News Top: December
TravelChannel.com Names the Top 10 ‘Travel’s Best: All-Inclusive Resorts’ for 2015
Travel Channel | December 23, 2014
CHEVY CHASE, MD (December 23, 2014) - From the mountains to the beaches, TravelChannel.com names the "Travel's Best: All-Inclusive Resorts" of 2015 for the vacation planners that want to relax, rejuvenate and have endless activities to choose from, all at one price. This year's list of best all-inclusive resorts offers yoga classes, gourmet dining, swimming with dolphins and world-class spa facilities - perfect for some family fun or a private getaway. TravelChannel.com editors enlisted a panel of experts to help determine the 10 best all-inclusive resorts, including: Susan B. Barnes (Travel Writer), Kelsey Blodget (Managing Editor, Oys...
How Profit and Loss Affect the Revenue Management Displacement Calculation and Analysis
Ahmed Mahmoud | December 23, 2014
By Ahmed Mahmoud Last week we went through how revenue management can use the displacement calculation with many examples where in most of them at first thought it seemed to be good business and generating more revenue, however it is obvious to say that hoteliers have various costs associated with everything including room, F&B , .....etc. However, there are different types of costs that are important for hoteliers to understand, because they impact results in different ways, and this where to address the displacement analysis. Displacement Analysis Since hotels have a fixed capacity, whenever they sell a room, they are taking a cha...
Hostar International, Inc.‘s ProHost® System Selected for The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, FL
Hostar International, Inc. | December 22, 2014
We are pleased to announce that The Breakers Hotel has partnered with Hostar International Inc. to install the ProHost® Housekeeping System. The Breakers Hotel, originally opened in 1896, is situated along the beachfront in Palm Springs, FL. With over 140 acres, The Breaker's Hotel offers unique experiences, including a breathtaking beachfront, a 36-hole championship golf course, 11 on-site boutiques, and 8 distinctive restaurants. With a staff of over 2,000 employees, The Breakers Hotel ensures its guests a comfortable and relaxing stay. Following an $80 million renovation in 2011, the Breakers offers the highest standards for guests,...
Conde Nast Traveler Announces For The First Time Ever The Editors’ 100 Favorite Hotels In The World
December 19, 2014
The 2015 Gold List: Redefined NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2014 -- Conde Nast Traveler unveils the newly reinvented Gold List. For the first time ever, the 2015 Gold List was hand selected by Conde Nast Traveler editors, writers, and network of influencers. Consider this a response to the perennial question, "what are your favorite hotels in the world?" A prerequisite for a Gold List property is a high standard of service, luxury, and beauty. Yet what earned each winner a spot on the list was the unforgettable special touches that bring a hotel's ethos to life. The housekeeper at the Belmond Hotel Cipriani who delivers a message to the tooth fai...
Study Confirms Front Desk Upselling’s Role in Boosting Guest Satisfaction & Reputation for Hotels
TSA Solutions | December 17, 2014
Joint study conducted by TSA Solutions, Brand Karma and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts reveals definitive link between successful front desk upselling and increased positive online reviews. SINGAPORE - DECEMBER 17, 2014 - TSA Solutions, a leading global provider of measurable and sustainable revenue performance enhancing solutions for the hotel industry, has together with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and Brand Karma, released the results of an in-depth study into upselling's profound ability to affect the number and quality of positive guest reviews. The study results reveal that a successful upselling program is undeniably correlated t...
Flip.to is “Secret Sauce” for The Oliver Hotel’s Off the Charts Guest Engagement & Room Sales Boost
Flip.to | December 3, 2014
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 2014 - The Oliver Hotel, a historic, boutique hotel in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, underwent renovation and renaming in 2011. The hotel joined forces in 2012 with Flip.to, the brand advocate platform, to help spread the word about its updated Southern charm, sophistication and amenities. The partnership has been so successful that the 28-room hotel booked an astounding 430 room nights through Flip.to's guest advocacy in the past year. "Flip.to is The Oliver Hotel's secret sauce. We hate to give away the recipe but Flip.to is the future of hotel social media," said Mike Riley, GM of The Oliver Hotel. "Our engage...
