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
Vegas’s First Adults-Only Resort to Deliver Digital Capabilities With Mobile Check-In, In-Room Tablets
INTELITY | July 15, 2020
Circa Resort & Casino, opening later this year, will pair vintage Vegas hospitality with cutting-edge contactless technology to “wow” both guests and players alike. Los Angeles, CA (July 15, 2020) - INTELITY®, the leader in contactless guest experiences for the hospitality industry, announced today a new deal with Circa Resort & Casino to provide mobile check-in and mobile key, as well as deploy a fleet of 10” luxury tablets that will enable contactless service and give guests unprecedented digital control over their stays. Set to open in late 2020, the Circa Resort & Casino will pay tribute to both the history and futur...
How Much Is a Hotel Worth?
Pinnacle Advisory Group | July 15, 2020
By Allison Fogarty In the case of property tax assessments in Florida, probably somewhat less than the county property appraiser assumes. A recent court decision invalidated the method used by many county property tax appraisers in Florida to develop “just” values for hotels. The Background Walt Disney Parks and Resorts successfully argued that the Orange County Property Appraiser improperly considered income from the business activities conducted on the premises in establishing the just value of the Disney Yacht & Beach Club Resort which includes restaurants, retail shops, a spa and convention center in addition to its 1,197...
Tharaldson Hospitality Management Opens Element Sacramento Airport
Tharaldson Hospitality Management | July 14, 2020
Sacramento, CA – July 14th, 2020 – Tharaldson Hospitality Management (THM) is pleased to announce the brand-new Element Sacramento Airport has opened! This luxury Element, located at 3681 North Freeway Boulevard, features 107 all-suite rooms, along with great amenities such as free Wifi, signature Rise complimentary breakfast, premium fitness center, bike-borrowing service, evening receptions, and much more. Under its franchise agreement with Marriott International, Inc., THM will own and operate the property. This hotel is conveniently located 11 minutes away from the Sacramento International Airport, 12 minutes from the California...
Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown – Capitol View Opens in Tennessee Led by General Manager Dan Deaver
Hampton by Hilton | July 14, 2020
Nashville, TN July 14, 2020 – Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) Hampton by Hilton, the global upper-midscale brand known for its commitment to providing unmatched guest service, today announced the opening of its newest property, Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown – Capitol View in Nashville. Developed by Chartwell Hospitality and owned in a joint venture between Chartwell Hospitality and RB Capitol View Nashville Holdings, LLC, the hotel features 169 modern and spacious rooms and offers travelers high-quality, value-added amenities. “At Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown – Capitol View, guests will have a worry-free stay with...
Returning to Hospitality Operations
Adam Knight | July 14, 2020
By Adam Knight Unless a property is seasonal, most hotels aren't built to be closed. Ask around and you'll find that many hospitality professionals have never gone through the process of closing or opening a hotel. The first half of 2020 has changed that and we find ourselves at the start of the second half of the year with closed hotels still trying to decide if they should reopen and recently-opened hotels either struggling to operate on very minimal staffing or being overwhelmingly busy (with very minimal staffing). In any of these scenarios, trying to figure out what to do to safely reopen or to reassess plans that were put in pl...
COVID 19: Making Your Hotel Business Future-Ready
July 14, 2020
Travel and hotel trade professionals are just beginning to find their feet after the unprecedented effects of almost zero global demand due to COVID-19. One thing is certain: an altered lifestyle will emerge as a result of this crisis. Businesses will either be sold, shut, hived off and in some cases thrive exponentially. The key to survive and subsequently thrive depends on many factors such as cash in bank, demand, debt ratio, liabilities both external and internal, flexibility and a robust plan to see through this period. Whilst some factors are beyond a hotel's control and not all issues can be rectified now, there are however key cor...
