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Tough Year Ahead for UK Hoteliers With Key Issues to Tackle
HVS | January 7, 2020
HVS identifies five key issues that hotels need to consider moving into the new decade, including the fact that travellers are now expecting a more personal service, the issue of corporate responsibility and the importance of attracting and retaining good staff UK hoteliers face a tough year in 2020 with a growth in rooms supply increasing competition and dampening revenues despite underlying demand remaining strong, according to global hotel consultancy HVS. “Hotels in the UK provinces found 2019 challenging and there seems to be little opportunity to improve this performance in 2020,” commented HVS London chairman Russell Kett. ...
Ambassador Hotel Wichita Maximizes Guest Connectivity and Convenience Using BeyondTV With Voice Control and Enhanced Wi-Fi by Hotel Internet Services
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | January 7, 2020
Autograph Collection property leverages HIS expertise to provide each guest with latest in content casting abilities and voice-activated amenity control while ensuring a seamless Wi-Fi connection. WICHITA, Kan. — January 7, 2020 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has announced the successful implementation of BeyondTV equipped with the latest in voice control and virtual assistant abilities at the Ambassador Hotel Wichita, Autograph Collection. Combining classic style and contemporary design using Chicago-inspired architecture, Ambassador Hotel Wic...
Penn National Gaming Senior VP Joins Penn State School of Hospitality Management Industry Advisory Board
The School of Hospitality Management | January 7, 2020
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —Eric Schippers, senior vice president of public affairs and government relations at Penn National Gaming, Inc., has joined the Penn State School of Hospitality Management (SHM) Industry Advisory Board. In his role with Penn National Gaming, Schippers is responsible for the company’s community affairs, government relations, corporate communications and media relations. He additionally serves as spokesperson for the company. Penn National Gaming operates 41 gaming, racing and video gaming facilities across the country, in 19 states, from Maine to Nevada. The brand oversees approximately 49,400 gaming machines; 1,...
VTrips Sees 600% Growth in Booking.com Since Partnering With NextPax
NextPax, Inc. | January 7, 2020
Leading global hospitality channel manager strengthens VTrips’ position to accelerate and automate their business Salt Lake City, Utah (January 7, 2020) - NextPax, the most advanced channel management technology provider for hotels, resorts and vacation rentals worldwide, today revealed the results of their partnership with premier property management company, VTrips. Since 2018, NextPax has supported VTrips through connectivity from their PMS to Booking.com. Through the use of improved connectivity content development, channel updates, distribution strategies, and increases to the speed of onboarding for a record-breaking 600% in grow...
Widewaters Hotels Honored by Hilton as Full Service Developer of the Year
The Widewaters Group | January 7, 2020
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Widewaters Hotels, an award-winning, innovative hospitality management leader, was named “Developer of the Year” in the full service category of Hilton’s 2018 Legacy Awards. The award was announced in September at the Hilton Americas Owner Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Legacy Awards recognize the passion, creativity and innovative spirit of Hilton’s partners who are committed to quality projects that meet or exceed brand standards and have a positive impact on communities around the world. The leaders of Hilton’s development and brand teams select the winners based on strict criteria, including hotel qual...
New Orleans-Based Owner and Operator of 19 Boutique Hotels and Resorts Debuts as The J Collection
January 6, 2020
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 6, 2020 -- Today marks the official launch of the J Collection, a New Orleans-based collection of exceptional Southern hotels and resorts. The J Collection is comprised of 19 unique, locally owned and operated hotels situated throughout New Orleans and the surrounding region. Each property offers its own distinctive style and personality, along with personalized service and southern hospitality. This new brand is the next step in the evolution of the New Orleans Hotel Collection and the French Quarter Hotel Collection – previously two separate hotel groups – which are now under the same umbrella of the J Collection. ...
