News Top: September
Find the Balance in Hospitality Service
BSC Designer | September 17, 2013
One of the buzz-word business concept in last 20 years was the Balanced Scorecard. It was adopted by biggest retailers, banks, IT companies, hospitals and universities. The unique features of the Balanced Scorecard concept help companies all over the word to put together strategy and action, improving service and client satisfaction as a result. Hospitality industry is not an exception, the Balanced Scorecard concept is successfully used in many large hotel chain as well as in local bed and breakfasts. Balanced Scorecard Basics Any business website will tell you that there are 4 perspectives in the Balanced Scorecard: Education and Grow...
The 274-suite NIZUC Resort & Spa Opens in Mexico; Formerly a Private Mexican Presidential Retreat
NIZUC Resort & Spa | September 23, 2013
PUNTA NIZUC, CANCUN, MEXICO – Located just ten minutes from Cancun International Airport, NIZUC Resort & Spa is Mexico's newest luxury resort offering in a unique, untapped area of the Yucatan Peninsula. The secluded and pristine Punta Nizuc, formerly a private Mexican presidential retreat, is home to the 29-acre, 274-suite resort, which features six restaurants, three lounges, a distinctive 30,000 square-foot spa, and one of Mexico's most thoughtfully-developed children and teen facilities. The exclusive location offers a stark change in atmosphere from other spots in Cancun, making it ideal for adults and families seeking a resp...
Historic Escape Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, FL to Get New Life; Restoration of 96-room Hotel Planned
September 20, 2013
Sept. 20--FORT LAUDERDALE -- The historic Escape Hotel, a once-popular tourist oasis, is set for a comeback more than 30 years after it welcomed its last guest. Commissioners tentatively have approved plans to restore the hotel and build a 12-story condominium on a vacant portion of the 2.7-acre property. A final vote is expected Oct. 1 In a turn of events that may be as historic as the hotel itself, the condominium tower has met surprisingly little resistance from its future beach neighbors, who have accepted it as a necessary tradeoff to preserve the Escape. "It's like the poster-child for development and historic preservation coming ...
Chestnut Hotel, a Brand-New Boutique Property in Morgantown, WV Celebrates Grand Opening
The Chestnut Boutique Hotel | September 28, 2013
MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – The Chestnut Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Morgantown, celebrated the official Grand Opening this week. As Morgantown's only boutique hotel, the venue has already received excellent reviews from out-of-town guests and the local community through TripAdvisor and YELP. Located at 345 Chestnut Street, the hotel is just steps away from local shopping, theatre, museums and transportation. The property features 41 oversized guest rooms and suites. Each room is uniquely decorated, and includes luxury bedding with Tivoli Elegance Pillow-Top mattresses, 42-inch LED television with DIRECTV, in-room safe, co...
International Allegations of Wrongdoing in Fight Over The Sportsman Motor Inn in Myrtle Beach, SC
September 30, 2013
Sept. 30--MYRTLE BEACH -- The battle for control of an oceanfront hotel here is expected to play out in an Horry County courtroom this week, with two Chinese brothers -- one of them a retired general in that country's People's Liberation Army -- suing their Myrtle Beach-based business partner over allegations of missing construction materials and money. Chinese citizens Gengwu Qiu, the retired general who lives in China, and his brother, New York resident Geng Min Qiu, are suing Myrtle Beach hotelier Judy Tang over who will take control of The Sportsman Motor Inn property at 1405 S. Ocean Boulevard. Both sides say they entered into a pa...
Marathon, FL’s Country Club Getting a Hotel?; Preliminary Plans in the Works for 60-65 room Boutique
September 7, 2013
Sept. 07--Large-scale redevelopment plans are back on the table at the Florida Keys Country Club. The Marathon golf and tennis club's 49 certificated members unanimously approved a plan on Aug. 22 to sell the property to a group headed by Marathon Finance Director Peter Rosasco and Keys developer Marvin Rappaport. Suffering from a severe decline in membership in recent years, the club's board of directors flirted with a similar group headed up by Miami-based developer Roger Masters in 2010. Masters is now developing a planned Marriott hotel in Old Town Marathon; the same site Rosasco once planned for a Hampton Inn before selling the par...
