News Top: March
Hotel Rooms Departments Struggle to Control Expenses
the Authors | March 13, 2017
By Robert Mandelbaum and Gary McDade Changes in rooms revenue per available room (RevPAR), and RevPAR penetration receive a lot of attention from hotel managers. This is because the monies hotels receive from renting guest rooms is the major source of revenue across all property types in the U.S. According to the 2016 edition of Trends® in the Hotel Industry, rooms revenue averaged 68.1 percent of total operating revenue in 2015. This metric exceeds 97 percent at limited-service and extended-stay hotels. Alternatively, rooms revenue comprises only 51.8 percent of total revenue at resorts. Even more impressive than the contribution o...
The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Hotels
Vikram Singh | March 1, 2017
By Vikram Singh Hotel email marketing has become more important than ever. The cost of click- and impression-based marketing on search engines and social networks continues to rise, not just for generic terms, but also for the historically cheaper brand name terms. Email marketing remains extremely relevant and cost-effective. It has become the best permission-based outbound tool in your marketing kit, hands down. However, as with every great tool, the responsibility to use it well lies with the user. Smart hotels and brands have moved away from the mass broadcasting of spammy emails, and are now focusing on personalized, permission-bas...
The 5 Hotel Experiences Guests are Talking About Most on Social Media
Local Measure | March 29, 2017
Food & Restaurants Create the Most Social Media Buzz, According to Local Measure, Drawing on Guest Posts from Close to 300 Luxury Hotels Sydney and New York - March 29, 2017 – Local Measure, the leading location-based social platform for hotels and the tourism industry, revealed the most posted-about features at hotels, and found that guests are most likely to talk about food and drink; the bar; views from the hotel; the condition of the room itself, and the pool. Here are the top subjects mentioned in social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, from guests staying at close to 300 hotels in America, Australia and A...
Eye Tracking in 2017 for Google Hotel Searches: Why the Old Rules Don’t Apply
Tris Heaword | March 20, 2017
By Tris Heaword When one of the first eye-tracking studies on Google search engine results pages (SERPs) came out in 2005, researchers from Mediative discovered that there was a distinct pattern to the way people read the pages—what became known as the "Golden Triangle." By 2014 a new eye-tracking study found that this model had shifted, owing to many changes and developments in Google search pages. Instead of the distinct triangle, the heat maps showed an elongated "F," illustrating how users had significantly gotten used to scrolling down SERPs to find what they needed. Below are shots from the two famous studies, with the 2005 ...
Marc Brugger Appointed Managing Director of Rosewood Hong Kong
Rosewood Hong Kong | March 17, 2017
Marc C. Brugger has been appointed managing director for Rosewood Hong Kong which is scheduled to open in 2018. Mr. Brugger is responsible for assembling the opening team with whom he will manage the ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® property, comprised of 398 hotel guestrooms and 199 Rosewood Residences, located on Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Rosewood Hong Kong will occupy 27 floors of a multi-use tower whose distinct form and glowing crown on the Victoria Harbour waterfront is destined to become an instantly recognizable landmark on the famous skyline. Most recently, as managing director of Rosewood Beijing, Mr. Bru...
Santa Barbara’s Hotel Californian Names Key Members to Its Executive Team
Hotel Californian | March 7, 2017
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (March 7, 2017) – Santa Barbara's most anticipated new luxury property, the Hotel Californian, is excited to announce the executive team to lead this 121-room coastal retreat. Having led some of the finest hotel properties in the world including the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles, Carlos Lopes brings his unparalled pedigree and experience to the Hotel Californian team as managing director. Industry veterans Warren Nocon and Ellen Adelman will join the Hotel Californian team to head up hotel operations and sales and strategic marketing. Together, Lopes, Nocon and Adelman bring decades of luxury hospitality exper...
