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Operations
IACC-Americas Names USA Chefs as “Copper Skillet Champions”
Hotel Development Partners, LLC (HDP | November 17, 2016
Oak Brook, IL -- November 2016 – Eight chefs from IACC-member properties across the US gathered recently to compete for the coveted USA Copper Skillet at the Hilton Chicago | Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, where the winners edged one step closer to the International Copper Skillet Competition global finale next April. Shane Hawkins, Lead Cook at Stonewall Resort, took the "Junior Category US Copper Skillet Award" for his winning dish in the cook-off. Local judges named Hawkins the winner for his dish of red potato hash, lightly fried striped bass with white wine butter, and seared New York strip with portabella. ...
Benjamin Caban Appointed Area Director of Sales & Marketing for Florida’s Beachwalk Resort and Marenas Beach Resort
November 17, 2016
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, November 2016 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Benjamin Caban area director of sales & marketing for Beachwalk Resort, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and for Marenas Beach Resort, a Gemstone Collection property in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. John MacMullen, regional director of sales & marketing, made the announcement. "It is a pleasure to congratulate Benjamin on his promotion" said Mr. MacMullen. "He brings vast sales contacts to his new role through his earlier work with our company's Beachwalk Resort, as well as i...
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Appoints David Oliver Vice President of Development in Canada
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group | November 17, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (November 17, 2016) - Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world's largest and most dynamic hotel groups, today announced David Oliver vice president of Development for Canada. Oliver will lead the group's key strategic growth initiatives across all brands and will be responsible for the development of management contracts as well as license agreements in the region. Oliver is based in Toronto and will report to Philip Silberstein, executive vice president, Development, Americas. Oliver returns to Carlson Rezidor, having previously served on the development team from 2003 to 2009. Following his tenure with Carlson, David ...
Midas Hospitality Opens 122-Room Staybridge Suites in Maryland Heights, Missouri
Midas Hospitality | November 16, 2016
(St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 16, 2016) A $16 million Staybridge Suites recently opened at 25 Progress Parkway in Maryland Heights, Mo. The 122-room all-suites hotel will be managed by Midas Hospitality, a premier hotel management group. The hotel was built by Midas Hospitality's sister company MC Hotel Construction, a general contractor specializing in new hotel construction and renovations. Staybridge Suites offers both one and two bedroom suites for its guests. The hotel provides fully equipped kitchens, state-of-the-art fitness center, an indoor swimming pool and plenty of amenities including free laundry facilities and complimentary breakf...
Hotel Development Partners Celebrates Opening of Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton in North Atlanta
Hotel Development Partners | November 16, 2016
Atlanta –November 16, 2016 – Atlanta-based Hotel Development Partners (HDP) held a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting celebration in Atlanta's Perimeter Center for the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Atlanta Perimeter Dunwoody. Atlanta-based Hotel Equities serves as an investor in the hotel and manages the 132-room property that is a uniquely urban version of the Hampton Inn & Suites brand. The hotel anchors a mixed-use project including 25,600 SF of retail and restaurant space at 4565 Ashford Dunwoody Road in Atlanta's prime office-retail market. Jason Caughron leads the hotel team as the General Manager with Trudy San...
Expanding Your Property Portfolio and Need to Streamline Operations Across All Your Hotels? Maestro PMS Helps Independents Achieve Their Goals
NORTHWIND Maestro | November 16, 2016
Maestro's One System–One Database Hotel Management Software Platform Lets Operators Market and Manage Multiple Hotels with Simplicity and Ease November 16, 2016 – Times are good for the hotel industry, with many hotel and resort companies adding properties to their portfolio. When a property portfolio expands, everyone at the company works harder, there are more staff to train and manage, more reservations to process, and many more guests to track and market to. The Maestro team understands this growth and the elevation in operation and technology requirements that go along with it. Maestro's staff of seasoned hotel and tec...
Rethink What You Call A Lifestyle Hotel
Larry Mogelonsky | November 16, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Just what exactly do we mean when we call our property a 'lifestyle hotel'? Is it an expression that is readily understood by all our customers? I began wondering these questions and more during one of my all-too-familiar-yet-never-frequent-enough trips to sunny Los Angeles. Withholding its name so we can keep this discussion neutral, the property itself was a one-time Hyatt that had seen a recent – and what I am told was, extensive – renovation. The open concept lobby's enormous size was augmented by its sleek, reflective tile surfaces and made only more inviting by the vibrant...
Oregon’s First Autograph Collection Hotel, Hi-Lo Hotel, to Debut Early 2017
| November 15, 2016
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 15, 2016 -- Portland will welcome the much-anticipated Hi-Lo Hotel this New Year. Hi-Lo Hotel, part of Autograph Collection Hotels, Marriott International's distinctive portfolio of one-of-a-kind hotels, will debut in the historic Oregon Pioneer Building in downtown Portland. The city's first Autograph Collection property, Hi-Lo, will usher in a new era of refined luxury for locals, young professionals and business travelers who value one-of-a-kind experiences that are Exactly Like Nothing Else. Hi-Lo Hotel invites guests to engage in Portland Luxury – elegant and effortless, organic and modern; the no...
