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Nearly 200 Hyatt Hotels Expected to Open in the Americas Region by 2022
Hyatt Hotels Corporation | January 28, 2020
Hyatt’s Americas full service and select service brand portfolios expected to grow by 33 percent by 2022 CHICAGO (January 28, 2020) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that Hyatt plans to grow its Americas brand portfolio with the expected opening of more than 50 full service and select service hotels in 2020 and the addition of more than 140 additional hotels to its pipeline of hotels expected to open by 2022. This growth is set to fuel Hyatt’s regional brand presence by 33 percent of its current Americas portfolio. Newly executed deals for properties – under management and franchise agreements – will join 58...
Hotel Values Moderate, Cap Rates Stable
Suzanne Mellen | January 28, 2020
Supported by lower interest rates, transaction activity held up during a year of uncertainty. This article addresses recent trends in hotel sales and capitalization rates, the course of hotel values since the last downturn, and the outlook for 2020. By Suzanne Mellen Despite increasing concerns about a global economic slowdown, the trade war, and geopolitical risks, the U.S. hotel transaction market remained healthy and active in 2019. According to preliminary data generated by Real Capital Analytics (RCA), total sales volume declined by 15%, from $43.6 billion in 2018 to $37.1 billion in 2019, though as will be illustrated, the declin...
HSMAI Announces 2020 Americas Board and New Chair Marina MacDonald
HSMAI | January 28, 2020
McLean, VA, January 28, 2020 - The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is proud to introduce its 2020 Americas Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The board is composed of a variety of travel and hospitality executives from a representative selection of HSMAI members. The HSMAI Americas Board will be chaired by Marina MacDonald, CHDM, chief marketing officer at Red Roof Inn. “I’m excited to continue the momentum of HSMAI and our laser focus on driving revenue and profits for our hotel sales, marketing, and revenue optimization stakeholder members and companies,” said MacDonald. “This is goi...
Jesseca Malecki Named General Manager of Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in New Orleans
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants | January 28, 2020
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -- January 28, 2020 -- Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is pleased to announce Jesseca Malecki as general manager of Hotel Fontenot, a 202-room property located in New Orleans’ Central Business District, opening in March. The hotel opening marks Kimpton’s return to New Orleans after a 15-year absence in the city. In her new role as general manager, Malecki will manage day-to-day operations at the forthcoming hotel, including building the team, integrating brand standards and service culture, improving operational productivity and delivering memorable guest experiences. “We are excited to welcome Jesseca to the te...
Cycas Signs First UK Contract With Accor to Manage Ibis Bridgwater
Cycas Hospitality | January 28, 2020
Cycas Hospitality has signed a management agreement with Zeal Hotels and Sandgate Investors to operate its first property in the South West of England and its second with Accor. The 144-room new-build Ibis Bridgwater will become the largest internationally-branded hotel in the Somerset town when it opens in Q4 2020. Set within the Woodlands Court Business Park, the five-storey Ibis Bridgwater will feature a Keepers bar and restaurant area, parking for 81 cars plus meeting facilities. With good proximity to J23 of the M5 and easy access to Bristol, Bristol Airport and Taunton, the hotel will be less than half an hour’s drive from the n...
Mayfair Street Partners and Hotel Equities Announce Luxury Boutique Hotel – The Hamilton, a Curio Collection by Hilton in Alpharetta
Mayfair Street Partners | January 28, 2020
ALPHARETTA, GA., January 28, 2020 — Today, Mayfair Street Partners and Hotel Equities officially announced the name of the highly anticipated boutique hotel, The Hamilton, a Curio Collection by Hilton. Construction is underway on the luxury 119-room hotel located at 21 Milton Avenue in Alpharetta’s city center district. The hotel is owned and being developed by Alpharetta-based Mayfair Street Partners, LLC. Atlanta-based Hotel Equities will operate the hotel and is an investor into the project. The landmark hotel will become the heartbeat of Alpharetta and add to the city’s vibrant entertainment and restaurant scene. In addition...
Pebblebrook to Sell InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta and Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square for $331 Million
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust | January 28, 2020
BETHESDA, Md.- Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) (the “Company”) today announced that it executed a contract to sell 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. 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 estimated 2019 operating performance, the contracted sales price reflects a 13.0x EBITDA multiple and a 6.8% net ope...
Dream Hotel Group Signs With Aldea Oceana Holdings to Develop Luxury Condo-Hotel in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Dream Hotel Group | January 28, 2020
NEW YORK, NY (January 28, 2020) – Celebrated hotel brand and management company Dream Hotel Group today announced plans to bring its distinct brand of luxury lifestyle hospitality to Playa del Carmen, Mexico with the opening of Emma & Elissa by Dream Hotel Group in 2023. The latest signing with Mexico-based developers Aldea Oceana Holdings S.A.P.I. de C.V., a partnership between Grupo Proactivo and Foro Construcciones, represents a major milestone for Dream Hotel Group, as it marks the group’s second location in the Yucatán Peninsula and its fifth hotel in Mexico, further positioning the company as international hospitality innovat...
