Kimpton Gray Hotel Appoints Aaron Munson as New Executive Chef
the Kimpton Gray Hotel | January 30th, 2023
IDeaS Names Winner of Fabian Specht Revenue Optimisation Professional of the Year at HSMAI Europe
IDeaS | January 26th, 2023
News Top: January
What to Expect in the Hospitality Industry in 2023
Mark D. Podgainy | January 30, 2023
By Mark D. Podgainy Last year was a year of dramatic recovery for the hospitality industry. What’s ahead for 2023? Definitely clouds, but the question is whether the clouds will pass over or they will result in a storm. What’s Ahead High labor costs will persist. While many workers have come back to the hospitality industry after leaving during the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry is still short of employees. This supply-demand imbalance will continue to keep labor costs high and impact margins. As the economy slows the supply of employees will grow (layoff announcements in the news have been increasing), but it is unkno...
The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba Unveils Guestroom Renovation
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC | January 12, 2023
PALM BEACH, ARUBA (January 12, 2022) – The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba announces the completion of their most recent reimagination with the debut of new, island-inspired designs in all of the 320 guestrooms, suites and corridors. The contemporary design pays homage to the hotel’s unmatched location along Aruba’s acclaimed Palm Beach with locally inspired design motifs and color waves across the resort’s new textiles and textures featuring custom artwork and elevated comfort. Perfectly paired with a stay in the refreshed guestrooms, The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba has also introduced new culinary experiences for guests to enjoy in 2023. Resort Rooms...
Q4 2022 Major U.S. Hotel Sales Survey
Daniel Lesser | January 16, 2023
By Daniel Lesser Heading into a new year, the U.S. commercial real estate industry finds itself in choppy waters amid fears of a recession, rising inflation, and interest rate hikes as market participants await a course correction. Challenges during 2022 including continued supply chain constraints, increasing labor costs and struggles in attracting talent are anticipated to endure through 2023. Combined with international and domestic geopolitical issues and market volatility, many believe during the near term, the U.S will experience a mild to moderate economic recession. Although inflation appears to have recently stabilized, it remains...
Accor to open Wonil Hotel Perth, the First Handwritten Collection Hotel in Australia, at Forrest Hall Precinct
Accor | January 23, 2023
Accor, the largest hotel operator in Australia, will operate Wonil Hotel Perth, a new Handwritten Collection hotel set to open at the Forrest Hall Precinct in early February 2023. Wonil is the Noongar name for peppermint tree and the new hotel is located on the banks of the Swan River surrounded by peppermint trees, adjacent to The University of Western Australia. Through a unique operating model, net revenue from the hotel will be reinvested back into the Forrest Research Foundation (FRF) to support current and prospective scholars and fellows, and sustain FRF into the future. As part of Accor’s new Handwritten Collection, Wonil Hote...
Technology Plays a Key Role in Reducing Travel-Related Stress
Fran Worrall | January 3, 2023
Q&A with Mike Gathright of Hilton By Fran Worrall Streamlining the guest journey is top of mind for any hotelier. Hotel Online recently sat down with Mike Gathright, senior vice president of customer experience at Hilton, to learn what types of technology enable smoother and more stress-free guest stays and to find out what the brand is doing to make guest service more efficient. Gathright oversees reservations, guest services and support, as well as Hilton’s digital channels, including website and mobile app, property and contact center. HO: Briefly discuss your recent survey, The 2023 Traveler: Emerging Trends that are Inno...
Alpental Capital, Solid Rock Group, and Taconic Capital Advisors Complete Sale of Sheraton Denver Tech Center for $16.2M
Alpental Capital | January 5, 2023
Alpental Capital, Solid Rock Group, and Taconic Capital Advisors jointly announced the sale of the Sheraton Denver Tech Center for $16.2 million. The 263-room hotel located in Greenwood Village, CO last sold for $9.2 million as part of a bankruptcy auction in June 2021. The partnership completed an extensive capital improvement plan and reopened the hotel in August 2021, after being closed by the previous owner in March 2020. “We are proud to see this investment through its lifecycle from acquisition to disposition, despite the broader economic and capital markets headwinds. The transaction represents one of the few hotel investments suc...
