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MHG Hotels Set to Open SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Kansas City’S Country Club District
SpringHill Suites by Marriott | July 3, 2019
Kansas City, MO – July 3, 2019 – Marriott International announced today that the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Kansas City Country Club District is scheduled to open on Tuesday, July 9, 2019. The 96-suite hotel, located at 4500 Madison Avenue, will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by MHG Hotels, LLC of Indianapolis, Indiana. The SpringHill Suites Kansas City Country Club District is located just 15 minutes from downtown Kansas City and 23 miles from the Kansas City International Airport. The all-suite hotel offers guests convenient access to Country Club Plaza, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kansas City Zoo and ...
RIU Acquires Second Hotel in Tanzania to Be Marketed Under Riu Palace Brand
RIU Hotels & Resorts | July 3, 2019
RIU Hotels & Resorts has acquired its second hotel in Tanzania, to accompany the other one the chain already has in the country. This new property will be marketed as part of the sophisticated Riu Palace range, as Riu Palace Zanzibar already is. The new hotel is located in the Nungwi Beach area and it has all the facilities needed to enjoy this paradise destination. It sits on a spectacular white-sand beach with crystalline waters, at the far north of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, at a little over an hour by car from the airport and the capital city. Its 149 rooms are five-star rated and they offer maximum...
Developing Hybrid Skills: How Tech and AI Are Reshaping the Hospitality Job Market
Julia Aymonier | July 3, 2019
Julia Aymonier, Chief Digital Officer at EHL Lausanne, writes about the need for professionals with quantitative skills and knowledge of Artificial Intelligence in the hospitality industry. Change has never been as rapid as today. The constant evolution in technology, at an ever-increasing pace, is changing our world and our working environment as never before. The impact of technology is reshaping occupations and new job categories are beginning to appear on the market requiring “hybrid” skills. Not only will staff have to know how to do their traditional job as in the past, but they will also be expected to have knowledge of th...
IHG Signs With Warisan City Development for New-Build Holiday Inn in Sepang Malaysia
IHG | July 3, 2019
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has signed a management agreement with Warisan City Development Sdn Bhd — part of the Kienta Group of Companies — for a newbuild Holiday Inn within the lively Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) vicinity. Holiday Inn Sepang will be conveniently located in Kota Warisan, a mere 15 min drive from the airport’s main terminal. KLIA handles almost 60 million passengers a year and is a major transit hub for, among others, the AirAsia and AirAsia X brands, as well as national carrier Malaysian Airlines. With its proximity and easy access to the airport terminals, the hotel will be an ideal location f...
Salamander Selected to Manage Montego Bay’s Half Moon Resort
Half Moon | July 3, 2019
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA (July 3, 2019) – The Board of Directors of Half Moon, one of the Caribbean’s most iconic resort destinations in Montego Bay, Jamaica, announced that it selected Salamander Hotels & Resorts to manage the award-winning 400-acre property. Specializing in independent luxury, Salamander owns and manages the Forbes Five-Star Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA; and Innisbrook Resort in Tampa. The company also operates the new Hotel Bennett in Charleston, SC; The Henderson, a grand beach resort in Destin, FL; and the recently renovated Hammock Beach Resort, near St. Augustine, FL. “With successes in ope...
AJ Capital Partners Plans Fall 2020 Opening of Graduate Hotel in Tuscon, Arizona
AJ Capital Partners | July 3, 2019
Tucson, Ariz. – Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners announced today its plan to open Graduate Tucson, part of the Graduate Hotels® collection, in Tucson, Arizona. The 14-story, 164-room ground-up hotel development will be located on 2nd Street, just off Park Avenue and University Boulevard. The hotel will be part of a mixed-use development that includes retail, residential apartments and a public plaza slated to open in fall 2020. Prominently located just steps from the University of Arizona, Graduate Tucson will be in the heart of Main Gate Square and the campus restaurants, shops and office space making it the perfect offering ...
