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Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Introduces New Hotel Prototype
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham | November 22, 2013
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (November 22, 2013) – Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, the extended stay hotel brand that is part of Wyndham Hotel Group, has unveiled a new hotel prototype intended to enhance the overall guest experience while reducing development costs for franchisees. The new-construction prototype is a major step in a strategy to evolve the upper midscale brand to provide a contemporary, consistent environment across the portfolio complete with the social, work and living spaces that best fit long-term guests' needs. Additionally, the design significantly lowers the cost for hotel owners to develop a new Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham pro...
Historic Hotels of America Name the 2013 Annual Award Winners
Historic Hotels of America | November 22, 2013
WASHINGTON--The Historic Hotels of America 2013 Annual Awards recipients were announced at The Pfister Hotel (1893) on Thursday, November 21. The Historic Hotels of America 2013 Annual Awards gala dinner was sponsored by Buena Vista Winery and American Express®. Awards were presented to an audience of owners, senior management, invited media, industry leaders, and representatives from the finest historic hotels across America. Honors were given in multiple categories ranging from Hotelier of the Year and Hotel Historian of the Year to Sustainability Champion and Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel. Each year, ...
Are You Ready To Start Your Hotel Reservations QUEST?
Doug Kennedy | November 22, 2013
by Doug Kennedy When it comes to information, the balance of power has shifted to the caller's side of the equation over the last decade or so. In the past most had very little information from a brochure, directory, or tourism guide book unless they had visited before. That's why back then we trained front desk and reservations agents to find out of the caller was familiar with the hotel, and then if not, find out the primary purpose of the trip. Then based on a "business" or "leisure" reason for traveling, agents were trained to offer-up what we would today call a "30 second commercial" or "elevator speech." Now with all of the inform...
Simeon Miranda Appointed as General Manager of Holiday Inn® Waikiki Beachcomber Resort in Hawaii
Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Resort | November 22, 2013
HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII November 22, 2013 - Outrigger® Enterprises Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Simeon Miranda as general manager of the Outrigger-managed Holiday Inn® Waikiki Beachcomber Resort. In his position, Miranda is responsible for overseeing the resort's day-to-day operations and staff management, as well as planning, organizing and directing all hotel services and ensuring a balance between customer satisfaction, effective business management and financial viability for the property. Miranda joins the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Resort from his most recent post as general manager of two other Outrigger-...
Sean Verney Named as General Manager for the 873-key Westin New York at Times Square
The Westin New York at Times Square | November 22, 2013
New York, NY - November 22, 2013 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced the appointment of Sean Verney as General Manager of The Westin New York at Times Square, an 873-room luxury hotel in the heart of Manhattan's famed Times Square. Verney, who has an extensive hospitality and business development background, was previously the General Manager of the Sheraton Parsippany. A longtime Starwood executive, Verney has spent most of his career with the company in New York City. Prior to his most recent GM post in New Jersey, Verney worked with Starwood in Manhattan spanning a variety of positions at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Tower...
Ed Simon Named Vice President of Sales for Destination Hotels & Resorts
Destination Hotels & Resorts | November 22, 2013
Englewood, Colo. - November 22, 2013 - Destination Hotels & Resorts announces the appointment of Ed Simon as Vice President of Sales. In this new position, Simon is responsible for overall sales force effectiveness, including direct sales strategic direction, business intelligence and sales support systems, disciplined sales operational platforms. Simon will lead the strategic development and deployment of the Destination national group, corporate transient sales and luxury retail travel sector, enhancing Destination's above property sales and overall revenue generation to meet the top line revenue goals for the expanding portfolio....
The 320-key Ritz-Carlton, Aruba Opens on Palm Beach
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. | November 22, 2013
MIAMI, Nov. 22, 2013 -- After much anticipation, today The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. introduces its sixth luxury resort in the exclusive Caribbean & Mexico portfolio with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba. Situated on the island's pristine Palm Beach, the eagerly anticipated oceanfront hotel officially welcomes its first guests while ushering in a new level of luxury travel experiences to the beautiful island nation. "We are thrilled to bring The Ritz-Carlton brand to Aruba, a unique island paradise in the Caribbean known for its beautiful sun-kissed beaches, arid landscape and diverse cultural heritage which can be fo...
$14 Million 92-key DoubleTree by Hilton Bemidji Opens on Lake Bemidji Beachfront in Minnesota
DoubleTree By Hilton | November 22, 2013
BEMIDJI, Minn. - November 22, 2013 - DoubleTree by Hilton today announced the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Bemidji along the scenic waterfront of Lake Bemidji following a 15 month, $14 million investment. The newly-constructed hotel adjoins the existing Hampton Inn & Suites Bemidji, a sister brand within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio, and offers premium amenities that poise the hotel to become the area's leading upscale, full-service destination for everything from romantic getaways and family vacations to business trips and social gatherings. The hotel is owned by SCGM, LLC and managed by Rich Siegert and associates. "The openi...
