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Industry Happenings
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson Announces Name Change to Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
January 17, 2018
Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM, a leading upper midscale hotel brand, today announced it has changed its name to Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson. This strategic name change will allow the brand and the individual hotels to leverage the global recognition and strength of the Radisson® brand. Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson is a part of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which also includes Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED®, Park Plaza® and Park Inn® by Radisson. The consumer-facing changes will be made in stages throughout the first half of 2018. Changes will include...
Taking Another Look at Airbnb’s Advertising
Larry Mogelonsky | January 17, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I have to hand it to the folks running Airbnb. Their brilliance in communicating their message makes all of us in the hotel business look a bit amateurish. And incredibly for that matter, Airbnb's latest TV missive has nothing to do with travel or even accommodations. For those who have restricted their television viewing to Netflix or other streaming services and have missed the advertisement, here's a short synopsis. The ad depicts an retired couple talking about how renting out a room in their home helps them keep up with payments. It goes on to suggest that Airbnb is helping tho...
Crescent Hotels & Resorts Completes $7 Million Renovation of Sheraton Suites Philadelphia Airport Hotel
Sheraton Suites Philadelphia Airport | January 17, 2018
Philadelphia, PA (January 17, 2018) – Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) and managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts, announces the completion of an expansive transformation to Sheraton Suites Philadelphia Airport Hotel. The complete, top to bottom renovation included 250 all-suite guestrooms, lobby, restaurant & bar, meeting spaces, state-of-the-art fitness center, indoor pool, and Sheraton Club Lounge. Balongue Interiors led the design direction for the full scope renovation which focused on providing guests with a modern, effortless travel experience. Balongue pulled together n...
Margaritaville Names Rick Cunningham Vice President of Hotel Development
Margaritaville | January 17, 2018
Orlando, Fla. – January 17, 2018 – Margaritaville Holdings LLC today officially announced the appointment of Rick Cunningham as vice president of hotel development. Bringing more than 30 years of hospitality industry experience to this new position for the company, Cunningham has been with Margaritaville for nearly a year and is responsible for cultivating relationships with hospitality ownership and development groups as he continues to grow Margaritaville's already robust portfolio of hotels and resorts around the world. "As we aggressively eye both domestic and international expansion, we couldn't be happier to have Rick ...
Buccini/Pollin Group and Hidrock Properties Open 310-Key Embassy Suites by Hilton New York – Midtown Manhattan
PM Hotel Group | January 17, 2018
MANHATTAN, N.Y., January 17, 2017--The Buccini/Pollin Group, Hidrock Properties and Hilton Hotels & Resorts today announced the opening of the 310-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton New York - Midtown Manhattan in New York. BPGS Construction oversaw entitlement and construction of the project, and PM Hotel Group performed technical services during programming, design and construction and manages the newly opened hotel. BPG was intrigued by the opportunity to build New York City's only Embassy Suites by Hilton hotel in an irreplaceable location. While New York City has witnessed an explosion of new select-service hotels on the fringes of...
Jumeirah Appoints Jose Silva, Former Four Seasons Senior Executive, as the New Chief Executive Officer
Dubai Holding | January 17, 2018
Dubai, UAE, 17, January 2018: Jumeirah, the global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, today announced the appointment of Jose Silva as the new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Silva brings over 35 years' experience in the hospitality industry, including almost 25 years with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. In his last role, he was Regional Vice President overseeing France, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal as well as General Manager of the highly acclaimed Hotel George V in Paris. He is regarded by the industry as an innovative mind and a hotelier who is consistently redefining the new norm of luxury. Among his recent accom...
Mobile Key Solution Provider Lock Up Rebrands as STAYmyway
STAYmyway | January 17, 2018
The innovative mobile key hospitality technology provider Lock Up, is announcing a strategic re-branding to STAYmyway to better reflect its platform's multi-faceted ability to help hoteliers engage with guests and deliver an enhanced stay through their own mobile devices. Hotels delivering an integrated mobile key guest amenity through their mobile app, enjoy download rates that are up to 400% higher than industry standard low mobile app engagement levels. Most importantly, STAYmyway offers hoteliers a cost effective and scalable solution partner to add mobile key functionality without replacing existing locks. Hotels can choose to upgr...
