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Industry Happenings
Historic Hilton Chicago Completes Final Phase of $150 Million Renovation
Hilton Chicago | October 20, 2017
The historic 1,544 room Hilton Chicago, located on Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park, announces the completion of a $7 million renovation enhancing the third-floor meeting spaces and Salon C in the Stevens Meeting Center leading to the finalization of an all-encompassing $150 million renovation and restoration initiative. Recognized as one of the city's most revered addresses since 1927, Hilton Chicago continues to celebrate its storied past by blending the hotel's classic architecture with a new contemporary style as it celebrates its 90th anniversary. Conceptualized by Looney & Associates, the newly debuted design was inspire...
Corinthia Hotel Prague Appoints Celebrity Chef, Jean-Paul Georges Manzac
Corinthia Hotel Prague | October 20, 2017
(Prague, Czech Republic, October 20, 2017) One of the Czech Republic's celebrity chefs, Jean-Paul Georges Manzac, has been appointed as Executive Chef at the luxury five-star Corinthia Hotel Prague. Jean-Paul is best known in Prague for his French modern brasserie, Brasserie M, which was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand three years in a row, and later for the combined French bistrot and butchers shop, La Boucherie & Bistrot M. Jean-Paul's career spans 35 years in the industry including an early experience as Executive Sous Chef on Celebrity Cruise Line. There he led a team of over 100 cooks from 74 different countries and the prepa...
Spirit Ridge at Nk’Mip Resort in British Columbia to Join The Unbound Collection by Hyatt Brand
Hyatt Hotels Corporation | October 20, 2017
CHICAGO (October 20, 2017) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced it has entered into a franchise agreement with Spirit Ridge Owners Association and in December 2017, Spirit Ridge at Nk'Mip Resort will join The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand, a global collection of unique and story-worthy stay experiences. Situated 175 miles east of Vancouver in Osoyoos, British Columbia, the luxury Spirit Ridge resort will be the first Canadian property affiliated with The Unbound Collection by Hyatt portfolio and sixth globally for the brand, which spans across North America, Latin America and Europe. Although just 10 years old,...
Owned by HHTWO-Oxford and Managed by Chamblee Hospitality Group, Home2 Suites by Hilton Oxford Opens in Mississippi
Home2 Suites by Hilton | October 20, 2017
OXFORD, Miss and MCLEAN, Va. - Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) All Suites portfolio, announced today its newest property, Home2 Suites by Hilton Oxford, bringing the brand one step closer to its 200th property milestone. Designed for travelers who want to maintain their normal routine, the hotel features 93 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Ideally located in Oxford, Home2 Suites by Hilton Oxford welcomes families, friends, and alumni visiting Ole Miss. "Home2 Suites is focused on providing guests convenience, accessibility and top-notch service at a great value," s...
The Peninsula Tokyo Appoints Mina Y. Otake New Director of Marketing
The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH) | October 20, 2017
Tokyo, Japan (October 20, 2017) - The Peninsula Tokyo announces the appointment of Mina Y. Otake as Director of Marketing. In her new role, Ms. Otake oversees the sales and marketing efforts of The Peninsula Tokyo. A native of Japan, Ms. Otake joins from De Beers Diamond Jewellers Japan, where she held the position of Country Director for the past three years. Prior to this, she held a number of positions within marketing and strategic planning with Sony Corporation in Tokyo, Sony Corporation of America in New York, Sony Pictures Entertainment in Los Angeles, and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication in Sweden. "I am very excited to welcom...
Thompson Playa Del Carmen Appoints Henar Gil Rios as New General Manager
Thompson Playa del Carmen | October 20, 2017
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO (October 20, 2017) – Known as Playa del Carmen's first luxury lifestyle hotel, Thompson Playa del Carmen is excited to announce the appointment of Henar Gil Rios as General Manager. The property, which offers a first-of-its-kind hotel experience in Playa del Carmen with its two locations – the centrally-located, 5th Avenue Building and the intimate, oceanfront Beach House, located just a few blocks away – was recently recognized in Condé Nast Traveler's 2017 Readers' Choice Awards with Thompson Playa del Carmen recognized as the #9 Top Resorts in Eastern Mexico and Thompson Beach House r...
Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks Appoints Manish Garg as General Manager
Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks | October 20, 2017
BANGALORE, INDIA - Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks today announced the appointment of Mr. Manish Garg as General Manager. With over 20 years of experience across various hospitality companies, in both local and international markets, Manish will be well prepared to lead the entire operations of the 247 key hotel in his new role With a strong pedigree in food and beverage, as well as conferences and events, Manish has demonstrated quality leadership skills and strong business acumen. Previously, he served as the general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square and did a remarkable job as the pre-opening general manager for Hi...
sbe Signs 10 Global Hospitality Deals in North America, Latin America, and Middle East
sbe | October 20, 2017
NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2017 -- sbe, the leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning international hospitality brands, has confirmed another 10 deals to bring its hotels, residences, and restaurants to new territories in Latin America and the Middle East, through a mix of management and licensing agreements. Building on its already robust pipeline, the company stands to double its global hotel footprint by 2021. Additionally, an estimated 24 restaurants and lounges are going to be part of the new and existing hotel pipeline, further emphasizing the company's stance on offering a 360-degree expe...