Hotel Revenue 101: What Is ADR and How Does It Affect the Bottom Line
HotStats | January 6, 2020
Average daily rate (ADR) is one of the most popular revenue metrics in the hotel industry. A key contributor to revenue per available room (RevPAR), it allows hoteliers to zoom in on how much a room is selling for on average and, typically, RevPAR growth driven by ADR is more profitable than RevPAR growth driven by occupancy, since the latter increases the variable costs associated with servicing additional rooms. Driving rate, meanwhile, doesn’t have a cost attached to it, and, essentially, results in pure profit. However, hotel ADR absolutists beware: This key performance indicator (KPI) can be deceiving. Too much emphasis on ADR is li...
Quality Inn Clearwater Beach Begins Renovation and Rebranding to Dolphin Sands Beach Club
Choice Hotels International, Inc | January 6, 2020
Clearwater Beach, Fla. (January 6, 2020) - The Quality Inn beachfront hotel, located at 655 S. Gulfview Blvd., is currently undergoing a complete transformation and will relaunch in the Spring as Dolphin Sands Beach Club. The all new hotel will become part of Choice Hotels’ upscale Ascend® Collection which features historic, boutique and one-of-a-kind hotels that reflect the cultural fabric of their communities, creating a truly unique and rewarding guest experience. Dolphin Sands Beach Club boasts a premier location on the south end of Clearwater Beach next to the Hampton Inn and Suites, affording easy access to the area’s top att...
Vision Hospitality Group Breaks Ground on Lifestyle Hotel: Kinley Chattanooga Southside
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. | January 6, 2020
Chattanooga, TN – January 6, 2020 – Today, Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. announced the ground breaking of its second Kinley hotel, Kinley Chattanooga Southside. Joining the company’s Humanist lifestyle portfolio, the new hotel will feature 64 guest rooms and suites in the heart of Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Southside entertainment district. Kinley, Vision’s newest boutique hospitality brand, provides a home base for active explorers and casual adventurers, a focal point that feels effortlessly integrated into the local community and the world outside its doors. Derived from the word kinship, this personable name speaks to the bran...
Valor Hospitality Expands Globally Into Asia With Addition of Two Hotels
Valor Hospitality Partners | January 6, 2020
ATLANTA (January 2020) – Valor Hospitality (Valor) announced today that its new Asia division has been selected to provide hospitality management services to two hotels and a luxury residential property on the world’s most populous continent. The hotels include the continent’s first Staybridge Suites in Thonglor, Bangkok, and Thailand’s first Holiday Inn & Suites located in the coastal Thai town of Si Racha (both opening in 2020). Valor Asia was also selected to provide concierge services to Hyde Heritage Thonglor, a 45-floor residential building in Bangkok, Thailand, that includes seven floors of public space and luxury facilit...
2019 HVS Performance Report: Spa Department
Rodney G. Clough | January 6, 2020
By Rodney Clough, Mia Mackman On average, spa and wellness departments run profitably and can contribute significantly to a hotel’s bottom line. This report is our second annual performance report published by HVS that tracks and monitors spa department performance and profitability. The data presented reflect spa operating-statement averages and data points from 2018 through the third quarter of 2019. Across HVS’s 40 U.S. locations, our expert associates are continually consulting on hotels and resorts with significant spa and wellness operations, which are captured within their own departmental statement on an operating profit and...
First Hospitality Adds Fairfield by Marriott Fair Oaks Farms to Management Portfolio
First Hospitality | January 6, 2020
(FAIR OAKS, IN; Jan. 6, 2020)—First Hospitality today announces it has assumed management of Fairfield by Marriott Fair Oaks Farms. The one-of-a-kind hotel is located in a nearby country destination and agritourism attraction just outside of greater Chicago at 708 N. 600 E. in Fair Oaks, Indiana. “Fair Oaks Farms offers travelers the highest standards in hospitality along with a countryside escape,” says David Duncan, president of First Hospitality. “This is a unique property, and we look forward to sharing it with new and returning guests.” Fairfield by Marriott Fair Oaks Farms is owned by Fair Oaks Farms, who developed and o...
