MONTVALE, N.J. (Oct. 26, 2010) Dolce Hotels and Resorts, a privately held operator of 27 upscale hotels, resorts and conference hotels in North America and Europe, has introduced discounted individual traveler and group rates for members of Educational & Institutional Cooperative Purchasing.
 
Dolce properties now offer a 15 percent discount off their best available individual traveler rates as well as negotiated group discounts to the more than 1,900 U.S. colleges, universities research institutions, hospitals and other educational institutions that belong to E&I Cooperative Purchasing, a not-for-profit, member-owned purchasing cooperative based in Jericho, N.Y.
 
Dolce becomes the second hotel company to participate in E&I Cooperative Purchasing’s program, which recently expanded into hotels and hospitality.  Its E&I contract award gives Dolce direct exposure to E&I’s extensive membership.
 
“We welcome this new alliance with E&I Cooperative Purchasing, which will enable us to serve our higher-education clients more effectively and efficiently,” said Barry Goldstein, Dolce chief revenue officer.
 
E&I Cooperative Purchasing, established in 1934 by members of the National Association of Educational Procurement, secures lower prices for goods and services by aggregating the purchasing power of member institutions.
 
E&I also streamlines the supply-chain process for its members and affiliated suppliers through its competitive solicitation program, which has been validated by the National Institute of Government Purchasing Inc. as meeting generally accepted governmental procurement standards nationwide.
 
E&I Members have access to a diverse portfolio of more than 100 high-quality competitively awarded contracts from best-in-class suppliers.
 
Dolce, founded in 1981, is majority-owned by Broadreach Capital Partners. The company, headquartered in Montvale, N.J., employs more than 4,000 worldwide. Additional information is available at www.dolce.com.
 
Dolce’s portfolio includes properties in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Nevada, Colorado, California, Ontario, Belgium, France, Spain and Germany.
 
As a leader in the meetings industry, Dolce hosts some 30,000 events and 4 million group clients globally every year.  The company’s founder pioneered the conference center concept and Complete Meeting Package, both now embraced as standards by the International Association of Conference Centers.
 
The company’s vision is to create inspiring environments that bring people together, and its mission is to delight its guests, challenge its associates, reward its owners and serve as a role model in its communities.