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Owned and Operated by Empire Hotel Development, Hyatt Place Poughkeepsie Opens in New York
Hyatt Place | June 25, 2019
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (June 25, 2019) – Hyatt Place Poughkeepsie, the first Hyatt Place hotel in Poughkeepsie, NY, is officially open. The new hotel features the Hyatt Place brand’s intuitive design, casual atmosphere and practical amenities, such as free Wi-Fi and 24-hour food offerings. The hotel is owned and operated by Empire Hotel Development, Inc. While visiting the scenic Hudson Valley, guests can enjoy nearby attractions, including the Walkway over the Hudson, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center and The Samuel L. Morse home at Locust Grove. Additionally, guests can experience live entertainment at The Bardavon Opera House, Chance Theater...
AC Hotels by Marriott Makes Brand Debut in Jamaica With Opening in the Heart of Kingston
AC Hotels by Marriott | June 25, 2019
AC Hotels by Marriott has announced the opening of AC Hotel Kingston, Jamaica, bringing the brand’s forward-thinking design approach to the island. Born from the signature vision of renowned hotelier Antonio Catalan, the brand was founded in 1998 in Spain, and brought into the Marriott International portfolio in 2011, launching AC Hotels by Marriott globally in locations including France, Denmark, the United States, Latin America, Puerto Rico and now Jamaica. Embracing the AC brand’s focus on purposeful design, the AC Hotel Kingston, Jamaica features 219 rooms to provide guests with thoughtfully-designed moments of beauty and experienc...
Duetto Releases Whitepaper Based on Revenue Manager Feedback
Duetto | June 25, 2019
New publication details how and why hoteliers must look beyond revenue and lean on technology to enable and empower them to provide a better guest experience. San Francisco, 25 June, 2019 - Duetto, hospitality’s innovative provider of cloud-based revenue strategy applications, has published a whitepaper showcasing research gathered through surveys and interviews with nearly 100 revenue managers from across the globe. The piece explores many of the new trends shaping the hotel industry as well as many of the pain points experienced by revenue managers, including how concerns seem to have shifted from competing with OTAs and driving top...
Navigate the Pitfalls Motel Valuations – Part 2
Rod Clough, MAI | June 25, 2019
By Rodney Clough In Part 1, I discussed the importance of determining the true revenue and expense levels of a property, which may not be overtly evident by statements or tax returns provided by a motel owner. When reconstructing a true (or as close to true as possible) statement, this may diminish the reliability of the direct capitalization method and discounted cash flow in the reconciliation if these opinions are based on estimated statements. Conversely, this heightens the importance of the RRM if the rooms revenue is the most documented line item, as well as the importance of the sales comparison approach; moreover, these two may be ...
So You Want to Host a Webinar
Daniel E. Craig | June 25, 2019
By Daniel Craig I love giving webinars. Attendees can’t see me, so I can wear pajamas and drink wine. I can’t see them, so I don’t know when they’re rolling their eyes or falling asleep. And if anyone asks a hard question, I can just mute them. Try doing that at a conference. But seriously. Done well, webinars are a cost-effective way for companies to reach a large, global audience and drive sales leads without having to travel or pay conference fees. This may explain why it seems like everyone is doing webinars these days. Problem is, today’s corporate webinars are often poorly organized, sparsely attended, rife with tech ...
The Venetian Macao and The Parisian Macao Will Become InterContinental Alliance Resorts Through IHG and Sands China Partnership
IHG | June 25, 2019
IHG®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, and Sands China, Ltd. announced today that The Venetian Macao and The Parisian Macao will become InterContinental Alliance Resorts beginning today. In addition, The Londoner Hotel in Macao will join the alliance when it opens in 2020 following the renovation of the current Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central. IHG and The Venetian Resort Las Vegas also announced the long-term extension of their alliance. The partnership extends through to 2027 at all five properties. InterContinental Alliance Resorts partners with world-renowned hotel operators in landmark locations to bring luxury resorts to...
