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
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | September 17, 2024
Operations
EMV Smart Card Payment Security is Available for Independent Hotels
Lodge Tools | October 30, 2017
Lodge Tool's Property Management System (PMS), InnTender, has been EMV certified by Heartland Payment Systems, a leading worldwide provider of payment technology services. Princeton, NJ and Kansas City, MO – October 30, 2017 – Lodge Tools Inc., an inventive hospitality SaaS company that provides leading-edge property management solutions, has integrated its property management system InnTender with Heartland's Pax S300 terminal processing reader providing full EMV secure payment processing for the independent hotel market. Independent hotels can benefit from the reduction of in card-present card fraud resulting from cou...
Hard Rock International Appoints Ed Tracy CEO of Asia
Hard Rock International | October 27, 2017
Orlando, FL – October 27, 2017 – Hard Rock International – with presence in more than 73 countries – announces the promotion of Edward Tracy to chief executive officer, Asia. Currently, Tracy is focused on Hard Rock Japan LLC in its efforts to develop a signature Hard Rock Integrated Resort (IR). Tracy's recent appointment is a strategic move designed to support the company's growth plans in the region. With the latest addition to the Hard Rock Hotel portfolio, Hard Rock Hotel Shenzhen, China, and 30 years of Hard Rock Cafe operations in Japan, Hard Rock showcases its proven track record of developing and managin...
Excuses are For Losers: Leadership Involves Pressure and Personal Sacrifice
James Houran, Ph.D. | October 27, 2017
By James Houran, Ph.D., Keith Kefgen Behind every failed leader is an excuse. In our experience studying and working with global leadership in the hospitality industry, successful leaders consistently tell us in one way or another that excuses were for "losers" whereas "winners" find solutions to tough challenges, or at least look at failed initiatives with a winning attitude and use the situation to adopt key learnings to apply to future scenarios. It's easy to lay claim to the title of leader when things are going well, but taking responsibility for your actions is difficult when things get tough. In today's Twitter and social media a...
How Hospitality Companies Lose Good, Promising Talent – And For All the Wrong Reasons
Gary Hernbroth | October 26, 2017
By Gary Hernbroth When you don't read the signs, you lose good people I often wonder how some so-called business leaders get to be where they are, how they get their leadership roles. Not all, certainly, but some. They miss so much. They don't read the right tea leaves. They don't ask enough questions. And in some cases, they don't recognize the potential in their own up-and-coming leaders, either. The woeful tale described here comes from the hotel industry, but it could apply to any number of businesses. Sadly, this is by no means an isolated case. A bright young hotel professional, just seven months out of The School of Hospitality B...
StayNTouch Rover™ PMS Integrates With Merchant Link’s EMV Product, TransactionLink™, to Help Hoteliers Combat Card Present Fraud
StayNTouch Inc. | October 26, 2017
Bethesda, MD – October 26, 2017 – StayNTouch, an innovator in mobile technology and Property Management Systems (PMS) for hotels, is happy to announce EMV integration between Rover™, its cloud-based property management system (PMS) and Merchant Link, a leading provider of cloud-based payment gateway and data security solutions. Merchant Link enables more than 6 billion transactions annually for some of the world's best-known merchants, providing connectivity to the major U.S. payment card processors. EMV integration provides StayNTouch hotel customers the third leg of the transaction security stool. Previously, StayNTo...
Making Sense of the ‘Level Playing Field’ Plea
Larry Mogelonsky | October 25, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I attended an interesting travel panel during the summer in my hometown of Toronto. The topic was the leisure segment, with the panelists all senior members of tourism bureaus and hotel organizations, while their presentations quoted the usual ream of statistical gobbledegook. The mood was rosy as Canadian travel statistics have never been better with the nation approaching its 150th anniversary. The ebullience in the room was so thick that I felt that it couldn't be cut with even the finest Japanese samurai sword. But then I asked the question with a somewhat naïve tone, "Have...
BENCHMARK Appoints Sandy Lam Director of Sales & Marketing for The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando
The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando | October 25, 2017
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, October 2017… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Sandy Lam director of sales & marketing for The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in Orlando, Florida. Bill Lee, general manager, made the announcement. "I am very pleased to welcome Sandy to our resort," stated Mr. Lee. "She is a seasoned hospitality sales and marketing executive with a proven record of success. We look forward to her active leadership on our team as we further establish The Grove's positioning within the Orlando market and continue to amplify the property's bu...
Sage Hospitality Appoints Barbara Piagari as Director of Sales and Marketing for The Elizabeth Hotel
The Elizabeth Hotel | October 25, 2017
FORT COLLINS, COLO. – October 25, 2017 – The Elizabeth Hotel, slated to open its doors in fall 2017 in the heart of Old Town, announces the appointment of Barbara Piagari as director of sales and marketing. Piagari will lead the sales and catering teams at the new Autograph Collection hotel, created by McWHINNEY, a Colorado-based national real estate development company and Sage Hospitality, a national developer and the hotel's operator. Piagari has spent more than two decades as the director of sales and marketing for a multitude of independent and branded hotels. Her experience spans across luxury, resort, convention, subu...
