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Industry Happenings
‘SKYE’ Is the Limit for McLaren’s New Prestige Parramatta Hotel Project
McLaren Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd | September 26, 2017
27 September 2017 – McLaren Technologies has completed a cutting edge, custom-designed installation in Parramatta (Western Sydney) at the city's spectacular new SKYE Hotel Suites Parramatta. The hotel, which marks the debut of the SKYE Hotel Suites brand for Australia, is Parramatta's first ever five-star hotel, setting a new standard of luxury for the destination regarded locally as Sydney's 'second' city. "Parramatta is proving itself a true rival to its Sydney CBD sister in terms of business, population and high culture," said McLaren Technologies Managing Director Matthew White. "We feel privileged for the chance to work with ...
The St. Regis New York Appoints Maggie Mojica as Director of Sales
The St. Regis New York | September 26, 2017
New York, NY – The St. Regis New York is delighted to announce the appointment of Maggie Mojica as the Director of Sales for the New York flagship property. Boasting an impressive career in hospitality, Maggie brings a wealth of experience to her new role at the beloved flagship property. Commenting on her new role Maggie stated, "The St. Regis New York embodies the legendary St. Regis legacy and has set the standard for luxury hospitality around the world. I am honored and excited to join the sales team to carry on the hotel's position as New York's preeminent five-star property." As Director of Sales at The St. Regis New York, M...
La Colección Resorts by Fiesta Americana Welcomes Laura Stringel as New Corporate Director of Sales
September 26, 2017
Mexico City, Mexico (September 26, 2017) – La Colección Resorts by Fiesta Americana, which encompasses the brands Live Aqua Resorts, Grand Fiesta Americana Hotels & Resorts, Fiesta Americana Hotels & Resorts and The Explorean, is excited to announce the appointment of Laura Stringel to Director of Sales – Direct Channels, Reputation & Community Management. Stringel will spearhead all communications efforts for the 12 La Colección Resorts, including direct channel marketing, social media, public relations and trade advertising. "I am incredibly excited to embark on a new journey at La Colecció...
Deutsche Hospitality Names Susanne Friedrich Director of Business Development
Deutsche Hospitality | September 26, 2017
Frankfurt am Main, 26 September 2017 - International expansion needs professional support. Susanne Friedrich has been Director of Business Development at Deutsche Hospitality since 1 September. Ms. Friedrich is a hotel property specialist with 13 years of experience in international development and asset management and was most recently employed at the Rezidor Hotel Group in Brussels and Frankfurt, where she was responsible for development in the regions of Germany, Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. The main focus of her new role at Deutsche Hospitality will be on development within Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Although the h...
Brookfield Asset Management Names Audrey Oswell President and Managing Director of Atlantis, Paradise Island
Atlantis Paradise Island, The Bahamas | September 26, 2017
PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 – Today, Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas announced the immediate appointment of Audrey Oswell as President and Managing Director. Oswell has held the role of Chief Operating Officer at the resort since the end of 2016 and had previously held the role of Chief Gaming Officer at Atlantis from 2011 to 2013. With this appointment, Oswell becomes the first female President of Atlantis, Paradise Island. According to Andrea Balkan, Managing Partner of Brookfield Asset Management, owners of the resort, "we are extremely pleased that Audrey will elevate her leadership role at the...
York Investment Properties Enters Agreement for Development of New Cambria Hotel in Fort Mill, S.C.
Cambria Hotels | September 26, 2017
ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 26, 2017 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest hotel companies, signed an agreement with York Investment Properties, LLC, to develop a new Cambria hotel in Fort Mill, S.C. The 124-room property will be located within the company's mixed-use development site, which includes an apartment complex, planned retail center and proposed office space. The address is 335 Armistead Lane. Expected to open in 2019, the Cambria Hotel Fort Mill is located near several corporate offices, including AECOM, Prologix and Shutterfly, as well as Fort Mill attractions, Cedar Fair's Carow...
Park Hyatt Hotels Brand to Debut in Mexico with Hotels in Los Cabos and Mexico City
Park Hyatt | September 26, 2017
CHICAGO (September 26, 2017) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today two new luxury hotel developments in Los Cabos and Mexico City, Mexico under the Park Hyatt brand. These two high-end properties, designed to meet the needs of the discerning global traveler, mark the anticipated debut of the Park Hyatt brand in the country, and will join the brand's global portfolio in locations such as Bangkok, Paris, Tokyo, Vienna, Milan and Zurich, as well as two sister hotels in Latin America: Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, and Park Hyatt Mendoza. "We are excited to announce the introduction of the Park Hyatt brand in Me...
Pacifica Hotels Selected to Manage SpringHill Suites by Marriott Paso Robles Atascadero
Pacifica Hotels | September 26, 2017
IRVINE, CA (September 26, 2017) – Pacifica Hotels, the largest owner and operator of independent hotels along the Pacific Coast, is pleased to announce a new hotel management acquisition with the addition of SpringHill Suites by Marriott Paso Robles Atascadero, selected by new ownership, Chosun Refractories. This property will be the second Pacifica acquisition in California for Chosun asset management team, Steve Kwak and Michael Kang. With a strong history in hotel ownership and operations in the California Central Coast, Pacifica Hotels has seen positive growth through recent management acquisitions. Pacifica Hotels has proven ...
