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
ReviewPro, a Shiji Group Brand, Launches Innovative Guest Experience Automation™
Guest Experience Automation™ | March 10, 2020
The launch campaign will enable widespread adoption of AI and automation by offering free service in 2020 for the first 500 qualifying hotels, up to a value of 1.2 million euros. Barcelona, 10 March, 2020: ReviewPro, a Shiji Group brand, has driven the guest experience management landscape for over a decade and is now making a decisive move into AI-powered automation with its new product Guest Experience Automation™. The product launches with an offer of free service in 2020 to the first 500 qualifying* hotels up to a value of 1.2 million euros, to empower them to act now because “Guests Won’t Wait.” Find out more at guestwontwait....
Maestro PMS’s Integration With Inntopia Booking Engine Lets Users Provide a Total Stay & Play Experience to Their Guests
Maestro PMS | March 10, 2020
Industry Leaders Maestro PMS and Inntopia Integrate to Deliver Increased Bookings and Revenue March 10, 2020 – Maestro PMS, the preferred hotel software for independent hotels, resorts, conference centers and multi-property groups announced its partner integration with Inntopia. Inntopia enables resorts to connect their lodging, skiing, golf, and other software systems into a one-stop shopping platform with automated email marketing and powerful business intelligence. Maestro’s Inntopia integration provides users with new booking channels that will increase occupancy and revenue. Maestro’s hotel software property management suite ...
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero Set for May Opening Following Transformation
March 9, 2020
San Francisco, USA, March 9, 2020 - Boasting the area’s best views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay and the glittering city below, the new Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero is now confirming arrivals beginning May 1, 2020. Located on the top 11 floors of the 48-storey 345 California Center in the heart of the city’s Financial District, the hotel will reopen this spring after extensive enhancements as a Four Seasons experience. “As Four Seasons continues to grow its diverse and dynamic California Collection, we are delighted to offer a new vantage point from which to enjoy one of America’s favourite cities,” says V...
Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Opens in Morganton, North Carolina With General Manager Rebecca Randolph at the Helm
Fairfield by Marriott | March 9, 2020
Morganton, NC – March 9, 2020 – The 85-room Fairfield by Marriott hotel in Morganton, North Carolina is now open with a new décor that provides guests with a feeling of warmth and calm while traveling. Located at 400 North Green Street, the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Morganton Historic Downtown will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by Morganton Lodging Associates, LP and managed by North Star Lodging Management, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Situated in the historic district of Morganton, the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Morganton Historic Downtown offers guests convenient access to Fonta Flora Brewe...
Chatham Lodging’s Chief Investment Officer, Peter Willis, to Step Down
Chatham Lodging Trust | March 9, 2020
WEST PALM BEACH, Fl -- March 9, 2020 -- Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE: CLDT), a lodging real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in upscale, extended-stay hotels and premium-branded, select-service hotels and owns 134 hotels wholly or through joint ventures, today announced that Peter Willis, Chatham’s chief investment officer, is stepping down from the company. “Peter was the first executive I hired at Chatham and has played an instrumental role in the company’s growth since our initial public offering almost a decade ago when we started the company with no hotels,” commented Jeffrey H. Fisher, Chatham’s president and chief ...
Asset Management – Why Bother?
Russell Kent | March 9, 2020
By Russell Kent -- In the course of each year my colleagues and I see a huge number of hotel P&Ls and, within them, there are often wide variances in performance, even in like-for-like situations – whether it is better or worse revenue generation, cost control or effectiveness. Some hotel management companies don’t produce an adequate return on their owners’ investment by doing as much as they possibly can to increase revenues, reduce operating costs and improve bottom-line profits and cash flow. Only when given a ‘kick’ from the owner or from a third-party asset manager acting on behalf of the owner does the optimisation of a h...
The Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel Welcomes Executive Chef Michael Rigot
Brim House | March 9, 2020
TOLEDO,OH -- March 9, 2020 -- The Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel proudly announces the appointment of Chef Michael Rigot. A Nashville native, Rigot serves as the executive chef for the property’s marquee dining outlets, Brim House and The Heights. Rigot joins the hotel property following stints at Cypress Lodge and Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen, where he served as Executive Chef. Under his helm, Rigot’s new menus incorporate produce of Northwest Ohio, combined with the flavors of American Southern cuisine. “Food and family have always held a special place in my heart,” says Rigot. “At Brim House and The Heights, we aim to ...
Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel Welcomes New Director of Sales and Senior Transient Sales Manager
Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel | March 9, 2020
MIAMI -- March 4, 2020 -- Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel is pleased to announce the promotion of Stephanie Tablada to Director of Sales, in addition to the appointment of Maribel Perez as the hotel’s new Senior Transient Sales Manager. A hotel sales professional with more than 10 years of experience in the industry, Stephanie has served as Surfcomber’s Associate Director of Sales since April 2017. Prior to joining Surfcomber, Stephanie held a Sales Coordinator position at Kimpton EPIC Hotel in 2011. After two years in her position, she moved on to work with both Morgans Hotel Group (now SBE Group) and Starwood Hotels & Resorts to pursu...
