April 15, 2006
Articles
Do Your Guestrooms Stink?
First, it was bath amenities, then coffeemakers, followed by bedding and shower-heads. Today, technology is the hot trend in guestroom design and furnishing....
LA QUINTA PUSHES COMPANY GROWTH
Fresh on the heels of the $3.4-billion acquisition by private equity firm Blackstone Group, La Quinta franchisees and company officials gathered in Dallas...
Rodeway Growth Takes a Leap
Backed by a franchise fee restructuring, Rodeway Inns had its biggest growth year in 2005, executing 75 franchise contracts. That's more than double the...
Best Western Marks 60 Years
Best Western is taking nearly the entire year to celebrate its 60th anniversary. The official celebration started in late March with a week-long industry...
BRANDING BRIEFS
Americas Best Value Inn The brand added more than 25 new properties with nearly 1,800 rooms since the beginning of the year. Some of the new locations...
EXTENDED STAY LEADS THE PACK
In an industry of happy people, owners and operators of extended-stay hotels may be the happiest. Business remains strong, and demand continues to outpace...
Rosen Lends Helping Hand
Hotelier/philanthropist Harris Rosen is once again assisting his favorite project: Tangelo Elementary School in Orlando. Most recently, Rosen enlisted...
SHOULD HOTELIERS BE ENFORCERS?
If Houston has its way, the No Tell Motel will be long gone. At least that's the goal of a new rule attempting to rid the city of hotel rooms used for...
Providence Boosts GMs
GM Training is a new service from The Providence Group to help lodging owners nurture skilled managers for their operations. According to President Jed...
BEDDING BATTLE: FLAT OR FITTED
While there has been a lot of discussion in recent years about upscale bedding and pillow-top mattresses, members of the Lodging Hospitality community...
AH&LA FIGHTS FOR IMMIGRATION RELIEF
No matter how the debate over immigration policy turns out in Washington, the American Hotel & Lodging Association has done a good job in conveying the...
Upcoming Industry Events
APRIL 23-25 AmericInn Annual Conference, Duluth (MN) Entertainment Convention Center. Information: www.americinn.com APRIL 23-25 Marine Hotel Association...
TRANSACTIONS
Avalon Hotel & Spa Grand Heritage Hotels purchased the 99-room Avalon Hotel & Spa in Portland, OR from bankruptcy court. Terms of the sale, which was...
EXECUTIVE SENTIMENT CREEPS UPWARD
This month's Lodging Executives Sentiment Index (LESI) reflects the continued expansion in general business and industry conditions. The reading of 85.9...
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation last month renamed its AH&LA Extended Stay Council Scholarship to honor the late Steve Hymans. Hymans,...
INTERVAL, RCI ADD AFFILIATES
Timeshare service companies Interval International and RCI recently added a number of existing and to-be-built resorts to their networks of affiliated...
Orlando Fractional Hits the Road
Sales reps from the Lighthouse Key Resort & Spa have hit the road to sell the first fractional ownership product in the Orlando area. The sales team will...
Timeshare/Resort Briefs
The 120-unit Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii opened last month. The property is the 30th in Hilton Grand...
How to Prepare For the Bad Times
In the current environment of prosperity, directors of sales have the ability depending on the direction they take to prepare their departments to be...
Lodging: The Darling of Real Estate
As we move into the second quarter of 2006, the U.S. hotel market is clearly perceived as a industry in the world of commercial real estate. National...
Winning Design
Hospitality design in 2006 continues to amaze and delight and challenge our ideas of what a hotel should look like and how it should function. From the...
The Well-Heeled, Worldly Home
The views are spectacular, the amenities top-notch, the service nonpareil. No matter which destination club spokesperson you talk to, the word is the...
HOT 2006: A Heady Mix
The range of speakers and a popular new feature, the Roundtable, were among the most pleasant surprises of the 6th annual Strategic Conference on Hospitality...
DEFENDING THE DATA
Security used to mean safes and locks. Today, it has much to do with guarding against cyber thieves eager to use a person's identity for illegal purposes....
Tech Bytes
Stafford Hospitality is using the Energy Eye wireless radio frequent emergency management system at a Holiday Inn in Tifton, GA. Also beginning to use...
INNOVATIONS IN HOTEL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
THE ENERGY-EFFICIENT ANATOLE The Hilton Anatole has been retrofitted for energy savings. The payback for the $3.5-million investment should come through...
VENDOR NEWS
Timeshare giant Fairfield Resorts named Safemark Systems as its exclusive provider of in-room safes. Fairfield has more than 70 vacation ownership properties...
