News Archive: August
Holiday Inn Resort Coming to Centennial Plaza in Gulfport, Mississippi
August 19, 2014
Aug. 19--GULFPORT -- A Holiday Inn Resort has signed on to open in two buildings on the west side of the waterfront Centennial Plaza campus, with a lazy river included in the plans, city officials announced this afternoon. The chapel at the property's southern entrance also is included in initial plans. "Now that we've got our anchor lined up, it should be the catalyst to develop the rest of the property," Mayor Billy Hewes said. Louisiana-based le Triomphe Property Group, which is developing 57 acres of the property, struck the deal with the Intercontinental Hotels Group, owner of the Holiday Inn and other hotel brands. The city will r...
David Atwell’s Family Files Lawsuit Against David Siegel & Westgate Resorts
August 24, 2014
Aug. 24--Several months after David Atwell's passing, the impact of his dealmaking still is being felt on the Las Vegas real estate market -- and beyond. This month, Atwell's legacy stretched to court, in a lawsuit filed by a member of his family against the new owners of one of his favorite hotels. Real estate company Resort Properties of America, headquartered in Las Vegas, founded by Atwell and operated by his daughter Heather, has filed suit against Westgate Resorts and David Siegel. The complaint landed in Clark County District Court on Aug. 11. Representatives for Siegel and Westgate Resorts have offered no comment. David Atwell d...
Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison Now Owns Every Hotel Room on Lanai, HI; Acquires 10-room Hotel Lanai
August 1, 2014
Aug. 01--Billionaire and Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison now owns every hotel room on Lanai, having closed July 7 on the purchase of the venerable Hotel Lanai. The price paid by Ellison's Lanai Resorts LLC was undisclosed by seller Lanai Hospitality Partners LLC principal Mary Charles. "We owned it for seven years, and we did really well with it," she told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "We turned it into a great spot, it was loved by visitors and locals, and so we leave it with a great legacy and in good hands." The 10-room hotel was originally built in 1923 by James Dole of pineapple fame, as a retreat for Dole Pineapple executives. ...
Ownersip for Bushkill Inn and Conference Center Expected to Change After Exit from Bankruptcy
August 2, 2014
Aug. 02--The Bushkill Inn and Conference Center, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in May, is expected to change ownership by the end of the year. General Manager Roger Taylor said he expects a major, unnamed real estate investor from the New York area with no prior experience in the hospitality business to submit a plan in two weeks to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Trenton, New Jersey, for approval. Taylor said the process would be completed in six months, around the time that the inn would exit Chapter 11. "It's all moving along normally," he said. "We've filed for financial reorganization to get out of bankruptcy be...
Historic Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, FL Sold to Thayer Lodging for $460 million
August 29, 2014
Aug. 29--In a mega-hotel deal, Thayer Lodging Group has purchased the historic Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood. Thayer, based in Annapolis, Maryland, has paid $460 million to buy the 1,000 room, beachfront hotel from United Association, a 370,000-member plumbers and pipefitters union based in Annapolis. Thayer declined to comment Friday morning on the purchase of the hotel, which was reported in the Daily Business Review. In addition to the hotel, with spa and tennis courts on nearly 10 acres at 3555 S. Ocean Dr. in Hollywood, Thayer also bought a neighboring 18-hole golf course for $20 million, and paid $55.5 million for ...
Paso Robles, CA Planners Approve 106-room Hotel Project Known as Pine Street Promenade
August 13, 2014
Aug. 13--A large-scale hotel, shopping and performing arts center project that will extend the reach of downtown Paso Robles was unanimously approved by city planners this week. Pine Street Promenade, to be built at Pine and 10th streets at the site of the old Hayward Lumber yard, received a 7-0 vote of approval from the city's Planning Commission on Tuesday night, with no opposition. Since the project is in line with the city's zoning and master plan for the area, it doesn't need approval from the City Council until its second phase, when the developers propose building the parking structure on city property, city planners say. Constru...
Santa Fe, New Mexico’s Old St. Vincent Hospital Reincarnated, Opening as 182-room Drury Plaza Hotel
August 17, 2014
Aug. 17--Forget all the ghost stories. The dead spot in downtown Santa Fe has come back to life. The old St. Vincent Hospital is reincarnated as a Drury Plaza Hotel. Its 5-acre grounds at 228 E. Palace Ave. have the feel of a campus and offer sweeping mountain and city views that put Santa Fe on the list of destinations travelers hope to visit. About 70 percent of the new hotel's 182 guest rooms were open late last week. Construction crews were still busy, as the Drury Plaza prepared to host a weekend conference whose speakers included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Tauseen Malik, general manager of...
Twenty Four Seven Hotels Awarded California Management Contracts
Twenty Four Seven Hotels | August 4, 2014
Twenty Four Seven Hotels ("24-7 Hotels") a western regional hotel management company recently added two new contracts to its growing portfolio giving them eleven managed hotels totaling just under 1,500 rooms. The new additions in the last thirty days include the 100-room Comfort Suites in Ontario, CA, and the 139-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Anaheim, CA. Both hotels will be managed on behalf of the same investment group. "We began a relationship with this ownership group over a year ago and recently we've added two additional management contracts with the same owner" said David Wani, CEO of Twenty Four Seven Hotels. "When our ...
