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
FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management Honors Alumni Accomplishments With First Ever Rising Star Awards
FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management | December 12, 2019
Alumni Top in Their Field from Hotel, Beverage, Cruise Management to Restaurants North Miami, Florida, December 12, 2019 … Florida International University’s (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management awarded 18 of their top alumni with the very first Rising Star Awards during the first on campus alumni reunion in the school’s 47-year history. The alumni all graduated after the year 2000 and are top in their field in every aspect of the hospitality and tourism industry, from Beverage Management, to Hotel Management to Cruise Management and Restaurant Ownership and Operations. “We’re proud of our alumni and al...
HITEC Europe Returns to Stunning Mallorca, Spain in April 2020
HITEC | December 11, 2019
It is officially December — and while many are dreaming of a white Christmas, HFTP also dreams of an iridescent spring, when HITEC Europe 2020 returns to Palma, Mallorca, Spain. Azure waters. Limestone mountains. Historic villages. These are just a few choice phrases to describe Mallorca, where business and leisure will collide in the best possible way for hospitality finance and technology professionals in April 2020. HITEC Europe will take place April 21–23, 2020 at the Palau de Congressos. Attendees can look forward to attaining the exceptional professional development that HITEC delivers in an unforgettable Mediterranean travel d...
Key Takeaways Fom the 2019 Western Canadian Lodging Conference: Cautious Outlook, Technological Disruption, and a More Experience-Focussed Industry
Shu Lin (Sharon) Liu | December 11, 2019
By Shu Lin (Sharon) Liu HVS was the Platinum Sponsor for the 2019 Western Canadian Lodging Conference (WCLC) that was held in Vancouver on November 25 and 26, 2019. The event welcomed more than 400 delegates, the highest attendance in the history of the conference. The main takeaways from the conference are briefly summarized in this article. Caution was the dominant sentiment expressed at WCLC 2019, primarily because of challenges specific to the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. While the Canadian lodging sector is currently achieving peak performance levels, hoteliers in Western Canada are expecting a slowdown in growth over the...
Be Part of the Evolution: HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference
HSMAI | December 11, 2019
(McLean, VA, December 11, 2019) The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) highly-anticipated Marketing Strategy Conference will take place January 22, 2020, at the New York Marriott Marquis. This year’s conference addresses how new developments in marketers’ efforts in 2020 can connect with, track, and influence consumers throughout all phases of their travel. HSMAI’s Marketing Strategy Conference will be held the day after the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala. This year HSMAI’s Marketing Strategy Conference is all about successfully Marketing in a Digital World.” Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president and C...
HFTP and HSMAI Release Special Report, “Bringing Together Hospitality CMOs and CTOs”
HSMAI | December 9, 2019
Report details takeaways from European and North American ThinkTanks on the strategic Integration of marketing and technology This past year, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) and Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) organized two gatherings of hospitality technology and marketing executives for an open discussion on the roles each group occupies within their organizations and how their responsibilities intersect. Resulting from these meetings is the just-released report: "Bringing Together Hospitality CMOs and CTOs: Takeaways From European and North American ThinkTanks on the Strate...
Meet HSMAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds of 2019
HSMAI | December 5, 2019
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association (HSMAI) is thrilled to recognize the brightest minds in the hospitality industry with the 2019 HSMAI Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Optimization. These professionals have been selected by a panel of senior industry executives and will be celebrated at the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala and at a private reception on January 22, 2020, at the New York Marriott Marquis. HSMAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds have shared innovative ideas and achieved exceptional results in the preceding 18 months. Each of these individuals has exemplified leadership and bril...
HSMAI to Honor GCommerce With 5 Silver Adrian Awards for Outstanding Travel Marketing
HSMAI | December 5, 2019
Award Winners to be Celebrated at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at New York Marriott Marquis NEW YORK, N.Y. (December 3, 2019) – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will honor GCommerce with 5 Silver Adrian Awards for digital marketing excellence for its winning entry in the 63rd annual Adrian Awards, the largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competition. Catering to a wide variety of clients in the hospitality and tourism industry, GCommerce provides a customized, strategic, and client-focused approach to digital marketing. GCommerce provides digital marke...
Wingspread Retreat & Executive Conference Center Takes Top Honor in 2019 Stella Awards
Wingspread Retreat & Executive Conference Center | December 3, 2019
Meetings Professionals Name the “Best Conference Center Category in the Midwest Region” Racine, Wisconsin, December 2019… Wingspread Retreat & Executive Conference Center has taken top honors in Northstar Meetings Group’s prestigious 2019 Stella Awards. Meetings and events professionals and a panel of judges named this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed facility the Best Conference Center in the Midwest Region. The Stella Awards honor excellence in the meetings industry and distinguish meeting venues from around the globe that consistently deliver quality service and innovation to meeting and event professionals. With nearly 10,000...
