News for the Hospitality Executive |
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, June
1, 2011 … Benchmark
Hospitality International, a leading US-based independent
hospitality management company, announces the acquisition of MTM Luxury
Lodging. Based in Kirkland (Seattle), Washington, MTM
Luxury Lodging is a hotel and asset management company specializing in
full
service luxury hotels. The acquisition brings four existing managed
properties
into Benchmark Hospitality's portfolio and an additional property soon
to begin
construction. These five hotels will
join eight other properties operated by Benchmark to form a new brand
within
luxury hospitality -- the Personal
Luxury Collection℠ (PLC),
also announced today.
"I am particularly pleased to announce this acquisition and the launch of our new Personal Luxury Collection℠ as they go hand in hand," stated Burt Cabañas, chairman and CEO of Benchmark Hospitality International. "MTM has done an incredible job creating a group of high end and highly customer-focused properties. They bring five superb small luxury hotels in terrific destinations to our company, as well as the opportunity to penetrate the Northwest. With this addition, it is the ideal time to launch our Personal Luxury Collection℠ of 13 highly distinctive independent hotels." The purchase of
MTM Lodging adds extraordinary
properties to Benchmark Hospitality International.
These include Hotel 1000 in Seattle,
Washington; Sorrento Hotel, also in Seattle; Willows Lodge in
Woodinville,
Washington; and Bardessono, located in Yountville, Napa Valley,
California. The new Bellevue Park Hotel,
being constructed in Bellevue, Washington, is expected to open in 2013. Equally
important, the skilled management talent that developed
and grew MTM Lodging has joined Benchmark’s executive team. James Simkins, previously partner and CEO of
MTM, has been appointed Benchmark’s new chief operating officer of the
just-announced
Personal Luxury Collection℠. Jim Treadway,
founder, partner and previously
the chairman of MTM, joins the company as general manager of Bardessono
in Napa
Valley and as vice chairman of Benchmark Hospitality’s Advisory Board. Nearly five decades within the top end of the hospitality industry and extensive personal experience as a traveling executive have inspired Benchmark's Founder, Chairman & CEO Burt Cabañas with unique perspectives on the meaning of highly individualized, personalized travel. He and his team, along with MTM's expertise in this arena, now bring these insights to Benchmark's Personal Luxury Collection℠. Burt
Cabañas noticed as far back as the early
2000s a void in the luxury hotel marketplace for
distinctively individualized service products that reflect
the unique
preferences of each guest -- and deliver on a brand
promise of a
highly personalized luxury experience for every guest.
This is a brand promise that begins long
before the guest arrives, and never ends. The Personal Luxury
Collection℠ is Benchmark Hospitality’s response to this
need. In the
30 years he has built Benchmark Hospitality International,
Cabañas has imbued the company with profound sensitivity to
meeting guests’ individual
expectations for a superb experience, whatever the reason they are at a
Benchmark
property. Guest sensitivity is a
distinctive platform for service excellence, which is the essence
of PLC,
“because luxury is so much more than bricks & mortar and the best
china and
silver,” says Cabañas. “It’s what
makes
each guest feel expected and genuinely welcomed over and over again.” Cabañas continued, “MTM has
demonstrated
excellence in delivering this extraordinary level of service, and more
importantly, they’ve refined the ability to make each person feel they
are a
guest in MTM’s ‘home.’ That’s a
memorable and highly personalized welcome experience.
It’s why we’re so pleased to have them join our
company and the new Personal Luxury Collection℠.” Jim
Treadway, MTM's founder and chairman, heartily
"seconds" this. "We are
and will be all about understanding each of our guest's wants and
needs, and
then fulfilling them. No two guests are
the same.” Mr. Treadway continued with,
“All of our guests have a purpose in coming to our hotels.
It’s up to us to understand what their
purpose is in staying with us, and how we can facilitate its
accomplishment. That’s
our mission!" With 13 hotels in the new Personal Luxury Collection℠, following the MTM acquisition, the guest experience can now extend nationwide and in superb destinations:
The Benchmark Personal Luxury Collection℠ concept was founded on the premise that luxury means different things to different people. It's now more personal than ever. The distinct destinations in the Personal Luxury Collection℠ are known for their individual attentions, chef-driven cuisine, and what our guests will define as pleasure, comfort, happiness, taste and escapism. To graphically capture this, Benchmark Hospitality chose the ultimate symbol for the individuality of hospitality back in the day: the keyhole. Each different, unique, hand-forged creation echoes the personal attention guests receive. Today, for the Personal Luxury Collection℠, it’s a story of what’s old is what’s new. A redefining of the perspective from property focused to guest focused. Where we open the door so the guest can choose transformation over accommodation, customization over conformity, and inspiration over vacation. It is the answer to a craving of guests who want to feel special again. What a departure from the past! In order to catapult the mark to the modern age, the new Personal Luxury Collection℠ logo is presented with a dramatic crescent forming the shadow of the keyhole. Further, the crescent, placed to the right of the keyhole and in combination with the keyhole, also represents a stylized “P” – the initial letter of the Personal Luxury Collection℠, depicting the increasingly archaic concept of personal attention, revived and delivered. About Benchmark Hospitality International Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference centers, hotels, and the Personal Luxury Collection℠. The independent company, launched in 1980, is a worldwide organization operating properties in major metropolitan and resort destinations. Benchmark's international headquarters is located in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. Benchmark Hospitality is also a founding member of the International Association of Conference Centers. The company's northeast regional office is in New Jersey, with international offices in Tokyo, Japan, and Santiago, Chile. For the location of Benchmark's properties and additional information, visit www.benchmarkhospitality.com. |
Contact:
For Benchmark Hospitality International Ken Ellens Ken Ellens Communications 201-758-2864 / 201-758-2865-Fax [email protected] |