Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
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Operations
RLJ Lodging Trust Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Results; Q4 RevPAR up 2.5% with Net Income of $73.8 million Compared to $33.8 million in Q
RLJ Lodging Trust | February 25, 2016
- Full year Pro forma RevPAR increased 3.9% - Acquired three hotels in key high-growth markets for $175.9 million - Sold 23 non-core hotels for $252.5 million - Repurchased 8.0 million shares for $225.2 million BETHESDA, Md.--RLJ Lodging Trust (the "Company") (NYSE: RLJ) today reported results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015. Full Year Highlights Pro forma RevPAR increased 3.9%, Pro forma ADR increased 5.3%, and Pro forma Occupancy decreased 1.4% Achieved Pro forma Hotel EBITDA Margin of 36.4% Pro forma Consolidated Hotel EBITDA increased 6.1% to $405.1 million Adjusted FFO increased 4.5% to $324.7 million Acquire...
Ian McClendon Appointed General Manager of sbe’s The Redbury Hollywood
sbe | February 24, 2016
Los Angeles, CA – February 24, 2016 – sbe's boutique luxury hotel, The Redbury Hollywood announces the appointment of Ian Robert McClendon as General Manager. McClendon joins The Redbury team following the fifth year of the property's debut and will oversee all operations and continue the acclaimed industry standard of excellence, creativity and exceptional service that has become synonymous with The Redbury experience. With over thirteen years of hospitality expertise, McClendon brings a forward-thinking approach to an elevated guest experience and service. Prior to The Redbury, McClendon held the position of General Manage...
Enhancing Your Voice Channel Sales with ‘Moments in Time’
Larry Mogelonsky | February 24, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) In this era of electronic communication, where faceless automated RFPs prevail, the challenge of booking corporate groups has exploded. With the advent of the electronic RFP, the number of actual submissions has increased exponentially, making it incredibly difficult for a single property to standout. This article is specifically addressed to your sales team members. In particular, those individuals who are charged with the daunting task of continually filling in your meetings space for group events. How do sales team members differentiate your property from competitors? How do they express...
Development is Underway for 220-key Westin Milwaukee Slated to Open in 2017
Westin Hotels & Resorts | February 23, 2016
February 23, 2016 - STAMFORD, Conn. - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced that industry-innovator Westin Hotels & Resorts is set to debut in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in Summer 2017. Owned by Jackson Street Holdings and managed by White Lodging, The Westin Milwaukee will open on the US Bank campus at the heart of downtown with financing from BMO Harris and Anchor Bank. "The Westin Milwaukee is a highly anticipated addition to our growing portfolio and is poised to energize the lodging market at the heart of this city's vibrant downtown," said Bob Jacobs, Vice President of Brand Management, North Amer...
Hospitality Management Corporation Promotes Sandi Byars to Corporate Director of Communications and Marketing
Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) | February 23, 2016
February 23, 2016 - Dallas, TX - Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), announces the promotion of Sandi Byars to Corporate Director of Communications and Marketing. This newly developed position will support HMC's continued business expansion and assist in building more value to not only HMC, but current and future hotel owners, clients and guests. She will manage aspects of all outbound information for HMC including press, social media, website, collateral and in-house creative. Byars will also assist in building streamlined internal/external communications and training tools, as well as multi-...
RoamingAround Partaking in HTNG 2016 TechOvation Award Program with Location Based Marketing Platform
RoamingAround | February 23, 2016
RoamingAround CTO Michael Arner to kick off the TechOvation Award competition on Tuesday March 1 during the HTNG 2016 North American Conference at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort Boston, Mass. — February 23, 2016 — Next month at the HTNG 2016 North America Conference, Chief Technology Officer Dr. Michael Arner will present RoamingAround's Location Based Marketing solution to a judging panelist of hotel IT executives and experts. Dr. Arner will showcase a patent-pending technology and demonstrate how it will enable hotels to be more aware of guests' physical locations to drive content, offers and incentives and give ...
