SVP of Development, Mr. Chan is responsible for identifying, evaluating and executing upon strategic opportunities to fuel Denihan's long-t...
Divi Resorts Appoints Anne-Marie Brooks as General Manager for Divi Little Bay Beach Resort
Divi Resorts | February 15, 2018
Divi Resorts is thrilled to welcome back Anne-Marie Brooks as the new General Manager of Divi Little Bay Beach Resort on St. Maarten. Brooks joins the team in February, 28 years after her first internship at Divi Little Bay back in 1990. She replaces Celine Van Meer, who is now the General Manager at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino on Bonaire. "We're overjoyed that Anne-Marie has decided to return to Divi Little Bay," said Marco Galaverna, Divi Resorts President & COO. "We're making great progress in getting Little Bay back up and running in May, and we can't wait to see what fresh and innovative ideas Anne-Marie brings to t...
DZEE Textiles Introduces a New Line of Luxury Towels
D-ZEE Textiles LLC | February 15, 2018
DZEE Textiles LLC has introduced a new line of luxury towels for high-end hotels and resorts in the United States. Forte Towels are available in three sizes; Wash Cloth, Hand Towel and Bath Towel. The leading manufacturer and distributor of hotel linen and bath supplies will now offer a wide range of top notch terry towels. Forte is manufactured with 100% combed cotton yarn that ensures weight, richness and softness in the towels. These towels are available in up to 20.00 lbs quality with classic double dobby on hem borders that speaks for its elegance and grace. Forte Towels are locked with superior double-needle stitching to avoid unr...
Cher-Ae Heights Casino Selects Agilysys Solution Suite for Increased Operational Efficiency and Secure Guest Payments
Agilysys | February 15, 2018
Northern California Indian Casino Resort to Deploy InfoGenesis® POS, rGuest® Analyze and rGuest® Pay to Deliver an Exceptional Guest Experience ALPHARETTA, GA. — February 15, 2018 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that the Cher-Ae Heights Casino in Northern California has chosen Agilysys InfoGenesis® POS, rGuest® Analyze and rGuest® Pay solutions to upgrade technology at the property. The casino will secure guests' financial data with rGuest Pay, while InfoGenesis POS will help optimize food and be...
Rainmaker Executives Featured at Hotel Revenue Conference 2018
Rainmaker | February 15, 2018
Presentation to focus on optimizing group business for higher conversion rates and increased revenue ALPHARETTA, GA – Feb. 15, 2018 – The Rainmaker Group (Rainmaker), a leading provider of cloud-based hospitality revenue and profit optimization software, announced today that Amy Forss, senior sales director, and Mike Pavicich, director of hospitality sales, will be featured speakers at the Hotel Revenue Conference 2018. The conference will be held Feb. 21-22 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. Rainmaker is a gold-level sponsor of the event. Forss and Pavicich will speak on optimizing group business for higher conversio...
Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa Welcomes Justin Earle as New General Manager
Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa | February 15, 2018
JUPITER, FLORIDA – February 2018 – Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa welcomes Justin Earle as General Manager. The seasoned hospitality professional brings more than a decade of experience to the area's only oceanfront resort, where he will be responsible for overseeing daily operations and employee management while ensuring overall guest satisfaction. Hailing from Saco, Maine, Earle began his hospitality career in 2005 as an operations manager of The Westin Key West Resort & Marina. Since then, he's held managerial positions at properties and hotel brands across the state of Florida, including the Delray Beach Marriott and...
Le Méridien Chiang Mai Appoints Rajat Chatterjee as General Manager
Le Meridien Chiang Mai | February 15, 2018
Chiang Mai, Thailand – 16 February 2018 – Le Méridien Chiang Mai, the luxury hotel conference venue in the charming city of Northern Thailand, is pleased to announce the appointment of Rajat Chatterjee as the new General Manager. Mr. Chatterjee has over 25 years of international hospitality experience ranging from rooms to food and beverage operations with International hotel chains. Before joining the Le Meridien, Chiang Mai Mr. Chatterjee held several positions at multiple hotels under Marriott International spanning major cities in Asia and Middle East including the JW Marriott, Mumbai, Courtyard by Marriott, Chenn...
