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MCR Acquires 99-Room Inn of Naples in Florida
MCR | March 16, 2021
NEW YORK -- March 16. 2021 -- Caddyshack up here! MCR, the fourth-largest hotel owner-operator in the United States, has acquired the 99-room Inn of Naples in Naples, Florida, the self-proclaimed golf capital of the world. After a winning renovation of public spaces, MCR will convert the hotel to a Hilton Tapestry. The Inn of Naples Hotel & Suites Tapestry by Hilton will welcome its first guests in August 2021. In the meantime, the hotel is open so you can still have a ball and be the ball — there are greens as far as the eye can see. The Inn of Naples is located within five miles of more than a dozen championship courses, while ...
COVID-19’s Impact on the Tampa-St. Petersburg Lodging Market
Jeffrey D. Pennington | March 16, 2021
By Jeffrey D. Pennington Prior to March 2020, the Tampa and St. Petersburg (TSP) market had posted nine straight years of RevPAR growth. The depth of the market’s demand generators and allure of this sunny market were continuing to grow at the start of the new decade. A firm commitment by major stakeholders (public and private) in recent years to the development of the region’s amenity base, corporate relocations and expansions, stable and growing tech and finance sectors, population migration to the region, major infrastructure investments, development projects in Downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg, favorable weather, the presence of ...
Lewiston Murray Named General Manager of Hampton Inn by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton Tucson Downtown
Hampton by Hilton | March 16, 2021
TUCSON, Ariz. – March 16, 2021 – Hampton Inn by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton Tucson Downtown, owned by FHG DTN Tucson Owner, LLC and operated by Fayth Hospitality Management, LLC, today announced Lewiston Murray has been appointed as the hotel’s new general manager. The six story, 199-room/suite hotel is located at 141 South Stone Avenue. The property is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in July 2021. As general manager, Murray will be responsible for directing all aspects of hotel operations, including guest services, hotel administration, and overseeing the sales and marketing efforts. “Lewiston brin...
Boyne Resorts Implements Agilysys Point of Sale & Cloud-Native Contactless Food & Beverage Ordering
Agilysys | March 16, 2021
Agilysys Solutions, Including InfoGenesis POS, IG Flex, IG OnDemand, & Agilysys Pay Support Social Distancing While Streamlining Guest Experience Agilysys, Alpharetta, GA. — March 16, 2021 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation cloud-native SaaS and on-premise hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that Boyne Resorts has implemented the Agilysys InfoGenesis ecosystem of modern POS solutions for its sport and leisure resorts to improve guest service and optimize operations while promoting social distancing through contactless self-service options. Boyne Resorts is a colle...
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples to Undergo Transformation and Expansion
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples | March 16, 2021
NAPLES, FLORIDA – March 16, 2021 – The Ritz-Carlton, Naples is set to embark on a journey of transformation as the luxury beachfront destination announces a resort remastering, inclusive of a substantial expansion as well as a redesign of interiors beginning May 2021. An icon on Florida’s Gulf Coast for over 35 years, the hotel will reveal 92 new luxury suite accommodations including 57 additional suites and a sprawling Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge as well as dramatic enhancements to the lobby, meeting and event spaces, pools and all existing guest rooms and suites. This next chapter in The Ritz-Carlton, Naples’ storied history is exempla...
W Hotels Debuts in Japan With the Opening of 337-Key W Osaka
W Hotels Worldwide | March 16, 2021
OSAKA, JAPAN — March 16, 2021 — The wait is over. W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands, today lifted the curtains on Japan's first-ever W hotel. Making its debut along vibrant Midosuji Boulevard, W Osaka will redefine the local hotel scene with the brand’s spirited spin on luxury as the perfect addition to this electric city. "Osaka's mix of culture and bold, high-energy lifestyle makes it the ideal setting for the debut of W Hotels in Japan," said Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. "We are excited to once again be partnering with Sekisui...