McGough Development Opens Hyatt Regency Bloomington-Minneapolis Near Mall of America in Minnesota
McGough | February 22, 2016
CHICAGO--(February 22, 2016)--Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) and McGough Development announced today the opening of Hyatt Regency Bloomington-Minneapolis in McGough's Bloomington Central Station mixed-use development site near the Mall of America. As part of the Hyatt Regency brand family, the contemporary hotel offers 303 guestrooms, including 14 suites, and is designed to foster connections and serve as a dynamic, energizing space where guests can collaborate, share and find inspiration. "Located at the center of the Bloomington Central Station District, Hyatt Regency Bloomington-Minneapolis is thoughtfully designed to create effo...
Investigating Duplicate Content: Hotel Marketing Strategies for Success
the Author and HeBS Digital | February 19, 2016
By Megan Harr Defining Duplicate Web Content Even the most discerning digital marketing professionals and hoteliers need to be cognizant of the dangers of duplicate content. Content that appears on the Internet in more than one place (i.e. on more than one URL) and is identical or very similar in nature is regarded as duplicate content. Google defines duplicate content as "substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar." Whether these two pages exist on the same website or on two different websites, duplicate content makes it difficult for search engines to d...
Accor Acquires Stake in Two Online Rental Companies, 49% in Squarebreak & 30% in Oasis Collections
AccorHotels | February 18, 2016
Acquisitions confirm AccorHotels growing interest in new commercial accommodations services. AccorHotels announces today the strategic investment in Squarebreak, offering to guests through a digital platform private upscale properties in resort locations, primarily in France, Spain and Morocco, and leveraging local property managers on behalf of homeowners by using hotel management techniques and services. Squarebreak is a French start-up created in 2013 by Hugues van Heesewijk and Maxime Lesaulnier, both with a combined professional background in the hospitality, e-tourism and real estate business. Their area of expertise is worry-free...
NewcrestImage Set for March Opening of New 132-Room Hyatt House Dallas/Frisco
Hyatt House | February 18, 2016
DALLAS (February 18, 2016) – Hyatt House Dallas/Frisco is set to open in March 2016. Owned by NewcrestImage, a Lewisville, Texas-based hotel development, construction and management firm, Hyatt House Dallas/Frisco will be conveniently located at the intersection of Parkwood Boulevard and Gaylord Parkway, and will provide guests the service and convenience of hotel living with the casual comforts of home. "Located just north of Dallas and surrounded by corporations of all industries, Frisco is one of the nation's fastest growing cities, making it a key business destination," said General Manager Michael Donohue. "Hyatt House Dallas...
Choice Hotels International Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Results; Domestic RevPAR up 4.3%
Choice Hotels | February 18, 2016
Domestic Pipeline of Hotels Awaiting Conversion or Approved for Development Increased 19% ROCKVILLE, Md. , Feb. 18, 2016 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) today reported the following highlights for the fourth quarter and full-year 2015: Fourth Quarter Highlights Diluted earnings per share ("EPS") from continuing operations for the three months ended December 31, 2015 totaled $0.51, an increase of 19 percent from the same period of 2014. Revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2015 totaled $211.0 million, an increase of 14 percent from the same period of 2014. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreci...
Marriott International Reports Fourth Quarter 2015 Results: Worldwide RevPAR up 3.8% with Net Income of $202 million
Marriott International, Inc. | February 18, 2016
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) today reported fourth quarter 2015 results. HIGHLIGHTS Fourth quarter diluted EPS totaled $0.77, a 13 percent increase over prior year results; On a constant dollar basis, worldwide comparable systemwide RevPAR rose 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter; North American comparable systemwide constant dollar RevPAR rose 4.0 percent in the fourth quarter; For full year 2015, Marriott repurchased 25.7 million shares of the company's common stock for $1.94 billion, including 1.3 million shares for $93 million in the fourth quarter; The company added nearly 52,000 rooms during 2015, including 7...
