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
The Simplest Solution to Traveler Anxiety
Pierre Boettner | October 27, 2017
By Pierre Boettner Skift has coined a new term: permanxiety. "The near constant state of anxiety that exists now around the world." I don't love the term, but I get where they are coming from. People are anxious, not just about travel, but about natural disasters and political upheaval and terror attacks. Let's be real, though, most people are anxious about paying the bills and meeting deadlines and just generally managing their lives even when there isn't an onslaught of unpredictable event in unpredictable locations around the world. Nevertheless, "Travel in an Age of Permanxiety" offers valuable and ne...
Excuses are For Losers: Leadership Involves Pressure and Personal Sacrifice
James Houran, Ph.D. | October 27, 2017
By James Houran, Ph.D., Keith Kefgen Behind every failed leader is an excuse. In our experience studying and working with global leadership in the hospitality industry, successful leaders consistently tell us in one way or another that excuses were for "losers" whereas "winners" find solutions to tough challenges, or at least look at failed initiatives with a winning attitude and use the situation to adopt key learnings to apply to future scenarios. It's easy to lay claim to the title of leader when things are going well, but taking responsibility for your actions is difficult when things get tough. In today's Twitter and social media a...
Get Vietnam visa online
TUN Travel | October 27, 2017
If you want to travel to Vietnam and need a valid Vietnam visa, you can use TUN Travel's visa service. You need to apply online in 5 minutes and then get an approval letter within 2 working-days with only US$14 and then you can get your visa at any arrival airports in Vietnam. ...
How Hospitality Companies Lose Good, Promising Talent – And For All the Wrong Reasons
Gary Hernbroth | October 26, 2017
By Gary Hernbroth When you don't read the signs, you lose good people I often wonder how some so-called business leaders get to be where they are, how they get their leadership roles. Not all, certainly, but some. They miss so much. They don't read the right tea leaves. They don't ask enough questions. And in some cases, they don't recognize the potential in their own up-and-coming leaders, either. The woeful tale described here comes from the hotel industry, but it could apply to any number of businesses. Sadly, this is by no means an isolated case. A bright young hotel professional, just seven months out of The School of Hospitality B...
Greystone Hotels Appoints Paul Barbaro as Area Director of Sales
Greystone Hotels | October 26, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 26, 2017) – Eric Horodas, President of Greystone Hotels, announces the appointment of Paul Barbaro as the hotel and hospitality management company's Area Director of Sales for San Francisco. A motivated and experienced hospitality professional with a knack for developing meaningful relationships, in his new position Barbaro will oversee sales for Greystone's San Francisco portfolio of hotels, which includes the King George, the Hotel Griffon, and the Inn at Union Square. "I'm excited to join Greystone Hotels and lead sales efforts for the brand's outstanding collection of San Francisco hotels," said Barb...
The National Conference Center Names Juan J. Garcia Executive Director of Sales
The National Conference Center | October 26, 2017
Leesburg, Virginia, October 26, 2017 … The National Conference Center, an award-winning leader in training and development, announces the appointment of Juan J. Garcia as executive director of sales. Mr. Garcia will be responsible for leading The National's 14-person professional sales team, as it continues to break new sales records by working with corporate, association, government and military learning professionals. Chuck Ocheltree, chief marketing officer, made the announcement this week. "We are delighted to add Juan to our highly regarded executive team," said Ocheltree. "Juan's vast experience in sales and marketing will ...
Distinctive Hospitality Group Taps Jim Harvey as General Manager for the Holiday Inn Boston-Bunker Hill
Holiday Inn Boston-Bunker Hill | October 26, 2017
NATICK, MA (October 26, 2017) - Distinctive Hospitality Group (DHG), in conjunction with The Holiday Inn Boston-Bunker Hill, is pleased to announce the appointment of hospitality industry veteran Jim Harvey to the post of General Manager, where he will oversee all hotel operations alongside the hotel's leadership teams. With over two decades of professional experience under his belt, Harvey began his career in 1989 when he assumed an Assistant General Manager role with the distinguished Winegardner & Hammons Hotel Group. Within a short timeframe, he was promoted to the position of General Manager, where he stayed for an impressive 1...
Set to Open in 2022, Prime Investors Capital Restoring London Monument to Become Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria
Prime Investors Capital Ltd | October 26, 2017
LONDON - Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by Prime Investors Capital Ltd to operate the luxury hotel within one of the capital's best-known and most prestigious monuments. Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria, London will open in 2022, following an extensive on-going refurbishment programme which will restore and protect the iconic landmark's architectural and historical features. Admiralty Arch was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria, and was designed by Sir Aston Webb, who was also responsible for The Mall and main facade at Buckingham Palace. In addition to housing the official residen...
Aman to Convert Manhattan’s Iconic Crown Building to Aman New York Scheduled to Open in 2020
Aman | October 26, 2017
26 October, 2017 - Aman announces a new urban sanctuary in the world's greatest city: Aman New York, scheduled to open in 2020. The property, located on Manhattan Island, will blend the pulse of the city with the soul of Aman, joining the much-lauded Aman Tokyo as the brand's second urban destination, and will be Aman's third US property after Amangiri and Amangani. Situated in the heart of Manhattan at the crossroads of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, overlooking Central Park, Aman New York will occupy the iconic Crown Building and will comprise not only guest rooms and suites, but will also house the first urban Aman Residences, a colle...
