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Marriott to Expand Its All-Inclusive Portfolio to Jamaica and Curaçao With Signings of Two New-Build Oceanfront Resorts
Marriott International | November 14, 2019
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced it has signed contracts with hotel developers to open two all-inclusive, oceanfront resorts in the Caribbean – an 800-room Marriott Hotel in Jamaica and a 283-room Autograph Collection on Curaçao. The 800-room Marriott Hotel Al Amaterra is planned on a beachfront site within the Amaterra Resort, a mixed-use development along the North coast of Trelawney, Jamaica. The site features about three miles of pristine beachfront. The hotel’s owner/developer, Amaterra Group, expects to commence construction in early 2020. “The signings for these two incredible, all-inclusive resor...
Accor Promotes Nenad Praporski to General Manager of Fairmont Austin
Accor | November 14, 2019
Accor, a world-leading hospitality group offering unique experiences in nearly 4,800 hotels, resorts and private residences, an unparalleled portfolio of brands, and cutting edge digital services, has announced the appointment of Nenad Praporski as General Manager, Fairmont Austin. In his new position, Praporski will lead all strategic direction and operational processes for Fairmont Austin’s 1,048 rooms, five bars and restaurants, nearly 140,000sq/ft of event space and 800+ employees. “We are proud to have Nenad Praporski come on board as General Manager of Fairmont Austin,” says Jack Miller, Central US Regional Vice President, A...
Charleston SC Hotel Implements Clear Sky Software and Benefits From Better Control Over Beer, Liquor and Wine Inventory
Clear Sky Software | November 14, 2019
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – November 14, 2019 – Clear Sky Software, Inc. ® announced today that The Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina has implemented the company’s beverage inventory control system to help manage and control all beverage products. The Renaissance Charleston is taking advantage of the features of this industry-leading beverage inventory system. Called Clear Sky BEVERAGE, this is a comprehensive, perpetual inventory system that tracks and controls all beverage products. Functions include purchasing/ordering, receiving, electronic requisition, outlet transfers/issues/returns and...
Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park Appoints William Schultz as New Executive Chef
Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park | November 13, 2019
CHICAGO, Ill. (November 2019) – Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, 200 North Columbus Drive, announced today the appointment of Executive Chef William Schultz. Chef Schultz will oversee all culinary teams and efforts at Fairmont Chicago, including Columbus Tap, the Lobby Bar, in-room dining, and special event and banquet culinary operations. A native of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Chef Schultz combines his Southern roots with 15 years of culinary experience, including Fairmont Austin most recently, to bring southern comfort cuisine to guests and local Chicagoans. As the new Executive Chef of Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, Schultz deb...
Jade Mountain & Anse Chastanet Appoint Valerio Pachetti as New Executive Chef
THE RESORTS | November 13, 2019
SOUFRIERE, ST. LUCIA – November 2019: Valerio Pachetti has been named Executive Chef at St. Lucia’s most iconic resort properties, Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet, where he will be responsible for overseeing daily food & beverage operations, menu conceptualization, managing back-of-house operations, and implementing new culinary programming. Chef Pachetti hails from Colombia, born to an Italian father and a German mother, and credits his parents with instilling his appreciation of great food from a variety of cultures. Pachetti brings more than a decade of industry experience to the resort’s talented culinary team. After comple...
The Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport Hotel Unveils Comprehensive Renovation
Westin Hotels & Resorts | November 13, 2019
IRVING, TX - November 13, 2019 - The Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport hotel recently completed interior renovations to its 506 rooms including 28 corner suites, 28 corporate executive suites, and two presidential suites, restaurant and bar, Westin Club, fitness center, and public spaces. C+TC Design Studio is the interior design firm for the renovation project. A new, spacious 2,955 square-foot Westin Club has taken flight and gives Marriott Bonvoy reward members a place to relax and enjoy an elevated experience. It is one of the largest Westin Club lounges in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. “The refreshed spaces in the hotel focuses on...
Key Executives Appointed for New Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Centric Hotels Opening in Portland, Oregon
Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center | November 13, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. (November 13, 2019) – Ahead of the winter openings of Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center and Hyatt Centric Downtown Portland, the hotels announce executive appointments for their leadership teams. Hospitality veteran Shane Nicolopoulos has been appointed general manager of Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center, slated to open December 19, 2019. In his new role, Nicolopoulos will oversee all property and opening operations for the hotel including 600 well-appointed guestrooms, an estimated 300 colleagues, and all food and beverage operations. Nicolopoulos has grown his 20-year hospitalit...
Hotel Branding: How to Take Your Hotel Brand to the Next Level
Jennifer Luo | November 13, 2019
By Jennifer Luo Seldom businesses can thrive nowadays without carefully-planned marketing strategies: not to say in the hospitality industry where there is at least one new property opening somewhere in the world almost every week. Moreover, the ubiquity of technology and the replicability of products means that branding has become one crucial differentiator for hospitality businesses. A hotel may be a superior service provider with its renowned facilities, but the customers need to seek a way to know about the hotel and its service quality out of all its competitors. As the market is saturated with countless hotels, brands and offerings...
