News Top: April
How Google Reviews Is Crushing TripAdvisor
Vikram Singh | April 9, 2019
By Vikram Singh An interesting trend has been brewing in the travel business. Quietly but surely, Google Reviews has been expanding their online review market share for brick and mortar businesses. Since hotels, inns and B&Bs are a 100% location-driven business, this change directly impacts both their revenue and branding. Online reviews left by strangers have become almost as trusted as personal recommendations. However, placing this much trust in reviews requires the user to be able to filter real reviews from fake ones. This sorting process can be extremely frustrating, especially on websites like TripAdvisor where everything is ...
Hotel.Online News Notes…November 6, 1996
April 25, 2019
Hotel.Online News Notes…November 6, 1996Extended Stay America, Wayne Huizengas startup lodging chain , is given an interesting reporters analysis in the Nov. 6, 1996 Tulsa World.The mob-style shooting of Paul Tatum, a partner in the Radisson- Slavyanskaya in Moscow is the topic of two articles. Read the Nov. 6 Journal of Commerce and the Nov. 5, 1996 Commercial Appeal.In 1991 Holiday Inn moved its corporate office to Atlanta from Memphis…they seem happy with that move as reported in the Journal of Commerce. Read David Beasleys Nov. 6, 1996 article titled Corporations Hail Atlanta as Commerce Crossroads.The Tip Jar – p...
Hamilton Hotel Investors and Centerbridge Partners Complete Acquisition of Belgian Nine-Hotel Portfolio From WNE
Hamilton Hotel Partners and Hamilton Hotel Investors | April 15, 2019
LONDON, April 15, 2019 - Hamilton Hotel Investors and Centerbridge Partners have completed the acquisition of a portfolio of nine hotels located in Belgium and France from WNE Investor S.À R.L. The hotels comprise 1,120 keys in total and are located in some of Belgium's key commercial and tourism destinations (Antwerp, Hasselt, Ghent and Liege) and Calais in France. Five of the nine hotels operate under the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, and Hamilton Hotel Partners will assume management of the portfolio going forward. "We are excited to acquire the Brabo hotels and to work in close partnership with the team at Hamil...
The Westin Long Beach Launches $23 Million Renovation Set for Completion Summer 2019
Westin Long Beach | April 22, 2019
Long Beach, Calif. (April 2019) – The Westin Long Beach, 333 E Ocean Blvd, has officially kicked off a $23 million renovation, which will introduce one of Long Beach's hottest new dining concepts, Navy Proof Food & Spirits, the much-anticipated coffee culture hub, Bluestone Lane, as well as a refreshed lobby and revitalized guest rooms to the community. Set to be unveiled in summer 2019, all of the designated spaces reflect a modern, sophisticated style reflecting the property's vibrant California coastline setting. "This is such an exciting time to be in Long Beach. There is an abundance of growth as well as an overall elevat...
Ryan Wollman Joins Los Angeles Airport Marriott as Director of Group Sales
Los Angeles Airport Marriott | April 16, 2019
Los Angeles, CA (April 16, 2019) The Los Angeles Airport Marriott (LAX Marriott) announces the addition of Ryan Wollman to the hotel's executive team as the new Director of Group Sales. With the completion of a $50 million renovation wrapping up later this summer, this new role supports the Los Angeles Airport Marriott's accelerated performance in meetings and events and solidifies its place as the premier west coast airport property. In his new role, Wollman maximizes group revenue and profitability through the sale of guest rooms, catering and tours, and for directing, managing and coordinating all group sales activities. Additionally...
What Hoteliers Need to Know About Staying Relevant with Google Hotel Ads
Vizergy | April 25, 2019
It's no secret that Google has played a significant role in the hospitality industry when it comes to online searches and generating direct bookings vs indirect bookings via OTAs. Online travelers often turn to Google when researching hotels, resulting in millions of hotel search queries each day. With so many eyes on these search engine results, it's important for hoteliers to be aware of Google's new hotel advertising product. Looking to compete with other hotel booking sites, Google quietly released its own hotel booking site on March 8th. On Google Hotel Search, online travelers can search for hotels by price, location, ratings, vie...
