Industry Happenings
Owned by Key International and Managed by LBA Hospitality, Hampton Inn New Smyrna Beach Completes Major Renovation
Key International | May 15, 2019
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (May 17, 2019) - The Hampton Inn New Smyrna Beach (214 Flagler Avenue) has recently completed an extensive renovation of all 112 guest rooms, 1,800 square feet of meeting space, and public spaces. The comprehensive enhancements provide leisure, business and group travelers an inviting and updated feel in the picturesque coastal city of New Smyrna Beach. The property held a post renovation celebration on Wednesday, May 15th to celebrate their refreshed and updated look. "We're very excited to welcome guests to this newly renovated property," said Farrah Adams, Chief Operating Officer of LBA Hospitality. "The upgrad...
Hotel industry veteran, Erik Browning, joins Level60 Consulting
Level60 Consulting | May 15, 2019
Nashville-based Level60 Consulting bolsters team with the addition of hospitality industry veteran Erik Browning, formerly with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, joins Level60 team NASHVILLE – Erik Browning, a hospitality industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience, has joined forces with Nashville-based technology firm Level60 Consulting. Browning will focus on leveraging strategic relationships in the travel and tourism industry. "Because the majority of our clients are in the hospitality realm, having someone of Erik's caliber as part of our team only further strengthens our ability to service our clients and help us gen...
IHG Opens New Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland
IHG | May 15, 2019
San Francisco, May 15, 2019: Consistently voted as one of the top cities to visit in 2019, Glasgow is the perfect blend of sophistication and grit, and is now home to the latest property from global leader in boutique luxury, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants. Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel is situated in a landmark location with a storied past. The hotel exudes class and elegance with original architectural features, such as marble fireplaces, rich wood paneling and lofty ceilings. In true Kimpton style, the hotel offers a luxury experience full of signature perks, brought to life with Glaswegian charm and personality. The exterio...
Teneo Hospitality Group Names April Egloff Director of Sales Midwest
Teneo Hospitality Group | May 15, 2019
Eden Prairie (Minneapolis), MN, May 15, 2019… Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier Global Group Sales Organization, has appointed April Egloff as Director of Sales Midwest. Ms. Egloff will concentrate on the US Midwest region and comes to Teneo with an outstanding track record and exceptional network of professional and personal relationships in the Midwest and beyond. "We are thrilled to welcome April to the Teneo Sales family," says President Mike Schugt. "As Teneo continues to expand, our primary goal is to add significant value for our member hotels, resorts and DMCs by hiring best-in-class sales talent. April comes to us wit...
Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Collection Launch Summer Cyber Sale Offers Up to 50% OFF Accommodations and Services
May 15, 2019
Book from May 24 – May 31 for Summer Travel Savings at 33 Hotels and Resorts The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, May 2019 …Vacationers can celebrate the summer season with exceptional travel values at luxury hotel and resort properties from Gemstone Collection and Benchmark Resorts & Hotels. During Summer Cyber Week from Friday, May 24 through midnight on Friday, May 31, 2019, travelers can choose from over 33 award-winning hotels in America's and the Caribbean's most exciting destinations. These outstanding values of up to 50% off span guest rooms, spa treatments, dining and cooking classes, mountain adventures, air tours and golf on...
How Modular Construction Is Changing Commercial Real Estate
JLL Real Views | May 15, 2019
Regions across the U.S. faced their snowiest, coldest and warmest February in history this year, with volatile weather disrupting the flow of life across the country. That included construction projects. Yet there was one setting where the unpredictable winter didn't slow down work — the vast indoor spaces where firms have increasingly been creating homes, offices and hotels. The method of modular construction — where pieces of buildings are manufactured in one place, and then delivered to construction sites for assembly — has boomed in recent years. The business in the U.S. has doubled in size to US$8 billion over the...
IHG Launches New All-Suites Brand, Atwell Suites
May 15, 2019
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) today revealed its new all-suites brand, Atwell Suites™, to thousands of IHG owners and operators at its Americas Investors & Leadership Conference in Las Vegas. The new upper-midscale hotel brand will target an estimated $18 billion industry segment with strong guest and owner demand. The Atwell Suites brand builds on IHG's heritage of pioneering new growth opportunities for hotel owners and operators that better serve travelers. Through this strategy, IHG has successfully cultivated a dynamic portfolio of unique midscale and upper-midscale brands across the mainstream category includi...
Ambassador Hotel Kansas City Caters to Guest Connectivity and Convenience Demands via Wi-Fi Upgrade and BeyondTV With Voice Control by Hotel Inter
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | May 15, 2019
Luxury downtown Kansas City property partners with HIS to enhance network capabilities while providing each guest with latest in content casting and voice-activated functionality. KANSAS CITY, Mo. — May 15, 2019 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has successfully implemented advanced guest Wi-Fi and BeyondTV equipped with state-of-the-art voice control and virtual assistant abilities at the Ambassador Hotel Kansas City, Autograph Collection. An upscale property located in the vibrant power and light district of Kansas City, Missouri, the A...
