News Top: October
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 112; Hotel History: The Drake Hotel in New York
Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC | October 14, 2013
Marriott CEO Tells U.S. Congress: Get Back to Work; New York Investigating Airbnb and HomeAway; Quote of the Month; My New Book By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC 1. Hotel History: The Drake Hotel in New York On a front page story in the Metropolitan section (October 6, 2013), the New York Times reported "Harry Macklowe Gambles Again: A developer known for wild swings of fortune builds a Park Avenue apartment tower a quarter-mile high." On the site of the old Drake Hotel (demolished in 2007), Macklowe is building a luxurious apartment building which, upon completion, will be, at 1,398 feet the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisp...
Hawkeye Hotels Acquires the Comfort Suites Hotel & Convention Center in Burlington, Iowa
October 20, 2013
Oct. 20--Hawkeye Hotels, a hospitality company owned by the Patel family, has added the Comfort Suites Hotel & Convention Center in Burlington to its growing number of U.S. facilities. Hawkeye Hotels purchased the hotel for an undisclosed amount from ORE Inc., a subsidiary of McFarland State Bank of McFarland, Wis. The bank acquired Comfort Suites at a Des Moines County sheriff's sale in January as it provided the only bid in winning an assigned judgment of $5.2 million. McFarland State Bank had foreclosed on the property, run by a group of local investors under the name Burlington Area Hospitality, in the spring of 2012. "We are ju...
R.D. Olson Construction Launches $45 Million Luxury Hotel Project at The Bicycle Casino
R.D. Olson Construction | October 24, 2013
Irvine, Calif. – October 25, 2013 – R.D. Olson Construction is commencing construction on its latest luxury hotel project, The Bicycle Casino Hotel in Bell Gardens, Calif. Through this $45 million project, R.D. Olson Construction will create approximately 300 construction-related jobs in a community that is currently experiencing 16.3 percent unemployment. R.D. Olson Construction and The Bicycle Casino celebrated this significant contribution to the area's economic turnaround with elected officials Governor Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown, Jr. and State Senator Ricardo Lara at yesterday's ceremonial unveiling. The Bicycle Casino is currentl...
Con Man Who Bamboozled Many Miami Beach Hoteliers Out of Staggering Unpaid Bills Has Long History
October 13, 2013
Oct. 2013--Every night of his adult life, James "Jimmy" Sabatino has laid his sizable frame on the bed of a prison cell or a hotel suite. In his fleeting moments of freedom, Sabatino, 36, lives large. His latest caper found him racking up five- and six-figure tabs for fine Champagne, haute cuisine and posh digs -- that he never paid for -- at swanky South Florida retreats. Life is good for Sabatino as long as he stays ahead of police, which is rare. Since the age of 19, Sabatino has spent all but a few weeks behind bars, in jailhouses from Miami to New York to London, snagged for running one con after another. Police caught up with him ...
Developer Pritam Singh Has Eyes on Banana Bay Resort & Marina in Marathon, Florida
October 12, 2013
Oct. 12--Pritam Singh, whose company is responsible for roughly $1 billion worth of Keys real estate development, is rumored to have found his latest project. According to city of Marathon Planning Director George Garrett, Singh is under contract -- along with secondary investors -- to purchase Banana Bay Resort & Marina near mile marker 49.5 bayside. According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser's Office, Banana Bay is owned by OB Copperhead LLC from Lafayette, Fla., northwest of Gainesville, and was assessed in 2013 at $4.91 million. It's a 10-acre parcel with 61 rooms, 34 boat slips and various amenities, including a pool and...
Casino MonteLago at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, NV Closes Over Lease Issues
October 29, 2013
Oct. 29--For the second time in three and a half years, Casino MonteLago has shut its doors. Management announced that the small gambling spot, part of the lavish but financially plagued Lake Las Vegas master-planned community in Henderson, "suspended operations today pending resolution of lease issues with the property owners." Details were not disclosed. "We hope that the owners of the casino find a way to support its reopening soon," General Manager Marcus Suan said in a news release. Phil Wolfgramm, senior vice president of landlord Kam Sang Co., told VEGAS INC today that his group is looking for other companies to run the casino. H...