Negotiation-Based Pricing: The Future of Direct Bookings for Hotels?
Matthieu Mauguin | April 11, 2019
By Matthieu Mauguin Looking back on the history of hotel pricing strategies, nothing really stands out until the early 80s. Before the deregulation years, most hotels stuck to a traditional model of rates, based on economic fundamentals, such as cost price and profit margin. The rise of neo-liberalism allowed for ambitious and previously unseen business tactics. One of them, first developed in the context of airlines, was the variable pricing strategy known as Yield Management. Understandably, Yield Management was a true game-changer which quickly generated large profits for lots of companies in multiple industries, and was propelled to...
Waterparks: Growth Trends in 2019
David J. Sangree | April 15, 2019
Diving Into Waterpark Growth Trends in 2019: 2019 will bring growth to the U.S. & Canadian markets as waterparks continue to evolve their attraction mix. By David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC For the ever-growing waterpark industry, 2019 will be another year for robust growth as over $1 billion in investment is slated for indoor and outdoor waterparks and their related resorts. We project 21 municipal and private outdoor waterparks will open and three resorts will add or expand outdoor waterparks. The indoor segment will total 629,200 square feet of new waterpark space in 12 properties. Three of this year's most anticipated and exp...
When Customers Speak To Us, Are We Listening?
Gary R. Hernbroth | April 17, 2019
By Gary Hernbroth I firmly believe that we can learn a lot from our failures and setbacks – IF we pay attention. In fact, I recently spoke on this very topic at the Club Management Association of America's World Congress in Nashville. Several of my audience members enthusiastically shared their stories with each other, stories of how they failed, or suffered a setback, or screwed up, and how they learned from the experience and came out of it smarter and better-suited to deal with similar situations in the future. As with individuals, the same should hold true for businesses. Sometimes things break. Sometimes things go boom in the nig...
U.S. Hotels Enjoy Profit Growth, But It Is Becoming Harder to Achieve
CBRE | April 29, 2019
Atlanta – April 29, 2019 – While U.S. hoteliers enjoyed a ninth consecutive year of increasing profits in 2018, it is becoming increasingly difficult for managers to accomplish this task. According to the recently released 2019 edition of Trends® in the Hotel Industry by CBRE Hotels Americas Research, total operating revenue increased by 2.6 percent in 2018 for the average hotel in its survey sample. Managers were able to limit the growth in operating expenses to 2.8 percent, thus allowing for a 2.3 percent increase in gross operating profits (GOP) at the Trends® properties. The 2.8 percent growth in expenses is less...
What the Hotel World Looks Like in 2020
Robert A. Rauch | April 3, 2019
Bob Rauch and Sarah Andersen Hotel Distribution is arguably the big topic of the near term. Expedia Group and Booking Holdings (previously Priceline) are the two big online travel agencies (OTAs), dominating well over 70% of OTA market share. Now this duopoly faces major disruption by Airbnb, Facebook, and Google. Airbnb just bought HotelTonight, an app-based company that sells last-minute, unused boutique and independent hotel inventory. Meanwhile, SiteMinder's "BookingButton" already integrate into Facebook business pages as a widget, eliminating the need to click away from the site to make a booking. Add in the possibility that Googl...
Marriott’s New Bonvoy Brand: 5 Lessons for Travel Marketers
Michael Del Gigante | April 30, 2019
By Michael Del Gigante How big of a deal is it when Marriott, the world's largest hotel operator, rebrands its loyalty program? Such a big deal that ABC created a special television advertising block during the Oscars to help the company unveil its new offering: Bonvoy. By nearly any measure—media coverage, consumer buzz, or advertising spend—the program's launch has so far been the biggest travel and hospitality story of 2019. The move is important not only because it directly impacts Marriott's 120 million loyalty members, but also because it's the perfect case study for the wider travel and hospitality industry. What can...
