Atlanta-based Hotel Development Partners (HDP) recently announced the addition of seven select-service Marriott hotels to its growing portfolio of properties. HDP purchased the properties from Houston-based Moody National for Atlanta-based Hotel Equities will continue to manage all seven hotels through its JV partnership with HDP.
Michael Fletcher has been appointed director of sales and marketing at Hilton Atlanta, conveniently located in the heart of downtown Atlanta's convention district and home of the legendary Nicholas Roof with outstanding revolving views of downtown Atlanta. Fletcher will be responsible for the coordination of Hilton Atlanta's sales and marketing functions, developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies for the 1242-room property.
Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG), an Atlanta-based, private hotel ownership and management company, today announced it has acquired a joint venture interest in the 261-room Embassy Suites Atlanta – Galleria. HVMG also manages the hotel. Currently HVMG's managed hotel portfolio consists of 42 hotels in 16 states nationwide, totaling 8,060 rooms.
Donelle Zunker assumes the role of General Manager of Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway. In her previous position as Area Director for South and West Florida Select Service, Extended Stay and AC Hotels, Zunker was responsible for 16 properties. Zunker is not new to Atlanta, as she previously held the position of Regional Senior Director of Sales for the Marriott Central Regional team in 2004. Celebrating her 25th anniversary with Marriott, Zunker has a diverse background in leadership and sales. “I am looking forward to being back in such a dynamic market, getting to know my new neighborhood and working with such an incredible team at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway,” she said.
A native of Long Island, New York, Grace brings a wealth of culinary experience and a noteworthy education from Fordham University to The St. Regis Atlanta. With experience working in cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York, as well as time spent abroad in Singapore, Grace’s diverse management background has provided him with the skills needed to lead a large staff, oversee operations and surpass revenue goals. Formerly of the Capella Hotel Group, Grace held a variety of positions, including food and beverage manager at Hotel 71 in Chicago; food and beverage director at Capella Singapore; and, most recently, as part of the corporate food and beverage task force for Capella Hotel Group’s corporate office based in Atlanta.
Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta is delighted to announce the appointment of Arif Kor as Hotel Manager. Kor will be responsible for the hotel's operations and will report to Robert Lowe, General Manager.
Langham Hospitality Group appointed Phil Keb to EVP of development – The Americas and Europe. This is a new position created under the leadership of CEO Robert Warman, and signifies the Group’s commitment to new development in both regions.
The IHG Owners Association, which represents InterContinental Hotels Group® (IHG) hotel owners worldwide, has announced that Kerry Ranson has assumed chairmanship of its Board of Directors for 2015. Ranson is President and Chief Operating Officer of Expotel Hospitality Services, a New Orleans-based hospitality ownership, management and development company.
The Westin Buckhead Atlanta implemented an INNCOM Energy Management System as part of a comprehensive strategy to support its Starwood Hotels & Resorts' "30/20 by 20" environmental initiatives. The 358-room property installed e4 Smart Digital Thermostats with the patented ecoMODE® feature, INNcontrol 3 Central Room Management software, and a full INNCOM property management system interface. Westin Buckhead taps advanced system to achieve energy conservation standards "The goal of Starwood's "30/20 by 20" program is to reduce energy use by 30 percent and cut water consumption by 20 percent by 2020 at every property," said Robert Attaway, director of engineering for The Westin Buckhead Atlanta. "We implemented INNCOM's guest room energy management system technology throughout our hotel to meet these aggressive standards." "Thanks to INNCOM, we are well on our way to reach our goal," said Attaway. "Our results with INNCOM are so good that I feel bad for hotels that don't have the system." Attaway said his property also retrofitted LED lighting throughout the property to further reduce energy consumption. The property's INNCOM E528 Smart Digital Thermostats with room occupancy sensors enable precise temperature management. Room controls are linked to INNcontrol 3 software via a Deep Mesh Network that monitors guestroom condition and status and reports in real-time to INNCOM's System. INNCOM is a Honeywell brand and a leading global provider of integrated room automation systems for the hotel industry. Westin's goal is guest comfort "Our ultimate goal at the Westin Buckhead is guest comfort," Attaway said. "INNCOM's thermostats have sensors that show when a room is occupied. This informs the system's configurable temperature setbacks to keep empty room temperatures within comfortable limits. We know INNCOM delivers energy savings because the system automatically checks its own processes daily. It takes a small number of guestroom thermostats off the setback control, then compares energy usage against when the room is controlled by INNCOM. We see savings of 35 percent in cooling in shoulder months, and between 50 to 60 percent energy savings in winter. INNCOM detects rooms with incorrect setback temperatures INNCOM also identifies rooms that show an incorrect setback temperature to maintain energy efficiency and guest comfort. "I review the setback report daily and dispatch my team to listed rooms to verify if repairs are needed," Attaway said. "Guests appreciate it when we proactively come to their room to check the system. It shows our attention to their comfort. "We hosted an NFL team that required its rooms continuously be at 68 degrees," Attaway said. "For special guests like this, we override the setback to provide the desired temperature." About Westin Buckhead Atlanta The Westin Buckhead Atlanta hotel is located in the heart of Buckhead surrounded by the finest shopping and dining and just a short drive away from popular city attractions. The 22-story hotel features 358 guest rooms including recently renovated 11 meeting spaces and ballrooms that can accommodate both intimate receptions and large events. The Westin Buckhead Atlanta is located at 3391 Peachtree Road NE in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, please visit Westin Buckhead Atlanta and follow the hotel on Facebook.
