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Management Starts by Safeguarding Your Managers
Larry Mogelonsky | October 16, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Most guests are unaware of the third key pillar of most flagged properties – the management company. When they’re doing their job, you can tell those as everything is running smoothly and guests are happy. New Castle Hotels and Resorts (NCHR) is one such company, and as I learned from sitting down with Vince Barrett, the company’s Vice President of Food & Beverage and Managing Director Provender, it all starts by minimizing turnover at the senior level. This ensures that there are no staffing crunches or training hiccups down the chain, but it also means that time spent...
How Hotels Can Overcome the 3 Worst Guest Pain Points
Karen O'Neill | October 16, 2019
By Karen O'Neill, President-Americas at Knowcross There is little debate that guests today are more 'experience-loyal' than 'brand-loyal,' and guest experience is quickly becoming a far more influential factor in building guest satisfaction, revenue, and loyalty. Yet, many hotels are blowing it with long lines, slow responses, maintenance issues, poor service quality control, and unhelpful or uninformed staff. Another problem lies in that many guests will say nothing, then follow up their stay with a rant on social media or a damaging review on TripAdvisor. So how can hoteliers readily anticipate and remedy the common pain points experi...
Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts Optimizes Revenue and Loyalty at 7 Mixed-Use Condo Hotels With Centralized Maestro PMS Multi-Property Solution
Maestro PMS | October 16, 2019
Maestro Balances Revenue Management with High Occupancy to Drive Success for Multi-Property Resort Company October 16, 2019 – “For a large, multi-property destination that combines condo ownership units and hotels, optimizing revenue, loyalty, and occupancy while serving its owners is a big job. Maestro PMS hotel software manages all our properties and maximizes revenue on one centralized system,” said Helen Staton, Director of Reservations and Revenue Management for Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts. Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts’ Seven Properties use Maestro’s Multi-Property Integrated Software Suite in a hybrid Windows and Brows...
Gold Key | PHR Appoints Michael Platt as Managing Director of Its Cavalier Resort
The Cavalier Complex | October 16, 2019
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (October 16, 2019) — Gold Key | PHR, a leading hospitality company based in Coastal Virginia, announces the appointment of Michael Platt as Managing Director of the company’s Cavalier Resort. Platt will bring his extensive hospitality management expertise to the sprawling premier hospitality Complex. In his newly appointed role, Platt will oversee the day-to-day operations for the company’s award-winning hotel, The Historic Cavalier Hotel & Beach Club, the soon-to-launch Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront, six signature food and beverage outlets, and private residences. “We are very fortunate to have s...
Shinola Hotel Appoints Mark O’Brien as General Manager
Shinola Hotel | October 16, 2019
Detroit, Michigan (October 16, 2019) – Shinola Hotel, the passion project behind two iconic Detroit-based brands, luxury watchmaker Shinola and real estate firm Bedrock, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark O’Brien as General Manager of the hotel, which opened in early 2019. O’Brien brings over 25 years of expertise to his new role and will oversee all aspects of hotel operations at the 129 room property, including guest services, housekeeping, maintenance, and sales. “My passion for people and belief in what Shinola and Bedrock are doing in the city is what really brought me to Detroit,” Mark O’Brien said. “I’m...
Aimbridge Hospitality Opens The Resort at Coco Beach Following Multi-Million-Dollar Transformation
The Resort at Coco Beach | October 16, 2019
RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO (October 16, 2019) – Enviably situated in Rio Grande, the new Resort at Coco Beach, a Hyatt Affiliated Hotel, opened in August to reveal a sophisticated, oceanfront haven that pulses Caribbean elegance on a secluded 72 acres of tropical lush gardens. Framed against the backdrop of the island’s serene northeast coast and the magnificent El Yunque National Forest, the 579-room property is expected to rebrand as Hyatt Regency Coco Beach Resort later this year, following the completion of brand enhancements and updates. “The Resort at Coco Beach was designed to embrace and nurture the mind, body and soul,” sai...