NewcrestImage Appoints Rick Crain General Manager and Brooke Danielsen Director of Sales for Hampton Inn & Suites Dallas Downtown
Hampton by Hilton | February 17, 2016
Dallas, Texas, February 17, 2016 – Hampton Inn & Suites Dallas Downtown, which is slated to open in mid-March, announces the appointment of Rick Crain as General Manager and Brooke Danielsen as Director of Sales of the 176-room hotel property in downtown Dallas. NewcrestImage, a hotel development, construction and management firm based in Lewisville, Texas, owns the hotel. Crain, who has an 11-year career with Hilton Hotels, has worked in virtually every facet of the hospitality business since he was 17 years old. Throughout his career, Crain has gone from working as a bellman, valet and front desk clerk, to opening a number o...
Hard Rock International’s Hotel & Casino Brand to Debut in South America with Three New Properties in Brazil
Hard Rock International | February 17, 2016
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 17, 2016 -- Hard Rock International – with 23 Hotels & 11 Casinos from Bali to Ibiza and San Diego to Singapore – expands its portfolio with the announcement of three new projects in key markets throughout Brazil, representing a milestone for the Hotel & Casino brand as the first projects in both the country and South America. The upcoming Hard Rock Hotels include: Hard Rock Hotel Brasilia, Brazil Hard Rock Hotel Caldas Novas, Brazil Hard Rock Hotel Itapema, Brazil "As the host of the 2014 World Cup and the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has officially entered the world...
HeBS Digital Takes the Adrian Awards by Storm with 17 Awards Including 2 Platinum for Multichannel Campaigns
HeBS Digital | February 17, 2016
NEW YORK, NY February 17, 2016 – HeBS Digital, the leading hotel digital technology, full-service digital marketing and website revenue optimization consulting firm, is proud to announce it has earned two Platinum Adrian Awards in addition to its 15 other Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards. The two awards, presented to the firm at the Adrian Awards Gala on February 16, 2016, are amongst the hospitality world's most prestigious honors. HeBS Digital earned the two Platinum Adrian Awards in collaboration with two valued clients: Triumph Hotels and Hotel Pennsylvania. The firm worked hand-in-hand with each of these partners to create a pa...
Maestro PMS Goes Tropical at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in the US Virgin Islands
Maestro PMS | February 17, 2016
Software Manages Guest Services at 'One of The World's 10 Best Beachfront Hotels' February 17, 2016 – Markham, ON – Bolongo Bay Beach Resort on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is where A-listers flee February's final weeks of winter. Frommer's voted The Resort 'One of The World's 10 Best Beachfront Hotels.' For couples who dream of a destination wedding, Bolongo Bay is the most prized venue on St. Thomas. Sixty-four of The Resort's unique rooms are on the crystal Caribbean. Besides Mother Nature's amenities--warm sunshine and a perfect tropical ocean--The Resort pampers guests with its specialty high-...
Get Your Logo In The Background
Larry Mogelonsky | February 17, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Firstly, a definition is in order. A photobomb is when photograph is ruined by someone unexpectedly appearing in the background, distracting from what was originally intended for the image's framing. Typically, photobombs occur in crowded areas frequented by oblivious or harried passersby, or interlopers commonly spoil pictures as a practical joke. Definitions aside, photobombs seem like something for drunken college students. What do they have to do with hotels? Photobomb marketing is a very niche tactic housed under the greater banner of experiential marketing, and it harks back to the re...
Marriott International and Eastern Crown Partner to Launch “Fairfield by Marriott” Across China
Fairfield | February 17, 2016
HONG KONG, Feb. 17, 2016 -- Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) and Eastern Crown Hotels Group, one of China's fastest growing lodging groups, today, signed an exclusive development agreement to bring the "FairfieldSM by Marriott®" brand to mainland China. The agreement targets having 140 hotels signed in five years, of which 100 are expected to be opened by 2021. The introduction of the Fairfield brand is a significant milestone in Marriott International's expansion into the midscale hotel segment in China, and is part of the company's strategic plan to expand rapidly across a broad spectrum of price ti...
