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
January 2018 Lodging Insights Video Presented by CBRE
CBRE Hotels' Americas Research | January 19, 2018
Mark Woodworth and Jack Corgel discuss the changing profile of U.S. travelers, and how that has impacted lodging demand. ...
HFTP Launches New GDPR Bytes Site, an Addition to its Online News Portfolio
HFTP | January 19, 2018
A daily news source as the industry prepares for a compliance date of May 25, 2018 Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), an international nonprofit hospitality association, announced today the launch of its new GDPR Bytes website. GDPR Bytes is an aggregated content destination where users will find the latest news all in one place. The cross-platform site serves as a daily news outlet that brings together specific publications, reports, feature articles, white papers and more. As hospitality companies conducting business in Europe prepare to make operational changes to conform with the EU General Data Protecti...
S.D. Malkin and Two Roads Hospitality to Develop Two New-Build Oceanfront Hotels in Southern California
S.D. Malkin Properties | January 19, 2018
DENVER, CO. – January 19, 2018 – S.D. Malkin Properties, Inc., an innovative developer and owner of iconic retail, hotel and entertainment destinations, and Two Roads Hospitality, an international lifestyle hotel company, jointly announce two new-build oceanfront hotels in Southern California. The adjacent hotels will be operated as Joie de Vivre Hotels and Destination Hotels properties, and together will be the largest beachfront development on the San Diego coastline in over twenty years. Located in Oceanside, a beachside enclave approximately 45 minutes up the coast from downtown San Diego, the two hotels will accelerate ...
SpringHill Suites By Marriott To Open Doors In Columbia, Missouri
The Sage Agency | January 19, 2018
Marriott International announced today that the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Columbia, Missouri is scheduled to open today. The 82-suite hotel, located at 3415 Clark Lane, will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by Columbia Hospitality Group and managed by Horizon Hospitality Management Inc. of Alpharetta, Georgia. The SpringHill Suites Columbia is located 12 miles from Columbia Regional Airport, and five minutes from downtown. The hotel offers guests convenient access to the University of Missouri campus and sports complex, Missouri Theatre, Rock Bridge State Park and the University of Missouri Botanical Gardens. "As a brand op...
Your Top 10 Digital Marketing New Year’s Resolutions
HEBS Digital | January 19, 2018
By Garrick Lee and Kerryn Gower As we say hello to 2018, January marks a time of resolutions and new beginnings. During this month, it's important for hoteliers to reflect on their past strategies and analyze results in order to set the framework for a successful year. Mapping out goals and determining your top digital marketing priorities are the first steps in executing a strong plan that achieves greater results than the year before. With the trend of increasing levels of supply and steadying levels of demand continuing in 2018, hoteliers need to reach potential guests at meaningful micro-moments throughout the entire travel planning...
Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel Appoints Gilles Rebmann as General Manager
Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel | January 18, 2018
NEW YORK, NY – January 18, 2018 – The Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel announces the appointment of Gilles Rebmann as the hotel's new General Manager. In this role, Rebmann will oversee the day-to-day operations and staff of the 348-room hotel at 35th Street and Seventh Avenue, which opened in March 2016, and is the flagship of the Renaissance brand. Gilles has extensive experience in the New York hospitality industry, his most recent role includes General Manager of the 149-room Triumph Hotels' Hotel Chandler in Midtown Manhattan. Prior to this position, he was Hotel Manager at the 480-room Novotel New York, also located ...
Hotel Tech in 2018: Tools and Technologies to Remove Friction and Deliver Value
Expedia.com | January 18, 2018
By Arthur Chapin Simply keeping up with the digital expectations of today's tech-savvy consumer is no longer an option. Exceeding those expectations is a travel industry imperative and an opportunity for hotels to focus on the only thing that truly matters to consumers: the end-to-end guest experience. One reason for the growing consumer adoption of new technologies is their growing digital impatience and expectation for instant responses, answers and solutions to their queries and purchasing requests. Underscoring this is the growing adoption of digital assistants. Today, 62 percent of consumers are comfortable with an AI application r...
La Quinta Holdings Names Keith A. Cline President and CEO of CorePoint Lodging Inc.
La Quinta Holdings Inc. | January 18, 2018
Appointment Takes Effect upon the Planned Spin-Off of Company's Owned Real Estate Assets Into New Publicly Traded Company named CorePoint Lodging IRVING, Texas, Jan. 18, 2018 -- The Board of Directors of La Quinta Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LQ) (the "Company" or "La Quinta") today announced the appointment of Keith A. Cline to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of CorePoint Lodging Inc. ("CorePoint" or "CPLG"). The appointment will take effect immediately upon the completion of the planned spin-off of La Quinta's owned real estate assets into a separate publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") named...
Hyatt to Realign its Corporate Leadership Team and Operations
Hyatt Hotels Corporation | January 18, 2018
CHICAGO (January 18, 2018) – Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H), today announced that Hyatt will realign its corporate leadership team and operations to accelerate its differentiated strategy to care for the high-end traveler with distinctive experiences. The key changes, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018, include the formation of a new commercial services portfolio at the Executive Committee level that will combine guest and customer engagement functions under a new chief commercial officer position. Further, the company is also consolidating managed ...
