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
The Rainmaker Group Appoints Hospitality Veteran as New Head of Sales
Rainmaker | August 28, 2018
ALPHARETTA, GA. — August 28, 2018 — The Rainmaker Group (Rainmaker), a leader in revenue management solutions for the hospitality and gaming industry, is proud to announce the appointment of Matt Curry as their new Head of Sales. Curry joined Rainmaker in 2016 to lead sales and business development for the multifamily housing division. Upon divesting that side of the business to RealPage in late 2017, he transitioned to Rainmaker's hospitality business to lead product strategy and development, integrations, and customer support. "Matt's background paired with his proven leadership and commitment to Rainmaker makes this move ...
GuestTek Announces Brady Leman Sponsorship
GuestTek | August 28, 2018
Brady Leman, 2018 Ski Cross Olympic Gold Medalist, sponsored by GuestTek GuestTek Interactive Entertainment, Ltd. is pleased to announce their sponsorship of Brady Leman, winner of the 2018 Olympic Gold Medal in ski cross. Brady's Olympic dreams began just outside Calgary, where he got his start skiing at Lake Louise at only 18 months old. As a child, he spent hours watching a 1988 Calgary Olympics highlight video loop while his mother worked at the Canada Olympic Park ski shop. He knew he wanted to ski for his country. On his journey to win ski cross gold for Canada, Brady overcame many obstacles. He has broken his right leg three time...
Champion Hotels Taps dormakaba for First IHG avid™ hotel, First Tru by Hilton
dormakaba | August 28, 2018
dormakaba Electronic Door Locks Help Nation's Largest Privately Held Hotel Operator Provide a Secure, High Quality Guest Experience August 28, 2018 – Champion Hotels opened the world's first IHG avid hotel in Oklahoma City this month. It also opened the first Tru by Hilton in mid-2017. Champion installed dormakaba's Saflok Quantum™ mobile ready RFID electronic door locks at both properties. Champion Hotels is the largest privately held hotel operator in the US with over 180 franchised locations. Its brands include Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Wyndham, and Choice. dormakaba provides secure Saflok™ and Ilco™ electronic d...
Fairmas wins hotel Ritz Paris as financial planning software customer
Fairmas GmbH | August 28, 2018
Ritz Paris uses FairPlanner from Fairmas to optimize financial planning The traditional luxury hotel Ritz Paris, one of the two privately owned Ritz hotels apart from The Ritz London, is now using the financial planning software FairPlanner from Fairmas GmbH based in Berlin. By integrating FairPlanner into their existing IT software environment, Ritz Paris is standardizing and automating the processing of their financial data for budget and forecast planning, with the aim of making the hotel's financial planning process more efficient. By utilizing FairPlanner, the hotel management is digitizing processes that are hardly visible to ...
OpenKey and Runtriz Create Global Partnership
OpenKey | August 28, 2018
Pairing brings mobile key and guest services to hotels in 140 countries DALLAS, TEXAS and LOS ANGELES, CA (August 28, 2018) – Runtriz and OpenKey have teamed up to elevate the digital guest experience in hotels around the world. OpenKey is the industry standard for universal mobile access in hotels and Runtriz is the leading guest engagement platform powering digital and mobile experiences for the world's leading hotel, resort and casino brands. The partnership brings significant advantages to hotel ownership and management companies in particular through combining flexible guest services such as requests for housekeeping or maint...
Waterford Hotel Group Promotes Kristen Pikula to General Manager of the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport
the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport | August 27, 2018
WATERFORD, CT (August 27, 2018) – Kristen Pikula has been named General Manager of the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks, CT. As General Manager, Pikula is responsible for all aspects of the hotel's operations. The 237-room full-service hotel is the only hotel located within the Bradley International Airport complex. The hotel's asset manager is Konover Hotel Corporation and the operations manager is Waterford Hotel Group, both national hotel companies. Pikula has more than 10 years of hotel management experience with Waterford Hotel Group. She started her management career with the company as Director of...
Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association Names Michael Jacobson President and Chief Executive Officer
Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association | August 27, 2018
Today, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IHLA) announced the appointment of Michael Jacobson as incoming President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Jacobson, who most recently served as the Senior Director of Industry Relations and Political Engagement of the U.S. Travel Association (USTA), joins the IHLA effective October 1, 2018. He will replace long admired industry veteran Marc Gordon, who announced his December 2018 retirement earlier this year after a successful, 21-year tenure as the association's President and CEO. "This has been an exhaustive search, and we are thrilled with the outcome," said Tom Robertson, IHLA Ch...
Hotel Equities Selected as Managing Partner to Open Aloft in Oklahoma City
Hotel Equities | August 27, 2018
Atlanta, GA – August 27, 2018 – Hotel Equities (HE) just announced their selection as the operator of the new-build Aloft hotel located at 13111 Highland Park Blvd. in Oklahoma City, OK. This new addition to HE's lifestyle division of hotels is owned by Highland Hospitality, LLC. An expected completion date is scheduled for Q1 2019. "We are proud to partner with this ownership group to open the Aloft hotel in Oklahoma's capital city", said Joe Reardon, HE's SVP of Business Development & Marketing. "Our regional team will tap into their experience and knowledge of the market to ensure the hotel is fully ramped quickly upo...
Tampa Bay’s Innisbrook Launches Guestroom Renovation to Be Completed by End of 2018
Innisbrook, a Salamander Resort | August 27, 2018
TAMPA BAY, FL (August 27, 2018) – When the idea to build Innisbrook, now a Salamander Resort, was conceived, the concept was both exciting and disruptive: a luxurious Florida golf resort with multiple courses and condominium-style accommodations. After it opened in 1970, the Tampa Bay area property quickly vaulted into the echelons of the country's finest golf resorts, and has remained there ever since thanks to the addition of many more amenities, the staging of a PGA TOUR event for the past 29 years, and an owner dedicated to quality and service. Its popularity has never been greater. Now, as preparations to celebrate its 50th a...
Reuben Brothers Acquires The Curtain Hotel and Members Club in London’s Shoreditch District
Reuben Brothers | August 27, 2018
Freehold of a Luxury Shoreditch hotel and members club is bought by Reuben Brothers who have entered into a long-term agreement with the current team, led by New York hotelier Michael Achenbaum. One of London's newest and most sought-after luxury lifestyle hotels and members' clubs, The Curtain Hotel and Members Club in Shoreditch (www.thecurtain.com), which was brought to the capital in 2017 as a new concept by Michael Achenbaum, also of Gansevoort Hotel Group (www.theghg.com ), has been sold to the Reuben Brothers. The sale is purely transactional and no changes will be made to the management or operations of the hotel and members clu...
HOTEL to Acquire 50% of the 140-Room Cleviá Grand Leon Hotel Opening in Guanajuato
HOTEL | August 27, 2018
MEXICO CITY, Aug. 27, 2018 -- Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe, S.A.B. Of C.V. (BMV: HOTEL) ("HOTEL" or "the Company"), one of the leading companies in the hotel industry in Mexico, announces the signing of a contract to acquire 50% of the Cleviá Grand Leon hotel. The 5-star hotel which is in its final stages of completion is located in Leon, Guanajuato and has 140 rooms. Currently brand alternatives for the property are being evaluated. The value of the asset is Ps. 383 Million. Out of the total investment, Ps. 127 million are debt and HOTEL contributed Ps.128 million which represent 50% of the equity and will consoli...
Consumers Want Amazon to Be a Travel Booking Site – What Can Hotels Learn?
Steffan Berelowitz | August 27, 2018
By Steffan Berelowitz Amazon dominates the world of e-commerce. Could it do the same in online travel bookings? Consumers would happily use the platform to book their travel plans if given the chance, according to a recent survey by flight travel intelligence company OAG. OAG surveyed 2,164 U.S. travelers to find out which platforms and methods they would be comfortable booking travel through. Amazon was the clear winner, with 44% of respondents saying they would consider using the e-commerce giant to book travel if it offered the service. This result is particularly impressive considering that the second most favored option was Faceboo...
