News Top: May
Foreclosing Bank, Rockland Trust, Takes Stone House Inn in Little Compton, RI with $3.3 M Bid
May 17, 2014
May 17--LITTLE COMPTON -- A foreclosure auction held Friday for the historic Stone House inn, at 122 Sakonnet Point Rd., ended with a representative of the foreclosing bank, Rockland Trust Co., taking the property with a $3.3-million bid. The winning bidder, Virginia Norkevicius, a senior vice president at the Massachusetts bank, declined comment about the bank's plans for the property now that the former owner, Stone House LLC, is out of the picture. The auction was delayed from its scheduled 11 a.m. start, when auctioneer Dean Ponte said he would wait several minutes for a "qualified bidder" to arrive. Several minutes later, a woman t...
Knoxville Hotelier, Jayesh Dahyabhai Patel, Indicted on Five Counts of Federal Fraud Charges
May 29, 2014
May 29--A Knoxville hotelier has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly bilking an East Tennessee bank for nearly $6 million in connection with the purchase and renovation of a Cedar Bluff area hotel, prosecutors said. Jayesh Dahyabhai Patel, 48, was indicted May 13 on five counts of bank fraud in U.S. District Court in Greeneville, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Bill Killian's office. Patel, doing business as QIS Knoxville LLC, secured a $5.8 million loan from First Community Bank of East Tennessee to purchase and renovate a Knoxville hotel, the release states. According to property records, QIS Knoxville ...
Turnberry Isle Miami Welcomes New Managing Director, Jon Gersonde
EVINS | May 15, 2014
AVENTURA, FL (May 16, 2014) - Turnberry Isle Miami, the legendary South Florida resort and private membership club, has appointed Jon Gersonde as Managing Director. Effective immediately, Gersonde will report directly to Ray Waters, President of Turnberry Hospitality Group. In his new role, Gersonde is responsible for overseeing the 300-acre property's day-to-day operations, financial results, standards and service. "Jon's energy, dynamic management capabilities and exceptional leadership skills will undoubtedly make him a valuable asset at Turnberry Isle Miami," said Waters. "I am confident that our award-winning hospitality team will ...
Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO Completes $57 M Renovation for its Broadmoor West
May 13, 2014
May 13--When The Broadmoor hotel opened Broadmoor West in 1975, it was separated from the rest of the hotel property by more than just Cheyenne Lake. Unlike The Broadmoor's main building, which opened in 1918, and other buildings that followed, Broadmoor West's contemporary architecture looked nothing like the rest of the property. The narrow building had a mostly featureless facade of balconies from one end to the other, and lacked a distinctive architectural element, such as towers on other Broadmoor buildings. "It was fair to say it was not a good time for architecture, in general, in the '70s," said Broadmoor President and CEO Steve...
VUE Hotel and 21 Riverfront Acres in Natchez, Mississippi Up for Sale
May 3, 2014
May 03--NATCHEZ -- The VUE Hotel and the nearly 21 acres of riverfront property below the hotel is now for sale. RJB Financing, which bought the hotel out of bankruptcy in 2012, is selling the property, said David Levy, vice president of NRC Realty and Capital Advisors in Chicago. NRC is facilitating the sale, and Levy said the hotel and the riverfront property could be bought separately. RJB purchased the property in 2012 for approximately $5.6 million, according to bankruptcy documents, and changed the hotel's name from the Grand Soleil to the VUE. VUE Hotel management deferred to NRC for comments on the sale. Levy said the hotel woul...
Developer, Riverview Holdings, Plans to Build a 96-room Comfort Inn and Suites in Elkin, N.C. Area
May 28, 2014
May 28--The owners of a local hotel confirmed they purchased franchise rights for a new hotel in the region. Riverview Holdings, LLC expects to build the hotel under the Choice brand. Riverview Holdings, LLC is owned by three managing partners -- Ben Mastin, Fred Eidson and Bob Greene. The trio's most notable project is its signature hotel, the Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites in Elkin. "We will build a new Choice hotel in the area," said Ben Mastin of Riverview Holdings, LLC. "I expect that it will be a 96-room hotel...It's going to be a Comfort Inn and Suites." According to Mastin, the five-floor hotel will feature all suites. The fa...
