News Archive: July
Owners of Interstate Hotels & Resorts in Talks to Sell Company According to Wall Street Journal
July 29, 2015
The independent hotel operator could fetch more than $600 million, sources say By Craig Karmin And Dana Mattioli The U.S.-Chinese joint venture that owns Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the largest independent hotel-operator in the U.S., is in discussion to sell the company, according to people familiar with the matter. Hotel investor Thayer Lodging Group and Chinese hotel company Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels Group Co. own Interstate through a partnership that acquired the company in a 2010 deal valued at $307 million. To view the rest of this article please visit: http://www.wsj.com/articles/owners-of-interstate-hotels-reso...
14 Hotel Waterpark Resorts Coming in 2015; 2015 Hotel Waterpark Construction Report North America
Jeff Coy, ISHC | July 20, 2015
By Jeff Coy, ISHC July 20, 2015 --- The big news is that two major hotel waterpark resorts, Kalahari Waterpark Resort and Camelback Mountain Resort, have opened in the Pocono Mountains, giving new life to the familiar destination. Hotel developers and waterpark lovers alike are watching for the excitement to unfold this year --- as brand names, like Lego, Nashville, Dollywood, Schlitterbahn, Kalahari, Courtyard and Norwegian Cruise Lines open new properties and add to existing ones. New hotel waterpark construction is upward bound. Twenty-seven hotel waterpark resorts are estimated to open in 2016. Kalahari Waterpark Resort in Pocono Ma...
Blackstone Acquires 15-Hotel Portfolio from Pinnacle Hotel Management for $203 million
Hunter Hotel Advisors | July 16, 2015
ATLANTA, July 16, 2015—Hunter Hotel Advisors announced today that it represented Pinnacle Hotel Management (PHM) in the sale of a 15-hotel, select-service portfolio comprised of Marriott- and Hilton-branded hotels for $203 million to the Blackstone Group. Nine of the hotel transactions already have closed, with the remaining six scheduled to close in November. Hunter's Washington, D.C., and Atlanta offices worked together on the transaction, led by Teague Hunter, president, Mark Morris, senior vice president and Kyle Stevenson, senior vice president. "At this point in the cycle, premium, select-service portfolios are scarce, allowing ...
The World’s Best-Reviewed Hotels: Expedia.com Releases 2015 Insiders’ Select List
Expedia.com | July 14, 2015
650 Global Properties Named to the Annual Elite List, Resulting From Two Million+ Guest Reviews BELLEVUE, Wash., July 14, 2015 -- Today Expedia.com®, one of the world's largest full-service online travel sites*, announced the results of the Expedia® 2015 Insiders' Select® rankings, an annual crowd-sourced list of the world's best-reviewed hotels. This list represents a ranking of the world's best-reviewed hotels, reflecting direct customer feedback on Expedia.com. The 2015 list names 650 exclusive properties as Insiders' Select winning hotels from among bookable properties available on Expedia, Inc. websi...
To Rock At Customer Service, You Need To Know These 8 Statistics
Katie Scheer | July 10, 2015
By Katie Scheer It's no coincidence that companies that deliver rockin' customer service are industry leaders and innovators. So why aren't companies focusing on improving the service that they deliver? It seems like this is a no-brainer; however, companies get too lazy, caught up in the day-to-day, and/or don't want to invest the time and money on mandating a focus on service excellence. Don't be one of these companies- it's careless and brainless. We want you to ROCK at customer service! Still need some convincing about why customer service should be a top priority? From a Salesforce blog post by Kendall Thorton, "18 Interesting Stats...
Florida’s Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa Welcomes New Executive Team
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa | July 9, 2015
Hospitality Industry Veterans To Lead Iconic Ponte Vedra Beach Property PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (July 9, 2015) – The Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa is proud to welcome a new executive team to their iconic property. In their new roles, the team will help lead the resort to continued successes following its transition into the Marriott International-managed brand portfolio. Todd Hickey leads the new team as their General Manager and is responsible for overseeing operations at the property, and brings more than 21 years of hospitality leadership experience. Previously, Hickey was Interim General Manager at the 1,511-room Gaylord...
The Dual-Branded Hotel: Operational Efficiencies, HR Cautions and Future Value
Leora Lanz | July 14, 2015
by Leora Lanz and Megan Carmichael The dual-branded hotel concept is speculated to have a number of origins; Looking at the hospitality industry as a whole, a comparison that comes naturally is one to dual-branded restaurants. Two restaurants under one roof could be viewed as a close similarity as housing two hotel brands under one roof, but in reality, the two are actually quite different. The level of complexity is the catalyst that distinguishes the two. Rather, the dual-branded hotel concept seems to have evolved from the premise of "owning all four corners of a highway exit." A company could own all four corners, yet have different...
Cendyn CEO Charles Deyo Named US Gamechanger™ of the Year in ACQ Global Awards 2015
July 27, 2015
ACQ5 (Acquisition Finance) Magazine Awards Deyo for Best-of-Breed Online Hospitality Marketing Solutions Boca Raton, FL– July 27, 2015 – ACQ5 magazine, a leading M&A magazine news site, recently awarded Cendyn® CEO and Founder Charles Deyo with its prestigious ACQ Global Awards 2015 U.S. Gamechanger of the Year award for hospitality marketing solutions. The ACQ Global Awards honor the leading deal teams, firms and professionals whose activities set the standards for major markets worldwide. Nominations are provided based on reader insight and experience. In 2015, companies and individuals representing every major mar...