Daniel Lee, Former Pinnacle Entertainment CEO, Takes Over at The Palms in Las Vegas as CEO
October 3, 2013
Oct. 03--The Palms has a new boss. Daniel Lee, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Entertainment, has taken over the off-strip resort as its new CEO. He replaces Joseph A. Magliarditi, who joined the Palms in June 2011 and recently resigned to pursue other business interests, according to Alex Acuna, the Palms' spokesman. "Our founder George Maloof and Joe [Magliarditi] built and improved this spectacular resort casino and put together a tremendous team of people who bring life to it every day," Lee said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to building on the great legacy they have begun." Two of Magliar...
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. Opens Three New Hotels in the Southeast and Midwest
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. | October 1, 2013
CHATTANOOGA, TENN., OCT. 2, 2013 — Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. recently opened three new hotels in the Southeast and Midwest: the Residence Inn Atlanta NE/Duluth Sugarloaf, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Knoxville West and the Hampton Inn & Suites – Schererville, IN. The 112-suite Residence Inn Atlanta NE/Duluth Sugarloaf features spacious studios, and one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites with modern working areas and fully-equipped kitchens. Other amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, fireplace and water fountain with fire facet. The Fairfield Inn & Suites Knoxville West represents a new Fairfield Inn & Suite...
Adoba Hotel Dearborn Michigan Encourages Healthy Travel With PURE Hypoallergenic Guestrooms
Adoba Eco Hotel Suites Brand | October 23, 2013
Dearborn, MI October 25th - In the chic, historic Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, Adoba® Hotel is looking to create a better customer experience through their focus on sustainable travel. Among the myriad elements in this evolution are 10 allergy-friendly guestrooms from PURE Solutions, which reflect Adoba's emphasis on wellness and healthy travel. PURE Rooms are treated according to a patented 7-step process that kills and protects against 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. By virtually eliminating surface and airborne irritants, PURE Rooms create a truly hypoallergenic space that is not only more comfortable for allergy-sufferers,...
Joe and Francis McCann Partnership Sues Former Partners in Holiday Inn Express in Lewiston, ID
October 6, 2013
Oct. 06--Joe and Frances McCann Limited Partnership has filed suit in 2nd District Court against William J. Lawson, Christopher R. Ashenbrener and L&A Hospitality LLC., on five counts, including fraud and violating their fiduciary duty. McCann is suing the same two Spokane-area entrepreneurs that it joined back in October 2000 to build the Holiday Inn Express on Nez Perce Drive in Lewiston. With Ashenbrener's and Lawson's hotel expertise, the three parties joined forces to form AL&M. In 2005, they entered into another admission agreement to construct the College Place apartments at 814 Fourth St., and the 108-unit Suncrest apart...
French Lick Resort in Indiana Begins $15.5 Million Event Center Expansion
October 21, 2013
Oct. 21--FRENCH LICK -- French Lick Resort marked the start of construction on a $15.5 million expansion of its event center with a ground-breaking ceremony Monday morning. The expansion, which is expected to open in January of 2015, will connect to the resort's existing 109,000-square-foot conference and event center at 8670 W. Ind. 56. New construction will total more than 58,000 square feet. "It opens up a whole new group of companies that we can serve," said Steve Ferguson, chairman of French Lick Resort's parent company, Bloomington-based Cook Group. "It also allows us to have two different groups at the same time," he said. "It's ...
Kym Oglesby Named Assistant General Manager at Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center
Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center | October 25, 2013
Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center general manager Kenny Lam appointed Kym Oglesby as Assistant General Manager. Prior to joining Days Inn, Kym has held several positions over a 14 years at Hilton Brand hotels. She also brings an array of experience from her work in public relations and marketing from her position as Creative Managing Partner at Raveena Media Group. As Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center plans for its expansion in 2014, the management looks forward to Kym and her team continuing to provide pleasurable experience, excellent customer service and importance of community involvement. Its through Kym's belief in tea...
