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Case Study: How Banff Lodging Company Centralizes Call Center Operations & Revenue Management for 11 Resorts With Maestro Multi-Property PMS Suit
Maestro PMS | November 5, 2019
HX 2019: Visit Maestro PMS in Booth #1231 Jacob K. Javits Convention Center NYC, November 10-11, 2019 November 5, 2019 – “Banff Lodging Company (BLC) selected Maestro for its six original hotels because of its integrated property management (PMS) and Sales and Catering systems. We are a heavy group company with custom BEOs, and Maestro’s hotel software system integration has been excellent,” said Arjun Gersoppe, General Manager at Banff Lodging Company. “Now we have 11 properties on one Maestro hotel software database. This enables us to operate a multi-property call center, simplify cross-selling and book larger groups. Maestro...
Highgate Appoints Barbara Christoph as General Manager at Arthouse Hotel New York City...
Arthouse Hotel New York City | November 5, 2019
NEW YORK, NY – November 5th, 2019 – The executive team at Highgate Hotels announces the appointment of Barbara Christoph as General Manager at Arthouse Hotel New York City. Barbara is honored to come “home” to Arthouse, having started her tenure with Highgate in 2007 at what was formerly On The Ave Hotel. Inspired by the creative spirit of the Upper West Side, the property was renamed Arthouse in the spring of 2019. “It is only the beginning of this exciting new chapter, and I’m delighted to be a part of it,” said Barbara Christoph. “Arthouse is a special place not only because of its amazing team which has cultivated stron...
Fuel White Paper Helps Hoteliers “Beat OTAs at Their Own Game” and Maximize Direct Booking Strategies...
Fuel | November 5, 2019
Newly released white paper reveals proven OTA strategies that hoteliers can seize upon to combat growing online competition and improve direct booking results. Myrtle Beach, SC – November 5, 2019 – Fuel, the premier software provider and digital agency for the hotel industry, has announced the release of a new white paper to the hotel industry that is geared toward helping hoteliers gain additional revenue through direct bookings on their own websites. Entitled “How to Beat OTAs at their own game,” the new informational white paper explores key data-driven tactics that the most successful Online Travel Agencies have used to captur...
Bungalows Key Largo Adapts to Guest Demands for In-Room Content Streaming and Casting Abilities With BeyondTV by Hotel Internet Services...
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | November 5, 2019
All-inclusive, adults-only resort implements advanced casting solution to cater to today’s standards in entertainment technology and data security. KEY LARGO, Fla. — November 5, 2019 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has announced the implementation of its BeyondTV entertainment casting solution at the Bungalows Key Largo, a luxury and all-inclusive resort located in the Florida Keys. Set to open on December 19, 2019 and serving as an adults-only tropical oasis with tranquility-inspiring amenities such as its coconut beach, oceanfront pool and Ze...
Verdant to Showcase Simple, Smart and Intuitive Guestroom Thermostats at HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA...
Verdant | November 5, 2019
[Montreal, Quebec — November 5, 2019] — Hoteliers looking for ways to slash their hotels’ energy bills should visit Verdant next week at HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA. Verdant ’s simple, smart and intuitive guestroom thermostats combine smart occupancy sensors with patented cloud software features to set-back temperature while guests are away and reduce energy consumption when rooms are unoccupied. Verdant solutions – including its new ZX energy-management thermostat and its popular, field-proven VX solution – will be on display in Booth 1315 November 10 -11 at the Javits Center in New York. “Verdant solutions ...
Upcoming Higgins Hotel & Conference Center Appoints Virgile Brandel as Executive Chef...
The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center | November 5, 2019
NEW ORLEANS -- Nov. 5, 2019 -- The highly anticipated Higgins Hotel & Conference Center has announced the appointment of award-winning Chef Virgile Brandel as Executive Chef. The National WWII Museum’s New Orleans property is slated to open in December with four dining outlets and a distinct 1940s theme. Brandel brings more than 25 years of culinary experience to The Higgins Hotel and will spearhead menu development, culinary innovation and operations of the various dining outlets, which include the Hotel’s signature restaurant Café Normandie, a lobby lounge named Kilroy’s Bar and Lounge, rooftop bar Rosie’s on the Roof and Pr...
