News Top: August
Garden City, KS Could Soon Benefit from $25 million Water Park & Hotel Development Led by Amro Samy
August 21, 2013
Aug. 21--A proposed $25 million development of a water park, hotel and restaurant continued to sail through the approval process on Tuesday as the Garden City Commission approved a variety of agreements for the project. Following two public hearings, the commission approved the creation of a tax increment financing district, a community improvement district and the project plan for Stone Development Inc., the legal entity developing a water park, hotel and Old Chicago restaurant south of Menards near the bypass and Schulman Avenue intersection. Korb Maxwell, attorney with Kansas City-based firm Polsinelli, which represents Stone Develop...
Magellan Development Group Proposes Austin, Texas Skyscraper to Include One or Two Hotels
August 22, 2013
Aug. 23--Austin's skyline could change dramatically once again with the planned addition of a skyscraper of up to 50 stories with hotel rooms and residences at East Fifth and Brazos streets downtown. The tower could include one or two hotels and more than 300 housing units, most likely apartments, David Carlins, president of Chicago-based Magellan Development Group, told the American-Statesman on Friday. Magellan, which is building a national presence with its large-scale luxury mixed-use towers in Chicago and other cities, would develop the Austin project with Wanxiang America Real Estate Group , also based in the Chicago area. The hei...
Golden Nugget Atlantic City For Sale? Landry’s Considers Selling Property Despite $150M Renovation
August 31, 2013
Aug. 31--The parent company of Golden Nugget Atlantic City may possibly sell the casino or its Internet gambling rights after struggling with some "less than stellar results" in a slumping market. Despite a $150 million renovation last year that transformed a formerly drab property into a glitzier casino, Golden Nugget has continued to lose money under the ownership of Houston-based Landry's Inc. Landry's, the restaurant, entertainment and casino conglomerate controlled by Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta, says it has been approached by the investment bank Houlihan Lokey to consider selling Golden Nugget or its Internet gambling rights...
Maui’s Former Ritz-Carlton Time-Share Units to Become Montage Kapalua Bay, a Luxury Hotel
August 1, 2013
Aug. 01--A 50-room hotel will replace unsold time-share units at Maui's former Ritz-Carlton time-share and condominium resort in Kapalua under a plan by the property's new owner and management firm. The all-suite luxury hotel is projected to open early next year following a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the property now known as the The Residences at Kapalua Bay, the firms announced today. After the conversion, the resort will become the Montage Kapalua Bay managed by Montage Hotels & Resorts, a company hired by an affiliate of real estate firm Lantern Asset Management that acquired the Kapalua property earlier this year at a forec...
Eurobuilding Hotels Group Opens the 133-room EB Hotel Miami Near Miami, FL International Airport
August 7, 2013
Aug. 07--EB Hotel Miami, the first U.S. property from Venezuela-based Eurobuilding Hotels Group, is now open just north of Miami International Airport. Located at 4299 NW 36th St. in Miami Springs, the 133-room hotel opened its doors in early June and plans a grand opening in December. Formerly an office building, the six-floor hotel -- online at www.ebhotelmiami.com -- still has a Wells Fargo attached. The interior of the building has been completely renovated to cater to business travelers with marble floors and plush carpet, modern, comfortable rooms and updated technology. The upscale property also boasts a pool, fitness center and ...
Pinnacle Entertainment Sells St. Louis, MO Lumiere Casino and Hotel to Tropicana for $260 Million
August 17, 2013
Aug. 17--Pinnacle Entertainment said Friday it will sell its Lumiere Place casino and hotel complex on the St. Louis riverfront to Tropicana Entertainment for $260 million. The price is about half what Pinnacle spent to build the glitzy complex that opened in late 2007. Revenue at the Lumiere Place casino has slipped in recent months as part of a downward trend in the St. Louis area's gambling market. Pinnacle sold the complex, which includes a luxury Four Seasons hotel and the HoteLumiere, under pressure from federal antitrust officials. The Federal Trade Commission required Pinnacle to sell one of its two St. Louis-area casinos as a c...