TPG Hotels & Resorts Selects Infor Hospitality to Standardize Processes
TPG Hotels & Resorts | January 6, 2020
Infor HMS to streamline business operations from the reservations desk to the back office NEW YORK– Jan. 6, 2020 – Infor, , a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that TPG Hotels & Resorts, a fully accredited operator and developer of many of the industry’s most respected hotel brands, has selected Infor to standardize property management systems and provide a single source of data across its independent hotel portfolio. With Infor, the organization will now have consistency across its property technology platform, making it easier to manage daily processes. TPG Hotels & Resorts wi...
McNeill Hotel Investors Acquires Newly Built Hyatt Place
McNeill Hotel Company | January 6, 2020
Germantown, Tenn. – January 6, 2020 – McNeill Hotel Investors (“McNeill”) announced today the acquisition of the newly built 131-room, upscale select service, Hyatt Place Huntsville / Research Park, AL, adding to the company’s growing portfolio as its fourth property in the state. The hotel opened to guests on December 15. The announcement was made by Phillip McNeill, Jr., the company’s chief executive officer. The Hyatt Place Huntsville / Research Park features 24/7 Coffee to Cocktails Bar with Starbucks products, business center, meeting space, outdoor pool, fitness center, guest laundry, veranda with exterior lounge, in addi...
Sagamore Pendry Baltimore Appoints Tomiko Burroughs as New Director of Sales and Marketing
Sagamore Pendry Baltimore | January 6, 2020
Baltimore, MD (January 6, 2020) – Sagamore Pendry Baltimore today announced the appointment of Tomiko Burroughs as director of sales and marketing. In this role, Burroughs will oversee all sales and marketing efforts for the 128-room luxury hotel situated in the city’s vibrant waterfront community of Fell’s Point overlooking the Inner Harbor. “We are excited to welcome Tomiko to the Pendry family,” said Juan Webster, General Manager of Sagamore Pendry Baltimore. "Tomiko's expertise in the Mid-Atlantic market and passion for the hospitality industry will make her an integral addition to the team. I'm confident her wealth of knowle...
Cendyn Names Donna Goudie Chief Operating Officer
Cendyn | January 6, 2020
January 6, 2020 – Boca Raton, FL – Cendyn, the leading innovator in CRM, sales and revenue strategy for the hospitality industry, announced today the appointment of Donna Goudie as Chief Operating Officer at Cendyn. Donna Goudie, a hospitality technology industry veteran with over 25 years’ experience, will be responsible for leading operations and services, accelerating excellence in key areas like account management, project management, customer success, solution delivery and implementation for Cendyn and the company’s thousands of hotel clients across the globe. Based out of Cendyn’s Boca Raton office, Goudie was most recen...
Curio Collection by Hilton Debuts in Saint Kitts With KOI Resort Saint Kitts
Curio Collection by Hilton | January 3, 2020
SAINT KITTS, SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS AND MCLEAN, VA. – January 3, 2020 – Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced the opening of KOI Resort Saint Kitts, Curio Collection by Hilton, representing the brand’s debut in St. Kitts and Nevis, which will also be KOI Hospitality’s first entry into the hotel space. The 102-room oceanfront haven is the latest addition to Curio Collection by Hilton, reinforcing the growth of its portfolio of one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts in premier destinations across the Caribbean and Latin America. Meaning ‘love’ in Japanese, the ‘KOI’ name was the inspiration behind the love and care that was put into the prop...
NewcrestImage Opens Hyatt Place in Amarillo, Texas
NewcrestImage | January 3, 2020
NewcrestImage continues to add to its portfolio with the opening of a 91-room, 4-floor Hyatt Place in western Amarillo. This is the company’s fourth hotel in Amarillo, with a total of 514 rooms in operation in the city. The Hyatt Place is the second property of a three-hotel, 300-room “hotel campus” located on a five-acre site. The other hotels are a 90-room, 4-floor Tru by Hilton that opened in August of 2018 and a 90-room, 4-floor Aloft, a Marriott brand, that is scheduled to begin construction by mid-year of 2020. The hotel complex is located in the heart of the city’s medical district at the intersection of I-40 Frontage Roa...