Hawkins Way Capital to Develop Dual-Branded Marriott Residence Inn and AC Hotel in Oakland’s Uptown District
April 3, 2019
April 04-- Apr. 4--OAKLAND -- "Oakland has always been in the path of growth, Oakland has always been a terrific place," Wolff said in an interview on Wednesday, when asked about the hotel project. The economic cycle appears to be different -- and far more promising -- for Oakland this time around, in Wolff's view. "For the first time in my long history, the path of growth is really happening in Oakland," Wolff said. "That has been proven by a lot of development announcements and real projects." The high-rise hotel would contain a Marriott Residence Inn and an AC Hotel, which both are Marriott brands, a...
RAR Hospitality Breaks Ground on The Monsaraz, Tapestry Collection by Hilton in San Diego, California
RAR Hospitality | April 1, 2019
San Diego – April 1, 2019 – Southern California based RAR Hospitality, a full-spectrum hospitality management firm, has recently broken ground on the first Tapestry Collection by Hilton property in San Diego, The Monsaraz – set to open in summer 2020. Tapestry Collection by Hilton added 14 hotels to its portfolio of modern, stylish hotels in 2018 and has another 45 in its global pipeline (as of Q4 2018), including eight additional California properties. The development is a partnership with local development firm Alliance Development, who brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. "Welcoming The Monsaraz property to the...
Q1 2019 U.S. Lodging Market Update
Daniel Lesser | April 24, 2019
By Daniel H. Lesser While the longer economic growth endures, intuitively the risk of recession rises. Despite GDP indicative of a slowing economy during Q4 2019, the U.S. economic expansion which commenced in June 2009, is soon approaching the longest post-World War II expansion with uninterrupted growth. Investors frequently ponder where we are in a cycle. Is the current economic climate most like 1995, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2008 or 2016? While history often rhymes, the reality is we are in 2019, which presents its own set of idiosyncratic risks and opportunities. Many economists have opined that expansions do not die of old age, rather t...
Marriott Plans World’s Tallest Modular Hotel Set to Rise in New York City This Fall
Marriott International, Inc. | April 18, 2019
The world's tallest modular hotel – which will carry a brand of Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) – is on track to be stacked in late fall in New York City with prefabricated and pre-furnished guestrooms. Once erected over a 90-day period, the 360-foot-tall tower will represent a milestone for Marriott's ongoing initiative to encourage hotel developers in North America to embrace modular for new construction projects. To be topped with a modular roof and modular rooftop bar, the world's tallest modular hotel is expected to open in late 2020 as the AC Hotel New York NoMad. "In North America, the construction process hasn't ...
The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach Undergoing Hotel-Wide Transformation
The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach | April 2, 2019
MIAMI, Fl. – April 2, 2019 – A pillar of the Miami community over the past decade, The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach will soon re-open its doors and step into the role of gracious host to travelers visiting the most exotic place in America. The luxury hotel will open in late 2019 after a multi-year, property-wide renovation inclusive of guest rooms, suites, spa, Club Lounge, restaurants and bars, lobby, meetings and events spaces, and pool. A refined gateway to the vibrant culture and colorful history of Miami, the reimagination channels the alluring and tropical rhythm of the destination. Inspiration from the lush surroundings ...
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Opens in Greensboro, North Carolina With General Manager Tricia Southard at the Helm
SpringHill Suites by Marriott | April 1, 2019
Greensboro, NC – April 2, 2019 – Marriott International announced today that the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Greensboro Airport opened on Saturday, March 30, 2019. The 103-suite hotel, located at 505 Hickory Branch Road, will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by Guilford Hotel, Inc. and managed by CN Hotels Inc. of Greensboro, NC. General Manager Tricia Southard and Director of Sales Judy Thomas lead the management team at the property for CN Hotels. Just six miles from Piedmont Triad International Airport and 15 minutes from downtown. The hotel offers guests convenient access to Wet n' Wild Emerald Pointe, the Greens...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 212: Hotel History: Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, California (1888)
Stanley Turkel | April 23, 2019
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, California * The renowned Hotel del Coronado is a grand example of elegant Victorian architecture providing one of the most beautiful and popular beach resorts in the United States. The Del was conceived by two mid-western businessmen, Elisha Babcock, Jr. and Hampton L. Story who bought the entire undeveloped 4,100 acres on the peninsula of Coronado for $110,000. Babcock was a retired railroad executive from Evansville, Indiana and Story the owner of the Story & Clark Piano Company in Chicago. Babcock and Story hired the architectural firm of Reid & Reid consi...
