The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4th, 2024
Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | October 2nd, 2024
Bartech’s Customized Line of In-Room POS Solutions Help Hoteliers Maximize Revenue
Bartech | February 24, 2021
Extensive lineup of guestroom point-of-sale solutions enhance in-room revenues while meeting specific operational challenges for any property need Las Vegas — February 24, 2021 — Bartech, the leader in automatic minibar solutions for the global hospitality industry, has refined its extensive line of minibar and in-room point-of-sale (POS) solutions to meet the unique operational challenges and technology needs of a variety of property types and room configurations. With today’s travelers seeking to minimize contact with hotel staff and other guests by avoiding public hotel areas such as on-site F&B venues and retail shops, Bartech ...
INTELITY Named a Forbes Travel Guide Brand Official for Fifth Year in a Row
INTELITY | February 24, 2021
Hospitality’s most comprehensive guest experience platform is awarded the travel industry’s most prestigious accolade Los Angeles, CA - February 24, 2021 - INTELITY®, the provider of hospitality’s most comprehensive guest experience platform, announced today it has been appointed a Brand Official by Forbes Travel Guide (FTG), the creators of the original Five-Star rating system, for a record fifth year. As the Official Mobile and In-room Technology Provider of Forbes Travel Guide, INTELITY joins a stellar list of FTG Brand Officials, all handpicked for excellence within their industry. Forbes Travel Guide is well regarded for its ...
Ritz Hotel Geelong Deploys High-Performance Wi-Fi Network Technology by Liveport
Liveport | February 24, 2021
GEELONG, Australia — February 24, 2021 — Liveport, a leading provider of internet services and IoT-based technology, has announced the successful implementation of an advanced high-speed Wi-Fi network at the Ritz Hotel Geelong. A full-service property located within south-eastern Australia, Ritz Hotel Geelong is designed to reflect the latest in contemporary design, which is now further bolstered by its ability to fully deliver on modern guest Wi-Fi and online hotel service expectations. Set to open in early 2021, the new 128 guestroom and apartment property was constructed to cater to Geelong’s rapidly growing tourism industry. Cent...
IDeaS Introduces Optix for G3 RMS, Providing Big-Picture Revenue Intelligence for Hotel Groups
IDeaS | February 24, 2021
IDeaS Optix delivers high-level understanding and deep analysis into revenue performance across estates, clusters or single properties MINNEAPOLIS—Feb. 24, 2021—IDeaS, a SAS company, the world’s leading provider of revenue management software and services, announced today IDeaS Optix, a cloud-based advanced reporting and analysis module for IDeaS G3 Revenue Management System (RMS). Optix is designed to empower hotel leaders and revenue managers to quickly understand their revenue performance and where they can improve across an entire estate, cluster or within a single property. In today’s dynamic environment it is a daily strug...
Chris Martin Joins Avison Young Hospitality Group
Avison Young | February 23, 2021
ATLANTA – February 23, 2021 – Avison Young Hospitality Group announces that Chris Martin has joined the firm in its Tampa office. Keith Thompson said, “Chris Martin has joined our team from another brokerage firm, and we could not be more pleased. He comes to us with a deep hospitality background and a well-respected reputation in the hotel industry.” Chris J. Martin is an Investment Hotel Broker with Avison Young’s Hospitality Division. During his career, Chris has underwritten and modeled almost $4 Billion worth of hotel properties across the United States, providing him with an accurate forecasting and valuation mindset tha...
Wendy Blissett Promoted to Principal of Avison Young’s Hospitality Group
Avison Young | February 23, 2021
ATLANTA – February 23, 2021 – H. Keith Thompson, Principal of Avison Young’s Hospitality Group, announced today that Wendy Blissett has been promoted to the title of Principal. “I have worked with Wendy for the better part of 26 years and she is an incredible asset to the firm. During the difficult 2020 pandemic year, she was still able to close on numerous separate hotel transactions which was among the best brokerage performance in the hotel industry. She is incredibly smart and client focused and we could not be more happy to welcome her talents at the Principal level,” said Thompson. Blissett joined Avison Young in 2017 wh...
