ehotelier Hospitality News Archives: June 2008

Feeling rejuvenated

Koos Klein, Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) president Asia-Pacific and Asia-Pacific Hotelier of 'the Year, has every reason to be raring to go, as Raini Hamdi, TTG Asia and TTGmice editor, discovers Ten years after leading Hilton in Asia-Pacific, you grew the portfolio from 25 to 60 hotels in operation, and are on track for 300 hotels by the next nine years. What are you proudest of about Hilton's development in the region? By Raini Hamdi

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Chinese online booking explosion hits RMB 18 billion

Technological advancement and changes in consumer behavior have meant that the Chinese travel industry has taken huge economic strides recently. OTA's, hotels and airlines have all benefited from an increase in online bookings from RMB 442 million in 2002, to RMB 18.2 billion in 2007.

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U.S. Hotel industry counting on business travelers

U.S. hotel executives, expecting soaring fuel prices and the broad economic slowdown to slow leisure travel through 2008, hope that business travel will somehow save the day - and the year. According to a recent Reuters/Zogby poll, many Americans will forgo vacations this year, with nearly 39 percent saying they may change their vacation plans.

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Top picks of hospitality lawyer insights in 2008

Hospitality Attorney's top insights to hotel industry. As we approach the half-way mark in 2008, the hospitality lawyers in JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® thought it would be interesting to determine our readers' "top picks" of all the articles we have posted this year. We could almost say that the top three picks are hotel financing, hotel financing and hotel financing. But here are the top three picks by "Topics" at www.HotelLawBlog.com. By Jim Butler

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Rezidor goes even greener and almost triples

The Rezidor Hotel Group considerably increases the number of eco-labelled hotels and strengthens its proactive, long term orientated commitment to the environment. By the end of this year 50 more hotels will be certified by acknowledged third party labels: Seven more Radisson SAS hotels in the UK will gain certification from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, seven more properties in Ireland will secure the Green Hospitality Award, 29 more hotels in Scandinavia will obtain the Nordic Swan Eco-label, and seven more properties in France, Tunisia and Benelux will achieve the Green Key. "These markets with well established independent labels are in our focus", comments Catherine Rubbens, Director Responsible Business of Rezidor. "We see strong demands from the markets itself and from our hotels for eco-certifications, and do believe that these labels are a more and more important part within our overall Responsible Business Programme."

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Field of revenue management continues to evolve in hospitality industry

Revenue management professionals from across the hospitality industry convened at the fifth annual HSMAI Revenue Management Strategy Conference in Austin, TX, for a day of in-depth discussions about the evolving field.

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Global hotel brands line up for Kenya

Kenya's hospitality industry is expected to get new players as the tourism sector brings in more international hotel brands to increase the quality of services. Industry players say the brands lined up for admission include Kempinski, Sheraton, Marriott and the Accor Group of France. By Solomon Mburu

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Growth of Marriott executive apartments keeps pace with expanding need for executive expat lodging

Marriott Executive Apartments, the upscale serviced apartment brand of Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) will nearly double in size in the next 36 months, to respond to a growing need in many emerging markets for long-term stay lodging for executive expatriates needing spacious housing and hotel amenities.  Today, Marriott operates 16 MEA hotels in 13 countries outside the U.S., and 15 more hotels are planned in countries such as Bahrain, Qatar, Thailand, Egypt, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

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As gas prices rise, Americans look to B&Bs for value-filled summer getaways

BedandBreakfast.com, the leading B&B directory and reservation network, recently polled more than 5,200 U.S. innkeepers about advanced bookings for the July 4th weekend. The 1,346 respondents reported that July 4th weekend reservations are even or have increased over last year at more than 70 percent of B&Bs. Over Memorial Day, a similar survey showed that 66 percent of B&Bs were even or up in bookings over the previous year.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....
 

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The AmericInn® hotel web site wins 2008 interactive media award

HeBS has received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Web site Development by the Interactive Media Awards_^TM for the AmericInn International Web site (www.americinn.com).  This award illustrates that the hotel chain's website has excelled in all areas of the judging criteria and represents a very high standard of planning, execution and overall professionalism. The AmericInn brand site was specifically recognized for excellence in the Hotel/Resort category, and is the only hotel chain website to win this award in 2008.

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Hospitality products couldn't have fitted better to online search as a glove

The rapid development of suppliers' direct distribution channel vis-a-vis progress made by the online intermediaries is being considered as the major development in travel distribution in the Middle East region. According to Euromonitor International, `supplier direct' as a channel dominates with almost 90% of Internet transactions. By: Ritesh Gupta

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The association of Australian Hotel Schools –Career Expo - 28 October 2008

The success of the AAHS' Annual National Hospitality Career Expo, now in its seventh year, demonstrates the close relationship the Association enjoys with industry and fulfils the AAHS' charter to collectively promote the hospitality industry as a career path.

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The famoushotels.org finds effecient way to support victims of tropical cyclone

As a global non-profit and non-governmental organisation the famoushotels.org has identified a group of hotel employees in Myanmar who need help. To help the famoushotels.org help this group of people in Myanmar, please download the e-book THE STRAND TREASURY and donate €9.90 or more. The full amount will go to Myanmar. By Andreas Augustin

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Hospitality leaders demand better marketing metrics for mice business

Marketers in the hospitality industry in Asia Pacific are not making enough use of marketing metrics for the Meetings, Incentive, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) business to be truly effective proclaimed hospitality leaders at a breakout session at a recent roundtable event held in Singapore and hosted by The Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (CNI) and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Asia Pacific chapter. The roundtable was sponsored by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. The hoteliers present declared that millions of dollars were invested into analyzing financial data but not into marketing data and that further investment into marketing systems that could provide effective analysis to make decisions was required.

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Canada offers significant opportunity for investment in branded hotels, reports Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels

In a recent report on Canada, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels analyzes the country's burgeoning hotel investment market and reveals that Canada remains vastly underexposed in branded hotel rooms compared to the U.S.

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Hotels embrace WiFi, healthy living, AH&LA survey says

Wireless Internet access, green building and consumer health are becoming major priorities for many hotels, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), which recently released the results of its 2008 Lodging Survey.

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Business travelers starting to demand green lodging

While some hotels are savvy enough to promote their environmental practices, most are not doing enough to satisfy business travelers who are increasingly demanding green accommodations.

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Tanzania: Tourism could 'earn Africa Sh100 billion'

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is said to have potential to generate up to $100 billion annually from the booming and lucrative global tourism market that currently accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). By Costantine Sebastian,

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Pricing for the Future

With the advent of the internet and other online customer forums, consumers are becoming more aware of factors that influence pricing. With this increase in consumer awareness, there is a growing imperative for hospitality organisations to be aware of the effect that pricing can play on their revenue potential.
By: Klaus Kohlmayr

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Hotelier Idol Exposé: The hidden hotel industry casting crisis takes centre-stage!

Hotelier Idol points the spotlight at the robust hotel development pipeline and the underlying challenges presented in terms of recruitment, training and retention. By Erin O'Neill and Jitendra Jain

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Emerging tourism markets – The coming economic boom

With international travellers projected to almost double by 2020, the most significant increases are expected to take place in markets like China, India and destinations in South-East Asia. The Gulf States and emerging Eastern Europe complete this picture, followed by the Latin American and finally African markets.

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Tourism needs infrastructure overhaul

The tourism industry needs serious infrastructure development to meet Government economic expectations, investors at the Viet Nam Business Forum recommended this week. Institutional, transport, and educational infrastructure were highlighted.

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Could Zeppelin's airships soon be gracing our skies again?

Germany is producing zeppelins again. More than 70 years after the infamous Hindenburg disaster, its latest airship was gently guided out of the hangar doors last month to make its maiden test flight. By Sean Dodson

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Carlson hotels worldwide adds 11 properties to its global portfolio in April and May

Carlson Hotels Worldwide announced 11 locations to its global portfolio during April and May 2008. The hotels include five Country Inn & Suites By Carlson(SM) hotels in the United States, with the Savannah, Ga. location marking the brand's 450th hotel. Two Radisson properties opened in North America; two Radisson SAS hotels, one in Russia and one in Romania; and two Park Inn locations, one in Russia and one in Canada. In 2008, Carlson Hotels added 35 properties and 4,521 guest rooms bringing its global lodging portfolio to 986 hotels with 148,733 rooms in 72 countries. Carlson hotel brands also include Regent Hotels & Resorts and Park Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts.