Tharaldson Hospitality Management Opens New Staybridge Suites Temecula – Wine Country
THM | March 16, 2021
Temecula, CA – March 16, 2021 – Tharaldson Hospitality Management (THM) is pleased to announce the brand-new Staybridge Suites Temecula – Wine Country opens today. This extended-stay Staybridge Suites, located at 27500 Jefferson Avenue, features 106 all-suite rooms, along with great amenities such as free Wifi, on-site laundry service, full kitchens in every suite, complimentary hot breakfast every morning (grab and go only during the COVID-19 pandemic), outdoor heated pool, self-service guest laundry, and a state of the art Fitness Room. The hotel also features a Social on Monday through Wednesday evenings, which features a salad ba...
Residence Inn by Marriott Opens First Hotel in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Residence Inn by Marriott | March 16, 2021
DUBAI — March 16, 2021 — Residence Inn by Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands, has announced its debut of the longer stay brand in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the opening of Residence Inn by Marriott Al Jaddaf. Located in a prime city district and boasting spectacular views of the Burj Khalifa, Residence Inn by Marriott Al Jaddaf offers convenient access to key areas including Downtown Dubai and Business Bay. Welcoming guests into a flexible, comfortable, and intuitive space, the Residence Inn experience is designed for guests to travel the way they love to live by blending comfort with style...
Urgo Hotels & Resorts Adds Moxy Miami South Beach to Management Portfolio
Urgo Hotels & Resorts | March 16, 2021
BETHESDA, Md./MIAMI — March 16, 2021 — Officials of Urgo Hotels & Resorts, a leading hotel company that develops, invests, owns and operates hotels and resorts throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, today announced that it has assumed management of the newly opened, 202-room Moxy Miami South Beach. Developed and owned by Lightstone, one of the largest and most diversified privately-held real estate companies in the United States, the new-build hotel marks the brand’s first resort-style property in the world. “The Moxy Miami South Beach is the perfect addition to our ever-growing portfolio of lifestyle hotels a...
Beekeeper and Bucketlist Partner to Recognize and Reward SH Hotels & Resorts’ Frontline Workers
Beekeeper | March 16, 2021
Employees of 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels are recognized via Bucketlist Rewards on the Beekeeper mobile-first communication platform OAKLAND, CALIF. — March 16, 2021 — At the request of SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, Beekeeper has added Bucketlist Rewards to its mobile-first employee communication platform marketplace. By publicly recognizing and rewarding its frontline hotel workers in one place, the hotel management company operating 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels is heightening employee engagement and productivity, increasing r...
Hotel Mariposa Deploys Advanced Wi-Fi Network by HIS to Meet Guest Expectations for High-performance Connectivity
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | March 16, 2021
Upscale boutique property partners with Hotel Internet Services to ensure that guests are guaranteed a fast and reliable online experience for personal devices. LOS ANGELES — March 16, 2021 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions, has announced the implementation of a high-speed Guest Wi-Fi service at Hotel Mariposa. A newly constructed luxury boutique property situated near some of the most popular attractions in Los Angeles, Hotel Mariposa’s adoption of industry-leading Wi-Fi technology by HIS notably ensures that it gains a competitive edge in addressing the top guest priority of i...
ProfitSword Partners With foreUP to Provide Golf Course Operators With Latest in Business Intelligence Analytics
ProfitSword, LLC | March 16, 2021
Integration with foreUP’s suite of golf course management solutions offers in-depth insight into how operators can run a more efficient and profitable business. ORLANDO, Fla. – March 16, 2021 – ProfitSword, a premier developer of business intelligence and data integration software, has announced an integration of its solutions with foreUP, a leading comprehensive provider of golf course management technology. Now compatible with foreUP’s point-of-sale module, the ProfitSword integration ensures that golf course operators can readily access real-time performance analytics that can lead to more streamlined operations while identifyi...
