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Operations
Janko Hospitality Opens New Hyatt Place Hotel in Milwaukee’s Brewery District
Hyatt Place | June 27, 2018
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Jun. 27, 2018) – Janko Hospitality, a Chicago-based operator of Midwestern hotels, opened a new Hyatt Place hotel today at The Brewery in Milwaukee. Hyatt Place Milwaukee/Downtown, a 150-room, six-story hotel, is located in the heart of this rapidly redeveloping historical neighborhood as well as one block away from Milwaukee's much-anticipated entertainment district and new Milwaukee Bucks arena. "Located between a booming neighborhood full of history and exciting new sports and entertainment opportunities, Hyatt Place Milwaukee/Downtown offers a great new hotel option for out-of-towners, visiting sports fans and...
Ten Reasons to Love the Hospitality Industry
Larry Mogelonsky | June 27, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Have you ever sat back for a moment to reflect on the hotel business and what first drew you to it? With all its ups and downs, could you think of any other business you would rather be in? These are important questions to ask because nowadays it would seem as though our industry is collectively having a harder time engaging young students to pursue a career in hospitality. As someone who admittedly has never been at the helm of a property with the exception of short term MOD responsibilities, I feel as close as anyone can be to hotel management. Yet I recognize that it is not the s...
NewcrestImage Breaks Ground on Canopy by Hilton in North Dallas Slated to Open Late 2019
NewcrestImage | June 26, 2018
DALLAS, Texas – Canopy by Hilton, Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) lifestyle hotel brand, and hotel ownership group NewcrestImage have broken ground to start construction of the 150-room,7-floor Canopy by Hilton Dallas Frisco Station, scheduled to open in late 2019. The property is part of a four-brand, 600-room "hotel campus" in Frisco Station, a first-of-its-kind, 242-acre mixed-use development located about 25 minutes from DFW International Airport. "Canopy by Hilton Dallas Frisco Station is an ideal extension of this dynamic neighborhood," said Gary Steffen, global head, Canopy by Hilton. "Both the Canopy brand and the Frisco Station deve...
Mauro Barros Named General Manager of AC Hotel by Marriott Panama City
AC Hotels by Marriott | June 25, 2018
Panama City, (June, 2018): With a career spanning over 28 years in the hotel industry, Mauro Barros joined Marriott in 2000 as Sales and Events Manager of the Marriott & Renaissance Costa do Sauipe Resorts in North-Eastern Brazil. He held subsequent positions at the JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro as Director of Events. In 2006, Mauro was promoted to Director of Operations at the Santiago Marriott Hotel, Chile. He later transferred to Venezuela as Director of Food & Beverage and Director of Operations of the Marriott Playa Grande, Caracas. In 2013, Mauro returned to Brazil as Director of Operations of the Itaipava Arena Pernambuco, B...
Cambria Hotels Debuts in Philadelphia With Opening of 223-Room Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown – Center City
Cambria Hotels | June 21, 2018
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 21, 2018 -- Cambria Hotels made its official debut in Philadelphia with the grand opening of the Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown - Center City. The 223-room, 15-story property will soon include a rooftop bar and restaurant with 3,000-square-feet of indoor and outdoor space featuring one-of-a-kind city views. The Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown - Center City is located at 219 S. Broad St., on the Avenue of the Arts by the theater district and other cultural institutions. The hotel will house Del Frisco's Grille on the ground floor and is within walking distance to popular restaurants and retail shops as w...
Hyatt Signs With Rahat JSC for Development of 292-Room Hyatt Regency Almaty, Rahat Palace Slated to Open in 2019
Hyatt Regency | June 21, 2018
CHICAGO--Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today a management agreement between JSC Kazakh-Austrian Joint Venture ("Rahat JSC") and a Hyatt affiliate for the development of Hyatt Regency Almaty, Rahat Palace. Slated to open in 2019, the 292-room hotel will be managed as Hyatt Regency Almaty, Rahat Palace. The former Hyatt Regency Almaty operated in the same building between 1995 and 2011. "We are delighted to announce the return of the Hyatt Regency brand to Almaty and bring a globally recognized brand to the city that will resonate well with the growing base of business travelers," said Takuya Aoyama, vice president, develop...