Excellence Group Breaks Ground on $110 Million Excellence Oyster Bay Luxury Hotel Project in Montego Bay, Jamaica
Excellence Group Luxury Hotels & Resorts | March 30, 2017
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, March 30, 2017 -- Excellence Group Luxury Hotels and Resorts, the hospitality leaders who recently announced plans for an all-inclusive luxury resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, officially broke ground today in conjunction with Jamaica's highest esteemed leaders in tourism and government. Alongside The Honourable Prime Minister Andrew Holmes, the Ministry of Tourism, The Honourable Edmund Bartlett, The Honourable Daryl Vaz from the Office of the Prime Minister, and The Honourable Karl Samuda from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Excellence Group revealed additional details of the highly anticipated, $110 mil...
Grupo Posadas to Open Two New Resorts in 2018: Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende and Grand Fiesta Americana Oaxaca
Grupo Posadas | March 29, 2017
Acapulco, Mexico (March 29, 2017) – Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Mexico's largest hotel company, Grupo Posadas, announces plans for two new resorts that have already broken ground and are set to open in 2018: Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende and Grand Fiesta Americana Oaxaca. Live Aqua Resort San Miguel de Allende is the result of a $73 million investment, becoming the fourth luxury hotel to open in the historic colonial destination. The state of the art complex will feature 135 rooms, a cultural center and ecological areas. With an investment of $25 million, Grand Fiesta Americana Oaxaca is located clos...
Avison Young Hospitality Group Spotlights Thierry Roch and John James
Avison Young | March 15, 2017
Avison Young Hospitality Group is pleased to highlight Thierry Roch and John James, who are located in the Avison Young Washington D.C. office. Roch, a senior hospitality broker at Avison Young, has more than 25 years of experience in organizational management, business development and commercial real estate brokerages in the travel and tourism industry, including for-profit and non-profit organizations. In his current role, Roch specializes in brokering, leasing and developing historic, independent and boutique hotel properties. His relationships include national and international owners, operators and developers as well as senior exec...
Hotel Sales: “Why Do Our Rates Change? We Discount When It’s Slower!”
Doug Kennedy | March 17, 2017
By Doug Kennedy Every day your hotel sales, reservations and front desk colleagues are fielding questions from both prospects and guests regarding why it is that the rates are so much higher during certain periods as compared to other dates. For convention hotels, the question might be "Why are the rates so much higher in mid-October than July?" For the catering sales manager the question is: "Why is the F&B minimum spend for my wedding so much higher on a Saturday in May or June?" For beach resorts the rate objection is "Why are rates higher for July 4th?" At mountain ski resorts it's the opposite, as most rate objections occur for...
Canyon Ranch Appoints Mark Andrew Global Director of Resorts & Managing Director, Tuscon
Canyon Ranch | March 21, 2017
Fort Worth, TX – March 21, 2017 – On the heels of the announcement of the founders' retirement, wellness pioneer Canyon Ranch announces three new global directors to join its leadership roster. As Canyon Ranch continues to evolve and expand, these leaders will have a hand in the brand's evolution and growth. "We have a robust team set in place that will guide Canyon Ranch through a new chapter of change," said CEO Susan Docherty. "With their wealth of experience, we will carry the company's history of wellness and innovation forward." Mark Andrew, Global Director of Resorts & Managing Director, Tucson Mark Andrew joins C...
How Much of a Threat Does Airbnb Pose to Traditional Ski Market Hotels?
March 14, 2017
By Jon Fletcher Valuation professionals specializing in hotels commonly receive questions about the impact of Airbnb's growing popularity on the established hotel industry. For years, many within the profession shrugged off Airbnb as an outlier or a fad that would come and go like so many companies that are no longer with us. But Airbnb has demonstrated its staying power so far and recent reports are hailing the company as a "disruptor" and one of the most valuable startups in the world. As Airbnb looks at the possibility of a blockbuster IPO in 2017, the time to look into the impact of this company has arrived. Its currently ski season...
