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Carté Hotel Appoints Timothy Wagner as Director of Food & Beverage
Carté Hotel | January 27, 2020
Wagner brings over 23 years of experience including 15 years at Coastal Pacific Wine and Spirits of America, where he held several managerial roles SAN DIEGO, January 23, 2020 — Carté® Hotel, a Curio Collection by Hilton™ property and a first-of-its-kind lifestyle hotel, announced today the appointment of Timothy Wagner as director of food and beverage. In his new position, Timothy will play a pivotal role in the food and beverage operations of the 246-room boutique hotel, which opened its doors to the vibrant Little Italy community last year. With over 23 years of experience leading teams to exceed revenue and service goals, T...
Hotel Industry Announces Top Employees in U.S.
AHLA | January 27, 2020
Stars of the Industry Awards Named During Gala Supporting AHLA Foundation LOS ANGELES (January 27, 2020) – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the newly rebranded American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation) announced the top hotel employees across the country, culled from more than 300 nominations across every company and numerous career pathways. The 2020 Stars of the Industry Awards are the industry’s highest honors revealed each year at second annual “Night of a Thousand Stars” Gala, the Foundation’s premier fundraiser. The event raised a record total of over $700,000 to support its mission. ...
Dream Hotel Group Signs Dream San Antonio, Texas Location
Dream Hotels | January 27, 2020
Reveals plans to open 217-key Dream Hotel in downtown San Antonio in 2023 NEW YORK, NY (January 27, 2020) – Celebrated hotel brand and management company Dream Hotel Group announces plans to open Dream San Antonio, Texas in 2023. With more than twenty new hotels on the horizon for Dream Hotel Group, the signing of Dream San Antonio represents another exciting milestone in the continued growth and expansion of the company and its portfolio of lifestyle brands. “San Antonio is one of the most authentic, passionate and diverse cities in America, as seen through its bold culture, rich history and burgeoning art, music and culinary scene...
Hotel Apps Enter a New Decade
Margaret Ady | January 27, 2020
By Margaret Ady It’s time to explode the old notion of the app as we move into 2020 and look at the breadth of possibilities that a hotel app store offers. Here are a few that have gotten my attention as of late Two point five million! Well, nearly 2.5 million. That’s how many apps the Google Play store has. Apple’s store came in second at 1.8 million apps. For perspective, 1.69 million people live on the island of Manhattan. That’s more than one app for every person on the island. Apps have become the go-to for managing our lives, both the operations (budgets, exercise, bill paying) and outer lives (work, social, news apps). ...
RobertDouglas Advises Geolo Capital and JW Capital Partners on the $120,000,000 Sale of the Thompson Washington, D.C.
RobertDouglas | January 27, 2020
New York – January 27, 2020 - RobertDouglas announced today that it advised a joint-venture between Geolo Capital and JW Capital Partners in arranging the forward-sale of the Thompson Washington, D.C. to Union Investment, a German institutional fund manager, for $120,000,000. “The opportunity to participate in the development of the Thompson Washington, D.C. attracted a wide range of investment options. Ultimately, Union Investment offered the most attractive structure though a sale-leaseback,” commented Evan Hurd, Principal and Managing Director. “Although the sale-leaseback model is commonplace in most European markets, it is sti...
HVS 2020 Hotel Transaction Outlook
Benjamin A. Levin | January 27, 2020
With the strength of the U.S. economy, hotel transaction activity should remain strong in the near term; however, as we look further out, things become a little less optimistic. Before we discuss the future, let’s take a quick dive into what happened in the past As expected, hotel transaction volume fell to a historic low during the peak of the Great Recession in late 2009, a drop that began roughly 24 months earlier at the end of 2007. Similar to the rebound in performance, transaction activity among economy hotels recovered rapidly, but soon declined as investors shifted their focus to midscale and upscale hotels, which recovered more ...
21c Museum Hotel Nashville Appoints Matt Bell as Executive Chef
21c Museum Hotels | January 27, 2020
Louisville, KY (January, 27 2019) – 21c Museum Hotels, the award-winning Louisville-based boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant group, announced today the appointment of Matt Bell as executive chef of its Nashville restaurant, Gray & Dudley, located in 21c Museum Hotel Nashville (221 2nd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37201). Bell is the former owner, operator and executive chef of South on Main, in Little Rock, AR. “We are thrilled to welcome Matt as the executive chef of Gray & Dudley,” said Melanie Tapp, Senior Director, 21c Food and Beverage. “Matt’s skill and experience in the kitchen are matched by his l...
InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Appoints New Leadership Team Members
InterContinental® Los Angeles Downtown | January 27, 2020
LOS ANGELES (January 27, 2020) - InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown is pleased to announce two new leadership team members for the 889-room hotel, including the appointment of Daniel Fennessy as executive chef and Zaw Oo as hotel manager. Featuring six world-class dining venues including La Boucherie and Spire 73 and named the tallest building west of Chicago, the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel elevates the Los Angeles skyline at 1,100 feet and 73 stories. Joining the operations team as hotel manager is Zaw Oo, who brings over a decade of hospitality management experience to his role and will oversee all day-to-day opera...