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Olympic media hotel offers cash for coverage

The hotel hosting the official non-accredited media centre for August's Beijing Olympics is offering cash to reporters in return for positive media coverage. The Gehua New Century Hotel, which describes itself as "China's first five-star hotel with a media-cultural theme", has promised journalists up to 1000 yuan ($145) for articles about it.

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AH & LA study reveals current and future technology trends in hospitality

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA)  announces the findings of its 2008 Current and Future Technology Use in the Hospitality Industry study.  Funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of AH&LA, the research analyzes top areas of information technology (IT) most frequently being implemented at hotels, and quantifies increased customer demand motivating hoteliers to enhance their product with new amenities and programs. 

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Travelodge adds 7 UK Hotels to portfolio worth £69.9 million

Travelodge, the UK's fastest growing budget hotel company, today announces the acquisition of two hotels from Swallow Hotels, and the exchange on a further five hotels for a combined investment total of £69.9 million.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Driving REVPAR in the current economy: The shift from managing demand to generating demand

In the past eighteen months, demand has remained relatively flat while rate has increased by between 7% in 2007 and almost 9% in 2006. The consumer that seemed so resilient to rising hotel rates has ‘collapsed', in the words of Bernie Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood, pressured by rising gas prices and the resulting cost of goods, not to mention the loss of equity in their largest investment, their homes. (BTNOnline, June 2, 2008) By Carol Verret

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Hospitality marketing leaders energized to convene with MMH students

As part of a series of roundtable events, the Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management paired up with the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Asia Pacific chapter in Singapore last week to bring together heads of marketing and sales from some of the leading hotel chains and suppliers in Asia Pacific to meet with students of the Masters of Management in Hospitality (MMH) program. It was debatable as to who enjoyed the session more - the industry heads or the students. "I thoroughly enjoyed the day. It is certainly a stimulating balance of components to bring industry into the academic environment and to think of the future as the next generation was also present", observed Graham Carder, Vice Present of Sales and Marketing - Asia Pacific Division for Hyatt International.

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CEO Profile: Starwood, van Paasschen both on the move

If you want to get to know Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen, grab your running shoes. His version of a power breakfast is a strenuous, 10-mile run at 6 a.m. He runs every day and has run 12 marathons. By Barbara De Lollis

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Ghana: Tourism industry records growth

The Executive Director of the Ghana Tourism Board, Mr. Martin Mireku on Wednesday disclosed that the tourism industry over the years has made giant strides which have enabled it to record immense revenue of US$1.2billion by December 31, last year.

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Choice hotels launches upscale ascend collection program

Worldwide lodging franchisor Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH) today announced the launch of its Collection program in North America and the Caribbean, which offers upscale independent hotels the opportunity to affiliate with Choice and leverage the company's robust global distribution network.  The new program was introduced to owners at the company's 54_^th Annual Convention, held in May in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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UTELL launches mobile hotel booking service

The representation business that enables hotels to compete worldwide, has launched a mobile reservation tool to provide hoteliers with a means to reach potential customers on the move. Users visit a microsite (mobile.utell.com)*, specially designed by Mobile Travel Technologies Ltd (MTT), on their mobile device to view hotel information, images and rates. The simplified reservation process offers real-time booking and provides a secure environment for the transfer of credit card and personal information to guarantee customer reservations. Utell ensures hotels are highly ranked on mobile search pages through a range of SEO activities.

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Crowne Plaza doubles its global estate since 2000

InterContinental Hotels Group's (IHG) upscale Crowne Plaza hotel brand has more than doubled the size of its estate since the Millennium - and the strong growth continues. At the end of 2000 there were 149 Crowne Plaza hotels open globally and 43 new hotel agreements already signed in IHG's development pipeline (192 total); by the end of March 2008 that figure had more than doubled to 308 open and 118 in the pipeline (426 total) - a total growth of 122 per cent.

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Consumers in UK continue to invest in holidays abroad: study

Despite the rising cost of fuel and the impending economic downturn, consumers are continuing to invest in holidays abroad, according to a survey by a UK-based digital market research company.

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Staybridge suites debuts outside the Americas

Following the success of Staybridge Suites in North America, this week sees the opening of ground-breaking properties in Liverpool and Cairo. As the fastest growing hotel segment in the US, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) - which owns the brand - are leading the way in the introduction of the extended stay concept to Europe and across the Middle East, aimed at guests who usually stay for more than five nights.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Personalized hospitality excellence still a deliverable!

Despite all the negative publicity we read these days about the erosion of customer service, genuine, authentic hospitality is still being delivered daily by frontline superstars.  As a frequent flyer who is sometimes on the road more than off, all too often I'm made to feel like just another customer in queue; another voice on the phone line; another room number calling in requests.  More than once I've found myself standing alone in an empty lobby and being asked:  "May I help the next guest?" or walking up - luggage in hand - and being greeted with "Checkin' in?" By Doug Kennedy

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With all the choices on the internet, why do guests need a Concierge?

The Concierge profession has changed over the years, but never more so than in this new century.  Before the advent of the internet and other amazing technological tools, hotel guests used to rely on the concierge at their destination to orient them to their new surroundings and connect them with tourist destinations, specialized shopping, gourmet restaurants, business services and serve a myriad other needs. Twenty years ago, when I first started as a concierge in Washington, DC, concierges developed huge Rolodexes of contacts locally, nationally and internationally, in order to answer every request for help. We kept huge libraries of resources at our desks - telephone books, atlases, five inch thick guides to hotels around the world, a dictionary, and flight schedules for national and international travel, restaurant guides, an incredible amount of brochures on local attractions and so on --- almost all of which are now replaced by computer access. By Elaine Oksner,

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Hospitality lawyer talks with the Ambrose collection's Deirdre Wallace on going green with an existing building

Hospitality Lawyer on green hotel development. Here at www.HotelLawBlog.com, we have a rich library of articles on green hotel development. (Just go to the blog, search down the right hand side for "Topics" and then click on "Green Hotels.") But as we now release the DVDs from our recent conference on green hotels -- which are free to all conference attendees -- we thought many of our readers would like to see the major PowerPoint presentations from our high-powered speakers, so we have published them here for your benefit. You will not want to miss this series of important presentations! By Jim Butler

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Asset management strategies will boost hotel cash flows, reports Jones Lang LaSalle hotels

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels' report FocusOn: The Progressive Asset Manager: Top Five Tips for Success reveals that a progressive asset manager can help maximize hotel value by boosting cash flows through strategic management.

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Hilton hotels & resorts expands ad campaign with multi-media investment in Latin America

Hilton Hotels & Resorts announces the launch of its Latin America advertising plan, part of the brand's overall "Travel Should Take You Places" campaign. Created by Young & Rubicam Brands, the campaign captures the essence of a guest's experience and personal journey, whether they travel for business and leisure to the brand's exquisite properties throughout Latin America. The Latin America campaign also introduces the philosophy that travel is about more than just going from point A to point B - travel is about the journey.

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Every hotel employee is a sales person

What counts most is the first impression. This refers particularly to the front desk in a hotel. That is why the employees on reception should not limit themselves only to a friendly check in and check out. What is important is that every hotel employee is a sales person. ‘Already at reception various possibilities for an additional sale come up', says Hans Jürgen Rüffert from the company Revway. ‘This is particularly essential when the guest started the hunt for the best price on the internet'. By Hans Jürgen Rüffert

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From minibars to chandeliers: everything must go

The four-star Royal Monceau hotel in Paris is auctioning its entire contents, including minibars, mirrors, bed lamps and linen, after closing for a €100 million refurbishment by the designer Philippe Starck.

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Asia Luxury Travel Market (ALTM) honoured with prestigious ‘Five Star Diamond Award’

Asia Luxury Travel Market, the region's leading event aimed exclusively at the luxury end of the travel industry, was last night presented with the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

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What does it take to create the best chef website in the world?

