Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | October 2, 2024
Debunking Common Myths About AI: Why Human Hotel Staff Are Still Irreplaceable
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Operations
Citing REIT’s are Most Affected by Airbnb, Merrill Lynch Analysts Downgrade Many Large Hotel Groups
August 17, 2015
MarketWatch reports that by the end of 2016, Merrill Lynch analysts say listings on home-renting platform Airbnb Inc. could make up as much as 1.2% of hotel offerings. But as a fast-growing startup, with an estimated 40% to 50% growth in listings per year, Airbnb listings could make up 3.6% to 4.3% of inventory by 2020, the analysts say. "Our preliminary work suggests Airbnb is a force to be reckoned with that is likely to have an increasing impact on the travel landscape," the analysts wrote. In increasing its market share, Airbnb is expected to help the overall room supply finally meet consumer demand. That should force hotels to lowe...
A Hotelier’s Perspective on the Sharing Economy: Welcome, Airbnb. Seriously.
Bashar Wali | August 17, 2015
by Bashar Wali I am a hotelier. Let's get that bias right out there. Everything I know and everything I do is focused on creating transcendent experiences for the guests who stay at my hotels. But unlike some of my colleagues in the hospitality industry, I am also a strong believer in the sharing economy. And I believe that rooms and cars are only the beginning. Let's talk about rooms for a moment. More specifically, let's talk about Airbnb. It's important to understand, in my opinion, that there are two very different and distinct Airbnb customers: The couch surfers, who are looking for the most affordable room they can possibly find. ...
Benchmark Hospitality International Names Jacqueline Humes Regional Director of Finance
Benchmark Hospitality International | August 13, 2015
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 2015... Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Jacqueline Humes regional director of finance. Kirk Jones, Benchmark's senior vice president of finance, made the announcement. "I am very pleased to announce Jackie's promotion at Benchmark," said Mr. Jones. "She has served with distinction at the property level, and this is a well-deserved corporate position for her. Jackie is a great example of how Benchmark helps executives grow their careers at our company." Jackie Humes previously served as area director of finance for Marenas Resort of...
Successful Meetings Magazine Honors Two Benchmark Intl. Properties with the 2015 Pinnacle Award
Eaglewood Resort & Spa | August 12, 2015
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 2015... Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has announced that two of its properties have received the prestigious Pinnacle Award from readers of Successful Meetings, a leading national trade magazine based in New York City. The two properties include Eaglewood Resort & Spa, a Benchmark Resort located in Chicago, and the Villas of Grand Cypress, a Personal Luxury Resort in Orlando. This is the seventh win for Eaglewood Resort & Spa and the 10th win for the Villas of Grand Cypress. Ted Davis, chief sales & marketing officer, made the ...
Hone Your Brand By Purging Its Following
Larry Mogelonsky | August 12, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) As a hotelier, you would have to be a Neanderthal to be unaware of the impact of social media on your business. Well into the throes of its growing pains, one concept that most knowledgeable marketers are now aware of is that the most primitive social statistic – likes, followers, etc. – is not the supreme measurement of influence. Instead, we look for more complex metrics like levels of interaction, website click-throughs and rates of sharing. Moreover, we look to the content marketing side of things, analyzing what generates activity and what contributes to the white noise of cyberspa...
Benchmark Hospitality Names Heather Mitchell Sales Manager at the Gilchrist Club near Gainsville, FL
August 12, 2015
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 2015 ... Benchmark Hospitality International®, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Heather Mitchell sales manager for the Gilchrist Club, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® property located in Trenton, Florida, near Gainsville. Bob Edwards, general manager, made the announcement. "It is with pleasure that I welcome Heather to the Gilchrist Club," said Mr. Edwards. "She brings significant knowledge of our market to her new position, and important experience within sales and customer service." An award-winning sales professional, Heather Mitchell was previously corporate w...