Choice Hotels Notifies Guests of Inadvertent Disclosure Issue
Choice Hotels | December 2, 2019
ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 2, 2019 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) has taken steps to address and notify guests of an issue involving inadvertent disclosure of certain guest information to third parties with whom Choice has business relationships. While most guests involved have been contacted already, the company is issuing this press release to alert the small number it could not identify. The issue occurred very infrequently from June 2015 – March 2016 (likely less than 25 times), but information to identify specific guests involved during this timeframe is unavailable. Overall, this issue occurred approximately 88,000 t...
How to Empower Women in the Workplace: Be True to Your Values and Purpose
Catherine Rey | November 26, 2019
From navigating personal change in the workplace with empathy, to working on your leadership skills and owning your mindset, impressive women share their journeys at the Forbes Women's Summit. By Catherine Rey The Forbes Women’s Summit which took place in September in Zurich was a wonderful get-together of some really impressive women. My favorite moment of the summit was the moving speech from Bâloise CEO Angela Matthes. She spoke about her own transition and how change is not something you do for yourself and it is also of high impact for the people around you, people you work with. You may have prepared yourself for many years, ho...
Pegasus Partners With Shiji Group to Grow Asia-Pacific Market Presence
Pegasus | November 26, 2019
The new Pegasus increases Asia expansion through partnership With Shiji Distribution Solutions (LONDON) November 26, 2019 — Pegasus, a leading provider of hotel distribution and e-commerce solutions, is partnering with Shiji Group, a global technology provider for the hotel, retail, food service and entertainment industries, to expand distribution connectivity into the Asia-Pacific market. As part of the relationship, Shiji Distribution Solutions will serve as a new connectivity partner to Pegasus. Shiji Distribution Solutions will enable connections to the popular booking platform WeChat, as well as third party distribution from the ...
Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® Again Takes Top Honors in Stella Awards
Northstar Meetings Group | November 19, 2019
Named 2019 Best Overall Boutique & Lifestyle Hotel Brand The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, November 19, 2019… For the second consecutive year, BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company’s signature brand, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels®, has taken top corporate honors in Northstar Meetings Group’s prestigious Stella Awards. Meetings and events professionals and a panel of judges named it the Best Overall Boutique & Lifestyle Hotel Brand. Benchmark spans 80 exceptional properties in prominent domestic and international destinations. In a highly competitive field, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels was chosen over internationally pro...
HSMAI Awards Bjorn Hanson and Lee Pillsbury With Lifetime Achievement Honors
HSMAI | November 19, 2019
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association (HSMAI) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Awards in marketing and public relations. Bjorn Hanson, Ph.D., will be honored with the Winthrop W. Grice Award for Public Relations. Leland “Lee” Pillsbury, managing director of Thayer Ventures, will be recognized as the recipient of the Albert E. Koehl Award for Hospitality Marketing. HSMAI will celebrate Bjorn and Lee at the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala on January 21, 2020, at the New York Marriott Marquis. The HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize individuals who have spent a maj...
ISHC Now Accepting Nominations for the 2020 Young Leader Award
The International Society of Hospitality Consultants | November 8, 2019
Berlin, Germany (8 November 2019): The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) is now accepting nominations for the Young Leader Award to be presented at the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, Germany 2-4 March 2020. The Young Leader Award was established by ISHC and IHIF in 2009 to recognise and celebrate the excellence of young emerging leaders in the hospitality industry. This year's winner will have the opportunity to discuss industry issues with the IHIF Lifetime Achievement Award recipient on the main stage during plenary session. Candidates must meet the following criteria: 35 years of age or...
HSMAI Announces Recipient of Sales Lifetime Achievement Award and Sales Professionals of the Year
HSMAI | October 24, 2019
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association (HSMAI) is pleased to announce the recipients of three prestigious sales awards. HSMAI will honor Cindy Novotny with its Lifetime Achievement Award in Sales. In addition, Kristi Griffith and Valerie Rios will be recognized as the HSMAI 2019 Sales Professionals of the Year. These honorees will be celebrated at the first-ever HSMAI Sales Leader Forum Awards Dinner on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at the Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club in Frisco, Texas. “HSMAI is proud to honor Cindy, Kristi, and Valerie for their outstanding sales performance and the significant impact they have had ...
Three Olympia Hotel Management Properties Lauded in Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards 2019
Olympia Hotel Management | October 23, 2019
Portland, Maine. October 23, 2019. Three properties in Olympia Hotel Management’s portfolio have been singled out in Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards 2019. Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine has secured the prestigious number two spot among the Top 25 Resorts in New England while The Glen House, the award-winning 68-room boutique hotel that opened one year ago at the base of Mt. Washington, was also honored as one of the Top Hotels in New England. The Alfond Inn at Rollins in Winter Park, Florida was named one of the Top 5 Hotels in Florida. “It was a true honor to be in the number two spot amongst the 25 finest prope...
