News Archive: August
From Bad to Worse for Wyndham
the authors: | August 27, 2015
By Scott Warner and Benjamin Lambiotte Lawyers often say "bad facts make bad law". Combine that with weak legal arguments and, well, things can get really bad, really fast. That's precisely what happened to Wyndham yesterday when the Third Circuit affirmed a federal District Court decision that the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") has authority to regulate cybersecurity under the unfairness prong of § 45(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act. While commentators may disagree on the result from a legal or policy perspective, one thing is for certain, it was a bad result for Wyndham. The decision rejected in no uncertain terms Wyndha...
Have Internet? The Lawsuit the Entire Hotel Industry Is Watching
Trevor Warner | August 11, 2015
By Trevor Warner As an update to our first article on the lawsuit filed by Nomadix against Blueprint RF, a federal judge ruled allegations of deceiving federal patent examiners could go forward against Nomadix Inc., an NTT Docomo Company. The allegations are counterclaims by smaller rival and defendant Blueprint RF which Nomadix accused of patent infringement. Chief among the accusations is an alleged infringement on the concept of a captive portal page. The page is what a user sees when logging into a hotel, airport, coffee house or any other Wi-Fi system that requires log in. The ruling in the U.S. District of Central California turn...
Pennsylvania’s Skytop Lodge Appoints Jeffrey Rudder as General Manager
Skytop Lodge | August 24, 2015
SKYTOP, Pa. (Aug. 21, 2015)—The board of directors of Skytop Lodge Corporation has announced the appointment of Jeffrey Rudder as general manager of the resort, effective Sept. 1. Most recently, Rudder has served as the resort's director of sales and marketing. Rudder joined Skytop Lodge in May 2014 and has been instrumental in promoting Skytop as a destination for leisure and corporate guests alike. He came to Skytop from the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa where he was the director of sales and marketing. Prior to that, he served as director of sales at Oneida Nation Enterprises' Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N....
Duetto Secures $30M in Series C Funding to Further Accelerate its Worldwide Expansion
Duetto | August 4, 2015
Now in Hotels in 50 Countries, Duetto's Cloud-Based, Big Data Solution Doubles Hotel Profitability San Francisco, August 4, 2015 -- Duetto, the market leader in hotel and casino profit optimization technology, today announced the closing of a $30M financing led by Icon Ventures to further extend the company's global reach. Duetto's CEO, Patrick Bosworth, said, "While the explosive growth in online travel spends continue to accelerate, hoteliers are still struggling with outdated technologies that cannot keep up with today's distribution needs. In an environment of disruption in which third-party intermediaries are e...
Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry: Gross vs. Net Revenue Reporting
Agnes L. DeFranco | August 27, 2015
Implementation of the11th Revised Edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry The 11th revised edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI) was published in the spring of 2014, with an implementation date of January 1, 2015. The responsibility for revising the USALI lies with the Financial Management Committee (FMC) of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). Throughout the implementation process, the FMC has received several questions from the worldwide lodging industry. To answer these questions, the FMC has created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on the USAL...
Are Hotel Management Companies All the Same? 2015 Hotel Management Benchmark Study
Hans Detlefsen, MPP, MAI | August 19, 2015
by Hans Detlefsen and Emiliia Gordiienko Introduction Hotel Appraisers & Advisors (HA&A) recently completed our 2015 Hotel Management Company Benchmark Analysis. The study was designed in response to a series of questions we frequently hear from our clients in the hotel industry. These developers and investors seek our help identifying hotel operators and negotiating hotel management contracts. They ask us: Aren't most hotel management companies basically the same? How much does it really matter which operator we select? Is there any quantitative data suggesting that different management companies produce different profitability...
The Trump Organization Appoints Eric Danziger as Chief Executive Officer of Trump Hotel Collection
August 11, 2015
NEW YORK – Aug. 11, 2015 – The Trump Organization announced today that it has appointed Eric Danziger as Chief Executive Officer of their luxury hotel management company, Trump Hotel Collection. Mr. Danziger, a renowned figure in the hospitality industry with more than 45 years of experience, is charged with overseeing global operations, brand strategy, and the expansion of Trump Hotel Collection, currently one of the fastest growing luxury hotel companies in the world. With a portfolio of 14 hotels, including iconic assets such as Trump National Doral, an 800 acre property in the heart of Miami; Trump International Hotel Washington...
As Part of Global Expansion Plan, Karisma Hotels & Resorts Names Key Executive Leadership Promotions
Karisma Hotels & Resorts | August 20, 2015
MIAMI (August 20, 2015) – Karisma Hotels & Resorts, an award-winning luxury hotel collection which owns and manages properties across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, is pleased to announce its global expansion plans, encompassing a projected growth model to own and operate 30 resorts around the world by 2020. As the company continues to expand worldwide with offices in Miami, Cancún, Belgrade, Bogotá, Mexico City, London, Toronto and Quebec, key executive personnel have been promoted to lead the charge of sales, marketing and operations from a vast global perspective. Within the next year, Karisma Hotels & Resorts w...
