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The latest hospitality news from around the world!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Wyndham Appoints International Development Executive
Should Your Mobile Strategy be About ROI or Brand Advocacy?
Families Connect with Fun Through Technology
Pan-European Business Travel Conference
Keith Battaglia Appointed DS&M at the Montauk Yacht Club Resort
Hotel Equities Names Director of Revenue Management
Benchmark Appoints Don Miller DOS Bedford Springs Resort
Marco Gervasoni Appointed GM of Hotel Russell, London
CPC Hospitality Names Rob Willard SVPO
Gary Budge Appointed GM of Algonquin Hotel
Tom Monahan Joins Wyndham as EVP International Development
MK Closes Sale of Two Fairfield Inns
Knowland Group Has Record-breaking Month
Legacy Opens Doubletree in Atlanta
ID/Passport Scanners from TTI
Recap: 12th Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference
Maestro 2008 Users Conference Energizes Operators
Accor North America Opens Two New Locations
Viking Fund to Build Marriott in Baton Rouge
Indigo Coming to College Park, GA
Microtel Debuts in Port Charlotte, FL
Doubletree Opens Tenth Georgia Hotel in Suburban Atlanta
Hilton Hhonors Allies with Budget Rent-a-Car
Lowell Hotel Names Ashish Verma GM
Coalition Calls on Hotels Not to Fight Living Wage Law
Holiday Inn Express to Launch in Bangkok
IHG Signs Agreement to Develop InterContinental Dead Sea
White Lodging Appoints VP of Talent and Organizational Capability
Harbor Linen Goes Green
TownePlace Has a New Design and New Features
New Logo for Super 8 Lodging Chain
Fontainebleau Miami Beach Reopening Fall 2008
Oberoi Group Expands Contract to Include Trident Hotels
New Build Indigo Set for College Park, GA
Twin Falls Protest and Rally to Focus on "Dry Barren East Maui Streams"
NTA’s First Green Convention to Help Rebuild National Forests
HSMAI Honors 17 Chapters
EZYield.com Celebrates Four-Year Milestone in Partnership with Evans Hotels
Darryl Whittaker Joins Wynfrey as Corporate Sales Manager
HeBS Receives "Official Honoree" Distinction by the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008
New Chicago Architecture Foundation Tour
Accomodations in St. Augustine Go “Green”
Danniella Crawford Appointed DHR Cheyenne Mountain Resort
36% Reduction in Water Usage with HydroClean System
Red Roof Partners with SoftBrands
Lexington Wingate Opens
Wyndham Names VP Change Management
Sheraton Atlanta Names Executive Chef
Cornell Hospitality Reports Win Industry Relevance 2008 Awards
Global Asset Solution Announces Singapore Office
Four Seasons Opens First Property in Mumbai
Marriott at LA LIVE to Open in Spring 2010
Blueprint for Hotel Watersports
InnQuest and Ownerrelations Partner to Deliver Software Solution
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum Begins De Sunday Curry Lime
David Downton Artwork Celebrates Wyndham
Accor Sells Sofitel Grand in Amsterdam
Starwood Appoints Thomas E. Clarke, Ph.D to Board of Directors
US Airlines Claim Green Progress
Fairmont Washington, DC Promotes Jason Dalling to Executive Chef
Amadeus Launches Middle East Hub in Dubai
Leading Hotels of the World Continues Strong Production for First Quarter 2008
Hotel Indigo Coming to College Park, Ga.
Luxurious Spa Retreats
Partner Program Growth Reflects Adventure Travel Sector Interest
Frank Wetenkamp Named GM of Wentworth By the Sea
George Ables Recipient of Benchmark's 2007 Chairman's Award of Excellence
PA Governor Honors 18 Indusry Leaders
Viking to Build Springhill Suites by Marriott in Baton Rouge
Whittle Opening Hilton Bella Harbor Hotel, Rockwall, TX
Multi-Systems Fueled with Microsoft Innovation Center Technology
Trump Appoints Board Member
Westin Boston Waterfront Appoints Director Convention Services
St. Regis Reopens DC Property
Chateau Resort, Branson, MO Revamps Library Lounge
New Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel to Open June 17
W Austin Closes Financing and Begins Construction
Microtel Breaks Ground in Manchester, TN
Motel 6 Opens in Rome, GA
Marcus to Manage 7th Wave Water Park Resort, Warwick, RI
Hilton Opens Third Miami Hotel
Holiday Inn Offers Business Travelers “M.B.A.”