Palace Resorts Prepares for Fall 2017 Debut of Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos
Le Blanc Spa Resort | March 30, 2017
MIAMI, March 30, 2017 -- Palace Resorts – the company that sets the standard in five-star, all-inclusive resort accommodations – is pleased to announce the highly anticipated debut of luxurious, Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos in Fall 2017. The second property comes after the tremendous success of Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun, the brand's flagship property and Cancun's #1 all-inclusive resort as designated by the TripAdvisor® community. The resort located on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula is the second property under the umbrella of Palace Resorts, a hospitality company with over 30 years of experience in the...
Immigrants: A Crucial Component of the Hospitality Industry
March 27, 2017
March 27--HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS When it comes to immigrant labor, restaurants and hotels are front and center, particularly in New Mexico. About 22 percent, or more than one in five workers, employed in the state's art, entertainment, accommodation and food service industries are immigrants, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And at some individual businesses, the ratio is much higher. At the Inn of the Governors in Santa Fe, for example, about one-third of the hotel's 75 employees are immigrants, said General Manager Sam Gerberding. "The immigrant population is profoundly important," Gerberding said. "Those wo...
Diamond Resorts Realigns Senior Leadership: Matthew Avril Resigns; Current COO Michael Flaskey to Assume Role of CEO
March 6, 2017
Current General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, Ken Siegel, has been named President LAS VEGAS--Diamond Resorts International® ("Diamond Resorts"), a global leader in the hospitality and vacation ownership industries, today announced the promotions of Michael Flaskey and Ken Siegel, as well as the retirement of Matthew Avril due to family and personal reasons. Avril will continue as an advisor to Apollo and the Company's management during his retirement. Diamond Resorts' current Chief Operating Officer, Michael Flaskey, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, while current General Counsel and Chief Administrative Offic...
The Shrinking Value of Hotel Loyalty Programs
Vikram Singh | March 29, 2017
By Vikram Singh My work revolves around travel. Every night away from home is spent at a hotel or Airbnb property. I was recently asked about my hotel brand preferences and which loyalty program I use. The answer is that I belong to all of them but never achieve a high status due to the fact that my hotel nights are spread across many independent and brand hotels. If I were to pool all of my annual room nights into one brand, I could easily qualify for top tier status. Why have I not done that? The reason is simple: I am a location-based business and leisure traveler. That means that I choose to stay at the most convenient location irre...
Why Hotels are Charging Up for Electric Vehicles
JLL Real Views | March 28, 2017
An award-winning bar, exclusive spa, and … electric vehicle charging stations? For some major hotel chains, power points that enable guests to recharge their cars on the premises are a new perk. In the United States, sales of electric vehicles soared in 2016, showing a 70 percent year-over-year increase in monthly sales. For consumers, the choice is bigger than ever; by the end of 2016, automakers were offering about 30 electric models to choose from, such as the Tesla Model S, Chevy Volt, and Nissan Leaf. And even more are on the way, with Ford's plans to create 13 EV models by 2020, Mercedes saying it will produce 10 by 2025, a...
Are Robots and Artificial Intelligence Real-Life Threats to Humans and Their Jobs?
Ken Greger | March 21, 2017
By Ken Greger A robot first appeared in a motion picture in 1919, The Master Mystery. The machine was called "the Automaton," as the term robot would not be used until 1920. Since then our imaginations have been led by humanoid machines capable of capturing our hearts (R2D2) to threatening our very destruction (Westworld, The Terminator). A common theme among these robots was an intelligence, sometimes sinister and sometimes benevolent, but always present. The movies implanted a mental image of a robot, but don't be unduly alarmed – C3P0 is not yet on the horizon. Robots have reshaped manufacturing, technology, aerospace and onlin...
Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park Appoints Kirsten Guill General Manager
Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park | March 29, 2017
CHICAGO, IL (March 2017) – The quintessential hub for visitors to unwind after their downtown explorations, the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, 200 North Columbus Drive, announces the appointment of General Manager Kirsten Guill, 36. In this role, Guill will use her managerial and leadership experience to helm the Fairmont Chicago team of over 400 tenured hospitality professionals. Guill brings to Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park notable experience, serving as general manager of the W Chicago City Center Hotel for 3 years, and W Lakeshore for half a year during an extensive property renovation. Previously, she served as hotel ...