Resorts & Country Hotels: How Workation Retreats are Blending Work and Relaxation
JLL Real Views | September 26, 2017
by Natalie Holmes Settling in with a laptop beneath a shady tree, connecting with colleagues around a fire pit, or sampling a local craft beer at the bar…this is work, but not in the traditional sense. As the boundaries between business and leisure continue to dissolve, secluded retreats are turning their attention to a new set of customers. Digital nomads, entrepreneurs and forward-thinking corporate teams are leaving the bustle of the city behind to immerse themselves in nature in the name of creativity and productivity. While some resorts and country hotels are updating their offerings to cater to this emerging clientele, new ...
Noble Investment Group Acquires Staybridge Suites Tysons Corner – McLean
Noble Investment Group | September 26, 2017
Atlanta, GA – September 26, 2017 – Noble Investment Group ("Noble") today announced the acquisition of the Staybridge Suites Tysons-McLean. The newly renovated, all-suite, extended-stay hotel is located in downtown McLean, part of the greater Tysons Corner market of Washington, D.C. The hotel is located in one the deepest corporate office markets in the United States with more than 28 million square feet of office space that is home to numerous Fortune 500 headquarters and many of the largest government agencies in the region. The hotel provides direct access to the Capital Beltway, the Dulles Toll Road and George ...
Red Roof Launches First Soft Brand, The Red Collection, with 2018 Opening of The St. Clair Hotel in Downtown Chicago
Red Roof | September 26, 2017
CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2017 -- Following comprehensive consumer research, Red Roof has launched The Red Collection, the first soft brand in the company's 44-year history, with the opening of the first property, The St. Clair Hotel™ in Downtown Chicago. Red Roof's research found that today's upscale economy travelers are not looking for hotels that are identified as "trendy" or "hip"—which they equate with expensive and fleeting. Instead travelers are looking for modern, accessible and affordable properties with enhanced amenities in the hearts of cities they love, prime locations near the things t...
Address Consulting and Associates and Nobu Hospitality to Launch Nobu Hotel São Paulo in Brazil
Nobu Hospitality | September 26, 2017
NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 - Nobu Hospitality, founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, has seen tremendous growth spanning five continents; now Nobu Hotels is delighted to announce its launch into South America. Reflecting its core offering of a luxury lifestyle brand, this exciting launch into South America will be an integrated mix of a Nobu Hotel, Residences and Restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil. Encapsulating an aspirational balance of business and lifestyle, Nobu Hospitality's first South American property will open in the Wall Street district of São Paulo. Nobu Hotel São Paulo will not only o...
YOTEL and Starwood Capital Group Enter $250 Million Strategic Partnership with Starwood Acquiring 30% Stake
September 26, 2017
LONDON and MIAMI, Sept. 26, 2017 -- YOTEL announced today that a fund affiliated with Starwood Capital Group ("Starwood"), a leading global private investment firm, has committed to making a strategic investment of $250 million in YOTEL, including acquiring a 30 percent stake in the company and investing in real estate acquisitions for new build, hotel conversion and adaptive reuse properties as YOTEL expands its international scale. Starwood's investment in and ongoing partnership with YOTEL will further enable YOTEL's rapid worldwide expansion, with a specific focus on Europe, North America and Asia. It also will hel...
Tourism Businesses Need to Get On Board the Voice Search Revolution
MyTravelResearch.com | September 26, 2017
Optimise your digital presence online for the new conversational age. Voice search algorithms will do the rest for you. The travel industry in Asia Pacific should prepare itself to maximise business from voice searches online. Simply optimise your digital online presence by building reputation, trust, authority and relevance and the voice recognition algorithms of Google, Apple, Amazon and others will do the rest for you – mostly. That was the recommendation by Bronwyn White, tourism strategist and co-founder of MyTravelResearch.com. She was addressing an audience of tourism marketers at the Tourism Marketing Rockstar Convention, ...
U.S. Travel Statement on New Travel Restrictions
U.S. Travel Association | September 26, 2017
WASHINGTON (September 26, 2017)—U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Jonathan Grella issued the following statement: "Security adjustments rooted in legitimate concerns will always be a fact of life for travelers. It's essential that changes be clearly communicated and that there be both an incentive and a pathway for affected countries to bring themselves back into compliance, and the Department of Homeland Security and State Department have been doing a good job checking those boxes. "The American travel community continues to feel that both security and economic objectives could bene...
Mobile Websites vs. Apps: The Final Showdown – Part One
Mike Murray | September 26, 2017
By Mike Murray As we discussed in our most recent article, "Millennials + Mobile: A Match Made in (Hotelier) Heaven," mobile is the best booking, marketing, and engagement channel available, to reach the world's largest generation – Millennials. So, if your property hasn't already gone mobile, what are you waiting for? Perhaps – as is the case with many hoteliers who haven't – you are wondering whether it is better for you to invest in a mobile website, an app, or both. Today, I'm here to tell you about the benefits and downfalls of each mobile channel; however, because there is just so much important information to co...