Waterford Hotel Group Appoints Cory Amman as Director of Sales of Courtyard by Marriott Coatesville
Courtyard by Marriott Coatesville | June 21, 2018
WATERFORD, CT (June 21, 2018) – Cory Amman has been named Director of Sales for the Courtyard by Marriott in Coatesville, PA. The 125-room Courtyard Coatesville is managed by Waterford Hotel Group Inc., a national hotel and convention center management firm. In his new role as Director of Sales, Amman is responsible for the total sales efforts for the hotel, as well as supervising sales related personnel, and implementing sales and marketing strategies to maximize profits while also maintaining guest satisfaction. Amman joins the Courtyard Coatesville team with more than 15 years of hospitality and food and beverage experience. Hi...
Waterford Hotel Group Welcomes Erica Mcquesten as Director of Sales of Courtyard by Marriott Warwick
Courtyard by Marriott Warwick | June 21, 2018
WATERFORD, CT (June 21, 2018) – Erica McQuesten has been named Director of Sales for the Courtyard by Marriott in Warwick, RI. The 92-room Courtyard Warwick is managed by Waterford Hotel Group Inc., a national hotel and convention center management firm. In her new role as Director of Sales, McQuesten will be responsible for the total sales efforts for the hotel, as well as supervising sales related personnel, and implementing sales and marketing strategies to maximize profits while also maintaining guest satisfaction. McQuesten joins the Courtyard Warwick team with more than 10 years of experience. Her prior positions include Ope...
Top 5 Things You Need to Know Now in Hotel Digital Marketing: June Edition
HEBS Digital | June 21, 2018
By Margaret Mastrogiacomo, VP Strategy This month, Google nudges SEO marketers in the right direction with clarifications to the mobile-first index as it rolls out to more websites; Bing pilots in-market audiences; and Instagram gets more serious with Stories by adding e-commerce features. From SEO to design, read on to learn the top five things you need to know now in hotel digital marketing, and stay informed. 1.SEO: Google announces clarification surrounding the mobile-first index and what it means for your website. As Google begins rolling out mobile-first indexing to more websites, it recently announced some clarifications as to h...
Choice Hotels Signs With Four Raines to Develop Two Cambria Hotels in Greenville and Summerville, South Carolina
Cambria Hotels | June 20, 2018
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 20, 2018 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) has signed two agreements with Four Raines, LLC to develop Cambria hotels in Greenville and Summerville, S.C., both rapidly growing business regions. The Cambria Hotel Greenville and the Cambria Hotel Summerville are both slated to open in October 2019. The Cambria Hotel Greenville will have 125 rooms and is located in an upscale mixed-use retail area with access to Whole Foods, Total Wine, and Ann Taylor LOFT. The property is within walking distance to the headquarters of TD Bank and BMW North American Technology, Hubbell Lighting, ICAR, and facilities opera...
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Opens New Hotel Near Glacier National Park
June 20, 2018
Minneapolis - June 20, 2018 - Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson, a leading upper midscale hotel brand, today announced the opening of Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Kalispell, MT – Glacier Lodge. Located at 4150 U.S. Highway 2 East, the hotel is the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts being just a short drive from the hiking trails and picturesque views of Glacier National Park, also known as the Crown Jewel of the Continent. It is also conveniently located minutes away from Glacier Park International Airport, along with offering an airport shuttle for guests. "We are thrilled to welcome this beautiful addit...
BENCHMARK® Names Jarred Bryant General Manager for Tivoli Lodge, Vail, Colorado
Tivoli Lodge | June 20, 2018
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, June 2018… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has appointed Jarred Bryant general manager for Tivoli Lodge, a Gemstone Collection property located in Vail, Colorado. Benchmark's president and COO, made the announcement. "It is a pleasure to announce Jarred's new position within our company," said Mr. Champion. "He has performed superbly in his previous role with Benchmark and our Gemstone Collection brand and has a keen understanding of our 'Be The Difference' service culture. This is a well-deserved promotion." Jarred Bryant was most recently the director of operations for Benchmar...
