News Top: August
Holiday Inn Resort Coming to Centennial Plaza in Gulfport, Mississippi
August 19, 2014
Aug. 19--GULFPORT -- A Holiday Inn Resort has signed on to open in two buildings on the west side of the waterfront Centennial Plaza campus, with a lazy river included in the plans, city officials announced this afternoon. The chapel at the property's southern entrance also is included in initial plans. "Now that we've got our anchor lined up, it should be the catalyst to develop the rest of the property," Mayor Billy Hewes said. Louisiana-based le Triomphe Property Group, which is developing 57 acres of the property, struck the deal with the Intercontinental Hotels Group, owner of the Holiday Inn and other hotel brands. The city will r...
David Atwell’s Family Files Lawsuit Against David Siegel & Westgate Resorts
August 24, 2014
Aug. 24--Several months after David Atwell's passing, the impact of his dealmaking still is being felt on the Las Vegas real estate market -- and beyond. This month, Atwell's legacy stretched to court, in a lawsuit filed by a member of his family against the new owners of one of his favorite hotels. Real estate company Resort Properties of America, headquartered in Las Vegas, founded by Atwell and operated by his daughter Heather, has filed suit against Westgate Resorts and David Siegel. The complaint landed in Clark County District Court on Aug. 11. Representatives for Siegel and Westgate Resorts have offered no comment. David Atwell d...
Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison Now Owns Every Hotel Room on Lanai, HI; Acquires 10-room Hotel Lanai
August 1, 2014
Aug. 01--Billionaire and Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison now owns every hotel room on Lanai, having closed July 7 on the purchase of the venerable Hotel Lanai. The price paid by Ellison's Lanai Resorts LLC was undisclosed by seller Lanai Hospitality Partners LLC principal Mary Charles. "We owned it for seven years, and we did really well with it," she told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "We turned it into a great spot, it was loved by visitors and locals, and so we leave it with a great legacy and in good hands." The 10-room hotel was originally built in 1923 by James Dole of pineapple fame, as a retreat for Dole Pineapple executives. ...
Ownersip for Bushkill Inn and Conference Center Expected to Change After Exit from Bankruptcy
August 2, 2014
Aug. 02--The Bushkill Inn and Conference Center, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in May, is expected to change ownership by the end of the year. General Manager Roger Taylor said he expects a major, unnamed real estate investor from the New York area with no prior experience in the hospitality business to submit a plan in two weeks to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Trenton, New Jersey, for approval. Taylor said the process would be completed in six months, around the time that the inn would exit Chapter 11. "It's all moving along normally," he said. "We've filed for financial reorganization to get out of bankruptcy be...
Historic Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, FL Sold to Thayer Lodging for $460 million
August 29, 2014
Aug. 29--In a mega-hotel deal, Thayer Lodging Group has purchased the historic Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood. Thayer, based in Annapolis, Maryland, has paid $460 million to buy the 1,000 room, beachfront hotel from United Association, a 370,000-member plumbers and pipefitters union based in Annapolis. Thayer declined to comment Friday morning on the purchase of the hotel, which was reported in the Daily Business Review. In addition to the hotel, with spa and tennis courts on nearly 10 acres at 3555 S. Ocean Dr. in Hollywood, Thayer also bought a neighboring 18-hole golf course for $20 million, and paid $55.5 million for ...
Paso Robles, CA Planners Approve 106-room Hotel Project Known as Pine Street Promenade
August 13, 2014
Aug. 13--A large-scale hotel, shopping and performing arts center project that will extend the reach of downtown Paso Robles was unanimously approved by city planners this week. Pine Street Promenade, to be built at Pine and 10th streets at the site of the old Hayward Lumber yard, received a 7-0 vote of approval from the city's Planning Commission on Tuesday night, with no opposition. Since the project is in line with the city's zoning and master plan for the area, it doesn't need approval from the City Council until its second phase, when the developers propose building the parking structure on city property, city planners say. Constru...
