HFTP® Acquires Leading Hospitality Industry Brands: Hospitality Upgrade, Hotel-Online, The CIO Summit and The Executive Vendor Summit
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals | June 25th, 2024
Q1 2019 U.S. Lodging Market Update
Daniel Lesser | April 24, 2019
By Daniel H. Lesser While the longer economic growth endures, intuitively the risk of recession rises. Despite GDP indicative of a slowing economy during Q4 2019, the U.S. economic expansion which commenced in June 2009, is soon approaching the longest post-World War II expansion with uninterrupted growth. Investors frequently ponder where we are in a cycle. Is the current economic climate most like 1995, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2008 or 2016? While history often rhymes, the reality is we are in 2019, which presents its own set of idiosyncratic risks and opportunities. Many economists have opined that expansions do not die of old age, rather t...
Marriott International to Expand in Mexico by More Than 50% by the End of 2023
Marriott International | April 24, 2019
Company signed deals in Mexico in 2018 for 15 hotels with more than 2,300 rooms– including the first EDITION contract for the Caribbean and Latin America Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced that it expects to expand its footprint in Mexico by more than 50% to the end of 2023, following a robust year of new signings. In 2018, the company signed 36 deals in the Caribbean and Latin America, including more than 2,300 rooms or close to 40% of total rooms in Mexico. With these new deals, Marriott's total Mexico pipeline now features nearly 50 properties consisting of 8,000 rooms across the country – from Mexicali ...
Emaar Hospitality Group to Open 5 New Hotels in Dubai This Year
Emaar Hospitality Group | April 24, 2019
Dubai, UAE; April 24, 2019: Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure business of global developer Emaar Properties, today announced that it will open four new hotels in Dubai under its premium luxury Address Hotels + Resorts and upscale lifestyle Vida Hotels and Resorts, this year. Further, Rove Hotels, the joint venture of Emaar Properties and Meraas, will open a new hotel, further adding to the contemporary midscale hotel choices in the city. Two hotels will open under Address Hotels + Resorts – both in Downtown Dubai: Address Fountain Views and Address Sky View. The new hotels to open under Vida Hotels and Resorts a...
New Castle Hotels & Resorts Opens Cambria Hotel Charleston Riverview
Cambria Hotels | April 24, 2019
ROCKVILLE, Md., April 23, 2019 -- Franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), the Cambria Hotels brand continues its South Carolina expansion with the opening of Charleston's newest hotel, the Cambria Hotel Charleston Riverview. The 126-room hotel is located at 84 Ripley Point Dr., along South Carolina's scenic Ashley River. The upscale hotel is just minutes from the Historic Downtown District, where guests can explore the city's main attractions by foot or horse-drawn carriage, including the Charleston City Market, Riley Waterfront Park, Historic King Street, the South Carolina Aquarium, and the Dock Street Theatre. The h...
The Ogunquit River Inn Joins Ascend Hotel Collection
Ascend Hotel Collection | April 24, 2019
ROCKVILLE, Md., April, 24, 2019 -- The Ogunquit River Inn is the latest hotel to join the Ascend Hotel Collection by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), a portfolio of best-in-class, unique, boutique and historic hotels and resorts that reflect their surrounding community. Located just outside of Portland, Maine, the waterfront town of Ogunquit boasts stunning views of the area's renowned natural beauty and the Rachel Carson Wildlife Preserve. Whether travelers are in the area to see the leaves change or the lilacs bloom, the Ogunquit River Inn allows guests to experience the year-round charm of the Pine Tree State. The O...
Marcus Hotels & Resorts Launches Renovation of Wisconsin’s Hilton Madison Monona Terrace
Marcus Hotels & Resorts | April 24, 2019
MILWAUKEE -- Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a nationally recognized hotel management company and division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced extensive renovations are underway at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, in Madison, Wis. to be completed in time for the busy 2019 summer travel season. The Hilton Madison Monona Terrace is owned and operated by Marcus Hotels & Resorts. "Since its opening in 2001, the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace has been the city's first choice for business and leisure travelers. The current changes underway will provide guests with more amenities and conveniences to make their travel experi...
Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Allen Benefits From Seamless Implementation of Signature RFID Door Locks and Superior Customer Service by ASSA ABLOY G
ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions | April 24, 2019
New Texas-based luxury property attains latest RFID security abilities. Stockholm –April 24, 2019 – ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions has announced the successful implementation of VingCard Signature RFID locks at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Allen, a newly constructed modern luxury property located in Allen, Texas. Altera Development's decision to adopt RFID-based door locks by ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions is credited not only to the company's ability to provide the highest security technology standards, but also due to its reputation for leading the industry in customer service and support. As a member of the ASSA ABLOY G...