Hotel Equities Names Humberto ‘Bert’ Allegue Director of Sales at Residence Inn Miami Beach/Surfside
Hotel Equities | August 11, 2015
ATLANTA, GA (August 11, 2015) - Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) www.hotelequities.com named Humberto "Bert" Allegue the Director of Sales for the Residence Inn by Marriott Miami Beach/Surfside, Florida. The unique, resort-style hotel with 175 suites is scheduled to open in late fall 2015. Mr. Allegue has responsibility for initiating sales and implementing the marketing strategy for both corporate and leisure market sales for this one-of-a-kind Residence Inn. He generates new business and builds relationships with clients by capitalizing on the hotel's unique amenities and services. Mr. Allegue works closely with Sean McKeen, the hote...
Benchmark Hospitality International Appoints Danielle Dunfee Director of US Sales
Benchmark Hospitality International | August 11, 2015
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 2015... Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Danielle Dunfee director of US sales. Ted Davis, chief sales & marketing officer, made the announcement. "It is with pleasure that I welcome Danielle to Benchmark Hospitality," said Mr. Davis. "She brings broad experience in hotel and catering sales to our company and to our national sales team." Danielle Dunfee was previously regional wedding sales manager for Half Moon, a Rock Resort located in Montego Bay, Jamaica. She served in the same role for the company's Coastal Collection of res...
Tavistock Development Partners with Concord Hospitality to Open Dual-Branded Marriott, Lake Nona, FL
Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company | August 11, 2015
Orlando, F.L. (August 11, 2015) – With shared lobby space and recreational facilities, the Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott will offer visitors to Lake Nona the best of both worlds when they open in late fall 2015, bringing the first onsite hotels to the region's fastest-growing master-planned community and Medical City. Tavistock Development, owner and developer of the dual branded hotel in Lake Nona, is pleased to announce its partnership with Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company to manage daily operations for the 204-room property, which will be divided equally with 102 rooms in each hotel. Widely recognized as a top mana...
Xenia Hotels & Resorts to Acquire the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston, Massachusetts for $136 Million
Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. | August 11, 2015
ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 11, 2015 -- Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: XHR) ("Xenia" or the "Company") today announced that it has agreed to acquire the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston, Massachusetts for a purchase price of $136 million. The luxury independent, boutique lifestyle hotel is located in the Kenmore Square neighborhood of Boston in close proximity to Fenway Park and Boston University and, upon completion of its current expansion project, will boast 245 of the largest and most appealing rooms in the city of Boston. The hotel is currently undergoing a significant expansion including the construction of a new six-story wing featu...
Hotel Development Partners & Ares Management Acquire Three Hotels in Charleston, S.C.
Hotel Development Partners | August 11, 2015
Transaction Brings Total Hotels Jointly Owned by HDP & Ares to 10 August 11, 2015 - ATLANTA & LOS ANGELES - Hotel Development Partners (HDP) and funds managed by the real estate group of Ares Management, L.P. (NYSE:ARES) recently announced the purchase of three select service hotels with a total of 248 rooms in North Charleston, South Carolina. The well-positioned hotels include two carrying the Marriott brand—the Residence Inn by Marriott Charleston North/Ashley Phosphate and the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Charleston North/Ashley Phosphate—as well as a third that is part of the Choice Hotels portfolio of brands...
Hampshire Hotels Management Opens 336-room TRYP by Wyndham New York Times Square
TRYP by Wyndham | August 10, 2015
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (August 10, 2015) – Wyndham Hotel Group today announced the addition of the 336-room TRYP by Wyndham New York Times Square, the second TRYP by Wyndham® hotel in New York City, to its lifestyle brand's growing global portfolio. Located on West 48th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue in Times Square, TRYP by Wyndham New York Times Square, which recently completed a major multi-million dollar renovation, puts guests just steps from world-famous attractions, shopping and dining, major corporations and public transportation. The new hotel joins New York City's first TRYP by Wyndham location on West 35th Street bet...