HSMAI Foundation Hosts First-Ever Human Resources Roundtable During 2019 Lodging Conference
THE HSMAI FOUNDATION | October 22, 2019
Mclean, Va. -- October 22, 2019 -- The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Foundation recently hosted its first-ever Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Executive Roundtable during The Lodging Conference, held in Phoenix, AZ last month. The goal of the roundtable was to bring together top hiring professionals in hospitality to discuss grassroots strategies to improve talent acquisition and retention in the hospitality industry. Participants included hospitality industry executives from Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotel & Resorts, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels, Wynn Resorts, CoralT...
AHLA Joined Secretary of State Hughs to Combat Human Trafficking in Texas
AHLA | October 17, 2019
Austin, TX (October 17, 2019) – As the hotel industry continues its fight against human trafficking, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) co-sponsored the Texas Businesses Against Trafficking (TBAT) Partnership Forum at the State Capitol, hosted by the Secretary of State Ruth R. Hughs’ Office. The event, which brought together government officials and industry partners in a shared mission, marked the next stop in a nationwide tour of No Room for Trafficking regional events to raise national awareness of the industry’s long-standing legacy and commitment to preventing human trafficking. In alignment with the event, AHLA...
Florida’s Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County Recognizes This Year’s Outstanding Employees and Hospitality Students
Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County | October 11, 2019
The Lodging and Hospitality Association of Volusia County held its Annual Employee Appreciation & Scholarship Luncheon at Café 101, located in the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality and Culinary Management on the campus of Daytona State College. Over 180 people attended the event that recognized employees in the hospitality industry and presented six Hospitality Students from both Bethune-Cookman University and Daytona State College with scholarships. The Culinary and Hospitality students at Daytona State College prepared and served the three-course meal. Employees of the Year winners were: HOTEL CATEGORY WINNER Hilton Oceanfro...
The Rise and Rise of Branded Residences
Savills Vietnam | October 11, 2019
There are now more than 430 branded schemes globally with a combined total of 65,000 units Asia Pacific, led by Thailand and Vietnam, currently has the most schemes in planning and under construction (23% of pipeline) Average price premium for branded residences over non-branded stands at 35% Dubai set to topple New York as the global capital of branded residences The branded residences sector has seen phenomenal growth and there is no sign of it slowing, says Savills in its Branded Residences Report, launched today. The number of branded schemes has grown by 195% in the last decade and there are more than 430 branded schem...
FAQ: How Cendyn Is Preparing for CCPA
Casey Munck | October 11, 2019
By Casey Munck Frequently asked questions As many of you know, the California Consumer Privacy Act will soon go into effect. Like GDPR, it has wide-sweeping effects for the hotel and technology industries at large. To help prepare our customers, we’ve prepared a Q & A below to educate our clients on the new legislature, how hotels need to prepare and what we’re doing to support. Please review thoroughly below and let us know if you have any further questions, which should be directed to Denise Barker, our Privacy and Security Officer at dpo@cendyn.com. What is an overview of the CCPA? This new legislation has a wide impact...
Should Your Panic Button Be Loud or Silent
Larry Mogelonsky | October 9, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) It’s been over a year since many of the major brands and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) united to proclaim the 5-Star Promise pledging to make hotel employee safety a priority, and now we are seeing cities and states start to rapidly adopt legislation mandating that hotels start using electronic safety devices (ESDs). Otherwise known as panic buttons, you should be proactive here rather than wait for some governmental body to dictate terms – they are good for your team’s morale, after all. A prominent question that many hoteliers ask, though, is whether ES...
Best Western® Hotels & Resorts Unveils SureStay Studio
Best Western Hotels & Resorts | October 9, 2019
PHOENIX -- October 9, 2019 -- During General Session on Saturday, October 5th at the 2019 Best Western North American Convention and Global Conference, Best Western Hotels & Resorts (BWHR) announced the expansion of the SureStay Hotel Group with the launch of SureStay StudioSM. Competing in the premium-economy extended stay segment, SureStay Studio was created to respond to the needs of both travelers and hotel developers. "SureStay Studio solidifies BWHR as a global leader in the economy and premium-economy segments," said David Kong, President and Chief Executive Officer of BWHR. "In a short span of time, SureStay Hotel Group ha...
The Castell Project Announces Inaugural Castell Award Winner
The Castell Project | October 9, 2019
ATLANTA -- October 3, 2019 -- Officials of Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry, today named Heather McCrory, Accor chief executive officer of North & Central America, as the winner of its inaugural Castell Award honoring a woman leader in the hospitality investment arena. The award was presented to McCrory at the 2019 Lodging Conference held in Phoenix, Ariz., where she received a unique, handcrafted award designed by artist Brad McCollum representing the glass ceilings women rise through as they succeed. A seasoned professional...
