Cendyn Announces New Leadership Team
Cendyn | September 12, 2019
Human Trafficking and the Hotel Industry: How to Combat This Crime Against Women
Dr Sowon Kim | July 17, 2019
Industry Happenings
NextGuest Wins Four 2019 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards
NextGuest Digital | September 18, 2019
NextGuest was honored with four awards in the Travel Weekly 2019 Magellan Awards. Each year, the Magellan Awards acknowledge the extraordinary travel professionals who provide the best products and services in the industry. We are pleased to be recognized among the top industry organizations and professionals. NextGuest received the following Magellan Awards: Gold Awards: Heritage Hotels Website: Heritage Hotels is a collection of New Zealand properties that each offer best-in-class Kiwi hospitality. To promote the brand’s 14 unique destinations and convey its unparalleled service, all while driving more direct bookings, NextGues...
Hotel Real Estate: How Brands Are Re-Imagining Hotel Lobbies
M. Rein | September 17, 2019
Several reports show the astonishing growth in self workers, contract freelancers and consultants, according to Statista, 10.3% of the working age population is involved in entrepreneurial activities. Alongside this, project task forces are becoming more and more common, and companies are starting to become more agile in their operations, ING’s agile transformation started with the 3,500 staff members at group headquarters, Bart Schlatmann: former chief operating officer of ING Netherlands said, “we invested in tearing down walls in buildings to create more open spaces and to allow more informal interaction between employees. We have a ve...
Boutique & Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA) Soft-Launches New Websites and Programs for Members
BLLA | September 17, 2019
Includes Phase 1 of the official global Master List of bookable boutique hotels and city guides showcasing boutique business concepts Los Angeles, September 17, 2019 – BLLA, the official association of the world’s boutique hotels, is re-energizing and extending its leading brand with the debut of two bold websites offering a host of benefits and enhanced features for hotel members and boutique-loving customers. Continuing to successfully reinvent and expand the global boutique experience, BLLA has launched Stay-Boutique.com which offers the first-ever Master List of the world’s authentic boutique and lifestyle hotels that are bookabl...
IHG’s New Atwell Suites™ Brand Launches Franchise Sales in the U.S.
ihg | September 16, 2019
All-suites brand focused on thoughtful design and guest experience offers owners the opportunity to tap into growing upper-midscale segment IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, announces today that it has launched franchise sales efforts for its newest brand – Atwell Suites™ – in the U.S. The new upper-midscale hotel brand targets an estimated $18 billion industry segment which has grown by 70 percent over the last four years. Atwell Suites was first unveiled in May 2019 to thousands of IHG owners and operators at its Americas Investors & Leadership Conference in Las Vegas. Elie ...
Cendyn Announces New Leadership Team
Cendyn | September 12, 2019
Thursday, September 12, 2019, Boca Raton, Florida – Cendyn, the leading innovator in CRM, sales, and revenue strategy for the hospitality industry, announces today a new leadership team to further drive innovation, development, and growth at Cendyn. The newly appointed additions to the team include: John Seaton as Chief Commercial Officer, Michael J. Bennett as Chief Marketing Officer, Olga Peddie as Chief Digital Officer, Steve Stearns as General Manager, APAC and Ron Lugo as General Manager for Rainmaker, a Cendyn company. "We are excited to announce our new senior leadership team today,” said Tim Sullivan, President at Cendyn. "Our ...
Americans Strongly Support Reforming Federal Law to Rein in Illegal Short-Term Rentals
AHLA | September 11, 2019
73 Percent of Americans Support Amending CDA 230 To Remove “Big Tech” Loopholes Invoked by Airbnb and HomeAway WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 11, 2019) – According to a new national survey, Americans overwhelmingly support amending federal law to remove loopholes used by short-term rental sites, like Airbnb and HomeAway, to avoid having to comply with local laws enacted by cities and other localities across the country. Three in four Americans (76 percent) believe short-term rental sites should be held accountable for complying with local laws, and 73 percent support an amendment to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) ...