Women in Hospitality
Olympia Hotel Management | March 16, 2021
5 Questions for Sara Masterson, President of Olympia Hotel Management March 16, 2021. Portland, ME — Women’s History Month is a reminder that more women are needed in the top echelons of the hotel industry. Women held just 12 percent of hospitality industry leadership positions in 2019, according to the “2020 Women in Hospitality Industry Leadership" report from the Castell Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in hospitality. A new generation of women hospitality leaders is emerging and among them is Sara Masterson, President of Olympia Hotel Management, one of the relative...
iVvy and ALHI Partner to Make Ivvy’s Disruptive Sales, Catering and Event Management Platform Available to Luxury Hotels Around the World
iVvy | March 16, 2021
Disrupting Legacy Solutions to help hotels manage sales, catering and events NEW YORK March 16, 2021 – iVvy, a disruptor in online meeting technology, is partnering with Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) to help its elite member hotels capture more business and streamline event operations. As hotels prepare for the return of meetings and event business, ALHI members can access IVvy’s cloud-based event management platform to facilitate real time bookings, drive sales and maximize yield. "Our partnership with iVvy allows us to offer a full scope of services and tools that are customizable and fit the independent spirit of...
Tysons Corner Marriott Expands Use of Clear Sky Software and Benefits From Better Food Inventory Control
Clear Sky Software | March 16, 2021
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – March 15, 2021 – Clear Sky Software, Inc. ® announced today that the Tysons Corner Marriott, located in metropolitan Washington DC, has expanded its use of Clear Sky Software’s money-saving inventory systems. Tysons Corner Marriott has been a customer of Clear Sky Software for several years utilizing the company’s perpetual inventory system in the beverage department. After achieving much success with Clear Sky’s beverage inventory software, the hotel made the decision to extend this technology to the culinary department. Now Tysons Corner Marriott has one vendor and one system for tracking and co...
U.S. Market Recovery Monitor – 6 March 2021
STR | March 15, 2021
15 March 2021 - About the MRM As the U.S. hotel industry hits the one-year anniversary of the earliest COVID-19 impact, year-over-year percentage changes become less actionable when analyzing performance recovery. Thus, STR has introduced a weekly Market Recovery Monitor that will categorize each STR-defined market based on an indexed comparison with the same time periods in 2019. An index is simply a ratio that divides current performance by the benchmark (2019 data). For example, during the week ending 6 March 2021, U.S. RevPAR was $48.13. In the comparable week from 2019, RevPAR was $87.75. This produces an index of 54.8 ($48.13/$87....
Hyatt Celebrates 1,000th Global Hotel Opening With Debut of Alila Napa Valley
Hyatt Hotels Corporation | March 15, 2021
CHICAGO – March 15, 2021 – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the official opening of Hyatt’s 1,000th hotel worldwide, Alila Napa Valley in St. Helena, Calif. Founder Jay Pritzker purchased the first Hyatt hotel in 1957 with a new vision for hospitality, built around people. Since then, Hyatt’s purpose to care for people so they can be their best has driven groundbreaking hotel designs, the award-winning World of Hyatt guest loyalty program and strategic brand acquisitions. Today, this milestone reinforces Hyatt’s continued commitment to intentional growth in places that matter most to guests, members, custo...
4 Ways to Use Big Data to Enhance Guest Service and Maximize Hotel Revenue
Manon Campbell | March 15, 2021
By Manon Campbell The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil. It's data. Smartphones and the internet have made data the currency of our times. Nearly every activity, whether it's going for a run or watching TV, creates a digital trace to be tracked and analyzed. Data's influence on the hospitality industry is nothing new. But hoteliers still are grappling with the concept of big data, referring to the large volume of data that inundates businesses on a day-to-day basis. After all, it's not the amount of data that's important; it's what you do with it that matters. Tapping the power of big data can yield significant di...