Santa Fe, New Mexico’s Old St. Vincent Hospital Reincarnated, Opening as 182-room Drury Plaza Hotel
August 17, 2014
Aug. 17--Forget all the ghost stories. The dead spot in downtown Santa Fe has come back to life. The old St. Vincent Hospital is reincarnated as a Drury Plaza Hotel. Its 5-acre grounds at 228 E. Palace Ave. have the feel of a campus and offer sweeping mountain and city views that put Santa Fe on the list of destinations travelers hope to visit. About 70 percent of the new hotel's 182 guest rooms were open late last week. Construction crews were still busy, as the Drury Plaza prepared to host a weekend conference whose speakers included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Tauseen Malik, general manager of...
Twenty Four Seven Hotels Awarded California Management Contracts
Twenty Four Seven Hotels | August 4, 2014
Twenty Four Seven Hotels ("24-7 Hotels") a western regional hotel management company recently added two new contracts to its growing portfolio giving them eleven managed hotels totaling just under 1,500 rooms. The new additions in the last thirty days include the 100-room Comfort Suites in Ontario, CA, and the 139-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Anaheim, CA. Both hotels will be managed on behalf of the same investment group. "We began a relationship with this ownership group over a year ago and recently we've added two additional management contracts with the same owner" said David Wani, CEO of Twenty Four Seven Hotels. "When our ...
Complaints from Japanese Travelers to Hawaii on the Rise Over Poor Customer Service & Higher Prices
August 3, 2014
Aug. 03--Hawaii's been catering to visitors from Japan for decades, but recent reports from Japanese travel sellers indicate that customer service has been getting lost in translation. Travelers from Japan have been listing Hawaii among their top aspirational destinations since Japan Airlines starting flying to the isles more than 60 years ago, providing the momentum for them to grow into the state's top international market. In 2013, travelers from Japan accounted for 1.5 million visitor arrivals, or 18.5 percent of the state's total. That number was 31 percent behind 1997, the market's peak year, which brought 2.2 million Japanese tra...
Hotel Granduca Announces Partnership with Stash Hotel Rewards
Stash Hotel Rewards | August 19, 2014
Houston's Leading Luxury Hotel Now Part of Nation's Largest Points-Based Rewards Program for Independent Hotels HOUSTON, TX – August 20, 2014 – Hotel Granduca, a five-star luxury hotel located in the heart of Houston's Uptown-Galleria neighborhood, announced today that it has partnered with Stash Hotel Rewards, the nation's largest points-based rewards program for independent hotels. As a result of this new partnership, Stash members are now able to earn and redeem points at Hotel Granduca, where exceptional service and luxurious amenities meet old-world Italian elegance and sophistication. "By partnering with Stash, we have an oppo...
Lawsuits Fail to Satisfy Either Side of ADA Coin
August 31, 2014
Aug. 31--No matter which side they're on, the people involved in disability access lawsuits seem to have one thing in common: supreme frustration. The disabled are tired of feeling like second-class citizens when they meet obstacles parking, shopping or using a restroom because of a building's features. Companies slapped with lawsuits -- almost always generated by frequent filers demanding big money -- say they've been shaken down. Lawyers complain when newspapers explain their strategies. They also blame legislators for not fixing the problem. And legislators point fingers at one another for making reform nearly impossible. The result:...
Retail Center, Hyatt Place Hotel Proposed for Aberdeen, Maryland
August 22, 2014
Aug. 22--The Aberdeen area could soon get a new place to shop, and stay overnight, near the busy I-95 interchange at Route 22. Nikos Kapsis, the longtime owner of the Holiday Inn Express and the Olive Tree restaurant off of Beards Hill Road, is proposing a shopping center and hotel on the other side of I-95 near Ripken Stadium. The plan, which shows up to 40 20-by-85 foot retail spaces, two pad sites and a potential Hyatt Place hotel on 14 acres just north of Route 22 near Long Drive, will be submitted to the City of Aberdeen within a month, Tammy Lowry-Gault, operations director for I-95 LLC, the company developing the property, said T...
Laura Weldon Appointed Director of Food & Beverage at Houston’s Hotel Icon
Hotel ICON | August 4, 2014
Laura Weldon has accepted the position of Director of Food & Beverage at Houston's Hotel ICON, a 135-room Marriott Autograph Collection property located in the sought after downtown/Market Street historic district. In this role, Weldon now oversees culinary operations for the landmark hotel's LINE & LARIAT restaurant, L&L Bar, room service and 8,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Prior to joining Hotel ICON, Weldon spent the majority of her career with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. Most recently, she was the Assistant Director of Food & Beverage for the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch, ranked among the top 20 in...