Access Point Financial Continues Growth Trajectory With Senior Management Team Additions
Access Point Financial | September 11, 2019
Recognized leader in hospitality-focused lending taps seasoned real estate and finance executives for further expansion of management team ATLANTA - September 10, 2019 - Access Point Financial, LLC (APF), a leading direct lender and specialty finance company focused exclusively on the hospitality industry, today announced the appointment of two new managing directors to its senior leadership team, including Justin Perry as Managing Director/Legal Affairs and Lori Tirado as Managing Director/Business Development. The new appointments come on the heels of senior leadership announcements made earlier this year, and are part of an overal...
Historic Hotels of America Announces 2019 Awards of Excellence Nominee Finalists
Historic Hotels of America® | September 6, 2019
WASHINGTON--September 6, 2019 --Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide® are pleased to announce the nominee finalists for the 2019 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence. The Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence recognize and celebrate the finest historic hotels and hoteliers from across the nation and from around the world. The 2019 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner will take place at Pinehurst Resort (1895) in Pinehurst, North Carolina on Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 7 pm. The award winners will be announced before an audience of owners, senior management, industry leaders, and representative...
Stolen Coffee Pot Wins New Orleans Local $15,000 Roosevelt Hotel Stay
Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts | September 6, 2019
In celebration of its 125th anniversary, hotel held “giveback” contest and drew for grand prize winner NEW ORLEANS - (Sept. 6, 2019) - The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, is excited to announce Leigh Guglielmo, a New Orleans local, as the winner of its Historical Giveback Contest in honor of the hotel’s 125th anniversary. Guests were encouraged to bring in any and all items they took from the hotel in the past. The deadline to return an item was July 1. Guglielmo has won a seven-night stay in a Presidential Suite, private dinners cooked by the hotel’s executive chef, spa experiences and more. More than 70 items were...
Aimbridge Hospitality and Interstate Hotels & Resorts to Merge
Aimbridge Hospitality | August 29, 2019
DALLAS, TX and ARLINGTON, VA – August 29, 2019 – Aimbridge Hospitality (“Aimbridge”), North America’s largest independent hotel management firm, and Interstate Hotels & Resorts (“Interstate”), a leading independent multinational hotel operator, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge, creating a global leader in third-party hotel management services. The combined company will manage a portfolio of more than 1,400 branded and independent properties in 49 states and 20 countries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Together, it is expected that Aimbridge and Interstate will have ...
Deutsche Hospitality Partners With Brendal Hotel Group to Expand MAXX by Steigenberger Brand
Deutsche Hospitality | August 23, 2019
Market position of the MAXX by Steigenberger brand will be expanded in conjunction with the Brendal Hotel Group Frankfurt am Main, August 23, 2019 -- Everything is pointing to further growth. Deutsche Hospitality is planning to expand the portfolio of its up-and-coming MAXX by Steigenberger brand by up to twelve hotels before the end of 2022. This will be achieved by entering into a cooperation agreement with the family-owned Brendal Hotel Group. MAXX by Steigenberger is a fresh and charismatic concept which places the focus on the essential. It combines the renowned Steigenberger level of quality with a sense of urban comfort. “We ar...
The Castell Project Releases Second Annual Women Speakers in Hospitality (WSH) List
The Castell Project | August 21, 2019
ATLANTA, August 21, 2019—Officials of Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry, today released its second annual “WSH List,” a list of prominent female hoteliers and hospitality real estate executives ready with the background required to be dynamic speakers at the industry’s numerous events. List referrals are made complimentary to all conference organizers seeking to add diversity to their lineups of highly qualified and sought-after presenters. “Less than one in six speakers at hotel investment conferences are women,” sa...