Well according to tech savvy Australian chef, Benjamin Christie it's a combination of recipes, articles, cooking videos, product reviews and ingredient information, presented using the latest in Web 2.0 technologies.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief....

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Hotel eMarketing - Beyond Rooms!

"We've come a long way, baby" claimed a high-spirited pop idol not so long ago, following up on the claim with an equally upbeat track. And so we have...in the world of Internet Marketing too. From the age of information (think glorified electronic brochure) on the web to the world of snappy online transactions...we've now moved into the age of an experiential and social Internet, all great leaps in a relatively short space of time. Hotel eMarketers can lay claim to that cheery phrase too, as far as marketing and distributing hotel rooms on the internet is concerned, in spite of the traditional, people-centric nature of the industry. But despite the eMarketer code to boldly go where no other hotel marketers have gone before, very few venture into the fuzzy world of online marketing beyond rooms. By Jitendra Jain (JJ)

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"Ability to override RM system's output is an important feature"

Hoteliers acknowledge that no longer it is sufficient to just submit an expected occupancy total for each day with no segmented detail to assist with decision-making. At the same time, the industry professionals also feel that the revenue management discipline is undeniably constrained in terms of segmentation and other labelling methods due to limitations in human ability to process all of the information.

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Hotel industry returns to owner-operator model

The hotel industry has come full circle, with the owner-operator model now returning to prominence, experts said last week. In recent years, many large hotel operators such as InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott, Travelodge and Accor have favoured the franchise, leasehold or management contract approach. But, speaking at the World Economy & Budget Hotels Congress at the Hilton Tower Bridge, industry leaders said that the market was returning to the owner-operator model favoured in previous decades, in a movement dubbed "bricks to brains". By Gemma Sharkey

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Great escapes: Extreme hotels

What would Scarface think? The gangster properly known as Al Capone was the guest of the US federal government within the concrete walls of Alcatraz, the world's most notorious prison, for more than four years. He and his fellow inmates would dream of escaping from the "The Rock" - but these days, it seems, people are ready to pay good money to spend a night behind bars. By Simon Usborne

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Crowne Plaza set to improve lives of business travellers with second year of think tank campaign

Crowne Plaza, one of the hotel brands in the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) portfolio, has announced the second year of its ‘Think Tank' concept which aims to cement its position as the hotel of choice for the discerning business traveller.

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Educational sessions announced for inaugural event technology expo™ at HSMAI's affordable meetings® national

Attendees at the inaugural Event Technology Expo_^TM at HSMAI's Affordable Meetings_^® National will enjoy a host of educational sessions addressing the latest and greatest in  technology as it relates to tradeshows, conventions, meetings, and special events. Admission to the two-day "show within a show" from Sept. 10-11, 2008, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC, is complimentary for all qualified tradeshow, convention, meeting, and event producers, organizers, and planners.

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Westin hotels & resorts blooms with celebrated floral designer Jane Packer

Just in time for summer, Westin Hotels & Resorts announces an industry-first partnership with celebrated floral designer Jane Packer. Starting this month, all Westin Hotels & Resorts worldwide will debut original arrangements designed by Packer-who is recognized as one of the most influential florists across the globe and whose 13 books have made her the best-selling floral author across the world. Having challenged the traditional view of floristry with her fresh and innovative approach, Packer championed the idea that flowers are as exciting as fashion and interior design, yet entirely more accessible.  Packer has guided Westin-a similarly innovative brand that has gained recognition for bringing a sense of personal renewal to guests-by creating a style guide that will be used by each hotel's florist and that illustrates the materials and techniques needed to create the new signature Westin Hotels botanicals.

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Lexington hotel Cliffbreakers riverside resort teams with the American red cross to help flood victims

Lexington Hotel Cliffbreakers Riverside Resort has announced a partnership with the local chapter of the American Red Cross to help families devastated by the recent floods throughout the local area and region. Funds raised will be earmarked for food, shelter, and other urgent necessities.

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Minotel focuses on quality

Minotel's worldwide business operations have been conducted from the Lausanne headquarters since Minotel took over Minotel International in 2005. Currently Minotel has 200 hotels in 25 countries. The group is actively involved in drumming up new members while focusing on the quality of its offer and the attractiveness of its products. Intended for hotel entrepreneurs outside Europe, Minotel's 2008 Hotel Guide offers more information  on the chain's franchising system.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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The politics of food, colour and red wine

Skyrocketing fuel prices, rising food prices, food shortages, wasteful elections and red, red wine - Yeoh Siew Hoon wonders where we are all headed.

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Online Global photo competition – “Our climate solutions"

UNWTO launches its 2008 Photo Competition around this year's World Tourism Day (WTD) theme: "Tourism Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change". This competition is part of the year-long campaign highlighting the call for action towards a climate neutral planet.

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TIG Global and ICE Portal form strategic alliance to provide comprehensive interactive marketing services for the hospitality industry

In a move designed to enable hoteliers to raise online visibility and drive direct Internet revenue and ROI, TIG Global, the leading Internet marketing company for hospitality and travel, and ICE Portal, the industry leader in the production, management, and distribution of rich visual content, announced today an agreement that strategically positions the two companies to offer the most comprehensive interactive marketing services for the hospitality industry.

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Park Plaza Hotels expects to more than double its number of rooms with new developments signed in Russia, Croatia and the UK.

Park Plaza Hotels is celebrating the recent signing of management contracts and hotel developments in Russia, Croatia and the UK that it expects will lead the Company to exceed the aggressive development target outlined at the time of its London AIM listing in July 2007. These recent signings are expected to more than double the current number of rooms to over 13,200 by 2012.

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Lorica Selects Control4® operating system as a hospitality platform for in-room controls

Control4 Corporation and Lorica Solutions (www.loricasolutions.com) today announced that Lorica will be including Control4® solutions as an option to its customers purchasing the Lorica Room Center, Lorica's fully managed converged network specifically designed for the hospitality industry.  Additionally, the companies will be  integrating the Control4® Operating System into the Lorica Room Center, so that customers that want the complete Lorica - Control4 Solution have a more tightly integrated and efficient platform.  Embedding the Control4 Operating System into the Lorica Room Center provides a practical, reliable automation solution to control lighting, room temperature, television/video systems, music, draperies and requests for services with a single remote.

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Flight Time TV brings flight status information to Hotels

Flight Time TV (FTTV), an independent supplier of flight information, releases a stand-alone flight monitoring system suited to broadcast in Real-Time onto the Guest TV Network of a Hotel. FTTV collects the data from all airports over the world, big or small, from international to regional. The intuitive application rotates only through the departures of the neighboring airport and can also be set to display on stand-alone Wall Screens in the Lobby or integrated in HTML based messaging boards.

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New PhoCusWright study reveals late adopters propel online travel

Sherman, Conn. USA, June 18, 2008-The U.S. online travel market continued its growth in 2007, and saw an upswing in the online traveler population-that is, adults who have taken a commercial air trip and stayed at a hotel for leisure in the past year, and used the Internet in the past 30 days, according to a new PhoCusWright report.

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Sofitel rebrands four Tahiti hotels

The Sofitel chain's four hotels in French Polynesia have been rebranded and renamed with "a special focus on new luxury service standards". As a result, the Sofitel Tahiti Resort, which used to be the Hotel Sofitel Maeva Beach, is now the Sofitel Tahiti Maeva Beach Resort, the 202-room flagship property of the Sofitel brand and the French Group Accor in French Polynesia. The hotel is still frequently referred to locally as the Maeva Beach, or simply the Maeva.