What Prix Fixe Menus Can Teach You About the Psychology of Choice
Larry Mogelonsky | June 20, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Choice is a tricky thing. Confronted with too much of it and you are stymied by indecision. Yet faced by too little and you feel shortchanged or indifferent to the whole buying process. It's all about finding that happy medium, and to help you decipher this golden mean there's better place to start than by examining how prix fixe menus subtly work to build revenue and customer satisfaction. The best prix fixe menus not only feature a restaurant's signature dishes as selected and perfected by your chefs, but they also offer a few options within broader course grouping. For instance, ...
New Doug Pitcock ’49 Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center Brings An Authentic Aggie Experience to Exceptional Meetings and Events
June 20, 2018
Conference Center Celebrates Opening with 25% Savings on All Meetings Booked by August College Station, Texas, June 2018 … The richness of Texas A&M University's legendary "Aggie Experience" will clearly mark meetings and events at the new Doug Pitcock '49 Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center (www.TexasAMHotelCC.com), scheduled to open in August. A world-class destination, state-of-the-art meeting facilities, a luxury hotel and the exceptional resources of a renowned research university, combine with a vibrant and unique university "Aggie" spirit in the new Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center. The $134 million proj...
How Hotel Managers Can Generate Profits Above and Beyond Owner’s Expectations
HEBS Digital | June 19, 2018
By Max Starkov Background: The economic collapse of nearly ten years ago brought not only havoc to the hospitality industry, but also created a new type of hotel owner: the activist owner. These owners are knowledgeable, curious, involved, and demanding. There is a lot happening in 2018 that hotel owners should be happy about. After the best Q1 on record earlier this year, it is shaping up to be another stellar year in hospitality with demand (2.4%) outweighing supply (2%); occupancy increasing by 0.4%; ADRs growing by 2.6%; and RevPAR increasing by 3% (STR, PWC). The hospitality industry is enjoying its longest expansion and healthiest...
SiteMinder Solves Hotel System Connectivity, a Feat for All Hotel Technology Providers
SiteMinder | June 19, 2018
Dallas, USA – One of the most notorious barriers to hotel technology innovation has been tackled head on by the global hotel industry's leading cloud platform, SiteMinder, with the launch today of SiteMinder Exchange, a powerfully-simple solution that solves the connectivity problem for hotel property management systems (PMSs) and hotel applications everywhere. Enabling a seamless transfer of hotel data between PMSs and applications, SiteMinder Exchange provides much-needed relief for creators of hotel technology who have long considered connectivity to be the single-most crippling challenge for the industry to date. "Arguably mor...
Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing Offering 348 Guestrooms Opens in China Led by General Manager Till Martin
Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing | June 18, 2018
CHICAGO--Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today the continued expansion of the Hyatt Regency brand in China with the opening of the first Hyatt Regency property in the capital of China – Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing. The 348-key hotel is set in an urban environment with energizing, intuitive experiences and a deep connection to design and nature. "As the first Hyatt Regency property in Beijing, we are proud to bring upscale hotel hospitality into the Wangjing area," said Till Martin, general manager of Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing. "The dynamic energy and growth in Wangjing is exciting for us as we expect the Hyatt...
Hospitality Properties Trust Acquires Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown From KKR
Hospitality Properties Trust | June 18, 2018
Minneapolis (June 18, 2018) - Radisson Hotel Group™ today announced that its longtime partner, Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT) a real estate investment trust, has acquired the Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown in a sale from an affiliate of KKR. The hotel was acquired by KKR in June of 2014 and converted to Radisson Blu following a multimillion-dollar renovation. The hotel features over 360 sophisticated rooms, 29,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, 24-hour business center, Business Class Lounge, and the FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar. The Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown becomes the ninth property ow...