Great Teams Deliver
Roger Wolkoff | June 25, 2019
Roger Wolkoff You walk into the nearly completed grand ballroom. In one corner, you see a massive stack of yellow and orange pillows for the new guest rooms. Next to the pillows are the sleek glass and steel work desks you selected for the business center. You make your way over to the corner window opening where yet another forklift of furniture and carpeting makes its way into the building. "All hands on deck" is the mantra for you and your team. Everyone is available and ready to help - front desk clerks, facilities, sales, marketing, even the hotel manager. Everyone is on hand to put chairs in place, set up end tables, stock bathroo...
Hotel Industry to Launch Unified Campaign
AHLA | June 25, 2019
WASHINGTON (June 25, 2019) – The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) President and CEO, Chip Rogers, will host an exclusive reporter conference call to announce the launch of a new campaign—a national awareness effort that builds on the hotel industry’s longstanding legacy of raising awareness and training hotel workers on the vital role they can play in disrupting human trafficking and helping victims. Rogers will be joined by leading national anti-human trafficking partners EPACT and Polaris and will provide exclusive details on four key pillars of the campaign, the hotel industry’s action plan, innovative new tra...
Maverick Hotels and Restaurants to Manage Crowne Plaza Chicago SW Burr Ridge
Maverick Hotels & Restaurants | June 25, 2019
Chicago, Illinois, June 25, 2019 – Maverick Hotels and Restaurants, a full-service third-party hotel management company, announced today that it has been awarded the management contract for the Crowne Plaza Chicago SW Burr Ridge hotel in Burr Ridge, IL. Robert Habeeb, Founder and CEO of Maverick, made the announcement. Located at 300 S Frontage Road, the newly renovated hotel features modern guest rooms complete with premium bedding, blackout drapes, 43-inch LCD televisions with premium channels, large desks with ergonomic chairs and free Wi-Fi internet access. Other highlights include the hotel’s popular Sip & Savor restaurant ...
theWit Hotel Appoints Piers Smyth as Director of Restaurants & Beverage
ROOF on theWit | June 25, 2019
Chicago, IL (June 2019) – theWit Hotel, perfectly nestled in the heart of Chicago at 201 N State St., is thrilled to announce the recent appointment of Piers Smyth as the Director of Restaurants & Beverage. Smyth brings with him over 18 years of experience in hospitality, most recently as the Director of Food & Beverage at Hotel Julian and its restaurant, About Last Knife. “With my new role, I hope to focus on the social aspect of truly hosting our patrons,” says Piers Smyth. My passion is in hospitality, and I always try to push myself to create a better experience for my guests. At ROOF, I want everything to be about enjoym...
Minneapolis Star Tribune Names IDeaS a 2019 Top Workplace
IDeaS | June 25, 2019
Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee survey Tweet This: @IDeaS_RevOpt has been named one of the Top Workplaces in Minnesota by the state’s largest newspaper, @StarTribune. #topworkplaces #startribune MINNEAPOLIS—June 25, 2019—IDeaS Revenue Solutions has been named one of the Top Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune, the state’s largest newspaper. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com/topworkplaces2019 and was published in the Star Tribune’s Top Workplaces special section on Sunday, June 16, 2019. Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressiv...
Six Senses Appoints Dant Hirsch as General Manager of Six Senses New York
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas | June 25, 2019
BANGKOK - June 25, 2019 – Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas is pleased to announce the appointment of Dant Hirsch as general manager of Six Senses New York, the group’s first North American property which is currently under development and scheduled to open in 2020. Dant brings more than 16 years of experience in the international hotel and tourism sectors, joining Six Senses from his most recent role at The Dominick New York, where he led his team to attain the prestigious AAA 5-Diamond rating for the independent hotel. Determination and hard work paid off in his career when he rose to the position of general manger after just five years...
