Augment Luxury Stays Via a Sense of Departure
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | August 16th, 2023
Independent Hoteliers: Centralize Your Data
Warren Dehan | August 16th, 2023
News Top: August
It’s Possible To Do More With Less During a Labor Shortage: Here’s How
Amadeus | August 9, 2023
As travel continues to recover, some airlines, hotels, restaurants, and event venues worldwide are struggling to keep up with demand due to labor shortages. And while labor shortages are nothing new, the pandemic brought about some fresh challenges, including the phenomenon of “revenge travel,” or the concept of consumers making up for lost time by booking more and longer travel experiences. The overall impact that this increase in consumer demand has had on labor within the hospitality industry has been enormous. The State of Labor Shortages Labor shortages are impacting businesses’ productivity, efficiency, and profitability a...
The Latest Wine Trend for Fall Then 2024
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | August 9, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky If you know either of us, then you know that we are big fans of wine. Besides the actual taste and endless variety of production around the world, we write about wine because it’s a great way to ramp up restaurant revenues on a high-margin basis. But this only occurs when the wine is effectively marketed and sold. For reference (and to show we actually know what we’re talking about), we published a book about how to sell more wine last year, and we’ve written about how finetuning your wine strategy can be used to generate quick wins for the hotel. Today, we look ahead, first to Q4 2023 then to 2024. Sp...
PwC Report: Hospitality Tech Investment Pays Off
PWC HOSPITALITY DIRECTIONS | August 23, 2023
The hotel business ecosystem is exceptionally complex: Brands, owners and operators all strive to maintain profitability in an inherently low-margin, highly competitive sector. The goal? To satisfy investors while also meeting — ideally, exceeding — guest expectations. Hotels also need to attract and maintain skilled talent in the constrained late-pandemic labor market. Facing rising wages and a diminished worker pool, more than 70% of hotel executives are turning to technology tools to automate a portion of their operations and boost employee efficiency.1 PwC experience corroborates the benefits of technology investments. One bran...
The Hotel Group & Hogback Development Celebrate the Tru by Hilton Yakima Topping Off
The Hotel Group | August 17, 2023
Yakima, WA - August 17, 2023 - The Hotel Group (THG), an affiliate of Hotel Equities(HE), and a leading national hotel management, investment and development company, along with Hogback Development, will celebrate the topping off of the 74-room Tru by Hilton Yakima, WA. Tru by Hilton Yakima is located next to the Home2 Suites in Rainier Square, which over the past few years has been transformed by Hogback Development from an under-developed and under-utilized 1960’s style-center, to a vibrant mix of restaurants, retail, and commercial business. THG and Hogback Development co-own the four-story Tru by Hilton hotel projected ...
Capstone Property Group Opens Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown Gainesville, Georgia
McKibbon Hospitality | August 14, 2023
Gainesville, GA (August 14, 2023) – Located in the heart of downtown Gainesville, Georgia, the highly anticipated Courtyard by Marriott Gainesville opened its doors and officially began welcoming guests today. The all-new contemporary hotel – Gainesville's largest hotel property – anchors the mixed-use development, The National, a revival and redevelopment of Gainesville’s long-vacant First National Bank by developer and owner, Capstone Property Group, LLC. “Courtyard Gainesville is officially open for business, rounding out our offerings at The National,” said Dr. Jeffrey Payne, chairman of Capstone Property Group. “It’...
Hersha Hospitality Trust to Be Acquired by KSL Capital Partners
Hersha Hospitality Trust | August 28, 2023
PHILADELPHIA and DENVER, Aug. 28, 2023 — Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE: HT) (“Hersha” or the “Company”), owner of luxury and lifestyle hotels in coastal gateway and resort markets, and KSL Capital Partners, LLC (“KSL”), a leading investor in travel and leisure businesses, today announced a definitive merger agreement, entered into on August 27, 2023, under which affiliates of KSL will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Hersha for $10.00 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 60% over Hersha’s closing share price on August...
Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society Honors 12 Hospitality Management Alumni
PSHRS | August 1, 2023
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) and Penn State School of Hospitality Management will honor 12 alumni during the 2023 Alumni Awards Reception, held in conjunction with the school’s 18th annual Alumni in the Classroom event, on Oct. 11. This year’s award ceremony will take place in the Marriott Foundation Building, the School’s Collaboratory for Inclusion and Innovation, on the Penn State University Park campus. “In the face of surging global travel demand, it is gratifying to recognize this year's class of Penn State School of Hospitality Management alumni who are shaping and lea...
New Independent Hotel The Dagny Opens in Downtown Boston’s Batterymarch Building
DiamondRock Hospitality | August 10, 2023
Boston, August 10, 2023 – At the corner of work and play, where Downtown Boston and the Financial District converge, The Dagny Boston Hotel officially opens its doors today, welcoming guests and locals alike to discover an exciting new chapter in the building’s storied history. Originally known as the Batterymarch Building, this Art Deco icon rose to prominence in 1928 as the city’s first skyscraper and was quickly hailed for ushering in a new century in the city’s pedigree. As the city’s latest independent hotel, fittingly named using Old Norse words for “new day,” The Dagny Boston marks the launch of a captivating new era ...
Bernardus Lodge & Spa Appoints Hartmut Ott as General Manager
Bernardus Lodge & Spa | August 29, 2023
Forbes 12-Star Property Raises the Bar on Hospitality CARMEL VALLEY, CALIF., 2023 – Bernardus Lodge & Spa announced the appointment of Hartmut Ott as General Manager. Ott will be responsible for all aspects of day-to-day management for the award-winning Forbes 12-Star property, consistently ranked top among the nation’s most coveted retreats. A seasoned hospitality leader, Ott will oversee the Forbes 4-star Lucia Restaurant & Bar under the helm of Chef Christian Ojeda as well as the award-winning 5,200 sq. ft., Spa at Bernardus and 73 guestroom property located in Carmel Valley. www.bernarduslodge.com. A veteran of the...
Montage Deer Valley Completes Extensive Renovation
Montage Deer Valley | August 23, 2023
Park City’s Elevated Alpine Escape Reimagines Guestrooms, Suites, Restaurants and Lounges Ahead of Winter Season PARK CITY, Utah (August 23, 2023) – Perched 8,300 ft. above sea level in the Wasatch Mountain region, Montage Deer Valley has completed an extensive renovation of all of guestrooms, suites, and dining outlets across the 16-acre resort. The much-anticipated project tapped the visions and creativity of two interior design firms: BraytonHughes Design Studios of San Francisco for resort accommodations, and Denton House Design Studio of Salt Lake City for restaurants and lounges. Both firms drew inspiration from the year-r...
Controlling Hotel Labor Costs With New Integrations to Business Intelligence Platforms
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | August 2, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky HITEC in June 2023 came and went with lots of incredible outings from vendors. While AI was perhaps foremost on the mind, what really stood out for us was the ability for integrated platforms to offer actionable insights to guide incremental profitability for hotels. Speaking from experience, the two of us have worked extensively on helping hotels increase their net operating incomes (NOI), which then has positive second-order effects elsewhere, including the flexibility to innovate in other areas or even to seek more favorable terms from the bank. Driving NOI as well as topline revenues is the name of the g...
Why Hospitality Is Important as a Skill and Not Only as an Industry
EHL Insights | August 31, 2023
Well on the way to recovery post-pandemic, the global hospitality industry continues to grow, change, and diversify every year. In fact, hospitality remains one of the world's fastest-growing employment sectors, and factors such as increasing disposable income, rising demand for more diverse travel and tourism activities, and the affordability of air travel contribute to this ongoing growth. According to the Hospitality Global Market Report, the travel and tourism industry saw a growth of 15.1% in 2022. One of the sectors with the best economic performance was the hotels. In 2022, hotels generated 595,500 million more in profits than in 2...
Hawks Cay Resort Appoints New General Manager, Robert Moore
Hawks Cay Resort | August 15, 2023
DUCK KEY, Fla. – August 15, 2023 – Hawks Cay Resort, the largest destination resort in the Florida Keys, is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert (Bob) Moore as its new general manager. Moore, who joined the Hawks Cay team in early 2021 as resort director, brings a wealth of industry experience, leveraging it to drive the property’s growth and success. With nearly 25 years of hospitality expertise, Moore will oversee all operations of the resort and engage with clients, community members, and industry professionals, delivering extraordinary experiences for discerning guests. “We’re thrilled that Bob accepted the position ...