U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Finishes 2019 Trending Upward
Lodging Econometrics (LE) | January 28, 2020
January 28, 2020 – PORTSMOUTH, NH - At the close of 2019, analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE) report that the total U.S. construction pipeline continues to grow with 5,748 projects/708,898 rooms, up 4% by projects and 6% by rooms year-over-year (YOY). The pipeline has now completed its eighth consecutive year of growth. These robust year-end counts are a mere 135 projects/76,649 rooms shy of the all-time high of 5,883 projects/785,547 rooms reached in the second quarter of 2008. Projects under construction continue to rise reaching an all-time high of 1,768 projects with 237,362 rooms, up 7% by projects and 10% by rooms, YOY. Projects...
Skift Research Reports How Vendors Like RoomKeyPMS Are “Shaking Up” the PMS Space
RoomKeyPMS | January 28, 2020
January 28, 2020 – Vancouver, BC – Skift Research has recently published a new report about the PMS landscape, and how cloud-computing vendors like RoomKeyPMS are “shaking up [the] stale corner of hotel tech, and it’s crazy exciting.” Along with the history of the PMS and technology provided by legacy PMS vendors, the report investigates how cloud computing, open APIs, marketplaces and middleware layers are changing and improving the traditional PMS space. Within the report, Skift Research ranks RoomKeyPMS as having an increased focus on integrations, thereby significantly contributing to the evolving industry and the future of ...
Hotel Operations in The Cloud: What Are Your Options?
Maestro PMS | January 28, 2020
Operators Discuss Their Decision Whether or Not to Move Their PMS to the Cloud and How it Benefited Their Business Markham, Ontario – January 28, 2020 – Independent operators in 2020 have a decision to make. Many have older property management systems (PMS) that are fully depreciated, but their hotel software does not leverage current technologies, such as mobile browser or self-hosted environments. In some cases, vendor upgrades may force operators into a vendor supplied cloud-hosted option. Often, legacy systems do not meet the newest mobile guest experience and communication technology requirements. Also, many legacy systems lack th...
Harrah’s Resort Southern California Appoints Executive Chef Michael Marshall
Harrah’s Resort Southern California | January 28, 2020
FUNNER, CALIF. (Jan. 28, 2020) – Harrah’s Resort Southern California today announced the addition of Executive Chef Michael Marshall to its food and beverage team. Marshall brings more than 25 years of experience to his new role in Funner, Calif. and will oversee culinary development in addition to maintaining the high standard for outstanding dining experiences at the resort. “Chef Michael is the perfect fit for our culinary team,” said Darrell Pilant, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Resort SoCal. “His vision for the future of dining in Funner is right on target and his depth of knowledge and passion for ...
Haven Resorts & Spas Appoints Jan Lapointe as Director of Sales & Marketing, North America
Haven Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa | January 28, 2020
CANCUN - January 28,2020 - Haven Resorts & Spas is pleased to announce that VoX International has been named to provide brand sales & marketing throughout North America. Through VoX, Jan LaPointe has been appointed as Director Sales & Marketing for North America effective Jan. 16, 2020. Withmore than 30 years of experience in the tourism industry, Mrs. LaPointe is a knowledgeable and trusted leader with a proven track record of developing and growing new brands, driving innovative marketing strategies, developing loyalty programs and identifying new sales channels for hotels. In this role, Jan will be responsible for leading Haven...
Haven Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa Appoints Fernando Sanchez as General Manager
Haven Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa | January 28, 2020
CANCUN - January 28, 2020 - Haven Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa is pleased to announce that Fernando Sanchez has been appointed as the hotel’s new General Manager as of December 15, 2019. With more than20 years of hotel management and hospitality experience throughout Mexico’s top destinations, such as Cozumel, Riviera Maya and Cancun, Fernando is an expert in the regionand a demonstrated leader. In this new role, the industry veteran will be responsible for leading Haven’s guest experienceand brand standards,all day-to-day operations and upcoming milestones like the opening of the resort’s state-of-the-art Convention Center in Fall...
Hotel Internet Services Becomes Choice Hotels Qualified Vendor
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | January 28, 2020
Leading hospitality provider of internet-based solutions certified to provide Choice Hotels properties with advanced in-room entertainment and casting functionality PALM HARBOR, Fla. — January 28, 2020 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, is now a qualified vendor for Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors. HIS will provide Choice properties with the latest guestroom entertainment and technology, including its industry-leading BeyondTV and BeyondTV GuestCast platforms. Serving as a comprehensive in-roo...
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $17,750,000 of Interim First Mortgage Financing for The Normandy Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company | January 28, 2020
Beverly Hills, California – January 28, 2020 – Sonnenblick-Eichner Company announced today that it has arranged $17,750,000 of interim first mortgage financing for The Normandy Hotel, a six-story, 75-room boutique hotel located in the upscale Kalorama district of Washington, D.C. The Kalorama district is one of Washington, D.C.’s most desirable neighborhoods, located just blocks from Dupont Circle, and minutes from the White House, Capitol Hill, Smithsonian Museums, National Zoo and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The non-recourse LIBOR-based loan has a term of 5 years and paid off an existing acquisition and renovation l...