The Lost Hotels Of Midtown New York
Dexter Wood | January 12, 2023
By Dexter Wood Several legendary properties remain closed in Midtown New York, and most will never reopen. Luxury hotel demand staged a respectable resurgence last year as the dreadful impact of the pandemic continued to fade. Trailing twelve-month RevPAR for luxury hotels in NYC, as of November 2022, has already surpassed its pre-pandemic benchmark from December 2018. This was a welcome improvement for prominent Midtown hotels that had reopened after many months of closure, including the Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton, The Plaza, St. Regis, The Peninsula, and the Lotte New York Palace. However, some well-known properties that enjoy...
Beverly Hills-Based Hawkins Way Capital Buys 655-Room Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan
Hawkins Way Capital | January 31, 2023
NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2023-- Hawkins Way Capital, in a joint venture with Värde Partners, has acquired 525 Lexington Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan, comprising a 655-room, 406,261 square foot tower across 35 stories. A designated landmark building, the 1924-built property previously operated as a Marriott International branded hotel focused on corporate and business travel before closing at the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic. "525 Lexington represents a compelling opportunity to increase our footprint in the heart of Manhattan at a favorable basis. We believe the property will benefit from an injection of fresh equity ...
Paramount Lodging Advisors Successfully Transacts in Lubbock With the Sale of the Embassy Suites
Paramount Lodging Advisors | January 17, 2023
LUBBOCK, TX - Paramount Lodging Advisors (PLA) has successfully executed the sale of a Hilton-branded hotel located in SW Lubbock near South Plains Mall. Texas-based Senior Managing Director Kami Burnette and Senior Associate Mason McDavid, along with Principals Bennett Webster and Brent Clemens represented the seller in the transaction. The full-service 156-key Embassy Suites was built in 1982 and features multiple meeting rooms and a restaurant. The new owners are excited to repurpose the legacy hotel to an alternative use in a growing Texas market, home to one of the state’s largest universities. “The hotel was sold unencumbere...
Anger Over COVID-19 Layoffs Keeping Hospitality Workers From Returning to Jobs
The University of Houston | January 3, 2023
HOUSTON, Jan. 3, 2023– Researchers at the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership say many skilled hospitality workers who were furloughed or laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic are angry and unlikely to return to the industry. During the first few months of the pandemic in 2020, travel and dining out declined rapidly putting severe financial strain on hospitality organizations, especially those in the lodging and food and beverage sectors. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hospitality industry lost nearly 8 million hospitality jobs were lost, making it the hardest-hit industr...
RezRecover Celebrates Record-Setting Year With Over $78M in Recovered Bookings for Hotels, 200+ New Implementations, and 143 New Properties
RezRecover by CartStack | January 10, 2023
2022 was a landmark year of record-setting reservations recovered, new hotel clients, new technology advancements, and key strategic partnerships. MINNEAPOLIS, MIN (January 10, 2023) – CartStack, the leading eCommerce technology behind RezRecover, has much more to celebrate than the new year. The company announced today that 2022 was a landmark year of record-setting reservations recovered, new hotel clients, technology advancements, and key strategic partnerships. Founded in 2013, CartStack developed RezRecover, the first-to-market, enterprise-grade solution to solve this costly $10B booking abandonment problem for hotel operat...
The Mark Hotel Appoints Etienne Haro as New General Manager
The Mark Hotel | January 19, 2023
The Mark Hotel is pleased to announce that Mr. Etienne Haro has been appointed as the hotel’s new General Manager as of January 1, 2023. With over 20 years of international experience in luxury hospitality, Mr. Haro has held leadership positions at some of the most prestigious hotels around the world. He began his award-winning career in Food & Beverage and Finance at The Caledonian in Edinburgh, Scotland, later moving to the Middle East and Asia, directing the operations of market-leading luxury hotels. His extensive experience includes roles as Executive Assistant Manager of the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai, and most recently, as t...