A Model for Hotels to Hospitals (H2H ©) During an Unprecedented Era
Fred DeMicco | July 14, 2020
By Frederick DeMicco and Jackie Guzman During the early months of 2020, once it was apparent that the novel coronavirus (COVID19) was a global pandemic, people everywhere started to think of creative solutions to help ease the problems of the virus. One solution was to convert hotels into hospitals (H2H ©) and into housing for healthcare workers. With the virus halting travel, many hotels were left close to vacant. On top of that, many healthcare professionals were worried about traveling back and forth between work and home, at the risk of infecting their household. Therefore, hotel managers came up with the idea of opening their doors t...
Industry Icon Steve Belmonte Joins US Investment Banking Firm, Amdel Associates Inc., as Managing Director of Its Hospitality Division
Amdel Associates, Inc. | July 14, 2020
July 14, 2020 – Holmdel, New Jersey - Hospitality industry veteran, Steve Belmonte, will be joining Amdel Associates Inc. as Managing Director of the hospitality, lodging and hotel systems segment effective August 1, 2020. Amdel Associates is an investment banking and corporate finance firm focused on upper middle market merger and acquisitions. Amdel specializes in bringing unique opportunities to their clients in a variety of industries. Through its Private Equity, Family Office, and Corporate Acquisition relationships, Amdel accesses over $10 billion in equity capital to purchase and/or merge with established companies with EBITDAs in...
Concord Hospitality Appoints Executive Team for Renaissance Milwaukee West Opening August 2020
Renaissance Milwaukee West Hotel | July 14, 2020
Wauwatosa, Wis. (July 14, 2020) – Slated to open in August 2020, Renaissance Milwaukee West, along with the adjoining chef-driven destination restaurant Eldr+Rime, announces the appointments of Vik Khokhar as General Manager, Chantal Bazzoni-Boncher as Director of Sales and Marketing, Michael Laughran as Director of Beverage and Food Outlets, Gary Baca as Executive Chef and Alex Lyskowicz as Executive Sous Chef. Developed and set to be managed by Concord Hospitality, both venues and its leadership team aim to provide a welcoming, luxurious destination to Milwaukee’s metropolitan area, as well as inspire community confidence that the hosp...
Crestline Hotels & Resorts Adds Two Denver Hotels to Management Portfolio
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC | July 14, 2020
FAIRFAX, VA – July 14, 2020 - James Carroll, President and CEO of Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC (“Crestline”) announced that it has been appointed to manage two hotels: the 299 guestroom Holiday Inn Denver East – Stapleton, Denver, CO and the 400 guestroom Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel, Denver, CO. “We’re excited to build upon our portfolio of full-service hotels that Crestline manages,” Mr. Carroll said. “During the pandemic, we’ve adopted new sales strategies to ensure that the hotels remain open.” Carroll added, “By tailoring our hotel offerings to the specific needs of small business groups, we were ab...
Train Your Hotel Staff to Show Hospitality When Enforcing Mask Requirements
Doug Kennedy | July 14, 2020
By Doug Kennedy With most hotels around the globe requiring guests to wear facemasks in all public areas these days, it has fallen upon the frontline hospitality staff to enforce this policy, which in many cases is also municipal ordinance or decree. Although most guests comply voluntarily, a small minority are voicing their displeasure but still complying. An even smaller, but very vocal minority of hotel guests are challenging our staff’s authority to require compliance in a way that is confrontational and often demeaning. From what I am hearing, it’s the front desk staff who are most often the receptors of a verbal barrage, as th...
Bending Without Breaking: How Labor Flexibility Can Help Hotels Survive the COVID-19 Pandemic
Mark Heymann | July 14, 2020
By Mark Heymann The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t going away anytime soon, and the widespread resurgence of cases across the U.S. throughout June and July is a prime example of that. From a hospitality perspective, the unfortunate reality is clear: hotels will continue to face an uphill battle until a vaccine or effective treatment becomes available. There’s no way around it -- point blank, period. The only way forward is by adapting to the circumstances in front of us. How? Well, a good way to start is by implementing flexibility within labor management processes. Unforeseen obstacles are arising every day amid the pandemic, which furthe...