IHG and Wasata Al Wosta Real Estate Open 438-Room vovo Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
IHG | November 13, 2019
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, is proud to announce the opening of the 5-star voco Riyadh, the first voco™ hotel in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, in partnership with KSA-based developer Wasata Al Wosta Real Estate Co. The 5 star flagship property in the Kingdom underwent major redesigning and rebranding to launch under the voco™ brand. As part of extensive renovations being carried out at the property, the 5 star hotel will feature a range of upscale signature voco hallmarks: warm and bright inviting interiors, modern artworks representing the voco character and personality. Thanks ...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 222: Hotel History: YMCA of Greater New York
Stanley Turkel | November 13, 2019
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: YMCA of Greater New York Do you know that there is a 167-year old organization located in New York City which owns and operates more than 1,200 hotel rooms in five separate locations in three boroughs? Some of its facilities are housed in landmark buildings and contain world-class athletic and fitness centers that surpass all private competitive facilities. It’s the YMCA of Greater New York which traces its roots to 1852 and has evolved as a flexible organization serving people of both genders, all ages, races, and religious beliefs. Its history is one of responding energetically and consisten...
Taking a Closer Look at a Panic Button Installation
Larry Mogelonsky | November 13, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Behind every new technology are a host of potential setup problems that can take hours or days to solve. For that matter, ESDs (emergency safety devices) are no different, for which I’ve had the pleasure of recently having to oversee a property installation and am now reporting on some of the specifics that you must also consider. As background on how these panic button solutions work, we’ve had RFID (radio frequency identification) for many decades and relatively affordable forms of WiFi or GPS for nearly 20 years, but these technologies could never really give us the response ...
Owned and Managed by Endeavor Hospitality Group, Courtyard by Marriott to Open in Midtown West, Manhattan
Courtyard by Marriott | November 13, 2019
NEW YORK – November 13, 2019 – Courtyard by Marriott New York Midtown West is opening its doors in Midtown Manhattan today. Featuring 399 well-appointed guestrooms, including 26 suites, as well as a custom room design, the new hotel provides flexibility and choices that allow guests to optimize and elevate their travel experience. Located at 461 West 34th Street, the 28-story hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Endeavor Hospitality Group. Situated in the heart of Manhattan’s burgeoning Hudson Yards district, the Courtyard by Marriott New York Midtown West offers guests convenient access to the Jacob K...
InnSpire Maximizes Guest Engagement and Service at LUX* North Malé Atoll Resort & Villas, Maldives Super-Luxury Resort in the Maldives
InnSpire | November 13, 2019
Republic of Maldives – November 13, 2019 – InnSpire, the award-winning provider of guest engagement, digital entertainment and business intelligence solutions for the global hospitality industry, has successfully deployed its IPTV solution and guest engagement platform at the posh LUX* North Malé Atoll Resort & Villas in Maldives. The resort opened on February 1st of this year, featuring 67 unique, double-story luxury residences with private pools and individual “Sky Lounges,” blending super-yacht panache with a distinct South Beach vibe. Each stand-alone residence is situated either directly on the beach or over the water. Th...
Lodging Interactive Launches RFPAssist – Evolutionary Group Sales System for Hotels
Lodging Interactive | November 13, 2019
PARSIPPANY, NJ - November 13, 2019 - Lodging Interactive, an award-winning digital marketing and social media engagement agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced the launch of its RFPAssist Group Lead Sales System for the hospitality industry. An industry first, RFPAssist combines Facebook Messenger marketing automation with 24/7 customer service agents. This combination enables hotel sales managers to capture group and event leads 24/7 and to book more group business. “RFPAssist is an evolutionary sales system for the hospitality industry that enables properties to ‘service’ inbound group leads 24/7 a...
RoomKeyPMS Hires Luxury Hotel Expert to Join Customer Support Team
RoomKeyPMS | November 13, 2019
November 13, 2019 – Vancouver, BC – RoomKeyPMS is excited to announce the hiring of another Customer Support team member, Katie Knight, who is an expert in luxury hotel brands. Recently relocated from Australia, Katie worked as a Reservations Agent and then Systems Coordinator at the luxury hotel brand Spicers Retreats, a RoomKeyPMS client. While in this role, Katie implemented and maintained all aspects of technology and rates, including PMS, OBE, Channel Manager, RMS, Livechat and OTA’s, and provided training and support to her team members. Prior to this in-depth role, Katie had even more relevant experience as a Training, Suppor...
Paramount Hotel Group Adds Doubletree by Hilton in Fairfield, New Jersey to Portfolio
Paramount Hotel Group | November 13, 2019
Fairfield, New Jersey, November 13, 2019 – Paramount Hotel Group, a premier third party hotel management company, announced today that it has been awarded the management contract for the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Suites in Fairfield, New Jersey. Paramount Hotel Group CEO David Simon made the announcement. Each of the hotel’s 204 rooms includes complimentary Wi-Fi, a large work desk and ergonomic chair, mini-refrigerator and HDTV with premium channels. Suites feature additional space, a separate bedroom, living room and sofa bed. The hotel also houses Nectar, a full-service bar and trendy restaurant serving Fine American Cuisine ...
