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Union League Club of Chicago Donning Chefs, Cooks With Craft Collection Aprons by Riegel Linen
Riegel Linen | March 4, 2020
Part of the private club experience is presenting staff as polished and professional [AIKEN, S.C.— MARCH 4, 2020] — When Michael Ponzio arrived at the Union League Club of Chicago (ULCC) last Fall as Executive Chef, he noticed that kitchen staff were wearing stock aprons that were plain, thin, dingy, and always appeared wrinkled. He immediately placed a call to Riegel Linen, the supplier he had worked with previously while heading culinary operations at local Medinah Country Club. Today, all chefs and cooks are outfitted with crisp Craft Collection Bib Aprons by Riegel. Not only do the aprons provide uniformity, cleanliness, and funct...
3 Ways to Protect Your Hotel’s Revenue From the Impacts of the Coronavirus
GCommerce | March 3, 2020
By Lindley Cotton As the number of people infected with Coronavirus continues to rise while the U.S. stock market continues to drop, the hospitality industry is wondering what the true impact will be in the coming weeks and months. While no one can accurately predict the total damage, we do know that hotels who rely on business from China, Japan and Korea will need to look elsewhere to make up for loss in traffic from these countries. In addition, in the last few days, some of the largest conferences in the world have been canceled due to companies shutting down international travel (and in some cases US domestic travel). The Washington...
Hampton Inn Mobile CLOSED on RealINSIGHT Marketplace
RealINSIGHT Marketplace | March 3, 2020
RealINSIGHT Marketplace and Berkadia Hotels & Hospitality are pleased to announce the closing of the Hampton Inn in Mobile, Alabama at 104% of Reserve. Located along Interstate 10, the 80-room limited-service hotel was built in 1994. Due for a renovation, Berkadia and RealINSIGHT Marketplace marketed the property with a focus on maximizing profits and closing within a tight timeframe. The Broker and the Seller selected RealINSIGHT Marketplace to assist in developing a sales strategy which provided investors the confidence to enter into a non-contingent purchase agreement with a 10% hard deposit on day one. By ensuring investors had ...
5 Steps to 5-Star Service Excellence, Inspired by the Ritz-Carlton
Hospitality Insights | February 28, 2020
Service excellence is the foundation of luxury hotels and the Ritz-Carlton has received many awards for it. Here are 5 steps it takes to remain best in class. When you opt for a five-star hotel, you expect luxury. Marble, not granite. Silverware, not stainless steel. Crystal rather than glass. A high thread count. You expect the receptionist who welcomes you on arrival to speak your language. You anticipate valet parking or someone to show you to your room, relieving you of the burden of your heavy suitcases. You presume the hotel restaurant, or indeed restaurants, will serve exquisite cuisine at your beck and call. You want access to addi...
Revenue, Profit Up at European Hotels to Start Year
HotStats | February 28, 2020
It was a good start of the year for hoteliers in Mainland Europe. On the back of the positive results recorded in the last quarter of 2019, profit per available room achieved a 5.7% year-over-year increase in January 2020. The rise in profits was led by a growing top-line. With a 0.6% YOY uptick in average rate and an increase of 2.4 percentage points in occupancy, RevPAR placed 4.9% above January of 2019. It was the leisure segment (travelers using discounted or weekend rates and packages) that contributed the most to this escalation in RevPAR, accounting for 33.2% of rooms revenue and 31.7% of occupancy. A further...
Accor Signs With MIT Group Holdings to Develop SO/Melbourne
Accor | February 27, 2020
Today, Accor announces the continued expansion of its luxury portfolio in Australia, with the debut of the vibrant and playful SO/Hotels & Resorts luxury brand in Melbourne, Australia. Slated to open in 2023, SO/Melbourne is set to be a bold, fashionable and luxurious designer hotel, located in a prime CBD position overlooking Flagstaff Gardens. Positioned on the corner of William and Franklin Streets, the hotel is within close reach of Melbourne’s key commercial, retail and leisure attractions. The first SO/ branded hotel for Australia and second in the region following SO/Auckland, will boast 288 avant-garde guestrooms and suites...