Rainmaker, a Cendyn company, Ranks on Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Cendyn | August 21, 2019
Boca Raton, FL. — August 21, 2019 — Cendyn is proud to announce that The Rainmaker Group, a Cendyn Company, has ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S. for 2019. This marks the eighth year for Rainmaker to achieve this honor since 2010. With a continuously expanding customer base and an industry leading platform of revenue & profit solutions, Rainmaker continues to rank on the Inc. 5000 list due to its impressive growth in the hospitality space. Founded in 1998 by Bruce Barfield and Tammy Farley, Rainmaker was recently acquired by Cendyn. As the leading innovative cloud software a...
South Carolina’s Duane Parrish Named 2019 State Tourism Director of the Year
U.S. Travel Association | August 20, 2019
AUSTIN, TX (August 20, 2019) — Duane Parrish of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism has been named national State Tourism Director of the Year for 2019. Parrish was announced as the honoree before more than 1,000 destination marketing professionals at the U.S. Travel Association's annual Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) conference, the premier annual gathering for destination and tourism leaders, held this year in Austin, TX. U.S. Travel's National Council of State Tourism Directors—a body representing the tourism offices of all states and U.S. territories—votes on the award annually ahe...
Redefining Luxury and Culture in Hospitality
Kimberly Yoong | August 15, 2019
The hospitality industry has been abuzz with the growing need to redefine the notion of luxury to cater to an increasingly diverse clientele. Gone are the days when enjoying a luxurious experience meant indulgent in-room candlelight dinners and a rose petal-filled jacuzzi; today’s travelers seek authenticity and experiential travel. Eugenio Pirri, Chief People & Culture Officer at the Dorchester Collection, emphasizes just that as he tells the Young Hoteliers Summit in an interview, that luxury has to be defined by the customer. Hoteliers often say that they are customer-focused. However, Pirri also highlights the need to take it a s...
Study Reveals the Emotional Journey of a Digital Detox While Travelling
August 14, 2019
New research reveals the emotional journey that tourists go on when they disconnect from technology and social media while travelling. The study, by the University of East Anglia (UEA), University of Greenwich and Auckland University of Technology (AUT), investigated how engaging in digital-free tourism impacted travellers’ holiday experiences. It involved losing access to technologies such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, the Internet, social media and navigation tools. The researchers, who also took part in the study themselves, examined participants’ emotions before they disconnected, during their disconnection, and after they...
Sixty-Four Percent of Travelers Secretly Extend Business Trips for Pleasure – Without Telling Anyone
La Quinta by Wyndham | August 14, 2019
La Quinta® by Wyndham uncovers seasonal bleisure trends with latest survey about summer business travel PARSIPPANY, N.J. (August 14, 2019) — Summer is peak vacation time for most, but for frequent business travelers it can be a struggle to squeeze in a much-needed vacation between work trips. With its latest “La Quinta Means Business” national survey, La Quinta® by Wyndham — a trusted hotel brand among career commuters for more than 50 years — unveils the unique trends and challenges for business travelers during the summer season and busy back-to-school months. The survey offers insight on the distinct experience of busines...
IDeaS Intern Program Voted Top 100 in U.S. on WayUp’s 2019 List
IDeaS | August 14, 2019
WayUp’s panel considered public votes and program highlights to select the nation’s best internship opportunities Tweet This: @IDeaS_RevOpt has been recognized on @WayUp’s Top 100 Internship Programs list! Check out the full list of winners: www.nationalinternday.com/top100-2019 www.ideas.com/news MINNEAPOLIS—Aug. 14, 2019—IDeaS Revenue Solutions, the world’s leading provider of revenue management software and services, has been recognized by WayUp on its Top 100 Internship Programs 2019 list. Determined by a panel of industry experts who consider everything from thousands of public votes to internship program highlights...