O’Reilly Hospitality Management Opens Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Springfield, Missouri
Fairfield Inn & Suites | February 14, 2018
Springfield, MO – February 14, 2018 – The 103-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Springfield, Missouri opened with its smart, inventive public space and guest room design, and its bright and inviting décor. Located at 2455 North Glenstone Avenue, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Springfield North will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by O'Reilly Hospitality Management of Springfield, Missouri. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Springfield North offers guests convenient access to Wonders of Wildlife, Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, Dickerson Park Zoo and th...
Get Your Hotel Operations Team Onboard The Tricycle of Guest Service
Doug Kennedy | February 14, 2018
By Doug Kennedy As hospitality industry trainers know, using symbols and models can help trainees grasp abstract concepts and make seemingly-complex paradigms easy to understand. Seems like is a good time for the hotel industry to update its model, so let's get your team onboard The Tricycle of Guest Service. When you think about it, a tricycle is the perfect model for a positive guest experience. For one, it has three wheels, just like the three components of a memorable guest stay. The back wheels represent Technology and Systems Efficiency and a quality Physical "Product," while the front wheel stands for Hospitality and Guest Servic...
Other Operated Departments Become Even More Minor
Robert Mandelbaum | February 14, 2018
By Robert Mandelbaum In lodging industry parlance, other operated departments are frequently referred to as minor operated departments. Based on recent trends in other operated department revenues and profits, these sources of income have become less consequential to both the top and bottom lines of U.S. hotels. Other operated departments consist of revenue generating services provided by the hotel, and the vast majority of the costs, operational responsibility and financial risk for providing these services are assumed by the hotel. Examples of other operated departments include gift shops, golf courses, spas, and parking lots. The rec...
Learn the Four C’s of Successful Selling
Katie Scheer | February 14, 2018
By Katie Scheer It is a very competitive and fast paced consumer world. For your business to thrive, you must take the time to learn (and know) your product, competition, market trends, economic factors, and current events. Customer relationships have to be built, AND accounts must be qualified. How can you qualify and build customer relationships? First, inquiring about the customer's key needs and objectives are questions that must be asked during the sales process. Then, by understanding the needs of the customer, your sales process and pitch can be custom designed to match his/her key needs. What's better? Your customer will kno...
The 2018 International Toilet Tourism Awards Now Open
MyTravelResearch.com | February 14, 2018
The destinations with the best tourist toilets in the world will be invited to sit on the throne for a year [Clockwise from bottom left] International Toilet Tourism Awards co-founders Carolyn Childs and Bronwyn White; Dunnies with a Difference, quirkiest winner last year; a new category of Sanitation Progress for emerging economies has been added for the toilet awards in 2018; and the new bright entrance to Southern Highlands Welcome Centre loos (winner of Best Economic Contributor in the 2017 awards.) THE 2018 International Toilet Tourism Awards are now open to submissions from tourism destinations that want to wipe the floor with th...
How Amazon Go ‘No Checkout’ Stores Will Influence the Future of the Hospitality & Travel Industry
Alan E. Young | February 14, 2018
By Alan E. Young Our world is endlessly transformative, with a wealth of technological innovations and advances coming to life and capturing large-scale societal attention on what feels like a weekly basis. Self-driving cars, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence — the future seems to be arriving faster than some of us have a chance to take a breath. At the heart of most revolutionary technology exists the progressive desire for increased convenience and efficiency as it applies to our day-to-day lives, businesses and more. Staying true to this trend, Amazon Go recently opened a grocery store like we've never experienced (but pr...
What Winesday Teaches Us About Restaurant Marketing
Larry Mogelonsky | February 14, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) One clever practice used in restaurants to drum up sales during the midweek druthers is to devote a given day of the week or period of each day (otherwise known as 'happy hour') to a special promotion, either in the form of unique offerings or unbeatable deals. While this a good start for boosting those slow midweek cycles, numerous other eateries already have these types of programs fully set up with established marketing engines. And when everyone else is running something like this, how will you stand out by directly imitating your competitors? You can't, not unless you change th...
Tambourine Shares – It’s Valentine’s Day: What Are Hotel Marketers Loving?
Tambourine | February 14, 2018
Each year around Valentine's Day, we ask clients, partners and industry insiders what they are feeling warm and fuzzy about… here are the 7 things they're smitten with right now: 1. A Strong Economy and Positive Industry Forecasts The smart folks at STR, CBRE and PWC all generally agree that 2018 will be another year of steady growth for the hotel industry. (You can download STR's detailed breakdown by market here.) Fueled by a strong global economy, relatively low gas prices and limited supply growth, the US hotel industry is once again expected to enjoy positive RevPAR and ADR growth. And since all boats rise with the tide&hel...