Developer Ronald Luccio Jr. Plans 60-room Boutique Hotel for Boston’s Financial District
August 24, 2013
Aug. 24--A 60-room hotel is being proposed for a narrow paved lot on Boston's High Street, across from the towering International Place in the Financial District. Developer Ronald Luccio Jr. plans to build an estimated $6 million, 15-story, glass-faced building for the moderately priced, limited-amenities hotel, where rooms would be small. "We're looking to do something that's a small boutique hotel -- something to kind of fill a gap," said Fred Mannix, a development consultant for the project. "We're trying to keep the price-point down so business people can use it," Mannix said. "We're not going to have a restaurant or a ballroom, so ...
Ascent Hospitality Proposing Two New Hotels, a Fairfield Inn & TownePlace Suites in Meridian, MS
August 21, 2013
Aug. 21--MERIDIAN -- Two new hotels and two restaurants are on the drawing board for Meridian. Developer John Tampa of Ascent Hospitality Management Co. told the Meridian City Council on Tuesday that he wants to build a Marriot Fairfield Inn and Suites; a Marriott TownePlace Suites, an office building and two restaurants on a 16-acre site off of 1-20 near Cracker Barrel in Meridian. After the meeting, Tampa said nothing is official yet, but he is ready to proceed as soon as possible. "It will be up to the City Council," Tampa said. "We want to be here. On my side I'm ready 100 percent." Tampa's company is based in Buford, Ga. and owns a...
Local Developer, Dave Kenny, Proposing Six-Story Hotel in Lake George, New York
August 13, 2013
Aug. 13--LAKE GEORGE -- Plans for a long-anticipated chain hotel proposed for Canada Street are set to be unveiled Thursday morning. Local developer Dave Kenny last summer proposed a large chain hotel just north of the intersection of Canada and Amherst streets, and the Village Board a few weeks ago approved zoning changes that paved the way for Kenny's six-story proposal. Kenny will officially submit drawings and site plans for the hotel to the village Thursday, and those will be unveiled at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Village Hall, village officials announced Monday. Lake George Mayor Robert Blais called the project the largest proposed i...
Owned by International Capital Trading, the 283-key St. Regis Abu Dhabi Opens
August 17, 2013
Aug. 17--The second St. Regis hotel in Abu Dhabi is now ready to welcome guests after eight months delay from the initial inauguration plans. Unlike St. Regis on Saadiyat island, owned by Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the recently opened St. Regis Abu Dhabi is owned by International Capital Trading, a private investment company based in the Capital. "Despite different ownership we will cooperate with each other. Besides, the Saadiyat hotel caters primarily for the tourism sector, while we target the corporate market," said general manager of St. Regis Abu Dhabi Oliver Key. Located in the rather dull Nation's Towers,...
Cosmopolitan Posts $25.2 million Loss; Execs Optimistic with Revenue, ADR & Occupancy on the Rise
August 3, 2013
Aug. 03--The Cosmopolitan lost $25.2 million in the second quarter, according to an earnings report released Friday afternoon. The $3.8 billion Strip resort's loss shadowed the $18.7 million lost in the second quarter of 2012, though its net revenue of $171.2 million was up from last year's $165.7 million. Casino revenue suffered most, generating $30.6 million compared with the $38.6 million pulled in the second quarter last year -- a 20 percent decrease spurred by poor performance at the tables. Despite the losses, Cosmopolitan bosses said they're optimistic about the resort's performance. "We are encouraged by the increases we continu...
DeBartolo Development Acquires the Aqua Waikiki Pearl; Future Planned Development Includes 2 Hotels
August 1, 2013
Aug. 01--The developer of a planned regional shopping center in Kapolei has bought a Waikiki hotel. Florida-based DeBartolo Development LLC, which plans to develop the Ka Makana Alii mall on 67 acres leased from the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, announced today that it has bought the 132-room Aqua Waikiki Pearl. A price was not disclosed. Formerly known as the Honolulu Prince Hotel, the Waikiki Pearl at 415 Nahua St. between Kuhio Avenue and Ala Wai Boulevard completed a $5 million renovation in 2009 under previous owner Ramsfield Hospitality Finance based in New York. DeBartolo said its first hotel acquisition in Hawaii enha...