Clearbrook Hospitality Appoints Ric Olsen as President
Clearbrook Hospitality, LLC | June 25, 2019
Nashville, Tennessee – (June 25, 2019) – Clearbrook Hospitality, LLC – a subsidiary of Clearbrook Holdings, Inc. has named entertainment industry veteran, Ric Olsen as President. The Clearbrook Hospitality group consists of multiple Nashville based initiatives including entertainment venues, consumer experience events, transportation services, group sales and live music. As President of Clearbrook Hospitality, Olsen will oversee all Operations, Marketing & Sales and Logistics. The company is based in Nashville. Olsen joined Clearbrook Hospitality in September 2018 as Senior Project Manager and was quickly promoted to the position...
BENCHMARK® Names Sadira Baetens Director of Catering and Convention Services for Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort, Curaçao
Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® | June 25, 2019
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, June 2019… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Sadira Baetens director of catering and convention services for Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort, the Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located on the island of Curaçao. Rob de Bekker, Benchmark’s general manager at the resort, made the announcement. “I am very pleased to announce Sadira’s new position at our resort,” said Mr. de Bekker. “She has been and continues to be a rock in the catering sales department, and has actively earned the respect and appreciation of both her co-workers and customers. She is a true model o...
SalesAndCatering.com Partners With Visrez to Offer State of the Art 3D Event Graphics
SalesAndCatering.com, LLC | June 25, 2019
Diagramming to Help Properties Sell Events More Effectively. STS Cloud Users Can Now Create Photo-Realistic 3D Event Plans to Close More Business MOUNT PLEASANT, SC, June 25, 2019 – Leading tech vendor SalesAndCatering.com announced its partnership with 3D Visualization provider Visrez. The partnership enables hotel company users of SalesAndCatering.com’s STS Cloud system to provide clients with realistic event graphics and floor plan diagrams to help close more business. STS Cloud is a full-function, cost-effective hotel sales and catering software system used by hundreds of properties and multi-property hotel groups. Visrez is a wide...
Ruby Hotels Selects Shiji’s Infrasys Cloud for Its Point-of-Sale Platform
Shiji Group | June 25, 2019
Munich, Germany - Ruby Hotels has selected Infrasys Cloud point-of-sale (POS) to power their Ruby Lilly location in Munich Germany. When searching for a POS system, Ruby Hotels was looking for a system that was intuitive, flexible, and able to grow with them. With Infrasys, Ruby Hotels can expand their portfolio quickly and seamlessly. The native cloud-based platform makes it easy for Ruby to track revenue, manage pricing and much more, anytime, anywhere; for their entire enterprise. “It has been great working with the Infrasys team to bring modern cloud technology to our hotel. Our goal is to provide a contemporary and affordable for...
Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa Welcomes Dave Nostrand as Director of Sales and Marketing
Omni Hotels & Resorts | June 24, 2019
BEDFORD, PA (June 24, 2019) – Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa, located in South Pennsylvania’s scenic Cumberland Valley, is pleased to announce that Dave Nostrand has been appointed the new director of sales and marketing for the property. In this role, Nostrand will oversee the direction of the sales team, drive revenue streams for the resort, contribute to the group and convention sales strategy and provide executive leadership. A well-known figure in the hospitality industry, Nostrand joins Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa with over 30 years of operations, sales, marketing and leadership experience at all levels of the in...
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples Appoints Guillaume Benezech as Hotel Manager
June 24, 2019
Naples, FL (June 2019) – The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, one of the finest luxury golf resorts in Florida, has appointed Guillaume Benezech to Hotel Manager. Joining the resort with over seven years within The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Benezech is dedicated to leading the operations of the luxury property, while working in tandem with Edward V. Staros, Vice President and Managing Director of The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples. With over thirteen years of experience in the hospitality industry, Benezech has held several management positions within The Ritz-Carlton portfolio including General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Geneva, Swi...