Maestro PMS Delivers Savvy Mobile Strategies that Enrich the Guest Journey from Direct Booking to Check Out
Maestro PMS | October 25, 2017
Learn more about Maestro at The HX Show in NYC, TribalNet in Phoenix, and IHLA in Miami Markham, Ontario – October 25, 2017 – Life today is about mobility. We depend on our mobile devices for communications, driving directions, and information gathering. Maestro PMS embraced this shift in the market when it emerged. Today it works with independent operators to offer enhanced mobility options in its PMS property software suite to enrich the guest journey and meet guest expectations. From reservation booking to curbside tablet check-in, in-house communications to paperless check-out and everything in between. Operators with si...
HMC to Manage 104-Room Holiday Inn Express in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) | October 23, 2017
Dallas, TX – Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), is pleased to announce the addition of this 104-room Holiday Inn Express® in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to their portfolio of managed hotels. HMC will be working in partnership with new ownership group Newstream Commercial®, headed by Scott Tarwater, President of the company's Hotel and Resorts Division. HMC 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, ranke...
Q3 2017 Financial Reports Round Up Part 1: IHG, AccorHotels, LaSalle
October 20, 2017
AccorHotels reports strong third quarter revenue increases, up 6.4%, and are confident of meeting full-year 2017 operating profit guidance at the upper end of the €460 million ($542.1 million) to €480 million ($566 million), as announced in July. InterContinental Hotels Group saw a 2.3% increase in revenue per available room; Globally opened 11K rooms, increasing net system size 4.1% YoY to 786K rooms; Future growth includes 20K rooms (137 hotels) signed; pipeline of 235K rooms LaSalle Hotel Properties saw a 79.6% decline in net income to $31.1 million primarily due to challenges as a result of resort closeures from hurricanes...
sbe Signs 10 Global Hospitality Deals in North America, Latin America, and Middle East
sbe | October 20, 2017
NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2017 -- sbe, the leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning international hospitality brands, has confirmed another 10 deals to bring its hotels, residences, and restaurants to new territories in Latin America and the Middle East, through a mix of management and licensing agreements. Building on its already robust pipeline, the company stands to double its global hotel footprint by 2021. Additionally, an estimated 24 restaurants and lounges are going to be part of the new and existing hotel pipeline, further emphasizing the company's stance on offering a 360-degree expe...
Aimbridge Hospitality Opens New 109-Key TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Chandler, Arizona
TownePlace Suites by Marriott | October 19, 2017
Chandler, AZ – October 19, 2017 – Get ready to be real and be you on long stays. Marriott International's TownePlace Suites by Marriott Phoenix Chandler Fashion Center is now open for business. On average, a TownePlace Suites opens every six days. Built for travelers looking for a simple and friendly place where they can settle-in, keep their routine, and easily connect to the Chandler area. The new TownePlace Suites Phoenix Chandler Fashion Center located at 3635 West Chandler Boulevard, continues to exemplify the brand's rapid growth. The new hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by HCW Development LLC of B...
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Set to Open in Munster, Indiana with General Manager Jessica Morse at the Helm
SpringHill Suites by Marriott | October 19, 2017
Munster, IN – October 19, 2017 – Marriott International announced today that the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Munster, Indiana is scheduled to open this Friday, October 20, 2017. The 99-suite hotel, located at 9651 Calumet Avenue, will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by CV Hotels and managed by Good Hospitality Services of Valparaiso, Indiana. The SpringHill Suites Chicago Southeast/Munster is adjacent to Centennial Park, the town's premier park and event center, which boasts a nine-hole golf course and banquet center as well as jogging trails and an amphitheater. The hotel is just 27 miles from the Chicago Midway...
Aimbridge Hospitality Appoints Harold Mirambell General Manager of DoubleTree Evansville
Aimbridge Hospitality | October 18, 2017
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA (October 18 2017) — Aimbridge Hospitality, the nation's largest and most recognized independent hotel investment and management firm, named Harold Mirambell the new General Manager for the DoubleTree Evansville. Mirambell brings to his new role nearly 20 years of hotel operations experience. He joins the Doubletree Evansville from Éilan Hotel & Spa in San Antonio, TX, where he was the Director of Operations. In that role, Mirambell was responsible for managing all of the Four Diamond hotel's internal operations, including an award-winning restaurant and a 10,000 square foot spa. Before that, Mirambel...
Landmark Hotel Reopening Early 2018 in Poland as Raffles Europejski Warsaw Following Restoration
Raffles Hotels & Resorts | October 18, 2017
Warsaw October 18, 2017 - Early 2018, Raffles Europejski Warsaw will open its doors to welcome a new chapter in the property's rich history spanning 160 years. Situated along the Royal Route next to the Presidential Palace in Old Town, the historic building has been an icon since its inception. Through its thoughtful restoration project, rich blend of Polish heritage, skilled local craftsmanship and contemporary art on display, the Raffles Europejski Warsaw reflects the narrative of the nation's history. The property will feature 106 elegant suites featuring carefully curated Polish art by Anda Rottenberg and Barbara Piwowarska;...
