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Continental Assets Management Signs With Marriott to Bring AC Hotel Brand to Honolulu
AC Hotels by Marriott® | February 10, 2021
Honolulu, HI – February 10, 2021 – Following its acquisition in January 2021 of the office building located at 1111 Bishop Street, also known as the “Remington College Building”, Continental Assets Management today announced it has signed an agreement with Marriott International to debut the company’s design-driven AC Hotels brand in Honolulu. The property is slated to debut in the heart of downtown Honolulu in the Central Business District and is expected to feature 104 rooms. Currently an existing office building, the conversion to the AC Hotel Honolulu is expected to begin late next year, with the anticipated opening in 2024. ...
Keystone Property Group and Concord Hospitality Enterprises Break Ground on Hotel West + Main
Keystone Property Group | February 10, 2021
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.-- February 10, 2021 --Keystone Property Group today announced it has broken ground on the new Hotel West + Main, a significant milestone in its 520,000-square-foot SORA West development. This $325 million mixed-use project includes a new global headquarters for Fortune 10 pharmaceutical distribution company AmerisourceBergen, the reuse of a 146-year-old historic firehouse, and a 12-story public and private parking garage. A groundbreaking event is scheduled for March 4, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. EST and will also be accessible via livestream here. Keystone has partnered with Concord Hospitality Enterprises to develop and ope...
Changing Rules for a Changing World: Why Doing Good Is Now Very Good for Business
Jeff Venza | February 10, 2021
By Jeff Venza In the world of professional sports, athletes dedicate hours honing their particular craft through the meticulous acquisition and practice of a specialized set of skills. But before they step foot on their arena of choice, they have to learn the rules of the game. After all, you can’t play the game — certainly, you can’t play to win — if you don’t know how the game is played. In the realm of business, the same rules apply. A successful venture into entrepreneurship doesn’t simply require the ideation and creation of a great or otherwise unique product or service. Business owners have to know their industry, und...
First JV By NewcrestImage and Canterbury Hotel Group Opens Hyatt House In Beaverton, Oregon
Canterbury Hotel Group | February 10, 2021
February 10, 2021 - Downtown Beaverton, Oregon has a new world-class hotel with the opening tomorrow of a 125-room, 5-floor Hyatt House as the first joint venture between Dallas-based NewcrestImage and Portland-based Canterbury Hotel Group. The property is just seven miles west of downtown Portland. “The opening of this Hyatt House is powerful testimony that hoteliers continue to provide the best of hotel experiences even during challenging travel times,” said Mehul Patel, Chairman and CEO of NewcrestImage. “We’ve created a property that is safe, comfortable, and special -- where travelers can rest easy after a tough day on the...
Hyatt Regency Houston Unveils Multimillion-Dollar Renovation
Hyatt Regency Houston | February 10, 2021
Houston, Texas –February 10, 2021 – Hyatt Regency Houston, the premier downtown hotel for business and leisure travelers, unveils a multi-million-dollar renovation project. The updates include a complete transformation of the property’s 955 guestrooms and corridors, lobby, main entrances, meeting spaces, Einstein’s, Shula’s Restaurant and Lobbibar. The renovation is announced under the leadership of the hotel’s new Managing Director, John Schafer. “As 2020 has come to an end, and with new opportunities in 2021, we are thrilled to usher in a new era for Hyatt Regency Houston as we announce the completion of an extensive re...
Janko Hospitality Appoints Marlena Karwowski as General Manager for The Forester Hotel
The Forester Hotel | February 10, 2021
LAKE FOREST, IL - February 2021 - The first hotel to plant roots in the Lake Forest community in over 92 years, and the world’s first boutique-inspired Hyatt Place property, The Forester, a Hyatt Place Hotel, 200 N. Field Dr., is proud to announce that industry veteran Marlena Karwowski has been appointed to lead the new property as General Manager. Hailing from Skaryszew, Poland, Karwowski’s passion for hospitality is unparalleled and has bloomed over two decades in the industry, serving in key roles at properties including Assistant Reservations Manager at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Reservations and Communications Manager at Hyatt R...
Virdee Partners With Shift4 Payments to Facilitate Contactless Transactions
Virdee | February 10, 2021
Technical integration provides customers with industry-first virtual guest engagement and enables adoption of contactless, customer-centric interactions AUSTIN, Texas – Feb. 10, 2021 – Virdee, a SaaS company serving the lodging, multifamily and commercial real estate industries, announced today a partnership with Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR), a leading provider of integrated payments and eCommerce solutions. Using an API-first approach and key partner integrations, Virdee’s virtual reception technology provides contactless check-in and additional customer engagement such as the ability to purchase upgrades and order room service. T...
Leisure & Hospitality Accounts for Whopping 39% of Jobs Lost to Pandemic
U.S. Travel Association | February 9, 2021
WASHINGTON — February 9, 2021 — Almost four in 10 of all the U.S. jobs lost since February of last year are in the Leisure & Hospitality industry, according to analysis of the latest Department of Labor national jobs report—triple the number of the next-hardest-hit industry. The meager 49,000 jobs created by the U.S. economy in January were viewed by economists as a disappointment and a major sign of lingering pandemic-related stress in labor markets. But according to analysis created for the U.S. Travel Association by the research firm Tourism Economics, the real underlying story is the 61,000 jobs lost by the Leisure & ...