Ian Schrager’s Miami Beach EDITION Hotel Opens in Florida
Marriott International | December 1, 2014
December 1, 2014 - There is a moment that comes in the life of a city. With the arrival of a single new project or development, forces that have been building for years suddenly become clear, and the city as a whole is propelled to a new place, a new stage of growth, a new status on the world stage. For Miami, that moment has come. With the opening of the Miami Beach EDITION, a spectacular next-generation urban resort by Ian Schrager in partnership with Marriott International, the city not only gains a unique oceanfront complex designed for 21st century recreation, socializing, networking, and business, but also takes its next great lea...
How a Tissue Box and a Pepper Shaker Rocked My World
Roberta Nedry | December 22, 2014
By Roberta Nedry Greetings! Chilled champagne in a silver bucket, chocolate -covered strawberries, spectacular floral displays, elegant upgrades and décor, delicious chef creations, limousine luxury and red carpet treatment...each of these are extraordinary gestures and touchpoints in the world of hospitality. These examples are some of the ways in which hoteliers and their teams go above and beyond for guests to celebrate an exceptional moment or occasion. They are designed to create a special feeling, extra recognition, a moment of surprise and a sense of appreciation. They are "WOW" efforts that are usually recognize...
Swedish National Tourism Board “WeChats” with Chinese Travel Agents
Dragon Tail Interactive | December 22, 2014
WeChat goes educational as VisitSweden (the Swedish National Tourism board) leads the way in connecting with travel industry Beijing, China. - Dec. 22, 2014 -The first WeChat travel agent training program has gone live this week. VisitSweden takes advantage of China's hottest social media platform to provide a training course for Chinese travel agents to learn about the Scandinavian country famous for its pristine nature and avant-garde design. Increased understanding about Sweden among the industry is likely to generate greater interest from Chinese travelers. Lynn Li, Country Manager of Visit Sweden in China comments that "Being the f...
PKF-HR Forecasts Broad-Based RevPAR Growth for All Segments of U.S. Lodging Industry
PKF Consulting, USA | December 5, 2014
Benefiting From Strong Economics December 5, 2014, Atlanta, Ga. - All segments of the U.S. lodging industry will enjoy strong performance for the foreseeable future according to the recently released December 2014 edition of PKF Hospitality Research's (PKF-HR) Hotel Horizons® (PKF-HR is a CBRE company). Rising levels of employment, combined with increased geographic expansion of the national economic recovery, will result in revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth in excess of long-run averages for all hotel chain-scales, most location categories and the vast majority of markets from 2014 through 2017. "No matter what hotel performa...
Hotel Lawyer on HMAs: “The Shrinking Terms of Hotel Management Agreements”
Mark S. Adams | December 23, 2014
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® 23 December 2014 Click here for the latest articles on Hotel Management Agreements. A version of this article first appeared in Hotel Business Review in December 2014, and this article is reprinted with permission from www.hotelexecutive.com. The shrinking terms of hotel management agreements Better bargaining position for hotel owners on HMAs by Jim Butler and Mark S. Adams | Hotel Lawyers The relationship between hotel owners and managers continues to evolve. Hotel management agreements historically were long-term. Fifty to sixty year terms were common. However, in the last few years, h...
Closing Lanai: Hawaai’s Two Four Seasons Hotels to Close Simultaneously for Upgrades
December 21, 2014
Dec. 21--Lanai will turn into more of a deserted island when its two Four Seasons hotels to guests for the second half of next year as billionaire owner Larry Ellison upgrades the properties. The 102-room Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele will be closed to the public for most of the year while it houses construction workers, and the 217-room Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay is slated to shut down in June for renovations. How long that closure will last is yet to be determined. "Over here it is ghost town right now," said Nick Palumbo, owner of Lana'i Surf School & Surf Safari, which has catered to hotel guests for...
TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION Welcomes Dan Wakeling as Senior VP, Global Hotel Development & Acquisitions
December 16, 2014
NEW YORK - December 15, 2014 - TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™, the next generation of luxury hospitality, announces the appointment of Dan Wakeling to senior vice president, global hotel development and acquisitions. Mr. Wakeling, who joins TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION with 15 years of hotel investment experience, is responsible for the brand's strategic growth with a concentration on acquiring iconic properties and development opportunities in key gateway cities and resort destinations internationally. "Mr. Wakeling's appointment adds to an outstanding year for TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION, in which we broke ground on Trump International Hotel, Washing...
TKO – The Koehler Organization Set to Open 90-key TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Missoula, Montana
TownePlace Suites by Marriott | December 17, 2014
Missoula, Montana - December 17, 2014 - The 90-suite TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Missoula, Montana is scheduled to open next week. Located at 3055 Stockyard Road, the TownePlace Suites Missoula will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by TKO - The Koehler Organization. Located directly off I-90 and two miles from Missoula International Airport, the hotel offers guests convenient access to SnowBowl Ski Resort, Smokejumpers Visitor Center, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the University of Montana. Rates vary depending on length of stay. "We are pleased to introduce the TownePlace Suites brand to the Missoula area," s...
HSMAI’s Top 25 in 2014: Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization
HSMAI | December 12, 2014
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has announced its 2014 honorees for The HSMAI Top 25: Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization. The Top 25 honors leaders in sales, marketing, and revenue optimization of hospitality, travel and tourism organizations for their accomplishments in the preceding 18 months. HSMAI will honor The HSMAI Top 25 in conjunction with the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala on February 23, 2015, at the New York Marriott Marquis. "The people named to this list have made incredible contributions to the industry," said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, ...
Chinese Investors Buy Miami Site for $74.7 Million; Considering Mixed-Use Hotel-Condo-Office Project
December 31, 2014
Dec. 31--An affiliate of China Communications Construction Company U.S. International purchased a block-size site in the red-hot Brickell neighborhood for $74.7 million, in its first major bet on Miami. Plans for what will be built on the 2.4-acre site at 1430 S. Miami Avenue aren't yet complete, according to Dr. Shan-Jie Li, chief executive officer of American Da Tang Group Co. Ltd. in New York. American Da Tang, he said, is working closely with CCCC as the Chinese firm's U.S. representative on the venture. In an interview conducted through an interpreter, Li said the new owners are in the process of researching what type of developmen...
Puzzle Partner Launches News Site Showcasing the Next Big Thing in Travel and Hospitality Technology
Puzzle Partner Ltd. | December 15, 2014
Engaging trend spotting resource helps entrepreneurs and business leaders stay on the pulse of the fast-moving disruptive technologies that are shaping the future of travel and hospitality Toronto, CA, - December 15, 2014 - Puzzle Partner Ltd., a marketing and strategic growth agency, today announced the launch of the Next Big Thing Travel & Hospitality Technology (NBTworld.com). The responsively designed tech portal will be positioned as the go-to news site for technology innovations, emerging trends and startups within the travel and hospitality world. It also brings together the industry's thought leaders and success experts to r...
Where Are Your ‘Wow’ Moments?
Larry Mogelonsky | December 17, 2014
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Did you ever notice that it is the little, unexpected nuances that grab your attention? From the world of statistics comes the normal curve of outcome distribution, also known as a bell curve because of its shape on a 2D graph. This simple curve identifies that, for most circumstances, the result is going to be somewhere in the middle, the hump of the curve so to speak. That is the expected. It is the two 'tails' of the curve - those outcomes that have deviated from the standard - that standout and differentiate your property for better or for worse. Dwelling on the 'for better', it's these...
The Newly Built 132-room Margaritaville Island Hotel to Open January 2015 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Margaritaville | December 9, 2014
December 9, 2014 - Pigeon Forge, TN - The new Margaritaville Island Hotel located in Pigeon Forge on The Island, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, has opened phase one of the hotel with 55 guestrooms and suites. The grand opening of the 132-room property and event space will be in January 2015. The vacation destination hotel is in the heart of everything the area has to offer and minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known for its extraordinary beauty, breathtaking views, and abundance of outdoor activities. The perfect blend of mountain latitude and island attitude, Margaritaville Island Hotel brings a new pe...
Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2015 by Robert Rauch
Robert Rauch, CHA | December 12, 2014
Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2015 by Robert Rauch 1. Millennials have become the fastest growing customer segment within the hospitality industry. Exploration, interaction and experience are the major focus of Millennials who are willing to pay more for a greater experience. Many of them are looking for an overall gourmet experience for a reasonable price and this has produced all new lobby designs in the hotel sector. Lobby bars and hotel restaurants are wide open with combination work, play and eat/drink spaces designed with this Millennial customer in mind, one who is a "party of one" but "hanging out together." They are loo...
Jayesh Patel to Serve as Best Western Board Chairman
Best Western International, Inc. | December 19, 2014
PHOENIX (December 19, 2014) - Best Western International announced that its board of directors has elected Jayesh 'Jay' Patel as board chairman for 2015. He was elected a director in November 2010 and re-elected in 2013 to represent the interests of Best Western hotel owners in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He previously served one-year terms as vice chairman and secretary-treasurer of the board. Patel's history with Best Western goes back more than 30 years, and in that time he has developed five Best Western hotels in Louisiana. He currently has ownership interests in the BEST WESTERN Airport Inn in Monroe, La....
Owned by JBK Hotels & Managed by Interstate Hotels, 140-room Aloft Denver Downtown Opens in Colorado
Aloft Hotels | December 23, 2014
December 23, 2014 - STAMFORD, Conn. - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) today announced the debut of its innovative Aloft brand in the heart of downtown Denver. Located at the corner of 15th Street and Stout Street, Aloft Denver Downtown features 140 spacious, loft-like rooms, cutting-edge technology and a lively social atmosphere. Owned by JBK Hotels and managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Aloft Denver Downtown offers a vibrant social scene in the center of one of the fastest growing cities in the country. "We are thrilled to open Aloft Denver Downtown offering a design-led aesthetic and innovative musi...
Hospitality: Unexpected Growth in Non-hotel Accommodation
DELTA CHECK | December 11, 2014
Not really expected The global hotel industry had not really expected it - at least not so fast. Non-hotel accommodation now lies neck and neck with hotel accommodation: 1.08 million hotel properties wordwide stand vis-à-vis 1.05 million non-hotel properties. While not only cities like New York meanwhile desperately try to stop the rapid upcoming of ever more private holiday flats and guest rooms, the upward trend still is strong. Online portals like Airbnb and Homeaway fuel the trend of private owners to earn some extra money by renting private properties. The latest DELTA CHECK hospitality study reveals a total of 2.13 million accom...
Looking for Minibar Management Software?
Mobile Simple | December 9, 2014
ABreez by Mobile Simple Takes Minibar Processes to the Cloud in Just Minutes Give your F&B team a cloud-based, mobile minibar app that delivers departure data, real-time room status, productivity reports, inventory updates and more via any mobile device [LAS VEGAS- December 9, 2014] - A new mobile app has blown onto the hospitality scene that has food and beverage managers buzzing with excitement. Finally a tool has been developed that addresses their needs for simplified minibar and in-room amenities management. ABreez by Mobile Simple is hospitality's first cloud-based, mobile Managed Minibar that directly posts consumptions to th...
No-Cost, Cloud-Based Hotelogix PMS is Feature-Rich and Packed with Upgrades
Hotelogix | December 9, 2014
Newest version of the world's easiest-to-use PMS is enabling small- and mid-sized hotels to improve operations and distribution while enhancing service and driving revenues [SAN JOSE, CALIF. - DECEMBER 9, 2014] - Since its introduction to the North America hotel market last month, operators of independent hotels and small- to medium-sized group properties are flooding the Hotelogix offices with calls and queries about its no-cost, cloud-based property-management system. Intrigued by the company's "Freemium" offering whereby hoteliers receive one user license of the robust PMS absolutely FREE, inquiring minds want to kn...