Upstalsboom Turns to Know Houskeeping to Automate Their Housekeeping Operations
KNOWCROSS | March 9, 2020
London -- March 9, 2020 -- KNOWCROSS, the preferred service quality management platform of the finest hotels, is happy to announce that the Upstalsboom Wellness Resort Suedstrand, Wyk on Foehr, has decided to implement the KNOW Housekeeping software solution from Knowcross, in order to automate their housekeeping department and make it more streamlined. KNOW Housekeeping has been successfully implemented at the luxurious Wellness Resort with an advanced interface to the Sihot PMS, which ensures that the staff have real-time access to room status, guest details and preferences, at all time. “We’re very excited to have implemented ...
Tourism Tidbits: Tourism Confronts the Coronavirus
Dr. Peter E. Tarlow | March 9, 2020
By Dr. Peter Tarlow This article was first published in eTurbo News. The following is a modified and updated version of that article. Only a few short months ago, the world first heard about a possibly new and deadly virus called the Coronavirus (CoVid-19). In these last few months what at first appeared to be a few isolated cases of an unknown form of influenza in a faraway province of China has now turned into a worldwide pandemic that threatens not only human life and wellbeing but also major portions of the tourism industry and economies around the world. For example during the last week of February world stock markets plun...
Meeting Professionals Cite Top Priorities for 2020 in Teneo Hospitality Group’s Annual Survey
March 9, 2020
Eden Prairie (Minneapolis), MN -- March 9, 2020 -- As a new decade dawns, leading meeting planners are identifying the most pressing issues confronting the meetings industry. Challenges include service delivery and value, creative meeting environments, the demand for unique, curated meeting experiences and an over-reliance on technology without accompanying technical support. Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier group representation firm, polled top meeting planners coast to coast to determine their most pressing issues and concerns. These experts represent a spectrum of the meetings industry – finance, pharmaceuticals, real estate, insu...
Asia Pacific, Excluding China, Hit Record Highs in All Stages of Its Hotel Construction Pipeline*
Lodging Econometrics (LE) | March 9, 2020
March 9, 2020 -- PORTSMOUTH, NH -- Analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE) state that Asia Pacific’s total construction pipeline, excluding China, hit a new all-time high at the close of 2019 with 1,926 projects/409,447 rooms. Project counts are up 7%, while room counts are up 8%, year-over-year (YOY). Projects currently under construction stand at a record 991 projects with 224,354 rooms. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months and those in the early planning stage are also at all-time highs with 436 projects/85,417 rooms and 499 projects/99,676 rooms, respectively. New projects announced into the pipeline have a...
Coronavirus Fears Should Be Less Hype and Hospitality Can Help / Frank Wolfe
Frank Wolfe, CAE, FIH | March 9, 2020
March 9, 2020 -- Early this morning I was pulled off the beach (in my dreams) by a series of rapid-fire instant messages and emails. For those who have kids, it was like one of those middle of the night calls when they are staying overnight at a friend’s house. Immediately your adrenaline builds, you get instant sweats and you can feel the beat of your heart reverberating through the entire bed frame. The reason for this interruption was that ONE confirmed case of the coronavirus had been announced in a city where HFTP is participating in several events this month. Only one case of a virus and already we were being asked if we were going...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: What to Do in a Financial Crisis
David Lund | March 9, 2020
By David Lund A lot has been said about the flu outbreak and the devastating effects it will have on the travel and hotel industry. But what can you do about it? The old saying, “You can’t save your way to prosperity,” still holds true, but you can be the best of class when it comes to being the least affected. Occupancy and rates are going to fall, they always do. The question is, where will the market go and how can we keep our REVPAR index? I’ll leave that piece for the revenue and marketing pundits. Here is a list of the top 10 things you can do today to mitigate the financial tsunami that’s coming. I have lived and manage...
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Completes Sale of InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta and Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust | March 9, 2020
BETHESDA, Md. -- March 9, 2020 -- Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) (the “Company”) today announced that it closed on the sale of the 422-room InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia and the 237-room Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. for $331.0 million to a third party on March 6, 2020. For InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, the contracted sale price reflects a 13.7x EBITDA multiple and a 6.4% net operating income capitalization rate based on the hotel’s operating performance for 2018. Based on the hotel’s operating performance for 2019, the contracted sales price reflects a 13.0x EBITDA mul...
Hotel Online’s Siegel Sez for March 6, 2020 Featuring Douglas Rice
March 6, 2020
Here we go … more thoughts on the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Nope, I would rather leave that to the Center for Disease Control to keep us informed (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html). But I warn you that I will add a link to the end that Mike Dickersbach posted on LinkedIn. The post said that maybe we need to balance our thoughts on the virus. From the business side we all are wondering what lies ahead especially after ITB Berlin cancelled three days out when many of the 160,000 attendees were already on their way to Berlin. Will more events be cancelled moving forward? Will attendance at some events be lighter? Will some ex...