Blackstone and Starwood Capital Group to Acquire Extended Stay America in $6B Deal
Extended Stay America, Inc. | March 15, 2021
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- March 15, 2021 -- Extended Stay America, Inc. and its paired-share REIT, ESH Hospitality, Inc. (“ESH” and together with ESA, the “Company”) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by a 50/50 joint venture between funds managed by Blackstone Real Estate Partners (“Blackstone”) and Starwood Capital Group (“Starwood Capital”) for $19.50 per paired share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6 billion. The $19.50 per paired share consideration represents a premium of 23.3% over the 30-day volume-weighted average share price ending March 12, 2021 and a premium o...
Commonwealth Hotels Appoints Derek Shelly as General Manager of The Hyatt Regency Aurora Denver Conference Center
Commonwealth Hotels, LLC | March 15, 2021
COVINGTON, Ky. - March 15, 2021 -- Commonwealth Hotels announced today the hiring of Derek Shelly as the new general manager of the Hyatt Regency Aurora Denver Conference Center. Shelly brings over 20 years of hospitality experience to the hotel, working with various major hospitality brands in a number of roles. He most recently served as general manager of the Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows, a full-service property featuring 279 rooms. "It is a pivotal time for our company, and we are excited to welcome Mr. Shelly to the team," Jennifer Porter, chief operating officer of Commonwealth Hotels, said. "Derek's experience, leaders...
Market Pulse: Washington, D.C. Lodging Market
Chelsey Leffet | March 15, 2021
By Chelsey Leffet The Washington, D.C. lodging market has historically been one of the most stable of the major U.S. markets given its status as the hub of national political affairs and the center of governmental action and policy, while also playing a major role in international affairs. Aside from the government-related activity, numerous industries and institutions have contributed to and supported the region, including finance, education, healthcare, and scientific research. While typically insulated from recessions and tourism declines, Washington, D.C. was not spared amid the ongoing worldwide pandemic in 2020. Washington, D.C. 2...
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Announces the 9th Annual Pebby Award Nominations
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust | March 15, 2021
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.-- March 15, 2021 -- Pebblebrook Hotel Trust today announced the nominations for its Ninth Annual Pebby Awards. The Pebby Award nominees were chosen for their outstanding accomplishments in 2020, as determined by the Company. This year’s highly anticipated nominees include a mix of Pebby veterans and newcomers. Many hotels and resorts earned several nominations: Argonaut Hotel, Chaminade Resort & Spa and LaPlaya Beach Resort & Club lead the field with four nominations each while Hotel Chicago Downtown, Autograph Collection and The Nines, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Portland are close behind with three nominations ...
Chartwell Hospitality Opens Hilton Alpharetta Atlanta Marking First Full-Service Hotel in Market in Almost 20 Years
Chartwell Hospitality | March 15, 2021
ALPHARETTA, Ga. - March 15, 2021 - Hilton Alpharetta Atlanta, an eight-story, 249-room full-service hotel in the heart of the Windward Business District, minutes from Avalon Boulevard, Downtown Alpharetta and Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, is the latest addition to Hilton Hotels & Resorts, one of Hilton’s 18 market-leading brands. Chartwell Hospitality opened the full-service hotel in the Windward Business District, a future mixed-use development at the corner of Windward and Northpoint Parkways, offering both guests and locals a sleek and contemporary escape. “Located in the heart of the Alpharetta Windward Business District, the ...
Marriott International Elects David Marriott and Horacio Rozanski to Board of Directors
Marriott International | March 15, 2021
Marriott International’s (NASDAQ: MAR) Board of Directors announced today it has elected David Marriott, President, U.S. Full Service Managed by Marriott at Marriott International, and Horacio Rozanski, President and Chief Executive Officer at Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., as directors of the company, effective March 15, 2021. Mr. Marriott and Mr. Rozanski will also be included in the company’s slate of nominees for election at Marriott’s upcoming 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The elections of Mr. Marriott and Mr. Rozanski expand the Board membership to 13, nine of whom are independent. Last May, the company announced that in c...
