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Doug Kennedy | July 22nd, 2020
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 125; Hotel History: Martha Washington Hotel*; Quote of the Month
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | June 2, 2014
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Martha Washington Hotel* In late August 2014, King & Grove Hotels announced that it restored the original name to the Martha Washington Hotel. The Martha Washington Hotel opened on March 2, 1903 as the first New York hotel exclusively for women. All the employees were women with a hostess and chaperones in attendance at all times. An opening day advertisement in the Hotel Gazette showed an illustration of Martha Washington and said: Hotel Martha Washington 29th and 30th Sts., Near Fifth Ave., N.Y. City EXCLUSIVELY FOR WOMEN 450 rooms en suite and single, $1.50 per day ...
Lodging Industry Investment Council’s Top 15 Member Quotes
May 29, 2014
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 29 May 2014 The Lodging Industry Investment Council (LIIC) is the hotel industry "think tank" whose membership includes the hospitality industry's most influential investors, lenders, corporate real estate executives, REITs, public hotel companies, brokers and significant lodging equity sources. More than 80% of surveyed LIIC members have purchased a hotel in the last 12 months. Together, the members of LIIC represent ownership, control or disposition of well over $20 billion of lodging real estate. Along with Mike Cahill of Hospitality Real...
Destination Paris: A Sleeping Beauty
MKG Group | May 23, 2014
by Georges Panayotis In the constant competition between tourist destinations, Paris enjoys a considerable advantage that is also dangerous: that of being at the top of the list of musts for travelers venturing outside their country for the first time. Regular tourism growth worldwide thus feeds the arrivals statistics for the French capital, while simultaneously hiding weaknesses that threaten its future. While the influx of tourists from China, Brazil, Korea, Mexico and Central European countries offers reasons to rejoice, it would be unwise to be overjoyed. Once they have visited the main monuments by air-conditioned motor coach, qui...
Jonathan Bloch Joins JMBM, Adding Expanded Channels of Capital-Raising Resources
JMBM | May 20, 2014
By Jim Butler | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Jonathan Bloch joins JMBM, adding expanded channels of capital-raising resources to the Firm's Global Hospitality Group® and Chinese Investment Group™ Los Angeles-Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) is pleased to welcome Jonathan Bloch as a corporate partner in its Los Angeles office. Formerly of Manatt, Bloch's law practice focuses on the needs of large institutional investors, including venture capital and private equity. He counsels clients in fund formation, operations, and legal and regulatory compliance. He has participated in raising capital for real estate, hospitalit...
Resiliency in Sales Is Best Built During Up Market Conditions by Doug Kennedy
Doug Kennedy | May 12, 2014
By Doug Kennedy May 12, 2014 Resiliency. What a terrific word for our industry. Just about every "average" day working in a hotel requires some degree of resiliency. When you look up the word "resiliency" in various online dictionaries, the most common definitions center around the ability for a physical object to spring back to its original form, such as a rubber band after it has been stretched or the elastic waistbands on gym shorts. My favorite definitions of resiliency are the psychological definitions, focusing on the character trait of having the ability to cope with adversarial conditions and stressful circumstances; to bounce r...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 124; Hotel History: The Cliff House Resort & Spa, Ogunquit, Maine
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | May 5, 2014
Quote of the Month; My New Book By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Cliff House Resort & Spa* On April 14, 2014, it was announced that fourth-generation owner Kathryn Weare sold the historic Cliff House Resort & Spa to the Rockbridge hotel investment firm. Sometimes the history of a place and of a family extend so far across time that their identities intertwine and become one. Such a place is The Cliff House, and such a family is Weare. The story begins in 1866. The Civil War had just ended, and the nation turned its attention to reconstruction and rebuilding its spirit. One of the North's military necessities durin...
Buying Bad Loans and Distressed Debt in Europe (and Italy)
Jim Butler | April 28, 2014
By Jim Butler For the latest articles on this subject, please click here. By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 28 April 2014 Some are calling it the "distressed real estate gold rush in Europe." Others who have been expecting 1990s-style opportunistic investment opportunities for several years, now are seeing a change in European banks' willingness to sell distressed loans at discounts to clean up their books. Several significant deals have been announced with big name investors and more are underway. What is happening? And what is the opportunity for investors? Is it too late ...
Besides Training: How To Maximize Hotel Reservations Conversions
Doug Kennedy | April 16, 2014
by Doug Kennedy Of course one key ingredient of a successful hotel reservations sales program is to train your team on the contemporary sales tactics needed to covert today's over-informed, channel-surfing callers. The most important sales tactics are to ask the right questions to find out where they are at in their buying decision, such as "As I'm checking those dates, what questions can I answer for you about our location or amenities?" and then to provide alluring descriptions that "narrate the pictures they have seen online." Yet too often managers only implement the sale training component, and then if they measure the results at a...
JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® Announces 3rd Edition of The HMA & Franchise Agreement Handbook
April 7, 2014
In Response to Sea Change in the Hotel Industry The Global Hospitality Group® of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) is pleased to announce publication of the 3rd edition of The HMA & Franchise Agreement Handbook, a guide for hotel owners, developers, investors and lenders negotiating or terminating hotel management agreements (HMAs) and franchise agreements. Co-authored by JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® Chairman, Jim Butler, and Senior Member of the Group, Robert E. Braun, the 3rd edition of The Handbook has been revised extensively to reflect a recent sea change in the industry - the proliferation of franchise agre...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 123; Hotel History: Boone Tavern Hotel, Berea, Kentucky
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | April 1, 2014
Quote of the Month; My New Book By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Boone Tavern Hotel* Built on the old Dixie Highway and named after Kentucky explorer Daniel Boone, the historic Boone Tavern Hotel is located on College Square in Berea, Kentucky. The hotel is owned by Berea College and operated with student workers from the College Labor Program. Students earn money for books, room and board but pay no tuition (valued at $25,500 per year), thanks to the generosity of donors who support Berea College's mission of providing a free high quality education for students primarily from Appalachia who have high academic potential and li...
Engaging Guests In “Emotionally Valuable Moments”
Doug Kennedy | March 14, 2014
by Doug Kennedy Hotel marketing professionals recognize that today's consumers are increasingly looking for genuine and authentic interactions with those they do business with. That is why smart companies from all service industries recognize that we have entered the era of "hyper-personalization." When it comes to marketing, the evidence is everywhere. Just look inside your snail-mail inbox. Instead of receiving promotional letters and postcards that read "Dear Valued Client" or "Dear Honda Owner," if you are like me you are probably receiving mailings starting with "Dear Doug." Just recently I received a mailing from Jiffy Lube, almos...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 122; Hotel History: The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | March 11, 2014
Quote of the Month; My New Book By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Greenbrier The original hotel, the Grand Central Hotel, was built on this site in 1858. It was known as "The White" and later "The Old White". Beginning in 1778, people came to follow the local Native American tradition to "take the waters" to restore their health. In the 19th century, visitors drank and bathed in the sulphur water to cure everything from rheumatism to an upset stomach. In the 1830s, the resort became well known as judges, lawyers, diplomats, ministers, planters and merchants from southern states visited the Old White resort in the summer for ...
The Importance of Comfort Letters in Financing Franchised Hotels
JMBM | March 10, 2014
For the most recent update on this topic, click here By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 10 March 2014 Comfort letters are more important than ever as franchising continues to be a dominant form of branding hotels. As many of our recent articles have noted, there has been a sea change in the hotel world. Franchise agreements have become the dominant means of branding most hotels in the US, except for a few of the most upscale and luxury brands. This popularity of franchising has made comfort letters more important than ever simply by the predominance of the franchise model, an...
Meet the Money® National Hotel Finance & Investment Conference to Focus on Hotel Development & Deals
Meet the Money | March 7, 2014
For the most recent update on this topic, click here By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 7 March 2014 Meet the Money® National Hotel Finance and Investment Conference will focus on hotel development and deals LOS ANGELES--Meet the Money® 2014 will bring owners, operators, developers, consultants, investors, brands, lenders and other capital providers together in Los Angeles to explore the opportunities of what is predicted to be a breakout year for hotel development and deals. Held May 5-7, the annual national hotel finance and investment conference will focus on ground up d...
Should Your Hotel be Managed by an Operator of Independent Hotels?
JMBM | March 4, 2014
For the most recent update on this topic, click here By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 4 March 2014 Hotel Lawyer with a guest column from an operator of independent hotels A growing number of hotel owners are facing the question of whether and how to brand their hotels, and who should operate them. The New York Times recently estimated that more than 2,500 hotels were reflagged in a single year, and that does not count the growing wave of new hotels coming on line through the development pipeline. The hotel lawyers of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® think the branding and ...
Hotel Franchise Lawyer: 8 Things to Negotiate in Your Next Franchise Agreement
JMBM | February 27, 2014
For the most recent update on this topic, click here By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 27 February 2014 The ascendancy of hotel franchise agreements. Branded hotel franchise agreements continue their rise to dominance in the hotel landscape. Hotel management agreements are not dead, but the advantages of having a hotel operator independent of the brand have been widely recognized and continue to propel the franchise model. (The considerations of branding and using branded (versus independent) management are discussed at length in "When should you choose a brand for your hote...