Dream Hotel Group Appoints Jason Wischhoff Vice President of Development, Europe & Africa
Dream Hotel Group | November 15, 2016
NEW YORK, NY (November 15, 2016) – Renowned hotel brand and management company Dream Hotel Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Wischhoff as Vice President of Development for Europe and Africa. With nearly two decades of experience in executing hotel development, Wischhoff will be responsible for driving the company's four lifestyle hotel brands to major cities across Europe and Africa. Home to its Dream Hotels, Time Hotels, The Chatwal and Unscripted Hotels brands, Dream Hotel Group encompasses three business lines: Proprietary Brands, Hotel Management and Dining & Nightlife. "We are pleased to welcome Jason ...
“Cyber Weekend” Travel Values at Benchmark Resort & Hotels and The Gemstone Collection Properties
November 15, 2016
"Sneak Peek" at Values Now Available! The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, November 2016 … Benchmark Hotels & Resorts® and its sister brand, The Gemstone Collection®, have announced exclusive Cyber Weekend travel values available for purchase from Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 - Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. The extraordinary travel values are from each brands' hotels and resorts throughout the United States and the Caribbean, and will be available for purchase only during Cyber Weekend, with many travel offers extending through 2017. Travelers can even get a "sneak peek" between now and Cyber Weekend for a heads up on vacation and trave...
Webinar on Key Tools to Optimizing Direct Bookings and Lowering Distribution Costs
HeBS | November 14, 2016
To help hoteliers readjust their strategy as the hospitality industry faces declining occupancy rates, HeBS Digital will host the third webinar in the "Direct is Always Better" series, "Key Tools to Optimizing Direct Bookings and Lowering Distributions Costs," on November 17th at 2:00p.m. EST (11:00a.m. PST). Key members from HeBS Digital, a leader in helping hoteliers drastically increase direct bookings and lessen dependency on the OTAs, will provide a roadmap for hoteliers to lower distribution costs and increase direct bookings as 2016 closes out and the new year begins. As supply is predicted to outpace demand, and as Airbnb looks ...
Hospitality Management Corporation Adds Holiday Inn Abilene, Texas to Management Portfolio
Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) | November 14, 2016
Dallas, TX – Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), is pleased to announce the addition of this 112-room Holiday Inn ® Abilene, TX, to their hotel group. 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. This new build hotel is ideally located five minutes from Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University...
Benchmark Names Julie Walsh Area Director of Revenue Management
November 11, 2016
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, November 2016 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Julie Walsh area director of revenue management. Kim Nugent, vice president revenue management, made the announcement. Ms. Walsh will be based in Benchmark's New Brunswick, New Jersey, offices. "It is a great pleasure to welcome Julie back to Benchmark, said Ms. Nugent. "Not only is she supremely qualified for her new responsibilities, she comes with a complete understanding of her market and of Benchmark." Julie Walsh's area revenue management responsibilities will span Benchmark properties coast to coast, including s...
Special to Hotel-Online: Airbnb and the Hotel Industry: Takeaway’s from Georgetown University’s Hotel and Lodging Legal Summit
Roland Leiser | November 10, 2016
by Roland Leiser At the 5th annual Hotel and Lodging Legal Summit at Georgetown University's Law Center on October 28, 2016, hotel industry representatives sparred with an Airbnb spokesman over tax collection requirements and other rules that hotels want applied to short-term rentals. The debate didn't add much to what is already known, but it underscored the continuing rift between hotels, which are subject to government regulations and Airbnb-listed properties, which are virtually unregulated. Named the Legal Challenges of a Landscape Changed by the Short-Term Rental Industry, a panel of industry representatives included Troy Flanagan...
Brian R. Wells Named General Manager for The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Roanoke, VA
The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center | November 10, 2016
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, November 2016 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Brian R. Wells general manager for The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, which is part of Curio - A Collection by Hilton. "It is such a pleasure to welcome Brian to Benchmark and to The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center," said Cedric Fasbender, vice president of operations for Benchmark. "Brian brings extensive hotel and conference center experience to this vibrant institution so closely identified with our region." The historic Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, located in Roanoke, Virginia, is owned through a par...
Marriott’s Autograph Collection Expanding to Four Properties in Asia
Autograph Collection Hotels | November 10, 2016
Autograph Collection Hotels, Marriott International's distinguished portfolio of independent hotels recognized for celebrating individuality, announced today its debut of four properties in Asia next year. In early 2017, the brand expects to open The Shanhaitian Resort Sanya in China, The Majestic Hotel and Hotel Stripes in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and RYSE hotel in Seoul, South Korea. Autograph Collection Hotels is a curated collection of some of the finest independent hotels located in extraordinary destinations throughout the world. Each hotel is hand-selected for its heartfelt design, exquisite craftsmanship and uncommon details to en...
