San Diego Marriott Renovated, Rebranded Marquis
It will take nearly five years to completely renovate the 27-year-old San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina. The $200 million renovation and upgrade started in 2009 with the elevators and will finish in 2014 when meeting space is complete. ...
Residence Inn’s New Cost-Effective Renovation Package
There’s probably no better indication of the hotel industry’s (and country’s) healthy obsession with cost control than Residence Inn’s approach to its latest generation of property upgrades. The 622-unit chain, the long-time leader in the upscale extended-stay segment, recently introduced a new cutting-edge suite renovation package that brand executives say costs about $15,000 per key, which is “not a penny” more than the price of the brand’s previous upgrade package....
Morgans Finds Early Success with Mondrian SoHo
Morgans Hotel Group opened its third Mondrian-branded hotel in early spring. The 270-room Mondrian SoHo has been five years in the making and is managed by Morgan’s for owner/developer Cape Advisors....
Hilton Brand Makeover Starts With Lobby
“Hilton is not going to be the brand your father stayed at,” declared Hilton Hotels & Resorts global brand head Dave Horton Tuesday during a media tour of the newly renovated lobby at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner....
Design Awards: High Honors
From the towering 54-story L.A. Live project all the way down to the eight-story Padre Hotel in Bakersfield, CA, this year’s Design Award winners all stand out. Lodging Hospitality editors chose five projects to honor that displayed innovative, effective and creative architecture and design....
Expanded Gay Resort To Open in Fort Lauderdale
The results of a $4-million investment by Fort Lauderdale’s Royal Palms Hotel and Resort will be unveiled this month when the 20-year old, gay-oriented property debuts a 64-room annexation, an addition that will make it the largest hotel in North America targeted specifically to the gay male market. ...
Hotel Borrowers Caught In ‘No Man’s Land’
Some hotel borrowers are venting their frustration over special servicers’ unavailability for advice at the same time the hoteliers face the threat of default. “I’m in no-man’s land,” fumed Nitin Shah, president of Imperial Investments Group in Norcross, Ga. at the 23rd annual Hunter Hotel Investment Conference held recently in Atlanta....
Holiday Inn Relaunch Drives Revenues, Satisfaction
Costing $1 billion and involving nearly 3,400 hotels and 430,000 rooms, the recently completed relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand family was the most ambitious, wide-ranging hotel industry initiative ever undertaken. Nearly six years since its inception, the program is substantially complete, with 91% of the portfolio refreshed and the remaining hotels in the process of renovating to meet the new standards....
The Economy Is Back, And So Are Hotel PIPs
That three-letter acronym many hotel owners loathe to hear, PIP, or property improvement plan, has come out of hibernation. With the net operating income of the average U.S. hotel expected to rise 10.9% this year, according to PKF Hospitality Research, the major brands are exerting more pressure on hotel owners to complete PIPs. ...
Design Awards 2011 Call for Nominations
It’s once again time for Lodging Hospitality’s annual Design Awards competition. The Design Awards will run in the April 15 print issue and we need your help identifying the year’s best hotel and resort design. ...
‘Bright Light in a Long Tunnel’
The Americas Lodging Investment Summit is the annual bellwether of the industry, setting the tone for the year in lodging. To get an even better understanding of where the hotel world is heading, Lodging Hospitality gathered a roundtable of industry leaders immediately following the conference to discuss their takeaways and to get their thoughts on the year ahead. ...
One Developer Masterminds Albuquerque’s Two Boutique Hotels
If he were still alive, Conrad Hilton would have no trouble recognizing the expansive lobby of the Hotel Andaluz in downtown Albuquerque. When the New Mexico native built the 10-story property in 1939, it was the city’s tallest building and Hilton’s fourth hotel project following three in neighboring Texas. More than 70 years later, the design and the feel both remain that of a Moorish Riad, or palace, exactly as Hilton envisioned back in the 1930s....
Red Roof Gets Aggressive For Growth
Back on solid financial footing, Red Roof Inn is poised for growth, particularly through franchised conversions. Top targets for the Columbus, OH-based economy chain are the Northeast, the West and Canada. In recent months, the company hired new development executives for each of those regions....
Trophy Hotel Assets Appealing to Asian Investors
Lynn Cadwalader, the lawyer who worked with Chinese real estate firm Shenzhen New World Group on its January acquisition of the Sheraton Universal Hotel and last year’s purchase of the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown, says her client and other Asian investors are looking to buy trophy hotel assets in the U.S....
Things to Know Before Starting Construction
In today’s soft market, hotel owners may cut corners to stay financially healthy. But trimming costs comes with risk and must be done carefully. When choosing a contractor, price, instead of professionalism, is often the deciding factor. ...
Design Elements Jan. 15, 2011
A roundup of design news...