Atlanta and Dallas Among Top Markets for New Hotel Openings Through 2025
Lodging Econometrics (LE) | August 2, 2023
August 2, 2023 – PORTSMOUTH, NH – According to the United States Construction Pipeline Trend Report by Lodging Econometrics (LE) for Q2 2023, the five markets with the largest hotel construction pipelines are Dallas with a record-high 184 projects/21,501 rooms, Atlanta with 141 projects/17,993 rooms, Phoenix with 119 projects/16,107 rooms, Nashville with 116 projects/15,346 rooms, and Los Angeles with 112 projects/17,797 rooms. The markets with the most projects currently under construction at the Q2 close are New York with 47 projects/8,201 rooms, and Phoenix with 29 projects/6,064 rooms. Dallas has the most projects scheduled to st...
STR, TE Lower Growth Forecast for U.S. Hotels
STR | August 10, 2023
NASHVILLE—STR and Tourism Economics lowered their year-over-year growth projections in the revised 2023-24 U.S. hotel forecast just presented at the 15th Annual Hotel Data Conference. For 2023, growth in revenue per available room (RevPAR) was lowered by 0.5 percentage points, due to a 0.6ppt downgrade in occupancy growth. While that RevPAR growth remains above the long-term historical average, most of the increase was frontloaded to the early portion of the year. For 2024, the RevPAR growth projection was also lowered 0.5ppts on a 0.5ppt downgrade in occupancy. Average daily rate (ADR) was upgraded 0.1ppts for 2023 but kept flat for ...
San Antonio’s Tourism and Hospitality Generates Highest-Ever Economic Impact of $19 Billion in 2022
Visit San Antonio | August 9, 2023
New study reveals the industry impacted the local economy approximately 10% above the pre-pandemic peak in 2019 SAN ANTONIO, TX (August 9, 2023) — In a remarkable rebound, the San Antonio tourism and hospitality industry shattered key performance metrics, surpassing pre-pandemic levels with an unprecedented economic impact of $19 billion – a 10% year-over-year increase. The findings, identified by Trinity University professors Richard V. Butler, Ph.D., and Mary E. Stefl, Ph.D., in a study commissioned by Visit San Antonio, the San Antonio Hotel & Lodging Association, the Texas Restaurant Association—San Antonio Chapter and th...
Hotel Equities Celebrates Opening of SpringHill Suites by Marriott Kalamazoo Portage
Hotel Equities | August 3, 2023
ATLANTA – August 3, 2023 – Today, leading hotel development, owner and management firm Hotel Equities (“HE”) announced the grand opening of the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Kalamazoo Portage located between the vibrant cities of Portage and Kalamazoo, MI. The newly constructed hotel is owned by 850 TRADE CENTRE, LLC, and managed by Hotel Equities. The SpringHill Suites by Marriott Kalamazoo Portage offers guests modern and stylish accommodations and features spacious suites equipped with all the amenities today's travelers seek, blending comfort and convenience to ensure a truly memorable stay. Jeff Shockley, Senior Vice Preside...
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Appoints Jeff Thompson as New General Manager
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront | August 4, 2023
Jacksonville, Fla. (August 4, 2023) – Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, an upscale downtown hotel located on the St. Johns River next to the scenic Main Street Bridge, announces the appointment of Jeff Thompson as general manager. In his role, he will oversee the 951-room hotel, with 116,000 square feet of versatile function space, three on-site restaurants, a to-go market, and pool bar. Thompson joins the property from Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach. “I’m thrilled to join the team at Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront and become involved in the city’s vibrant community,” said Thompson. “The team at the hotel is secon...
