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Canyon Ranch Appoints Mike Fulkerson as Chief Marketing Officer
Canyon Ranch | December 3, 2020
FORT WORTH, TEX. (DECEMBER 3, 2020) – Iconic wellness brand Canyon Ranch announces the appointment of Mike Fulkerson as Chief Marketing Officer. Fulkerson brings more than 20 years of experience in hospitality and consumer marketing to his new role enhancing the Canyon Ranch guest experience, leading brand development, and driving customer acquisition and lifecycle management. “We are delighted to welcome Mike to our Canyon Ranch family,” said Jeff Kuster, Chief Executive Officer of Canyon Ranch. “He joins us with a great perspective and deep understanding of brand building, and how to unify many destinations around one guest-centric...
Top 10 Hotel Trends in 2020: Are They Here to Stay?
Heidi Banak | December 3, 2020
By Heidi Banak Back when we were all naïve enough to think that 2020’s biggest headache would be a seemingly endless year of political campaign ads, hotels and resorts in the U.S. were poised to enjoy the fruits of a robust economy. But the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic threw the industry into chaos, forcing hotels and resorts to not only rethink their strategies for the year, but in many cases to completely overhaul their operations. As H&LA’s consultants have continued to work on many assignments in 2020, we have had the opportunity to see firsthand some of the new trends in response to the pandemic, and we have compiled our...
Knowcross Announces Launch of Covid-19 Ready Know Housekeeping
Knowcross | December 3, 2020
London – December 3, 2020 - Knowcross, the world’s leading service quality management platform announce the release of the updated, COVID-19 Ready KNOW Housekeeping. The enhanced solution was designed with direct input from Knowcross’s diverse customer base, faced with new challenges to streamline their operations due to ever-changing government guidelines and the introduction of new SOPs related to COVID-19. Cleanliness has always been a core value of any respected hotel but few could have predicted how important cleanliness, health, and safety have become. In the era of COVID-19, hotels are under extreme pressure to not only raise ...
72-Hour Quarantine-Free Journeys Will Revive International Business Travel
WTTC | December 2, 2020
02/12/2020 London, UK: International business travel could restart if agreement is secured to safeguard journeys of up to 72-hours free from quarantines, says the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The joint recommendation for the short stay exemption comes from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (EASA/ECDC) and is welcomed by WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector. EASA and ECDC have joined forces to call for an exemption on quarantine for people travelling for less than 72 hours, a move which WTTC believes could signal the return o...
70% of Destinations Have Lifted Travel Restrictions, but Global Gap Emerging
World Tourism Organization | December 2, 2020
December 2, 2020 -- The number of destinations closed to international tourism has continued to fall. According to the eighth edition of the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report, 70% of all global destinations have eased restrictions on travel introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, just one in four destinations continue to keep their borders completely closed to international tourists. Launched by the World Tourism Organization at the start of the pandemic, the Travel Restrictions Report keeps track of measures being taken in 217 destinations worldwide, helping to support the mitigation and recovery efforts of the tou...
Infor Launches Hospitality Management Cloud Solution Based on Amazon Web Services in China to Spur Digital Transformation Among Chinese Hotels
Infor | December 2, 2020
Rich capabilities allow hoteliers to centralize cross-platform hospitality management systems; AWS partnership ensures stability and security of data in the cloud BEIJING – Dec. 1, 2020 – Infor today announced the launch of Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) in China together with AWS China (Ningxia) Region (operated by Ningxia Western Cloud Data – NWCD). The launch is aimed at helping more customers in China’s hospitality management industry rapidly implement seamless solutions that streamline operations, with the overall goal to provide enhanced guest services and experiences. Infor HMS is a hotel property management...
Service Properties Trust Completes Transfer of 99 Hotels to Sonesta
Service Properties Trust | December 2, 2020
NEWTON, Mass.---Service Properties Trust (Nasdaq: SVC), or SVC, today announced that it has completed the transition of branding and management for 99 hotels to subsidiaries of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, or Sonesta, from InterContinental Hotels Group plc, or IHG. Three additional hotels located in Canada and Puerto Rico will transition to Sonesta in mid-December and one hotel located in Atlanta, GA will continue to be managed by IHG. SVC entered short term agreements with Sonesta to manage the 99 hotels that expire on December 31, 2021. These 99 hotels are now operated under the Royal Sonesta, Sonesta and Sonesta ES Suites ...
Hilton Plans Three New Hotels in Portugal
Hilton | December 2, 2020
LISBON and MACLEAN, Va. - Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced plans to double its portfolio in Portugal with agreements to open three new hotels, representing a combined investment of around EUR 60 million. The additions of Hilton Porto Gaia, Legacy Hotel Cascais, Curio Collection by Hilton and DoubleTree by Hilton Lagoa Azores mark a significant milestone for Hilton and underscore the company’s confidence in the Portuguese market. Patrick Fitzgibbon, Senior Vice President, Development, EMEA, Hilton, said: “With more than 24 million visitors last year, Portugal is perfectly positioned to capture pent-up consumer demand as internation...