Noble Investment Group ("Noble") announced that it has closed on the acquisition of ten Marriott and one Hilton premium branded select service and extended stay hotels from McKibbon Hotel Group, Inc. ("McKibbon"). McKibbon, a nationally renowned developer and operator, will continue managing the portfolio which totals 1,306 rooms in five states throughout the southeast.
New Orleans-based hotel owner/operator Expotel Hospitality Services Inc. has announced that it has assumed management of the newly renamed Sheraton Atlanta Airport (formerly the Sheraton Gateway Atlanta Airport) following the sale of the property to an affiliate of Hotel Capital, LLC in October.
Event organizers with the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, one of the nation's top four hotel investment conferences, announced today that Steve Joyce, president and chief executive officer for Choice Hotels International, will be the keynote speaker at the 27th annual event. The conference will be held on March 25 – 27, 2015, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Ga.
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. broke ground recently on the Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta NE/Duluth Sugarloaf.
Nick joins Omni Hotels & Resorts from Hyatt Hotels, where he began his career as a management trainee in 2001 following graduation from Purdue University with a degree in hospitality and tourism management. Throughout his 13 years with Hyatt, Nick held multiple operational management positions at nine different hotels, ultimately progressing to director of operations at the Hyatt Atlanta Perimeter Center at Villa Christina.
Rachal brings more than 16 years of experience earned at Marriott International Inc., with the last two years as director of human resources at The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta. Prior to joining Omni Hotels & Resorts, Rachal held several positions, including assistant director of human resources of the 2,000-room Marriott World Center in Orlando, Fla.; assistant director of human resources of The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans; as well as the positions of human resources manager, quality manager and reservations sales supervisor of The Ritz-Carlton, Orlando Grande Lakes. Rachal began her career as a reservations agent at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans.
Event organizers with the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, one of the nation's top four hotel investment conferences, are setting an optimistic tone for their 27th annual gathering on March 25 - 27, 2015 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. The nation's top hotel owners, industry leaders and hotel experts will gather around the theme "Seize the Day!" to reflect the Conference's mission to educate, inspire and motivate their attendees to take full advantage of every opportunity in this strong and growing market.
Hilton Worldwide announced today the appointment of David Shepherd as general manager of Hilton Atlanta Airport, a 507-room airport property just five minutes from the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and less than ten miles from downtown Atlanta.
With 26 years of experience in the hospitality industry and prestigious awards under his belt, Jim McSwigan knows how to motivate and inspire. This August, Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center announced him as the new General Manager of the North Atlanta hotel. McSwigan began his 26-year career as a Courtyard Restaurant Manager Trainee after receiving a bachelor's degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA. In 1994, he served in his first of five Courtyard general manager roles. In 1999, McSwigan was recognized as general manager of the Midwest region for Courtyard by Marriott, and in 2006, he was named GM of the Year for the Residence Inn brand. In 2011, McSwigan made the move to full service. He took the Director of Operations position at Atlanta Airport Marriott where he played a key role in the Marriott Greatroom Project as well as the renovation of the Starbucks, retail space and business center. Throughout his tenure, Jim has established a track record of delivering outstanding guest satisfaction results. He received the 2012 Breakthrough Leadership Award for the Most Successful Recognition Program in the Southern Region. Most recently McSwigan served as the General Manager at Atlanta Marriott Century Center/Emory Area.
InvoTech Systems, Inc. announced two leading city center hotels upgraded their uniform management and control processes with InvoTech's UHF-RFID Uniform System. The InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta and Park Hyatt Chicago have both benefited from the control and accountability established by the InvoTech Uniform System for more than ten years. The RFID upgrade will provide cost saving benefits with more efficient operations by automating manual tasks. Click here for more information on InvoTech's Linen, Uniform, and Laundry Systems.
Upon her 30th anniversary with Marriott International, Heidi Brau has been named the new general manager of Atlanta Marriott Century Center/Emory Area. Throughout her career, she has held numerous GM positions throughout some of the company's Macon, GA, and Atlanta-area hotels. Her experience and passion for creating the best guest experience makes her a great fit for the property, which was recently identified with a Gold Level as part of TripAdvisor's GreenLeaders Program. Her most recent role has been as the Director of Hotel Operations at Atlanta Marriott Midtown Suites. She's played a key factor in driving the hotel's success, with a focus on guest service excellence and helping the hotel's team become Brilliant Hosts. "It's all about providing the team with the tools and information they need, and empowering them to take care of our guests," Brau said. Brau began her career at the Reservation Center in Omaha, NE. After receiving her degree at the University of Nebraska – Omaha, she went on to become a Manager Trainee at Marriott's Tan-Tar Resort at Lake of the Ozarks. She then held Rooms Division leadership roles at full-service Marriott properties in Oklahoma City, Miami, Cancun, Tampa and Atlanta. She was recognized as a JW Marriott Award of Excellence nominee in 2008, and in 2009 as General Manager of the Year by the Gwinnett County Convention and Visitors' Bureau and General Manager of the Year for the Courtyard by Marriott brand.