January Hotel Data Highlights Coronavirus Scourge
David Eisen | February 27, 2020
By David Eisen The World Health Organization says that COVID-19, more commonly known as coronavirus, has the potential to become a pandemic. It’s already rocked the hospitality industry with canceled flights and forced hotel cancellations, even closures. When hotel executives talk about black-swan events — unpredictable occurrences that are beyond what is normally expected of a situation and have potentially severe consequences — coronavirus is about as swannish and dark as it gets. It’s certainly cast a pall over the hotel industry, leaving it reeling in its wake. Worry and uncertainty over the virus’s short-term and full-...
INTELITY Named Official Mobile and In-Room Technology Provider by Forbes Travel Guide
INTELITY | February 27, 2020
The company behind hospitality’s broadest guest engagement and staff management platform awarded the industry’s most prestigious accolade for the fourth year running Los Angeles, CA [February 27, 2020] - INTELITY®, the provider of hospitality’s most comprehensive guest engagement and staff management platform, has been awarded Forbes Travel Guide Brand Official status for the fourth year in a row. Named the luxury hospitality industry’s Official Mobile and In-Room Technology Provider by Forbes Travel Guide in 2017, 2018, 2019, and now again in 2020, INTELITY has further solidified its position as the unsurpassed leader in guest ...
Employee Retention Ideas for the New Decade
Larry Mogelonsky | February 26, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) At a very broad level, hospitality has a big problem nowadays when it comes to attracting and keeping strong young candidates. Compared to other fields like STEM, finance or the allure of some new app start-up out of Silicon Valley, we aren’t top of mind for top talent, resulting in a long-term ‘brain drain’ amongst our management teams and a sense of transiency amongst our frontline associates. All this can mean a heightened anxiety as our ranks become increasingly harder to fill with qualified candidates. Undoubtedly this will be an ongoing conversation for the decade ahead,...
Hotel Online’s Siegel Sez for February 21, 2020 Featuring Douglas Rice
February 21, 2020
When did LinkedIn add birthdays? Monday was my birthday and since I have a zillion LinkedIn connections, I was overwhelmed with birthday wishes. I decided because it was the President’s Day holiday here in the U.S. that I would respond to those sending notes. Wow -- did that get out of hand quickly. But then I realized how many great people I have met through the hotel and technology industry and was absolutely enjoying reconnecting with those who were part of my past. I must admit, it was quite fun. Of course, now I feel obligated that every time I get a birthday notice for a LinkedIn connection that I need to say happy birthday. It is int...
White Lodging Set to Open Dual-Branded The Otis Hotel and AC Hotel Austin-University
White Lodging | February 18, 2020
AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 17, 2020) – Exactly like nothing else in Austin, The Otis Hotel, Autograph Collection, and AC Hotel Austin-University, a dual-branded hotel located in the heart of the city’s vibrant campus district, is set to debut February 20, 2020. The 11-story property brings four new restaurants and bars, as well as 347 new rooms to the city – The Otis Hotel with 191 rooms, including 13 suites and 16 corner studios, and AC Hotel Austin-University with 156 rooms, including two suites. “The Otis Hotel and AC Hotel Austin-University will be the first of its kind in the campus district, redefining the neighborhood as an ele...
Coronavirus: What Impact on the Swiss Hotel Industry
Dr Giuliano Bianchi | February 12, 2020
Following the outbreak of the coronavirus there will inevitably be a shutdown of Chinese tourists. How bad is this for the Swiss tourism industry? Forecasting the Effects of Coronavirus on the Swiss Hotel Industry A novel coronavirus (formally known as 2019-nCoV) has sprung up over the last few weeks, with its epidemic center in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province (China). Little is known about this virus, but we do know that has an incubation period of 2 to 14 days and a mortality rate of 2.07%, according to CNN. While urgent research is being carried out, authorities are taking steps to contain the spread of the virus by closing air traf...