Alissa Heim Appointed Director of Sales & Marketing at The Source Hotel
The Source Hotel | January 18, 2018
Denver, CO (January 18, 2018) – Announced today, Alissa Heim will be the new Director of Sales & Marketing (DOSM) at The Source Hotel – one of The New York Time's "hotels to check out in 2018" – located in the River North (RiNo) neighborhood in Denver. The 100-room boutique property will open on May 1, 2018 and will complement its adjacent sister property, The Source, with an additional market hall showcasing New Belgium's first Denver small-batch brewery located in the lobby; a collection of experiential, artisan-focused vendors; three restaurants; and a rooftop terrace and pool with sweeping views of the downtown...
Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Appoints Sammy Carolus as General Manager
Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit | January 18, 2018
BANGKOK (Jan. 18, 2017) -- Sammy Carolus has been appointed general manager of Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, set to open later this year on vibrant Sukhumvit Road. In his new role, Carolus returns to Thailand -- a place in which he has spent more than half of his 25-year professional career -- to lead Bangkok's first Hyatt Regency branded hotel. Prior to this appointment, he was the general manager at Grand Hyatt Taipei. "After an extremely rewarding experience in Taipei, I am excited to be returning to the Land of Smiles," said Carolus, who first moved to Thailand in 2003 as director of marketing for Hyatt Regency Hua Hin & THE ...
Wyndham Worldwide to Acquire La Quinta’s Franchise and Management Businesses for $1.95 Billion in Cash
Wyndham Worldwide | January 18, 2018
PARSIPPANY, N.J. and IRVING, Texas , Jan. 18, 2018 -- Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) and La Quinta Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LQ) announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Wyndham Worldwide will acquire La Quinta's hotel franchise and hotel management businesses for $1.95 billion in cash. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018. Under the terms of the agreement, stockholders of La Quinta will receive $8.40 per share in cash (approximately $1.0 billion in aggregate), and Wyndham Worldwide will repay approximately $715 million of La Quinta debt net of cash and set as...
ONYX Hospitality Group Signs with Yaojiang Group for Shama Zijingang Hangzhou in China
ONYX | January 18, 2018
Hong Kong. 18 January 2018 – ONYX Hospitality Group, one of the region's leading hotel management companies, continues the expansion of its Shama brand with the signing of another new project – Shama Zijingang Hangzhou, marking the fourth Shama signing within the month of January. Occupying a 21-storey building within Yaojiang Wending International, the large-scale commercial complex development by Yaojiang Group, Shama Zijingang Hangzhou is perfectly positioned within the Xihu (West Lake) District of Hangzhou, which is in close proximity to the Zijingang Campus of Zhejiang University, one of the most prestigious tertiary ed...
Avison Young Hospitality Group Has Another Strong Year in 2017
Avison Young | January 18, 2018
ATLANTA – January 18, 2018 – The Avison Young Hospitality Group announced today that 2017 was another strong transaction year for the hotel practice group. Since 2013, the group has closed 325 hotel transactions, consisting of 93 Marriott, 68 Hilton, 43 IHG, 28 Choice, 17 Red Roof, 15 Wyndham, seven Carlson and 54 other branded, historical or independent hotels. In addition, the hospitality practice currently has 191 assets on the market with a cap value of $3.2 billion. These assets combined have over 17,000 rooms. 70 of the assets are hotels under sale agreement totaling almost 1 billion in allocated property value. "Given...
Modern PMS: The Ultimate Hotel Revenue Generator
January 18, 2018
By Jos Schaap CEO and Founder - StayNTouch Every hotel owner and manager strives for the same goal: delight guests while generating significant revenue and profits. But achieving this holy grail often proves elusive. Many hotels still perceive the property management systems (PMS) as a cost center. Quite the contrary. Today's modern cloud-based PMS platforms have the potential to increase the productivity of your team, the efficiency of your operations, increase your guest spend and impact your bottom line in many ways. In our latest guide, "Modern PMS: The Ultimate Hotel Revenue Generator", we highlight the top 6 ways the right hotel P...
Creativity, Disruption and Innovation: HOTCO 2018
Horwath HTL | January 18, 2018
Budapest, January 2018 - Creativity, Disruption and Innovation are the themes of the second annual HOTCO Hotel Investment Conference that starts on the 29th January in Budapest. The conference, which is being held at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, is the only hotel investment conference that focusses on the Central and Eastern European countries. The event, which is organized by Horwath HTL, the global leader in hospitality consulting, is designed to service the Central and Eastern European markets. The conference has proven to be a key event for hotel owners, investors, operators and suppliers, with last year's event attracting over 300...