VAI Resort Taps Hapi and Salesforce to Deliver Hyper-Personalized Guest Experiences
HAPI | August 31, 2023
One-of-a-kind desert oasis in Glendale, Arizona, featuring an 1,100-room luxury hotel, will deploy Hapi Guest to personalize the guest experience across all areas of the resort. MIAMI and GLENDALE, Ariz., August 31, 2023 – VAI Resort, a $1 billion, 60-acre oasis featuring a 1,100-room luxury hotel scheduled to open in 2024 in Glendale, Arizona, has partnered with Hapi and Salesforce to personalize and differentiate guest service across the entire resort. The VAI operating team has selected Hapi Guest, a suite of hospitality-ready tools and configurations built for Salesforce CRM, to power a groundbreaking 360-degree personalized guest...
New $150M Hannah St. Hotel Coming to Melbourne’s Southbank Under Collection by TFE Hotels Brand
TFE Hotels | August 10, 2023
SOUTHBANK: Melbourne’s inner city, already set to benefit from the $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation Project in 2028, will receive another boost to tourism with the announcement that diversified property developer Time & Place, along with joint venture partners MaxCap Group, and Australia's TFE Hotels, will open a $150m boutique hotel in Southbank in September 2025. The deal has seen the joint venture partnership, alongside construction and property specialist Hickory, create a unique hotel brand - the Hannah St. Hotel. This new hotel not only aligns with its neighbourhood concept for The Queensbridge Building pre...
Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa Welcomes Ryan Bunker as General Manager
The Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa | August 21, 2023
FRISCO, Texas [Aug. 21, 2023] - The Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa proudly introduces Ryan Bunker as its new General Manager. In this role, Bunker will oversee and manage the daily operations of the North Texas resort, steering it toward peak performance and continuous progress. Expressing his enthusiasm, Bunker remarked, "Assuming the role of General Manager at Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa is a privilege I hold dear. This haven of relaxation in Frisco embodies an essence of sophisticated comfort, and I am eager to contribute by perpetuating an even more elevated guest experience through my leadership and e...
Augment Luxury Stays Via a Sense of Departure
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | August 16, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky Hotels excel at creating a strong ‘sense of place’ (sensorial brand identity) and ‘sense of arrival’ (first onsite impression), but we often neglect the ‘sense of departure’ (last onsite impression). According to the peak-end rule, this is perhaps the one area where hotels should refocus their efforts to get the most ROI. This is particularly important for luxury stays where travelers have a whole world of accommodation options. Luckily for the rest of us, many luxury hotels already have great departure SOPs that we can learn from to value-engineer a fantastic last impression in order to leave gu...
The Difference Between What Customers Want and What They Need
Shep Hyken | August 31, 2023
By Shep Hyken Many years ago, I walked into an Ace Hardware store to find a new hinge for a swinging door. When I showed the salesperson my broken hinge, he asked if I was open to a suggestion. He sold me a better hinge that was less expensive. Who could argue with that? I had no idea that years later, I would write about this example in one of my books, Amaze Every Customer Every Time. After that, I noticed that salespeople were more helpful than “salesy.” And guess what happens when they practice helpful behavior versus typical sales behavior? They make the sale. Another example of this “helpful” level of service happe...
Are Group Sales at Your Hotel Slipping Through the Cracks? Here’s Why.
Shift Digital | August 9, 2023
The right information and extra support can help your hotel avoid missing out on group sales revenue. There’s no question—when it comes to returning to “normal,” group business and sales have been the most challenging for many hotels. Continued skepticism around when conferences and events will return to pre-pandemic levels, coupled with an influx of unqualified leads and skeletal sales teams, have resulted in hotels missing out on lucrative group business—simply because they couldn’t manage the incoming inquiries. So, as in-person conferences and events (and their revenue) finally resurface, what can hotels hamstrung by li...
Hilton Anaheim Appoints Sergio Bocci as New General Manager
Hilton Anaheim | August 10, 2023
ANAHEIM, California (August 10, 2023) – Hilton Anaheim, a full-service contemporary hotel adjacent to the Anaheim Convention Center and located steps away from Disneyland® Resort, has just appointed industry veteran Sergio Bocci as the new general manager of Orange County’s largest hotel property. Bocci previously worked for the Hilton Anaheim from 2012-2015 as Hotel Manager and boasts 38 years of experience working for Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Since June 2020, Sergio has served as the general manager of the acclaimed Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort. During his tenure, he achieved record-breaking revenue in 2022 and succe...