IHG Launches Virtual Innovation Hotel
US Department of Homeland Security Begins 10-Fingerprint Scans for Visitors
Dollars & Sense for SynXis Customers
Red Lion to Acquire Hotel in Denver
Rezidor Announces Radisson SAS Resort in Turkey
Hilton Topping Off First Purpose-built Timeshare in Manhattan
London Holiday Inn Improves Rewards for Regular Guests
Ramada Signs Agreement to Develop 17 Hotels in Eastern Canada
Outrigger Enterprises Group-Japan Sales division Names Marketing Manager
Outrigger Reef on the Beach Names GM
Fairmont Washingon, DC Appoints Angie Clifton Director Operations
Marcus to Manage 7th Wave Water Park Resort
Super 8 Revs Up with Pit Stop Challenge
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Going Green - Five Hot Trends in the Meetings Industry
By Andy Dolce, Chairman and Managing Director, Dolce International
Business travel is big business with millions of individual and group trips being tracked in each year. Among overnight trips, 85% of business travelers stayed in a hotel or motel. While this is good news for airlines, rental car companies and hoteliers, business travel exacts a heavy toll on the environment. Responsible environmental stewardship is not only an integral part of doing business at Dolce International; it is the core of who we are as a company. Read on to learn about five hot trends in the meetings industry I recommend for going green...
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Accommodating Seniors - Rethinking the Meaning of Hospitality for Older Consumers
By Jeffrey Catrett, Dean, Les Roches School of Hospitality Management, Kendall College, Chicago
The War Generation, raised on Depression and World War, may have accepted somewhat stoically the difficulties of navigating through an America accustomed to focusing on youth culture, but Baby Boomers have never yet accepted anything anyone has tried to impose upon them and have had the economic might to get their way. As 78 million consumers enter their later years, expect to see sweeping changes in the treatment of greying populations. Intelligent businesses will begin today developing new products and services targeted at this mass of older spending power...
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The Wired Hotel: Hassle-Free Hotel Locators
By Jerry Tarasofsky, CEO, iPerceptions Inc.
Encouragingly, findings from our surveys suggest that, on a macro level, hotel locator tools have come a long way. Results from our surveys show that the work done to optimize and standardize hotel locator tools has yielded some impressive results. To illustrate, let’s look at some data. Specifically, we’ll look at the results for the fourth quarter of 2007 from studies running on the websites of 9 leading midscale brands. During this time period, we asked over 2,600 visitors who did not complete a reservation during their session to identify the leading reason why they abandoned. On average, the share of abandoning visitors who indicated that they were unable to locate a hotel in their preferred area was only 5%, with a max of 6% and a min of 4%...
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Embracing the Culture of Change in the Lodging Industry
By Steven Belmonte, CEO, President, Partner The Lexington Collection, and President, CEO, Hospitality Solutions LLC
When I started in the lodging industry more than 30 years ago at the age of 18 as the youngest general manager of a Holiday Inn, it was generally believed that the road to the franchising ivory tower was the straight and narrow. And at the time, that was probably true - as there were fewer big name hotels around, the travel industry was not as robust as it today, and the concept of capitalism had not reached global proportions of the 21st century. Franchising, in those days, was a new concept and was cautiously and steadily making the American dream a reality for young entrepreneurs...
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Are You Getting Fresh? Hotel Restaurants Aren’t Just For Breakfast Anymore
By Andrew Freeman, President, Andrew Freeman & Company
Reality Bites. Let’s face it, most hotel restaurants aren’t typically destination hot spots and in fact, many are still decorated as “garden terraces” and have the sort of vibe that is most attractive to the drowsy breakfast crowd. Yet, hotel operators know they have a real opportunity to create restaurants with destination caliber cuisine that are both social centers and culinary experiences. These operators are bringing in experienced restaurateurs, consulting/rising star chefs, mixologists, as well as public relations and branding experts to help them develop clearly defined (and appealing) concepts, create enticing menus and identify innovative ways to build the buzz, covers and revenue. By making their hotel restaurants sexy, fun and delicious, these smart operators are creating hot spots that entice both locals and hotel guests alike...