Aimbridge Hospitality’s International Division Assumes Management of 31 Hotels in the United Kingdom
Aimbridge Hospitality | December 2, 2020
Interstate Hotels & Resorts selected to manage Jupiter Hotels’ UK portfolio [PLANO, Texas – December 2, 2020] Aimbridge Hospitality, the leading, global, third-party hotel management company, has announced that its international division, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, is managing 31 Jupiter Hotels located across the United Kingdom this month, operating its entire U.K. portfolio. Mike Deitemeyer, President and CEO-elect of Aimbridge Hospitality, said, “Aimbridge is very pleased to see continued momentum in our International division. Our deep operating acumen and vast experience across all hospitality verticals have continued t...
Crestline Selected to Manage Three Massachusetts Hotels
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC | December 2, 2020
FAIRFAX, VA – December 2, 2020 – Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC (“Crestline”) announced today that they have been selected to manage three Massachusetts hotels—the 112-guest suite Residence Inn Boston Marlborough, the 108-guest suite Residence Inn Boston Westford, and the 110-guest room Hampton Inn & Suites Westford-Chelmsford. “We continue to experience record growth as a direct result of our recognition as one of the most competent and successful third-party hospitality management companies,” said James Carroll, President & CEO of Crestline. “We are pleased to continue to expand our...
The Outlook for Hospitality, Part 3: Technology Vendors Reveal the Solutions That are Helping the Industry Recover
Fran Worrall | December 2, 2020
By Fran Worrall Last week, in Part 2 of our series on the outlook for hospitality, we asked some of the industry’s leading technology vendors the following question: How has your company pivoted to meet the new demands the industry is facing? Overwhelmingly, the vendor community has risen to meet the challenges surrounding the pandemic, responding in a variety of creative ways—from offering clients free or discounted services to speeding the development of solutions that provide safe alternatives for guests and support long-term recovery. This week, in Part 3 of our series, more than 30 leading hospitality technology vendors reve...
Benchmark® Appoints Jay Sheldon General Manager for The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa
Equinox Golf Resort & Spa | December 2, 2020
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, December 2020… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Jay Sheldon general manager for The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, a Gemstone Collection property located in Manchester Village, Vermont. Greg Champion, Benchmark’s president & COO, made the announcement. "It is a pleasure to welcome Jay to Benchmark and to this magnificent resort,” said Mr. Champion. “He comes to us with strong leadership and operational experience gained at first rate properties and for major luxury brands over the past couple of decades. Jay is the ideal professional to lead The Equinox into a promisi...
Charlestowne Hotels Appoints Matt Barba as Vice President of Operations
Charlestowne Hotels | December 2, 2020
CHARLESTON, S.C. (December 2, 2020) – Leading hospitality management company Charlestowne Hotels proudly announces the promotion of Matt Barba to its corporate team as vice president of operations. Matt will now lead Charlestowne’s operational strategy of all property management departments, including food and beverage, for a growing portfolio of 50 hotels and counting. He brings nearly thirty years of hospitality experience to his new role, with the last decade dedicated to expanding recognition for Charlestowne Hotels’ growing management capabilities. As Charlestowne’s regional director of operations for four years, Matt manage...
Edward Thomas Collection of Hotels Appoints Charlie Lopez-Quintana General Manager of Shutters on the Beach
Edward Thomas Collection | December 2, 2020
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (December 2, 2020) – Edward Thomas Collection of Hotels (ETC) has announced the appointment of Charlie Lopez-Quintana as General Manager of Shutters on the Beach. Drawing upon more than 20 years of global luxury hospitality experience, including three years at the hotel’s sister property, Hotel Casa del Mar, Lopez-Quintana will oversee all operations of the luxury oceanfront property. “It’s our pleasure to welcome Charlie Lopez-Quintana to Shutters on the Beach in this new leadership role as general manager and we thank him for the impact he made at Hotel Casa del Mar,” said Klaus Mennekes, Edward Thomas Co...
Oxford Capital Group Expands California Portfolio With Acquisition of 5 Hotels
Oxford Capital Group, LLC and Oxford Hotels & Resorts, LLC | December 2, 2020
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA; December 2, 2020) – Oxford Capital Group, LLC announces today the acquisition of five Bay Area hotels (three in San Francisco: King George Hotel; Hotel Griffon; and The Inn at Union Square; and two in Silicon Valley: Creekside Inn in Palo Alto and Hotel Los Gatos) with plans to reposition many of the assets. Oxford Capital Group’s wholly owned affiliate, Chicago-based Oxford Hotels & Resorts, LLC, takes over management of the properties as of today. These five hotels bring Oxford’s Bay Area footprint to nine properties, and join its growing national lifestyle hotel portfolio, which includes Godfrey; LondonHous...
Wolfgang Puck and Pendry West Hollywood Name Mark Andelbradt as Executive Chef
Pendry West Hollywood | December 2, 2020
Los Angeles, Calif. (December 2, 2020) – Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group and Pendry West Hollywood are proud to jointly announce the appointment of Mark Andelbradt as executive chef of Pendry West Hollywood. Andelbradt, a long-time executive chef with the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, will oversee the culinary execution of the legendary chef’s Merois, which will showcase the sophisticated subtleties of Japanese, Southeast Asian and French/California cuisine, and casual street-side European style café, Ospero. He will also be responsible for the menu at The Britely, a modern social club located on the property, in addition to speci...