Donohoe Hospitality Services Selected to Manage Hilton Garden Inn Alexandria, VA...
Donohoe Hospitality Services | November 5, 2019
BETHESDA, MD – November 5, 2019 – Thomas Penny, III, President of Donohoe Hospitality Services, a division of Donohoe, today announced the company being named to manage The Hilton Garden Inn Alexandria Old Town, Alexandria, VA. The 109-guestroom hotel is in the beautifully preserved historic district of Old Town Alexandria, just two blocks from the King Street Metro station, offering easy access to Washington, D.C., Amazon HQ2, Reagan National Airport and National Harbor. Guests can ride the free Old Town Trolley for a trip down King Street in Old Town Alexandria, stroll along the city’s scenic waterfront and enjoy dining and boutique s...
McKibbon Hospitality Appoints John Loute as Opening General Manager at SpringHill Suites by Marriott Lakeland...
SpringHill Suites by Marriott | November 5, 2019
LAKELAND, Fla. (November 5, 2019) –McKibbon Hospitality, an award-winning leader in hotel management, today announced the appointment of hospitality veteran John Loute as General Manager of SpringHill Suites by Marriott Lakeland. Beginning his new role on November 4, Loute will be responsible for overseeing all operations for the 126-room, all-suites hotel, which is slated to open in downtown Lakeland in spring 2020. “We are excited to have John join the McKibbon family to oversee the opening and operations of downtown Lakeland’s newest hotel,” said Todd Kinney, McKibbon Hospitality regional vice president of operations. “John’...
Choice Hotels and Koucar Management Break Ground on Detroit’s First Cambria Hotel...
Cambria Hotels | November 4, 2019
ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 4, 2019 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) and Koucar Management celebrate the official start of construction on Detroit's first Cambria hotel: the Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown. Slated to open in 2020, the modular-construction, six-story, 158-room upscale hotel will become the Cambria brand's second location in Michigan. Nine other Cambria hotels have already opened their doors this year, together representing over 1,200 upscale rooms. Three more Cambria hotels are expected to open in top-tier markets across the country by year-end. This milestone was marked at an event attended by local dignitaries an...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: A Good Hotel Friend and the Canadian GP...
David Lund | November 4, 2019
By David Lund The hotel business is often a grind. I mean it is tough slugging it out each day. The guests never go away or when they do, they are replaced by others. Colleagues need your constant attention or lord knows what they will get up to if left to their own devices. And there is always someone who needs something that just cannot wait. I think you know what I mean. But alas there is the other side of the coin. That is when someone gives you an unexpected gift! Right out of the blue. That has happened to me many times in my 30-plus years. This story is about one of those times. It all started when I was still a cigarette smoker....
Discovering Possible Off-The-Radar Investment Markets...
Drew Noecker | November 4, 2019
By Drew Noecker At the 2019 Phoenix Lodging Conference, the HVS Team heard muted optimism and a view that growth in the next 24 months may vary widely across markets. We would encourage owners to investigate the sometimes overlooked top 50 MSAs that still could experience value appreciation in those 24 months. Markets for Consideration Source: HVS Research and the HVI HVS reviewed multiple metrics to identify select top 50 MSAs that might offer good value to hotel investors. While these markets don’t necessarily have the cachet of, say, New York or San Francisco, they do offer potential growth and may not carry the competitive sup...
Prominence Hospitality Group Opens New Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago O’Hare Airport in Des Plaines, IL...