Nobu Hospitality Plans Summer 2020 Openning of Nobu Hotel London Portman Square
Nobu Hotel London Portman Square | February 12, 2020
LONDON, Feb. 12, 2020 -- Nobu Hospitality – the globally-established lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, and Meir Teper – introduces Nobu Hotel London Portman Square, set to open summer 2020, currently taking reservations from July. The hotel is owned and developed by L+R Hotels; a group renowned for a portfolio of some of the world's most prestigious hotels and resorts, including Cliveden House and Chewton Glen. Nobu Hotel London Portman Square marks the third collaboration between L+R Hotels and Nobu Hospitality, following the successful launches of Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay and Nobu Restaurant Monte Carlo. Desm...
Increasing Restaurant Wine Sales With an Old Show-and-Tell Trick
Larry Mogelonsky | February 12, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Branding and wine label design have been shown to affect how a customer enjoys the beverage itself. Knowing this, if someone likes the way a bottle looks, he or she will also like the way it tastes. Or at the very least, a person will be more inclined to like a wine if he or she first likes its design. It’s a matter of personal identification. You may recall the fabled lesson, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and indeed I’ve adapted this in the past to likewise say, “Don’t judge by a bottle by its label.” But alas, I may be giving the buyer too much credit. The ave...
Voice Is Here to Stay: Embrace It
Darren Clark | February 11, 2020
Why Viceroy Hotels & Resorts is ‘All In’ with Volara By Darren Clark It’s a new decade — a time when hoteliers are looking at artificial intelligence and voice technologies not as disruptors, but as innovations that will connect them to guests in more meaningful and lasting ways. It’s an era of convenience, when frictionless voice command is replacing friction-filled app downloads, germ-infested tablets, and antiquated telephones to connect guests to information and services and control the room environment. It’s an ever-evolving digital world where speed, efficiency, and immediacy are constantly being optimized. It’s...
Ryman Hospitality Properties and RIDA Development Corp. Announce $80 Million Expansion of Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. | February 10, 2020
Planned Expansion to Add 317 Guest Rooms, or More Than 20 Percent, to Available Capacity NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 10, 2020 -- Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE:RHP) (the “Company”), a lodging real estate investment trust (“REIT”) specializing in group-oriented, destination hotel assets in urban and resort markets, and RIDA Development Corp. today announced plans for an $80 million, 317-room expansion of Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado. Opened in December 2018, Gaylord Rockies was the first Marriott property to begin operations with more than 1 million net room nights on the books for all fut...
Cloud5 Communications Earns Two Marriott Property Internet Awards of Excellence
Cloud5 Communications | February 10, 2020
Cloud5 Named Industry Trailblazer for Driving Innovation CHICAGO (February 10, 2020) – Top-rated hospitality technology provider Cloud5 Communications has been awarded two certificates of excellence by Marriott International recognizing its technology innovation and high level of performance. Cloud5 is a Marriott GPNS Full Certified High-Speed Internet Access partner approved for the United States and the Caribbean and Latin American (CALA) region, serving hundreds of Marriott full service and select brand (MSB) properties. Cloud5 shines with two partner awards for excellence: • Certificate of Excellence 2019 - Industry Trailblazer...
Hotel Online’s Siegel Sez for February 7, 2020
February 7, 2020
I love this time of year. As much as I enjoy working with all the technology companies that we partner with and all the industry CIOs, nothing beats the eye-opening conversations with those who use these technology systems. You always find them when you’re at users’ groups where the programs include so much valuable training. I started my tech career in the PMS industry and I enjoyed when our PMS users came together for these meetings. Last week I was at San Diego for Oracle Hospitality Connect 2020. Being the event was just the hospitality sector was new for Oracle and I thought it was extremely successful. Oracle has had a rough ride af...