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Assumes Management of The Angler’s Boutique Resort in Miami, Florida
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants | November 22, 2013
83-room Expansion Project to Begin in 2014 SAN FRANCISCO (November 22, 2013) - Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced today its continued expansion in the South Florida market with the management of The Angler's Boutique Resort in Miami, Florida effective November 21, 2013. Originally constructed in 1931 and later restored and revamped in 2007 now features The Angler's Resort of 48 rooms split amongst four separate buildings. The distinctively relaxed, yet sophisticated hotel features a restaurant, board room, pool and seven spa suites. Set to begin in 2014, the hotel will begin development on a new tower that will add 83 rooms, bri...
Richfield Hospitality to Operate La Posada de Santa Fe Resort in New Mexico
Richfield Hospitality | November 22, 2013
Committed to positioning the eclectic resort as Santa Fe's finest leisure destination SANTA FE, N.M./DENVER, Colo., November 22, 2013 - Richfield Hospitality, a leading hotel management company, today announced that it has been retained by a venture sponsored by 1754 Properties LLC to operate La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa in Santa Fe, N.M. Led by new ownership and operator, the hotel will undergo repositioning activities to establish the property as the premiere leisure destination in the heart of downtown Santa Fe in the Plaza district and the closest full service hotel to Canyon Road. "La Posada is a very special resort that ce...
MeetingBroker from Newmarket: Quietly Posting Huge Numbers
Newmarket International, Inc. | November 22, 2013
Join Newmarket for a Complimentary Live Webinar on December 11, 2013 at 2:00PM EST to Learn How the Leading Group Lead Distribution and Management Platform is Tracking Industry Trends While Improving Organizational Success November 22, 2013- Portsmouth, New Hampshire - Time certainly does "go by fast," and apparently so does RFP volume. Who knew that in a short five years, more than 6.5M RFPs have been managed by MeetingBroker resulting in an estimated $12.7B in closed / won business? That's right, "B" as in billion...pinky slowly raises to lip and the most quotable line from Dr. Evil of the Austin Powers movie trilogy is uttered. In th...
The 219-key Embassy Suites in Springfield, Virginia Celebrates Grand Opening
High Velocity Hospitality | November 22, 2013
McLEAN, Va. November 22, 2013 - The newly opened Embassy Suites Hotel in Springfield, Va. celebrated its grand opening event last night benefiting the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir. Along with executives from McLean, Virginia-based Hilton Worldwide and Embassy Suites Hotels and operator High Velocity Hospitality, local officials and community members gathered to celebrate the newly-built hotel, which opened to the public in August. Located at 8100 Loisdale Road in Springfield, Va., the hotel features the latest Embassy Suites design concept, Design Option III, and includes 219 suites along with more than 6,000 square fee...
Building a New Guest Experience with Mobility Services
Tom Moore | November 22, 2013
by Tom Moore Major hotel brands are some of the most recognizable names in the world. The names call to mind memories we might have made at these properties or at least the types of experiences we might imagine these properties offer. We know by the name what to expect, from luxury to quality accommodations on a budget. Whether top-flight or family-oriented, hotel brands - more so than many others - create expectations in ways that few other brand categories can match. Therein lies both a problem and an opportunity. First, let's address the problem. The hospitality industry is changing, buffeted by a variety of forces that cannot be ign...
Hotel Industry Praises Committee Passage of Patent Troll Reform Bill
The American Hotel & Lodging Association | November 22, 2013
Enacting Key Reforms Could Save U.S. Economy $80 Billion Annually Washington, D.C. - November 22, 2013 - The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.8 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, commends the House Judiciary Committee on today's passage of The Innovation Act (H.R. 3309) on a strong bipartisan vote of 33-5 and issued the following statement: "With committee passage of this bill, the House of Representatives moves one step closer towards meaningful patent reform and protection from the predatory, frivolous lawsuits filed by patent trolls, often agai...
Four Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels Achieve Condé Nast Traveler’s 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards
November 21, 2013
Bardessono, Villas of Grand Cypress & Willows Lodge All Honored with Condé Nast Traveler's 2013 Readers' Choice Awards The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, November 2013 ... Benchmark Hospitality International®, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has announced that four of its Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels® properties have achieved the 2013 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards list. The coveted Readers' Choice list is one of the most prestigious consumer awards within the U.S. travel industry. The Readers' Choice Awards list is released annually in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Th...
Depot Renaissance Minneapolis’ Ice Skating Rink Honored By Fodor’s Travel as a Top 10 Rink in the US
The Depot Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel | November 21, 2013
Celebrating with Special "Ice Skating Package" Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 2013 ... The landmark Depot Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel has been recognized by the leading Fodor's Travel magazine as having one of the nation's best ice skating rinks. The Depot's ice rink is located indoors within The Depot Pavilion -- the historic train shed of the Victorian-era former train station, which is now a luxury hotel. The ice rink opens for the 2013-2014 season on November 28, 2013. At #9 in Fodor's Travel's "Best Ice Rinks in the U.S." line-up, the rink within The Depot Pavilion is in exceptional company, including the iconic Rockefeller Cen...