Canada’s Hotel Construction Pipeline Ascends to a Record High With a 28% Increase in Rooms Year-Over-Year
Lodging Econometrics | November 13, 2019
November 13, 2019 – PORTSMOUTH, NH – At the close of the third quarter of 2019, analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE) report that the total construction pipeline in Canada soared to an all-time high with 289 projects/38,453 rooms. Construction pipeline projects are up 17% and rooms are up a remarkable 28% year-over-year (YOY). Currently, there are 85 projects/10,337 rooms under construction. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months have experienced an extraordinary 47% increase in both projects and rooms, YOY, standing at a record high of 125 projects/14,574 rooms. Projects in the early planning stage stand at 79 ...
IHG Partners With Ho Tram Project for Two Hotels on Vietnam’s Ho Tram Strip
IHG | November 12, 2019
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, signed agreements with Ho Tram Project Company Limited (HTP) to rebrand The Grand Ho Tram at the Ho Tram Strip integrated resort to InterContinental Grand Ho Tram within a year after refurbishments. A new build Holiday Inn Resort Ho Tram Beach will also open in 2020. The signing reinforces IHG’s growth in resort locations in Vietnam, and strengthens its presence in the region. Serena Lim, Vice President, Development for IHG South East Asia & Korea, commented: “This signing marks a new milestone in our growth in Vietnam, as we welcome our first Holida...
Renaissance Dallas Hotel Appoints Bridget Denby as Director of Sales and Marketing
Renaissance Dallas Hotel | November 12, 2019
DALLAS - November 12, 2019 – The Renaissance Dallas Hotel announces it has appointed Bridget Denby as Director of Sales and Marketing. Denby brings more than 15 years of sales and service management experience within major hotel and restaurant operations to the Renaissance Dallas Hotel, located downtown adjacent to the Dallas Market Center and minutes away from the industrial-chic Design District. Most recently, Denby served as Director of Sales of the Dallas/Fort Worth Market for Marriott International, where she was responsible for immediate supervision of the DFW market large group sellers and two group and catering sales leaders, as...
CoralTree Hospitality Appoints Lisa Josoff as Global Sales Director
CoralTree Hospitality Group | November 12, 2019
DENVER – November 12, 2019 – Andre Fournier, executive vice president sales, marketing, revenue for CoralTree Hospitality Group, today announced that Lisa Josoff has been hired as a global sales director rounding out the company’s global sales team. In addition to Josoff, Julie Tenge and Allison Sayer form the global sales team. The program was established to create brand ambassadors for the properties at industry events and provide meeting planners with one main point contact to accelerate the planning process. The GSO team ultimately creates a seamless and cohesive booking process for customers at CoralTree’s collection of hotels an...
Embassy Suites by Hilton South Bend at Notre Dame Appoints Wesley Clark as General Manager
Embassy Suites by Hilton | November 12, 2019
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — November 12, 2019 — Embassy Suites by Hilton South Bend at Notre Dame, today announced the appointment of the hotel’s new general manager, Wesley Clark. The hotel is owned by a joint venture involving Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) and managed by Hilton Management Services. Embassy Suites by Hilton is a global brand of upscale, all-suite hotels from Hilton (NYSE: HLT). In his new role, Clark will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the 164 all-suite property including guest services, hotel administration and marketing efforts. A 13-year hospitality veteran and team member with Hil...
Hilton Signs With M&L Hospitality for New 244-Room Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street in Australia
M&L Hospitality | November 12, 2019
SYDNEY and MCLEAN, VA - Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced the signing of Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street, adding to Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio of 106 world-class properties in the Asia Pacific region. Under a management agreement with M&L Hospitality, Hilton will manage the 244-room new-build hotel. Centrally located on the corner of Little Queen Street and Bourke Street in Melbourne’s CBD, the new Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street will be situated between the developing Docklands precinct and the established “Paris end” of Melbourne, making it an ideal location for both corporate and leisure travellers. ...
JMJ Development Bringing Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Resdiences to Dallas, Texas
JMJ Development | November 12, 2019
Dallas, November 12, 2019 -- JMJ Development has announced that it will be the developer and owner of a luxury hotel in Dallas, Texas which will be managed by the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The project, which will also feature branded residences, is scheduled to open in 2022. The new development will comprise a 25-story mixed-use tower located in the exclusive Turtle Creek neighborhood, one of Dallas’s wealthiest and most attractive neighborhoods. The project is within close proximity to the central business district and a number of cultural attractions including the Dallas Theatre Centre and Arts District. The hotel will...
LHM Canada Breaks Ground on Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Toronto Airport South
Holiday Inn Express | November 12, 2019
Toronto, Ontario (November 12, 2019) – LHM Canada Inc. broke ground today on a new 120-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites hotel in the Toronto Pearson International Airport area. The new hotel will be called, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Toronto Airport South. LHM Canada has had a long history with the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and has developed and managed several other IHG branded hotels over the years. The hotel is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2020. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, is the parent company of the Holiday Inn Express brand. The hotel ...