Oetker Collection Appoints Imelda Shllaku as General Manager of Hotel La Palma, Capri – Opening Spring 2023
Oetker Collection | January 26, 2023
January 26 2023 - Oetker Collection is delighted to announce Imelda Shllaku has been appointed General Manager of its first Italian Masterpiece Hotel, Hotel La Palma, which will open its doors in 2023. Shllaku will commence her role on March 6th 2023. With a career in the luxury hospitality industry spanning almost three decades, Shllaku brings with her an impressive global perspective. The Italian native has previous opening experience, having undertaken her first Hotel Manager role with Sina The Gray in Milan, before stints in Dublin and Krabi Island with The Ritz Carlton. She then spent seven years with Bulgari Hotel & Resorts,...
Labor Shortages and The Impact on Hotel Operating Costs
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | January 17, 2023
How Modern AI Solutions Offset Rising Costs That Cut into Hotel Profits By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook January 2023 Thanks to the perfect storm of the last two years, costs are skyrocketing across multiple industries, and the hospitality industry is no exception. Maintaining control over your hotel’s operation is key to running a successful and profitable business. Hotels all over the world have had to adapt to rising costs thanks to inflation, the pandemic, and labor shortages, all of which combine to threaten profitability and longevity. In a perfect world, hotels can seamlessly meet a never-ending stream of deman...
Mondrian Singapore Duxton Set for 2023 Opening in Asia
Mondrian | January 23, 2023
SINGAPORE (January 23, 2023): Mondrian Singapore Duxton is set to shine a light on the Lion City’s creative powers and become its new home of art-forward cool as it prepares to throw open its doors in March 2023. Helmed by a team of all-star iconoclasts and change-makers ranging across the fields of hospitality, cuisine, design, fashion, nightlife and art, and located within the city’s most happening precinct, Mondrian Singapore Duxton is ready to raise the bar in the art of the possible, and raise the roof of Asia’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan city. SINGAPOREAN ARCHITECTURE MEETS CONTEMPORARY DESIGN Mondrian Singapore Duxton...
Pan Pacific Hotels Group Set to Open PARKROYAL Langkawi Resort
PARKROYAL Langkawi Resort | January 18, 2023
Kuala Lumpur, 18 January 2023 - PARKROYAL Langkawi Resort, a property under Pan Pacific Hotels Group, will be opening its set to welcome guests on 15 February 2023. The idyllic seaside haven is a 301-room beachfront resort strategically located along the pristine Pantai Tengah. Poised to be a leading resort of choice in The Isle of Legends, PARKROYAL Langkawi offers a collection of six types of rooms, eight types of suites, and seven spacious and exclusive villas with unique facilities and amenities. Guests will be met with first class hospitality experience at CASSIA, an all-day dining venue that showcases culinary theatrical local and in...
PM Hotel Group Set to Open Washington Marriott Capitol Hill
Marriott Hotels® | January 9, 2023
WASHINGTON, DC – Washington Marriott Capitol Hill debuts January 11, 2023, standing between Washington DC’s iconic Capitol Hill and emerging NoMa neighborhoods. “The new Washington Marriott Capitol Hill reflects the transformation of the Marriott brand, delivering imaginative design, memorable food and drink concepts, and uncompromising service that will appeal to guests and locals, delivering authentic and memorable experiences,” said Rick Sawyer, General Manager. Located within walking distance of the US Capitol, Union Station, and the bustling Union Market neighborhood, the hotel is a true urban retreat. Situated withi...
Future Foods for Hotels in 2023 and Beyond
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | January 18, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky Food and beverage for hotels is at a bit of an inflection point. On the one hand, we are still contending with all the inflationary wages, short staffing and supply chain headaches left over the pandemic. On the other, we have a recession year ahead of us where we still need to derive profits from the onsite eatery (or at least use the chef-driven restaurant concept to support hotel bookings). Innovation is the only way forward, and hopefully there’s a trend here that inspires you. Therein, the two of us trust that you are already investigating some of in vogue fusion cuisine trends, more vegetable-centric...
Audrey Huttert Appointed New General Manager at Amangiri
Audrey Huttert | January 30, 2023
CANYON POINT, Utah (Jan. 30, 2023) – In one of the world’s most dramatically secluded settings lies Amangiri in South Utah, which recently appointed Audrey Huttert as the new general manager. Audrey brings with her more than two decades of experience in luxury hotels around the world, including other Aman properties such as Amanera in the Dominican Republic and Amanyara in Turks & Caicos. Blending into untouched red-rock country, the ultra-luxurious resort claims 900 acres of the vast and majestic Colorado Plateau, the original Wild West. In this desert landscape of canyons, mesas, ridges and gorges, the 34 modernist Suites and...