Etihad’s “Residence Experience” starts with the Savoy Butler Academy
University of West London (LSHT) | August 15, 2014
Etihad Airways is the first commercial airline to offer in its new Airbus A380 an extra-large private VIP suite dubbed "The Residence" along with nine First Class Apartments. "The Residence Experience" will include dedicated Butlers on call throughout the flight, offering the type of discrete personal service and attention to detail found in the world's most exclusive hotels. These hospitality professionals have now been selected by Etihad Airways and will be undergoing specialist training at the Savoy Butler Academy in London, delivered by the University of West London in conjunction with The Savoy Hotel. The three-week-long training p...
Frederick, MD Committee Backs Plan for $64 Million, 207-room Marriott Hotel for Old News-Post Site
August 30, 2014
Aug. 30--The best proposal the city of Frederick received for a downtown hotel and conference center was for a Marriott hotel at the old site of The Frederick News-Post, according to a city committee. The Downtown Frederick Hotel Advisory Committee is recommending that Mayor Randy McClement and the Board of Aldermen move forward with a proposal from Plamondon Hospitality Partners to build a $64 million, 207-room hotel with about 23,500 square feet of meeting space at the site at 200 and 212 E. Patrick St., according to a document posted to the city's website. The committee thinks Plamondon's proposal is strong because, in summary, Plamo...
Bennett Hospitality Selected to Lease & Develop 50 Acres of Land at Patriots Point, Mt. Pleasant, SC
August 15, 2014
Aug. 15--One of Charleston's most prominent hospitality firms has been selected to develop a major chunk of Patriots Point's property in Mount Pleasant. Patriots Point Development Authority voted Friday to lease about 50 acres, its last plot available for development, to Bennett Hospitality. The agreement is contingent on the board's approval of a 99-year lease agreement, which will be negotiated with Bennett Hospitality over the next month. The company's plans for the property can't be released until they're given final approval by the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, the state agency that has final say over such developments. ...
Menin Hospitality Selects RoomKey as Preferred Mobile Travel Agent
Ve-Go Technologies, Inc. | August 26, 2014
Menin Hospitality brings mobile check-in, room selection, and smartphone door entry to South Beach – at Gale South Beach & Bentley South Beach. Miami, FL August 27, 2014 - Menin Hospitality selects Ve-Go Technologies, Inc. as preferred mobile travel agent (MTA) at Gale South Beach and Bentley South Beach. RoomKey allows guests to not only book a room, but also select their own room, check-in, and control their entire stay from their mobile device. Since January, guests of Gale South Beach have been able to check-in and select their own room with a few taps with their smartphone. With property management system (PMS) integration, V...
Settlement Reached on Lawsuit Over Development of Savannah, GA’s Kessler Hotel
August 2, 2014
Aug. 02--Area property owners have given up their legal challenge to stop developer Richard Kessler's West River Street hotel project from moving forward. A lawsuit the 10 plaintiffs filed in Chatham County Superior Court on June 11 against The Kessler Collection and Savannah has been dismissed after an agreement was reached between the plaintiffs and the developer, said city attorney Brooks Stillwell. Savannah Realtor Richard "Dicky" Mopper, whose wife was a plaintiff in the case, said the settlement was reached about two weeks ago, but a confidentiality agreement prevented the disclosure of any details. The legal complaint stemmed fro...
Two Hotels, Stores and Restaurants Envisioned for Proposed Crown Point, Indiana Lifestyle Center
August 17, 2014
Aug. 17--CROWN POINT -- As many as 20 stores, several restaurants and two hotels would occupy the newly dubbed Crown Point Galleria at the 109th Avenue and Interstate 65 interchange in plans proposed by developer Todd Kleven. The mall would be home to upscale occupants and would feature a centrally located showpiece water fountain, Kleven said last week in a workshop with the Plan Commission. Kleven described the proposed development as a lifestyle center. Lifestyle centers are gaining in numbers and popularity across the country, he said. Proposed for an eastern entry to the city off of the interstate, the Galleria "is really going to ...