FCS Computer Systems Raises Bar on Hotel Housekeeping Efficiency with Release of FCS Housekeeping V3.1
FCS | September 26, 2017
Industry leading housekeeping solution now available with enhanced features that further streamline staff efficiency while reducing operational costs. Singapore – 26 September, 2017- FCS Computer Systems, a leading global provider of comprehensive hospitality guest services applications and solution design services, has announced the General Availability (GA) of FCS Housekeeping V3.1 with new features that serve to further boost housekeeping department efficiency and guest satisfaction. The latest release includes the ability to implement task assignment rules that can adapt to changing priorities throughout the day. Other useful...
Mobile Check-In & Check-Out: There’s So Much More on the Way
September 26, 2017
Jos Schaap, CEO and Founder StayNTouch There has been a great deal written about how more and more people use mobile devices to book both air travel and make hotel reservations. There is little doubt that the proliferation of mobile devices within the travel ecosystem is increasing year over year. A Phocuswright research study in 2016 which focused on the mobile landscape outlined that travelers turn to their smartphones when deciding where to go, choosing travel products, during their trip and for sharing experiences. In another report from Phocuswright called Chat, Shop, Buy, released in April of 2016, researchers analyzed how travele...
W Fort Lauderdale Names Brigette Bienvenu as New Director of Sales & Marketing
W Fort Lauderdale | September 26, 2017
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – SEPTEMBER 2017 – W Fort Lauderdale has appointed Brigette Bienvenu as the new Director of Sales and Marketing. In the role, Bienvenu's overall responsibility is to manage the property's reactive and proactive sales efforts in order to achieve booking goals and drive revenue. Specific duties include implementing the brand's initiatives and service strategy, managing the marketing budget, building long-term, value-based customer relationships, and providing day-to-day leadership to sales associates. Bienvenu joins the W Fort Lauderdale team with more than 10 years of experience as a Director of Sales and ...
Eleven Transforms Wi-Fi Management for Hotel Staff
Eleven | September 26, 2017
ElevenOS Site Manager dashboard brings together Wi-Fi management tools with real-time analytics making it simple to deliver a great guest experience 9/26/17, Portland, Ore.— Today at HTNG Insight Summit North America, Eleven, the industry's pioneer in cloud-based guest Wi-Fi management software introduces the ElevenOS Site Manager dashboard making it easy for hotel staff to ensure a high performance guest Wi-Fi experience from guest rooms to public spaces to the conference center. Centralized Wi-Fi Management ElevenOS Site Manager provides a centralized dashboard to access all of the features needed to optimize Wi-Fi at a single p...
BridgeStreet Global Hospitality and SiteMinder Connect in Pivotal Strategic Relationship for Business Travel
BridgeStreet Global Hospitality | September 26, 2017
Reston, USA – BridgeStreet Global Hospitality, the first OTA dedicated to business travel, has partnered with the global hotel industry's leading cloud platform, SiteMinder, to strengthen the visibility of serviced apartments around the world. The partnership sees BridgeStreet Global Hospitality join SiteMinder's vast supplier network of more than 350 distribution channels, and allows their supply to also be seen by business travelers worldwide. Leveraging exceptional client and supplier assets into a streamlined system that ultimately improves visibility, reliability and revenues, today's partnership is a definitive step toward u...
NAVIS Identifies New Direct Channel Strategy that Doubles Bookings
NAVIS | September 26, 2017
Top reservation sales and marketing technology provider for the hospitality industry reveals an all-new channel strategy that's disrupting the status quo, outlined in a new ebook and being showcased at upcoming events BEND, Ore. (September 26, 2017) – In their continuing effort to help lodging operators drive more profitable reservations, NAVIS has released a new e-book titled, The Holistic Approach to Direct Bookings: Integrating Online and Offline Efforts to Increase Revenue. The 18-page guide, available for download at https://learn.thenavisway.com/open-ebooks/direct-bookings-the-holistic-approach, is a must-read for hotel and ...
Agilysys Executives to Participate on Gaming Industry Panels at G2E 2017
Agilysys | September 26, 2017
CEO and Director of Product Management Each to Discuss Current Hospitality Trends ALPHARETTA, GA. — Sept. 26, 2017 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that Ramesh Srinivasan, President and CEO, and Robert Rebholz, Director of Product Management, will be featured on industry panels at the upcoming Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas. Mr. Srinivasan will be a featured panelist for the: 'Hand in Hand - How Gaming and Non-Gaming Work Together" session, an open forum discussion centered on helping operators understand the big...
The Impact of the September 2017 Hurricanes on the Islands of the Caribbean
September 26, 2017
By Kristina D'Amico and Leora Lanz When Ebola struck the Sub-Saharan continent in the summer of 2014, thousands of travelers canceled their safari plans in South Africa, resulting in an immediate decline of multimillions of dollars given the tourist cancelations. Truth be told, South African cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town were more than 2,000 miles from the epicenter of the outbreak, unlike the wildly successful summer destinations of the South of France and England, which were actually far closer to the sources of the viral outbreak. Unfortunately, the geographically challenged visitors, who could have seamlessly enjoyed the...