The Roxborough Group, AWH Partners and West Point Partners Acquire Hilton Garden Inn Portland/Lake Oswego
The Roxborough Group, LLC | February 9, 2021
NEW YORK — February 9, 2020 — The Roxborough Group, LLC, AWH Partners, LLC, and West Point Partners have acquired the Hilton Garden Inn Portland/Lake Oswego. This marks the first hotel acquisition each company has closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “This deal demonstrates our ability to find attractive investment opportunities despite the challenging deal environment,” said Chad Cooley, co-founder and managing partner of AWH Partners. “With our team in place, we believe the Hilton Garden Inn Portland/Lake Oswego is well positioned to quickly reboun...
How Are Hotels Adapting and Innovating During COVID-19?
Company Debt | February 9, 2021
Covid-19 has hit businesses of just about every shape and size hard, but few have felt the effects quite as strongly as those in the hospitality industry. Bars, restaurants and hotels in many parts of the world have been forced to close as restrictions to limit the spread of the Coronavirus have taken hold. Before the pandemic slammed the breaks on international and domestic travel, the global hotel trade was looking rosy. The corporate travel industry alone was forecast to grow into a $1.7 trillion industry by 2023. But rather than enjoying what was predicted to be one of the biggest growth spurts hoteliers have ever seen, they have been...
Katara Hospitality Partners With Accor to Launch Maison Delano Brand
Katara Hospitality | February 9, 2021
NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2021 -- Katara Hospitality, a leading global hotel owner, developer and operator based in Qatar, today announced a new partnership with Accor, a world-leading hospitality group for an exciting new evolution of the iconic Delano brand, Maison Delano planned to open in 2022. Andrew Humphries, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Katara Hospitality said: "We are delighted to have come to this strategic partnership with Accor by adding Maison Delano to our collection of hotels. We believe this collaboration will add operational strength and build on the foundations of our successful portfolio; Katara Hospitality's vision...
Robert Mason Named Director of Beverage & Food for New AC Hotel Orlando Downtown
AC Hotel Orlando Downtown | February 9, 2021
ORLANDO, FL – February 9, 2021 – Downtown Orlando’s first lifestyle hotel has tapped industry veteran Robert Mason to forge an innovative beverage and food (B&F) program. With plans to shake up the area’s cocktail scene, Mason joins the AC Hotel Orlando Downtown as the Director of Beverage & Food with more than 35 years of hospitality experience, 20 of those spent in the Central Florida region. “My passion for using ingredients in new, artistic ways as well as developing innovative food & beverage techniques has driven my career over the past three decades,” says Mason. “Having worked in Orlando for most of my lif...
Island Hospitality Management Appoints Mark George to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Island Hospitality Management | February 9, 2021
WEST PALM BEACH, FL. - February 9, 2021 - Island Hospitality Management, the premier independent third-party management company for select service and upscale extended stay hotels in the United States, has announced the promotion of Mark George to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In this new role, Mark will oversee sales and marketing efforts for the entire organization and lead strategies that support the changing landscape within the industry and the company itself. “Mark has been an integral part of our leadership team for nearly two decades,” said Gregg Forde, Chief Operating Officer, Island Hospitality Management. “T...
HSMAI Honors Dorothy Dowling and Mary Gostelow With Lifetime Achievement Awards
HSMAI | February 9, 2021
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Awards in marketing and public relations. Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Best Western® Hotels & Resorts, will be recognized with the Albert E. Koehl Award for Hospitality Marketing. Mary Gostelow, publisher of the Gostelow Report, will be honored with the Winthrop W. Grice Award for Public Relations. HSMAI will celebrate Dowling and Gostelow at the virtual Adrian Awards Celebration on March 23, 2021. The HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Awards recogn...
Marriott International Expects to More Than Double All-Inclusive Portfolio in an Agreement With Sunwing Travel Group
Marriott International | February 9, 2021
FEBRUARY 9, 2021 - Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced a significant planned expansion of its all-inclusive portfolio through a long-term agreement with Sunwing Travel Group’s hotel division, Blue Diamond Resorts, which has an extensive portfolio of resort properties throughout the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. The agreement is expected to propel Marriott into the list of top 10 global all-inclusive players by adding 19 franchised resorts totaling nearly 7,000 rooms across six destinations and more than doubling the company’s presence in the all-inclusive segment to 33 properties by 2025. The majority of th...
Travel & Tourism Sector Witnessed 29.6% Decline in Deal Activity During January 2021
GlobalData | February 9, 2021
A total of 57 deals were announced in the global travel and tourism sector during January 2021, which is a decrease of 29.6% over 81 deals announced in December 2020, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The travel and tourism sector has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with ongoing lockdowns in some of the key markets and travel restrictions bringing business travels mostly to a halt. Resultantly, deal-making appetite also remains muted.” The number of equity offerings, venture financing, mergers and acquisition (M&A), and priva...
