The WiFi-Free Hotel Restaurant
Larry Mogelonsky | August 29th, 2019
JO&JOE Moves in With IKEA at Vienna West Station
JO&JOE | August 28th, 2019
News Top: August
Graduate Hotels Appoints David Rochefort as President and Saxton Sharad as Chief Operating Officer
AJ Capital Partners | August 26, 2019
Chicago, Ill.– Graduate Hotels announced today the expansion of their executive team, including the promotion of David Rochefort to Graduate Hotels® President and the addition of Saxton Sharad as Chief Operating Officer of Graduate Hotels. Rochefort and Sharad join Graduate Hotels leadership including Julie Saunders, Chief Marketing Officer at Graduate Hotels; and Martin Hanson, President of Graduate Hotels Management. Created for travelers who seek memory-making journeys, Graduate Hotels, owned by AJ Capital Partners, is a thoughtfully crafted collection of hotels that reside in dynamic university-anchored cities across the country. Ea...
Mortenson Development Begins Construction 176-Room Hilton Garden Inn Madison Adjacent to University of Wisconsin – Madison
Mortenson | August 19, 2019
Madison, WI – (August 19, 2019) – Mortenson Development has announced that it has completed the land purchase and hotel brand negotiations and that construction has started on the seven-story, 176-room Hilton Garden Inn Madison development project, located at 770 Regent Street. The site is strategically positioned adjacent to both the Southwest Commuter Bike Path and East Campus Mall, which connect pedestrians to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, providing convenient access to campus facilities including the Kohl Center, an arena and athletics center; Memorial Union, the student union on Lake Mendota; and Camp Randall Stadium, home to ...
Hotels Are ‘Going Green’ in Significant and Lasting Ways
Fran Worrall | August 7, 2019
New sustainability report cites government regulations, guest demand among driving forces By Fran Worrall, Contributing Editor A groundbreaking new report by the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. explores sustainability in the hospitality industry and examines ways in which hotels are incorporating eco-friendly best practices into both operations and construction. The study includes insights from leading hotel owners, developers and investors. Entitled Sustainability in Hotels: Opportunities and Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality, the 32-page report outlines the business case for sustainability, provides performance metr...
Aimbridge Hospitality and Interstate Hotels & Resorts to Merge
Aimbridge Hospitality | August 29, 2019
DALLAS, TX and ARLINGTON, VA – August 29, 2019 – Aimbridge Hospitality (“Aimbridge”), North America’s largest independent hotel management firm, and Interstate Hotels & Resorts (“Interstate”), a leading independent multinational hotel operator, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge, creating a global leader in third-party hotel management services. The combined company will manage a portfolio of more than 1,400 branded and independent properties in 49 states and 20 countries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Together, it is expected that Aimbridge and Interstate will have ...
486-Room Full-Service Sheraton Park Anaheim Goes to Auction on RealINSIGHT Marketplace
RealINSIGHT Marketplace | August 13, 2019
ANAHEIM, CA—August 13, 2019—RealINSIGHT Marketplace and Berkadia are pleased to offer for sale the leasehold interest in the 486-room, Sheraton Park Hotel at The Anaheim Resort for your acquisition consideration. Located steps from the Anaheim Convention Center, Disneyland® Resort, Disneyland California Adventure® Park, Downtown Disney, and the Anaheim Garden Walk. This represents an exceptional opportunity for investors to acquire an institutional quality, full-service, Marriott branded hotel in a premium location with significant operational upside through renovation/brand conversion, leasing vacant space, reconfiguring the hotel layo...
Thomas Burke Tapped as Executive Chef at the Upcoming Mirbeau Inn & Spa Rhinebeck
Mirbeau Inn & Spa Rhinebeck | August 5, 2019
Rhinebeck, N.Y. – August 5, 2019 – Hudson Valley native and rising culinary talent Thomas Burke will lead the kitchen of the soon-to-open Mirbeau Inn & Spa Rhinebeck, including its just-announced signature restaurant, Willow by Charlie Palmer. The gifted chef has honed his skills at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the U.S. and joins the Mirbeau team from Connecticut’s award-winning Tavern at GrayBarns. Burke was tapped for his new role by world-renowned chef Charlie Palmer, who, in his first upstate New York venture, will oversee all food and beverage operations at the 50-room resort, from Willow to in-room dining, the ...