Hotel Equities Names Industry Veteran, Cesar Wurm, VP of Sales and Marketing
Hotel Equities | June 18, 2018
ATLANTA, GA – June 18, 2018 – Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) elevates their sales and marketing division with the appointment of industry veteran Cesar Wurm as VP of Sales and Marketing. In his new role, Cesar will lead HE's enterprise-wide strategic sales effort while supporting the regional sales team and driving best-in-class performance results. The award-winning hotel ownership and management company continues to elevate talent and focus on driving results for key stakeholders. Last month, the firm announced the addition of two regional directors of sales and plans for two additional regional offices to support their...
AccorHotels Appoints Karla Erales as General Manager of Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square
AccorHotels | June 18, 2018
WASHINGTON D.C. – June 18, 2018 – Karla Erales has been appointed general manager of Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square, one of AccorHotels luxury brand properties in the nation's capital. The announcement was made by Mark Huntley Regional Vice President and General Manager, Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown. A seasoned hotelier, Erales is responsible for the overall operations, performance and strategic direction of the 237-room luxury hotel. "I'm thrilled to be granted the opportunity to work in one of the most visited cities in the world and manage one of DC's notable historical hotels. Together with a very passio...
Hotel & Leisure Advisors Top Five Takeaways From NYU Hotel Investment Conference
David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC | June 18, 2018
by David J. Sangree The sentiment at the 2018 NYU Hotel Investment Conference was very positive for the industry with expectations of continued growth in the coming years. Among the wealth of relevant information from the conference, we identified several key takeaways that highlight the state of the industry in 2018 and beyond: Overall, the feel of NYU was positive, with attendees, panelists, and speakers all expecting and planning for continued growth for the industry. However, the industry is rapidly changing with technology and the sophistication of hotel and resorts guests. This means brands, developers, and investors need to conti...
Learn How to Upgrade Guest Satisfaction and Operational Excellence With ALICE at HITEC 2018
ALICE | June 18, 2018
ALICE, the hospitality industry's leading operations platform, will showcase its product portfolio of six hotel management and guest engagement products at this year's HITEC in Houston, June 18-22, at Booth 2319. Schedule an appointment with the ALICE team here. ALICE offers solutions for the hotelier that create a unified hospitality experience, helping hotels foster meaningful relationships with guests and connecting departments across the hotel. Hoteliers can bundle ALICE's suite of front of house tools for your Concierge, Front Desk and Guest Services teams, and back of house tools for Maintenance, Housekeeping, Front Desk, Security...
Olympia Hotel Management Wins Two Hotel of the Year Awards from Hyatt Place & Hilton Garden Inn
Olympia Hotel Management | June 15, 2018
June 20, 2018. Portland, Maine. Olympia Hotel Management is proud to announce that it is currently holding the top awards for two of the world's major select service brands, Hyatt Place and Hilton Garden Inn. Hyatt Place Cleveland/Westlake/Crocker Park in Westlake, Ohio has been recognized as Hyatt Place Hotel of the Year for 2017 by Hyatt at their Global Select Sales Summit. The hotel also won the HyAchiever Award for meeting all sales goals and metrics as well as the STR Performance, Highest RevPAR Index for 2017. Hyatt Place Cleveland/ Westlake/Crocker Park, which opened in 2015, is owned by Stark Enterprises, who selected Olympia Ho...
Paramount Lodging Advisors Team Sells Hampton Inn in Victoria, TX
Paramount Lodging Advisors | June 14, 2018
Victoria, TX—Paramount Lodging Advisors (PLA) has arranged the sale of the Hampton Inn Victoria, TX. Managing Director Kami Burnette and Senior Associate Hussain Waseem sold the property via the Real Insight Marketplace platform. The 68-room hotel is located just north of downtown Victoria and is proximate to all broader area Victoria demand. Future plans under new ownership include a significant renovation to meet Hampton's Forever Young standard. "The increasing commodities pricing is stabilizing the region and have presented a profitable opportunity for the new owner to add a premium brand to his hotel portfolio," stat...