Ormond Hotels to Debut Its First Boutique Property, The Chow Kit, in Kuala Lumpur
Studio Tack | July 3, 2019
3 July 2019 - Opening in the heart of old Kuala Lumpur, The Chow Kit - an Ormond Hotel, will boast 113 rooms and suites in the eponymous Chow Kit neighborhood. Known for its bustling market and local businesses, Chow Kit will now be home to the first property from Ormond Hotels. With two further sites set to open in Melbourne and Dublin by 2022, Ormond Hotels is rethinking the notion of luxury for the contemporary traveller. Ormond Hotels believe that life’s greatest luxury is one lived with comfort, purpose and balance. In a world filled with excess, extravagance no longer evokes desire, so Ormond Hotels has edited out the unnecessary a...
Hotels Can Now Overcome Language Barriers and Enforce Incidental Policies With Mobile Devices and Connect Staff by Monscierge
Monscierge | July 3, 2019
A new photos and images feature recently launched in the Monscierge Connect Staff app both improves staff communication and justifies incurred fees. OKLAHOMA CITY, July 3, 2019 -- Hospitality technology firm Monscierge launched a photos and images feature within their Connect Staff application last month and clients have found great success using the new tools for a number of tasks. Two most notable uses are overcoming language barriers between hotel members of staff and collecting penalty fees garnered by guests opting to smoke in non-smoking rooms. "These are our next steps in the ongoing evolution of developing emerging techno...
GOPPAR Bounces Back, But Cost Concerns Remain at U.S. Hotels
HotStats | July 3, 2019
After a negative turn in April, profit per room at U.S. hotels bounced back in May, increasing by 2.0% year-over-year, buoyed by growth across all revenue centers, according to the latest data from HotStats. GOPPAR was recorded at $112.80 in May, and while this was 4.7% above the year-to-date GOPPAR figure at $107.73, it was almost $6 below the profit level in April at $118.51. This was a function of demand, albeit a significant acceleration in costs was recorded in May, including a 4.7% YOY increase in payroll to $97.49, on a per-available-room basis. It was a positive month of revenue growth across all departments, with YOY revenue...
Meituan Partners With SiteMinder to Explore the Overseas Hotel Market
SiteMinder | July 3, 2019
Dallas, USA – Meituan, China's leading e-commerce platform for services, has appointed SiteMinder, the global hotel industry’s leading guest acquisition platform, as its online distribution partner. The appointment marks Meituan’s first partnership with a hotel distribution technology provider as the company looks to expand its hotel inventory beyond its home market of China. On 1 May 2019, Meituan set an industry record by processing over 2.8 million domestic hotel room nights in one day. By strategically partnering with SiteMinder, the e-commerce giant now has a complete hotel technology stack to attract international hotel markets...
Benchmark Chefs Light Up the Summer During National Grilling Month
Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® | July 2, 2019
Eight Sizzling Recipes from Coast to Coast The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, July 2019 … It’s the steak and the sizzle, the tang of a barbecue sauce and marvelous marinades made with the bite of a pepper or the sweetness of a fresh peach. It’s the Catch of the Day, reeled in just this morning and the snap of a cold beer opening. It’s the smoky aroma of a Texas Barbecue brisket that transforms a suburban patio into a home on the range. It’s July, National Grilling Month and Americans will be firing up grills of every size this summer, celebrating the season with friends and family. Inspiring the festivities are eight leading chefs fro...
How to Build Value Engineering Into Hotel Renovation Projects to Save Money and Improve Quality
Cicero's Development Corporation | July 2, 2019
PLAINFIELD, IL, JULY 2, 2019 -- The Society of American Value Engineers international defines value engineering as a “function-oriented, systematic, team approach to provide value in a product, system, or service.” In layman's terms, value engineering has always meant one thing: saving money without compromising quality. True value engineering is not simply a matter of cutting costs, but rather giving careful consideration to all options, always with the project's goals in mind. A well-planned and well-executed value-engineering process can improve a hotel renovation without sacrificing its essential integrity. Larry Miles, considered ...