‘Employee Safety’ Webcast Series Is LIVE!
React Mobile | July 14, 2020
Seattle, July 14, 2020 — The “New World, New Employee Safety Culture” webcast series is LIVE! Hosted by React Mobile CEO Rob Monkman, the fast-paced online resource provides answers to some of hoteliers’ most pressing questions about employee safety post pandemic and amidst civil unrest. Questions posed include: What does the new employee safety culture look like today as we roll into recovery? How is technology helping to define hospitality’s new normal post pandemic? Which contactless technologies are being implemented to protect front-line workers? What can technologists do to help hoteliers implement new operating procedures? Wh...
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Columbus, Georgia Partners With Hotel Internet Services to Implement High Speed Wi-Fi
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | July 14, 2020
COLUMBUS, Ga. — July 14, 2020 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has announced the successful implementing of a high speed Wi-Fi network upgrade at the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Columbus, Georgia. Aiming to provide its guests with all of the amenities that make a hotel stay enjoyable and feel like home, Country Inn & Suites, Columbus had begun work on an extensive property-wide renovation that placed a top priority on first revamping its internet abilities due to being identified as one of most important services for guests. Since partne...
The Bottom Line of Hotel Automation Is…..Well…., the Bottom Line!
Jos Schaap | July 14, 2020
By: Jos Schaap, CEO & Co-Founder ROOMDEX Traditionally, hospitality has been a conservative industry when it comes to technology given that the focus has always been on face-to-face service between staff and guest. The central location for the majority of these interactions has been the front desk (or Front Office (FO) department). COVID-19, however, is changing all of this. No one knows for sure what the new normal will look like but hotel stays are likely to be a stripped-down affair, particularly in higher-end hotels where personalized service and amenities have long been part of the draw. Step into any hotel lobby now and you’...
Pillows Hotels Implements IDeaS to Optimise Revenue Amid Market Demand Uncertainty
IDeaS | July 14, 2020
Pillows Hotels to reposition its organisation-wide strategic focus around IDeaS RMS capabilities Tweet this: Pillows Hotels implemented the @IDeaS_RevOpt Revenue Management System in the face of current demand uncertainty and is already reporting positive results. Get the details here: www.ideas.com/news LONDON—July 14, 2020—Today, IDeaS announced Pillows Hotels selected IDeaS Revenue Management System (RMS) to enhance the hotel chain’s strategy and competitive position in the face of the current industry downturn. Across its eight properties in the BENELUX region, the group has installed the industry-leading revenue management...
Onyx CenterSource Announces Global Partnership With WEX to Expand Digitized Payments Options
Onyx CenterSource | July 14, 2020
DALLAS (July 14, 2020) – Onyx CenterSource, a leading global provider of B2B payments and business intelligence to the hospitality industry, today announced a new partnership with WEX Inc., a leading financial technology service provider, to streamline payments to travel agency partners. The partnership will focus on virtual payments methods for different transaction types across the hospitality industry. As companies continue to focus on digitizing payments, virtual methods will be integral to industry partners and will allow a more secure payments process, in this case benefiting both hotels and travel companies, said Mark Dubrow, Onyx...
HFTP Pivots In-Person Events to Cyber HITEC
HFTP | July 13, 2020
Attendee safety concerns, global travel restrictions and uncertain guidance drive decision to transition from in-person to virtual event. The online event, which will offer education and vendor interaction, will become available on October 27, 2020 and run for one month. AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA (July 13, 2020) — Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) announced today that October’s “Best of HFTP” in-person events will pivot to a virtual “Cyber HITEC.” The in-person event, which included HITEC San Antonio, HFTP Annual Convention, Entrepreneur 20X and Club Forum, was scheduled for October 26–29, 2020 in San Anto...
