July 15, 2006
Articles
The Highway to Prosperity
It went by with little fanfare, but last month marked the anniversary of the most important event in the history of the hotel industry. No, it wasn't...
Now Boarding at Marriott
Marriott International last month joined the growing number of hotels and chains that provide guests with the technology to check in to their airline...
FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR LA QUINTA
Contrary to perception and rumor La Quinta is bullish, even aggressive, on franchising, according to Rajiv Trivedi, executive vice president of franchising...
ABVI Partners With Consumer Brands
Americas Best Value Inn added four consumer brand companies Thrifty Car Rental, Meineke Car Care Centers, Cracker Barrel Restaurants and Atlantic Luggage...
BRANDING BRIEFS
Best Western International Additions to the membership chain include the 71-room Best Western The Inn at Hampton (NH) and the 42-unit Best Western Peace...
CHOICE BETS ON EXTENDED STAY
With the right person in charge and a solid strategy in place, Choice Hotels seems finally ready to make its mark in the booming extended-stay hotel market....
NEW FOUR POINTS KEEPS IT SIMPLE
Creating an icon out of a chain is tough work, but it's a job well suited to Starwood Hotels. From the people who brought us the Heavenly Bed and W Hotels...
Kids Like Orlando Hard Rock
Pizza-making draws kids to the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, where 36 percent of total food sales come from the kids' menu. The property recently won a...
PODCASTS GUIDE HOTEL GUESTS
Imagine arriving at a new destination and knowing exactly where to go for the perfect margarita, the hottest dance club, or chic local shopping. Desires...
Upcoming Industry Events
JULY 16-19 National Business Travel Association convention & exposition, Chicago. Information: www.nbta.org JULY 19-22 National Association of Black Hotel...
TRANSACTIONS
Alexis Hotel LaSalle Hotel Properties acquired the Alexis Hotel in Seattle for $38 million. Included in the purchase price is 19,000 square feet of retail...
HOSPITALITY PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Doug Geoga, a 23-year veteran of Hyatt and other Pritzker family ventures, resigned as president of Global Hyatt Corp. to form a hospitality investment...
VALUE PLACE
Just two years ago, Gina-Lynne Scharoun got a phone call from her former boss. He wanted her to be the president of the franchising company for his new...
Donny's Big Idea: Branding
Branding was the big idea at last month's New York University International Hospitality Investment Conference. It made sense then that one of the conference...
Combatting Union Misinformation
To the editor: In response to your blog posting (www.LHonline.com/blog), Unions Speak Louder, Faster, our industry faces an important year for collective...
DAVIDSON DOUBLES DOWN
The new owners of Memphis-based Davidson Hotel Co. have a big goal for the management company: double in size over the next five years. The company currently...
Back In the Game
A familiar name in the lodging industry is back in the game. Former Meri-Star Hospitality Chairman and CEO Paul Whetsell recently formed CapStar Hotel...
Executive Sentiment Rises
The Lodging Executives Sentiment Index (LESI) climbed to 85.7 from 84.6 last month and from 87.0 during the same period last year. The LESI continues...
DO I HEAR A MILLION?
Opening bids of $15,000 to $50,000 are recommended for the Sept. 10 auction of 50 weeks of fractional ownership interests in the Teton Club in Jackson...
Condo Lobby Gauges Vegas Market
You're not going to believe this: Las Vegas is a hot market, especially for luxury. That's the word in the first market report from the National Association...
REPLACE HIT-OR-MISS TRAINING
Having moved directly from the front desk into sales at the age of 23, I can clearly visualize what not ready for prime time means. Just as it was back...
The Myth of Service Recovery
For the past several years, there has been a widely circulated notion among many hotel executives that the key to enhancing customer loyalty is a strong...
Doubletree Maintains Impressive Growth Rate Brand Remains Favorite for Conversions
With more than half of an aggressive $480 million product enhancement program complete, Doubletree Hotels continues its impressive growth in the upscale,...
Beachside Rebirth
It's not your father's Daytona Beach anymore. The famed beachfront resort on the east coast of Florida is undergoing a slow but steady rebirth as a more...
FRANCHISE Fact File
Name of Chain Minimum Rooms Initial Fee Royalty Fee Advertising/Marketing Fee Reservation Fee Ave. Per Room Construction Cost aloft hotelsCircle 79 N/A...
GleeContainment
When it comes to hotel development, consultants usually warn lodging executives about storm clouds, whether it's sunny or not. But this year, most analysts...
Who Provides What?
Overlooking a single item during the design phase of a construction project may not sound like an ordeal. You can, after all, still order and install...
Capping Construction Costs
In conversations with hospitality developers, architects and contractors, a top-of-mind concern today is rising construction costs, in addition to labor...
MAXIMIZING THE PROMISE OF META-SEARCH
Meta-search travel sites are a boon if hoteliers have the technology to leverage their advantages. But without such enabling technology, they can muddy...
Tech Bytes
The House of Blues Hotel in Chicago selected iHotelier Central Reservation System software from TravelCLICK for its GDS connectivity and online booking...
OATES JOINS PASSKEY BOARD
Bill Oates has joined the board of directors of Passkey, an online group reservations management firm. The former senior vice president and chief information...
CARING FOR YOUR LINEN INVESTMENT
Each year, the lodging industry spends millions of dollars on linens. With that much invested, it's important to keep linens in top shape for as long...
INNOVATIONS IN HOTEL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
ATM Cabinets Using custom-built traditional and contemporary designed cabinets to blend ATMs with a hotel's dcor, ATM Systems is a provider for the upscale...
SUPPLY Side
James Hovark joined Lazer Lodging Asset Management as vice president, asset management. Prior to joining Lazer, he held a similar position with Interstate...