Brussels Hotel Market – Recovery Now Complete
Lionel Schauder | July 2, 2019
By Lionel Schauder and Sophie Perret Brussels, with a population of approximately 1.2 million, enjoys a strategic location in the heart of Western Europe, making it both a regional metropolis and an international hub. In addition to its role as capital of Belgium, the city is home to NATO’s headquarters and is widely known as the ‘capital of Europe’, hosting both the European Parliament and the European Commission. Described as the ‘new Berlin’ by the New York Times in 2015, an eclectic and creative facet of Brussels has recently emerged, represented by its community of artists, architects and designers. ECONOMIC INDICATORS ...
Predictive Customer Support
Shep Hyken | July 2, 2019
By Shep Hyken In the old days – and even in modern times – if a customer wanted help or support, they picked up the phone and called for help. A (hopefully) friendly and competent customer service professional, also known as an agent or representative, would answer the question or resolve the problem. Today there are many ways to connect with a company. There’s the traditional phone call, email, messaging, instant chat, social channels like Twitter and Facebook, and many more. But there’s one mode of communication and customer support that hasn’t been talked about much. My prediction is that it will not only become popular, bu...
Hyatt Place Tokyo Bay Marks The First Hyatt Place Hotel To Open In Japan
Hyatt Place | July 2, 2019
CHICAGO (July 1, 2019) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today the opening of Hyatt Place Tokyo Bay, marking the debut of the Hyatt Place brand in Japan. Hyatt Place Tokyo Bay features the Hyatt Place brand’s intuitive design, cozy atmosphere and practical amenities such as free Wi-Fi and 24-hour food offerings. “We are especially excited about this hotel opening as it marks the debut of the Hyatt Place brand in Japan, as well as the twenty-fourth Hyatt-branded hotel in Asia,” said Sam Sakamura, vice president – Japan and Micronesia. “The first Hyatt-branded property opened in Japan in 1980 and Hyatt has since grow...
Tourism Tidbits: Tourism and Human Resources
Dr. Peter Tarlow | July 2, 2019
By Dr. Peter Tarlow Many travelers, and most vacationers, see a tourism experience as a luxury or way to pamper oneself. Often people will work an entire year for the sake of a few weeks of “vacation magic.” Without good employees, no matter how luxurious the circumstances are, the dream vacation has the potential to turn into a nightmare. Tourism success, to a great extent then, depends on the quality of your business’ or tourism office’s human resources. Tourism managers must find ways to inspire employees provide their guests with the best experience possible. Ironically, tourism experiences are rarely a question of money ...
Schulte Hospitality Group Opens Embassy Suites by Hilton Auburn Hills Following Renovation
Embassy Suites by Hilton | July 2, 2019
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. and MCLEAN, Va. - Embassy Suites by Hilton, a global brand of upscale, all-suite hotels from Hilton (NYSE: HLT), announced today the opening of a newly renovated hotel located in the Detroit area. Owned and operated by Schulte Hospitality Group, the hotel is perfectly situated to allow guests easy access to businesses, shopping and entertainment. Embassy Suites by Hilton prides itself on offering guests an approachable and stress-free experience at each of its spacious, all-suite hotel properties. Fresh off a modern renovation of the Hilton Suites Auburn Hills hotel, the newly branded Embassy Suites by Hilton Auburn Hil...
RLJ Lodging Trust Completes Sale of Kingston Plantation for $156 Million ($244K/Key)
RLJ Lodging Trust | July 2, 2019
BETHESDA, Md. -- RLJ Lodging Trust (the “Company”) (NYSE: RLJ) today announced that the Company sold two hotels located in Myrtle Beach consisting of the 385-room Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort and 255-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Resort (“Kingston Plantation”) for $156.0 million or approximately $244,000 per key. “We are pleased with the solid execution and attractive multiple generated by the sale of these two beachfront hotels,” commented Leslie D. Hale, President and Chief Executive Officer. “This transaction is a continuation of our strategic efforts to sell non-core hotels and recycle capital into m...