Prominence Hospitality Group | November 4, 2019
DES PLAINES, Ill. November 4, 2019 -- Prominence Hospitality Group, announces the opening of the brand new Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago O’Hare Airport hotel in Des Plaines, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The smoke-free property features 130 spacious rooms, including 44 King suites. This hotel is expected to become top choice for travelers for the Chicago, Des Plaines, and Rosemont areas. The brand new O’Hare Airport hotel is located one-half mile from Allstate Arena, less than 2 miles from O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Downtown Rosemont, which features many fine restaurant and eating options, en...
Hotel Equities Selected to Operate The Island Beachside Resort on Florida’s Gulf Coast...
Hotel Equities | November 4, 2019
ATLANTA, GA - (November 4, 2019) – Today, Hotel Equities (HE) announced they have been selected to operate The Island Beachside Resort by Hotel RL in Fort Walton Beach. The Gulf-front resort boasts 331 guest rooms and 14,000 square feet of unique meeting and event space, including Gulf-front green space for weddings and special occasions. Built by Fred and Patricia Tolbert in the '60s, The Island is now owned by Tripp Tolbert, CEO of the Tolbert Group and developer, Jay Odom, CEO of The Jay Odom Group. Together, Mr. Tolbert and Mr. Odom invested in extensive property renovations with intentional care to preserve the iconic hotel’s his...
Alexis Martinez Appointed Executive Chef at the Denver Marriott Tech Center...
November 4, 2019
Denver, Colo. (Nov. 4, 2019) – The Denver Marriott Tech Center is pleased to announce that Alexis Martinez is now serving as Executive Chef. Chef Martinez started his culinary career as a busboy at Arizona’s Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, where he quickly rose up through the ranks to ultimately serve as Chef de Cuisine. He came to Denver to serve as the Executive Chef of the Loews Denver Hotel and most recently served as the Senior Sous Chef at the Sheraton Denver Downtown. Chef Martinez is creating new menus for all of the food & beverage outlets at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, including the hotel’s 50,000 square feet of co...
BENCHMARK® Adds Manor Vail Lodge to Its Colorado Portfolio...
Vail, Colorado | November 4, 2019
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, November 4, 2019 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, is expanding its Colorado portfolio with the addition today of Manor Vail Lodge located in historic Vail. The year ‘round resort is set in the heart of the storied village, at the foot of Vail Mountain’s Golden Peak. Manor Vail Lodge is now a part of Benchmark’s prestigious Gemstone Collection. It joins Benchmark’s Garden of the Gods Resort and Club in Colorado Springs and Tivoli Lodge, also located in Vail. “We are delighted to add another of Colorado’s premier resorts to Benchmark’s portfolio and to expand the number of mou...
SiteMinder Launches the Hotel App Store...
SiteMinder | November 4, 2019
Hotels can now choose how they connect their business systems to applications designed for the guest experience and revenue. London, UK – SiteMinder, the global hotel industry’s leading guest acquisition platform, is today launching the Hotel App Store—the first marketplace allowing hotels of all sizes to easily discover, choose and connect applications to their business systems for greater guest experiences and revenue. The unveiling of the product at World Travel Market London is a significant step forward for hotels that have been challenged with changing guest behavior but have lacked access to technology that keeps them ahead...
Hotel Data Digest: Seasonality vs. Moving Average...
HotStats | November 4, 2019
Tracking the evolution of key performance indicators (KPIs) over time allows hoteliers to identify meaningful trends, create forecasts and budgets and assess the results of different strategies. To perform this kind of analysis, data has to be recorded within consistent time intervals and in chronological order. This is known as a time series. For example, daily occupancy for the past month is a time series: data (occupancy) is recorded within a consistent time interval (daily) and is chronologically displayed. There are many ways of looking at a time series, depending on the kind of insights you want to extract from it. In this article, w...
Service Excellence: Through the Eyes of a Server...