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Why Negative Feedback Can Be Positive
By Richard D. Hanks, Chairman & President, Mindshare Technologies
As much as we all like positive feedback, negative comments have the opposite reaction. It cuts us personally when a departing guest tells us that they had a bad visit. How you react to their feedback is the key. Do you shrug it off and chalk it up to one customer who won’t come back? Or do you see an opportunity? I hope it’s the latter. Let me explain the benefits of having flaws exposed by disgruntled customers, how to make them right, and then turn a disappointed guest into a lifetime advocate for your hotel
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Boutique Hotels: Good For The Good Times
By Robert Mandelbaum, Director of Research Information Services, PKF Consulting Hospitality Research
Boutique hotels have been all the rage in the lodging industry. Developers want to build them. Guests want to stay in them. Travel writers want to wax on about their virtues. But, are boutique hotels popular with their owners? How has boutique hotel financial performance stacked up to industry-wide benchmarks as the lodging industry has progressed through the ups and downs of the recent business cycle? To answer these questions, PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) has analyzed the revenues, expenses, and profits from a group of boutique hotels that provided their year-end financial statements to PKF-HR for the firm’s annual Trends in the Hotel Industry survey
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Trends in the Ukraine Hotel Business
By Nikolay Mayger, CEO, Mayger Consulting Company
Ukrainian hotel business remains one of the most underdeveloped segments of the real estate market. Hotel infrastructure does not satisfy the demand for hotel services neither in quantity nor in quality. Most hotels were built 30-40 years ago and since then have not been renovated and mismatch international standards. In spite of this fact, hotels' profitability improves. According to the data of Statistic State Committee, from January to December 2007, the volume of realized services have increased significantly by 24% and has come to 2016, 4 million UAH. (For 2006, the volume of services was 1521.1 mln. UAH). The market of qualitative commercial real estate projects has been taking shape since early 2000s
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Going Green for Guests, Environment, and Brand
By Lawrence Hefler, Principal, BrandShares International
This is the year of the green consumer. Green has become a mainstream issue driving millions of consumers to find out how they can live a more eco-friendly existence or a “lifestyle of health and sustainability” now popularly known as LOHAS. “Eco” has led to a new wave of consumer marketing in a grasp for green market share. In the hospitality world the implications of green for consumers include: eco-travel, eco- hotels, green buildings, eco- friendly interior design, and hybrid vehicles. This trend has gained significant momentum in the lodging and hospitality industry where more hotels are going green (or at least saying they are) and offering eco-friendly options. In an industry with a proliferation of brands and choices, green appears to be competitive hot button for 2008...
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Insider: Five Hot Tips on Designing Your Hotel Lobby
By Roger Hill, Chief Operating Officer, Gettys
In the Hotel Business Review, my article, “Five Hot Tips on Designing Your Hotel Lobby,” I discuss how you can design your public space to maximize its utility and make an impression on your guests. I give five fundamental considerations to focus your decision-making and help draw out innovations. Your challenge is to develop a unique space that is multi-functional and inviting. Your goal is to make your lobby an oasis. Read on for details on how to make it happen...
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Insider: Effectively Understanding the Role of the Hotel Concierge
By Leigh Anne Dolecki, Chef Concierge, Campton Place Hotel
In my first article, "Effectively Understanding the Role of the Hotel Concierge", in the Hotel Business Review, I provide a little history of the hotel concierge, and some insight into the role of the concierge, and the concierge himself. In future articles we will examine more topics on the value of the hotel concierge...
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Insider: Keys to Reaching the Mature Segment: The 1st Hump in Your Hotel’s Generational Marketing
By Bonnie J. Knutson, Professor, The School of Hospitality Business, Broad College of Business, Michigan State University
This article is the first of a four-part series that will look at each of the four major generational groups. In my article "Keys to Reaching the Mature Segment" in the Hotel Business Review, we will look at the first “hump” of a hotel’s four-humped customer camel – the Matures or Silent generation...
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Insider: Five Little Things that Make A BIG Difference in Spa Customer Service
By Gary Henkin, President, WTS International, Inc. and Kate Mearns, Executive Spa Director, WTS International
Creating a healthy spa culture is vitally important in contributing to a positive experience on the part of the consumer, as you will read in our article "Five Little Things that Make A BIG Difference in Spa Customer Service" in the Hotel Business Review...
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Insider: Public Relations Success — A Guide to Understanding the Return-on-Investment
By Gini Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer, Arment Dietrich, Inc.
“Measuring Public Relations Success — A Guide to Understanding the Return-on-Investment” in the Hotel Business Review delves into the how-tos of measuring results when engaging with public relations. Sitting back and watching as public relations efforts elevate your business is only half of it. Engaging in public relations can be a key differentiator for an hotelier, but the first step in success is understanding how to calculate its effect accurately...
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Insider: The Architectural Attraction: How Great Architecture Attracts Tourism
By John Poimiroo, Principal, Poimiroo & Partners
My article “The Architectural Attraction: How Great Architecture Attracts Tourism” in the Hotel Business Review focuses on how cities across America are profiting from the attraction of architecture...
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