Paramount Lodging Advisors Expands Hotel Brokerage Team
Paramount Lodging Advisors | January 27, 2020
Paramount Lodging Advisors (PLA) is pleased to welcome three new team members to PLA, Andrew Makhlouf, Eric Gunderson, and Mason McDavid. All three individuals bring with them a unique set of skills that will continue to benefit and enhance the services that PLA provides to their clients. Andrew is based out of PLA’s Chicago HQ and is licensed to practice law in Illinois. Prior to joining PLA, Andrew exclusively worked as counsel representing clients in commercial and real estate transactions and other business-related activities. Mr. Makhlouf has a vast knowledge on all aspects of the real estate transaction process with experience repr...
Too Busy to Text? Beekeeper Rolls Out Voice Messaging for Chats at ALIS 2020
Beekeeper | January 27, 2020
Vying for the event’s ‘Hottest Technology’ title for a second consecutive year, Beekeeper will reveal the coolest new way to communicate effectively with a hotel’s non-desk workers Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2020 —Today at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) here, Beekeeper is launching a new push-to-talk feature for chats designed for hoteliers who are too busy to spend time manually typing out messages to their teams. Rather than using less secure consumer platforms like WhatsApp to record, share and receive voice messages, the new feature will enable hotel management and staff to communicate more quickly and efficiently w...
Justin Jabara Named President of Meyer Jabara Hotels
Meyer Jabara Hotels | January 27, 2020
Forty-three-year-old hotel ownership and management company is staying in the family with third-generation hotelier at the helm [Danbury, Conn., January 27, 2020]—Meyer Jabara Hotels (MJH) CEO Richard Jabara, and Chairman William Meyer, proudly name Justin Jabara president of the award-winning, multi-branded, 43-year old hotel ownership and management company effective immediately. With dual corporate locations in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Danbury, Conn., MJH was launched by second-generation hoteliers, Richard Jabara and William (Bill) Meyer in 1977 with the purchase of their first hotel here. Meyer and Jabara developed an industry-lea...
2020 Global Travel Marketing Trends Unveiled in New Sojern Report
Sojern | January 23, 2020
More than 1,100 travel marketers surveyed in 26 countries talk 2020 travel trends SAN FRANCISCO – 23 January 2020 – Sojern, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions for travel, today published the second edition of its report, The Future of Travel Advertising: 2020 State of the Industry Report. The research, which was fielded and hosted by Dynata, surveyed more than 1,100 global travel marketers across 26 countries who shared key challenges marketers face, how they overcame them, and their strategies for the coming year. In its second edition, the 2020 report highlights the impact of emerging trends and technologies on th...
Sheraton Kaua’i Coconut Beach Resort Welcomes Chris Machorek as General Manager
Sheraton Kaua’i Coconut Beach Resort | January 23, 2020
KAPA’A, HAWAII (January 23, 2020) – Sheraton Kaua’i Coconut Beach Resort announces the appointment of Chris Machorek as general manager. Machorek returns to the newly flagged property, formerly a Courtyard by Marriott Kaua’i at Coconut Beach Resort, where he previously served as general manager for two years. He brings over 25 years of robust senior leadership experience in the hospitality industry, specifically on the island of Kauai, to the full-service oceanfront resort. In his role, Machorek oversees operations for 314 guest rooms, five F&B outlets including a twice weekly luau, and 8,000 square feet of event space. “O...
The Kahala Hotel & Resort Appoints Jonathan Mizukami as Executive Chef
The Kahala Hotel & Resort | January 23, 2020
HONOLULU — The Kahala Hotel & Resort is pleased to welcome Jonathan Mizukami as the new executive chef, responsible for overseeing the overall culinary direction of the resort’s signature Hoku’s Restaurant, Plumeria Beach House, The Veranda, Seaside Grill and catering operations. Mizukami brings over 20 years of experience working in renowned restaurants across the U.S. and internationally, including a 10-year stint as sous chef at Thomas Keller’s highly acclaimed Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry. He gained experience training at Spain’s 3-star Michelin restaurant, El Bulli; at Alinea in Chicago; Per Se in New Yor...
Dream Midtown Appoints Leiya Cohen as General Manager
Dream Midtown | January 23, 2020
NEW YORK, NY – January 23, 2020 – Renowned hotel brand and management company Dream Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Leiya Cohen as General Manager at Dream Midtown. In this role, Leiya is responsible for overseeing all aspects of hotel operations at the Dream Hotel brand’s original location. Leiya most recently served as the Hotel Manager of The Time New York, another property within the Dream Hotel Group portfolio. “Leiya has been a key player in the success of The Time New York, providing an outstanding guest experience and maintaining hotel operations through an extensive renovation and a technological s...