St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino Installs Aptech PVNG Enterprise Financial Accounting
Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. | April 24, 2019
Aptech Recognized as The Industry Standard for Hospitality Financial Systems PITTSBURGH, April 24, 2019 – Aptech Computer Systems announced St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino installed PVNG Enterprise Financial Accounting system to simplify back office processes and provide comprehensive reporting. The St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino is a 389-room luxury destination on Frigate Bay featuring nine dining outlets, the Emerald Mist Spa, and many other amenities. Aptech Computer Systems is the leading provider of business intelligence, budgeting and forecasting, and enterprise hotel accounting softw...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 212: Hotel History: Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, California (1888)
Stanley Turkel | April 23, 2019
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, California * The renowned Hotel del Coronado is a grand example of elegant Victorian architecture providing one of the most beautiful and popular beach resorts in the United States. The Del was conceived by two mid-western businessmen, Elisha Babcock, Jr. and Hampton L. Story who bought the entire undeveloped 4,100 acres on the peninsula of Coronado for $110,000. Babcock was a retired railroad executive from Evansville, Indiana and Story the owner of the Story & Clark Piano Company in Chicago. Babcock and Story hired the architectural firm of Reid & Reid consi...
HHM Completes Acquisition of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Atlanta Airport
HHM | April 23, 2019
PHILADELPHIA, April 23, 2019 -- Philadelphia-based HHM has completed its acquisition of the DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Airport, which features 220 guest rooms, 4,500 square feet of updated meeting space, multiple food and beverage outlets, and a fitness center and swimming pool. The DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Airport offers an upscale and chic experience in close proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which has hosted more passengers than any other airport across the globe for 20 years running. In addition to airport demand, the hotel is only a few miles from Downtown Atlanta's fast-growing business and trave...
5 Questions to Determine if Your Hotel Group Sales Process Is Broken
Lauren Hall | April 23, 2019
By Lauren Hall, Founder & CEO, iVvy The hospitality industry is evolving at a rapid pace. From heightened guest expectations to revolutionary new-age technology, the world of travel is constantly reinventing and re-imagining itself. The group booking segment is experiencing a similar period of growth, and the potential for hoteliers to capitalize has, perhaps, never been more imminent. In fact, CWT Meetings & Travel predicts a 5-10% growth in demand for meetings and events this year. Not only that, but meetings are getting 22.7% bigger according to the AMEX Global Meetings Forecast. Between 2017 and 2018 the number of companies ...
Laurent Idrac Assumes Role as Chief Operations Officer for Hapi
Hapi | April 23, 2019
Experienced hospitality technology industry executive to head up operations for provider of cloud-based data streaming, integration and enrichment platform Orlando, FL – April 23, 2019 – Hapi, the transformative new data streaming, integration and enrichment platform designed to solve the hotel industry's rapidly expanding data management challenges, has named Laurent Idrac, a 30-year veteran of the global hotel technology industry as COO for the company. Prior to assuming this new leadership role, Idrac served on Hapi's Board of Advisors. "After almost a year as an executive advisor to Hapi, I felt it was the right time fo...
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun Unveils 30 Million-Dollar Renovation
April 23, 2019
MIAMI, April 23, 2019 -- Palace Resorts – the company that sets the standard in five-star, all-inclusive resort accommodations – is pleased to announce the completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation of Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun, the brand's flagship property and one of Cancun's top all-inclusive resorts as designated by TripAdvisor for multiple years in a row. The adults-only, AAA Five Diamond Awarded resort, recently reopened after extensive enhancements to its interiors and exteriors, including a completely redesigned lobby, upgrades to its meeting space, well-appointed new designer guest suites, redefined res...
Study Shows Voice Technology Is the No. 1 AI Investment Choice Among Hoteliers in 2019
Volara | April 23, 2019
Volara's software turns consumer-grade voice assistants into hotel-grade business tools New York — April 23, 2019 — The 2019 Lodging Technology Study reports that 2019 is the year "hotels gear up for the age of augmented authenticity." With Gartner predicting that by 2020, 85% of relationships with businesses will not require human interaction, it's clear that hoteliers need to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) today if they are going to engage guests through the channels they're most comfortable using. Volara – the voice hub for the hotel industry – cautions that embracing AI ...
Full-Scale Renovation Underway at Residence Inn Atlanta Duluth/Gwinnett Place to Be Completed Early Summer 2019
Residence Inn by Marriott | April 23, 2019
DULUTH, G.A. (April 23, 2019) — Residence Inn by Marriott Atlanta Duluth/Gwinnett Place is excited to announce a comprehensive guest room and public space renovation to be completed early summer 2019. They are owned by New Century Group, LLP and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality. The renovation involves updating all guest rooms to the new Residence Inn décor package, Neuhaus. Included in the renovation are the guest rooms, meeting space, fitness center, pool, and public spaces. These spaces will receive updated furniture, improved layouts, new lighting, wall coverings, carpeting, plush bedding, and more. The hotel is built f...
INTELITY to Attend HITEC Minneapolis
INTELITY | April 23, 2019
The company will highlight the strength of its end-to-end platform at the world's largest hospitality technology show Los Angeles, California (April 23, 2019) – INTELITY™ announced today it will exhibit at HITEC Minneapolis, which will take place this June 17-20. The company, known for offering the most robust and fully integrated guest engagement platform in hospitality, will unveil its newest platform enhancements centered around its staff-facing solutions and in-room tablet. INTELITY is well known for its guest-facing solutions and was named the "Official Mobile and In-Room Technology Provider" by Forbes Travel Guide for ...