HSMAI Perspective: Problems With the Pipeline
Robert A. Gilbert | February 23, 2021
By Robert Gilbert I’ve written before about the severe underrepresentation of Black professionals across the executive level in the hospitality industry — including in senior sales, marketing, and revenue optimization positions. There are many different reasons for this, but new research by the HSMAI Foundation highlights a big one: We’re not investing sufficiently in the talent pipeline. In a review of undergraduate hospitality programs at the 19 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) offering them, we found that enrollment and graduation rates have been trending downward for at least the last five years: ...
How Do Travel Managers View Corporate Booking Technology?
the Global Business Travel Association | February 23, 2021
Alexandria, Virginia – February 23, 2021 – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the world’s largest business travel association, today launches the findings from a study into how travel managers view online booking tools (OBTs). The study, made possible by Deem, examines how U.S. and Canada-based travel managers view corporate booking technology and how the pandemic has impacted business travel, including the changes to travel policies and booking channels. The study asked travel managers about their key priorities when selecting an OBT, how travel managers feel about booking-related innovations such as artificial intell...
STR: Canada Hotel Performance for January 2021
STR | February 23, 2021
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee — 23 February 2021 — Canada’s hotel industry reported continued lows across the three key performance metrics, according to STR’s January 2021 data. The country’s occupancy level was up slightly from December but was its second-lowest since May 2020. As a result, RevPAR came in lower than any month in Canada since May. Year-over-year declines also remained significant. Occupancy: 22.3% (-55.2%) Average daily rate (ADR): CAD107.21 (-27.4%) Revenue per available room (RevPAR): CAD23.96 (-67.5%) “International travel has been severely depressed since the beginning of the pandemic, and the ne...
Anchorage Lodging Market: Winter 2021 Update
Kasia M. Russell | February 23, 2021
By Kasia Russell and Breanna Smith Amid a worldwide pandemic, the Anchorage lodging industry continues to experience a downturn that is greater than the past two lodging-market declines combined. The major factors that have affected this market since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 are highlighted below. Key Factors in 2020 Unlike many other U.S. markets, Anchorage did not initially experience the severity of the pandemic given that oil and gas operations, Alaska’s largest economic driver, remained essential; thus, no major layoffs or furloughs were instituted, and workers continued to travel to/from drilling locations. F...
How to Upsell 101: Too Much Choice Can Lead to No Choice
ROOMDEX | February 23, 2021
By Jos Schaap Shouldn’t lots of choices be good for customers? If you ask most people whether they like having a choice, the answer will be yes. How can options possibly be a bad thing? Anyone who has worked in hotel marketing has, at one time or another, been asked to fit numerous offers into one email. Pre-arrival emails, in particular, are crammed to the hilt with hotel information and upsell choices. We call it the shotgun approach. Having a lot of choices is great — until it’s not. Many people argue that more choices equal more conversions. Rationally speaking, the more choices you offer your customers, the more sales you ...
Wyndham Launches La Quinta Brand in Middle East With New Hotel in Historic Area of Dubai
La Quinta by Wyndham | February 23, 2021
PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Feb. 23, 2021 - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company by number of properties with over 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries, today announced the debut of its La Quinta by Wyndham brand in the Middle East with a new 100-room property in Dubai. Expected to open in March 2021, La Quinta by Wyndham Dubai Bur Dubai will be centrally located in the historic Bur Dubai district. Wyndham continues to expand the La Quinta brand – a leading upper-midscale brand with nearly 940 hotels offering contemporary design, thoughtful amenities and friendly service – throughout the world. This hot...