Marriott International Debuts JW Marriott Hotel in Qufu, Birthplace of Legendary Chinese Philosopher Confucius
Marriott International, Inc. | May 15, 2019
JW Marriott, part of Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR), today announced the opening of the new JW Marriott Hotel Qufu in Shandong province, China. Owned by Shandong Luneng, this is the first JW Marriott hotel in Shandong and the 16th in China. The new hotel is an architectural masterpiece that will showcase the brand's philosophy of welcoming guests to this exciting destination with modern luxury and authentic, exceptional service. JW Marriott Hotel Qufu is located in the old city. The brainchild of Kai Cui, the academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the building is a masterpiece of design that celebrates Chinese arch...
Travel Tripper and Pegasus Launch Conversion Plus
Travel Tripper | May 15, 2019
New direct booking tool helps hotels personalize website offers in real time, boosting conversion rates and direct revenues (NEW YORK) - May 15, 2019 — The newly-merged Travel Tripper and Pegasus announced the launch of Conversion Plus, an innovative website tool that enables hotels to automate smart, personalized promotions to potential guests by combining CRS rate data with the user's behavior, search history, and preferences. The solution enables hotels to significantly increase conversion rate and direct revenue while improving guest engagement on their websites. "Conversion Plus is a game changer for hotel marketers who face...
Caesars Entertainment to Sell Interest in Emerald Resort & Casino to South Africa-Based Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts for $49 Million
Caesars Entertainment Corporation | May 15, 2019
LAS VEGAS, May 15, 2019 -- Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR) ("Caesars Entertainment" or "Caesars" or the "Company") today announced that it has agreed to sell its South African property Emerald Resort & Casino to Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts, a Johannesburg based hospitality and entertainment company for total proceeds of $49.0 million, which implies a 7.9x multiple on 2018 EBITDA of $6.2mm. Caesars owns 70% of this property while the remaining 30% is owned by local minority partners. Total cash proceeds to Caesars for its 70% ownership and other adjustments total $39 million. "While Emerald Resort & Casino i...
Jonas Hospitality Formally Announces the Launch of Jonas Chorum
Jonas Hospitality | May 15, 2019
Toronto, Canada — May 15, 2019 — Jonas Hospitality is proud to announce the launch of Jonas Chorum, a suite of streamlined, intuitive and flexible property management solutions designed to provide hotels with everything they need to operate more efficiently and effectively. The Jonas Chorum product offering includes Chorum PMS, Chorum CRS, and Chorum Sync, built on Jonas Hospitality's powerful technology platform Jonas ARC. Chorum PMS A true cloud, all-in-one solution designed for optimal functionality on any device including PCs, Macs, tablets, and smartphones, Chorum PMS will empower businesses and improve hotel management...
AHLEF Awards $1.3 Million in Scholarships to Hospitality Students
AHLEF | May 15, 2019
Washington, D.C. (May 15, 2019) — The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF), the charitable giving arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), today announced that it is awarding $1.3 million in scholarships to 344 students in 33 states and Washington, D.C. This year more than 45 percent of the total recipients are minority students and nearly 75 percent of the total recipients are female. Each year, AHLEF administers nine scholarship programs, which award scholarships valued up to $7,500, for students enrolled in hospitality-related bachelor or graduate degree programs at colleges and univers...
Hard Rock International Partners With ASG for €200 Million New Hotel in Barcelona
Hard Rock International | May 15, 2019
May 15, 2019 – Hard Rock International continues growing its European hotel portfolio, announcing the development of Hard Rock Hotel Barcelona. The brand is set to bring its signature musical flair to the shores of Barcelona in a €200 million new hotel to be developed on the last available seaside plot in metropolitan Barcelona. Construction of the 504-room hotel will begin in late 2019, set to open on the shores of Barcelona in early 2022. "This is set to be another ambitious project for Hard Rock International, alongside ASG," comments Todd Hricko, senior vice president and head of global hotel development at Hard Rock Inte...
Sonesta Appoints Mark Ernst as General Manager for Sonesta Silicon Valley
Sonesta | May 15, 2019
Newton, MA (May 15, 2019) – Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is proud to announce the appointment of Mark Ernst as General Manager for Sonesta Silicon Valley. In this role, Ernst will be charged with reopening the property after a multi-million dollar renovation which includes significant updates to the common area and guest rooms, as well as a brand new food and beverage experience. Ernst takes on this new role after establishing a proven record of accomplishment in delivering outstanding guest experiences. He has a long-standing history with Sonesta, having worked for the global hospitality brand since 2014. Most recentl...
Building Your Hotel’s Sharing Economy Defenses
Larry Mogelonsky | May 15, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) While it is crystal clear to me and many other hoteliers that the sharing economy and all its resident internet-based service firms (IBSFs) have severely changed how customers perceive hotels, many outside of hospitality tout their successes and grander benefits for the community. Regardless of whether or not they are ultimately 'good', the rapid proliferation of all these sharing economy accommodations should not be mere doom and gloom for hotels, however, but an opportunity for you to improve your own product. As Airbnb is by far the largest among these IBSFs, I will use it as a p...