MSD Partners, L.P. to Acquire Boca Raton Resort & Club From Blackstone Affiliate
MSD Partners | April 22, 2019
NEW YORK and BOCA RATON, Fla., April 22, 2019 -- MSD Partners, L.P. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Boca Raton Resort & Club from an affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE: BX). Boca Raton Resort & Club is one of the premier resort destinations and private club facilities in the United States. The property, which was built in 1926, today comprises 1,047 hotel rooms across 337 acres. Its amenities include two 18-hole golf courses, a 50,000 sq. ft. spa, seven swimming pools, 30 tennis courts, a full-service 32-slip marina, 13 restaurants and bars, and 200,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The prop...
The Wigwam Resort Promotes Archie Von Wigwam to General Manager
The Wigwam | April 1, 2019
April 1, 2019 (Litchfield, Arizona) – The Wigwam, a historic Southwestern oasis resort in Phoenix's West Valley, announces the promotion of longest standing pet-ployee Archie Von Wigwam to General Manager. After two years of ensuring canine guests feel at home at the iconic property, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Von Wigwam will expand his services to guests of all species. In his new role, overseeing all operations of the resort, as well as day-to-day management to ensure remarkable guest experiences. "I am thrilled to pass on the title of General Manager to Archie, who has proved himself to be energetic an...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Negative Flow Thru
David Lund | April 22, 2019
By David Lund One of the most read articles I have written is on the topic of flow thru and how to use it in your financial statements. Understanding flow thru is not something that comes easily to most people immediately, but once you look at it and do the calculation it usually clicks. Once it drops in place you have got it for good. To take things one step further in this piece I am going to discuss negative flow thru. Negative flow thru or retention is something that most people in North America have not had to deal with very much in the past decade. We have just crossed over a massive stretch of growth in our industry that was mark...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 211: Hotel History: Asian American Hotel Owners Association*
Stanley Turkel | April 2, 2019
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Asian American Hotel Owners Association* The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) is a trade association that represents hotel owners. As of 2018, AAHOA has approximately 18,000 members who incredibly own about half the 50,000 hotels in the United States. If you bear in mind that Indian Americans constitute less than one percent of Americas population, the conquest of this business niche is extraordinary. Furthermore, about 70% of all Indian hotel owners are named Patel, a surname that shows that they are members of a Gujarati Hindu subcaste. How did this economic miracle come to pass? ...
Juniper Capital & IMH Financial Acquire The Time Nyack Hotel
IMH Financial Corporation | April 2, 2019
April 2, 2019 (Scottsdale, Ariz.) – An affiliate of Juniper Capital Partners and an affiliate of IMH Financial Corporation announced today the acquisition of The Time Nyack hotel in New York's Hudson Valley. The upscale, lifestyle hotel with loft-style accommodations is the only of its kind in Rockland County. Plans to enhance the entire hotel include a refreshed look at the property's culinary offerings and the debut of a new rooftop experience to showcase the amazing views of the Hudson River and newly reconstructed Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. The 133-room Time Nyack, which first opened in May 2016, is both a dining destinat...
Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center Appoints George Bargisen as Director of Food & Beverage
Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center | April 11, 2019
AURORA, Colo. (April 2019) – Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, the recently-opened largest combined resort and convention center in Colorado, is pleased to welcome George Bargisen to lead its food & beverage and culinary teams as the property's new director of food & beverage. "George comes to us with years of experience in the hospitality industry and we're thrilled to have him join our exceptional team here at Gaylord Rockies," said Rick Medwedeff, general manager for Gaylord Rockies Resorts & Convention Center. "We're confident that his expertise will help to establish the resort as a dining destinatio...