Fusion Appoints Ray Jingshu Zhang as New General Manager for Fusion Suites Saigon
Fusion Hotel Group | October 16, 2019
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (Oct. 16, 2019) — Ray Jingshu Zhang joins Fusion this month as the new general manager of Fusion Suites Saigon, a chic, wellness-inspired hotel in Vietnam’s largest city. Zhang steps into his first general manager role after a decade working in the hospitality industry throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The China-born, Australian national most recently worked as deputy general manager (pre-opening) of Banwa Private Island, a secluded luxury resort island in the Philippines that caters to high-net worth individuals. “Fusion’s focus on providing boutique, affordable luxury guest experiences as well as th...
BENCHMARK® Names Bill Lee General Manager for Hilton University of Florida Conference Center Gainesville
Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® | October 15, 2019
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, October 2019 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has appointed Bill Lee general manager of the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center Gainesville. The property, located in Gainesville, Florida, is part of the Benchmark Resorts & Hotels brand. Greg Champion, president and chief operating office, made the announcement. "It is such a pleasure to announce Bill’s new position with our company,” said Mr. Champion. “He has superb leadership skills and vast experience with large-scale properties and major brands. Bill also exemplifies Benchmark’s Be The Difference service philosop...
Vision Hospitality Breaks Ground on Aloft by Marriott in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Vision Hospitality | October 15, 2019
The new 135-room Aloft by Marriott Chattanooga/Hamilton Place is part of the Sears redevelopment project at Hamilton Place. CHATTANOOGA, TENN., OCT. 15, 2019 — Vision Hospitality Group, Inc., and CBL Properties announced that construction has commenced on the 135-room Aloft by Marriott in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The new hotel marks the brand’s entrance into the Chattanooga market. “For some time now we have been working to find an opportunity to partner with our friends at CBL, and we are very excited to be moving forward with the development of the Aloft by Marriott at Hamilton Place” said Mitch Patel, president & CEO, Visi...
Marshall Hotels & Resorts Adds Three New York Metro-Area Wyndham Hotels to Portfolio
Marshall Hotels & Resorts, Inc. | October 15, 2019
Properties include: 68-Room Wingate by Wyndham New York Midtown South/5th Ave.; 79-Room La Quinta by Wyndham Manhattan Midtown; and 140-Room Wingate by Wyndham Long Island City NEW YORK CITY, Oct. 15, 2019—Marshall Hotels & Resorts, a leading hotel management and services company that operates properties nationwide, today announced the openings of three New York Metro-Area hotels: the 68-Room Wingate by Wyndham New York Midtown South/5th Ave.; 79-Room La Quinta by Wyndham Manhattan Midtown; and 140-Room Wingate by Wyndham Long Island City. Marshall will operate the hotels on behalf of three different ownership entities. “The a...
IHG Signs With Tan Holdings for Management of Fiesta Resort Guam
IHG | October 15, 2019
The 318-room hotel will join the IHG system from today and will rebrand as Crowne Plaza Resort Guam in early 2021, following an extensive, multi-million dollar refurbishment. IHG has made its foray into Micronesia following the signing of an agreement with owner Tan Holdings to take on management of Fiesta Resort Guam. The hotel will join the IHG system from today and will rebrand as Crowne Plaza Resort Guam in early 2021, following an extensive, multi-million dollar refurbishment. The 318-room hotel is located in the centre of Tumon Bay, with direct beach access and a short walk from high-end shopping areas. Following the refurb...
Great Wolf Lodge Southern California Appoints New Executive Chef, Shannon Hernandez
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. | October 15, 2019
GARDEN GROVE (October 15, 2019) – Great Wolf Lodge Southern California, part of the largest family of indoor water park resorts in North America, is proud to announce the appointment of Shannon Hernandez as Executive Chef. Hernandez brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the family friendly resort and is responsible for overseeing the property's culinary initiatives, including on-property restaurant Lodge Wood Fired Grill, which offers premium, wood-fired steaks, freshly caught seafood, lodge smoked ribs, kid-friendly favorites like mac ‘n cheese, and more. Hernandez' culinary perspective is greatly shaped by her upbri...