The Automat Concept – What’s Old Is New Again With Technology: Opportunity for Hotels
Dr. Frederick DeMicco | December 2, 2020
By Frederick J. DeMicco, Ph.D. and Isaiah Morrow, MBA Student, The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, The W.A. Franke College of Business, Northern Arizona University A restaurant without waiters or workers behind the counter seems like an idea from the future; Ironically, this is an idea of the past. This concept is called an Automat, it was popularized in the early 1900s after the Spanish Flu Pandemic (Figure 1). Horn & Hardart, the largest Automat opened in New York in 1912 without any visible employees’ whatsoever costumers inserted their money into a glass-enclosed kiosk and enjoyed a steaming plate of freshly made food...
Maximizing Guest Revenues Starts With Prearrival Tech
Larry Mogelonsky | December 2, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) We’re now in the long tail of the pandemic. Our properties have upgraded our safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but groups and corporate clients will still take some time to trickle back to their pre-pandemic levels. This means a reliance on leisure – local, regional, staycations, workcations and so on – thereby making it clear the need to maximizing what revenue you can capture from each guest instead of relying on boosting occupancy to stay out of the red. When we consider optimizing revenues on a ‘per guest basis’, the most useful metric to organize any...
The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo Appoints Sandro Gamba as Executive Chef
The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo | December 2, 2020
TOKYO, Japan – December 2, 2020 – The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sandro Gamba as Executive Chef of the iconic luxury hotel. Chef Gamba joins The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo with many years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry, most recently holding the positions of Director of Culinary Operations at Rosewood Hong Kong and Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong. Drawing from a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion, Gamba creates distinct and delectable menus for seven restaurants and bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. Having opened restaurants in more than 20 hotels in all corners...
William Haley Appointed Director of Food & Beverage of Hotel Cerro
Hotel Cerro | December 2, 2020
(San Luis Obispo, CA) – San Luis Obispo’s premier luxury property, Hotel Cerro, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Director of Food & Beverage, William “Bill” Haley. Haley will be overseeing all of Hotel Cerro’s dining and room service operations, including the hotel’s signature restaurant, Brasserie SLO. A native of Northern California and a graduate of Cal Poly with a degree in Agricultural Business, as well as Wine and Viticulture, he returns to the city of San Luis Obispo after more than a decade gaining valuable experience in the hospitality field. Most recently, Haley was the General Manager of the res...
The 2020 Hospitality and Tourism Trends That Will Likely Stay in 2021 and Beyond
Linchi Kwok | December 2, 2020
By Linchi Kwok The COVID-19 pandemic had made an unprecedented impact on the global economy in 2020. The good news is the long-waited COVID-19 vaccines will soon become available. Let’s hope that the coronavirus will disappear soon as we enter the New Year. Looking back before we look forward At year-end 2019, I predicted a few 2020 trends in hospitality, retail, and tourism businesses. For example, I recommended that we should pay special attention to the following areas: A shifting focus on food delivery, sustainable food, and quick-casual restaurants. Using AI and facial recognition in service operations. The threats from...
Revival at The Kimpton Sawyer Hotel Welcomes Brian Crawford as General Manager of Food and Beverage
The Kimpton Sawyer Hotel | December 1, 2020
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (December 1, 2020) – The Kimpton Sawyer is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Crawford as general manager of food and beverage. In his new role, Crawford will be responsible for leading the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel’s food and beverage team, in-room dining and catering efforts, in addition to overseeing operations at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar, Revival at the Sawyer. As Sacramento’s first rooftop lounge, Revival features a selection of locally inspired cocktails, mocktails and small bites, overlooking stunning views of Downtown Commons and the Golden 1 Center. Bringing more than seven years of ...
Donald Lenahan Named General Manager of Minnesota’s Grand View Lodge
Grand View Lodge | December 1, 2020
NISSWA, MINN. (December 1, 2020) – Cote Family Destinations is pleased to announce the appointment of Donald Lenahan to the position of general manager of Grand View Lodge, Spa and Golf Resort. An industry veteran with over 30 years of luxury hospitality experience, Lenahan will oversee all of the management and operations for the iconic lakeside property to continue to position Grand View Lodge as the preferred resort destination in Minnesota and the greater Midwest. Lenahan will drive operations of the year-round resort’s 2,500 feet of beautiful shoreline on Gull Lake, its wide variety of accommodations, North; a boutique hotel, medl...
AHLA Statement on Problem Solvers Caucus Bill
AHLA | December 1, 2020
WASHINGTON (December 1, 2020) – The following is a statement from Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, on the bipartisan, bicameral COVID-19 relief proposal released today by the Problem Solvers Caucus. “The hotel industry has consistently urged lawmakers to grant relief to those affected by the pandemic since March in order to save millions of jobs and small businesses. We applaud the Problem Solvers Caucus for introducing a bipartisan, bicameral coronavirus stimulus bill. We need Congress to prioritize the industries and employees most affected by the crisis. “Every hour Congress doesn’...