Calistoga Spa Hot Springs Uses Flip.to to Help with Rebranding Efforts
Flip.to | September 11, 2013
Engages 30% of Guests in First Month with Flip.to Orlando, FL — September 13, 2013 — Flip.to is the brand advocate platform that helps hotels boost brand awareness and earn new guests with the help of their most trusted, untapped marketing source- their guests. Since going live with Flip.to in August, the Calistoga Spa has reached over 9,000 social connections. The property turned to Flip.to to help them market to a new demographic of customers after their recent renovation. They felt that Flip.to would help attract that demographic in a way they couldn't naturally do on their own. "As part of our repositioning, we expanded who our ...
Rob Kunkle Named General Manager for Las Vegas’ Riviera Hotel Casino
September 4, 2013
Sept. 04--Longtime Southern Nevada gaming executive Rob Kunkle has been named general manager of the Riviera. Kunkle was most recently vice president and general manager of Station Casinos' Texas Station property. He held several positions with Station, including general manager of the company's Wildfire Gaming division and vice president and general manager of Fiesta Rancho. Prior to joining Station, Kunkle was the director of food and beverage for Caesars Entertainment's Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., and served as general manager of the Silverton in Las Vegas. Kunkle replaces Andy Choy, who held the title of CEO at the Strip prop...
Kalahari Resorts Breaks Ground Oct. 1 in Tobyhanna Township, PA; Phase 1 to Include 457 Guest Rooms
September 21, 2013
Sept. 21--The resort some are heralding as an economic game-changer for the Pocono economy will break ground Oct. 1. Gov. Tom Corbett and Kalahari Resorts owner, founder and CEO Todd Nelson will be in attendance for the ceremony. The first phase of the project is slated to open its doors in 2015. Kalahari's first phase will occupy 150 acres and include 457 guest rooms and suites in addition to a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park and seasonal outdoor water park and a 65,000-square-foot convention center. The initial phase of the project will also include a 30,000-square-foot family entertainment center, 6,000 square feet of retail sp...
Garner, NC Clears Way for Core Properties Development of Drury Inn Hotel
September 20, 2013
Sept. 20--The Garner Town Council approved a rezoning request that will allow development of a Drury Inn hotel, the first step to prepare land for development on the three undeveloped corners of U.S. 70 and Jones Sausage/White Oak Road. The town also scheduled an Oct. 7 public hearing to allow changes to regulations on signage and to raise allowable building height at the site to 85 feet. "It's huge. It's something we've been anticipating, it's a long time coming," said Mayor Ronnie Williams, who called the potential seven-story hotel a "red letter day" and a "good addition to Garner." In 2004, the hotel's development corporation bought...
New 108-room Fairfield Inn & Suites Planned for Chandler Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky
September 7, 2013
Sept. 07--A little more than four months after opening the TownePlace Suites by Marriott, David Chandler is seeking approval to develop another Marriott hotel property. He plans to build a Fairfield Inn & Suites just across the street in his Chandler Park development off Cave Mill Road. It has been six months since a Bowling Green hotel has had the Fairfield flag. "There have been many developers across the country that wanted the brand in this market, and Marriott was kind enough to wait on us to get TownePlace open and running," Chandler said. "It was a strong brand and was in Bowling Green for a long time. It would be like if you...
Erie, PA Convention Center Authority to Get $25 Million from State to Develop New Bayfront Hotel
September 6, 2013
Sept. 06--A plan to build an additional hotel near the Bayfront Convention Center on Erie's west bayfront is getting a multimillion-dollar boost from state government. The Erie County Convention Center Authority will get $25 million in state funds, distributed over five years, to develop a hotel just west of the convention center, 1 Sassafras Pier. Gov. Tom Corbett's office announced the release of the first $5 million of the grant late Thursday. The new hotel site is currently a loading area for the convention center, and is also used for employee parking. Roger Richards, a Convention Center Authority board member who heads its Strateg...