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Kenya calling

Tourism, Kenya's biggest export earner, was much damaged by the violence that erupted after the January election. Visitor numbers, which had been running at record levels with 2 million arrivals in 2007, slumped by 44 per cent in the immediate aftermath of the post-election violence that saw 1200 people die and more than 150,000 displaced. By Kay O'Sullivan

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Overview of the Japanese Lodging Industry and Its Investment Trends - Past, Present, and Future

Despite widespread waves of Westernization that have infiltrated modern Japanese culture in the post-World War II era, the Japanese lodging industry has generally managed to keep its shroud of "foreignness" intact. While neighboring Asian countries have boasted a host of American and European lodging developments in the past twenty years, Japan has predominantly stuck with the Japanese lodging model of ryokans (traditional inns), Japanese-branded hotels, and its own invention of capsule hotels. However, recent changes in the second half of the present decade have indicated a changing tide of sentiment, as investors reassess their traditionally held views of Japanese real estate, seeing the potential of tapping into the third-largest economy in the world. The barriers to entry into this decidedly Eastern and Western hybrid market are beginning to erode, and Western hoteliers and investors alike are poised to benefit from this opportunity. By Emily U. Smith, HVS

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Stars want to meet the general manager & other misconceptions

These days it seems every brand wants to hop on the celebrity bandwagon, and hotels are no exception. Having a star in-house can create great buzz, but pursuing the entertainment market is not always in a hotel's best interest. Next time Beyoncé is coming to town, take a few minutes to evaluate your hotel before calling her travel agent. By Daniel Edward Craig

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Thailand’s Tourism – waning confidence needs steady nerves.

Thailand's Tourism industry faces a testing time. With Thai economic fundamentals taking a beating and a potentially weaker baht, what's in store for the Thai Tourism sector? Negative news abounds with daily predictions on the price of oil; increasing food prices; natural disasters and political nervousness. Will this impact Thailand's long haul traffic and domestic travel, also negatively? By Andrew J Wood

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Inside the hotel room of tomorrow

The hotel room of the future has arrived. It's called Guest room 2010 and it's now open in Austin, Texas. Well, sort of. The room is not actually in a hotel, but rather, at the Austin Convention Center. Outfitted with a massaging bathtub, virtual-reality goggles and nearly 60 other cutting-edge amenities, it's a featured exhibit at HITEC, an annual lodging and hospitality conference for financial and technology professionals that runs June 16-19. By Rob Lovitt

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Web in travel formulates new partnership with PhoCusWright Inc.

WIT-Web In Travel, Asia's leading travel distribution, marketing and technology conference, announced a new partnership with PhoCusWright Inc., the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect, to formulate WIT 2008. The programme -themed "Ideas. Execution. Action"-will delve into the transformation taking place in each segment of the travel industry-aviation, hospitality, travel retailing, corporate travel management, online travel agencies and destination marketing-and share case studies from leading companies.

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New marketplace format attracts large number of first-time hotel buyers

Hotel Brokers International (HBI), the nation's largest hotel brokerage organization with more than 30 offices from coast to coast, today announced that its revamped U.S. Hotel Investor's Marketplace program, recently held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, attracted a strong mix of seasoned and first-time hotel buyers. Attendees received a broad overview of the industry, as well as information on first quarter hotel transaction activity, which was down significantly.

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Travel 2.0 enhancements from TravelCLICK keep hotel shoppers on property websites, increase conversions

TravelCLICK, Inc., the leading provider of ecommerce solutions for the global hotel industry, has announced the release of its new Travel 2.0 online tools.  The new tools-including Real Guest Reviews_^TM, local Destination Guides with Trip Sharing, RSS Manager, and Mobile-Optimized Web Pages-leverage the social networking trend to create website "stickiness" and increaseonline reservation conversions by enriching the Internet shopper experience.  The latest enhancements to TravelCLICK's Hospitality Toolkit® content management system, the new modules complement the upcoming version of TravelCLICK's award-winning iStaybooking engine .  With iStay, shoppers can schedule property-level activities like spa appointments, tennis lessons, and dining reservations, creating a superior online guest experience that drives higher online revenue.

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anzphic 08 releases final program

As 2008 began, most hotel markets in the region had promising trading outlooks, based on strong market fundamentals. However, emerging economic problems in the USA and the risk of a contagion effect on regional economies are creating increased uncertainties. The final conference program was released.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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The greatest hotel people I have never met…and the lessons I learned from them

Writing articles, as often as I do, has opened up a completely new world of communication for me. I truly value the wonderful feedback and encouraging comments, I have received, from the many great hoteliers that I have never met. My writings have allowed me to communicate with hoteliers running every type of hotel, large and small; corporate, convention, and resort; in so many markets throughout the world. By Neil Salerno

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David Marriott to oversee hotel chain's key markets

Marriott International has tapped the youngest son of chief executive Bill Marriott for a key position overseeing hotel operations in some of the lodging chain's most critical markets, including New York City, raising more speculation about his future role in the company. By Michael S. Rosenwald

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Europe's best outdoor dining

Dining indoors in summer is rather like making love with your clothes on. The sheer pleasure of enjoying good food, wine, and company in a more casual setting increases while dining al fresco. The warmth of the sun, the cool breezes, and the way the light changes and softens as the meal goes on creates layers of moods you just don't get in a staid indoor dining room atmosphere. By John Mariani

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Hospitality Attorney with pearls from NYU

Hospitality lawyer with pearls from the New York hospitality conference. The mood in New York was more somber in June 2008 than it has been for a long time at hotel conferences. Attendance was down from last year (less than 1,500 at NYU this June) and for the first time, NYU had fewer conference delegates than the Los Angeles conference in January (3,200 at ALIS in January 2008). Many believe that attendance at these conferences is a good barometer of sentiment in the industry -- send more people when times are good, and send fewer when you batten down the hatches for a storm. By Jim Butler, Hotel Lawyer

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Africa travel association’s 33rd annual congress in Tanzania explores Africa’s competitive advantage in global market

International Delegates Support ATA Efforts to Promote Responsible Tourism. More than 300 tourism industry experts from Africa, the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia came together in Tanzania from May 19-23, 2008 to participate in the Africa Travel Association's 33rd Annual Congress, under the banner of Africa's competitive advantage in tourism.

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UNWTO secretary-general Francesco Frangialli to step down at beginning of 2009 – lays out agenda for the future

Addressing the Executive Council of the UNWTO, Francesco Frangialli announced that he would be stepping down at the beginning of 2009 to allow for a smooth transition before the normal end of his final term of office.

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Oban releases preview of FOGS competition results

The hunt for the face of global search is three weeks in. Oban Multilingual teamed up with global online publisher EyeforTravel to hold a competition to find out how people in different countries search online for their holidays.

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VINEXPO ASIA-PACIFIC 2008 success confirmed by final figures

The success of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2008 in Hong Kong reveals how much the Asian wine and spirits professionals were awaiting the event. The attendance of large numbers of important buyers, importers and distributors, alongside the international press and renowned experts, who spoke at the seminars and led tastings, confirms the leadership of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific in this area.

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InterContintenal Hotels & Resorts to open Vietnam's tallest hotel in 2011

InterContinental Hanoi Landmark to occupy upper floors of a new 336-metre tower, one of the world's tallest buildings

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Cornell study analyzes advantages of private ownership for hotel chains

Reversing the trend of the 1990s, a rash of public hotel companies were "taken private" in leveraged buyouts during the first years of this century, including such notable firms as Prime Hospitality and Hilton. A new hotel research report by John B. (Jack) Corgel analyzes these transactions to determine why private equity was so active in the hotel industry. The report, "Private Equity Investment in Public Hotel Companies: Recent Past, Long-term Future," is available at no charge from Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research

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A sustained activity in May for the French hotel industry

After 2 mitigate months in March and April, the French hotel industry ties up again with high growth rate experienced early this year. With an improving occupancy rate (+2.7 pts), price policy's efficiency (average rate increase 5.7%) leads to a growth in RevPAR of 9.8%.

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The 10 major issues in contemporary hotel management agreements

Baker & McKenzie lawyers spend a lot of time negotiating hotel management agreements in many jurisdictions and particularly in the Asia Pacific region. In fact, they have been doing this solidly  for about 20 years.

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MGM Mirage hospitality appoints Will Hay as Senior Vice President of Asia-Pacific development

MGM MIRAGE Hospitality, a wholly owned subsidiary of MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM), today announced the appointment of Will Hay as Senior Vice President of Asia-Pacific Development. 

More... [761 views]

Quick route to ‘Success’

The first five industry-ready graduates in an innovative and unique chefing programme, ‘Quick to the Cut', graduated from this exciting course on Tuesday 10th June at Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort.