Upgrades and Name Change Planned for 76-room Metropolitan Hotel and Annex on Hilton Head Island, SC
August 7, 2013
Aug. 07--Plans are underway to spruce up the Metropolitan Hotel and its vacant annex building on Hilton Head Island, according to hotel officials. The annex, which has accrued more than $4,300 in fines for fire-code violations this spring, has been cleared, and the company will begin soliciting bids this week for a new roof, said general manager Chris Roberts. Plans to revamp the hotel's 76 rooms could also be completed this month, and construction could begin in October, he said. Owners of the hotel, which has garnered complaints from Forest Beach residents about its dilapidated appearance, announced plans in June to renovate it and co...
Naman Hotels to Begin Work on 95-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Aiken, South Carolina
August 31, 2013
Aug. 31--A Florence, S.C.-based hotel development and management firm intends to start building the first of two hotels on Whiskey Road in Sep?tember. Construction on a 95-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites is projected to start in mid- to late September on a narrow stretch of land at Whiskey Road and Stratford Drive in Aiken County, said Ashok Patel, the chief executive officer of Naman Hotels. The 5.5-acre parcel, which is also designated for a 93-room extended-stay hotel, is just down the street from Aiken Exchange and the Aiken Mall. The Aiken City Council passed an ordinance in December to annex the property into city limits after...
Building to Begin on 130-room Hyatt Place on Gervais in Columbia, S.C.
August 11, 2013
Aug. 11--The developer of a six-story Hyatt Place hotel planned for Gervais Street in The Vista says construction could begin within 30 days and be finished in October 2014. Critics have complained that the hotel is too tall. But downtown boosters say the hotel is needed to attract larger events and meetings to the nearby Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and to continue to increase visitors to The Vista. "While our convention center is really successful, we do need additional rooms to serve it," said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., which guides and encourages development in The Vista and other are...
Ohio’s Dayton Grand Hotel Poised for Complete Renovation & Rebranding to a Doubletree by Hilton
August 21, 2013
Aug. 21--The new operators of the Dayton Grand Hotel in downtown Dayton are planning a significant makeover of the facility, including restoring a full-service restaurant, and they plan to change the hotel's name to the Doubletree by Hilton. "We're looking to become the jewel of downtown Dayton," said Mark Hayward, the hotel's general manager. Hayward said the "entire property" will be renovated. "The only thing that will remain the same will be the tile floor in the lobby," he said. All 184 rooms will be renovated, along with the restaurant, pool and fitness center. Hayward said he did not have a projected cost for the renovation proje...
LaGrange, GA Could Soon be Home to New 100-room Marriott Branded Hotel; Deal Still in Planning Stage
August 28, 2013
Aug. 28--After several stops and starts, LaGrange is closer to having a downtown hotel than it has been in seven years of planning. LaGrange City Council signed off Tuesday on an agreement between the city, Callaway Foundation, Downtown Development Authority and developer that outlines the hotel plans. The five-story, 100-room hotel, under the Marriott brand, will be built at the site of the former Mansour's department store on the west side of the square. Directly behind the hotel, between it and Country's Barbecue, will be a 200-space parking deck for hotel and public use. "It's a happy day," said Tom Hall, LaGrange city manager, who ...
Rethinking Renovations: How to Upgrade your Hotel While Reducing Costs / Mario Insenga
Mario Insenga | August 9, 2013
By Mario Insenga While a positive customer experience is the ultimate goal for any hotel, particularly during renovations, reaching such a goal takes time, effort and – as commonly believed – large sums of money. But as hotel guest satisfaction rates reach their highest levels in seven years, hoteliers must continue the push of securing return customers and improving room occupancy. Now, cost-effective best-practice solutions are proving their place in the hotel renovation market, as hoteliers continue to invest in more affordable, greener restoration options. One of the more popular solutions in the hospitality industry has been th...
W Hotel Owner Files Lawsuit Against Los Angeles Over Millennium Hollywood Project
August 24, 2013
Aug. 24--A prominent hotel owner filed a lawsuit Friday against the city of Los Angeles over the Millennium Hollywood project. Benjamin Reznik, attorney for the W Hotel and Residences, said his client filed the lawsuit over the proposed two-tower Hollywood project. The suit alleges city officials signed off on the development without properly studying Millennium's environmental impacts, Reznik said. The suit cites the "generic, amorphous" nature of the proposed project, Reznik said. "We don't have a real description what they can build and we don't know how many of the views of the hills they will block," Reznik said. The Los Angeles Ci...