Celebrating International Youth Day: 50 Years of Experience With Hilton
Travel with Purpose | August 12, 2019
We all start somewhere. And that somewhere for Carol Brock was and still is Hilton. A career in the hotel industry provides a wealth of opportunity and growth, which is why in honor of International Youth Day, Hilton is celebrating Carol’s 50th anniversary with the company by looking back to where she began – a determined, young woman in Boston bound to break boundaries. “I feel blessed and honored to have spent the last 50 years with Hilton. The company has challenged and helped me to grow both personally and professionally. I have been able to travel the world and work with the best of the best. I have made friends from near and fa...
Southern Lodging Summit Names Chuck Pinkowski Honorary Duck Master for 17th Annual Conference August 27th & 28th in Memphis
The Southern Lodging Summit | August 7, 2019
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- August, 7, 2019 -- Officials of the Southern Lodging Summit, an annual gathering of hoteliers specializing in development and operations in the southern United States, today announced that Chuck Pinkowski, owner of Pinkowski & Company and conference co-founder, has been named Honorary Duck Master for this year’s conference being held August 27-28, 2019, in Memphis, Tenn. “Without Chuck, there would be no Southern Lodging Summit,” said Wayne Tabor, president, Metropolitan Memphis Hotel Lodging Association. “In addition to helping create a full-fledged conference highlighting the role of Southern hotels in the o...
Teneo Hospitality Group Expands Portfolio of Independent Brands and International Properties, Adds Six Hotels from The Dedica Anthology
The Dedica Anthology | August 6, 2019
Eden Prairie (Minneapolis), MN -- August 6, 2019 -- Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier Global Group Sales Organization, has expanded its portfolio of luxury, unaffiliated brands and international properties, adding six five-star European hotels that now make up the impressive and new The Dedica Anthology collection. The Milan-based company, founded in 2018, brings energy, spirit and imagination to the rebranding and renovation of these spectacular hotels, located in Italy, France, Hungary and the Czech Republic. They span historic icons, Renaissance palaces and a chic and contemporary example of modern Italian style. Each hotel is loca...
Cape Grace’s Concierge: First Woman in Cape Town to Join Society of the Golden Keys
Cape Grace | July 30, 2019
Cape Town, July 30, 2019 -- Cape Grace Concierge Moira Mdakana has been appointed to the elite Les Clefs d’Or – or Society of the Golden Keys. It is an incredible achievement for any concierge, but in Moira’s case, it is made even more remarkable by the fact that she is the first woman in Cape Town to receive her Golden Keys and the first black woman in South Africa to have done so. “I want all young children who are in hotel schools right now and are dreaming of becoming an elite concierge to know that anything is possible through hard work. Your background does not define where you will go in life. I’ve proven that anything is p...
Driftwood Hospitality Management Shares New Insights Into Industry Trends From Property Manager Poll
Driftwood Hospitality Management | July 29, 2019
North Palm Beach, Fla. – July 29, 2019 – Driftwood Hospitality Management (DHM), a North Palm Beach-based hotel management company that operates 70 hotels throughout the United States and Costa Rica, recently surveyed its general managers, seeking to understand this year’s growing hospitality trends and the evolving needs of travelers. “We are constantly looking for ways to improve the guest experience, which is why we prioritize keeping a pulse on emerging industry trends,” said Michael Diaz, chief operating officer for Driftwood Hospitality Management. “Today, our property teams are noticing more and more conversations and in...
Melia Hotels International’s Vice President of The Americas, Alvaro Tejeda Schroeder, Steps Down After 30 Years, Seasoned Hotelier Is Appointed
Meliá Hotels International | July 29, 2019
Miami, FL (July 29 2019) – Alvaro Tejeda Schroeder, Vice President for The Americas for Melia Hotels International (MHI) has stepped down from his role with the Spanish hotel company. Alvaro’s career with Melia Hotels International has spanned almost 30 years in seven different countries and most notably included the roles of Area Vice President for EMEA, as well as his current role, where he was responsible for overseeing all MHI operations in The Americas and Caribbean for the past 10 years. “We greatly appreciate Alvaro’s commitment and invaluable contribution to Melia Hotels International over the past three decades,” said An...
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