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....
Vegas Building Business, Not New Casinos
The Cosmopolitan’s debut in December likely marked the end of a two-decade run of multibillion-dollar luxury developments on the Las Vegas Strip that began in 1989 with the opening of the Mirage. As the battle for customers rages amongst the five-star resorts—Wynn, Encore, Palazzo, Venetian, Aria, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and now the Cosmopolitan—news of Sahara’s closing comes as little surprise ...
Cosmopolitan Reaches New Heights in Vegas
It’s almost hidden, tucked down a long hallway on the third floor of the new Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The small pizza place without a name or storefront serves the best ...
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. ...
Carlson Upgrades Loyalty Program
With 6.5 million and counting, Carlson is on target to build its loyalty program to 10 million by 2013. To crank up the numbers the company is replacing Goldpoints Plus with a new Club Carlson program. Launched March 31, Club Carlson has no blackout dates for its enhanced menu of awards....
Vantage Hospitality Training Aims to Standardize Service
Vantage Hospitality Group is taking its three-year-old Vantage Academy on a 13-city tour. The free one-day training program is all about hands-on activities. Vantage is owner of America’s Best Value Inn and the Lexington Collection brands, with 900 member hotels in North America and China. ...
Security of Guest Data Worries Hotel Technology Executives
The Hotel Technology Next Generation North American members meeting held in San Diego last month gave attendees an inside look at what keeps the industry’s top C-level technology executives awake at night. IT leaders from Hyatt, Starwood, Marriott and other companies put the spotlight on what is required from technology suppliers to earn their keep. ...
IHG Revamps Priority Club Rewards Program
After surveying more than 10,000 frequent travelers and conducting three years of research, InterContinental Hotels Group is relaunching its Priority Club Rewards program. Members will receive redesigned membership cards in the coming weeks and have access to more rewards and ways to redeem points....
5 Mistakes Hoteliers Make On TripAdvisor
Engaging the growing TripAdvisor community could result in more reservations for your hotel if you can avoid the following five common mistakes:...
La Quinta Puts Customers, Culture First
What began as an idea from a franchisee at one of La Quinta’s first brand council meetings has evolved into the company’s newly defined culture and the debut of its brand customer service experience, “Here For You.”...
Digital Signage Expo Offers Track for Hoteliers
More than 4,000 attendees and 180 exhibitors are expected at the 8th annual Digital Signage Expo that returns to Sin City Feb. 22-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is the world’s largest trade show and conference covering digital signage, interactive technology and out-of-home networks. Multiple panels and sessions will appeal to hotel owners and operators, including several with moderators and panelists who work in the hospitality industry....
Super Bowl XLV Hoteliers: Beware of Sporting Woman
According to the Dallas Morning News, a Dallas police officer told the National Prostitute Diversion Conference to brace for some 50,000 to 100,000 “hookers traveling to the region for the Super Bowl.” Confidential sources also told the paper in excess of 50,000 hookers attended the NBA All-Star Game, which was held in Dallas last year. In 2008, CBS news reported the Super Bowl in Phoenix attracted “circuit girls,” girls who ...
ALIS: Branson Talks Hotel, Space Launches
Sir Richard Branson offered only a few more details on the launch of his latest brand, Virgin Hotels, but the engaging entrepreneur captivated approximately 2,000 attendees during the keynote address Tuesday at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in San Diego....
Wyndham to Franchise Dream, Night Brands
Coming on the heels of last year’s deal to franchise Planet Hollywood hotels, Wyndham Hotel Group has followed with a similar arrangement with Chatwal Hotels & Resorts for exclusive rights to franchise and manage its Dream and Night boutique hotel brands globally....
Delaware North Strikes Gold With Special Places
It may be the most successful hotel company you probably never heard of. It’s Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the Buffalo, NY-based operator of 20 lodging properties with about 4,000 units mostly in or near national and state parks in the U.S. and Canada. The firm also owns five resorts in Australia and is concessionaire at a number of national parks (Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite), two New York State parks and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. ...
Hotel Consultant Turns Resort GM
In a classic example of one thing leading to another, respected hotel industry consultant Mark Ozawa last fall found himself as the new managing director of the Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort, a 60-acre, 350-room property on the picturesque Caribbean island of St. Lucia. The story of how he got there is a fascinating one....
Distress Heads List of Top Hotel Stories
Just about everyone agrees 2010 was a better year for the hotel industry than was ’09. Occupancy, rates and RevPAR numbers finally went from contraction to growth, and while many properties are in varying degrees of financial distress, the market for transactions is beginning to show some life....
Great Year for Belz, Peabody Orlando
It’s been a pretty good year for Marty Belz, the president and CEO of Peabody Hotel Group. On Saturday, Dec. 11, the Peabody Orlando hosted the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association annual gala while celebrating its grand reopening after a $450-million expansion. ...
Vantage Adds Lexington Sub-Brands
Looking to close a gap in its brand strategy, Vantage Hospitality has added two sub-brands to its Lexington Collection flag. Vantage found it didn’t have a logical home for three-star-type properties that are too upscale for the Americas Best Value Inn brand but not quite at the quality level of other Lexington properties....
Nissenbaum Raises Bar at Peninsula Beverly Hills
Near the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards, banners attached to lampposts encourage people to ‘Celebrate 90210.’ The prestigious postal code is sufficient to identify the classy, cultured community of Beverly Hills to visitors from around the world. Just a few yards away, behind walls designed to keep away the paparazzi, the Peninsula Beverly Hills ...
