Kimpton Hotel Arras officially opened its doors on October 1, 2019 in Asheville, NC, one of the most buzzed-about cities in the U.S. thanks to its growing arts, music, culinary and outdoors scene. The 128-room boutique hotel proudly welcomes guests this fall and serves as an extension of the eclectic, creative mountain town.
In 2017, Asheville attracted roughly ten million visitors who spent nearly $2 billion at local businesses, with approximately 40% of travelers requiring overnight accommodations. The city has always been a popular regional destination given its outdoor activities, temperate climate, arts culture, and kitschy downtown. In recent years, it has become better known for its foodie culture, thriving music scene, and offering of microbreweries, with about 50 small and large brewing operations throughout the city. With the city landing on the list of top destinations in numerous publications in recent years, it has become more of a destination for travelers from across the country.
With new leadership comes fresh perspective toward an already established and vibrant hotel concept. McKibbon Hospitality, the owner and manager of Aloft Asheville Downtown, welcomes Drew Walls as its General Manager following his 10-year stint at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. As a purveyor of homegrown community service, Walls abides by the warm-hearted personal motto of: "In a world where you can be anything…be kind!" And with that, Walls will lead the team at Aloft Asheville Downtown to create an authentic customer service approach.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announces today it will open a new hotel in Asheville, North Carolina this summer. A historic conversion of the former BB&T Bank building, Kimpton Hotel Arras will transform the tallest building in the city into a 128-room boutique hotel and bring to life a modern mountain aesthetic with locally curated artwork, culinary craftsmanship and a laid-back-meets-luxe experience. The property, located in the heart of downtown Asheville at 7 Patton Avenue, also includes 54 residences and two independently owned restaurants, Bargello, offering Mediterranean fine dining, and the all-day restaurant and bar, District 42.
A new 72-room boutique hotel has opened on Tunnel Road east of the Asheville Mall, a facility its developer hopes will stand out from more traditional lodging options in the community.
Charlestowne Hotels and Curio Collection by Hilton proudly welcome The Foundry Hotel as the newest high-end, boutique property in Asheville, North Carolina. A historic preservation of the city's former 20th century steel foundry, the hotel joins Charlestowne's growing portfolio of adaptive reuse projects and is a celebrated addition to Curio Collection's global portfolio of one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts. As The Foundry Hotel's management company, Charlestowne Hotels leads the property's ongoing operations, marketing, and revenue management. They also oversee the hotel's food and beverage program in collaboration with award-winning chef, John Fleer.
McKibbon Hospitality, an award-winning leader in the hotel development and management industry, announced today that it has hired Monica Mataloni as general manager of Aloft Asheville Downtown. Mataloni will be responsible for overseeing all operations for the lifestyle hotel located in the heart of downtown Asheville.
The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C. announces the appointment of Christopher Levine as director of sales. Levine joins the Omni Hotels & Resorts family following 13 years of success in sales with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. Most recently, Levine served as director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina in Cambridge, Md.
Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Worldwide's (NYSE: HLT) upscale global brand of hotels, today announced the opening of its 700th property, Hilton Garden Inn Asheville Downtown. Located at 309 College Street, the new hotel brings 140 new rooms to the Hilton Garden Inn brand and continues its worldwide expansion. It is managed by Quality Oil Company, LLC a family-owned company based in Winston-Salem, NC.
McKibbon Hotel Management, a leading hotel management company with more than 80 properties and owner and manager of Aloft Asheville Downtown, is pleased to announce that the hotel’s General Manager David McCartney has been appointed to serve a three-year term on the Asheville Downtown Association board of directors.
Biltmore Farms Hotels, Asheville's largest locally-owned hospitality company, announces an internal restructure and creation of two new positions. Robert Foster, general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Asheville-Biltmore, has been promoted to Director of Hotel Operations, while Melissa Warwick, general manager of the Residence Inn Biltmore, has been named revenue manager. Both positions will oversee responsibilities for all of Biltmore Farms Hotels.
Biltmore Farms Hotels, Asheville's largest locally-owned hospitality company, announces an internal restructure and creation of two new positions. Robert Foster, general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Asheville-Biltmore, has been promoted to Director of Hotel Operations, while Melissa Warwick, general manager of the Residence Inn Biltmore, has been named revenue manager. Both positions will oversee responsibilities for all of Biltmore Farms Hotels.
Asheville, NC – Princess Anne Hotel, the 16-room historic Asheville inn that guarantees true Southern hospitality, today announced that it has partnered with Stash Hotel Rewards, the nation's largest points-based rewards program for independent hotels. As a result of this new partnership, Stash members are now able to earn and redeem points at this charming bed and breakfast in North Carolina.
VS has promoted Janet Snyder, head of the firm’s satellite office in Asheville, North Carolina, to Senior Vice President.
An award-winning chef and seasoned veteran of the Omni Hotels & Resorts family, Calvin Belknap arrived to The Omni Grove Park Inn following a nine-month corporate task force assignment for Omni Hotels & Resorts and a successful 11-year run as executive director of food and beverage at Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H. Highly skilled in the culinary arts, Belknap now oversees the entire food and beverage operation at The Omni Grove Park Inn, including all restaurants and lounges, 24 hour in-room dining and banqueting for special events, as well as the resort retail program.
IDeaS Revenue Solutions, the leading provider of pricing and revenue management software, services and consulting, today announced continued success of IDeaS Revenue Management System (RMS) at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, providing the hotel with unified solutions to surpass revenue goals.
Possessing management and leadership skills honed as a top sales executive at several sizable properties, Gus Tejeda leads the sales, catering and convention services teams as director of resort sales at The Omni Grove Park Inn. He arrived from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he was vice president of group sales for Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas, for five years, during which he also spent time as vice president of group marketing. He was also executive director of convention sales at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and director of sales at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, the city's first AAA Five Diamond, Mobil Four Star hotel. Tejeda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in hotel administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Having produced impressive revenue results at independent and chain hotels for more than three decades, Zan Miller brings his expertise to the director of revenue management position at The Omni Grove Park Inn. He arrived at the resort from the Royal Sonesta Hotel Houston, where, as director of revenue management, he led a successful reflagging by InterContinental. Miller's previous experience includes managing director at Blue Water Consulting in Houston; vice president of revenue management at Seneca Gaming Corporation in Niagara Falls, N.Y.; executive director of revenue at Foxwoods Resort Casino/MGM at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Conn.; regional director of revenue management at Harrah's Entertainment Mid-South in Robinsonville, Miss.; senior regional revenue manager of La Quinta Corporation in Irving, Tex.; and director of revenue management at Harrah's Entertainment, Las Vegas. Miller got his start as director of revenue management for Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Washington, D.C. Originally from New York, Miller studied communications at Cornell University.
KSL Capital Partners, LLC announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the historic Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa from an affiliate of Sammons Enterprises, Inc. One of the most iconic resorts in the United States, the 512-room Grove Park Inn sits between the majestic Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the next 30 days.
Catherine joined McKibbon in 2006 as an Area Director of Sales, and was soon promoted to Market Director of Sales, working first in Gainesville, Florida and later in the Fort Myers, Florida market. She later joined the McKibbon team in August 2009 as the General Manager of the Homewood Suites by Hilton North/University Research Park.