The New-build 130-room Holiday Inn Eau Claire South Opens in Wisconsin
September 2, 2013
Sept. 02--Business travelers, vacationers and even city residents have a new sanctuary on the southeast side of Eau Claire. Holiday Inn Eau Claire South, 4751 Owens Ayres Court, recently opened for business. The 90,000-square-foot hotel is connected to a new Johnny's Italian Steakhouse. The lodging component of the $13 million-plus project features 130 rooms, 80 of which can be connected. Although it does not have direct highway access, it's located near the intersection of Interstate 94 and U.S. 53. The new structure is easily visable from the interstate, promoting its services to the 70,000 cars that pass each day. "Visibility trumps ...
Flip.to and Genares Announce Seamless Integration to Turn Guests into Huge, Trusted Marketing Force
Flip.to | September 27, 2013
Orlando, FL — October 1, 2013 — Flip.to and Genares announced the beginning of a strategic partnership that includes a seamless integration between Flip.to and the Genares Central Reservation System (CRS). Flip.to is the brand advocate platform that helps hotels boost brand awareness and earn new guests with the help of their most trusted, untapped marketing source- their guests. Genares Worldwide Reservation Services is one of the premier Central Reservation Systems in the world, helping hotels drive revenue via the electronic channels. The integration means that Generas CRS customers can immediately begin turning their guests into...
Artful Lodging: Oak Street Mansion, a New Boutique Hotel Displaying Art, Opens in Kansas City, MO
September 22, 2013
Sept. 22--Roland Sabates could not have picked a better location to open a small hotel with art as its primary draw. Now taking reservations, the renovated Oak Street Mansion, at 4333 Oak St., is within walking distance of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Kansas City Art Institute. But guests can also have an art experience inside the hotel, where every room, from the foyer to the guest suites, is decorated with works from Sabates' collection. Sabates began his journey in art by collecting African pieces. In the late 1970s, he and his wife, Marcia, went to Nigeria, where he did eye surgery, ...
R.O.I. Hotel Group Breaks Ground on $17.7 Million Hotel at Silver Slipper Casino, Bay St. Louis, MS
September 20, 2013
Sept. 20--WAVELAND -- Friday morning's groundbreaking officially started construction of a $17.7 million hotel at Silver Slipper Casino. R.O.I. Hotel Group, a Florida-based company that specializes in building casino hotels, was awarded the construction contract. The first guests will check into the 142-room hotel in the fall of 2014. A hotel for the casino in Hancock County has been discussed for years. Andre Hilliou, chairman of Full House Resorts, committed to building the hotel last year when his company bought the Silver Slipper property. Hilliou welcomed elected officials and other dignitaries to the groundbreaking ceremony. Full ...
HMB Management Proposes a 109-room Hotel for Upper Saucon Township, PA
September 20, 2013
Sept. 20--If you tried to play the defunct Center Valley Golf Club today, you'd have to navigate a challenging "corn hazard" to put your ball on the green. But some of the crop -- planted on the course by a local farmer -- might soon be replaced by a new business-class hotel directly across Center Valley Parkway from the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley in a plan alluded to by property owner Sierra Management about a year ago. Allentown-based HMB Management has presented Upper Saucon Township with sketch plans for a five-story, 109-room hotel coupled with an 8,000 square-foot banquet hall or restaurant on the site. With the proliferatio...
Carpenter Family and Torgerson Properties Begin Work on 108-room Homewood Suites in Rochester, Minn.
September 3, 2013
Sept. 03--Construction of Rochester's latest hotel began near Saint Marys Hospital last week. Crews began moving dirt on an open lot on the 1300 block of Second Street Southwest to prepare for construction of a new 108-room, six-story Homewood Suites extended stay hotel. If construction stays on track, it's anticipated to open in the late summer of 2014. The hotel will feature studios and one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, all with with full kitchens. It will also have an indoor swimming pool and exercise center. Rochester's Carpenter family and Torgerson Properties, of Willmar, are building the Homewood next door to their Courtyard by...
Jeffrey Soffer Reportedly Close to Buying Back Dubai’s Stake in Miami’s Fontainebleau
September 3, 2013
Sept. 03--Are the Soffers getting ready to own all of the Fontainebleau again? Media outlets are reporting that the Soffers' big-name partner in the Miami Beach resort, the government of Dubai, is ready to sell its 50 percent stake back to the family's Turnberry Associates. The deal would mark a satisfying bookend for Jeffrey Soffer, who spearheaded buying the resort in 2005 and then completing a $700 million renovation in 2008 on the eve of the financial crisis. A year earlier, Dubai's Nakheel Hotels paid $375 million for half the hotel, at a time when Soffer faced a cash crunch in both Miami Beach and Las Vegas. The Fontainebleau Miam...