Eclipse Hotels Group Is Improving Operations, Guest Satisfaction Across Its Multi-Branded Enterprise With Quore
Quore | October 15, 2019
With a corporate approach to standardizing operations, this U.K. based hotel management company is increasing visibility of its finance and management processes across all properties to improve staff accountability, boost operational efficiencies and make guests happy FRANKLIN, TENN. – OCTOBER 15, 2019 – Since adopting Quore’s workforce communication and housekeeping/engineering management technologies, operational efficiencies and guest satisfaction is improving at hotels managed by Eclipse Hotels Group. The London-based hotel management company operates Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and easyHotel brands across the United Kingdom...
Struggling to Afford New AV Equipment in 2020? Financing Options Now Available Through AVaStar
AVaStar | October 15, 2019
Don’t wait for CapEX funds to be available to improve your audiovisual offering; Hoteliers can transition the expense of building/improving AV services from CapEx to OpEx, plus add SaaS to manage self-operating AV to generate more revenue from this investment [Gaithersburg, Md.—October 15, 2019]— AVaStar has teamed with industry funding sources to enable hoteliers to purchase or upgrade Event Technologies (ET) that meet rapidly evolving customer expectations on attractive capital or operating lease terms. Operators needing to become more profitable can now implement new, state-of-the-art equipment and automatically implement best pract...
The Read House Hotel Appoints Andrea Richey as Director of Sales
The Read House | October 15, 2019
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – (October 15, 2019) – Chattanooga’s historic hotel, The Read House, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tennessee native Andrea Richey as director of sales. With an impressive resume, including more than 20 years of successful, recognized achievement, Andrea joined The Read House in late September. Throughout her career, Richey has worked at both big brand and independent hotels across the country. Most recently she served as the Area Director of Sales and Marketing at The Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club in Frisco, Texas. Prior to that, she spent two years as the Director of Sales and Marketing at Re...
Increase Your Profitability by Shifting to a Proactive Group Sales Strategy
Knowland | October 15, 2019
By Lisa Bonanno ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 15, 2019 -- Knowland, a hospitality industry leader in meetings market data and analytics for hotels, convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), convention centers and other meeting venues, encourages property management companies to change their group source of business to proactive and to budget for that change in 2020. With the looming uncertainty of the economy, many property management companies are not confident their properties’ “inbound RFP strategy” will work going forward. As they sit down to develop their 2020 budgets, they must consider many things including their cost of acquisition fo...
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel Welcomes Bipan Kapur as New General Manager
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel | October 14, 2019
Kuala Lumpur, 14 October 2019 – Marriott International has appointed Bipan Kapur as General Manager of Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel. Kapur has a wealth of enriching experiences working in various capacities and cultures across different countries including India, Middle East, Australia, China, Malaysia, Brunei and his most recent role in Singapore. He brings a unique breath of leadership experience spanning numerous notable re-launches of luxury hotels and resorts, convention center hotels and F&B operations. An industry veteran, Kapur began his hospitality career in 1980 with the Oberoi Group, then expanded his expertise across...
Andaz West Hollwyood Names Matt Ojinaga Director of Sales and Marketing
Andaz West Hollywood | October 14, 2019
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA (October 14, 2019) – Andaz West Hollywood names Matt Ojinaga, director of sales and marketing and Denise Sy, director of business travel and entertainment sales. In this role, Ojinaga will oversee all aspects of sales and marketing for Andaz West Hollywood, and Sy will lead all aspects of business travel sales for the property including wholesale, leisure and entertainment markets. Andaz West Hollywood, located on West Hollywood’s famed sunset strip, is a boutique luxury property that offers 239 guestrooms, two distinct dining outlets including a rooftop pool venue, multiple private event spaces, plus a ballroom...