PhoCusWright Names the Next Generation of Groundbreaking Travel Innovators
PhoCusWright Inc. | November 21, 2013
SafelyStay Wins the $250K General Catalyst Award NEW YORK, NY--( Nov, 2013) - Travel industry research authority PhoCusWright Inc. has announced the award winners of The Travel Innovation Summit, held on Nov. 19, the first day of The PhoCusWright Conference currently underway in Hollywood, Fla. Each year, 30 innovators are selected to demonstrate groundbreaking applications and solutions that are set to change the travel industry, and the winners represent the best of this elite group. "New travel startups and legacy travel companies alike are pushing boundaries through all facets of technology -- from mobile to data to cloud -- to ben...
Host Hotels & Resorts Sells the Four Seasons Atlanta for $62 million
Host Hotels & Resorts | November 21, 2013
BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 21, 2013 --- Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: HST) announced today that the Company sold the 244-room Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta and the associated office space for $62 million. The proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. "We are excited to announce this transaction. This sale continues to reduce our market presence in our non-target markets and brings our total dispositions since the beginning of last year to over $750 million," said Struan B. Robertson, executive vice president and chief investment officer. ...
So Many Options, So Much Advice: TripAdvisor & Your Hotel’s Profitability; A Best Practices Tool
Taylor Short | November 20, 2013
Building a strong online reputation on review sites like TripAdvisor has become essential to maintaining a profitable hotel. Hoteliers around the world have experimented with various tactics to generate a large quantity of positive reviews, and one has found success in achieving a strong ranking: the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. The Four Seasons was able to jump more than 20 spots on TripAdvisor's Popularity Index to become the highest ranked hotel in the city in less than two years. To find out how the Four Seasons was able to see such significant increases in their online rankings, Taylor Short of Software Advice, a company that rese...
The Dishes, Drinks & Digs That Will Be Breaking Down Barriers in 2014; AF&Co’s Annual Trends Report
Andrew Freeman & Co. | November 20, 2013
Now in its seventh year, AF&Co's annual trends report has become an industry standard in anticipating market demand and consumer feedback. Compiled from extensive research, the report is intended as a guide to help operators prepare for the coming year. New this year, the AF&Co.'s team of trendologists is introducing the Trends Index – a matrix featuring their top "food calls" for the upcoming year, from the next mutant morsel to predicting the new bacon. "This year's trends are about the experiential," says Freeman. "As technology continues to infuse every aspect of our lives, clientele are looking for deeper personal con...
The European Hotel Design Awards 2013 Winners; The Alpina Gstaad Wins Hotel Design of the Year
the European Hotel Design Awards | November 20, 2013
(London – November 2013) Europe's longest-running and most prestigious architecture and design awards for the hospitality sector, the European Hotel Design Awards, culminated yesterday in an evening of glamour, anticipation and celebration. In the largest European occasion of its kind, some 900 guests from across the Continent gathered together for the reception and dinner, followed by the awards ceremony presented by broadcaster, Lauren Laverne. And the 2013 Winners were....... Architecture of the Year - Conversion and/or Extension of an Existing Hotel Building: Ushuaia Beach Hotel, Ibiza, designed by Estudio Vila 13 Architecture o...
Mona Mellegard Awarded Highest Concierge Honor with Les Clefs D’Or Membership
Royal Palms Resort and Spa | November 20, 2013
Royal Palms Resort and Spa's Concierge is Accepted into the Esteemed Les Clefs d'Or and Receives the Prestigious Crossed Gold Keys Pin PHOENIX - November 20, 2013 - Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix's acclaimed luxury hotel is proud to announce that Lead Concierge, Mona Mellegard, has received membership in the prestigious guild, Les Clefs d'Or. The honor acknowledges her as one of the best in the business, and recognizes her special dedication to excellence and approach to accommodating each guest with unrivaled expertise. The gold keys pin is a recognized symbol of exceptional, professional service bestowed after a rigorous assessme...
The 129-room Courtyard by Marriott Jazan Opens in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Marriott International, Inc. | November 20, 2013
Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 20 November 2013 – During an opening ceremony attended by his Highness Prince Mohammad Bin Nasser Bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud the Emir (Prince) of Jizan Region and Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director Marriott International, Middle East & Africa - Marriott International announced the opening of the Courtyard by Marriott Jazan, owned by Abdulrahman bin Saad Al Rashid. This is Marriott International's first hotel in Jazan, the economic city in the Southwest of Saudi Arabia., and it is the second Courtyard by Marriott property in Saudi Arabia, as Courtyard by Marriott Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter op...
Best Western International Appoints Greg Adams as Vice President of eCommerce
Best Western International, Inc. | November 20, 2013
PHOENIX (November 20, 2013) – Best Western International, the World's Biggest Hotel Family®, announced the hiring of Greg Adams to a new position of vice president, eCommerce. Adams has more than 20 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing leadership positions. "I am delighted to announce Greg is joining our team," said Best Western President and CEO David Kong. "As we continue our industry leading online strategies, Greg's experience will be a great asset to our hotels and organization." Adams initial focus is to make it even easier for more people to make a reservation for their next trip on the company's award-winnin...