White Reach Development Moves Mixed-Use Plan Ahead for Jeffersonville, IN Including 250 Hotel Rooms
October 12, 2013
Oct. 12--JEFFERSONVILLE -- Vacant land just to the east of Interstate northbound will soon house a full-service restaurant, two fast food restaurants and at least one hotel with 250 rooms. An agreement on terms of a deal to develop more than 4 acres of property at the corner of 10th and Spring streets in Jeffersonville -- which included a $580,000 purchase price -- was approved at a special Jeffersonville Redevelopment Commission meeting Friday. Redevelopment Commission Attorney Les Merkley said the purchase price was equal to the amount the redevelopment commission had invested in the property. The commission previously chose Lexington...
Old Kinderhook Announces New Lodge & Conference Center at Lake of the Ozarks, MO
Old Kinderhook | October 30, 2013
Old Kinderhook Announces New Lodge and Conference Center Old Kinderhook, the Lake of the Ozarks' premiere golf and lake resort, unveils The Lodge at Old Kinderhook, a new 84-room lodge and conference center. "The lodge completes the destination resort experience at Old Kinderhook. For nearly 15 years, Old Kinderhook has built a reputation for exceptional golf, outstanding dining venues, marina facilities and lake living the way it's meant to be. With the addition of 84 guest rooms, a state of the art conference center and new amenities, we will better serve the 25,000 people that visit Old Kinderhook each year and welcome new guests," s...
Mobile Bookers are Impulsive and Short-Term Travelers with 74% Being for Same Day Check In
Hotels.com | October 25, 2013
DALLAS, Oct., 2013 - Mobile devices have truly become an integral part of the travel experience. Since 2011, Hotels.com® has had over 20 million downloads of its mobile hotel booking app, proving that millions of people are adapting to the mobile way of life, especially when it comes to booking a hotel room on-the-go. "Through the growth of our mobile booking app, we see that using mobile devices has become a seamless part of the travel planning and booking process," said Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. "People are utilizing a variety of mobile resources on a number of devices to help them do everything from planning...
The Hows and Whys of U.S. EMV
Shift4 Corporation | October 7, 2013
by Bob Lowe EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa), Chip Cards, Smart Cards, Chip and PIN, Chip and Choice – they can't even decide what we're going to call it, let alone how exactly it will work; yet they expect hoteliers to be working on implementation plans. Here's what we know, what we don't and what we can expect... What is EMV? EMV is an acronym for Europay, MasterCard, Visa. This association of card brands came together in 1994 to develop a new credit card payment method to replace the limited capabilities of the magnetic stripe. What they came up with was the chip card – a credit card wherein the magnetic stripe was replaced with a...
Fatal Shooting at Las Vegas Club Raises Questions About Security, Gun Policies
October 22, 2013
Oct. 22--Police are calling Monday's fatal shooting at Drai's After Hours nightclub at Bally's that left one dead and two wounded an isolated incident. But the discreet and often nebulous security policies behind Las Vegas nightclubs mean that bringing weapons onto Strip properties, even when they're forbidden, isn't always difficult for those who try. Like every nightclub on the Strip, the chic decor of Drai's is unblemished by boxy metal detectors, its patrons untouched by pat-downs from security guards as they wait to get in, greeted instead by doting hosts who welcome guests into the plush lounge for an evening of escape. Over the p...
Blackstone’s Reach? Spent $7.5B Buying 40K US Homes Becoming the Largest Single-Family Landlord
October 31, 2013
Oct. 31--TAMPA -- Private-equity giant Blackstone began marketing the nation's first rental-backed security on Wednesday, a $480 million deal based partly on the cash flow from Tampa-area rental homes, Reuters reported. Investors in the securities will pocket income from monthly rents and potential returns if the homes are sold. More than 3,200 homes, many of which had been in foreclosure, back the deal, Reuters reported. Most of the homes are in Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix and three cities in California. Through subsidiary Invitation Homes, Blackstone has spent upward of $326 million buying up more than 2,000 local single-family homes to f...
Historic Atlantic City, NJ Hotel, the Madison House, Up for Sale, Again
October 13, 2013
Oct. 13--ATLANTIC CITY -- The sad saga of the Madison Hotel continues, with the historic hotel facing yet another sale and more uncertainty about its future. Shuttered since 2006, the 14-story building appeared to have finally found a new owner when it was sold at auction in May for $4 million. But the deal later collapsed, forcing another sale. Other attempts in recent years to sell the hotel also failed. The property is now listed at $5 million, a real estate broker said. The asking price was reduced from the $5.25 million that the hotel's owner, George Levin, was originally seeking this time around. "He's willing to negotiate," Willi...
