News Archive: September
How Digital Signage Benefits Hotels and their Guests
Steve Chang | September 14, 2015
By Steve Chang Digital signage has many benefits for hotels and guests. It enables access to timely and relevant information that enhances the overall guest experience. It also drives engagement, helping guests feel more connected with the hotel while reinforcing key aspects of the brand. There are a variety of ways in which digital signage is transforming the hotel guest experience, including several that are outlined below. Inform guests about offerings and amenities. Digital displays can be used to provide guests with information about check-in and checkout times, restaurant hours and key amenities like fitness centers, gift shops, s...
Google Just Upended Hotel Distribution
Greg Abbott | September 28, 2015
By Greg Abbott Google has quietly changed its approach to the hotel industry in a big way. Separate initiatives have combined to expand Google's hotel distribution influence. 1. Consumers no longer have to leave Google to book a hotel – bookings can be made right on the Google site via Google Instant Booking. 2. The bookings are cutting out the middleman – the OTA's – and going straight to the hotel itself. NB: OTA's are some of Google's largest ad spend so they could indeed be cannibalizing some of there revenue. 3. Google is using a commission model rather than a merchant model. 4. Particip...
Strategic Hotels & Resorts Enters Acquisition Agreement with Blackstone for Approximately $6 billion
Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. | September 8, 2015
CHICAGO, Sept. 8, 2015-- Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: BEE) ("the Company") today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII L.P., under which Blackstone will acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc., for $14.25 per share in cash, and all of the outstanding membership units of the Company's subsidiary, Strategic Hotels Funding L.L.C., not held by the Company, for $14.25 per unit in cash. Including outstanding debt of the Company, the total transaction value is approximately $6 billion. "Our board and managem...
Benchmark Hospitality International Names Greg Champion President & Chief Operating Officer
Benchmark Hospitality International | September 21, 2015
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, September 2015 … Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has announced the promotion of Greg Champion to President & Chief Operating Officer. Alex Cabañas, chief executive officer for Benchmark, made the announcement. "Bringing Greg on board as a senior executive for Benchmark Hospitality is one of the most important decisions our company has made in its 35-year history," said Mr. Cabañas. "Since he came to us, our growth trajectory and profitability has increased exponentially under his leadership. His commitment to Benchmark's 'B...
What Every Hotel Owner (& Operator) Needs to Know About “Data Security” After Wyndham Worldwide Case
Bob Braun | September 2, 2015
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com Massive data breaches affect hotels and their legal responsibilities. As unauthorized hacking of confidential data explodes in volume and seriousness, minimum expected standards are evolving that hoteliers and others must follow. Interestingly, the latest guidelines are provided in an August 24, 2015 appellate court decision involving Wyndham Worldwide as if to emphasize that these rules (really) apply to the hotel industry. How did this case arise? What are some basic steps that everyone with confidential data is expected to take? What h...
Are You Interested in Finding Hotel Construction Leads? Hotel-Online Partners with Construct-A-Lead
Construct-A-Lead | September 22, 2015
Access to Over 11,000 new and renovated hotel construction projects - all within your fingertips. If you're looking for a way to grow your business in an easy, cost efficient way, then you should take the free trial at Construct-A-Lead.com. Construct-A-Lead.com is an online construction projects database, helping contractors, service providers, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and businesses in related industries gain information on all large scale commercial construction projects. Sifting through extraneous data can be time consuming and exhausting. Hotel Online is partnering with Construct-A-Lead, offering a discounted rate on a...
Hilton Worldwide Unveils Industry-Leading Parental Leave Policies
Hilton Worldwide | September 4, 2015
Benefits Will Cover All New Parents MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) today announced parental leave policies that will be the best offered by any major global hospitality company in the United States and Puerto Rico. The benefits will be available to Team Members at owned and managed hotels and corporate offices¹ with one year of service or greater. Beginning on January 1, 2016, the benefits will include: All new parents - including fathers and adoptive parents - will receive two weeks of fully paid parental leave. New mothers who give birth will receive an additional eight weeks of maternity leave, for a total of 10 weeks...
Donald Trump’s 12 Business Lessons
September 2, 2015
Sept. 02--Donald Trump is one controversial guy. Love him or hate him, though, no one denies he is a good businessman. In 2004, I was a contestant on his TV show, The Apprentice. During that time and the years following the show, I learned 12 helpful things about business from my exposure to Trump. Trump's presidential campaign has gone from what many considered a political sideshow to making him a formidable contender. Part of Trump's appeal is his success and zeal as an entrepreneur. Rather than getting political, I'll stick to my comfort zone and discuss what I learned from The Donald. The dozen business lessons that we can all learn...
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