How Good Hotel Marketing Can Give Group Sales a Leg Up
Tambourine | March 5, 2020
Five practical ways to start closing the gap between your sales and marketing strategy. Your sales team has a very big job. They’re on the front lines, rolling out the red carpet for a revolving door of meeting planners. Without a doubt, this hardworking team could use an assist, and skilled marketing – from communications to collateral – is the best, most cost-effective way to deliver the support they need. If your marketing team isn’t doing its job, the negative consequences will ripple through your group sales efforts. And vice-versa. It’s important for sales and marketing teams to double down on the basics and zero in on the ...
BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, Names Megan MacEachen Regional Director of Revenue
BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company | March 5, 2020
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, March 2020… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has appointed Megan MacEachen director of revenue. Priya Chandnani, vice president of revenue management, made the announcement. "I am very pleased to welcome Megan to Benchmark’s revenue team,” said Ms.Chandnani. “She brings both brand and property-level revenue management experience to her new position, which will benefit our company immensely.” Megan MacEachen was previously complex director of revenue management for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, where she was responsible for establishing and implementing revenue strategies at multiple pr...
COVID-19 Coronavirus as Force Majeure Contract Defense — History and Origins
Jim Butler | March 5, 2020
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 5 March 2020 See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you. Click here for the latest articles on the coronavirus and here for the latest on force majeure. In the article below, JMBM partner Mark Adams discusses the coronavirus in relation to force majeure provisions in contracts. This legal concept goes back centuries, but has become increasingly relevant as COVID-19 may be advanced by many in the coming days as a defense to breach of contract. This article is one of a series which will discuss the principles of force majeure ...
Restaurant and Hotel Management Platform Tripleseat Acquired by Vista Equity Partners
Tripleseat | March 5, 2020
CONCORD, Mass., March 5, 2020 -- Tripleseat, the leading web-based sales and event management technology solutions for restaurants, hotels, and unique venues, today announced an acquisition by Vista Equity Partners ("Vista"), a leading investment firm focused on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. Through the acquisition, Gather, already owned by Vista, will be merged with Tripleseat. The merger will bring together the sales and event management platforms of Tripleseat and Gather with software solutions that streamline and simplify event booking and management, while also enabling further technology enhancements and ...
Iconic Little Palm Island Resort & Spa Reopens in Florida Keys
March 5, 2020
LITTLE TORCH KEY, Fla. – Little Palm Island Resort & Spa – part of the Noble House Hotels & Resorts collection – officially began welcoming guests on March 1, 2020. After undergoing a complete re-imagination, the four-acre, ultra-luxe private island resort is the last Florida Keys property to reopen following Hurricane Irma in September 2017, marking an end to the exhaustive restoration process. “We’ve invested a lot of careful thought and attention to details in rebuilding Little Palm Island to retain elements loved by guests while ushering in sophisticated new design elements and amenities, said Kevin Geanides, the r...
IHG Signs With WIKA Realty to Develop Holiday Inn Balikpapan on Borneo Island
IHG | March 5, 2020
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) today announces the signing of a management agreement with PT Wijaya Karya Realty (WIKA Realty) to open the new build Holiday Inn Balikpapan slated to open in 2021. The 300-room hotel will form part of a mixed-use development called Tamansari Skylounge Balikpapan which comprises of a residential tower and the hotel. The hotel will feature two food and beverage outlets; an all-day dining restaurant and lobby lounge, which aims to create an experience that’s similar to their favourite restaurant at home, combined with the warm, genuine hospitality the brand has long been known for. With 610 square m...
Crestline Completes Renovation of Courtyard by Marriott Charlottesville – University Medical Center
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC | March 5, 2020
Charlottesville, VA – March 5, 2020 - Tucked under the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains and in the heart of this University of Virginia historic community, guests will find the newly reimagined 139-guestroom Courtyard by Marriott Charlottesville - University Medical Center. The hotel’s redesign features a refreshed and modernized lobby with media pods, communal tables, plush lounge furniture and upgraded televisions. The all new Courtyard Crate, is a redesigned sundry shop with freshly brewed Starbucks® coffee and specialty beverages via the self-serve Serenade brewing machine. The shop sells an enhanced selection of merchand...
AHLA Urges Congress to Pass COVID-19 Supplemental Appropriations Package
AHLA | March 5, 2020
WASHINGTON (March 5, 2020) – The following is a statement from Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO, on an emergency supplemental appropriations package to address the threat of COVID-19. “Hoteliers are deeply committed to the health safety of both the millions of people we employ, and the millions of guests who we serve at our hotels each day. The domestic lodging industry supports more than 1 in 25 American jobs, both at our properties and throughout the communities we serve, and we contribute nearly $660 billion to U.S. GDP. Our success would not be possible without a robust travel and tourism sector. To that end, we strongly urge th...