IHG Executes Four New Resort Signings in Southeast Asia that Includes Regions First Kimpton and New Market Entry for Hotel Indigo
IHG | October 20, 2017
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) one of the world's leading global hotel companies, today announced, at the 2017 Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), significant growth to its resort portfolio with the signing of four new properties, which includes the first Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants property in Southeast Asia. The four new resorts are: Kimpton Bali InterContinental Sapa Resort Holiday Inn Resort Sapa Hotel Indigo Phu Quoc Starbay Rajit Sukumaran, Chief Development Officer, Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA), IHG commented: "It's fantastic to be bringing new brands to new markets with new and existing partn...
How Hotels Are Improving Business Networking
Kacey Bradley | October 20, 2017
By Kacey Bradley As industries in every sector of business continue to increase their reliance on technology, many traditional practices have seen a decline in popularity. Why waste paper on a fax when an email works better? Why spend on office overhead costs when your employees can work remotely from their home computer? But some aspects of business just can't be replaced by technology — not yet, anyway. One of these aspects is face-to-face interaction: networking, brainstorming, or teambuilding. Yes, there are technical substitutes for those activities — websites like LinkedIn for professional networking, or conference cal...
Tambourine Shares Hotel Digital Talent: Why Is It so Hard to Find?
Tambourine | October 19, 2017
Hotel digital marketing requires an increasingly hard-to-find skillset. If you want to be successful in the hotel business, it's now mandatory that you outperform your compset in the digital world. So these days it's more important than ever for hotel companies to attract and retain world-class digital talent. In most cases, the first place guests now interact with your hotel is not inside your lobby—it's within the digital world—yet all too frequently, we aren't fully prepared to greet that guest accordingly. Hotel websites, CRM systems, data analytics, email, social media and search marketing all require deep expertise to ...
How Paris Takes Luxury Hotels to a New Level
JLL Real Views | October 19, 2017
By: Neasa MacErlean When the rich and famous head to Paris, there are a select few addresses that their chauffeur-driven cars whisk them to. These are the Palace hotels, the crème de la crème of its luxury hotels scene, which used to be seven and but are soon to be fourteen. "The Paris palaces have history, heritage, beautiful buildings and they cannot be replicated," says Gwenola Donet, JLL's head of Hotels and Hospitality in France. "They're a key reason why Paris will remain one of the three gateway cities in the world for the top hotels, along with London and New York. There will be palaces in emerging cities such as H...
Four Seasons and JODC Plan Four Seasons Hotel in Holy City of Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Four Seasons | October 19, 2017
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2017 -- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's leading luxury hospitality company, and Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC), a leading developer in the Middle East, announce plans for a new Four Seasons hotel in the Holy City of Makkah (also known as Mecca) as part of the Jabal Omar integrated real estate development. Ideally located adjacent to Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām (the Grand Mosque) and with direct access and unobstructed views of the Haram, Four Seasons Hotel Makkah will offer the most gracious accommodations in the city. Four Seasons Hotel Makkah will be the company's second location in Saudi Arabia...
Aimbridge Hospitality Opens New 109-Key TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Chandler, Arizona
TownePlace Suites by Marriott | October 19, 2017
Chandler, AZ – October 19, 2017 – Get ready to be real and be you on long stays. Marriott International's TownePlace Suites by Marriott Phoenix Chandler Fashion Center is now open for business. 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 Chandler area. The new TownePlace Suites Phoenix Chandler Fashion Center located at 3635 West Chandler Boulevard, continues to exemplify the brand's rapid growth. The new hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by HCW Development LLC of B...
Casin Group Set for November Opening 202-Room Regent Chongqing in China’s Southwest Mega-City
Regent Hotels & Resorts | October 19, 2017
Taipei, Taiwan (October 19, 2017) – Regent Hotels and Resorts ushers in its latest in urban elegance with Regent Chongqing, officially opening its doors on November 16, 2017. The hotel, which is managed by Regent Hotels & Resorts and owned by Casin Group, is set to be the mega-city's first urban resort. Regent Chongqing is situated in the financial district of Jiangbeizui, set between the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. The hotel is a 30-minute drive from the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and 10-minute drive to Jiefanbei or Guanyinqiao center. Set against a stunning backdrop of mountain ranges, rivers,...
Wind Creek Hospitality Acquires Aruba Renaissance Resort & Casino and the Curacao Renaissance Resort & Casino
Wind Creek Hospitality | October 19, 2017
ATMORE, Ala., Oct. 19, 2017 -- PCI Gaming Authority d/b/a Wind Creek Hospitality (WCH), an authority of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians today announced that a subsidiary of WCH has acquired the Aruba Renaissance Resort & Casino and the Curacao Renaissance Resort & Casino. The upscale resorts will continue to operate under the Renaissance brand and all team members are expected to remain in place. Renaissance is a registered trademark of Marriott. The resorts are situated in downtown Oranjestad, the capital city of Aruba, and adjacent to the port and downtown Willemstad, the capital city of Curacao. Tribal Chair Stephanie Bryan ...