Is Yours “Just” A Hotel? by Doug Kennedy
Doug Kennedy | February 21, 2014
Being in the hotel front desk, reservations and sales mystery shopping business it is interesting to hear the descriptions that frontline agents provide when asked for information about their hotels. Those who have not been specifically trained to properly handle such questions tend to respond in one of three ways. Some sound surprised that a guest would ask questions about the hotel itself and/or its amenities, services and facilities. Many of these agents are "Millennials" or "Gen X-ers" who might wonder why a guest would not just go online themselves to find this information. They fail to recognize the interplay of electronic and voi...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 121; Hotel History: Ponce de Leon Hotel (1888), St. Augustine, Florida
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | February 19, 2014
Quote of the Month; My New Book By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine, Florida* The Ponce de Leon Hotel was built by millionaire Henry Morrison Flagler, Standard Oil co-founder (with John D. Rockefeller) and opened in 1888. Flagler had taken his second wife on a honeymoon to Jacksonville and further south to the seaside village of St. Augustine (the oldest permanent European settlement in the United States). Flagler loved the breathtaking expanse of sea and shore, and enjoyed the clear skies and balmy weather when most of the rest of the country's residents (then concentrated in the northeast) were...
JMBM’s Chinese Investment Group™ Announces Successful Acquisitions in the U.S. for Chinese Clients
JMBM | February 10, 2014
Promotes Eudeen Chang to Vice Chairman of the Group By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 10 February 2014 Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) is pleased to announce the successful closing of a number of hotel and real estate purchases by members of its Chinese Investment Group™, and the promotion of Eudeen Chang to Vice Chairman of the Group. Chang is a founding member of the Group as well as a senior member of the Firm's JMBM's internationally recognized Global Hospitality Group®. The attorneys in JMBM's Chinese Investment Group™ help Chinese investors make in...
Hotel Spa Reservations Training Tips by Doug Kennedy
Doug Kennedy | February 5, 2014
Having spent most of my career presenting sales training for hotel front desk and room reservations agents, it has been interesting these last few years to see an increasing number of upscale hotel and resort spa managers reaching out for the same type of sales and guest service excellence training. When you think about it, it makes complete sense as they face many of the same challenging call scenarios as hotel front desk and reservations agents. Examples include callers who: - Have been online prior to calling but who need the personal reassurance that the spa is a good choice, which only a human voice can offer. - Are confused b...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 120 Hotel History: Wolcott Hotel (1904); Quote of the Month; My New Book
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | January 28, 2014
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Wolcott Hotel (1904)* Although it opened on March 1, 1904, the Wolcott remains one of New York City's best-kept hotel bargain secrets. Centrally located on 31st Street, just 3 blocks down Fifth Avenue from the Empire State Building, the Wolcott was designed by one of the most famous architects in the United States, architect John H. Duncan (1855-1929). He came to prominence in the early 1890s when he designed the Ulysses S. Grant's Tomb and townhouses for some of New York's richest families: Otto H. Kahn, Arthur Lehman, the Goelets and Strausses. Duncan also designed one of the greatest public ...
Hotel Management Agreements: 5 Things to Keep in Mind When You Look for a Hotel Operator
JMBM | January 24, 2014
For the most recent update on this topic, click here By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 24 January 2014 As the economy and the hotel industry fundamentals continue to improve, hotel values have recovered to pre-recession levels in many of the top 35 hotel markets, the number of hotel transactions has jumped and new capital is pouring into hotels. This new capital -- whether focused on new, ground-up development, or the purchase of neglected assets with a view to deep renovation and rebranding -- is increasingly seeking new brands and management for their hotels. We have not s...
Hotel Industry Outlook: Jim Butler’s Top 10 for 2014
January 20, 2014
For the most recent update on this topic, click here By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 21 January 2014 Hotel Industry Outlook: Jim Butler's Top 10 for 2014 by Jim Butler | Chairman, JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® A lot of exciting things are happening in the hospitality industry as 2014 opens. Based upon more than $68 billion of hotel transactions, JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® has made its "top 10" pick of the events, issues, trends, and developments that will have the biggest impact on the hotel industry. 1. 2013 will prove to be better-than-expected, but 2014 will ...
Starwood & The Phoenician Get an Expensive (and unnecessary) Lesson in ADA Compliance. Who’s Next?
JMBM | January 16, 2014
For the most recent update on this topic, click here Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 16 January 2014 Hotel Lawyer with observations on the DOJ's ADA investigation of Starwood Hotels and The Phoenician, and the recent ADA Settlement Agreement. In January 2009, the Hotel Law Blog reported the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Time Square Manhattan Theater District sweep of nearly 60 hotels. See ADA Defense Lawyers: ADA Sweeps by Department of Justice - Coming to a theater district or hotel near you soon? At that time, Marty Orlick, Chair of JMBM's ADA Compliance and Defense Group - who re...