Las Vegas’ Culinary and Bartenders Unions Plan a June 1st Strike at Nine Downtown Casinos
May 21, 2014
May 21--Union members working without a contract for nearly a year say they'll strike at nine downtown casinos beginning June 1. In a news released posted today, the Culinary and Bartenders Unions said its restaurant workers, hotel housekeepers, cocktail servers, bartenders and other members would walk off the job at 5 a.m. June 1 and start round-the-clock picketing of the nine downtown casinos where they don't have a contract. The targeted casinos are: The D, Four Queens, Binion's, Fremont, Main Street Station, Plaza, Las Vegas Club, El Cortez and Golden Gate. A strike would last until a contract settlement is reached with the properti...
Lake Worth, Florida’s Historic 106-room Gulfstream Hotel Sold to Hudson Holdings
May 13, 2014
May 13--The Gulfstream Hotel in downtown Lake Worth has been sold to a Delray Beach real estate company, finally ending a period of limbo for the historic hotel. Hudson Holdings is involved in the acquisition and development of commercial and residential real estate, according to its website. The website now prominently features the Gulfstream Hotel, built in 1925, as one of Hudson's current projects. The Gulfstream Hotel, adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway at Lake Avenue, has been locked litigation since 2010. That's when a lender filed a foreclosure lawsuit against its then-owner, CSC Lake Worth Limited Partnership in Palm Beach Co...
Virginia Beach Developer, Bruce Thompson, Moves into Weak Norfolk, VA Hotel Market with “The Main”
May 24, 2014
Aims to Transform Area's Convention & Tourism Market with the 23-story Hilton Hotel & Conference Center May 24--NORFOLK -- Virginia Beach developer Bruce Thompson joined local officials and Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Thursday to mark his first foray in Norfolk: a 23-story Hilton hotel and conference center that he and his backers say will transform downtown's convention and tourism market. "This is a new era," Thompson said during a ceremonial groundbreaking at Nauticus. Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim called the hotel, dubbed The Main, "a stunning visual landmark" that will preserve architectural heritage and drive more business to No...
Ashkenazy Acquisition Plans for 100-room Hotel in Former Sears Building in Upper Darby Township, PA
May 15, 2014
May 15--Plans for a 100-room hotel and a retail complex are in the works for the former Sears building in Upper Darby Township, a key piece in the revitalization of the 69th Street, officials announced Thursday. Standing outside the empty building, they said a $7.5 million grant from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program would help pay for a project that would provide an economic boost for Delaware County's largest municipality. Ashkenazy Acquisition, based in New York City, owns all the buildings in the shopping district along 69th Street. The company is working to bring more major retailers to the area, said Greg Alderfer...
The Shores Resort & Spa Sees Impact of Guest Advocates on Day 1 of Flip.to Launch
Flip.to | May 28, 2014
ORLANDO, FL – MAY 29, 2014 – The Shores Resort & Spa has turned 23% of their guests into brand advocates since going live with Flip.to in March. Along with an immediate surge in website traffic, the hotel earned a new booking on the very first day attributed to Flip.to. David Rijos, General Manager for The Shores, offered this about Flip.to, "As an independent boutique resort, I can't think of a better brand ambassador than our guests. And, as an operator, I can't think of a more effective channel to tap the power of social media than Flip.to. It is innovative and engaging and has clearly moved the needle for this property in bo...
Forza Group Seeking Approval for 99-room Holiday Inn in Downtown Pittsburgh
May 24, 2014
May 24--A Bridgeville developer wants to build a $9 million, 99-room Holiday Inn Downtown and hopes to begin construction early this summer. The Forza Group is seeking approval for the eight-story hotel at 435 Fort Pitt Blvd. from the City Planning Commission, which it will brief on Tuesday, said spokesman Greg Erosenko. "Hopefully, at the commission's next public meeting, on June 9, when the project comes up for action, it will be approved, and we plan to begin construction immediately," he said. If construction begins early this summer, an opening would occur in spring 2015, he said. The project has been in the works for three years. ...