More... [543 views]

Jones Lang LaSalle hotels uncovers investment value in five Canadian markets

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels announced that the firm has published FocusOn Canada: Hidden Value in a Resource-Rich Nation. The report released today analyzes the country's favorable hotel investment climate and reveals five markets with pronounced investment potential.

More... [580 views]

Outlook mixed for 2009 volume corporate business in Hong Kong

(HSMAI Asia Pacific) - HSMAI's HK/Macau Chapter released the result of a short survey polling hotelier opinion on the outlook of their expectations for the upcoming corporate RFP season. Dr. David L. Jones Ph.D. Associate Professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, presented the results during a recent breakfast webinar and discussion, held on 3 June 2008 at the HK Polytechnic University.

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The first female general manager of Dusit Princess hotels & resorts

A New Era for Dusit Princess Dusit International is pleased to announce the appointment of the first female top executive of Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts, Ms. Natalie Kamolwattanasoontorn, as the new General Manager of Dusit Princess Koh Chang - a newly-developed 4-star resort located on the island of Koh Chang in the crystal waters of the Gulf of Siam.

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Fraser Hickox GM of research and technology for Peninsula hotel group joins Lorica advisory board

Mark Holzberg, Chairman and CEO of Lorica Solutions (www.loricasolutions.com), the leader in converged managed networks for the hospitality industry, has announced that Fraser Hickox, General Manager of Research and Technology for The Peninsula Hotel Group in Hong Kong and noted international consultant to some of the world's leading hotel companies, has joined the Lorica Advisory Board.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Celebrity 100 Getaways

If you're one of the most influential celebrities in the world, you have more than a few options when it comes to traveling. Like the rest of us, some A-listers have a tried-and-true vacation spot, while others prefer to explore new parts of the world every chance they get. The upside to having a mansion at your disposal in Maui-like Oprah (#1 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list)- is that the entire place has been outfitted to accommodate your personal needs. Every time you visit, it takes less time to settle in and relax.

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Hilton Hotels Corporation announces third major UK development deal

Hilton Hotels Corporation announced it has signed its latest major strategic development alliance in the UK with HLH Property Ltd. The agreement will see HLH working with Hilton to introduce up to 30 new hotels comprising around 4,000 rooms in the next five years.

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The Fairmont Olympic hotel general manager shines as the American hotel & lodging association’s general manager of the year

Mr. Dennis Clark, General Manager of The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, was honored today with the American Hotel & Lodging Association's  (AH&LA) prestigious Stars of the Industry Award for General Manager of the Year, Large Property. The Stars of the Industry Awards, sponsored by U.S. Foodservices, were presented on June 11 during the AH&LA Summer Summit at The Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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The Lexington collection takes interactivity to a new level

The Lexington Collection of fine Hotels, Plaza Hotels, and Resorts Worldwide is proving yet again that it is a progressive, owner-friendly brand by offering hotel owners the opportunity to participate in a live, interactive webcast hosted by Steve Belmonte, CEO, President & Partner of The Lexington Collection.

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Marriott International to add 9 more properties to its China portfolio through 2012

Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) will expand its China portfolio with 18 new hotels now through 2012, nine of which are being announced today.

More... [784 views]

Raffles Hotels to bring its brand to Moscow

Raffles Hotels will leave its mark in the Russian capital with a new namesake luxury hotel set to open here in 2011. By Sue-Ann Chia

More... [1356 views]

Hotel group to add 20,000 staff

Intercontinental Hotels Group plans to increase its headcount in China by 67 percent in 18 months with more hotels opening to cater for China's growing tourism market, a senior company executive said yesterday.

More... [705 views]

ISPA evaluates next steps in the Asia-Pacific region

As spas continue to open and be developed in the Asia-Pacific region, the International SPA Association has formed a group to evaluate next steps in this pivotal area. As the voice of the global spa industry, five percent of ISPA's more than 3,000 members in 75 countries are from the Asia-Pacific region.

More... [558 views]

Malacca Hotel Association fending off drop in tourism numbers

The Malacca Hotel Association (Maha) will forward several proposals to the state in a bid to help prepare the tourism sector absorb the effects of the fuel price increase.

More... [555 views]

Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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WOW.Travel’s seven sensational places to dine looking at the river

wow.travel (the online magazine of kiwicollection.com) edited by Mary Gostelow, introduces Seven Sensational Places to Dine Looking at the River.

More... [907 views]

Hospitality R.O.I. metaphor “let’s play ball!”

Hospitality is one intriguing game we have chosen.  We play in splendid venues; our Fans are enthusiastic with high expectations.  Our competition often has the marquee players, bench depth, ace pitching and storied coaches.  We field the best Team we can, mindful of injuries, slumps, steroids and scandals.  By John Hendrie

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Hotels not offering the latest technology FREE will lose out

Hotels charging guests to use Internet and failing to provide access for iPods could lose out, says The Hotel Show Seven Star conference moderator

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Last opportunity to participate in TMS inaugural Asia Salary Survey – AND win Apple iPod touch

TMS Asia-Pacific Chief Executive Office, Gary Marshall has prompted industry personnel they now have less than four weeks to participate in the company's inaugural Asia Travel and Hospitality Industry Salary Survey.

More... [491 views]

First citizenM hotel opens in Amsterdam

The Dutch hotel group citizenM announces the grand opening of their first hotel at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

More... [715 views]

Hilton Hotels Corporation signs agreement to develop 25 new hotels in Turkey

Hilton Hotels Corporation has today announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive Strategic Development Agreement (SDA) with the Kosifler Group to develop approximately 25 new properties (comprising 3,500 rooms) in key regional locations across Turkey.

More... [988 views]

Thousands of beds lie empty as hotel bookings show a dip

Thousands of Edinburgh hotel rooms are set to lie empty at the start of the busy summer season as bookings tumble. By Michael Blackley

More... [808 views]

Encouraging tourism innovation for climate neutrality

Tourism's contribution to human development is undisputed - as an economic growth engine for rich and poor nations, as a force for social and cultural cohesion, as a vehicle for environmental stewardship - particularly in emerging and least developed markets. With some 900 million international arrivals last year and 1.6 billion forecast for 2020 the challenge is to consolidate and focus the benefits, while continuously reducing the carbon footprint.

More... [506 views]

IHG announces sale of 31.25% stake in premier hotels Christchurch

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world's largest hotel groups by number of rooms, announced today that it has signed an agreement to sell its 31.25% stake in Premier Hotels (Christchurch) Limited to Premier's majority shareholder, Christchurch Hotels Limited.  Premier owns Crowne Plaza Christchurch through one of its subsidiary companies.  

More... [639 views]

Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief...

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HVS market intelligence report: Reno, Nevada

New hotel, retail, recreation, and business developments are making "America's Adventure Place" more welcoming than ever. By Desiree Flanary

More... [616 views]

Hospitality students meet, interact with industry leaders

Modern hospitality education emphasizes industry participation and uses initiatives such as externships, roundtable meetings and live case studies to expose students to industry leaders, their thoughts and leadership styles. Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) students at the Cornell Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management undergo six weeks of externship - ‘on the job' work experience with hotels, consulting companies and group corporate offices, reporting directly to the senior management, who navigate them through an inter-departmental experience. "The students have made an enormous impression on our people" remarked Ignacio Gomez, Regional Vice President, Four Seasons Hotels and General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore. "Their clear intelligence and obviously good education combined with a ‘get up and go' attitude make for an ideal intern and eventually a great employee".

More... [712 views]

Disposing of energy waste

Pineapple partners with AirCycle to provide a comprehensive and simple recycling solution for energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and other electronic waste.

