News Archive: January
Three Ways Technology Makes Payments Easier For Hotel Guests
Cristine Sommers | January 26, 2016
By Cristine Sommers Technology has been making aspects of everyday life easier, and now consumers are using new and alternative technology to make paying for goods and services simpler. Buyers now are using smartphones and other mobile devices during transactions, all while paying for items through alternative methods. Hotels can attract more guests and make the payment process easier when they use innovative technology to accept new and alternative payment options. Understanding what your customers want and how to help make their payments easier is critical. Some of the ways in which technology makes payments easier for hotel guests in...
The Restoration in Charleston, South Carolina Unveils $27 Million Yearlong Transformation and Expansion
The Restoration | January 20, 2016
Charleston, S.C. (January 2016) – Charleston's most anticipated luxury lifestyle hotel project, The Restoration, unveils this month following a $27 million yearlong transformation. Located on historic King Street in the center of downtown Charleston, the expanded property is a first for the city, offering a sophisticated pied-à-terre experience. Dropping the "on King" from its previous identity, the new Restoration features 54 suite-style accommodations with five new outlets and an notable roster of both timeless and on-brand partners from an amenity line by Beekman 1802, to a Culture Library with Assouline books, a Toby's ...
Carter Hospitality to Reopen Kissimmee Property as Red Lion Hotel Following Multi-Million Dollar Renovation
RLHC | January 15, 2016
SPOKANE, Wash., Jan. 15, 2016 -- RLHC (Red Lion Hotels Corporation) (NYSE:RLH) announced today the Company will open a second Red Lion Hotel near Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida after securing a franchise license agreement with the owners. Also located in Kissimmee, the hotel is currently closed and undergoing extensive renovations before its planned reopening by November 2016. "We will have invested millions in a complete refurbishment of the property inside and out when we reopen as a Red Lion Hotel," said Jeff Carter of Carter Hospitality Group, LLC., whose affiliate owns the property and also owns the Red Lion Hot...
The Liquidation Sale of the Grand Plaza Hotel Opens Thursday, January 7th at 10:00 a.m.
NCL/ National Content Liquidators, Inc. | January 6, 2016
Sale Conducted by NCL/ National Content Liquidators, Inc. 30 Days Only! (Toledo, Ohio January, 2016) – The Grand Plaza Hotel has contracted with NCL/National Content Liquidators, Inc., the leading expert in hotel liquidation management, to clear the hotel of its current contents as a prelude to the property's renovation to a 4-star hotel. The liquidation is being held on-site at the Grand Plaza Hotel, located at 444 North Summit Street, Toledo, Ohio ., and is open to both the hospitality industry and the general public. The sale begins at 10:00 am, Thursday, January 7th, and will continue until sold out, Monday-Saturday, 10:00 am-...
5 Game-Changing Hotel Industry Trends To Tackle in 2016
NAVIS | January 20, 2016
BEND, OR – January 20, 2016 – NAVIS, a leader in innovative hospitality technology solutions, today announced five trends that are changing the face of the hotel industry and providing an eye-opening look at what lodging operators should be leveraging in 2016. The travel world has undergone a substantial transformation in the last few years, and the technology that incited the changes is growing at a faster pace than most can keep up with. Marriott purchasing Starwood, Expedia buying HomeAway, Priceline's exclusive agreement with TripAdvisor Instant Booking, and Google's intentions to expand and improve Book on Google. To sa...
4 Ways Luxury Hotels Can Use Technology To Provide Better Customer Service
Alex Shashou | January 16, 2016
By Alex Shashou For some luxury hoteliers, the idea of mobile technology in hospitality is fraught. When customer service is understood as face-to-face interaction, the introduction of mobile technology is seen as an ill-suited replacement, an encroach on the time-honored traditions of hospitality. And when construed as such, there is also research that backs up these misgivings. A recent study by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration shows that using automation - in this case self-serve check-in technology - as a replacement for in-person customer service "can impede development of employee-guest rapport and lead t...
What’s In and What’s Out? Top 10 Travel Trends for 2016
January 12, 2016
What's Trending in Travel, Hospitality, Culinary and Wellness in the Year Ahead 2015 was a good one for travel - hotel occupancy rates hit an all-time high, travel companies worldwide went above and beyond to meet travelers' demands for wellness and technological advancements, and hotels' commitment to sustainability continued to pick up steam, but NYC-based Hawkins International PR predicts that 2016 will be an even better year for travel. With airfare prices expected to remain relatively steady, U.S. business travel volume predicted to reach 502.8 million person-trips in 2016 and over one-third of millennials (who account...
Owners of Hawaii’s Turtle Bay Resort Seeking Cash, Look to Sell a Stake in Property
January 21, 2016
Jan. 21--The owners of Turtle Bay Resort are looking to sell a stake in the property or partner with new investors as part of a plan to develop more hotel rooms and residential units at the vacation destination on Oahu's North Shore. Chicago-based real estate brokerage and investment management firm JLL was retained by a consortium of lenders that owns Turtle Bay to solicit a capital injection for the resort, according to an announcement released by the resort Wednesday. A sale of the whole resort property could potentially result, but is not the focus of the offering through JLL, according to one person familiar with the effort. &q...