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Executes Contract to Sell D.C.’s Rouge Hotel for $42 Million
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust | June 24, 2019
BETHESDA, Md. -- Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) (the “Company”) today announced that it executed a contract to sell the 137-room Rouge Hotel in Washington, D.C. for $42.0 million to a third party. The contracted sale price reflects a 17.4x EBITDA multiple and a 5.0% net operating income capitalization rate based on the hotel’s operating performance for 2018. Based on the trailing 12-month period ended March 2019, the contracted sales price reflects a 17.7x EBITDA multiple and a 4.9% net operating income capitalization rate. The net operating income capitalization rates are after an assumed annual capital reserve of 4.0% of total...
Hotel Sales Negotiating Training, Circa 2020
Doug Kennedy | June 24, 2019
By Doug Kennedy As a conference speaker and trainer, I am finding that one of my most requested topics lately is hotel sales negotiating techniques. Based on the initial inquiries received, I get the impression that many hotel leaders still view negotiating as being a separate part of the selling process such as it was originally taught in 1990’s era training. These days, successful negotiating starts from how one handles leads at their “intake point,” which is important in order to maximize effectiveness further along in the sales engagement. First, let’s look at where in the sales process negotiating is taking place in the era...
Eldorado and Caesars Enter $17.3 Billion Merger Agreement
Eldorado | June 24, 2019
June 24, 2019 -- RENO, Nev. & LAS VEGAS -- Eldorado Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERI) ("Eldorado," "ERI," or "the Company") and Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR) ("Caesars") announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to create the largest U.S. gaming company. The proposed transaction will combine two leading gaming companies with complementary national operating platforms, strong brands, strategic industry alliances, and a collective commitment to enhancing guest service and shareholder value. The combined company will provide its guests with access to approximately 60 domestic casino–resorts and gaming ...
Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts to Debut in Mexico with Conversion of The Resort at Pedregal
Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts | June 24, 2019
LOS CABOS, Mexico and MCLEAN, Va. – June 24, 2019 – Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Hilton’s (NYSE: HLT) iconic luxury hotel brand, today announces its upcoming debut in Mexico as it assumes operation of the award-winning The Resort at Pedregal and rebrands the iconic hotel as Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal. Known as one of the best hotels in Mexico and recently acquired by affiliates of Walton Street Capital Mexico, the luxury retreat is set on 24 acres of dramatic mountains and pristine beaches, and is primed to welcome guests with True Waldorf Service beginning Q4 2019. “As the brand’s first property to debut in Mex...
Airbnb, Expedia, Google: 4 Lessons the Hotel Industry Can Learn From The Digital Giants
Meng-Mei Maggie Chen | June 24, 2019
By Meng-Mei Maggie Chen 2017 marked the 10th anniversary of Airbnb's creation and the digital giant celebrated its rapid expansion by releasing its strategy roadmap aptly dubbed "Airbnb For Everyone" with a slew of new types of accommodation topping their original offer. Among the new products unveiled were: New property types – Vacation Home, Unique, B&B, and Boutiques: these come in addition to the existing Entire Home, Private Room, and Shared Space filter options. New property tiers – Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb: the Airbnb Plus badge showcasing houses with more than 100 reviews and at least a 4.8 points r...
The Harpeth Grows Leadership Team With New Sales, Food & Beverage Hires
The Harpeth | June 24, 2019
FRANKLIN, Tenn., June 24, 2019 – The Harpeth, a Curio Collection by Hilton™ hotel, announced today the appointment of Kimberly Elder as Director of Sales and William Friedrichs as Director of Food & Beverage for the new 119-room boutique hotel. Elder and Friedrichs will spearhead sales and culinary teams, respectively, at the new luxury hotel, set to open in the heart of historic Franklin, Tenn. in August 2019. As Director of Sales, Elder is responsible for driving sales and business growth strategies for Franklin’s first downtown hotel. A tenured hospitality industry sales professional, Elder brings nearly two decades of experie...