Fergus Falls, MN Hampton Inn Hotel Plans Fall Through
October 2, 2013
Oct. 02--Plans to build a new Hampton Inn hotel on the west side of Fergus Falls are no longer in the works, hotel owner Brian Patel confirmed Tuesday. Brian and Vibha Patel are owners of 14 Hampton Inn hotels across the Midwest. Last fall, they purchased the lots along Western Avenue on the west side of Fergus Falls near Interstate 94. Brian Patel originally hoped construction would begin last March. The Patels still own the property, according to Harold Stanislawski, executive director of the Fergus Falls Economic Development Commission. "He's made his decision based on factors that were important to him," Stanislawski said. "What we ...
Long-Delayed Hotel Planned for Darden Restaurants Headquarters in Orlando, FL Finally Underway
October 20, 2013
Oct. 20--The long-delayed hotel planned at the headquarters of Darden Restaurants is finally underway. Site work has begun on the property, which will be a Courtyard by Marriott. Construction is expected to be complete in 10 to 12 months. The hotel is expected to open this time next year, said Darden spokesman Rich Jeffers. Darden said that the 128-room hotel will be developed by Concord Hospitality Enterprises of Raleigh, N.C. Located off John Young Parkway near Taft Vineland Road, the hotel will be built on Darden property. Jeffers would not discuss lease terms of the deal. The hotel will serve as lodging headquarters for people atten...
Plans Scrapped for $70 million Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Whitefish, Montana
October 11, 2013
Oct. 11--Plans to construct a $70 million resort hotel and convention center in Whitefish have been scrapped. An unnamed Midwest developer has withdrawn his proposal for the Two Elks Lodge due to personal health reasons, explained Kellie Danielson, president of Montana West Economic Development. The resort would have included a 150-room hotel, year-round ice rink, a 45,000 square-foot water park with a wave pool and splash park, an outdoor amphitheater, jogging trails, restaurants and a retail shopping plaza. The convention center was planned to accommodate groups of up to 1,500 and banquets for 2,000. More than 400 new jobs were projec...
Caesars Palace Under Federal Investigation Over Allegations of Money Laundering
October 21, 2013
Oct. 21--Caesars Palace is under federal investigation over allegations of money laundering, parent company Caesars Entertainment reported in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing today. The company reported receiving a letter from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Oct. 11 stating Desert Palace Inc., the subsidiary that operates Caesars Palace, was under investigation for alleged violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and "whether it is appropriate to assess a civil penalty and/or take additional enforcement action against Caesars Palace." A representative of the company had no further ...
Renovated Historic Portland, Maine Hotel to Reopen Dec. 12 as The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel
October 30, 2013
Oct. 30--The city's most historic hotel is about to reopen after a top-to-bottom renovation. The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel -- still identified by the sign on its side as the Eastland -- will reopen Dec. 12, its general manager, Bruce Wennerstrom said. Wennerstrom said that date is considered a "soft opening" for the High Street hotel, although it will be marked by a small amount of hoopla, such as a ribbon-cutting and tours of the new space. Wennerstrom said a more elaborate grand re-opening will take place in the spring. The hotel has been undergoing a $50 million renovation that will increase the number of rooms from 201 to 289...
Chapel Hill, North Carolina Approves Plan for 112-room Hotel at Mixed-Use Southern Village Project
October 29, 2013
Oct. 29--CHAPEL HILL -- The Town Council approved plans 7-0 Monday for a hotel at Southern Village on U.S. 15-501. The 112-room, five-story hotel will be a third anchor for the mixed-use village south of downtown, after Weaver Street Market and the Lumina Theatre developer D.R. Bryan said. Council member Jim Ward was concerned about hotel guests with mobility issues having only one path to the village business district -- a sidewalk along U.S. 15-501 and Market Street. A second, pedestrian-only entrance will be built on Barksdale Drive, replacing part of an existing plant buffer. It will be below street level and accessible via a series...
