News Archive: October
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 112; Hotel History: The Drake Hotel in New York
Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC | October 14, 2013
Marriott CEO Tells U.S. Congress: Get Back to Work; New York Investigating Airbnb and HomeAway; Quote of the Month; My New Book By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC 1. Hotel History: The Drake Hotel in New York On a front page story in the Metropolitan section (October 6, 2013), the New York Times reported "Harry Macklowe Gambles Again: A developer known for wild swings of fortune builds a Park Avenue apartment tower a quarter-mile high." On the site of the old Drake Hotel (demolished in 2007), Macklowe is building a luxurious apartment building which, upon completion, will be, at 1,398 feet the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisp...
Hawkeye Hotels Acquires the Comfort Suites Hotel & Convention Center in Burlington, Iowa
October 20, 2013
Oct. 20--Hawkeye Hotels, a hospitality company owned by the Patel family, has added the Comfort Suites Hotel & Convention Center in Burlington to its growing number of U.S. facilities. Hawkeye Hotels purchased the hotel for an undisclosed amount from ORE Inc., a subsidiary of McFarland State Bank of McFarland, Wis. The bank acquired Comfort Suites at a Des Moines County sheriff's sale in January as it provided the only bid in winning an assigned judgment of $5.2 million. McFarland State Bank had foreclosed on the property, run by a group of local investors under the name Burlington Area Hospitality, in the spring of 2012. "We are ju...
R.D. Olson Construction Launches $45 Million Luxury Hotel Project at The Bicycle Casino
R.D. Olson Construction | October 24, 2013
Irvine, Calif. – October 25, 2013 – R.D. Olson Construction is commencing construction on its latest luxury hotel project, The Bicycle Casino Hotel in Bell Gardens, Calif. Through this $45 million project, R.D. Olson Construction will create approximately 300 construction-related jobs in a community that is currently experiencing 16.3 percent unemployment. R.D. Olson Construction and The Bicycle Casino celebrated this significant contribution to the area's economic turnaround with elected officials Governor Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown, Jr. and State Senator Ricardo Lara at yesterday's ceremonial unveiling. The Bicycle Casino is currentl...
Con Man Who Bamboozled Many Miami Beach Hoteliers Out of Staggering Unpaid Bills Has Long History
October 13, 2013
Oct. 2013--Every night of his adult life, James "Jimmy" Sabatino has laid his sizable frame on the bed of a prison cell or a hotel suite. In his fleeting moments of freedom, Sabatino, 36, lives large. His latest caper found him racking up five- and six-figure tabs for fine Champagne, haute cuisine and posh digs -- that he never paid for -- at swanky South Florida retreats. Life is good for Sabatino as long as he stays ahead of police, which is rare. Since the age of 19, Sabatino has spent all but a few weeks behind bars, in jailhouses from Miami to New York to London, snagged for running one con after another. Police caught up with him ...
Developer Pritam Singh Has Eyes on Banana Bay Resort & Marina in Marathon, Florida
October 12, 2013
Oct. 12--Pritam Singh, whose company is responsible for roughly $1 billion worth of Keys real estate development, is rumored to have found his latest project. According to city of Marathon Planning Director George Garrett, Singh is under contract -- along with secondary investors -- to purchase Banana Bay Resort & Marina near mile marker 49.5 bayside. According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser's Office, Banana Bay is owned by OB Copperhead LLC from Lafayette, Fla., northwest of Gainesville, and was assessed in 2013 at $4.91 million. It's a 10-acre parcel with 61 rooms, 34 boat slips and various amenities, including a pool and...
Casino MonteLago at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, NV Closes Over Lease Issues
October 29, 2013
Oct. 29--For the second time in three and a half years, Casino MonteLago has shut its doors. Management announced that the small gambling spot, part of the lavish but financially plagued Lake Las Vegas master-planned community in Henderson, "suspended operations today pending resolution of lease issues with the property owners." Details were not disclosed. "We hope that the owners of the casino find a way to support its reopening soon," General Manager Marcus Suan said in a news release. Phil Wolfgramm, senior vice president of landlord Kam Sang Co., told VEGAS INC today that his group is looking for other companies to run the casino. H...
Daniel Lee, Former Pinnacle Entertainment CEO, Takes Over at The Palms in Las Vegas as CEO
October 3, 2013
Oct. 03--The Palms has a new boss. Daniel Lee, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Entertainment, has taken over the off-strip resort as its new CEO. He replaces Joseph A. Magliarditi, who joined the Palms in June 2011 and recently resigned to pursue other business interests, according to Alex Acuna, the Palms' spokesman. "Our founder George Maloof and Joe [Magliarditi] built and improved this spectacular resort casino and put together a tremendous team of people who bring life to it every day," Lee said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to building on the great legacy they have begun." Two of Magliar...
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. Opens Three New Hotels in the Southeast and Midwest
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. | October 1, 2013
CHATTANOOGA, TENN., OCT. 2, 2013 — Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. recently opened three new hotels in the Southeast and Midwest: the Residence Inn Atlanta NE/Duluth Sugarloaf, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Knoxville West and the Hampton Inn & Suites – Schererville, IN. The 112-suite Residence Inn Atlanta NE/Duluth Sugarloaf features spacious studios, and one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites with modern working areas and fully-equipped kitchens. Other amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, fireplace and water fountain with fire facet. The Fairfield Inn & Suites Knoxville West represents a new Fairfield Inn & Suite...