60-room Hotel Proposed for Sebastopol, California with November 2015 Opening Targeted
May 11, 2014
May 11--Developers of The Barlow commercial center in Sebastopol have started the formal planning process for Hotel Barlow, a 60-room inn, spa and cafe targeted for opening in November 2015. Though the hotel was not part of the initial concept for the mixed-use development on the east edge of town, proprietor Barney Aldridge said it became clear as construction was underway and tenants were being signed that a hotel fit the center's evolving landscape. Aldridge and his partners envision a boutique hotel reflecting Sebastopol's "eclectic and agricultural identity," in keeping with the theme of The Barlow as a whole, which was built on th...
Piazza Hospitality Group Plans 78-room Boutique Hotel for San Luis Obispo, CA
May 23, 2014
May 23--A new, boutique-style hotel is coming to downtown San Luis Obispo as part of the Copeland Properties Chinatown project. Piazza Hospitality Group, a Northern California-based developer and manager of luxury hotels, spas and restaurants, will operate the 78-room hotel, including two restaurants, a spa and some retail. The hotel, which will be built with sustainability in mind, will also feature a pool, meeting space and underground parking. Piazza Hospitality hopes to break ground on the yet-to-be-named hotel next spring, and then it will be about an 18-month construction project, said Paolo Petrone, managing partner of the Tiburo...
Dual Partnership Buys Santa Fe’s Jewel, the 219-room Eldorado Hotel & Spa
May 31, 2014
May 31--A jewel in Santa Fe's hospitality sector, the 219-room Eldorado Hotel & Spa, is poised to enter a new phase in its nearly 30-year existence. A pair of investment groups headed by local hotelier and real-estate investor Jim Long and former Albuquerque insurance and financial services executive Randy Talbot, now of Bellevue, Wash., closed on the purchase of the five-story, award-winning hotel at 309 W. San Francisco St. this week. "This is a hotel that's been well-loved and well-respected in the world of hospitality," said Long, founder and CEO of Heritage Hotels & Resorts Inc. in Albuquerque. "It's certainly an asset that...
Doubletree Hotel at The Gallery at Military Circle in Norfolk, Virginia to be Auctioned
May 24, 2014
May 24--The bank that holds the mortgage on the Doubletree Hotel at The Gallery at Military Circle in Norfolk plans to auction the property at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Norfolk Circuit Court, according to a public notice this week. The lender, which is not named in the notice, holds the deed on a $6.2 million loan for the property executed in May 2006. City records show that Norfolk SAI Hotel LLC is the property owner. Raj Randeria, who also is part owner of the Governor Dinwiddie Hotel in Portsmouth and Tazewell Hotel & Suites in downtown Norfolk, bought the Doubletree in 2006. He closed it for a renovation in 2009 but had trouble getting...
Nick Franklin, Walt Disney Executive Who Led Development of MyMagic+ Technology, Leaving Company
May 19, 2014
May 19--The senior Walt Disney Co. parks executive who oversaw development of the company's billion-dollar "MyMagic+" technology project is leaving the company. Nick Franklin, executive vice president for next-generation experience at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, will leave Disney in July, according to people familiar with his plans. Franklin has been with Disney since 1996 and is a member of Disney Parks Chairman Tom Staggs' 11-member executive committee. Franklin could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for Disney said the decision to depart was Franklin's. "Nick let us know that after 17 successful years with Disney, he want...
McLaren Technologies Brings REX to The Westin Singapore
McLaren Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd | May 11, 2014
Integrate and innovate are possibly the two best words to describe Asia Pacific's leading provider of SaaS technology, McLaren Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd ("McLaren"). It therefore makes perfect sense that Singapore's first-ever integrated hotel within an office building, The Westin Singapore, selected McLaren to consult on the next technology-focussed phase of its innovative hotel rollout. The McLaren team, led by Managing Director Matthew White, completed the implementation of REX (room expeditor) by Newmarket International, Inc. ("Newmarket") at the hotel earlier this month. Mr White said, "Having arrived on the Singapore scene...
The Palm Springs Spa Resort Hotel Closing July 8th; New Vision for Property Currently Under Review
May 6, 2014
May 06--The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, in a Tuesday, May 6, news release posted on its Facebook page, announced plans to close the Spa Resort Hotel and its Spa & Fitness Center on July 8 to launch a "new vision" for downtown Palm Springs. The tribe said it is in the planning stages for the key downtown location. "We are reviewing concepts and considering our options to identify the necessary steps to preserve this key landmark in downtown and rejuvenate the property around it," tribal chairman Jeff Grubbe said in a statement. The casino, located on a corner near the high-rise hotel, is not closing, the tribe said. The S...