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JMBM's Hospitality Attorneys with case studies of the compelling economics of Green Hotel Development

Hospitality Attorneys on green hotel development. We have a rich library of articles on green hotel development here at www.HotelLawBlog.com. (Just go to the blog, search down the right hand side for "Topics" and then click on "Green Hotels."). But as we now publish the DVDs from our recent conference on green hotels -- which are free to all conference attendees -- we thought many of our readers would like to see the major PowerPoint presentations from our high-powered speakers, so we have published them here for your benefit. You will not want to miss this series of important presentations! Here is the presentation from Gary Golla of SERA. By Jim Butler

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Milestone Internet Marketing, Inc. launches GalexiTM Content Management System for Hospitality and Travel Market

Milestone Internet Marketing announced today the launch of its state-of-the-art, hosted Content Management System - GalexiTM, targeted at the hospitality and travel segments.  The GalexiTM system enables hotel and restaurant chains and hospitality associations to rapidly deploy and manage websites for their members with great ease at a fraction of the cost of existing systems in the market.  The sophisticated Content Management System is among the first of its kind targeted at small-to-midsize portal platforms for hotel and restaurant chains, management companies, and state and city hospitality associations.  The platform is offered as a hosted solution, does not require major hardware or software installations, and can be accessed from any computer.  The GalexiTM CMS platform is targeted at multiple applications such as intranets, websites for Cities and Associations, brand websites for hotel and restaurant chains, and database driven websites for individual hotels.

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HSMAI's affordable meetings® goes green

Sustainable practices are top of mind with meeting planners, even the Democratic and Republican national conventions will go green this year. With a conference agenda focused on sustainability and a general session on "greening your meetings," HSMAI will kick off its own green efforts at the 12_^th annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings_^® West Conference and Exposition at the Long Beach, CA, Convention Center, June 11-12, 2008 by incorporating environmentally friendly operations into the day-to-day management of the show.

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Jumeirah ventures into South America with management of luxury Polo resort in Argentina

Jumeirah, the Dubai-based luxury international hospitality management group and member of Dubai Holding, has been appointed to manage a luxury lifestyle resort dedicated to polo and equestrian sports, in Argentina. This new project was announced at a signing ceremony held in New York on 2_^nd June 2008 and attended by Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of the Jumeirah Group and Al Alletzhauser, Founder of Culu Culu Lifestyle resort.

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New NYC Holiday Inn heralds aggressive pace for Worldwide brand relaunch

1,000 properties will feature new sign and brand standards within next six months.

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Japanese travelers top the list in Expedia's first annual global best tourist survey

Expedia®, the world's leading online travel company, today released the findings of a global survey seeking to crown the world's best tourists and measure travelers based on their best and worst travel traits and habits. More than 4,000 hoteliers from across the globe provided opinions on the best overall travelers, as well as 10 specific categories grading popularity, behavior, manners, willingness to learn the language and try local cuisine, generosity, tidiness, volume, fashion sense and propensity to complain. The Japanese won top prize and are considered by hoteliers across the globe as overall the best tourists. German and British tourists tied for second place, followed by the Canadians and Swiss. American tourists came in at number 11 overall.

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Recruitment drive for Layia Hospitality

Layia Hospitality, the new bloom hotel management company launched earlier this year, is embarking on a recruitment drive ahead of the opening of its first hotel property in Dubai later this year.

More... [765 views]

Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

More... [1366 views]

Hotel website design 2.0… using travel social media

The Social Media, web 2.0, is causing quite a stir in our industry; the articles keep flowing and many hoteliers are poised to capture their fair share of the millions of social media users. In my opinion, the only social media, which are currently relevant to our industry, are the few travel-related sites like TripAdvisor and VirtualTourist. General social media sites like FaceBook or You Tube are not yet the magic panacea some hoteliers had hoped they would be. By Neil Salerno - Hotel Marketing Coach

More... [1119 views]

First summer vacation stop: The internet

Families hit the Web for reservations. More than seven out of 10 families plan to travel when school lets out for the summer, and three-quarters of them say they will book their travel online, according to an AOL-sponsored survey conducted by OTX.

More... [695 views]

Germany’s first floating event and conference centre launches in Hamburg

"Rock the Float" was the motto at the Mercure Hotel Hamburg City recently: when they launched KAI 10 "The Floating Experience" - Germany's first floating event and conference centre.

More... [647 views]

European chain hotels market review – April 2008

Profit continues to increase in most European hotel markets in spite of falling average occupancy, according to the latest HotStats survey of ten European cities by TRI Hospitality Consulting.

More... [873 views]

Pineapple’s latest innovations Green your hotel

Four new products from Pineapple Hospitality - EcoSmart Pillows, Green Key Cards, Buffet Burners and Zero Odor - are the perfect start or a natural addition to Greening your hotel.

More... [1036 views]

Green hospitality attorneys present EPA's Energy Star and other great resources for greening your hotel operations or development

The EPA wants to bring its ENERGY STAR resources to the hotel industry and offers a number of ways to partner for energy savings. Stuart Brodsky, gave all the delegates attending JMBM's recent annual Hotel Developers Conference a lot of great resource materials that demonstrate the environmental and financial value of energy efficiency in new construction and existing buildings. Here they are for your library. By Jim Butler

More... [605 views]

Gladiators to travel around the World in a day for charity

A team of Gladiators from Sky One's new series has teamed up with Hilton Hotels to encourage the nation to get active and raise money for charity.

More... [482 views]

The final weekend at the Pink Palace

Last Sunday morning, the cash machine at the bottom of the bathers' elevator suddenly disappeared. Shop windows were full of disrobed mannequins and 50-percent-off signs. The Royal Hawaiian was shutting down, for seven months of renovations. Only 139 out of 528 rooms were occupied the last weekend. Much of the housekeeping staff had already been reassigned to the Sheraton or the Moana, so that's all the hotel could handle.

More... [710 views]

Chef Farouk Othman, with his mentor chef David King, emerge winners in the prestigious Bocuse D’Or Asia 2008 culinary competition

The dynamic duo of Chef Farouk Othman and Chef David King of The Westin Kuala Lumpur have done Malaysia proud by emerging silver medallist in the prestigious Bocuse d'Or Asia 2008 competition held in Pudong, China recently. As the official sponsor, Tourism Malaysia presented Chef Farouk Othman with the opportunity and resources to represent Malaysia by showcasing his talents and expertise in creating culinary masterpieces together with his mentor Chef David King.

More... [1116 views]

Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

More... [1356 views]

Guest Problem Resolution 101: Power of the Follow-Up

Some statistics that show the top reasons why customers stop using companies:

• 9% of customers leave because of competitors
• 14% of customers leave because of dissatisfaction with the product
• 67% of customers leave because of an attitude of indifference on the part of a company employee

By Bryan K. Williams

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Andaz to debut in Asia, likely Beijing

Global Hyatt, with new brands, swells with projects despite US financial crisis, reports Raini Hamdi, editor, TTG Asia and TTGmice

More... [1212 views]

Roll over, Starlight Express, here comes the brakes

Are the good times coming to an end? If so, Yeoh Siew Hoon advises, hang on to your hat and don't fall asleep on the job.

More... [711 views]

Last Minute Model Facing Extinction? After the Acquisition of Travel.com.au, Wotif.com to go 365 Days

It has become evident in recent times that there has been a shift away from the last minute model with sites such as Wotif.com to go 365 days. Moreover, according to a recent study by HotelsCombined.com these last minute distribution sites including Wotif.com, NeedItNow.com and LastMinute.com.au are no longer offering the best available rates. Research by HotelsCombined.com

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Does Your Brand Have Emotional Intelligence?

What Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ); Let Alone BRAND Emotional Intelligence? A lot of research has been done in the field of EQ for many years. It's only more recently been brought to the forefront by leading experts-to name a few: Daniel Goleman in Working with Emotional Intelligence, Robert E. Kelley in How to Be a Star at Work and Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves in The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book. By Carol Chapman

More... [1445 views]

UK Chain Hotels Market Review - April 2008

UK chain hotels recorded an overall increase in room sales and profit during the four months to April, according to the latest HotStats survey by TRI Hospitality Consulting.

More... [698 views]

Small hotels at risk

As costs rise, small hoteliers may be tempted to accept offers to sell their properties. This has been stated by Adrian Loveridge, chairman of the Small Hotels Committee of the board of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA).

More... [630 views]

Eco Hotels with good prospects on the tourist market

Over the past decade or so eco-tourism has been gaining a progressively increasing role in world tourist industry. The demand for environmentally clean products has been growing year on year, and according to certain estimates eco-tourism already constitutes some 10% of world tourism. Tourists reportedly seem to be willing to take advantage not only of virgin nature, but of environmentally friendly hotels, too. By Sylvia Nickolova, Translated by Ivan Videnov

More... [637 views]

Doubletree Hotels help students with environmental game of tag

Doubletree Hotels joins educational outreach program to encourage kids to 'tag' trees across the U.S. and Canada and learn more about the nature outside their doors.