Latin America’s Construction Pipeline Stalling With Pojects Down 5% YOY
Lodging Econometrics | February 14, 2018
February 14, 2018 – PORTSMOUTH, NH The Total Construction Pipeline in Latin America has 831 Projects/142,084 Rooms, down 5% by projects Year-Over-Year (YOY). There are 374 Projects/67,130 Rooms Under Construction, down 9% by projects YOY. Projects Scheduled to Start Construction in the Next 12 Months are at 208 Projects/31,614 Rooms, up 23%, while those in Early Planning are at 249 Projects/43,340 Rooms, down 16% YOY. The top hotel companies in Latin America's Construction Pipeline by projects are: AccorHotels with 136 Projects/19,729 Rooms, Marriott International with 99 Projects/16,054 Rooms and Hilton Worldwide with 70 Projects...
New Lodge at the Presidio Set for June Opening in Former Army Post’s Montgomery Street Barracks Located in San Francisco’s National Park
the Presidio Trust | February 14, 2018
PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO (February 14, 2018) - The new Lodge at the Presidio, located in San Francisco's national park, is now taking reservations in anticipation of a June opening. As the closest lodging in San Francisco to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, this newly rehabilitated historic boutique hotel will provide unparalleled views of the bridge, the Presidio's lush 300-acre forest, the San Francisco Bay, and the city skyline. The park's first hotel, Inn at the Presidio, has enjoyed a 94% occupancy since opening in 2012, welcoming over 75,000 guests in its 26 rooms in that time. The Inn has earned such accolades as the "Historic Hot...
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Partners with The Liamuiga Corporation for 2021 Brand Debut in St. Kitts
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC | February 14, 2018
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. has signed a management agreement with The Liamuiga Corporation to open a Ritz-Carlton resort in St. Kitts expected in 2021, bringing the award-winning luxury brand to this Eastern Caribbean Island for the first time. The natural beauty of St. Kitts attracts travelers from every corner of the world. Steeped in history, this destination, which is part of the Leeward Island chain of the Lesser Antilles, is treasured for its breathtaking mountainous terrain, rain forests and expansive beaches. "We are excited to bring The Ritz-Carlton brand to the stunning island of St. Kitts and are happy to have fou...
Hilton Signs with Gulf-Egypt for Hotels & Tourism to Operate Heliopolis Hotel & Towers as Hilton Cairo Heliopolis and Soon-to-Be Waldorf Astoria in Af
Hilton | February 14, 2018
CAIRO, Egypt, February 14, 2018 -- Hilton (NYSE:HLT) continues its growth and development in Egypt, 60 years after first entering the country, with the opening of the Hilton Cairo Heliopolis. The leading global hospitality company has also confirmed plans for the debut of its luxury brand Waldorf Astoria in Egypt later this year – once rebranded, this will be the company's first Waldorf Astoria hotel in Africa, staking ground for Hilton as a luxury operator in the region. Hilton has signed two management agreements with Gulf-Egypt for Hotels & Tourism (S.A.E) to operate Heliopolis Hotel & Towers Luxury Hotel under two dist...
Duetto Closes $80 Million Series D Financing Round Led by Warburg Pincus
Duetto | February 14, 2018
Record investment in hotel technology will fuel product growth and global expansion of industry's only Revenue Strategy Platform SAN FRANCISCO – February 14, 2018 — Duetto, hospitality's only Revenue Strategy Platform, announced today the closing of an $80 million Series D financing round led by funds affiliated with Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The round is the largest ever non-acquisition investment in a software company serving the hotel industry. Duetto was founded in 2012 by CEO Patrick Bosworth, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Marco Benvenuti and Chief Technolog...
Omni Dallas Hotel Names Greg Wallace as Executive Chef
Omni Dallas | February 14, 2018
DALLAS – Omni Dallas Hotel announces the addition of Executive Chef Greg Wallace to its talented culinary staff. In this role, Wallace will oversee all culinary operations at the property, including the Restaurants on Lamar – a variety of seven restaurants including Biergarten, Black Ship Little Katana, Bob's Steak & Chop House, Café Herrera, Coal Vines, Texas Spice and The Owners Box. The restaurants offer a variety of different cuisines for both visitors and locals alike. "An accomplished culinary mastermind, Chef Wallace has many years of experience in the hospitality dining industry," said John Imaizumi, manag...