Tapestry Collection by Hilton Welcomes The Cassara Carlsbad, a Mediterranean-Style hotel, to Its Expanding Portfolio
Tapestry Collection by Hilton | January 3, 2020
The fully renovated hotel offers 90 guest rooms, 180-degree coastal views of the Pacific Ocean and convenient access to LEGOLAND, Carlsbad Flower Fields and premier shopping SAN DIEGO, CA — DECEMBER 20, 2019 — The Cassara Carlsbad, Tapestry Collection By Hilton, a 90-room fully redesigned, full-service hotel just minutes from LEGOLAND California, the famous Carlsbad Flower Fields, the Crossings Golf Course and Carlsbad Premium Outlets, is the latest addition to the Tapestry Collection by Hilton portfolio, one of Hilton’s 17 market-leading brands. The modern hotel features stunning and elegant colors the minute you walk into the lo...
Cabot Names Jules Cowan-Dewar as Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Cabot | January 3, 2020
TORONTO (January 3, 2020) – Cabot, developer and operator of a diverse collection of residential, resort, golf club and master-planned communities, announced today that Jules Cowan-Dewar has joined the company as Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Cowan-Dewar will spearhead all brand marketing initiatives and lead a revenue-driven sales team. In her role, she will oversee advertising, branding, public relations and social media as the company enters an exciting new chapter of global growth. Cowan-Dewar brings over ten years of marketing and brand management expertise to her new position. Most recently, she was the Vice President of M...
U.S. Hotel Profit Bounces Back After Downward Blip
HotStats | January 3, 2020
A negative profit turn for U.S. hotels in October gave way to robust growth in November, as GOPPAR climbed 6.1% year-over-year, the second-highest increase of 2019, according to data from HotStats. While profit growth was strong in the month, year-to-date it is somewhat muted, up only 0.3%. November was a strong revenue story, particularly on the food & beverage front. RevPAR was up 1.7% YOY, led by a 1.0% uptick in average room rate, while F&B RevPAR was up 4.1%. The combination resulted in a 3.2% YOY increase in total revenue, which is now up 1.5% YTD. Declining expenses, although, were not reason for the robust profit grow...
The Future of Food: What Is It Made Of?
Samuel Wich | January 3, 2020
By Samuel Wich At long last, traditional food production is about to be disrupted. The future of food is high-tech, local and taking into account the needs of our planet. The way food has been produced in the past has led to countless problems. At long last, traditional farming and distribution practices are about to be disrupted. The future of food is high-tech, local and taking into account the needs of our planet. What is the future of food made of, why we cannot continue the way we used to produce and what practices will be replacing current approaches of handling food? The future of food: new realities for the industry Currentl...
Tourism Tidbits: Working in a Global Tourism Market
Dr. Peter Tarlow | January 3, 2020
By Dr. Peter Tarlow The start of the new decade is a good time to take a deep breath and reflect upon the many changes and challenges that have occurred. The last decade has seen both political and economic turmoil in both Europe and Asia. Political changes have occurred throughout Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Many nations have had to deal with failing economies. Other nations, such as the United States, have enjoyed unprecedented economic gains. Energy has also played a part. The US is now the world’s largest energy producer. Furthermore, with pressure on fossil fuels scientists are seeki...
HVS Industry Statistics Update – Q4 2019
Jerod S. Byrd | January 3, 2020
By Jerod Byrd Occupancy levels across the U.S. remained generally stable through October 2019, while ADR registered a marginal increase of less than 1%. Research suggests that RevPAR will end 2019 below the 1% mark; this represents a further year-over-year deceleration in RevPAR, which has been the general trend since 2015. The continued entrance of new supply and the slowdown in job growth are the primary factors contributing to the recent trend. Supply is anticipated to continue to increase by nearly 2% in 2020, which will likely outpace demand growth. While RevPAR is projected to remain positive in 2020, the decelerating growth trend is...