Jeff Axline Named Food & Beverage Director and Executive Chef for Hotel Contessa, A Benchmark Resort
Hotel Contessa | August 7, 2015
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 2015 ... Benchmark Hospitality International®, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Jeff Axline food & beverage director and executive chef for Hotel Contessa. Troy Mathews, general manager, made the announcement. Hotel Contessa is a Benchmark Resort located alongside the storied Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas. "It is with pleasure that I welcome Jeff to his new positions with Hotel Contessa and Benchmark Hospitality," said Mr. Mathews. "He brings tremendous culinary skills to his new role, as well as an entrepreneurial eye for spotting and maximizing dining trends."...
AccorHotels Shares Two Studies on CSR and its Effect on Guest Satisfaction and Business Performance
AccorHotels | August 7, 2015
Under the group's sustainable development program, PLANET 21, AccorHotels studies confirm positive impact of sustainability commitment AccorHotels reveals the positive impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) under its PLANET 21 Research Program, the group's internal sustainability management system. In celebration of its 10 year commitment to the ISO 14001 certification, the internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems, AccorHotels has led two innovative studies that assess the benefits of CSR on guest satisfaction and hotel performance. The surveys were conducted by Accenture and Ernst & Young (E...
Fitch Ratings: Airbnb Not a Competitive Threat to US Hotels—Yet
| August 6, 2015
What U.S. Lodging Companies Are Saying Most Companies Unfazed: Most lodging companies do not view rapidly growing Airbnb, Inc. as a competitive threat to their businesses. During the second-quarter earnings call season, several companies repeated a plausible, optimistic view that Airbnb is largely creating new travel demand, primarily from millennials — a long-term positive for the travel industry. Fitch Ratings is somewhat less sanguine and notes that during this earnings season an influential hotel owner cited Airbnb directly for negatively affecting pricing power around select large, leisure-oriented group events due to some lost d...
Escaping Obsolescence: The Fall of Flash in Hotel Digital Marketing
the Authors and HeBS Digital | August 6, 2015
By Asher Fusco & Alison Hayes The days of utilizing Flash as a desktop advertising tool are soon coming to an end. One underlying reason may be that Adobe Flash has a history of security issues and has become a favorite avenue for hackers who utilize its security vulnerability to dump malicious code to millions of users, as illustrated by the most recent attack on Yahoo Ad Network. And according to Ad Age, all of the major browsers will begin phasing out Flash banner ads within the next six months, starting with Google Chrome's landscape-shifting decision to begin forcing users to opt in to view individual Flash-generated ad animati...
Hotel Development Partners & Ares Management Acquire Three Hotels in Charleston, S.C.
Hotel Development Partners | August 6, 2015
ATLANTA, GA & LOS ANGELES, CA (August 6, 2015) – Hotel Development Partners (HDP) and funds managed by Ares Management, L.P. (NYSE: ARES) recently announced the purchase of three select service hotels with a total of 248 rooms in North Charleston, South Carolina. The well-positioned hotels include two carrying the Marriott brand—the Residence Inn by Marriott Charleston North/Ashley Phosphate and the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Charleston North/Ashley Phosphate—as well as a third that is part of the Choice Hotels portfolio of brands. Clustered together in an area just 15 minutes from Historic Downtown Cha...
Hotel Equities to Manage SpringHill Suites by Marriott Navarre Beach on the Florida Panhandle
Hotel Equities | August 5, 2015
Atlanta, GA–August 5 2015 – Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (www.hotelequities.com) recently announced its selection as the management company for a $30 million, 161-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Navarre Beach on the Florida panhandle. Located at 8375 Gulf Boulevard, the six-story hotel will provide a one-of-a-kind experience for leisure and business travelers alike. American Fidelity Life Insurance Company (AFLI) serves as the hotel's development company and is known for its community vision and for developing impressive custom-built hotels with a strong focus on beachfront properties. This unique, resort-style SpringHill Suit...