Real Hospitality Group Adopts Full Suite of ProfitSword Business Intelligence and Data Management Solutions
ProfitSword, LLC | January 28, 2020
Rapidly expanding hotel management company implements ProfitSage, ProfitPlan, ProfitPace and ProfitWizard to maximize business strategy efficiency and ability to achieve even greater organizational growth. OCEAN CITY, Md. (January 28, 2020) – ProfitSword, hospitality’s premier developer of business intelligence and data integration software, has been selected by Real Hospitality Group in order to obtain a real-time and fully comprehensive overview of its financial performance across the breadth of its organization. Recognized as one of the fastest growing hotel management companies in the U.S. and renowned for its corporate responsibil...
Hotel Industry Joins Nation’s Mayors To Advance Human Trafficking Solutions
AHLA | January 28, 2020
AHLA Leads Dialogue at USCM on Coordination, Innovative Tools to Stop Traffickers Washington, D.C. (January 28, 2019) – Today, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) led a national dialogue with hundreds of mayors around the country to advance solutions to stop human trafficking in hotels. President and CEO Chip Rogers hosted a panel of leading Mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s 88th Winter Meeting to explore the coordination between the hotel industry and mayors as they partner to deploy targeted strategies and take action to combat trafficking in cities across the country. Today’s event builds on efforts throu...
The HSMAI Foundation and Hiring Our Heroes Announce Virginia Resident for Six-Week Military Spouse Fellowship Program
The HSMAI Foundation | January 28, 2020
Candidate Recently Began Fellowship at Award-Winning Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Mclean, Va. – January 28, 2020 – The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes (HOH), today announced Kristie McCauley from Fairfax, Virginia as a participant in the military spouse fellowship program. Selected from a pool of 37 applicants and following a rigorous application process that included interviews with global partner brands including PenFed Foundation and Omni Shoreham Hotel, she was placed as a fellow based on her educ...
The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach Re-Opens Following $90 Million Renovation
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC | January 27, 2020
MIAMI, Jan. 27, 2020 -- The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach is thrilled to have re-opened its doors following a $90 million, multi-year renovation that touched all elements of the property. Ideally located in the heart of South Beach, Miami, the landmark hotel was originally imagined by architect Morris Lapidus, and following its floor-to-ceiling restoration is set to deliver a rare and refined experience marked by timeless design, thoughtful programming, and the anticipatory service of the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton. "Today, The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach – a treasure in the brand's portfolio and in Miami - returns better th...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Only 2% Better
David Lund | January 27, 2020
By David Lund When we think about solving a problem or fixing a situation and especially when it is a complex issue, we tend to put our head in the sand, throw up our hands and say, “This is not working. It’s so screwed up it will never get better.” Time to wake up! There is always something we can do to solve a problem. There is no problem to begin with, if there is nothing we can do. I have experienced this… The solution lies in the 2% Ask yourself or work with your coach (have you got one yet?), friend or co-worker. Have that person ask you the following and fill in the blank question. I am going to assume our problem is ge...
Los Angeles Has the Largest Hotel Construction Pipeline in the United States
Lodging Econometrics (LE) | January 27, 2020
January 27, 2020 – PORTSMOUTH, NH – In the most recent Lodging Econometrics (LE) Construction Pipeline Trend report on Los Angeles, LE states that Los Angeles has a total of 168 projects/28,501 rooms in the construction pipeline, the largest pipeline of any market in the U.S. Of this total, hotels presently under construction are at 46 projects/7,064 rooms, projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months are at 56 projects/9,199 rooms, and those in early planning are at 66 projects/ 12,238 rooms. If all of the projects in the pipeline come to fruition, this will increase the city’s guest room supply by 27.1%. The thr...
West77 Partners and The Hotel Group to Break Ground on New Homewood Suites by Hilton in Downtown Bellevue
West77 Partners | January 27, 2020
Seattle, WA, January 27, 2020 — West77 Partners and The Hotel Group (THG) announced today the new Homewood Suites by Hilton Downtown Bellevue, located in Bellevue, Washington, is scheduled to break ground during the winter of 2020/21. West77 Partners, the project developer, has selected The Hotel Group to manage the 224-room Homewood Suites by Hilton when it opens in 2022. The property will be located adjacent to West77 Partners’ 254-room Hilton Garden Inn and will represent one of the final phases of development on the Washington Square Superblock. “We are excited to bring another top-notch Hilton hotel to downtown Bellevue,” ...
BENCHMARK® Names Alex Cormier Director of Food & Beverage for Hotel Contessa, San Antonio, Texas
Hotel Contessa | January 27, 2020
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, January 2020 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has appointed Alex Cormier director of food & beverage for Hotel Contessa, a AAA Four Diamond-rated, all-suite hotel in San Antonio, Texas, on the city’s famed Riverwalk. Troy Mathews, general manager for the Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property, made the announcement. "It is a real pleasure to announce Alex’s promotion at our hotel,” said Mr. Mathews. “He has been a vital part of our food and beverage team for some time, and has helped bring important changes and improvements to our culinary operation. We welcome him to our executive...