Online and Offline: Consumer Conversation Trends for the Top Online Travel Agents and Other Travel Sites
Engagement Labs | January 18, 2018
NEW YORK, NY (January 18, 2017) – It's no secret that Americans love to travel. In fact, direct spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $2.7 billion a day in 2016. With such a large and robust market comes increased competition from a handful of online travel agents and top travel sites that seek to provide travel services to discount-hungry consumers. To help brand marketers for OTAs and other top travel sites better understand what consumers are saying in both their online and offline worlds, Engagement Labs has released its latest TotalSocial® rankings of the top-performing OTA brands in the U....
Susanne Auinger of DB Systel GmbH, a Subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, Elected as Chairperson of OpenTravel
OpenTravel Alliance | January 18, 2018
Travel association OpenTravel Alliance (OpenTravel) recently elected Susanne Auinger, senior advisor of partner management at DB Systel GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, as chairperson for its board of directors. Auinger most recently served as vice chair on the OpenTravel board. "I am grateful to be given the trust and opportunity by OpenTravel's board members to co-create and advance our future strategy of even stronger cooperation, extended interacting with standardization organizations and new verticals," said Auinger. "I am excited to work hand-in-hand with our board, staff, members and partners to exchange...
Vizergy® Introduces TargetingHub™ – An Innovative New Platform That Identifies Your Target Customer and Deploys Smarter Marketing Campaigns
January 18, 2018
JACKSONVILLE, FL. – January 18th, 2018 – Vizergy, the developer of award winning booking and marketing solutions for the hospitality industry, has launched a one of a kind data-driven intelligence tool, TargetingHub™, as part of the company's continuing efforts to bring sophisticated, seamless, and innovative solutions to its customers. Using the TargetingHub is simple. Users connect their customer data to the Vizergy Marketing System, either through an interface or a data upload app and in 24 hours the data is analyzed and appended, providing a complete analysis of your most profitable customers' attributes, buying ha...
Sagemont Hotels Opens TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Bernardino Loma Linda in California
TownePlace Suites by Marriott | January 18, 2018
Loma Linda, CA – January 18, 2018 – Get ready to be real and be you on long stays. Marriott International's TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Bernardino Loma Linda is scheduled to open for business today. 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 Loma Linda area. The new TownePlace Suites San Bernardino Loma Linda located at 10336 Richardson Street, continues to exemplify the brand's rapid growth. The new hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, managed by Sagemont Hotels of B...
5 Ways Platforms Can Transform Your Hotel Operations
ALICE | January 17, 2018
Making A Hospitality Solution a Priority For 2018 Will Make Profits Soar By 2019 by Alex Shashou When it comes to hotel management, there are so many demands starving for a slice of your fiscal pie that it can become overwhelming to figure out where funds can be utilized most effectively. But surprisingly, the most important concern of guests is something hotels can drastically improve upon. "Staff Service" was found to be the top guest complaint found in online reviews, according to a survey of attendees at last year's Revenue Strategy Summit (RSS). Although resolving this issue may seem like a daunting task, it is actually very simple...
Midas Hospitality Opens Dual-Branded Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites in Maryland Heights, Missouri
Midas Hospitality | January 17, 2018
(St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 17, 2018) Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott recently opened at 11918 Westline Industrial Dr. in Maryland Heights, Mo. The 119,000-square-foot hotel, which was the previous home of Clayton Engineering, cost $25 million. This is Marriott's first dual-branded hotel in the St. Louis area. The hotel includes 96 suites for the Residence Inn and 88 rooms for the Fairfield Inn & Suites. The property features a state-of-the-art fitness center, indoor pool, meetings rooms, guest laundry facilities, and backyard seating areas with a grill and pergola. Located on Page Rd. east of I-270, the hotel is ...
Hilton Lake Como Opens in Italy with General Manager Giorgio Borgonovo at the Helm
Hilton Hotels & Resorts | January 17, 2018
LAKE COMO, Italy and MCLEAN, Va. - Set amidst the rolling hills and crystalline waters of one of the world's most idyllic destinations, Hilton Lake Como opens its doors today, marking Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) first property in the region. As the largest hotel in Lake Como, the newly opened property will deliver Hilton's signature hospitality to the renowned leisure destination with its upscale accommodations and awe-inspiring lake views. Ideally located in the residential heart of the city, between central Como and the Swiss border, the hotel places guests steps away from a haven of romantic villas and luscious gardens including...
All Suites Brands by Hilton Recognize Top Hotels and Team Members at First-Ever Tri-Brand Conference
Embassy Suites by Hilton | January 17, 2018
Attendees Participated in Clean the World's Largest Hygiene Kit Building Event To-Date NEW ORLEANS and MCLEAN, Va. - The three award-winning brands that are part of the All Suites portfolio by Hilton (NYSE: HLT) - Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton - recognized top hotels and team members as best-in-class performers during the recent All Suites hotel leadership conference held in New Orleans. This marked a significant milestone for the All Suites brands by Hilton, as it was their first joint conference since the creation of the category in 2015. Additionally, as the first in the hotel industry...