Sandalwood Management and KPG Hotels to Develop New Cambria Hotel in Baltimore Expected to Open Late 2018
Cambria Hotels | October 26, 2017
ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 26, 2017 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest hotel companies, signed an agreement with Sandalwood Management and KPG Hotels to develop its first upscale Cambria hotel in Baltimore. The 14-story, 144-room hotel, originally known as the American Building, was the first office building constructed following the Great Baltimore Fire in 1905. The property is located at 231 East Baltimore Street. Expected to open by the end of 2018, the hotel is in the heart of the city, making it an ideal destination for business and leisure travelers. The property is near the Baltimore Conven...
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa to Undergo More Than $150 Million Multi-Phase Evolution
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa | October 26, 2017
AUSTIN (October 25, 2017) – Today, Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa unveiled plans for a renovation and expansion, in excess of $150 million, that will fully transform the iconic property into a 493-room Austin retreat and further reinforce Omni Barton Creek's position as the No. 1 golf resort in Texas and a premier Hill Country destination. Design-build firm The Beck Group will lead the resort's evolution beginning November 13, 2017, with a targeted completion date in mid-2019. Today's announcement comes in conjunction with Omni Barton Creek's 30th anniversary, as the resort officially opened its doors to guests in September 19...
Can Japan’s Hotels Keep Up With Soaring Demand?
Jll Real Views | October 26, 2017
By Serene Lim Tourism is booming like never before in the Land of the Rising Sun as visitors flock from across Asia and further afield. While rising numbers are in line with government plans to welcome 60 million tourists by 2030 to help offset struggling areas of the Japanese economy, the hotel industry faces in own challenges in keeping up with growing demand for rooms. Last year, hotel construction starts doubled to 1.96 million square metres, reaching an 18 year high. Major hotel operators are rushing to open before the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 – Marriott leads the pack with five properties as it rebrands existing hotels. Meanwh...
Scent of a Lobby
Benoit Gateau-Cumin | October 26, 2017
By Benoit Gateau-Cumin Have you noticed, in recent years, that little "je ne sais quoi" that feels so familiar when you step into the lobby of a luxe hotel? Is it that all the beautiful women are exquisitely made up and perfumed? Or does it feel more like getting off the elevator at Neiman Marcus' cosmetics floor? Your olfactory senses are hijacked by the cacophony of fragrances at Neiman Marcus: they are there to "perfume" you, hoping you will like and buy. The chic hotel has a totally different approach and goal: it wants to seduce you, to relax you, to make you happy, maybe giddy, to make you feel plush. You feel like inhaling deeply...
North American Hoteliers Open the Last Quarter of 2017 with Solid Rate and Booking Growth
TravelClick | October 26, 2017
Group Travel in Particular Shows Uptick in Fourth Quarter, with Reserved Occupancy Increasing over 4% NEW YORK – October 26, 2017 – North American hoteliers are ending the year strong with healthy gains across all travel segments during the fourth quarter of 2017, according to new data from TravelClick's October 2017 North American Hospitality Review (NAHR). Overall, average daily rates (ADR) and occupancy are both up 1.6 percent and 4.3 percent respectively. Group travel data in particular shines in the fourth quarter, with ADR up 2.6 percent and bookings significantly up 7.8 percent. The transient segment is not far behind...
Amanda Belmonte Promoted to Executive VP and COO of Vimana Franchise Systems
Vimana Franchise Systems LLC | October 26, 2017
[Birmingham, Ala. – October 26, 2017] — Amanda Belmonte will assume the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Vimana Franchise Systems effective January 2, 2018. At present, she serves as VP of Franchise Services for the company owning the Centerstone Inns/Hotels/Plaza Hotels and Key West Inns/Hotels/Resorts brands. Steven Belmonte will continue to serve as Vimana CEO, and Neal Jackson will remain President. More staffing announcements are expected in January. "Amanda is the backbone of our operating structure, and she will continue to work with owners and general managers to ensure timely and ...
AHLEI Announces Partnership with Work4Stars; Will Offer Training Focused on Morocco’s Vision 2020 Goals
the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) | October 26, 2017
October 2017—Work4Stars, an executive search and recruitment company focused on the hospitality, tourism, and events sectors, has partnered with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) to offer hospitality training and professional certification to current hospitality professionals and those seeking a career in hospitality and tourism. Work4Stars is AHLEI's first global partner in Morocco and north Africa. Tourism is the second-largest job creator in the kingdom of Morocco, which has set a goal of becoming one of the world's top 20 tourist destinations by 2020. The program, known as Vision 2020, has already ...
