cicero's development corporation
Avoiding ADA Non-Compliance Issues in Commercial Renovations
Cicero's Development Corporation | September 19, 2019
PLAINFIELD, IL, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 -- Today, 28 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed, a surprising number of commercial properties remain non-accessible for the 50 million Americans – 18% of our population — with physical disabilities. In 2016 alone, more than 6,500 ADA lawsuits were filed in federal court relating to commercial properties which were deemed “disability unfriendly”. These lawsuits can cause headaches... and plenty of money, such as attorney fees and civil penalties as well as lost business due to negative publicity. In this article, I review how to ensure renovating your commercial building lea...
How Grab-and-Go Markets Became Profit Centers for Hotels
Cicero's Development Corporation | July 15, 2019
PLAINFIELD, IL, JULY 15, 2019 -- Hotel pantries have long been discounted by owner/operators as oversized vending machines, essentially a guest amenity that they had neither the time nor the expertise to do right. All that changed during the Great Recession when RevPAR plunged and owners sought new cash flows. At the same time, budget-conscious business travelers were spending less money on room service and fancy restaurant dining. Seeing an opportunity, astute hotel owners quickly recognized that a lobby "grab-and-go" market could generate profits while improving guest satisfaction. "Hotel owners today understand that every square foot...
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 ...
Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Pros & Cons of Keeping a Hotel Open During Renovation
Cicero's Development Corporation | June 11, 2019
PLAINFIELD, IL, JUNE 11, 2019 -- Renovating an existing hotel is all about time and money. That's why it is essential to plan ahead for the challenges—and costs—a renovation can pose. If you are a hotel owner or operator, balancing the need for cash with your renovation objectives is one of those challenges, bringing to the forefront the most crucial decision made during renovation planning: "Should we keep the hotel open or should we close?" The answer lies in the scope of the project plus any role seasonality plays in the business. On one side of the ledger, closing a hotel makes good sense. It allows for a far broader scope so th...