Gehr Hospitality Acquires the 129-Room Hyatt Place, King of Prussia
Gehr Hospitality | July 2, 2019
LOS ANGELES -- Gehr Hospitality, a division of The Gehr Group (www.Gehr.com), announced the acquisition of the 129-room Hyatt Place, located in King of Prussia, PA, through a joint venture with Oakhurst Advisors, LLC. The acquisition was financed by Wells Fargo, and The Plascencia Group represented the seller. Ms. Thuong Luong and Ms. Molly Caccamo of Gehr Hospitality led the transaction on behalf of the Company. We like the Philadelphia market, and in particular the local demand generators in the King of Prussia sub-market,” said David Lifschitz, President and CEO of The Gehr Group, “and we welcome the addition of this property to our...
OTO Development Appoints Leadership Team for Hyatt Centric Mountain View Opening July
Hyatt Centric Mountain View | July 2, 2019
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. (July 2, 2019) – Hyatt Centric Mountain View, slated to open mid-July, announces an executive leadership team with more than eight decades of combined hospitality experience. OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, is developing and will manage the new hotel. Rich Higdon has been appointed as general manager of the 167-room lifestyle hotel in the heart of Silicon Valley and Keith Battaglia as director of sales. Bryan Showalter has been named executive chef of Fairchilds Public House, the hotel’s restaurant and bar. “It’s a privilege to bring the first Hyatt Centric hotel to Silicon Valley,” says Higdo...
The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago Appoints Franco Diaz as New Executive Chef
July 2, 2019
CHICAGO (July 2019) - The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago welcomes Franco Diaz as the new Executive Chef where he will lead all culinary operations in the downtown hotel including Torali Italian-Steak, Torali Bar, The Café, The Rooftop at Torali as well as catering, events, and in-room dining. In his return to Chicago, Diaz is also celebrating a homecoming as a Windy City native hailing from Bensenville, Illinois where he was born and raised. Diaz discovered a love for cooking at a young age through his Grandmother, becoming the chef of the family and beginning his passion for food and the culinary arts. Diaz’s studies began in Evanston, where...
The Talbott Hotel Welcomes James Martin As Executive Chef
The Talbott Hotel | July 2, 2019
CHICAGO (July 2, 2019) — James Martin, a Washington, D.C. native who most recently led the kitchen at A10 in Hyde Park, has joined 20 East at The Talbott Hotel as executive chef. Martin trained at some of the most vaunted restaurants in the nation’s capital, Vidalia, Restaurant Nora and Bistro Bis, among them. He brings a seasonal sensibility to The Talbott’s casual American restaurant at 20 E. Delaware St. The 32-year-old finds inspiration in ingredients—he and his wife honeymooned in Spain, which sparked his love for the flavors of the Basque region—and from the world-traveling guests of the artful, intimate Gold Coast hotel...
Exploit Revenue Opportunities and Power Your Reservations Team With Real-Time Dynamic Yield Management in Maestro PMS
Maestro PMS | July 2, 2019
Maestro’s Integrated Yield Management Automatically Pushes Optimized Rates to Online Channels and Call Centers to Support Property Profitability Strategies July 2, 2019 – An effective revenue management strategy supported by reliable hotel Yield Management tools is essential to maintain profitability in today’s market. If you run an independent property, solid revenue management is even more important because you do not have a big-brand revenue management team behind you. If this is you, Maestro PMS has you covered with its real-time integrated dynamic Yield and Rate Management module. “The key role of a good revenue management...
Alexander Skibbe Appointed General Manager of the Steigenberger Hotel Bremen
Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts | July 1, 2019
Frankfurt am Main, 1 July 2019 Berlin-born Alexander Skibbe will assume overall charge at the Steigenberger Hotel Bremen with effect from 1 July 2019. Mr. Skibbe is currently Director of Operations at the Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg and has already been responsible for the Steigenberger Hotels in Deidesheim and Munich in his capacity as an interim manager within Steigenberger Hotels AG. “The Steigenberger Hotel Bremen will be receiving an extremely experienced hotel manager in the person of Alexander Skibbe,” said Deutsche Hospitality’s CEO Thomas Willms. “Mr. Skibbe has performed very valuable work in the past, and we are delig...