Benchmark Hospitality International Shares The Top Dining Trends for 2013
September 12, 2013
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, September 2013 ... Benchmark Hospitality International®, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company with two distinctive portfolios of properties, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® and Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels®, has just released its Top Dining Trends for 2013. The trends were observed by Benchmark's executive chefs and culinary experts at the company's 39 luxury hotels, resorts and restaurants coast to coast and off shore. These range from the luxurious Bardessono in Napa Valley to the landmark Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's North Shore to the extraordinary ONE Bal Harbour Resort &...
Raymond Management Plans to Develop Hotel Near Milwaukee, WI’s Mitchell International Airport
September 7, 2013
Sept. 07--A Madison company's plan to develop another hotel just south of Mitchell International Airport is moving forward. Raymond Management Co. wants to develop a three-story hotel at 5880 S. Howell Ave., according to a new zoning proposal filed with the Milwaukee Common Council. The new hotel would be next to a 143-room Hilton Garden Inn, which Raymond opened in 2010 at 5890 S. Howell Ave. The new zoning filing doesn't disclose the number of rooms in the proposed hotel, or its franchise name. A Raymond executive didn't respond Friday to a request for information. Ald. Terry Witkowski, whose district includes the site, said the hotel...
Dellisart Wellspring LLC to Develop a 108-room Hyatt Place in Bowling Green, Kentucky
September 17, 2013
Sept. 17--The Hyatt Place hotel will join the list of projects in Bowling Green's Tax Increment Financing district. The long-anticipated hotel will be built adjacent to Western Kentucky University's Augenstein Alumni Center. Officials gathered at the property this afternoon to make the official announcement. The $14.5 million project will be owned by a partnership, Dellisart Wellspring LLC. Delisart is the management company for the relatively new Staybridge Suites, which is owned by Wellspring, a family partnership headed by Ray Chen of California. Doug Artuisio, founder of Georgia-based hotel management company Dellisart, said in an i...
Robert Peters, Returns “Home”, Becomes Manager of Peaks of Otter Lodge in Bedford, Virginia
September 28, 2013
Sept. 28--BEDFORD -- As a boy, Robert Peters and his Sunday school buddies from Roanoke hiked to the top of Sharp Top, one of the Peaks of Otter's twin mountains. More than three decades later, he has returned to the mountains, this time to manage the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Restaurant. Peters, 44, became the lodge's full-time manager last month, about a month after the venerable Blue Ridge Parkway attraction re-opened after a brief closure. Peters was one of the speakers during Friday's official grand opening ceremony, which included parkway officials, congressional staffers and other dignitaries. Gov. Bob McDonnell sent an official p...
Founders of La Quinta, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises to Enter Hospitality Hall of Honor
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management | September 5, 2013
HOUSTON—Pioneering hotelier Sam Barshop and successful restaurateur Richard Melman will be inducted into the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor this year at the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. The Hall of Honor, which is housed at Hilton College, was created in 1995 to recognize industry leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to American and international business and society. Barshop, founder of La Quinta Inns & Suites and creator of the limited-service hotel concept, is a Texas native whose lodging career began in San Antonio in 1963. In 1968, he opened the first tw...
The Florida Keys’ Largest Resort, the 402-key Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key, is for Sale
September 18, 2013
Sept. 18--The Florida Keys' largest resort could be the latest in a flurry of local large-scale and high-cost commercial real estate transactions in recent months. A source familiar with the Keys hotel industry said Tuesday that Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key near mile marker 61 could sell for a price in excess of $125 million. Hawks Cay Resort spokeswoman Holly Lee-Zawyer confirmed only that the resort is for sale. Resort officials declined to be interviewed for this story. According to the resort's website, it "has a total of 402 two-and three-bedroom villas and hotel rooms," as well as five restaurants, the Calm Waters Spa, interactive...