Bryan K. Williams | November 4, 2019
By Dr. Bryan K. Williams Back to my roots. There’s something deeply moving and rejuvenating to go back to where it all started. My professional career began almost 30 years ago in a fine-dining French restaurant called “The Palm Terrace”. I started as a busboy, then worked my way up to various roles. However, the job that transformed me; the one that made me feel like I was flying...the one that fully consumed me, was as a restaurant server. Oh, I loved that job. In fact, I still view myself as a server today! Many of the articles, books, keynotes and workshops that I’ve created were inspired by my time as a server. I studied...
The Hunter Group Salesperson: Endangered Species or Already Extinct?...
Kristi White, VP, Product Management | November 4, 2019
By Kristi White Recently, I was attempting to source a new vendor for an installation. I did an exhaustive Google search and found three potential companies (they shall remain nameless to protect the guilty). I reached out to them via their websites inquiry form and waited for a response. Fortunately, all three companies responded promptly (within 2 hours). However, that is where the positive vibes ended. Four frustrating hours (and over 40 emails) later, I had scheduled appointments with all three companies but only AFTER I insisted on the call from each. Is This What Sales Has Become? This agita led me to drop by a colleague’s offi...
In Memoriam: A Tribute to Professor Patrick “Chip” Cassidy...
November 4, 2019
Professor Patrick “Chip” Cassidy, founder and director of the Wine Program at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, passed away peacefully on October 28th in home hospice care. The cause of death was complications of esophageal cancer. Considered South Florida’s foremost wine expert and affectionately known as “Miami’s Wine Guru,” Professor Cassidy brought his love of wine, travel and country to his students and to the South Florida community. Says Michael Cheng, Ph.D., CHE, Interim Dean, Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, “Chip was a born tea...
HVS Market Pulse: Reno, Nevada...
Desiree Flanary | October 31, 2019
My first article about Reno was in 2008, just after I moved to the market. As I was falling in love with this unique city that was struggling from the Great Recession, local officials were working to diversify its economic base away from gaming. Occupancy and average rate (ADR) in the market not only struggled because of the decline in demand associated with the Great Recession, but this was further exacerbated by the addition of new supply continuing to enter the market after the recession had hit. In 2017, I wrote an updated article on the market focused on the growth that had occurred while the market recovered from the Great Recession and...
Give Recognition Where It’s Due...
Shep Hyken | October 31, 2019
By Shep Hyken There are some pretty important people in your organization, and I bet many of them don’t know just how important they are. Most likely, they aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. I was talking about this concept with my friend, Kent Higginbotham, and he shared a perfect example of this. Kent was in the Navy, and we affectionally nicknamed him “Admiral.” While in the Navy, Kent flew helicopters. Kent mentioned that most people think the pilot and co-pilot are the most important jobs on a helicopter. No doubt, without these two—or at least one of them—the helicopter can’t take off and land. However, Ken...
Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants Returns to The Big Easy With 2020 Opening of The Kimpton Hotel Fontenot...
IHG® | October 31, 2019
Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants announced today a new property in New Orleans scheduled to open in early 2020. The Kimpton Hotel Fontenot will pay homage to the city’s rich musical history and the inspirational musicians behind it. With a prime location just blocks from the Central Business District and the French Quarter, the project will take an existing hotel and turn it into a 202-room property with a signature restaurant and bar and a corner café serving up specialty coffee and snacks. The hotel, at the intersection of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas Streets, will attract a broad spectrum of travelers with its proximity to the Con...
Historic Hotels of America Announces the Top 25 Haunted Hotels...
Historic Hotels of America® | October 31, 2019
WASHINGTON--Historic Hotels of America has over 300 hotels with long and storied histories. Some hotels have reported ghosts and paranormal activity throughout the halls and in guestrooms giving those who stay a fright. From ghosts who have been around since the Revolutionary War to jilted lovers, heartbroken, there are an abundance of ghostly sightings in historic hotels. Here is a listing of the Top 25 Most Haunted Hotels: Concord’s Colonial Inn (1716) Concord, Massachusetts The original part of the Inn was built in the early 1700s before the Revolutionary War. With such a long and robust history, it’s no wonder there are spirits...