Prestige Hospitality Group Selected to Manage Two Hotels in Kinston, North Carolina
Prestige Hospitality Group | July 13, 2020
ALBANY, NY and CHARLOTTE, NC – James C. Frenis, CHA, Chief Executive Officer of Prestige Hospitality Group, LLC (PHG) is pleased to announce the award of two new third-party management contracts for hotels located in Kinston, North Carolina. PHG was selected to provide hotel management and operation services for the Hampton Inn located at 1382 Hwy 258 South in Kinston. Owned by King’s Hospitality, the 122-room hotel features a ballroom, meeting space, business and fitness centers, outdoor pool and all the complimentary services and amenities associated with the Hampton Inn brand. The hotel was completed renovated in May 2020. PH...
Mar Monte Hotel Appoints Ingrid Braun as General Manager and Nathan Lingle Executive Chef
Mar Monte Hotel | July 13, 2020
SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. (July 13, 2020) – Mar Monte Hotel, located across from East Beach and just minutes from Downtown Santa Barbara, is thrilled to announce the appointments of Ingrid F. Braun as General Manager and Nathan Lingle as Executive Chef of the 200-room beachfront hotel, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. Ingrid F. Braun, General Manager, has spent the majority of her 17-year hospitality career in luxury lifestyle hotels in Southern California, overseeing several hotel renovations and openings. Most recently, she served as the opening Hotel Manager of the Santa Monica Proper Hotel where she oversaw all hotel operations a...
Travellers Should ‘Wear to Care’ in the New Normal Says WTTC
July 13, 2020
London, UK: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called upon all travellers to don protective face masks to show they ‘wear to care’ in the new normal of travelling. As countries transition from lockdowns to reopening their borders, the wearing of face masks helps signal the return of safer travels, while also providing personal protection for users as well as those around them. The advice from WTTC in favour of mandatory mask wearing comes from evidence that countries which are recovering faster and avoid second COVID-19 spikes are those where the use of face masks have been widely enforced and encouraged. Following...
How Big Hotel Brands Have Stepped Up Their Hygiene Game
July 13, 2020
The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have rattled the tourism and hospitality industry. The cancellation of flights, conferences, events and hotel reservations have left the industry in sharp decline, with planned travel down 80-90% and global losses estimated at $300-450 billion. So how can hotels prepare, and step up their hygiene protocols to make their establishment safe and trustworthy? What can smaller hotels and lodging providers learn from the best practices of other hotels who are leading the way? 1. Set clear protocols The first step is to be very clear about the safety guidelines and protocols for your establishment – incl...
Economic Theories on COVID-19’s Impact on Hospitality and Tourism
July 13, 2020
Fever, dry cough, and tiredness. These are the COVID-19 symptoms according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet those are also the textbook symptoms that the world economy is experiencing today. What is missing is a small footnote that says, “By the way, watch out for the return of the Say’s Law”. If we were at the doctor’s, we would then ask: “Is it serious?” The answer would be: “It depends, we don’t know much about it!” Well, why not? COVID-19's negative impact on the aggregate demand and aggregate supply The COVID-19 crisis, like the 2008 crisis, led to a substantial drop in demand: customers don’t consume, gu...
Radisson Opens Two New Hotels in Historic Istanbul
Radisson | July 13, 2020
Radisson Hotel Group expands its Radisson upscale Scandinavian-inspired brand to Istanbul in Turkey with the opening of two new hotels: the Radisson Hotel Istanbul Sultanahmet and the Radisson Hotel President Beyazit Istanbul, both ideally located in the heart of historic and culturally vibrant Istanbul. Radisson Hotel Group continues its strong expansion in Turkey, with 30 hotels and over 4,500 rooms in operation and under development with an ambition to grow to over 50 hotels and 10,000 rooms within the next 3 to 5 years. The Group currently has four brands represented in Turkey with Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson and Park I...