Michael Inferrera Appointed Executive Chef at The Summit
The Summit | January 23, 2020
Cincinnati (January 23, 2020) - The Summit recently appointed Michael Inferrera to the role of Executive Chef. Inferrera has been an integral part of the hotel team since 2019. Over the past 20 years, he has established a distinguished career across a diverse range of culinary and hospitality experiences, including 15 years in the casino/entertainment industry. Inferrera brings his experience working in Atlantic City and Philadelphia for prestigious brands such as Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and Valley Forge Resort to The Summit. He joined Pinnacle Entertainment ...
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Appoints Cory Baum as Director of Sales and Marketing
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa | January 23, 2020
Austin, Texas (January 23, 2020) – Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, one of Texas’ leading resorts located right outside Austin, announces Cory Baum as Director of Sales and Marketing. Baum joins the property from Hyatt Regency Jacksonville in Florida. “We are very excited to announce Cory Baum as Director of Sales and Marketing at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines,” said Keith Spinden, General Manager of Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa. “Cory is the ideal professional for this position because he has a vast amount of experience paired with an unmatched passion for creativity and innovation to find new and exciting ways...
7 Hotel Technology Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2020
Atul Gupta | January 23, 2020
By Atul Gupta INTRODUCTION With new technology trends such as the internet of things (IoT), many businesses have been able to improve their operations as well as make them more up to date. In the hotel and hospitality industry, technology has helped make many hotels and resorts more efficient as ones that are capable of providing better service for their guests. Technology in the hospitality industry has been able to capitalize on the internet of things (IoT) by providing a better user experience for guests. Today, guests can make reservations through an application and schedule their stay with their smartphones. Along with the inter...
Why Now Is the Time for Hoteliers to Leverage Channel Manager?
Ahmed Mahmoud | January 23, 2020
By Ahmed Mahmoud Choosing the correct hotel Channel Manager is always a critical decision for hotels. There are many factors can be taken into consideration when you decide which channel manager to select for your hotel, it could be your hotel size, cost, time-saving, ……..etc. If you do not have the right channel manager that distributes your rooms in an organized way, you run the risk of double booking your rooms - resulting in unhappy customers, lost revenue, and even more wasted time trying to rectify the situation. In looking for the right channel manager for your hotel, hoteliers may start to ask themselves the below: ››...
The Guestbook Expands Sales Team in Response to Unprecedented Growth
The Guestbook | January 23, 2020
The Guestbook adds two new members to its sales team following a year of unprecedented growth within the company LOS ANGELES — January 23, 2020 — The Guestbook, the world's largest rewards program for independent and boutique hotels, today announces the appointment of two new members to its growing sales team, as part of a continuing expansion initiative. The company’s new hires include Bee Dahl, who has been tapped as Director of Sales, and Amy Devlaliwalla, who has been appointed as Director of Business Development. This sales team expansion was necessitated by a year of marked growth at The Guestbook and will allow the company ...
Operating in a Silo
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservations Call Center Services | January 23, 2020
How to Unite Revenue and Marketing Teams By definition, the silo effect happens when team members, or leadership, do not share common goals, have aligned strategies, exchange information, or use collaboration tools. The silo mentality affects not only those in the silo but stretches across the organization. On the surface, it hurts employee morale but can, also, impact a company’s bottom line. For hotels, revenue and marketing teams have traditionally worked in a silo as separate entities at hotels. Working separately in the past, building the brand and maximizing revenue were often seen as two distinct and independent goals. But that ...
Batteries Included
Shep Hyken | January 22, 2020
By Shep Hyken “There are two kinds of people: Batteries Included and Batteries Not Included.” That quote comes from Dan Sullivan, founder and president of the Strategic Coach program. If you’ve been following my work, you’ll probably recognize his name. I’ve learned a lot over the years by attending his workshops and coaching sessions. He recently released a book that included many of his quotable words of wisdom. This one—about Batteries Included or Batteries Not Included—resonated with me. If it doesn’t already resonate with you, I bet it will in just a moment. I have what appears to be an endless amount of energy. ...
Duetto’s David Woolenberg Promoted to CEO
Duetto | January 22, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO — Jan. 22, 2020 —Duetto, hospitality’s innovative software as a service provider of revenue strategy solutions, has promoted David Woolenberg from President and Chief Operating Officer to Chief Executive Officer. Woolenberg will continue to lead Duetto’s business growth strategy and operations and will join the company’s Board of Directors. Woolenberg joined Duetto as Chief Revenue Officer in 2018. He was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer a year later after a period of record growth. As a member of Duetto’s senior leadership team, Woolenberg implemented a customer-focused business strategy and spea...
Do Dual-Branded Hotels Outperform Single-Branded Hotels?
Chekitan S. Dev | January 22, 2020
By Chekitan S. Dev and Eva Steiner Dual branding of hotels has become a growing industry practice. Beyond the potential marketing benefits of the dual-branding strategy, this paper tests whether dual-branded hotels operate more efficiently than comparable single-branded hotels (and therefore deliver better bottomline results). Comparing a proprietary longitudinal data set on the operating performance generated by dual-branded hotels in the U.S. against a set of comparable single-branded hotels, we document mixed results. While dual- and single-branded hotels achieve similar occupancy percentages, dual-branded hotels generate higher avera...