Wyndham Signs With Pete Patel for Development of Five Microtels Under Brand’s Moda Prototype Design
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | August 13, 2019
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (August 13, 2019) – Microtel® by Wyndham, the award-winning economy hotel brand under Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH), today announced an agreement with developer Pete Patel for five new properties under the brand’s innovative Moda prototype design. Just five months after launching the prototype, designed to increase operational efficiencies and lower development costs for hoteliers, Microtel by Wyndham’s pipeline is expanding with over a dozen new hotels adopting the design. The agreement with Patel calls for Microtel by Wyndham properties in strategic growth markets including Destin and Fort Walton Beach...
Developer Lorenzo Doumani Plans May 2020 Groundbreaking of Majestic Las Vegas
August 26, 2019
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 26, 2019 -- Majestic Las Vegas, the brainchild of Las Vegas native and uber-developer Lorenzo Doumani, is now set to break ground following the project's unanimous approval in May by the Clark County Commissioners, and subsequent approvals earlier this month. The revolutionary $850 million-dollar, 620-foot-tall contemporary architectural masterpiece is scheduled to commence construction in May 2020, and is slated for completion in early 2023. The five-star, non-gaming, 720 room, all-suite ultra-luxury branded resort will sit on the over six-acre site formerly occupied by the Clarion Hotel, which Doumani famously imploded i...
Aimbridge Hospitality Adds Six Caribbean Hotels to Management Portfolio
Aimbridge Hospitality | August 19, 2019
DALLAS, TX (August 19, 2019) - Aimbridge Hospitality, the nation’s largest independent hotel management company, is heating up its international portfolio with the addition of six Caribbean resorts. The new Caribbean resorts now under Aimbridge Hospitality management include: Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino, Curaçao After undergoing a complete rebuild, the property is set to reopen in fall 2019. Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Hotel & Residence, Cayman Islands The resort is set to break ground by year end 2019 and set to open Fall 2021. Margaritaville Beach Resort at The Pointe, Nassau, Bahamas This new bu...
The Boston Lodging Market: What the Supply Surge Means Moving Forward
Sebastian Colella | August 19, 2019
At year-end 2018, the Boston and Cambridge lodging market was comprised of 105 hotels with approximately 24,000 rooms. While this has grown considerably in four years, lodging supply in this market remains small relative to other major gateway cities. The ongoing building boom in Boston and Cambridge has contributed greatly to the recent surge in lodging supply and is expected to continue through 2021 and beyond. What does the pipeline of hotel development, its largest in recent history, mean for the Boston lodging market’s performance? Recent & Continued Supply Growth Between 2000 and 2014, rooms supply in market increased at ...
Choice Hotels Breach a Good Reminder of Data Security Best Practices
Hospitality Upgrade | August 22, 2019
HU talks with Bob Diachenko, the cybersecurity expert who discovered the breach, about steps hotels can take to prevent data incidents By Fran Worrall, Hospitality Upgrade Another data breach has hit the hospitality industry, this time affecting approximately 700,000 records belonging to lodging industry giant Choice Hotels International. The Maryland-based company franchises and handles bookings for more than 7,000 properties around the globe, including such brands as Ascend Hotel Collection, Cambria Hotels, Clarion, Comfort, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Roadway Inn, Sleep Inn and Woodspring Suites. According to a statement relea...
What Would Happen if Companies Like Google or Amazon Ran a Hospitality Business?
Laura Zizka | August 23, 2019
Creating authentic and captivating experiences is crucial for the competitiveness of hospitality businesses because it can increase value for consumers ([1]; [6]). Experiences are, by definition, co-created in hospitality, meaning they result from “the joint creation of value by the company and the customer” ([7]), regardless whether in high-touch or high-tech contexts ([3]). Today, exploiting technology for enabling and managing these experiences has become commonplace in many industries, but experts who can co-create through technology to produce authentic and captivating experiences in the hospitality industry are desperately lacking. ...