Your Wine List Is Too Long
Larry Mogelonsky | October 18, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) One of the fundamental marketing principles I abide by is: Keep It Simple Stupid. While that fourth word is often incorporated only to make it into a highly memorable acronym (KISS), it is not far from the truth. Perhaps the more apt word is 'busy' in that we are all too rushed and distracted to notice everything that's happening around us. For example, you stand at a busy urban intersection. Have you noted what the make and model of every car that passes by? Have you read every billboard? Do you notice the attention to detail that goes into each person's fashion sense? We have so m...
Launch of FCS Analytics Provides Hoteliers with Total Business Intelligence Solution
FCS | October 18, 2017
Cutting edge data management and reporting software offers full consolidation of analytics from disparate property systems to enhance business performance, spot trends and boost revenue. Singapore – 18 October, 2017- FCS Computer Systems, a leading global provider of comprehensive hospitality guest services applications and solution design services, announces the launch of FCS Analytics V1.1, the latest addition to the company's growing portfolio of hotel technology solutions. A new state-of-the-art business intelligence platform, FCS Analytics offers a comprehensive overview of a hotel's entire operation through a single interfa...
Waterford Hotel Group Appoints Nicole Mclean as General Manager of Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Brooklyn
Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Brooklyn | October 17, 2017
BROOKLYN, NY (October 17, 2017) - Waterford Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Nicole McLean as General Manager of the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Brooklyn. Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Brooklyn is a stylish hotel located at 181 3rd Avenue in Gowanus, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The hotel is owned by an affiliate of Troutbrook Company and is professionally managed by Waterford Hotel Group. As General Manager, McLean is responsible for all of the hotel's operations, sales, administration, and human resources. McLean joins the Brooklyn team with a depth of indus...
Dream Hotel Group Appoints Abid Butt as Chief Executive Officer for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
Dream Hotel Group | October 17, 2017
NEW YORK, NY (October 17, 2017) – Renowned hotel brand and management company Dream Hotel Group appoints Abid Butt as Chief Executive Officer for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. In this role, Mr. Butt is responsible for the continued growth and global expansion efforts of Dream Hotel Group and its portfolio of lifestyle brands—Dream Hotels, Time Hotels, The Chatwal and Unscripted Hotels—in established and emerging urban and resort destinations across the region. With more than 30 years of global experience in the hospitality industry, Abid Butt's strategic acumen and drive to innovate has been instrumental in the...
BENCHMARK Appoints Larry Johnson Director of Finance for Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center | October 17, 2017
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, October 2017… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Larry Johnson director of finance for Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in Roanoke, Virginia. Hotel Roanoke is a part of Curio - A Collection by Hilton. Brian Wells, general manager, made the announcement. "I am very happy to welcome Larry to our property," said Mr. Wells. "He comes to us with important experience in hotel finance, gained in several leadership positions across multiple hotels. We look forward to his active participation as part of our executive team." Larry J...
IHG® Welcomes Fergus Stewart to the Europe Region as Vice President, Luxury Operations
IHG | October 17, 2017
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has welcomed IHG veteran Fergus Stewart to the Europe region as Vice President, Luxury Operations. Fergus will be responsible for operations across IHG's luxury brands in Europe. The move reflects IHG's thriving luxury business with the continuing growth of both InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts and Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants. Based in IHG's Headquarters in Denham, Buckinghamshire, he will report to Stephen McCall, Chief Operating Officer for the region, and form part of the Europe Operations Leadership Team. Stewart has enjoyed a c...
Centurion American Development Group Reopens Iconic Dallas Property, The Statler, Following $255 Million Redevelopment
The Statler | October 17, 2017
DALLAS and MCLEAN, Va. - The Statler, an iconic downtown Dallas hotel, opens today as part of the exclusive Curio Collection by Hilton, one of Hilton's 14 market-leading brands, following a $255 million redevelopment. Centrally located, The Statler symbolizes the heart and soul of Dallas and was hand-picked to join the collection of one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts that are integral parts of the destinations they call home. Originally opened in 1956 as one of Conrad Hilton's first convention properties, The Statler is heralded as a pioneer hotel, bringing many firsts - such as elevator music - to the industry. Credited with esta...
NewcrestImage Opens Dual-Branded AC Hotel and Residence Inn by Marriott in Downtown Dallas Historic Mercantile Commerce Building
NewcrestImage | October 16, 2017
Downtown Dallas has its first dual-branded hotel with the opening this week by NewcrestImage of a 128-room AC Hotel by Marriott and a 121-room Residence Inn by Marriott. The property is the first AC Hotel in Texas and the first AC Hotel anywhere that brings together two Marriott brands. "We have dramatically renovated and given vibrant new life to the historic Mercantile Commerce Building, which originally opened in 1956 and has been vacant for 25 years," explained Mehul Patel, Chairman of NewcrestImage. "By moving from retired to relevant, this building will add significant momentum to the revitalization of downtown Dallas." The reimag...