Celebrity Boycott of Hotels Owned by Sultan of Brunei Spreads to France Due to Sharia Law Stance
May 31, 2014
May 31--PARIS -- A celebrity boycott of a group of luxury hotels owned by the sultan of Brunei, brought on because of his country's introduction of sharia law, has spread to France, according to local media reports Saturday. France Info radio reported that the boycott -- which began in Hollywood with stars like Oprah Winfrey severing their ties with the famed Beverly Hills Hotel -- had begun to impact bookings at the Plaza Athenee Hotel and Le Meurice in Paris. The two five-star hotels had suffered "a spate of cancellations," the radio said. The centenial Plaza Athenee on Avenue Montaigne is currently closed for work on an extension, bu...
Ramee Group Plans to Open Two Five-Star Hotels in the UAE by 2017
May 10, 2014
May 10--The Dubai-based hospitality group has 40 properties in operation, including hotels, hotel apartments and resorts in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and India. The Ramee Group of Hotels and Resorts is set to open two five star hotels in the UAE in the next three years with a total investment of more than Dh700 million, chairman and managing director Raj Shetty told in an interview during Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which concluded last Thursday. The Dubai-based hospitality group has 40 properties in operation, including hotels, hotel apartments and resorts in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and India. It also operates a shopping mall in Chennai, ...
El Cortez & Culinary & Bartenders Unions Agree to Terms; Strike Still Possible at 6 Downtown Casinos
May 28, 2014
May 28--Another day of contract talks between negotiators for a downtown casino and the Culinary and Bartenders Unions has yielded another tentative work agreement ahead of a threatened employee walkout this weekend. The Culinary and Bartenders Unions announced negotiators for the unions reached a tentative agreement with El Cortez. Culinary officials, in a news release posted today on the union's website, said the new 5-year contract was retroactive to June 1, 2013, when the last contract expired. The settlement follows similar deals reached with three other downtown casinos: Golden Nugget, Fremont, and Main Street Station. "We congrat...
Wisconsin’s $100 million Edgewater Hotel Redevelopment Gains Praise from its Most Persistent Critics
May 25, 2014
May 25--On a sun-splashed morning, developer Robert Dunn stands atop the new Edgewater hotel, an army of construction workers shaping the roughly $100 million redevelopment into final luxurious form in preparation for a grand opening later this summer. The 15th-story rooftop space on the new building, called Sky Bar, with commanding views of Lake Mendota and the State Capitol, is among an array of public and private spaces that should drop jaws and offerings that sometimes will lighten wallets. "It's going to have a significant impact on our ability to promote Madison as a destination," Dunn said as he surveyed the lake during a hard-ha...
Durham, NC to See Influx of Hotel Rooms Next Year; Five New Hotels and an Expansion to Open
May 26, 2014
May 26--DURHAM -- A flurry of new hotels is coming to Durham next year, with five new hotels targeted to open in the city and an expansion wrapping up at a sixth. The city hasn't seen that many hotel additions in a single year since 2004, according to Shelly Green, the CEO of the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The only thing that's going to fill those hotel rooms is more demand," Green said, adding that she expects demand to rise. The list of new hotels includes a new Home2Suites by Hilton proposed in a development off U.S. 15-501 near its intersection with Interstate 40. There's also an expansion underway at the existing Rizzo...
In Memoriam: C.P. Krishnan Nair, Founder-Chairman of Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, Dies at 92
May 17, 2014
May 17--MUMBAI -- C.P. Krishnan Nairjoined India's freedom struggle when he was a schoolboy, enlisted in the Indian army, became one of the pioneers of the handloom industry and exported textiles before going on to build a chain of luxury hotels that held its own against the Oberoi and Taj groups. The multi-faceted Nair, founder-chairman of Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, passed away on Saturday at the age of 92 following a brief illness. Nair's life was a classic story of rags to riches, starting from his early education at a small elementary school in his native village in Kannur district of Kerala. "My mother was a poor paddy farm...