Xenia Hotels & Resorts Acquires The Ritz-Carlton, Denver for Approximately $100 Million
Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. | August 27, 2018
ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 27, 2018 -- Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: XHR) ("Xenia" or the "Company") today announced its acquisition of The Ritz-Carlton, Denver, a 202-room luxury hotel located in Denver, Colorado for a purchase price of $100.25 million, or approximately $496,000 per key. The acquisition was funded with cash available on the Company's balance sheet. The purchase price represents an estimated 14.6x multiple on 2018 forecasted Hotel EBITDA. Xenia currently forecasts that the hotel will generate approximately $2.5 million of Hotel EBITDA during the remainder of 2018. "We are excited to have ...
Hospitality Management in India: Five Trends to Know
Prashant Das | August 27, 2018
By Dr. Prashant Das Although a layman's perception of hospitality is overwhelmed by the notion of "guest-oriented services", the scope of hospitality management in India has drastically expanded in recent years. There must be more to an industry with an annual revenue worth $1 trillion and over 8 million employees globally. The share of travel and tourism within the Indian economy is around 10% and steadily growing. More importantly, the industry claims to create nearly 8% employment in India which is expected to grow in the future. Within the next ten years, the hospitality sector will create nearly 70 lakh new jobs directly and nearly...
KTN Announces an Innovative New Front Desk Hospitality Certification Program
Kennedy Training Network, Inc. | August 27, 2018
Now Front Desk Agents Can Become "Certified in the Heart of Hospitality" Florida, USA – August 27, 2018 – Kennedy Training Network Inc. Now your front desk colleagues can be Certified in the Heart of Hospitality and achieve what will soon be a highly coveted industry designation of being CHH. KTN President Doug Kennedy said: "Unlike other lodging industry certification programs which involve taking a passive, online class followed by an easy-to-pass multiple choice online test, KTN's CHH program is a highly engaging and personalized journey, which is essential for teaching intangible skills such as hospitality. He ...
Buenos Aires Rolls Out Tax Incentives to Build and Renovate Hotels in the City
the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires | August 27, 2018
The incentives plan to boost competitiveness of existing hotels is a response to the estimated arrival of 430,000 new international tourists to the destination. Buenos Aires, Argentina - August 27, 2018 – Buenos Aires' government announced this week plans to implement a new bill that will offer tax incentives to the city's hospitality industry in an effort to expand offerings and accommodate the projected tourism growth. The bill will benefit hoteliers who build new properties or undertake renovations or substantial expansions to current hotels. "We have an opportunity to position the city as the most visited destination in the s...
Canadian Lodging Outlook Quarterly 2018-Q2
HVS Canada | August 27, 2018
HVS and STR are pleased to provide you with the quarterly report of the Canadian Lodging Outlook. Each report includes occupancy (occ), average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR) for six major markets. If you would like a detailed hotel performance data for all of Canada, STR offers their Canadian Hotel Review. The Canadian Hotel Review is available by annual subscription. For further Information, please contact: info@str.com or +1 (615) 824-8664 ext. 3504. ...
Hotel Crescent Court Appoints Denise Mope as Director of Sales & Marketing
Hotel Crescent Court | August 23, 2018
DALLAS – Aug. 28, 2018 – Hotel Crescent Court – situated in the heart of Dallas' vibrant Uptown – proudly announces the appointment of Denise Mope as Director of Sales & Marketing. The iconic hotel continues to add industry-leading talent with a focus on results-driven marketing following its recent multi-million dollar transformation. Denise brings 18 years of hospitality-specific experience to Hotel Crescent Court with hotels and resorts throughout major metropolitan cities such as Dallas, Chicago, Orlando and South Florida. In her new role, she will develop and implement marketing strategies and sales init...