Dan King, General Manager of Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, Awarded Hyatt’s Jay A. Pritzker Award for Leadership 2015
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa | November 10, 2016
SAN ANTONIO (November 2016) – Dan King, General Manager of Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, has been awarded Hyatt Hotels Corporation's coveted Jay A. Pritzker Award for Leadership, 2015. A lifetime achievement award, the Jay A. Pritzker Award honors individuals who have consistently demonstrated their ability as leaders, coaches and mentors. They are high achievers leading top-performing hotels, and are viewed as role models of Hyatt's purpose and values. "Dan exudes a special energy and spirit that embodies this award," said Senior Vice President of Operations, Jordan Meisner. "He has an innate manner in which he is ab...
FCS Raises Bar on Guest Request and Task Management Efficiency with General Availability Launch of e-Connect V3.1 and m-Connect V3.1
FCS | November 9, 2016
Latest versions of inter-department communication and job dispatch software benefit from new features designed to maximize efficiency and guest satisfaction Singapore, 9 November, 2016 – FCS Computer Systems (FCS), a leading comprehensive hospitality solutions and services provider, has announced the general availability of FCS e-Connect V3.1 and m-Connect V3.1, providing hoteliers with a means to streamline even more functions related to guest request and work order dispatch management. Already recognized as an industry leading solution for enhancing property wide communication and task status tracking functionality, the latest ...
Do You Have A Suite Tooth?
Larry Mogelonsky | November 9, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Over the past year, I've stayed in 40 hotels and many fine properties have upgraded me to their suite products. With a nod to all those hoteliers who have graciously provided this bonus, I say thank you. Attempting to learn from these experiences, I ask: what makes a suite special? And, if properly differentiated, how can you fashion your suites as a truly differentiated product set? First, let's define a suite. Whereas many hoteliers may consider it as just a larger guestroom, a true suite has a door that physically separates the sleeping quarters from the living/dining area. Note, many ho...
Marriott International Reports Q3 2016 Net Income of $70 million, a 67% Decrease Over Q3 2015; North American RevPAR Rose 2.6%
Marriott International | November 8, 2016
Highlights: Marriott International's acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide closed on September 23, 2016. At quarter-end, the company had nearly 1.6 million rooms open or in the development pipeline; Third quarter reported diluted EPS totaled $0.26, a 67 percent decrease over prior year results. Third quarter adjusted diluted EPS totaled $0.91, a 17 percent increase over prior year results. Adjusted third quarter results exclude merger-related costs and eight days of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's results in the quarter; On a pro forma basis reflecting the performance for both companies for the three mon...
AccorHotels Acquires 30% Stake in 25hours Hotels with Goal of Global Expansion
25hours Hotels | November 8, 2016
25hours Hotels today announces that AccorHotels is acquiring a 30% stake in its capital, with the objective of accelerating the global expansion of the 25hours brand. 25hours is also expanding its internal development structures and establishing a creative laboratory for this purpose. AccorHotels will be a strategic partner of 25hours supporting its long-term growth. Christoph Hoffmann, CEO of 25hours commented, "Loyal partners have supported our growth in the German-speaking market for the past ten years and we now also have the opportunity to conquer the world with a global partner. This strategic partnership represents a key milesto...
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Appoints Kevin Carl as Global Chief Information Technology Officer
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group | November 7, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (November 7, 2016) - Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world's largest and most dynamic hotel groups, today announced Kevin Carl as executive vice president and global chief information technology officer. Carl will lead and direct the global IT organization and report to David P. Berg, chief executive officer, Carlson Hospitality Group. "We are excited to welcome Kevin, a seasoned travel industry IT leader to our organization," said Berg. "Kevin will oversee our technological infrastructure globally and work to identify technology enabled solutions needed to grow our business and gain competitive advantage." Carl join...
Concord Hospitality to Develop 200-Room Autograph Collection® Hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida
Autograph Collection | November 7, 2016
RALEIGH, N.C. (November 7, 2016) – Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company announced today that it will open a new hotel under the Marriott Autograph Collection brand at the former City Hall site in West Palm Beach, Fla. The 200-room hotel is the cornerstone of a mixed-use project that has received Concept Plan approval from the City of West Palm Beach. It is slated to break ground in 2017. Concord Hospitality has partnered with Marriott International on the development of new hotel brands for the last two decades. That alignment for strategic growth and passion for delivering best-in-class service is represented in Concord's achi...
RLJ Lodging Trust Reports Q3 2016 Net Income of $41.4 million, Up 1.1% Over Same Period in 2015
RLJ Lodging Trust | November 4, 2016
BETHESDA, Md.--RLJ Lodging Trust (the "Company") (NYSE: RLJ) today reported results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016. Highlights Net income increased 1.1% to $41.4 million Pro forma RevPAR was flat, Pro forma ADR increased 0.2%, and Pro forma Occupancy decreased 0.2% Pro forma Hotel EBITDA Margin of 35.5% Pro forma Consolidated Hotel EBITDA of $105.1 million "This quarter our results once again reflect the benefits of a diversified portfolio as a number of our markets posted solid RevPAR growth, helping offset those with weaker performance," commented Ross H. Bierkan, President and Chief Executive Officer. "W...