Owned by Kamba Hospitality and Managed by Witness Hospitality, New Home2 Suites Opens in Lafayette, Indiana
Home2 Suites by Hilton | October 19, 2017
October 19, 2017 LAFAYETTE, Ind. and MCLEAN, Va. - Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) All Suites portfolio, announced today its newest property, Home2 Suites by Hilton Lafayette, bringing the brand one step closer to its 200th property milestone. Designed for travelers who want to maintain their normal routine, the hotel features 93 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Home2 Suites by Hilton Lafayette caters to the 74 million travelers visiting Indiana annually.* "Whether you're in town for a college visit, sporting event or traveling for business, Home2 Suites by Hilton L...
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Set to Open in Munster, Indiana with General Manager Jessica Morse at the Helm
SpringHill Suites by Marriott | October 19, 2017
Munster, IN – October 19, 2017 – Marriott International announced today that the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Munster, Indiana is scheduled to open this Friday, October 20, 2017. The 99-suite hotel, located at 9651 Calumet Avenue, will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by CV Hotels and managed by Good Hospitality Services of Valparaiso, Indiana. The SpringHill Suites Chicago Southeast/Munster is adjacent to Centennial Park, the town's premier park and event center, which boasts a nine-hole golf course and banquet center as well as jogging trails and an amphitheater. The hotel is just 27 miles from the Chicago Midway...
Q3 2017 U.S. Lodging Market Update
Daniel Lesser | October 19, 2017
By Daniel Lesser As the world's economy strengthens, the outlook for America is bright, evidenced by heightened business and consumer confidence. Today, the U.S. is a goldilocks economy with GDP growth anticipated to remain between 2 and 3 percent, unemployment forecast to remain stable, and little evidence of inflation or deflation. While the Federal Open Market Committee has held the federal funds rate flat, experts expect several small increases through 2019. Some prognosticators perceive current record setting U.S. stock market indices may indicate exuberance, and a signal of a peak in the business cycle with potential for economic ...
Dynamic Group Opens New 88-Suite TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Cleveland, Tennessee
TownePlace Suites by Marriott | October 19, 2017
Cleveland, TN – October 19, 2017 – Get ready to be real and be you on long stays. Marriott International's TownePlace Suites by Marriott Cleveland opened for business on Monday, October 16, 2017. 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 Cleveland area. The new hotel located at 160 Bernham Drive, continues to exemplify the brand's rapid growth. The new hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Dynamic Group of Chattanooga, Tennessee. "We are excited to intr...
Owned and Managed by SS Hoteis Eireli-ME, 209-Room Holiday Inn Goiânia Opens in Brazil
October 19, 2017
IHG, (InterContinental Hotels Group) one of the world's leading hotel companies, today announces the opening of the new-build 209-room Holiday Inn® Goiânia hotel. This is IHG's eighth Holiday Inn property in Brazil and the first IHG hotel in the Midwestern city of Goiânia, located about 130 miles from Brasilia, the nation's capital. The new hotel is centrally situated near the city's main thoroughfares and is in walking distance to the 'Feira do Sol' and 'Feira da Lua', banks, the Bougainville Shopping mall and local parks. Gerardo Murray, Regional Vice President of Brands & Marketing, Mexico, Latin A...
Barnhill to Lead Think Tank at The Lodging Conference Highlighting the Advantages of Going Independent
InnSuites Hospitality Trust | October 19, 2017
Panel experts from Grace Hospitality Group, Hersha Hospitality Management, Trust Hospitality and Westroc Hospitality will discuss the opportunities and challenges of operating independent Phoenix (October 19, 2017) – Hoteliers attending The Lodging Conference Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa here will have the opportunity to partake in a discussion centering on the opportunities and challenges of operating as an independent hotel at this point in the cycle. In a Think Tank titled: "Independent Hotels - Making a Success of Going It Alone," moderator Pamela Barnhill will address a panel of experts to discuss...
International Visitors Spent Nearly $21.3 Billion in August
NTTO | October 19, 2017
Year-to-date tourism exports total $168 billion, on pace for record-setting 2017 WASHINGTON - The National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) today announced that international visitors spent an estimated $21.3 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States during the month of August, an increase of nearly 5 percent when compared to August 2016. In fact, travel and tourism-related exports have exhibited growth each month of 2017, reversing nine consecutive months of declines that began in April 2016. International visitors have spent $167.7 billion on travel and tourism-related goods and services year to da...
Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay Opens in Southeast Asia
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) | October 19, 2017
Singapore, 2017 – Set amidst a dynamic, sophisticated neighbourhood along the Singapore River, known for its dining options and arts houses, the luxury hotel has been carefully curated by world-class designers, architects and culinary purveyors. Located just a few minutes from the CBD, the hotel still maintains a stylish but laid back, relaxed feel in the leafy, upscale neighbourhood of Robertson Quay. The hotel offers 225 luxurious studios and suites, including an expansive Penthouse, which has unparalleled views of both the Singapore River and vibrant city via floor-to-ceiling windows. The residential-inspired property combines ...