Royal Caribbean International Gives High Approval to Videotel Digital
Videotel Digital | August 23, 2018
SAN DIEGO, AUGUST 27, 2018 - Creating waves of the best kind on the open seas, Videotel Digital receives a great review from Royal Caribbean International cruise lines. Having come on board with their PUSH Interactive Digital Signage Solution with the VP71XD Media Player, the company lends a hand in an unforgettable entertainment experience for those sailing. Proving to be essential in the hospitality industry for the personalized way guests can be intrigued during visits to venues, hotels, resorts, cruise lines, trains, bars, restaurants, and the like, the company takes center stage. "Videotel's equipment has been a proven solutio...
Are Travelers Falling out of Love With Airbnb?
Nancy Huang | August 23, 2018
By Nancy Huang The sharing economy came with the promise of revolutionizing the way we purchase goods and services, creating a frictionless world where buyers are connected to sellers, thereby cutting out the middleman and bringing down costs to consumers. The promise came to fruition. Today, an innovative breed of startups are giving consumers more choice, control, and convenience than ever before — nowhere more so, than in the travel industry. Yet there are signs that sharing economy accommodations are losing appeal. Since launching a decade ago, Airbnb has become the undisputed poster child of an alternative form of travel. Its...
CVHRM Orlando and Vista Host Management Company Open Home2 Suites by Hilton Orlando South Park
Home2 Suites by Hilton | August 23, 2018
ORLANDO, Fla. - Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) All Suites portfolio, announced today the opening of its 250th property, Home2 Suites by Hilton Orlando South Park. This milestone opening comes during a period of rapid growth for the award-wining extended-stay brand. Home2 Suites by Hilton currently has a pipeline of more than 415 pending properties and is expected to have 300 hotels opened by early 2019. The hotel features 120 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Home2 Suites by Hilton Orlando South Park complements the business district it resides in while offering extended sta...
The Datai Langkawi Welcomes Executive Chef, Stephen Jones and Executive Sous Chef, Jerome Voltat
The Datai Langkawi | August 23, 2018
23rd August 2018 – Ahead of its much-anticipated reopening in September 2018, the iconic rainforest hideaway The Datai Langkawi is proud to welcome Executive Chef, Stephen Jones, and Executive Sous Chef, Jerome Voltat, to the Datai family. All-rounded and exceedingly well-travelled, Stephen favours the ethos of 'less is more' in his cuisine. Drawing influences from his tenure in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Maldives, he believes in taking a natural and uncomplicated approach, with a strong focus on nutrition and well-being. Having worked hand-in-hand with esteemed Australian chefs Tony Bilson and Peter Gilmore, as well as gai...
Propst Development Unveils Plans for Luxury Mixed-Use Development Including a 245-Room Hotel, Broadwest in Nashville
Propst Development | August 23, 2018
Nashville, Tenn. (August 23, 2018) – Propst Development, LLC, a Huntsville, Alabama-based real estate and development company with projects across the Southeast, today revealed plans for Broadwest, a 1.2 million square feet luxury mixed-use development to be located at one of the most high-profile intersections and pivotal parcels of land in Nashville at 1600 West End Avenue. Rising where Broadway meets West End, Broadwest will boast two towers. The first tower will feature 21 stories with more than 510,000 gross square feet of Class-A office space. The second tower will rise 34 stories tall, include a 14-floor, 245-room luxury ho...
Waramaug Acquires Hilton Garden Inn Albuquerque Airport and Homewood Suites by Hilton Albuquerque Airport
Waramaug Hospitality | August 23, 2018
August 23, 2018, Boca Raton, Fla.— Waramaug Hospitality, in a joint venture with an institutional investor, announced today the acquisition of the Hilton Garden Inn Albuquerque Airport and Homewood Suites by Hilton Albuquerque Airport. The 107-room Hilton Garden Inn's guestrooms provide the comforts of home including a microwave, refrigerator, and complimentary Wi-Fi. The property also features a 24-hour business center, heated indoor pool, fitness center, and cooked-to-order breakfast at the Garden Grille & Bar. The 93-room Homewood Suites by Hilton offers studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom suites with granite countertops, da...