Vision Hospitality Opens 89-room Hampton Inn & Suites in Schererville, IN
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. | August 26, 2013
August 27, 2013 - Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. announced the opening of the Hampton Inn & Suites – Schererville, IN. Located in central Schererville, the hotel features an indoor pool, meeting space, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, business center, and outdoor patio and fire pit. The 89-room property is the twenty-fifth hotel in Vision's portfolio. "Our continued partnership with Hilton reinforces our ongoing strategy to invest in premium brands in strong markets," Vision President & CEO Mitch Patel said. "The Hampton Inn & Suites brand is one of the best hotel brands available today." The company's partnership with...
Work Begins on 77-room Country Inn & Suites in Enid, Oklahoma
August 1, 2013
Aug. 01--ENID, Okla. -- The co-owner of a planned Country Inn & Suites said he is anxious about getting his hotel built. Mihir Barve confirmed Thursday dirt work on the 77-room hotel at 710 Mill Run has begun, and he hopes to have the hotel completed within the year. Site plans for the hotel were approved by the city in July 2012. Barve said despite other hotels being built in Enid, the market and economy can sustain the Country Inn & Suites. "It's not a full-service hotel, so it's gonna be along the lines of like a Holiday Inn Express. It's somewhere like maybe a three star-type property," Barve said. He said the typical guest ...
A 118-room Residence Inn Hotel to be Built in Nashua, New Hampshire
August 10, 2013
Aug. 10--NASHUA -- Nashua planning officials unanimously approved the construction of a 118-room hotel and freestanding restaurant during a meeting this week. The Planning Board granted a special use permit to Nashua TS Residence Inn and developer Robert Walker to build the hotel at 25 Trafalgar Square in the city's north end. Project engineer Katie Enright said the hotel will be a Residence Inn. A 6,000-square-foot stand-alone restaurant was also approved as part of the project, she said. The has been vacant for more than a decade. The new hotel will be behind the recently renovated Market Basket in the Somerset Shopping Plaza near Exi...
Caribbean Hotel Market Trending Upward According to PKF Consulting USA
PKF Consulting USA, LLC | August 15, 2013
ATLANTA, Ga., August 20, 2013 - PKF Consulting USA, LLC (PKFC), announced today that the average Caribbean hotel that participated in the survey enjoyed a 10.9 percent increase in net operating income (NOI) in 2012, according to its newly released 2013 edition of Caribbean Trends® in the Hotel Industry. This is the second year in a row that Caribbean hotels have experienced a double-digit increase in NOI and the highest annual growth in profits that Caribbean hotels have seen since 2008. "While this continued profit growth is encouraging, the Caribbean lodging market still is not back to its pre-recession levels. Recovery in the Cari...
Hospitality Upgrade Video Release: Experts Share Their List of the Top Trends in Revenue Management
Hospitality Upgrade | August 23, 2013
Hospitality Upgrade interviews industry experts at HSMAI ROC 2013 to gain insight into the top trends in revenue management Atlanta, Ga. - In a video release from Hospitality Upgrade Magazine earlier this week, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) President and CEO Bob Gilbert discussed the educational sessions of the 2013 HSMAI ROC (Revenue Optimization Conference), in which speakers identified several companies that are expected to be game changers in the future of revenue management. In addition to Gilbert, several industry experts weighed in on the conference as a whole, as well as the key...
White Lodging Breaks Ground on 366-room Westin in Austin, Texas; A Spring 2015 Opening is Planned
August 7, 2013
Aug. 07--Construction has started on a second Westin hotel in Austin -- a 366-room project that will rise 17 stories at the northeast corner of East Fifth Street and San Jacinto Boulevard. Indiana-based White Lodging Services Corp. announced the groundbreaking Wednesday. The hotel is due to open in the spring of 2015. "We believe in the market, and will continue to be believers in the future of Austin," said Deno Yiankes, the president and CEO of White Lodging's investments and developments division. "We are excited to bring the Westin brand to downtown Austin." The hotel, which will be a block and a half from the Austin Convention Cent...