Eleven Launches Guest Wi-Fi Management Purpose-Built for Multifamily
Eleven | October 26, 2017
ElevenOS cloud platform provides centralized Wi-Fi management to deliver secure, high performance connectivity in apartments, senior living, and student housing 10/26/17, Portland, Ore.— Eleven, the pioneer in cloud-based guest Wi-Fi management software, introduces the ElevenOS Guest Wi-Fi Platform for Multifamily, which makes it easy for property managers to onboard residents, manage Wi-Fi performance, and create secure personal area networks for each unit and across shared common areas. Centralized Wi-Fi Management ElevenOS Site Manager provides a centralized dashboard to access all of the features needed to optimize Wi-Fi at a ...
Positive Social Media Interaction with Guests During Their Stay Produces Increases in Revenue and Loyalty, According to Research from Local Measure
Local Measure | October 26, 2017
Unveiled at Cornell's Hospitality Research Summit, Analysis of Millions of Posts Shows the Potential for Thousands of Dollars in Revenue Increases, and Bumps in Brand Advocacy and Loyalty Sydney and New York – October 26, 2017 - Local Measure, the leading location-based social intelligence platform for hospitality and tourism, released data from an analysis covering social media posts by 8 million guests at hotel properties belonging to 100 of the world's largest hotel groups over a 30-month period. According to the data, guests who are engaged by a hotel on social media during their stay on property, post 2.5 times more than othe...
StayNTouch Rover™ PMS Integrates With Merchant Link’s EMV Product, TransactionLink™, to Help Hoteliers Combat Card Present Fraud
StayNTouch Inc. | October 26, 2017
Bethesda, MD – October 26, 2017 – StayNTouch, an innovator in mobile technology and Property Management Systems (PMS) for hotels, is happy to announce EMV integration between Rover™, its cloud-based property management system (PMS) and Merchant Link, a leading provider of cloud-based payment gateway and data security solutions. Merchant Link enables more than 6 billion transactions annually for some of the world's best-known merchants, providing connectivity to the major U.S. payment card processors. EMV integration provides StayNTouch hotel customers the third leg of the transaction security stool. Previously, StayNTo...
Sotherly Hotels and Chesapeake Hospitality Complete Renovation and Conversion of 311-Room DoubleTree by Hilton in Hollywood, Florida
DoubleTree by Hilton | October 25, 2017
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. and MCLEAN, Va. - DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hollywood Beach, a newly renovated resort set along the Intracoastal Waterway in Hollywood, Fla., is the latest addition to the growing portfolio of hotels from DoubleTree by Hilton, one of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) 14 market-leading brands. Situated just steps from ocean waves and white-sand beaches, the resort allows easy access for guests to hop on the Hollywood Trolley to tour Ocean Drive or to set off on the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi. Through its multimillion-dollar transformation, the property features 311 oversized guestrooms and suites, all with furnished balconies ov...
Making Sense of the ‘Level Playing Field’ Plea
Larry Mogelonsky | October 25, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I attended an interesting travel panel during the summer in my hometown of Toronto. The topic was the leisure segment, with the panelists all senior members of tourism bureaus and hotel organizations, while their presentations quoted the usual ream of statistical gobbledegook. The mood was rosy as Canadian travel statistics have never been better with the nation approaching its 150th anniversary. The ebullience in the room was so thick that I felt that it couldn't be cut with even the finest Japanese samurai sword. But then I asked the question with a somewhat naïve tone, "Have...
BENCHMARK Appoints Sandy Lam Director of Sales & Marketing for The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando
The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando | October 25, 2017
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, October 2017… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Sandy Lam director of sales & marketing for The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in Orlando, Florida. Bill Lee, general manager, made the announcement. "I am very pleased to welcome Sandy to our resort," stated Mr. Lee. "She is a seasoned hospitality sales and marketing executive with a proven record of success. We look forward to her active leadership on our team as we further establish The Grove's positioning within the Orlando market and continue to amplify the property's bu...
Rosewood Hotel Group Appoints Timothee Semelin as Corporate Director of Digital Marketing and Transformation
Rosewood Hotel Group | October 25, 2017
Timothee Semelin has been appointed corporate director of digital marketing and transformation for Rosewood Hotel Group. In his role, Semelin will be responsible for building the hotel group's digital culture and exploring emerging trends in the technology space to enhance the digital guest experience. "We are delighted to have Timothee join the team and share his insights on digital transformation." says Thuy Tranthi Rieder, group vice president of sales and marketing of Rosewood Hotel Group. "His vast knowledge and experience within the Asia market will complement our portfolio's expanding footprint in the region." Semelin brings over...
Sage Hospitality Appoints Barbara Piagari as Director of Sales and Marketing for The Elizabeth Hotel
The Elizabeth Hotel | October 25, 2017
FORT COLLINS, COLO. – October 25, 2017 – The Elizabeth Hotel, slated to open its doors in fall 2017 in the heart of Old Town, announces the appointment of Barbara Piagari as director of sales and marketing. Piagari will lead the sales and catering teams at the new Autograph Collection hotel, created by McWHINNEY, a Colorado-based national real estate development company and Sage Hospitality, a national developer and the hotel's operator. Piagari has spent more than two decades as the director of sales and marketing for a multitude of independent and branded hotels. Her experience spans across luxury, resort, convention, subu...