7 Mobile Marketing Trends to Watch in 2020
Anthony Del Gigante | February 5, 2020
By Anthony Del Gigante Which mobile trends are likely to have a major impact on marketing in the year ahead? That question is particularly challenging to answer in 2020 because we're in a period of transition: current mobile technologies are still transforming consumer and business behaviors in crucial ways, but the effects of the next big thing—5G wireless—likely won't be felt this year. As Forrester Research put it in a recent report: "Yes, [5G] will matter for industrial players, but to consumers, 5G in 2020 will feel like 3G in 2004 or 4G in 2010." In other words, 5G is something you should definitely be thinking about, bu...
Reconsidering the Marketing Director Position
Larry Mogelonsky | February 5, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) As simple as it may be, while marketing is forever a somewhat nebulous pursuit, everyone understands revenue, particularly general managers and owners. This alone has meant that the Revenue Director has gained status over the marketing ninjas within the past two decades, and yet the two must still work harmoniously. Revenue is what drives our business. Revenue keeps the financial wolves at bay. Revenue is what allows paycheques to be written. Revenue equals cash flow and without it a property ceases operation. Accordingly, a revenue director is a critical member of your management t...
Cloud5 Communications Appoints Reed Majors as Executive Director of Business Development for the Western U.S.
Cloud5 Communications | February 5, 2020
CHICAGO (February 5, 2020) – Top-rated hospitality technology provider Cloud5 Communications expands its sales team with the appointment of Reed Majors as Executive Director of Business Development. Based in Palo Alto, California, Majors will support the growing demand for Cloud5 High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) and communications solutions from leading hotel brands and management companies in the Western U.S. Majors draws upon 25 years of technology experience and a deep knowledge of guest WiFi, converged networks, telephony, mobile and video solutions. Prior to joining Cloud5, he headed up the Internet business at SONIFI Solutions whe...
Twenty Four Seven Hotels Updates Accounting to Aptech’s PVNG for 23 Properties
Twenty Four Seven Hotels | February 5, 2020
Cloud-based PVNG Enterprise Back Office Puts Financial Management in The Palm of Your Hand PITTSBURGH, February 5, 2020 – Aptech Computer Systems, the industry standard for hospitality financial systems, announced Twenty Four Seven Hotels updated its Enterprise Accounting for 23 properties to the PVNG Cloud Back Office system. Twenty Four Seven Hotels is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a portfolio that includes Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt brands. Aptech is an IBM Premier Solution Provider as well as a Prophix Premier Business Partner offering web-enabled business intelligence, budgeting, and hotel accounting software sys...
Dr. Ravi Mehrotra Founder and Chief Scientist, IDeaS to Be Showcased in ‘Under the Spotlight’ at Opportunity 2020
IDeaS | February 5, 2020
LONDON—Feb. 5, 2020— Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, president, founder and chief scientist of hospitality and revenue management software pioneer IDeaS is set to take part in the renowned Under the Spotlight session on February 11, 2020 at Opportunity2020, hosted by Revenue by Design, Ltd. A favourite at the “Opportunity” conferences, Under the Spotlight brings two industry leaders on stage to discuss, debate and share their insights into the continuing evolution of revenue management. · Unique opportunity to witness software pioneer: This is a unique opportunity to witness revenue management pioneer, Dr. Mehrotra, and hear his thoughts as...
Smartphones and Their Effect on Guest Behavior
Binu Mathews | February 4, 2020
By Binu Mathews Smartphones are everywhere. Walk into any coffee shop, restaurant, or hotel lobby, and a high percentage of people engaged with their smartphone will be directly affected by the application they are reviewing. As consumers, we now look to our smartphones to converse with friends, purchase items online, look at a myriad of pictures, and yes, sometimes, to talk to another person. The impact of smartphones on our everyday life is undisputed, but how has the smartphone impacted the hotel guest? When it comes to searching for a hotel, regardless of whether it is for a business or leisure trip, the bulk of the search process is ...