More... [459 views]

Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

More... [1363 views]

Chains compete for changing travellers

Changing customers and new outbound powerhouses are forcing major hotel chains to re-evaluate their brand blueprints, which for travel agents means a slew of new or refreshed hotel brands to master and sell. By Raini Hamdi, editor, TTG Asia and TTGmice

More... [740 views]

Fuel price rises put global prosperity at risk

Global economies will be at risk if airlines are forced to dramatically reduce their operations and close important routes due to record high fuel costs, PATA warned.

More... [785 views]

HD expo 2008 attracts industry heavyweights with innovative products, awards and ground-breaking panels

With nearly 20,000 industry professionals, including attendees and exhibitors spanning over 350,000 square feet, Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo) which took place in Las Vegas from May 14 to May 17, 2008 brought together the most exciting new products and influential trendsetters in the industry. An influx of green products and an expanded New Exhibitor Showcase joined forces with informative conference sessions on all aspects of hospitality design to ensure a successful series of days that included networking, product scouting and education.

More... [480 views]

With travel costs and challenges rising travelocity ceo urges industry to re-focus on customer service

Travelocity President and CEO Michelle Peluso, an advocate for greater industry focus and collaboration on customer service, is leading a renewed effort to improve the lives of the traveling public.

More... [669 views]

The complete guide to Paris style hotels

In the past four years, we've reviewed more than 50 style hotels in the French capital. So which are the best of the best? By Steve Keenan

More... [1051 views]

Accor expands economy brands in Indonesia

The largest ever World of Accor (WOA) expo returns to Novotel Mangga Dua Square in Jakarta. Asia Pacific's largest hotel expo World of Accor has grown significantly since 2005 with new destinations, new products and a new vision for the region.

More... [637 views]

Online hotel spending shifts from travel agencies to suppliers

With consumers shifting their spending toward lower-cost alternatives, it makes sense that marketers would be shifting their ad spending accordingly, a comScore report says. By K.C. Jones

More... [606 views]

Amid economic slump, buzzword now is 'Affordable'

Here's a surprise: Despite the rapid weakening of the economy since late last year, more than 75 percent of meeting planners attending the Affordable Meetings Mid-America Conference and Exposition at Chicago's Navy Pier April 9-10 said that their overall meeting and event budgets for 2008 have not been reduced.

More... [470 views]

Hotels look to Middle East and Asia as U.S. slows

The U.S. hotel industry is looking to the Middle East and Asia for growth as the domestic economy slows down. By Mark McSherry

More... [753 views]

Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

More... [1285 views]

Getting back to the basics: The hotelier’s internet marketing action plan for a difficult economy

The current economic environment is forcing hoteliers to rethink their marketing strategies. It is more important than ever to take on a ROI-centric marketing approach. This is the time to stick to proven marketing tactics! By Max Starkov and Jason Price

More... [1603 views]

Being nice is all it's cracked up to be

In today's dog-eat-dog world, maybe being nice is all it takes to keep your customers and staff happy, as Yeoh Siew Hoon learns.

More... [1132 views]

Life’s a beach in Southeast Asia says Agoda, with the release of top 10 beach resorts list

Its summertime and online hotel booking site Agoda Company says the living is easy in Southeast Asia with the release of its top 10 beach resorts. As the Northern Hemisphere warms towards summer, Agoda has recommended a number of resorts in the region for holidaymakers to cool down in style.

More... [989 views]

Hottest hotels for 2008

Looking for a hotel that really stands out from the crowd? Travel magazine Travel + Leisure has come up with its annual list of the best new hotels of 2008.

More... [2052 views]

Unit-level hotel profits grew 7.2 percent in 2007

PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) today announced that the average hotel in its 2008 edition of Trends in the Hotel Industry survey enjoyed a 7.2 percent gain in Net Operating Income (NOI) in 2007. While this bottom-line improvement was more than twice the pace of inflation for the year, the single-digit gain was the lowest year-over-year increase since 2004 and is further evidence of a projected slowdown in hotel income that PKF is forecasting for the near future.

More... [694 views]

Hilton hotels corporation announces global sustainability goals

Hilton Hotels Corporation announced today short and long term goals and objectives towards building sustainability into the core fabric of its businesses worldwide.  Christopher J. Nassetta, President & CEO, outlined directional targets for improvement in the company's sustainability performance throughout the next five years within system wide hotels globally.

More... [912 views]

Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhône, Geneva prepares to unveil its exciting new refurbishment

Overlooking the Rhône River, just a few steps from the historic Old Town, the chic Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhône, Geneva will complete a significant refurbishment this July. All public areas of the hotel have been redesigned by internationally acclaimed interior designer, Adam Tihany, giving the hotel a contemporary, fresh look and introducing two unique dining concepts, a contemporary but classic bar, and seven new, well-appointed Junior Suites. This exciting project is designed to set new precedents in the city for highly luxurious accommodation and spectacular dining experiences.

More... [733 views]

The AA announces the winners of the 2008 B&B awards

The AA this year will celebrate one hundred years of quality and service in the hospitality industry and today will announce the winners of The AA B&B Awards 2008 at a ceremony being held at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel, London.

More... [632 views]

Stimulating Innovation and Knowledge in Tourism - UNWTO.Ulysses annual prize and awards

UNWTO held this week the yearly UNWTO.Ulysses Prize and Award ceremony. These are given in recognition and stimulation of innovative knowledge creation, dissemination and application in tourism. In underscoring the latest advances in the sector, the prize and awards contribute to tourism's transversal impact effect on governance and society.

More... [547 views]

Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

More... [1328 views]

Klein: Heading a new kind of Hilton

JLL Hotels' Hotelier of the Year Koos Klein reflects on his early days in Australia and talks about the new times facing Hilton International. Yeoh Siew Hoon reports.

More... [1517 views]

Why Doctor Oppenheim isn't rich

Being a fulltime hotel doctor isn't fulltime work, so I have plenty to leisure during which I've become a successful writer. I've written five popular health books plus several hundred magazine articles - 35 for Woman's Day, for example, more than any other doctor. So why haven't you heard of me? More important, why aren't I rich? Part of the answer is that I'm not a media personality. Doctors who write make a lot of money only if they appear on TV and radio regularly. I did this a few times long ago and hated it. By Mike Oppenheim, M.D.

More... [551 views]

International luxury travel market evolves format for 2008

Following the phenomenal success of last year's show, International Luxury Travel Market 2008 returns to Cannes, 8-11 December with the introduction of exciting new formats to maximise on networking opportunities.

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The world's most responsible hotels

When the Anantara Golden Triangle resort started an elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand five years ago, its creators never imagined that the project would evolve from an environmental effort and tourist attraction into a milestone of hotel-sponsored humanitarian aid. By Joe Yogerst

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A&K Launches New Philanthropic Initiatives to Aid Worldwide Conservation Projects

Abercrombie & Kent, the leading authority on luxury adventure and experiential travel, has launched a new initiative, Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy (AKP) - to facilitate commitment to corporate social responsibility in its locations worldwide. The company has announced six new A&K Philanthropy initiatives, designed to offer guests privileged access and insight into local customs whilst also demonstrating the groups' commitment to conservation and community projects around the world.

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Hotel chain validates slowdown in travel, lodging sectors

One of the nation's biggest hotel chains, Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR), validated the economic slowdown in the travel sector Monday when it lowered its North American room occupancy forecast for the second-quarter. By Alan Fein

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HVS presents its annual lodging leadership awards

HVS Executive Search, a division of HVS, the globally renowned hotel consulting and services firm, has honored Jon E. Bortz, Chief Executive Officer of LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO),as the lodging industry's top-performing Chief Executive Officer of 2007 and Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC) ("MHG") as the lodging industry's top-performing board of directors for 2007. Keith Kefgen, President of HVS Executive Search, and Steve Rushmore, President and Founder of HVS, presented the awards to Jon Bortz, Chief Executive Officer of LaSalle Hotel Properties, and to Robert Friedman, Board Director of MHG, during the 30th Annual New York University International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference.