Deloitte: Consumer Perception of Travel Safety Improves as Vaccines Roll Out, COVID Cases Decline
Deloitte | February 23, 2021
New York, Feb. 22 2021 Why this matters As a global health crisis morphed into an economic one, Deloitte has been conducting a series of weekly surveys, around the United States, to better understand the interplay between personal safety and economic vulnerability as a driver of purchase decisions and consumer behavior. The most recent iteration (fielded Jan. 22 to 27) of “Deloitte’s Global State of the Consumer Tracker,” queried at least 1,000 American consumers. As nearly 30 million vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S., the latest responses show improving travel intentions and increasing consumer activity, pointing t...
Hotel Drover Appoints Tiffany Dipasquale as Executive Director of Sales and Marketing
Autograph Collection Hotels | February 23, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas – Feb. 23, 2021 – Hotel Drover, an Autograph Collection hotel, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tiffany Dipasquale to the role of executive director of sales and marketing at the 200-room rustic-luxe hotel set to open in March 2021. Representing the modern-day pioneer, Executive Director of Sales & Marketing Tiffany DiPasquale brings over 21 years of experience to the soon-to-open Hotel Drover, an Autograph Collection hotel. DiPasquale oversees all aspects of sales and marketing for the rustic-luxe hotel set to open in early 2021, with 200 luxurious guest rooms and spa suites, a locally sourced eatery deeme...
Davidson Hospitality Group Grows Corporate Team and Appoints Two Leadership Positions
Davidson Hospitality Group | February 23, 2021
ATLANTA – February 23, 2021 – Davidson Hospitality Group announces the appointments of Paul Eckert as Senior Vice President, Operations, and Todd Stein as Corporate Executive Chef, Davidson Restaurant Group. “It’s a pivotal time for our company and we are thrilled to welcome these important new additions to the team,” said Davidson Hospitality Group Chief Operating Officer Pete Sams. “Paul’s experience, leadership, and proven excellence in driving value in each of our operating verticals make him an exceptional choice and fit. Furthermore, Todd’s diverse and expansive global culinary background will undoubtedly elevate and...
Hotel Effie Sandestin Appoints Lulu Dangerfield as Executive Chef
HIGHGATE | February 23, 2021
MIRAMAR BEACH, FL - February 23, 2021 - Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort announced today the appointment of Lulu Dangerfield as the new executive chef of Hotel Effie Sandestin. Dangerfield will work alongside James Beard Award-winning Chef Hugh Acheson, who will lead and curate all food and beverage offerings on property. In her new role, Dangerfield will direct and oversee all food service operations throughout the property. The esteemed chef brings more than 10 years of culinary and hospitality experience to Hotel Effie, with a resume spanning the U.S. and Latin America. Dangerfield will manage the food and beverage team, oversee budgets an...
Enliven Offerings With Social Media, Luxury Hotels Urged
PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management | February 23, 2021
23 February 2021 - Social media may be the best way for luxury hotels to tap in to China’s enormous consumer market, according to a groundbreaking study co-authored by Mr Xinhai Mou, Dr Lisa Gao of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a co-author. The global luxury sector is growing, and in an era of information overload, platforms such as WeChat and YouTube enable hotel managers to bring luxury experiences vividly to life. Drawing on a sample of affluent Chinese consumers, the researchers show how luxury hotel managers can develop curated social media content to meet the needs of the...
Marriott International Appoints Anthony Capuano as New CEO and Stephanie Linnartz as President
Marriott International | February 23, 2021
Marriott International’s (NASDAQ: MAR) Board of Directors announced today that Anthony “Tony” Capuano has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and has joined the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. He was previously Group President, Global Development, Design and Operations Services. The Board of Directors also announced that Stephanie Linnartz, previously Group President, Consumer Operations, Technology and Emerging Businesses, has been appointed President, effective immediately. Mr. Capuano’s and Ms. Linnartz’s appointments follow the unexpected passing of Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson on February 1...
Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) Assumes Management of The Nautilus Inn in Daytona Beach, Florida
Hospitality Ventures Management Group | February 23, 2021
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — February 23, 2021 — Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG), an Atlanta-based, private hotel investment, ownership and management company, today announced that it has taken over operations of the 99-room Nautilus Inn in Daytona Beach, Fla. Owned by Asante Asset Management LLC, the hotel plans to undergo a multi-million renovation scheduled to begin August 2021. “The Nautilus Inn will benefit from our in-depth, firsthand knowledge of the Florida marketplace, as it joins our existing portfolio of six branded and independent Sunshine State hotels,” said Robert Cole, president & chief executive officer, H...
Quality Inn Southaven Caters to Guest Demands for Access to Personalized Streamed Content With BeyondTV GuestCast®
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | February 23, 2021
Property implements content casting solution engineered specifically for hotels by HIS to address guest requests for secure, user-friendly streaming abilities. SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — February 23, 2021 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions, has successfully implemented its hospitality-designed BeyondTV GuestCast streaming platform at the Quality Inn Southaven in Mississippi. A Choice Hotels franchised property offering a range of amenities to ensure guest comfort, Quality Inn Southaven’s adoption of BeyondTV GuestCast now maximizes satisfaction by allowing each guest to fully control t...
Volara, GuestHub Integration to Streamline Guest Requests on Voice Command
Volara | February 23, 2021
Guests can scan QR codes featured on Volara-powered Google Nest Hubs to access an in-room dining menu or ask an Amazon Echo device for items with requests routed to the right staff member via GuestHub New York — February 23, 2021 — Volara, the voice hub for the hotel industry, has partnered with GuestHub to streamline interactions between hotel staff and guests without need for personal interaction. The GuestHub guest-experience management solution captures and routes guests’ requests and facilitates other service tasks. Guests can speak service requests to an in-room Volara-powered Google Nest Hub or an Amazon Echo voice assistant to...
Fitch Maintains 14 US CMBS Single Borrower Hotel Transactions on Negative Watch Due to Pandemic
Fitch Ratings | February 22, 2021
Fitch Ratings - Chicago - 22 Feb 2021: Fitch Ratings has maintained 79 classes from 14 U.S. CMBS single borrower transactions on Rating Watch Negative (RWN). Fitch originally placed the classes on RWN on March 19, 2020. KEY RATING DRIVERS The 14 transactions represent the entire portfolio of Fitch-rated single borrower hotel transactions. The transactions were issued in 2019 (four) and 2018 (10). The majority are secured by an individual hotel property; the underlying properties are located in Florida (six deals), Hawaii (four), Arizona (two) and California (one). There is one transaction secured by a portfolio of La Quinta hotels. Three tr...
Hotel Lawyer: PACE Financing – Now an Accepted Tool for Hotel Lenders and Borrowers
Jim Butler | February 22, 2021
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors or www.HotelLawBlog.com Hotel finance lawyer: PACE Financing is now mainstream About five years ago, my partner David Sudeck, a senior member of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group®, spoke at a hotel industry conference about the attractive features of PACE financing as an innovative financing technique. David has extensive experience with virtually all kinds of real estate financing from senior debt to joint ventures. At the time, he had just finished working on a hotel financing that included components of a senior construction loan from a private lender, Mello ...
AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Sawgrass Mills/Sunrise Announces Two Key Appointments Ahead of March 2021 Opening
AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Sawgrass Mills/Sunrise | February 22, 2021
SUNRISE, Fla - February 22, 2021 - AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Sawgrass Mills/Sunrise, the first hotel in Sunrise in 15 years and the first AC Hotel brand in Broward County, has appointed Michael Lauria as general manager and Christine Caraccia as director of sales and marketing. The pair will oversee the launch of the eight-story, 174-room hotel when it opens in March 2021. The hotel is located just steps from the iconic Sawgrass Mills Mall shopping center, one of the largest outlet and value retail shopping destinations in the US. “It is our pleasure to have two prominent industry leaders opening the AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Sawgrass Mill...