Hawkins Way Capital Acquires Two Hotel Properties Comprising 150 Rooms
Hawkins Way Capital | January 19, 2023
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023 -- Hawkins Way Capital has acquired the parcels located at 3850 and 3840 State Street, together comprising 150 hotel rooms, a retail pad and multiple pools across approximately 4.0 acres in the desirable Upper State Street neighborhood in Santa Barbara. The parcels are currently improved with a 68 room Best Western Plus Pepper Tree Inn branded hotel and adjacent 82-room unbranded hotel. Hawkins Way Capital intends to combine the two properties into a single Best Western Plus Pepper Tree Inn, driving operational efficiencies by sharing resources and capitalizing on the consistent leis...
Meliá Hotels International and Falcon’s Beyond Debut Falcon’s Resort by Meliá | All Suites Punta Cana
Meliá Hotels International | January 17, 2023
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (January 17, 2023) - Meliá Hotels International (“Meliá”) (BME: MEL), one of the world’s leading leisure hotel companies operating more than 380 hotels throughout 40 countries, and its joint venture partner Falcon’s Beyond (“Falcon’s Beyond” or the “Company”), a global entertainment development company, today announces the opening of Falcon’s Resort by Meliá | All Suites Punta Cana. It is the first resort to open under the new leisure and entertainment-based brand, Falcon’s Resorts by Meliá that offers a unique “resortainment” hospitality experience. The new brand seamlessly blen...
The Starling Atlanta Midtown Appoints Kathryn Day as General Manager
The Starling Atlanta Midtown | January 12, 2023
January 2023 (Atlanta): The Starling Atlanta Midtown, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton and managed by Schulte Hospitality, announced Kathryn Day as its General Manager. Formerly The W Atlanta Midtown, the hotel reopened as The Starling in June 2022 as part of the Curio Collection, Hilton’s line of curiosity-inspired boutique hotels. The 466-room full-service hotel boasts a lobby-level bar & lounge, two restaurant concepts, a full-service spa, an outdoor pool and numerous conference centers and ballrooms. Day, a native of Sydney, Australia, presides over the hotel’s day-to-day operations to ensure top-tier guest experiences in e...
Hotel Trouvail Miami Beach Inducted Into Historic Hotels of America
Historic Hotels of America® | January 26, 2023
MIAMI, January 26, 2023 – Hotel Trouvail Miami Beach in Miami, Florida, is pleased to announce it has been inducted into Historic Hotels of America®, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Hotel Trouvail Miami Beach is one of more than 300 hotels and resorts throughout the country that is recognized by Historic Hotels of America® for preserving and maintaining its historic integrity, architecture, and ambiance. “Historic Hotels of America® is delighted to induct Hotel Trouvail, a French-inspired hotel built in 1940,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President of Historic Hotels of America®...
Highgate Expands European Footprint With Launch of HG Portugal
Highgate | January 12, 2023
London, United Kingdom, January 12, 2023 –– Highgate, a leading hotel management, investment, technology, and development company, has announced two significant European developments – the launch of HG Portugal and the relaunch of the Dorsett City London Hotel. HG Portugal begins with a portfolio of 18 hotels spanning the Algarve, Lisbon, Porto, and several other markets throughout Portugal. The portfolio includes hotels operating within the Hilton and IHG brand families, as well as several noteworthy independent hotels such as Cascade Resort, Salgados Palace, and Sao Rafael Atlantico. The portfolio includes lifestyle boutique hotels, ...
The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas Welcomes Brian Booth as New Director of Sales and Marketing
The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas | January 31, 2023
DALLAS – Jan. 31, 2023 – The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas – Texas’ first and Dallas’ only five-star hotel is proud to announce the appointment of Brian Booth as Director of Sales and Marketing, adding to its exceptional team of industry-leading talent. In his new role, Booth will develop and implement sales initiatives and marketing strategies to support the luxury property’s continued growth while delivering unparalleled levels of distinguished service. Booth joins The Ritz-Carlton team with more than 20 years of industry experience in sales, marketing, and operations, bringing proven excellence in hospitality market-share ...
