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Blue Sky Hospitality Solutions Opens Delta Hotels By Marriott Indianapolis Airport
Blue Sky Hospitality | January 21, 2020
INDIANAPOLIS, January 21, 2020– David L. Fincannon, CHA, chief operating officer of Blue Sky Hospitality Solutions (BSHS), announced today the opening of the 240-room Delta Hotels by Marriott Indianapolis Airport. “We continue to seek opportunities to grow our portfolio of full- and selective-service, all-suite and extended-stay hotels from the world’s leading brands,” said Naveen Shah, CEO, BSHS. “This marks our second Delta Hotel in the Indianapolis marketplace, allowing for shared economies of scale and best practices. Our familiarity with the market and the brand will allow the hotel to ramp up quickly as Marriott cont...
Pegasus Appoints Keno Helmi as Chief Commercial Officer
Pegasus | January 21, 2020
Hospitality Technology Innovator adds senior sales executive to expand and lead its growing worldwide commercial organization (New York) January 21, 2020 — Pegasus, a leading global technology provider for the hotel industry, named Keno Helmi as the company's new Chief Commercial Officer. As CCO, Helmi’s duties will include planning, developing, and executing regional growth plans and business strategies to maximize Pegasus' market opportunities and drive profitable growth. He will be an active participant in corporate strategy, will guide product direction, will develop new business models, and will direct teams and initiatives for...
Milestone Inc’s Head of Hospitality Recognized as Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality for 2019
Milestone Inc. | January 21, 2020
Milestone Inc. announced today that its Head of Hospitality, Tammie Carlisle, is named as one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality for 2019 by HSMAI, the hospitality industry's premier organization. Tammie Carlisle heads the hospitality division at Milestone and is responsible for digital marketing engagement with major customers and hotel groups. She is a widely regarded digital marketing expert and is a regular speaker on digital trends at various hospitality conferences such as HSMAI, CHLA, AAHOA, and is also on the HSMAI's Marketing Advisory Board. "We're thrilled that she is getting recognition from HSMAI for her contribut...
Sustainable Tourism: Why Should Hotels Lead in This Effort?
Lisa Xie | January 21, 2020
Sustainable tourism has grown significantly is the last few years. Why and how can hotels implement more sustainable practices, taking inspiration from the UN SDGs? By Lisa Xie The tourism industry has one of the highest growth rates out of all industries in the world, accounting for 10.4% of global GDP and 319 million jobs (10% of total employment in 2018)1.. At the moment, there is no sign of a slump in this trend. In 2018, 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals were recorded (up 47% from the 2010s' 950.8 million) and the number is expected to rise to 1.8 billion in 2030. Hotels are only one of the many actors that play a big...
Radisson Hotel Group Signs Radisson Hotel Apartments Muscat Ghala Heights in the Sultanate of Oman
Radisson | January 20, 2020
Brussels/Muscat - January 20, 2020 - Radisson Hotel Group is proud to announce the signing of Radisson Hotel Apartments Muscat Ghala Heights in the Sultanate of Oman. The newest addition brings the group’s portfolio up to eight hotels across five brands – including Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson and Radisson – and will strengthen the group´s leading position within the Sultanate. As the economic and commercial capital of Oman, Muscat hosts an array of international companies and institutions and boasts a rich cultural heritage along with beautiful landscapes. Located within the Ghala Heights business distric...
Apple Hospitality REIT Selects Crestline to Manage Four Hotels
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC | January 20, 2020
Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis, Hilton Garden Inn Islip/MacArthur Airport, Courtyard Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square and Residence Inn Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square FAIRFAX, VA – January 20, 2020 Crestline Hotels & Resorts, LLC (“Crestline”) announced today that it has been appointed to manage four additional hotels: the 126-guestroom Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis (Annapolis, Maryland), the 165-guestroom Hilton Garden Inn Islip/MacArthur Airport (Ronkonkoma, New York), the 102-guestroom Courtyard Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square and the 78-guest suite Residence Inn Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square (Syracuse, New York)....
Return to Basics – Time to Rethink Your Guest’s Experience
John Hendrie | January 20, 2020
By John Hendrie Wow, just look at that magnificent sunset! My, that was a super ride on Flicka! Zowie, I cannot take any more of the chef’s creation! All memorable experiences one would say. However, how about these comments. Ugh – there is hair in the tub! Egad, there is lipstick on this glass! Does anyone want this condom I found in the bureau? Which series of comments would prevail in your memory? Hospitality starts with a blank tableau and we, as practitioners, apply the shapes and colors. If we do not provide for the basic expectations, we devalue the experience for our guest. Beyond the aspects of service and facility presenta...
Labor Optimization Is Critical to Reducing Soaring Costs and Maximizing Profitability
Hospitality Upgrade | January 20, 2020
Seven practical ways to optimize the hotel workforce By Fran Worrall Labor costs are historically the largest costs for hotels, and in recent years they have far outpaced RevPAR gains, fueled by a number of factors, including low unemployment rates, higher mandated minimum wage requirements and soaring benefit costs. In November 2018, for example, the City of Oakland, Calif., approved an amendment increasing the hourly minimum wage for hotel employees from $13.23 to $15 with healthcare benefits or $20 without benefits. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hourly compensation levels for hospitality employees increased by an ...
Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach Appoints Michael Medeiros as New General Manager
Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach | January 20, 2020
Fort Lauderdale, FL – January 20, 2020 – Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach today announced the appointment of Michael Medeiros as general manager. Effective immediately, Medeiros will be responsible for managing all aspects of the hotel’s day-to-day operations to ensure guests’ standards are met to the highest degree. His appointment comes as the property nears the end of a multi-year refresh, and his role will include bringing the hotel’s new vision to life. “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the local South Florida community and continue my Sonesta career here on Fort Lauderdale Beach,” Medeiros said. “This proper...
Thomas Schmitt-Glaeser Appointed General Manager of Sukhothai Shanghai and Vice President for The Sukhothai Hotels & Resorts
The Sukhothai Hotels & Resorts | January 20, 2020
Thomas Schmitt-Glaeser has been appointed as the new General Manager of the Sukhothai Shanghai and Vice President for The Sukhothai Hotels & Resorts, effective on 15 January 2020. Prior to joining The Sukhothai Shanghai, Thomas had been the General Manager of The Sukhothai Bangkok since 2016. Thomas is a seasoned professional in hospitality industry, with more than 25 years of experience from various renowned hotels all over the world. He spent more than 10 years with the Shangri-La hotel group before joining the Sukhothai family, during which he accumulated extensive experience in Asia Pacific, working in different locations including B...
The Island House Appoints New General Manager James Wyndham
The Island House | January 20, 2020
Nassau, Bahamas (Jan. 20, 2020) — The Island House has appointed a new General Manager, James Wyndham, effective immediately. Wyndam, a native of Australia, has an impressive career in hospitality spanning 25 years and several continents. He was most recently the General Manager of Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, the flagship of the One&Only Nature Resorts, where his goal was to create extraordinary guest experiences. Wyndam’s extensive career experience includes stints at multiple international luxury hospitality groups in the USA, Australia, and Dubai. While at One&Only, he played a key role in the opening of One&...
Hotel Erwin Appoints Ashley Truman Executive Chef
Hotel Erwin | January 20, 2020
VENICE, Calif. – January 20, 2020 – Hotel Erwin, the wonderfully weird and beautiful boutique hotel in Venice Beach, today announced the appointment of Ashley Truman as Executive Chef. In her new role, Truman will draw from her diverse industry experience to further enhance the dining experience for special events at the hotel, High Rooftop Lounge, Erwin’s Kitchen & Cocktails and Venice Way Pizza, opening next month. “We are thrilled to welcome Chef Truman to the Hotel Erwin family,” said General Manager Derek Haug. “She is incredibly talented, and we look forward to having her fresh perspective infused into our culinary of...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Duty Meals
David Lund | January 20, 2020
By David Lund Recently I attended a hotel association conference where I was a speaker for one of their breakout sessions. The opening morning of the convention started with a breakfast where we listened to the many great developments within the association in the past year and heard a fantastic story from the morning keynote about evacuating an entire city without one casualty or serious injury from an oncoming forest fire. What a morning! But the thing that got me more that anything else that day was a memory. The memory of being in that very room some 35 years earlier having breakfast all by myself. You see it was the hotel and dinin...
5 Things to Include in Your Hotel Performance Strategy
Hotstats | January 20, 2020
Are you putting too much emphasis on your hotel revenue strategy? Many hotel professionals miss an important fact: Your focus should be on overall hotel performance, not revenue alone. Consider this: Last year, the New York Yankees pulled in more revenue than the league’s bottom six professional baseball teams combined. But they didn’t win the World Series. Why? The simple answer is on-field performance. It’s the same for the hotel industry. Unfortunately, when it comes to building a winning hotel performance strategy, many hoteliers concentrate their efforts solely on revenue, when a focus on expense is just as important. That...
Hotel Managers and Owners Be Warned – You Are Responsible for Your Hotel’s Data Security
Bob Braun | January 17, 2020
By Bob Braun, Cybersecurity Lawyer The FTC Speaks On January 6, 2020, the Director of the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau published a blog post with changes to the FTC’s approach to its orders and settlements of data breach enforcement actions. One of the key elements of the report was a revision to the FTC’s routine enforcement practice to ensure that its remedial data security orders include greater specificity about compliance expectations for companies subject to enforcement action and for third-party assessors engaged to conduct FTC-mandated monitoring and audits of targeted companies’ data security practices. Beyond ...
Wyndham Debuts Trademark Collection in Atlanta With Opening of The Burgess Hotel
Trademark Collection by Wyndham | January 17, 2020
PARSIPPANY, N.J., Jan. 17, 2020 - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company with over 9,200 hotels across more than 80 countries, is continuing the fast-paced growth trajectory of its Trademark Collection by Wyndham brand in the U.S. with the addition of its first hotel in Atlanta, The Burgess Hotel Trademark Collection by Wyndham. This major market location is one of five hotels across five states – including Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California – to recently join the brand, further cementing Trademark Collection's position as one of the fastest-growing soft brands in the hotel i...