Chicago Hotels Have Pent-Up Demand for 1.6 Million Room Nights
Hans Detlefsen | March 1, 2017
By Hans Detlefsen Chicago's Sold-Out Nights Represent 1.6 Million Unaccommodated Room Nights of Hotel Demand Annually Introduction Popular tourism and business destinations, like Chicago, experience significant weekly and monthly fluctuations in lodging demand. Different leisure, corporate, and convention travel schedules combine to create patterns of peak lodging demand throughout Chicago's downtown area. June is the busiest month, typically followed by July and September. Saturday is the busiest night, typically followed by Friday and Wednesday. So, for example, during the four Saturday nights that occurred in June of 2016, the avera...
Arden Group Acquires 763-Room Sheraton Atlanta Hotel with $7 Million Additional Renovations Planned
Arden Group | March 14, 2017
PHILADELPHIA, PA – March 14, 2017 - Arden Group, through their discretionary fund affiliate Arden Real Estate Partners II, LP, announced today that they acquired the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel. The recently renovated 763 room upscale hotel includes over 100,000 square feet of event and meeting space. Sheraton full service amenities feature an indoor/outdoor climate-controlled swimming pool and whirlpool, spacious indoor Garden Courtyard with a retractable glass roof, Sheraton fitness center, business center, Collage restaurant and Fandangles restaurant and bar. Arden will be investing an additional $7 million on top of the recent $15 ...
The #1 Key to Building a World-Class Service Culture Today
Dr. Bryan K. Williams | March 13, 2017
Oh, what a privilege it is to serve others. Whether you work in a hotel, restaurant, spa,club, conference center, etc, the purpose is the same: Consistently deliver exceptional service and create memorable experiences for those you serve. That's it. Treat. People. Well. Everyday. Regardless of who they are, or where they are from, or their gender, or age or race, or culture, or socio-economic status. To serve at such a consistently high level, we need to always remind ourselves of who we are, what we do and where we do it. Who am I, as a service professional? What is my role? Where do I get to serve others? Notice I wrote, "get...
Host Hotels & Resorts Acquires 305-Room W Hollywood for $219 Million
Host Hotels & Resorts | March 8, 2017
BETHESDA, Md., March 08, 2017 -- Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:HST) today announced the acquisition of the 305-room W Hollywood (the "Hotel"), which includes 10,800 square feet of high-quality retail space and seven prominent supergraphic billboard signs for $219 million. The Hotel opened in 2010 and is centrally located in the dynamic and rapidly growing sub-market of Hollywood. The surrounding area features a strong base of business and transient demand generators and serves as a hub for a thriving creative community and entertainment related companies. The Hotel is also fully unencumbered by brand and management upon sale beg...
Avison Young Hospitality Group Spotlights Terry Sanders
Avison Young | March 21, 2017
Avison Young Hospitality Group is pleased to highlight Terry Sanders who is located in Avison Young's Dallas office. Sanders, a senior hospitality broker at Avison Young, has more than 20 years of hotel industry experience, and most recently played a key role in the growth of Wyndham Hotel Group's U.S. portfolio of hotels as senior vice president of development for franchised and managed hotels for U.S. and Western Canada. He began his career at Wyndham in 2002 and was elevated from franchise sales director to senior vice president in only seven years. While at Wyndham, he was responsible for generating more than $500 million in ongoing...
La Quinta Launches Enhanced Returns Loyalty Program with Industry-First Benefits, Innovations and Rewards
La Quinta | March 2, 2017
Company Unveils Witty "Winning @ Business" Advertising Campaign to Support the Launch IRVING, Texas, March 2, 2017 – La Quinta Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LQ) announced its new, integrated marketing campaign to support the launch of exciting and innovative enhancements to its award-winning loyalty program, La Quinta Returns, including the debut of its "Winning @ Business" television and digital campaign. The launch of the enhanced La Quinta Returns loyalty program includes travel industry firsts, generous and exclusive benefits, and innovative features. The new program gives members more freedom when redeeming points, more convenience wh...