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Revenue management maturing in Asian hospitality industry

Revenue managers from some of Asia's leading hotel groups, met for a Roundtable discussion last Wednesday. The ensuing discussions revealed that the practice of revenue management is well established in Asia, yet revenue managers are still grappling with issues of market maturity. Such issues include the positioning of revenue management as its own discipline, attracting talent with a leadership mindset and investment in technology.

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Asians yet to use community sites for traveling in a big way?

Travel suppliers especially in the mature markets are definitely inclined towards adoption of social media marketing. According to the data available in the US, users are spending on an average of 30 minutes on top social networking websites on a monthly basis. By Ritesh Gupta,

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Cornell roundtable joins labor with management

The prospects for labor and management to establish a rational approach to union organizing drew representatives of both groups to the seventh annual Labor and Employment Roundtable, held in May 2008 at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. This is the first year that the roundtable has included participants with ties to organized labor. In addition to the session on labor organizing, the roundtable examined how employers can work with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the pitfalls inherent in wage-hour laws.

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Raffles Hotel won't be sold after all

A plan to sell the historic Raffles Hotel again has fallen through.

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A luxurious private-island lifestyle in perfect balance with the environment

There have been many changes in the few years since "travel" and "sustainable" first appeared in the same sentence. Emerging technologies coupled with mounting consumer demand have given us thousands of green-travel options from luxury ecolodges (that make a negligible impact on their ecosystems) to carbon-neutral resorts, tours and airlines. A new leader in this green revolution is Star Island, a private-island destination currently under development in the Out Islands of the Bahamas. When it opens its doors in late '09, its mix of high-luxury and high-sustainability will be the talk of the travel industry and the inspiration for "green" resorts worldwide.

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Not-so-dangerous destinations

Mid-afternoon, a picturesque hillside community in Latin America: Gaggles of happy schoolchildren in crisp white uniforms run through narrow, sun-dappled streets. The sound of their laughter mingles with the calls of colorfully uniformed ice cream vendors and the excited chatter of American tourists, who snap pictures of the state-of-the-art public transit system rolling silently overhead. By Alexander Zaitchik and Jeff Koyen

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LinkedIn co-founder to present general session during event technology expo at HSMAI's affordable meetings national

Allen Blue, co-founder and vice president of LinkedIn, will present a general session at the inaugural Event Technology Expo at HSMAI's Affordable Meetings_^® National, September 10-11, 2008 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.

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20,000 new hotel rooms in two years

Most local independent hotels and resorts need international marketing and sales companies to help them compete with major tour operators and open up new markets. By Suchat Sritama

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Lebanon back on track as top tourist spot

Just a week after feuding Lebanese leaders sealed a political deal to end 18 months of conflict, restaurants have re-opened, hotel bookings have soared and tourists have replaced gunmen on the streets of Beirut.

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Hospitality design magazine presents 4th annual HD awards

Crowning the achievements of superior design and architecture around the globe, Hospitality Design (HD) magazine announces the fourth annual Hospitality Design Awards (HD Awards) on Thursday, June 5
honoring a distinguished group of winners and finalists. Taking place from Crowning the achievements of superior design and architecture around the globe, Hospitality Design (HD) magazine announces the fourth annual Hospitality Design Awards (HD Awards) on Thursday, June 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City, the elegant evening which includes presentations by Michael Adams, Editor-in-Chief of Hospitality Design magazine and Michelle Finn, Vice President and Publisher of Hospitality Design Group, will honor some of the world's most acclaimed architecture and interior design firms and owners in 13 categories.

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Developers jostling for Quartermile hotel room

SIXTEEN hotel developers are fighting for the chance to build a new one within the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary site. The clamour to create a boutique hotel within two B-listed buildings on the Quartermile site is being seen as a sign of how strong the Capital's tourist market continues to be. By Michael Blackley

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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On the Move - May 2008

Hospitality Executive Movements worldwide is provided by Spectrum International Hospitality Services which specializes in executive recruitment for the hospitality industry exclusively.

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Top 10 budget hotels in Paris

Sarah Turner finds hotels to suit all tastes in the French capital for under £110, from monastic charm to bordello style. By Sarah Turner

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Hospitality HR leaders make metrics central to strategic performance management

Leading HR Managers from the Asian hospitality industry discovered strategic commonalities over a roundtable discussion about the use of Human Resource Metrics in the delivery of strategic organizational aims

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The Mirabella saved by going LEED Platinum

Hospitality lawyer on the real world cost of going green. "Cost" is the first and biggest excuse developers give for not getting LEED certification or beyond. Yet here is an actual case study of a real world project where the client actually saved several million dollars by building to the LEED Platinum standard! In this case, the magnitude of the savings was enhanced by special credits and incentives available from the State of Oregon, but Kip Richardson says there would still have been net savings of over $1 million without Oregon's special benefits. By Jim Butler

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Should you invest in a hotel room?

Although it's one of the strangest forms of property investment, it could just catch on. The idea is simple: you buy a hotel room on a 999-year leasehold. By Graham Norwood,

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Barclaycard Business Travel Survey - Time-saving travellers want more technology

Today's business travellers are embracing new technology in order to save time and make travel easier, according to research released today by Barclaycard Business.

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GE real estate joins BNP paribas to grow $1.5B French hotel fund

GE Real Estate Europe has jumped aboard the Capital France Hotel fund, joining BNP Paribas Assurance as a founding limited partner. The two companies intend to grow CFH's assets under management to $1.5 billion by the end of 2010 by investing in hotels across the Euro zone, Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe. By Amanda Marsh,

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Manhattan hotel market overview

HVS Global Hospitality Services, in cooperation with New York University's Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, is pleased to present the eleventh annual Manhattan Hotel Market Overview.

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Starwood hotels & resorts enhances recruitment tool

Site offers candidates comprehensive job search options and opens door to exciting career opportunities with the hotel giant as it powers ahead with aggressive expansion

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

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Recruitment issues at the 2nd hotel management conference in Kiev

As HR issues become one of the primary concerns in the young, but rapidly maturing hotel industry in Russia and the former USSR, industry leaders start recognizing the importance of sharing experiences and facilitating knowledge transfer. By Tatiana Veller

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The green consultant's perspective.

Here is the complete presentation at The Hotel Developers Conference from Lynn. N. Simon, AIA, LEED AP, President, Simon & Associates, Inc. based in San Francisco, California. She has more than 18 years of experience in green building and helps clients attain LEED certification and sustainability. By Jim Butler

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Fit for a maharaja

Rajasthan's fairytale forts and royal abodes symbolise a romantic historical era. By Christina Pfeiffer.

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6 secrets for avoiding housekeeping hell

Have you noticed hotel housekeeping being overly aggressive as management applies more and more pressure trying to squeeze every last ounce of efficiency of its staff? Christopher Elliott has, and he says you don't need to feel the heat. By Christopher Elliott

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Space Breeze displays hottest item in outdoor cooling systems at Hotel Show 2008

This year's Hotel Show looks set to be the coolest event of the season as Space Breeze introduces the revolutionary Spacebreeze CP7, transforming patio dining areas into a yearlong experience at the flick of a switch.

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New hotel investments to boost tourism in Gaziantep

The problem of insufficient accommodation facilities in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, which has significant tourism potential due to its historic and natural beauties, will be solved with 11 hotels, which are under construction in the city center.

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Now is a good time to get into the hospitality industry

With a shortage of 43 000 people needed, this is obviously a sector to think about... By Denise Mhlanga

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Abu Dhabi: five of the best hotel spas

Abu Dhabi is famed for its year-round heat and swanky hotels - and where there are great facilities, there are luxury spas. Janine Kelso checks out the best. By Janine Kelso

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Nigeria: Lagos floats boat hotel to boost tourism

In its efforts to boost tourism, Lagos State government has acquired a 24-million Euro two-decked yacht, called "Boat Hotel," which is big enough to host big conferences such as annual general meetings of big multi-national companies and banks.

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Hotel News in Brief

Hotel industry news in brief.....

More... [1430 views]