INTELITY to Debut Enhanced Staff Features and Functionalities at HITEC Minneapolis
INTELITY | May 15, 2019
The company unifies legacy back-end systems to offer expanded service optimization and management tools to customers Los Angeles, California (May 15, 2019) – INTELITY™, the provider of the broadest hospitality technology platform, announced today that it is unifying its back-office systems to reveal a more comprehensive solution. The expansion of INTELITY Staff will also feature a new and improved user interface designed to meet cross-departmental needs and seamlessly connect operations teams to guests and devices across properties and brands. The company will demonstrate its enhanced INTELITY Staff at HITEC Minneapolis. New...
ALICE Named to Inc.’s Best Workplaces of 2019
ALICE | May 15, 2019
Recognized for Exceptional Growth, Benefits, and Employee Feedback NEW YORK – May 16, 2019 – ALICE, the hotel operations platform that empowers operational excellence and meaningful guest experiences, today announced its recognition as one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces of 2019. The Best Workplace recognition is awarded to organizations on the basis of an anonymous employee survey, the number of employees who complete the survey, and an audit of the organization's benefits. This award demonstrates ALICE's commitment to creating a workplace that allows employees to achieve their ideal work and life balance – grantin...
Owned and Managed by DelMonte Hotel Group, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Set to Open in Albany, New York
Fairfield Inn & Suites | May 14, 2019
Albany, NY – May 14, 2019 – The 78-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Albany, New York is scheduled to open this Wednesday, May 15, 2019 with a new décor that provides guests with a feeling of warmth and calm while traveling. Located at 168 Wolf Road, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Albany Airport will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by DelMonte Hotel Group of Rochester, New York. Located four miles from Albany International Airport and 20 minutes from downtown, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Albany Airport offers guests convenient access to the Times Union Center, the University at Albany, the New York S...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 213: Hotel History: Sheraton’s Classic Advertising Campaigns
Stanley Turkel | May 14, 2019
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: "Keyed-Up Executives Unwind at Sheraton" In 1965, the Sheraton Corporation of America, under the leadership of President Ernest Henderson, created a brilliant advertising campaign: "Keyed-up Executives Unwind at Sheraton". It was broadly promoted all over the U.S. in print media, TV advertising and locally by individual Sheraton Hotels. Among my collection of Sheraton artifacts is a translucent plexiglass paperweight which has a small figure of a businessman with a wind-up key in his back which says "Keyed-Up Executives Unwind at Sheraton". His picture was everywhere: on television, on posters, in...
White Lodging Names Kevin Croy General Manager of the New Hampton Inn & Suites Fort Wayne Downtown Opening Mid-July
White Lodging | May 14, 2019
MERRILLVILLE, Ind., May 14, 2019 -- White Lodging has named Kevin Croy to lead the Hampton Inn & Suites Fort Wayne Downtown team as general manager. The new 136-room Hampton Inn & Suites is scheduled to open in mid-July, and is immediately adjacent to Parkview Field and the Grand Wayne Convention Center. Croy brings decades of local hotel experience to White Lodging and was most recently the owner and operator of Fleet Feet Fort Wayne, which was voted one of the 50 Best Running Stores in America for three years. Prior to his full-time role at Fleet Feet Fort Wayne, he was a general manager at a variety of hotel properties in Fort W...
Volara and INTEREL Enabling Hotel Guests to Control the Room Environment on Voice Command
Volara | May 14, 2019
Travelers can control room temperature, lights, and drapes by speaking commands to any voice assistant selected by the hotel; Guest privacy and hotel proprietary data are protected New York and Dubai, — May 14, 2019 — Today travelers have even more control over their hotel room environments thanks to an integration partnership between Volara and INTEREL. Guests can raise or lower room temperature, open or close drapes, turn on or off lights, and ask for guest services such as "do not disturb" or "make up room" using simple voice commands spoken to any of the major natural language processing platforms including Amazon Alexa,...
Daly Seven Acquires Hilton Garden Inn Roanoke in Virginia
Daly Seven, Inc. | May 14, 2019
GREENSBORO, N.C., May 14, 2019 -- Daly Seven, Inc. announces acquisition of the company's 40th hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Roanoke. The 80,000-square-foot, 117-room hotel offers travelers stunning views of the Roanoke Valley from the south-side of Roanoke, VA in the upscale community of South Peak. "We chose the Hilton Garden Inn Roanoke because we have considerable experience working with Hilton, and we are confident in our ability to successfully manage this beautiful hotel." The hotel marks the fourth Hilton Garden Inn in the Daly Seven hotel portfolio, with two other properties in Greensboro and one in Raleigh, NC. &q...
Mixed Travel Signals Ahead for Summer,& But Hotel Revenue Is There if You Want It
May 14, 2019
There is no shortage of mixed opinions on this summer's travel outlook. While some outlets project increases in rate and demand, we suggest you'd better make up your own mind. That's because rising averages don't always reflect independent owner operators, who are often left behind in the massive changes we are facing together as an industry. We were speaking to a good friend from China recently, and his outlook was that unless companies and hoteliers team-up together, new and existing threats to the industry will put the midscale & economy market at a significant disadvantage within 5 years. Just a few of the Key Irreversible Tr...
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