Caliber Hospitality to Build New 125-Room Hotel Anchored at the Tucson Convention Center
Caliber - The Wealth Development Company | January 17, 2018
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--January 17, 2018--Caliber Hospitality, a division of real estate investment firm Caliber - The Wealth Development Company, today announced plans to build a new 125-room hotel anchored at the Tucson Convention Center. Slated to break ground in late 2018, the hotel development project supports the City of Tucson's downtown re-visioning plan and need for increased hotel accommodations near the convention center. Caliber Development will serve as development manager and design/builder for the estimated $20 million project. "We are excited to work with the City of Tucson and Rio Nuevo to develop the first, and only, hotel ...
Kokua Hospitality Appoints Dawn Aronson Director of Sales and Marketing at Carmel Mission Inn
Carmel Mission Inn | January 17, 2018
(SAN FRANCISCO; January 17, 2018) – Kokua Hospitality, LLC, an independent hotel management company based in San Francisco, announces the appointment of Dawn Aronson as director of sales and marketing (DOSM) at Carmel Mission Inn (3665 Rio Road, Carmel, CA). Located in the heart of Carmel, California just off the West Coast's scenic Highway 1, Carmel Mission Inn joined Kokua Hospitality's growing West Coast portfolio in early Q3 of 2017. The coastal boutique property features 165 guestrooms, over 4,500 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant and bar, a fitness center, as well as an outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, and private gardens. In...
Visit U.S. Coalition Launches Amid Drop in U.S. Share of Global Travel
Visit U.S. Coalition | January 17, 2018
WASHINGTON—Trade groups representing thousands of businesses and millions of jobs on Tuesday announced the official launch of the Visit U.S. Coalition, whose aim is to partner with the Trump administration to reverse the decline in U.S. competitiveness for international travel dollars. The dip in U.S. market share is a hindrance to the president's economic goals, which the Visit U.S. coalition intends to help correct. Research prepared for Visit U.S. by the U.S. Travel Association shows that while global travel volume increased 7.9 percent from 2015 to 2017, the U.S. slice of that growing pie fell from 13.6 percent to 11.9 percent...
How Destination Marketing Organizations Can Better Defend Their Budgets
Carolyn Childs | January 17, 2018
Don't wait for budget kick-back to happen. Here's how to be better prepared with data and arguments so you can retain valuable destination marketing budget By Carolyn Childs It's brutal reality. Many destination marketing organisations (DMOs) are now tasked with doing more with a lot less money. Marketing money is tight most places. US States are facing dramatic budget cuts. (Brand USA may even be scrapped.) Visit Britain has suffered years of cuts. There are many examples around the world. So what can DMOs do to better manage the process? Having worked closely with DMOs over the years, MyTravelResearch.com believes it's time for destin...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 190: Hotel History: Moana Surfrider Hotel
Stanley Turkel | January 17, 2018
Moana Surfrider Hotel (1901), (Waikiki Beach, Hawaii (791 rooms) The Moana Hotel opened on March 11, 1901 as Waikiki's first hotel. It is known as the "First Lady of Waikiki." In the late 1890s, Waikiki was a swampy backwater area surrounded by duck ponds and taro fields. The beautiful beach was the site of homes of Hawaiian royalty and the wealthy kamaainas including the Honolulu landowner Walter Chamberlain Peacock. In 1896, Peacock incorporated the Moana Hotel Company and hired architect Oliver G. Traphagen (1854-1932) to design it. Traphagen designed many buildings in Duluth, Minnesota for both public and private owners which show t...