Virginia’s Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Joins Benchmark Resorts & Hotels Portfolio
February 16, 2016
Property Remains Part of Hilton Worldwide and will Join Curio – A Collection by Hilton The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, February 16, 2016 … Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has been selected to operate the historic and iconic Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, located in Roanoke, Virginia. The hotel's long-time general manager, Gary Walton, will continue to lead the property's team of hospitality professionals. Additionally, the property will join Curio – A Collection by Hilton by month-end, a global set of remarkable upscale and luxury hotels handpicked for...
Hotel Equities Selected to Manage Atlanta/Airport Full Service Hotel and its Conversion to a Four Points by Sheraton
Hotel Equities | February 16, 2016
Atlanta, GA–February 16, 2016– Atlanta-based Hotel Equities recently announced its selection as the management firm that will also assist in the design and processing of the renovation of the 190-key full service hotel off Camp Creek Parkway to a Four Points by Sheraton, a Starwood brand. Located at 3520 North Desert Drive, at Camp Creek Parkway and I-285, the hotel will undergo a multi-million-dollar renovation during the next six months for a mid-summer opening. The hotel will feature over 5,000 square feet of meeting space, a new restaurant concept and well-appointed rooms and suites making it an ideal spot for both busin...
Seven Steps to Food Cost Control
Kirby D. Payne | February 16, 2016
By Kirby D. Payne, Feb 16, 2016 Former FSU hotel school Professor Dukas' Seven Steps to Food Cost Control from his book, "How to Operate a Restaurant" provides a concise list of things to think about to effectively manage food cost. After I returned from Viet Nam in 1971 I completed my senior year of college at the hotel school of Florida State University. The Chair of the department was Peter Dukas who taught a class on food & beverage management which used a text book he had authored called, "How To Operate A Restaurant". Long ago, I loaned the book out and never got it back so I can't quote him exactly. Pr...
NewcrestImage Opens Newly-Built Hyatt Place in Downtown Lubbock, Texas
NewcrestImage | February 11, 2016
NewcrestImage has added another innovative project to its portfolio with the opening yesterday of a five-story, 125-room Hyatt Place in the heart of downtown Lubbock, Texas. It is the company's first new construction of the Hyatt Place brand. NewcrestImage has operated two Hyatt Place properties since acquiring them in 2014 -- a 126-room hotel in San Antonio and a 127-room hotel in Plano, a suburb of Dallas. The new Hyatt Plact Lubbock hotel features amenities such as a 1,000 sq. ft. flexible space meeting room; a 24-hour fitness center; an indoor swimming pool; and an outdoor patio with fire pit. It is located two blocks from Texas Tec...
Hyatt Hotels Corporation Appoints Patrick J. Grismer as New Chief Financial Officer
Hyatt Hotels Corporation | February 11, 2016
CHICAGO (February 11, 2016) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the selection of Patrick J. Grismer as chief financial officer, reporting to Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer, effective March 14, 2016. In this role, Grismer will be responsible for all aspects of the finance function, while serving as a key business partner in achieving the company's strategic growth initiatives. "Pat is a highly respected leader with strong financial acumen. His considerable experience building global brands will serve us well at Hyatt," said Hoplamazian. "His focus on driving superior business perf...
Alyssa Sanders Joins RoamBOOST as West Coast Regional VP of Sales
RoamBOOST | February 11, 2016
With a background in DAS and wireless environments, Sanders will educate hoteliers on the differences between Wi-Fi and Cellular and the impact an inadequate Cellular Network has on guest satisfaction Boston, Mass. — February 11, 2016 — Growing at a blistering speed, RoamBOOST continues to expand its sales team. Today, Alyssa Sanders joins hospitality's leading provider of scalable Distributed Antenna Systems as West Coast Regional VP of Sales. In her new role, Sanders will introduce the RoamBOOST DAS to hotels plagued with poor or non-existent cellular phone service. The company assembles and installs cellular boosters indo...