NextGuest CRM Now Empowers Single Property Hotels and Small to Mid-Size Hotel Groups With Award-Winning CRM Capabilities
NextGuest CRM | October 14, 2019
MUNICH, Germany—October 14, 2019—NextGuest CRM, a worldwide leader in personalized and automated guest communications and CRM solutions for the hospitality industry, announced today its step into the entry-level market and launched carefully tailored new solutions. With Easy Campaign, single or independent hotel group properties can now quickly set up and automate personalized transactional emails and start basic campaigns. With Easy CRM, small to mid-size hotel groups with five or more properties can easily tap into CRM and leverage automated and highly personalized campaigns based on guest information within various data sources. “...
Hospitality Management Corporation Managing Brand New Springhill Suites® in Springfield, MO
Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC) | October 14, 2019
Dallas, TX – Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), is pleased to announce the addition of this 92-Suite SpringHill Suites® in Springfield, Missouri, to their portfolio of managed hotels. HMC continues its ongoing business expansion which is made up of full service, conference center, select service and limited service hotels. HMC is one of the country’s largest third-party privately held hotel management companies, ranked in the top 40 of all third party and owner operated hotel management corporations. The SpringHill Suites® Springfield is a perfect stop when heading to St. Louis, Tulsa or South...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Chapter One: Envy
David Lund | October 14, 2019
By David Lund The Stow has always been a great hotel. Sitting high on the hill overlooking the river its bones and lines are completely classic. The 505 rooms all have a view of something great. For decades, the hotel had been the home away from home for the elite of the world. Rock stars, heads of state, actors, CEOs, you name it and they came, stayed and came back. Managing the hotel was a dream job. I never thought I would have the opportunity to be the general manager of such a fine lady. We call them ladies because they are gentle and beautiful and just a little complicated. Not that I’m any easier. My name is Oliver and I have b...
3 Reasons You Can’t Trust RevPAR
HotStats | October 14, 2019
Revenue per available room, or RevPAR, has historically been the most widely used metric for benchmarking performance in the hospitality industry. Its success as a key performance indicator or KPI is the result of its efficiency and simplicity. RevPAR is efficient because it combines the results of both occupancy and average rate into one number. And it’s simple, because all you need to calculate it is occupancy and average rate: RevPAR = Occupancy * ADR But its simplicity and straightforwardness conceal its faults and limitations. Here are three reasons you can’t put all your eggs in the RevPAR basket: 1. RevPAR does not measure...
Florida’s Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County Recognizes This Year’s Outstanding Employees and Hospitality Students
Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County | October 11, 2019
The Lodging and Hospitality Association of Volusia County held its Annual Employee Appreciation & Scholarship Luncheon at Café 101, located in the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality and Culinary Management on the campus of Daytona State College. Over 180 people attended the event that recognized employees in the hospitality industry and presented six Hospitality Students from both Bethune-Cookman University and Daytona State College with scholarships. The Culinary and Hospitality students at Daytona State College prepared and served the three-course meal. Employees of the Year winners were: HOTEL CATEGORY WINNER Hilton Oceanfro...
Aimbridge Hospitality Acquires Canadian Hotel Management Company, Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, Ltd.
Aimbridge Hospitality | October 11, 2019
DALLAS (October 10, 2019) – Aimbridge Hospitality, North America’s largest independent hotel investment and management firm, announces its Canadian affiliate has acquired Canadian condo-hotel management company, Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, Ltd. Founded in 2003, Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, Ltd., manages luxury destination resorts across western Canada. The company ensures each managed property maintains its unique individuality with a corporate mission of exceptional experiences for guests, owners and employees. “I am excited to pass the torch to Aimbridge Hospitality, a company just as dedicated to innovation and revenue g...