Who Are Your Guests? Maestro Analytics Knows
Maestro Property Management Solution | August 5, 2015
What do they eat; why do they stay; how can you serve them better? Ask Maestro Analytics. August 5, 2015 – Toronto – The hotel business changed last year. 66% of hotel guests are between the ages of 18 and 48. Half of these are mobile Millennials who operate from the palm of their hand. How well do you know them? What do they eat, when do they stay, what do they like to do? How do they communicate? Maestro Analytics understands this....and knows how to reach them. E-Blast marketing doesn't work anymore "We know who our guests are because Maestro Analytics business intelligence knows. All our guests' stay information and preference d...
Be A Community Leader By Supporting Local Artists
Larry Mogelonsky | August 5, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) It goes without saying that a big marketing topic these days is search engine optimization, or SEO. We're all looking for ways to increase website visibility and countless articles have pointed steadfastly to heightened exposure amongst neighborhood businesses or community organizations as a highly workable strategy. Indeed, the Google algorithms are set up to look for these local connections and give priority to businesses with the most local activity. But if everyone is going after the same thing, how do you differentiate yourself? My solution: specific and dedicated strategy. And the app...
Wyndham Hotel Group Advances Growth in South Korea with 12 Hotel Signings
Wyndham Hotel Group | August 4, 2015
The new properties, consisting of 17 Ramadas, six Days Inns and three Howard Johnsons, are expected to open by 2018 SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (August 4, 2015) – Wyndham Hotel Group is set to expand its presence in South Korea by more than 200 percent over the next three years thanks to the signings of 12 new property franchise agreements so far in 2015, including agreements for three Howard Johnson® hotels, marking the brand's entry into South Korea. Wyndham Hotel Group Advances Growth in South Korea with 12 Hotel SigningsThis year's signings build upon another 14 franchise agreements in South Korea executed by Wyndham Hotel Group in 2014, ...
Wyndham Hotel Group to Add Eight New Ramada Hotels in China by Q4 2017
Wyndham Hotel Group | August 4, 2015
SHANGHAI, China (August 4, 2015) – As part of the continued global expansion of its Ramada® brand in China, Wyndham Hotel Group today announced the opening of the 156-room Ramada Nanjing along with the signing of seven additional Ramada properties across the provinces of Jiangsu, Hubei, Shandong and Sichuan. Opening through the end of 2017, the combined eight properties—several of which fall under the brand's growing Ramada Encore tier—will increase the size of the Ramada portfolio in China by more than 10 percent. Currently the brand has over 60 hotels in China and more than 840 hotels across 50 countries worldwide, with a globa...
The Smart Hotelier’s Guide to 2016 Digital Marketing Budget Planning
the Authors and HeBS Digital | August 4, 2015
By Max Starkov and Sara O'Brien Executive Summary For the tenth year in a row, HeBS Digital announces the launch of "The Smart Hotelier's Guide to 2016 Digital Marketing Budget Planning," to help hoteliers as we begin the 2016 budget planning season. Click here to download the full article whitepaper. The article eases any concerns hoteliers may have about investing in digital and implores hoteliers to establish a strong digital presence as we enter a new era of online distribution and digital marketing. Yet, just being online isn't enough anymore; in 2016, you will need to take your digital presence to an entirely different level in or...
HMC Assumes Management of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Located in Round Rock, TX
Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) | August 3, 2015
The Hotel is Conveniently Located Just North of Austin on I-35 Dallas, TX – Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), proudly announces managerial responsibilities for this 91-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Round Rock, TX. The company continues its ongoing business expansion which is made up of full service, conference center, select service and limited service hotels. HMC is one of the country's largest third-party privately held hotel management companies, ranked in the top 40 of all third party and owner operated hotel management corporations. Conveniently located near Austin, Round...
