May 1, 2007
Articles
Notes From The Front Desk
If, like me, you're an old-school kind of person who prefers getting his information by turning pages of a newspaper or magazine rather than flipping...
FLESHING OUT THE USFS IDENTITY
Microtel Inns and Suites and Hawthorn Suites expanded their accessibility footprint in March, officially incorporating little people into their mission....
HoJo Upgrades Sleep, Shower
The sleep and shower experiences are the keys to a product revival plan for Howard Johnson. At the chain's international conference last month in Orlando,...
BRANDING BRIEFS
America's Best Franchising ABF registered 14 new agreements and 15 newly opened hotels (1,012 rooms) in the first quarter. The company also approved five...
MARRIOTTS PLUG IN
In conjunction with its bi-annual confab of GMs from its full-service hotels, Marriott recently unveiled several initiatives, including an upgrade of...
AMERICAS BEST VALUE INN: 700 IN SEVEN YEARS
In what is surely the fastest growth curve in the history of the U.S. hotel business, Americas Best Value Inn last month added its 700th property, a feat...
RESORT MANAGERS FACE FUTURE
Future Shock could have been the theme of the 7th Annual Resort Management Conference, held in March at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO. A growing...
Lodging Vet Pens Hotel Novel
Some people pay tribute to respected colleagues through a gift or a kind word. Veteran hotel industry executive Greg Plank chose to do it in writing....
TRANSACTIONS
The Abbey Resort The Abbey Resort, known as the landmark on Lake Geneva, is now managed by Hostmark Hospitality Group. The Fontana, WI property, one of...
HOSPITALITY PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Best Western International named Peter Laigaard Jensen country manager for Denmark and Jurgen Kreipl director of operations for Asia. Jensen oversees...
INDUSTRY MOURNS TWO LOSSES
Two prominent lodging industry executives Jack McHugh of Aimbridge Hospitality and John Whitaker of SICO died last month. McHugh, who was senior vice...
Upcoming Industry Events
MAY 3 Meet the Money conference, Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Los Angeles Airport. Information: www.jmbm.com MAY 3-5 Hospitality International India, Expo...
BOOM IN BRANDED RESORTS
The timeshare and traditional resort businesses have been booming, with branded chains accounting for much of the development. Some recent highlights:...
How to Handle a Teflon Employee
Employers frequently believe that they cannot discipline or adversely affect the employment of employees who have complained about violations of various...
Hilton's Branson Brand Extension
Mark Hartman calls Branson Las Vegas without the gambling. That's not criticism, says Hartman, general manager of the Hiltons of Branson, the first branded...
BED TIME
While spa-licious bathrooms and high-tech gadgets have diverted attention from the bedding wars frenzy of the recent past, the sleep experience still...
A Boutique Blooms in Brooklyn
Manhattan can't quite claim a monopoly on boutique hotel design. Brooklyn's edgy Gowanus district will soon have a design-driven hotel of its own when...
HD 2007 Preview
Thousands of hospitality designers, vendors and hotel operators will converge on Las Vegas May 10-12 to check out the latest and greatest design trends...
TROPICAL SOPHISTICATION
Visionary hotelier Sol Kerzner, creator of destination resorts, casinos and luxury hotels, is at it again. Best known for the behemoth 2,917-room Atlantis...
Texas-Sized Renovation
The Renaissance Austin (TX) Hotel recently put the finishing touches on a $6-million renovation that encompassed guestrooms, suites, an expanded fitness...
BEVERLY HILTON LODGENET BETA SITE
A high-definition LodgeNet Entertainment television system functions as an interactive concierge and a wide-ranging entertainment platform at the Beverly...
SETTING THE GEEK HOTEL STANDARD
Hotelchatter.com, one of the more witty of the websites dispensing opinions about the lodging field, has discovered the ultimate geek hotel. Hotelchatter...
Tech Bytes
A group of private investors bought InnLink LLC from ShoLodge in a deal designed to enhance InnLink's management and portfolio of hospitality voice and...
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ROOM, IT'S ABOUT THE STACK
Room revenue drives financial health in nearly every hospitality segment, but for a notable exception. Casino hotels are unique because rooms are only...
INNOVATIONS IN HOTEL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
PLASMAS ENHANCE GREENBRIER The historic Greenbrier resort in White Springs, VA is undergoing a $50-million renovation. As part of that, guestrooms are...
Vendor News
Onity, a provider of electronic control and security solutions, announced four new appointments to its North American sales team. In the Northeast, Ed...