$37 Million Rebrand of Landmark Curacao Marriott Beach Resort Nears Completion
Marriott Hotels | August 14, 2019
(CURAÇAO) August 14, 2019 – The $37 million renovation of a landmark 328-room beach hotel in Curacao is set for completion by fall 2019, breathing new life into the property, impeccably positioned on six acres of prime oceanfront real estate. The transformation of the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino to the elegantly stylish Curacao Marriott Beach Resort, promises to bring a fresh feeling of luxury and excitement to an island regarded as the ultimate vacation destination for diving, outdoor recreation, and relaxing under the famous Caribbean sun. Upon completion, the hotel, which was purchased in 2017 by Piscamara Beac...
Hawkeye Hotels Acquires Hampton Inn & Suites in Cranberry Township North of Pittsburgh
Hawkeye Hotels | August 26, 2019
Hawkeye Hotels, recently announced that it has closed on the acquisition of the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton in Cranberry Township, 20 miles north of Pittsburgh. With this acquisition, Iowa-based Hawkeye Hotels is expanding its footprint in the Northeast. The company is positioned to develop additional hotels in the Pittsburgh area, across Pennsylvania and beyond. Hawkeye Hotels is also developing a 150-room Holiday Inn in Erie, which is under construction and expected to open in 2020. "We are excited to explore further opportunities in Pittsburgh and surrounding markets as we continue to grow our development pipeline and hotel portfo...
How Technology Can Transform One of Your Hotel’s Most Expensive and Important Departments – Housekeeping
Nikhil Nath | August 22, 2019
By Nikhil Nath, CEO, Knowcross Imagine the following scenario. You’ve just arrived at a hotel you booked online after combing through countless reviews and hotel sites leading up to your business trip. The website boasted cutting-edge amenities and rooms adorned with modern furnishings, sprawling grounds, and an incredible on-property restaurant serving up delicious local cuisine. Following check-in, you bring your luggage up to your room only to discover it doesn’t have some of the amenities you confirmed in your booking. To make matters worse, you attempt to adjust the in-room thermostat only to realize it has clearly malfunctioned, ...
OYO Hotels Partners With Highgate to Open Flagship OYO Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
OYO Hotels & Homes | August 23, 2019
Las Vegas, NV -- August 23, 2019 -- OYO Hotels & Homes, the world’s third-largest and fastest-growing hotel chain, today announced that it has partnered with Highgate to create its first key flagship property in Las Vegas, OYO’s first property in this lively city - OYO Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Located near the corner of the famed Las Vegas Strip on Tropicana, OYO Hotel & Casino provides 657 rooms across nineteen floors and a 35,000 square-foot casino. This hotel was earlier operated as Hooters Casino Hotel. Additional amenities include two signature restaurants, four bars, a fitness center, and an outdoor pool. The property w...
Q2 2019 U.S. Lodging Market Update
Daniel Lesser | August 6, 2019
By Daniel Lesser With 121 consecutive months of growth through Q2 2019, the U.S. economy is now in record territory for the longest expansion period in history. The decade long economic expansion has been fueled in part by job growth, record low unemployment rates, and low interest rates in the capital markets. During the first half of 2019, America has continued to add jobs, albeit at a slower pace compared to last year. U.S. consumer confidence remains vigorous and stock market indices continue to set record high levels. To mitigate the risks of slower global growth and trade-policy uncertainty, during the near term, the Federal Reserve ...
Briad Group Celebrates Groundbreaking of Homewood Suites Edison in New Jersey
The Briad Group | August 7, 2019
Edison, NJ -- August 7, 2019 -- Homewood Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton’s All Suites portfolio, celebrated the groundbreaking of Homewood Suites Edison yesterday. Located at 100 Parsonage Road, the hotel will provide guests with easy access to the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Menlo Park Train Station. The hotel will be less than two minutes away from the Metro Park Corporate Center, which features more than 5 million square feet of class A office space. The property will also place guests near Rutger Gardens, Roosevelt Park, Washington Rock State Park, Menlo Park Mall and a variety of shops and restaurants. The Edison loc...
Concord Hospitality Plans Winter Opening of The Ben West Palm Following Renovation and Rebranding
The Ben West Palm | August 15, 2019
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- August 15, 2019 -- West Palm Beach’s highly anticipated hotel, The Ben West Palm, is slated for a Winter opening and is now accepting wedding and group business for 2020. Part of Autograph Collection, Marriott International’s newest collection of independent, characterful hotels, The Ben is the focal point of Flagler Banyan Square, a 3.5-acre mixed-use waterfront development in downtown West Palm Beach. Owned and operated by Concord Hospitality, The Ben is located at 251 Narcissus Avenue, only steps away from buzzing Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach, and a short drive from PBI airport. The Ben...