SHR 2017—Another Year of Growth and Innovation
SHR | January 17, 2018
HOUSTON, TX, January 17, 2018—SHR, Sceptre Hospitality Resources, a pioneer and leading provider of advanced hotel distribution technologies and developer of Windsurfer® CRS, is pleased to provide a look back at its activities over 2017, a year full of new clients, partners, and innovation, including the following highlights and milestones. Growth and Market Expansion Cross-Tinental Acquisition. In August, SHR acquired Cross-Tinental, a well-known leader in the European hospitality tech consultancy sector. This purchase served to immediately jump start SHR's already growing European presence, giving the company a broader base ...
Owned and Managed by Star Hospitality Group, Fairfield Inn & Suites Allentown West Opens in Pennsylvania
Fairfield Inn & Suites | January 17, 2018
Breingsville, PA – January 18, 2018 – The 114-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Breingsville, Pennsylvania is scheduled to open today with a new décor that provides guests with a feeling of warmth and calm while traveling. Located at 208 PA Route 100, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Allentown West will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Star Hospitality Group, Inc. General Manager, Kelley Jorge and Director of Sales, Natalie Blumberg lead the management team at the hotel. Located 10 minutes from Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and 11 miles from the Lehigh Valley International Airport...
The Staff Of Nizuc Resort Cancun Clearly Understands Where True Hospitality Starts – The Human Heart
Doug Kennedy | January 17, 2018
By Doug Kennedy As a hotel industry sales and guest services trainer, on average I experience six or more hotel stays each month. Although I have clients across all segments of lodging, many of my clients are in the ultra-luxury five star or five diamond categories. Once thing I have learned is that the level of authentic and genuine hospitality, which travelers treasure the most, has little to do with the number of stars or diamonds hanging on a plaque behind the front desk. In fact, I've experienced some of the most memorable service encounters at economy lodging properties, whereas I find that hospitality too often falls short at ult...
FireKeepers Casino Hotel Rely on RFID Technology to Control Uniform Inventory and Employee Assignments
InvoTech Systems, Inc. | January 16, 2018
InvoTech RFID Uniform System is used at FireKeepers Casino Hotel to Manage Uniform Operations for Complete Control and Accountability LOS ANGELES, CA – January 17, 2018 -- InvoTech Systems is the leading provider of advanced Linen Management, Laundry and Uniform Systems that integrate the latest RFID technology to increase profitability for hotels, resorts, casino operators, sports arenas, convention centers and theme parks. The InvoTech System installed at FireKeepers Casino Hotel manages the Uniform inventory for 1,750 employees. FireKeepers joined MGM Entertainment, Caesars, and Harrah's as a part of InvoTech's extensive client...
Lulu Group’s Twenty14 Holdings Acquires 241-Room Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian in £85M Deal ($117.2M US)
Twenty14 Holdings | January 16, 2018
Twenty14 Holdings, the hospitality investment arm of Lulu Group International, has completed a £85m acquisition of the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian. The Caledonian joins a portfolio of $650m worth of luxury property across the UK, the Middle East and India that Twenty14 has assembled since 2014. Twenty14 Holdings intends to invest a further £20m in a programme that will see the iconic building on Edinburgh's Princes Street enhanced and expanded by 50 guest rooms, over a period of two years beginning from 2019. Twenty14 Holdings is the hospitality investment arm of Lulu Group International. The company has a str...
What to Expect in 2018 from the Battle Between Hotels and Airbnb
Linchi Kwok | January 16, 2018
By Linchi Kwok Entering 2018, Airbnb will soon celebrate the company's 10th anniversary. The company has now turned into one giant service provider in the lodging industry. Today, Airbnb has already served more than 200 million travelers in more than 65,000 cities around the world. With a supply of more than 3 million listings, Airbnb has more available "rooms" than any hotel chain in the world. It was inevitable that Airbnb would make a significant negative impact on hotels due to its increasing supply and the low entry costs for Airbnb operators. But hotels are fighting back. They are trying every possible way to stop th...