St. Regis Washington D.C. Appoints New General Manager, Winfred van Workum
The St. Regis Washington, D.C. | January 17, 2020
Washington, D.C. – JANUARY 17, 2020 – Winfred van Workum has been named the new General Manager of The St. Regis Washington, D.C., a historic, luxury hotel ideally situated two blocks from the White House. Van Workum joins the hotel with over 20 years of luxury hospitality experience, boasting expertise in both hotel and food and beverage management. A tenured industry veteran, van Workum will be responsible for all aspects of operations at the iconic luxury hotel. “I am thrilled to join the legacy of excellence at The St. Regis Washington, D.C., one of the city’s most distinguished and iconic hotels, known for its commitment to be...
HSMAI Americas Releases an Abundant 2020 Calendar of Events
HSMAI | January 17, 2020
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is pleased to announce its full schedule of events for 2020. The events to be offered to hotel professionals and their partners through HSMAI Americas in 2020 will feature conferences, awards, panel discussions and roundtables in addition to events recognizing noteworthy achievements in sales, marketing, and revenue optimization within the hospitality and tourism industry. New in 2020, HSMAI is introducing Hotel Digital Essentials, an expert-led virtual classroom series that spans six weeks. The course is designed to teach participants how to confidently find their way t...
Ambassador Chicago Hotel Appoints Katharine Degoma as General Manager
Ambassador Chicago | January 17, 2020
CHICAGO (January 17, 2020) — Ambassador Chicago, the Gold Coast’s original boutique hotel, kicks off 2020 by welcoming Katharine Degoma to the team as the property’s new General Manager. Degoma brings nearly 20 years of hospitality experience to her role and will oversee all of the property’s operations while ensuring a memorable guest experience. Degoma joins Ambassador from the Hyatt Regency Deerfield where she served as the General Manager. There, she oversaw a $14 million guest room renovation and $1 million overhaul of the property’s meeting space, flawlessly executing renovation strategy and keeping employee morale high. Pr...
New Radisson Hotel New York Times Square Debuts
Radisson | January 17, 2020
Minneapolis - January 17, 2020 - Radisson, one of the best recognized hotel brands, today announced the opening of Radisson Hotel New York Times Square at 525 8th Avenue New York, NY. The newly constructed hotel in the center of New York City’s most thriving tourist district exemplifies Radisson’s growth in key gateway cities. The hotel’s fantastic location within two blocks of Madison Square Garden and Penn Station makes it an ideal spot for both tourists and business travelers. The hotel features a unique landscaped entrance that offers a park-like setting creating the perfect start to each guest’s stay. Throughout the hotel, guest...
HMC Appoints Peter Ambros as General Manager for Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey
Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) | January 17, 2020
Dallas, TX – Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), is happy to announce that Peter Ambros has accepted the role of General Manager for the Sheraton® Harrisburg Hershey in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the team in Harrisburg, he served as GM for HMC’s managed Four Points by Sheraton in Little Rock, Arkansas, and in the position of General Manager at the Holiday Inn® Airport and Conference Center in Memphis, TN. With extensive professional hospitality experience and wide-ranging knowledge of the Hotel and Food & Beverage industries, he will bring a long resume of success to the She...
The Impact of Shift Length on the Productivity of Hotel Employees
John Kearney | January 17, 2020
By John Kearney Productive employees are essential for the success of any hotel - a fast-paced environment attending to demanding customers, sometimes 24 hours per day. It requires outstanding customer service, which can only be provided by a dynamic staff. To keep productivity at its best standard, you will have to consider several factors. And one with the highest impact is shift length. How it affects your staff’s performance, and what you can do to prevent it from having a negative influence, is what we will discuss in this article. How productivity is measured in hospitality The hospitality industry is diverse. Your hotel...
The Driskill Appoints Executive Chef, Mark Dayanandan
The Driskill | January 17, 2020
AUSTIN, TX – January 17, 2020 – The Driskill is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mark Dayanandan as the new Executive Chef. In his new role, Chef Mark will lead all culinary programs at the 189-room historic hotel, including the hotel’s signature restaurant The Driskill Grill, 1886 Café & Bakery, The Driskill Bar and private events and weddings. Chef Mark comes to The Driskill with extensive culinary experience internationally and domestically, as well as tenure as an Executive Chef at Hilton Austin and Omni Barton Creek. Chef Mark’s tactical approach and passion for encouraging growth allow him to take on a mentor...
AWH Partners Acquire DoubleTree Nashville Downtown
January 17, 2020
NEW YORK – Jan. 17, 2020 – AWH Partners, LLC, a privately held real estate investment, development and management firm, announces today an investment into the DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown, a strategically planned investment in the alluring market. Conveniently located in the epicenter of Downtown Nashville, the newly renovated, 341-room hotel offers ideal access to Music City’s impressive list of corporate and leisure demand generators. Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) brokered the sale and financing of the acquisition for the purchaser, an affiliate of The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. (Inland), and Spire Hospitality...