Aimbridge Hospitality Hires Marco Roca, Jr., as Vice President of Development
Aimbridge Hospitality | February 9, 2021
PLANO, TX – February 9, 2021 – Aimbridge Hospitality, the leading, global, third-party hotel management company, announces Marco Roca, Jr., has joined the company's business development team as Vice President of Development. In this position, he will support the growth of the Luxury & Resorts vertical, focusing on identifying new resort opportunities in North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean as well as sourcing opportunities for Aimbridge's lifestyle arm, Evolution Hospitality, in the Eastern United States. "We’re deeply pleased that Marco is joining our team with a focus on expanding our already significant resort presenc...
Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis Set for Early Spring 2021 Opening
Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis | February 9, 2021
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – February 9, 2021 – Situated on the corner of Memphis, Tenn.’s famed Beale Street and Front Street, the new Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis is slated to open its doors in Spring 2021 as part of the One Beale mixed-used development currently underway. As the first full-service Hyatt hotel in Memphis, the property is anticipated to be the area’s newest social hub for travelers seeking a home base in the heart of the action within the Entertainment District and beyond. Just a 15-minute drive from Memphis International Airport, Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis offers a central location, just steps from the culture...
Canada’s Hotel Construction Pipeline Ends 2020 With 270 Projects and 34,768 Rooms
Lodging Econometrics | February 9, 2021
PORTSMOUTH, NH – February 9, 2021 – According to the year-end Lodging Econometrics (LE) Construction Pipeline Trend Report for Canada, analysts at LE state that Canada’s hotel construction pipeline ended the fourth quarter of 2020 at 270 projects/34,678 rooms, a mere 35 fewer projects than the region’s peak of 305 projects achieved in Q4’19. Projects under construction stand at 83 projects/9,836 rooms. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months recorded 87 projects/10,142 rooms, while projects in the early planning stage stand at 100 projects/14,700 rooms, up 12% by projects and 4% by rooms year-over-year (YOY...
Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa Oasis Partners With Hotel Internet Services to Provide Guests With Seamless Wi-Fi Access
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | February 9, 2021
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. — February 9, 2021 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has announced the successful implementation of a high-speed guest Wi-Fi network at Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa Oasis. Located within California’s Desert Hot Springs area renowned for its natural geothermally heated mineral spring water, Azure Palm Hot Springs serves as the ultimate tranquil getaway from the fast pace of modern life. Yet by also providing ready access to a fast and reliable internet connection, Azure Palm Hot Springs ensures that its guests...
Smoky Cabins Vacation Rentals Embracing Digital Tipping by youtip
youtip | February 9, 2021
Chicago — February 9, 2021 — Not all lodging operators are feeling the sting of COVID-19; take Smoky Cabins Vacation Rentals for example. Bookings of its 41 luxury cabins has not slowed since the onset of the pandemic. What has stopped, however, is the leaving of cash tips for housekeepers. Smoky Cabins Owner Cathy Moore set out in search for a cashless, contactless, and “appless” digital tipping solution that would solve this growing problem. What she found was an easy-to-implement, no-cost, QR-code-based solution called youtip. “COVID-19 has been good for us,” Moore said. “People are comfortably social distancing at our pr...
Agilysys Announces State-of-the-Art Enhancements to Its Online Reservations Solution – rGuest Book
Agilysys | February 9, 2021
ALPHARETTA, GA. — February 9, 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 the latest enhancements to its commission-free, direct-channel online reservation solution, rGuest Book. rGuest Book has been a leader in hospitality online reservations since its introduction. Its easy-to-use interface is designed to move guests effortlessly through the booking process showing real-time room inventory with flexible rate management to optimize bookings. In addition, customers can offer their guests room upgrades and...
Bacau Bay Resort Coron Teams Up With INTELITY to Deliver a Mobile-First Guest Experience
INTELITY | February 9, 2021
Los Angeles, CA - February 9, 2021 - INTELITY®, the provider of hospitality’s most comprehensive guest experience platform, announced today it has signed a deal with Bacau Bay Resort Coron in the stunning Philippine island region of Palawan to provide contactless service and seamless hotel experience to guests through the INTELITY platform, which includes a branded mobile app, mobile check-in, mobile key, and GEMS®. This marks the first deal for INTELITY in the Philippines, and reflects the company’s growing footprint in the Asia Pacific region. With the implementation of the INTELITY platform, Bacau Bay Resort Coron will allow gues...
Knowcross Announces Integration With SABA Hospitality to Help Hotels Enhance the Contactless Experience With Guests
Knowcross | February 9, 2021
SABA Hospitality Technology Solutions, a Macau-based hospitality technology specialist focused on transforming guest and staff engagement, have announced a strategic partnership with Knowcross®, the global leader in providing service quality and optimization solutions for hotels, to provide hotels with advanced tools capable of overcoming a range of service challenges posed by COVID-19 and the evolving guest journey in the hospitality industry. Given the thirst for contactless solutions and reducing costs, the integration focuses on the contactless technology SABA Hospitality provides and KNOW Service, a leading guest request management a...