More Legal Woes for Marriott Pere Marquette Developer Gary Matthews
August 23, 2014
Aug. 23--PEORIA -- The developers of the Marriott Pere Marquette and the accompanying Courtyard by Marriott have defaulted on a $3 million loan, a lawsuit filed this week alleges. Main Street Land Trust, the group which sold the property where the new Courtyard sits now, claims Gary Matthews and his business partner Monte Brannan defaulted on the $3 million loan. The trust's attorney, Sam Zabek, said his clients support the Downtown hotels and want them to succeed but also had to "protect their legal interests." The suit seeks the repayment of $2.4 million plus interest, costs and fees. Also named in the suit, which was filed Thursday i...
Controversy Continues in Boynton Beach, Florida with Stop-Work Order on 93-room Holiday Inn Express
August 6, 2014
Aug. 06--BOYNTON BEACH -- The on-going saga of the Holiday Inn Express to be built in Boynton Beach near Leisureville continues. The city recently ordered Developer Hardial Sibia to stop construction at the site at 2001 Ocean Drive because of nine violations on the property. Those violations include palm trees that interfere with pedestrian traffic along Ocean Drive, illegal stockpiling of materials outside the construction fence and using the site as a "temporary staging area" for trash, according to the notices posted July 31. "I am thanking the building department, the engineering department, for recognizing all the violations for th...
SoTHERLY Hotels to Convert Florida’s Crowne Plaza Jacksonville-Riverfront to DoubleTree by Hilton
August 29, 2014
Aug. 29--The Crowne Plaza Jacksonville-Riverfront on the Southbank is going to become a DoubleTree by Hilton, its owners have announced. SoTHERLY Hotels said the change will take effect Monday. The hotel is currently undergoing a $5 million renovation that began early this year and is scheduled to be complete late next year. The 292-room hotel was a Hilton when MHI Hospitality Group bought it in 2005 for $22 million. But MHI converted it to Crowne Plaza the next year. Crowne Plaza is one of Intercontinental Hotel Group's brands, which also include Holiday Inn, Candelwood Suites and Hotel Indigo. MHI changed its name to SoTHERLY Hotels l...
The $163 million Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Water Park on Track for 2015 Opening
August 11, 2014
Aug. 11--The $163 million Camelback Lodge and Aquatopia Indoor Water Park remains on schedule for a spring 2015 opening, project officials say. The 533,000-square-foot development, on 25 acres at the base of Camelback Resort in Tannersville, is billed as the largest indoor water park and hotel project ever built in the U.S. in a single phase. The final floor is being erected on the eight-story, 453-room hotel. Exterior walls of the massive indoor water park complex are nearly complete. Horizon Construction Group began excavating and installing the steel and concrete superstructure last fall. An estimated 500 construction jobs will have ...
Plan for Tel Aviv’s Biggest Hotel, at 600-rooms, Gets Green Light
August 5, 2014
Aug. 05--Compensation has been set for the neighbors of a 600-room hotel being planned in Tel Aviv -- the city's biggest. The controversy surrounding the planned hotel at 277 Hayarkon Street has been rumbling on for years. The site on the seafront north of the Tel Aviv Hilton and Independence Park has stood empty for years. It formerly housed the Sheraton hotel which was demolished. The site is now owned by Henry Taic's Nahal Group which also owns Tel Aviv's David Intercontinental Hotel. The foundations were already dug many years ago and the original plan was for a 400-room hotel covering 22,000-sq.m. However, that plan was enlarged to...
Vision Hospitality Hopes to Bring 90-room Boutique Hotel to Downtown Chattanooga, TN
August 28, 2014
Aug. 29--A five-story, 90-room upscale boutique hotel is planned for downtown Chattanooga near the Walnut Street Bridge. Chattanooga-based Vision Hospitality Group wants to put the hotel at 102 Walnut St. on the south side of the bridge in the city's art district. That's near the new Walnut Commons apartment complex and the Museum Bluffs condominiums. "Our vision is to develop a high-end hotel that will become a destination," said Mitch Patel, Vision Hospitality's chief executive, in a statement. "By providing an experience that focuses on all of the senses and provides the highest standards of service, we believe our hotel can become a...