Cloud5 Communications Designs & Builds WiFi Network for the New TownePlace Suites by Marriott at Louisville Airport
Cloud5 Communications | April 23, 2019
CHICAGO (April 23, 2019) – Cloud5 Communications, the leading communications technology and services provider for the hospitality industry, has recently completed the installation of high speed internet access (HSIA) at the new 95-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Louisville Airport in Kentucky. The advanced HSIA network by Cloud5 ensures that the property provides the highest level of connectivity for guest satisfaction and meets Marriott's latest Global Property Network Standards (GPNS) for Internet. Cloud5 is a top ranked Marriott Internet supplier. Serving the full-range of Marriott properties from limited service to large c...
Owned and Managed by High Hotels, Residence Inn by Marriott Set to Open in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Residence Inn by Marriott | April 23, 2019
Lancaster, PA – April 23, 2019 – The 127-suite Residence Inn by Marriott in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is scheduled to open on Friday, April 26, 2019 with its upscale, stylish décor that offers flexibility, and alternatives that allow guests to heighten their travel experience. Located at 1450 Harrisburg Pike, the all-suite Residence Inn Lancaster will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by High Hotels Ltd. of Lancaster, PA. Situated in The Crossings at Conestoga Creek – featuring shopping, dining and entertainment options, the Residence Inn Lancaster offers its guests convenient access to downtown L...
How to Increase Hotel Direct Bookings
Hotelogix | April 23, 2019
Before we dig into the ways to increase hotel direct bookings, hope you're convinced with the "Why of Direct Bookings". If not, you can check this blog of ours that highlights the reasons to have a strategy for hotel direct bookings. Now, let's come to the topic - how to have a 'book direct' strategy? How would you plan to get more direct bookings when the average hotel website conversion rate stands at below 2%, despite hoteliers spending on marketing and SEO activities? Well, there is no definite, isolated way to drastically increase direct bookings at your hotel. Increased direct booking is a result of many collaborative efforts. And...
A look at the hospitality industry: which hotels rise and fall
PHNR | April 23, 2019
Like every other industry in the country, the hospitality industry has experienced this economic downtown in full gage. Hoteliers have been competing for business by figuring out how to create a valuable guest experience. The most apparent way to create value is by the pricing of your product/service. To stay profitable, hotels must charge guests different rates depending on demand. Thus, effective yield management is extremely important within the industry. In doing as such, guests are likely to experience fluctuations in their value perception. Since value is the relationship between price and satisfaction; it is the difference betwee...
New Research Shows 81 Percent of Consumers Want Experience Recommendations From Their Hotels
ALICE | April 22, 2019
New ALICE "Hotels' Digital Divide" report reveals consumers' shifting expectations for more personalized experiences and offerings NEW YORK – April 24, 2019 – ALICE, the hotel operations platform that empowers operational excellence and meaningful guest experiences, today released new research that found a sweeping majority (81 percent) of consumers would like to receive local experience and hotel upgrade recommendations from their hotels. The "Hotels' Digital Divide" report, commissioned by ALICE and conducted by third-party research firm YouGov, highlights the shifting expectations of modern hotel guests, as well as travel...
Rising Capex, Development and Wellness Construction
Mia A. Mackman | April 22, 2019
By Mia A. Mackman This article reviews contributing factors to rising capital expenditures and investment demands in relationship to progressively important guest experiences and wellness attributes. As increasing wellness and lifestyle features continue to emerge across the hospitality sector focused on well-being, new value propositions continue to evolve. This article reviews Capex spending increases amid rising construction costs, and consumer demand with an emphasis on the value of incorporating enhanced spa and wellness-oriented property features. Transition and Demand Over the last decade, the spa and wellness sector has faced tr...
Industry Report: Innovation Strategy in Practice
Dr Carlos Martin-Rios | April 22, 2019
How do global hospitality businesses tackle innovation? The Hospitality Innovation Report analyzes how different innovation strategies contribute to generating competitive advantages for hospitality businesses. By Dr. Carlos Martin-Rios The Hospitality Innovation Industry Report, authored by EHL Associate Professor Dr. Carlos Martin-Rios, is based around a comprehensive model reviewing combinations of technological and non-technological innovations and analyzes how different innovation strategies contribute to generating competitive advantages for hospitality businesses. Dr. Rios has been tracking hospitality innovation for the past sev...
IHG Signs Agreement With Bin Faqeeh Real Estate Investment Company for Staybridge Suites Manama Al Seef
April 22, 2019
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has announced the signing of Staybridge Suites Manama Al Seef, marking the debut of the brand in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Expected to open in January 2020, the 128-room extended stay hotel will operate under a management agreement with major developer, Bin Faqeeh Real Estate Investment Company S.P.C. The signing was held with the attendance of H.E. Sheikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, CEO of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) in the headquarters of the Bin Faqeeh Real Estate Investment Company S.P.C. Located in the heart of the capital, St...