Hilton Columbus Downtown Breaks Ground on 28-Story Tower Expansion
Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority | August 12, 2019
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Hilton Columbus Downtown, owned by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority and managed by Hilton Management Services, broke ground on a 28-story tower to create the first 1,000-room convention hotel in Columbus. Together with the existing Hilton, the hotel will offer 75,000 square feet of meeting space and will be the largest hotel in Ohio when it opens in 2022. View the fly-through video of the Hilton Tower here. “The addition of the tower to the Hilton Columbus Downtown will allow Columbus to attract new meetings and events business,” said Don Brown, executive director, Franklin County Convention Facil...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Top 10 Hotel Budget Review Tips
David Lund | August 19, 2019
By David Lund When you are reviewing a hotel budget you want to ask the right questions—the ones that will yield the biggest treasure. You see, the game of budgets in most hotel companies where the corporate or regional master needs to approve the plan before it is presented to the owner, is a game of under promise now and hopefully over deliver next year. Some people I know call this the practice of sandbagging. It is not mean or deceitful, rather it is a game. If you are asleep at the switch when you are doing the review, well, that is your problem. Operators are always looking for items they can keep in their back pocket for the...
Pennsylvania Hampton Inn to Be Auctioned on RealINSIGHT Marketplace
RealINSIGHT Marketplace | August 15, 2019
PITTSBURGH, PA—August 15, 2019—RealINSIGHT Marketplace and Berkadia are pleased to offer the fee-simple interest in the 88-room Hampton Inn Wexford Sewickley for your acquisition consideration. The most recent proto-type Hampton Inn is ideally located just off Interstate 79, one of the Ohio Valley’s primary north-south corridors running from Lake Erie to the north and to Charleston, West Virginia to the south. The Hotel is also 15 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh’s many businesses and regionally popular leisure attractions. This represents an exceptional opportunity for investors to acquire a new-build Hampton, which is also t...
Owned and Managed by KM Hotels, 111-Key Residence Inn by Marriott Opens in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Residence Inn by Marriott | August 9, 2019
Tuscaloosa, AL – August 9, 2019 – The 111-suite Residence Inn by Marriott in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is now open with its upscale, stylish décor that offers flexibility, while creating a unique environment. Located at 211 Rice Mine Road Loop, the all-suite Residence Inn Tuscaloosa will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by KM Hotels of Richmond, Virginia. General Manager Emily Pearce leads the management team at the all-suite property for KM Hotels. The Residence Inn Tuscaloosa offers its guests convenient access to the University of Alabama and Bryant Denny Stadium, the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, the Alabama Museum of Natur...
Valor Hospitality Partners to Expand U.S. Portfolio With Three New Hotel Openings and One Acquisition
Valor Hospitality Partners | August 20, 2019
ATLANTA -- August, 20 2019 -- Valor Hospitality Partners (Valor), which owns, operates, asset manages and consults on over 75+ hotels worldwide, today officially announced plans to open three new hotels around the U.S, along with a new acquisition. These properties -- which will be located in Alabama, Tennessee and New Jersey -- are just the latest additions to Valor’s growing portfolio. The hotel management company provides a wide range of services to the hotels it owns and operates, including management, food and beverage concept, design & execution, capital raise and hotel development. The new properties include: Hotel Ind...
Cendyn Announces Acquisition of The Rainmaker Group
Cendyn | August 1, 2019
Boca Raton, Florida, USA, Thursday, August 1, 2019 - Cendyn, the leading innovator in hotel CRM and hotel sales platforms for the hospitality industry, today announces the acquisition of The Rainmaker Group, a leading revenue and profit optimization platform for hotels, resorts and casinos. The acquisition of The Rainmaker Group’s integrated solutions will enable Cendyn to drive performance across all aspects of the hotel business. Aligning operations, marketing, sales, and now, revenue will provide hoteliers with the means to optimize their strategies and drive performance and loyalty across their businesses. As part of the acquisition,...