The Atlanta Marriott Peachtree Corners Completes the Final Phase of an Extensive Multi-Million Dollar Transformation
| January 16, 2018
PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA – January 16, 2018 – The Atlanta Marriott Peachtree Corners has completed the final phase of an extensive transformation that began 18 months ago. The renovation of the hotel concluded with the remodeling of all 222 guest rooms which now feature Marriott's freshly "redesigned" room concept. The new rooms highlight walk-in, glass-enclosed showers, hardwood floors, and earth tone finishes—all designed to create a sense of calm and well-being. The completion of the guest room remodeling is the culmination of a dramatic transformation that also includes a total redesign of all public spaces, with an i...
Baros Maldives Appoints Ahmed Jihad-Jay as New General Manager
Baros Maldives | January 16, 2018
North Male Atoll, The Maldives (January 16, 2018) -- Baros Maldives is delighted to announce Ahmed Jihad-Jay as new General Manager as of January 2018. Having worked at Baros Maldives in 2010 as Operations Manager, Ahmed is coming 'home' to Baros, this time as General Manager, after gaining a wealth of experience in the Maldives. He began his hotel career at Full Moon Maldives, after completing a degree in Hospitality Management at TAFE, QLD, Australia. He started as Front Office Manager, working his way up to Resident Manager. This was followed by a stint at Sheraton Maldives, before he joined the team at Baros for the first time in 20...
Renovate to Innovate
Georges Panayotis | January 16, 2018
By Georges Panayotis At the dawn of the French Revolution, Mirabeau told Louis XVI: "Sir, when we look at where the good heads led France, perhaps we might try the bad ones." Could there be any resemblance to what we are experiencing now? It is too late to rewrite history, but it is high time we learned from our mistakes. The first is not putting enough emphasis on productivity. The hotel industry is one of the few sectors where the value added per hour worked has not changed over the last two decades, while it has been soaring in other sectors, such as new technologies as well as in traditional industries. In this context, on...
Owned by Prestige Group, New Conrad Bengaluru Opens in India
Conrad Hotels & Resorts | January 16, 2018
BENGALURU, India – (January 16, 2018) – Conrad Hotels & Resorts today celebrates further expansion in India with the opening of Conrad Bengaluru. Soaring 24 stories above Bengaluru's Central Business District, the new luxurious hotel, which is owned by Prestige Group and managed by Hilton (NYSE: HLT), is superbly located in the city providing excellent accessibility to prime business, technology, art and entertainment districts. "The impressive Conrad Bengaluru is an outstanding addition to our luxury portfolio in Asia Pacific and we are delighted to be partnering with the Prestige Group on this exciting project. The tim...
Camelback Resort Owners to Develop The Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark on Resorts World Catskills Campus
The Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark | January 16, 2018
MONTICELLO, N.Y.--January 16, 2018--Ken Ellis and Arthur Berry III, co-owners of the Poconos' premier adventure destination, Camelback Resort, have announced their next widely anticipated project. The Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark is being built on the Resorts World Catskills campus located in the Town of Thompson, N.Y. Set to open in early 2019, The Kartrite will feature two acres of exhilarating four-season indoor waterpark space and a luxury hotel with 324 exquisitely designed guest suites. Ellis and Berry are recognized nationally as the innovators behind the award-winning Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark loc...
YOTEL Launches New Extended Stay Brand, YOTELPAD, with Five Confirmed Projects
YOTEL | January 16, 2018
LONDON, Jan.16, 2018 -- YOTEL today announced their foray into the extended stay segment with the launch of the new YOTELPAD brand. Building on the clever design principles of YOTEL and YOTELAIR cabins, YOTELPAD translates the essence of luxury serviced apartments into purposefully designed compact homes, known as 'PADs', fulfilling the requirements of the global citizen at an affordable price. 'Following the successful roll out of YOTELAIR and YOTEL, we saw a natural opportunity to rethink the traditional extended stay segment in the same fashion we disrupted conventional hotel models.' said Hubert Viriot - YOTEL CEO. Y...
