“Hotels have become much more than a place where someone drops off luggage and sleeps for a few hours and it’s on to the next business trip,” said Pat Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Hotels have become meeting points, collection points for locals or international travelers.”
Paramount Hotel Group, an independent hotel management and ownership company, today announced it signed management contracts to operate the Aloft Lexington and Element Lexington hotels here in suburban Boston. It also marks a new relationship with real estate investment firm, Rockwood Capital, which recently acquired the hotels from Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Worldwide, Inc.
Loews Hotels & Resorts, a wholly owned-subsidiary of Loews Corporation (NYSE: L), today announced that the company has entered into an agreement to purchase The Back Bay Hotel in Boston from The Doyle Collection. The acquisition is expected to close in February 2013. "Boston is one of the most vibrant markets in the U.S., and an excellent city for a Loews property," said Jonathan Tisch, Chairman of Loews Hotels & Resorts. "This one-of-a-kind, historic hotel is a unique addition to our growing portfolio."
Officials of the Hotel Equity & Lender Perspectives (HELP) Conference set for April 8-9 at the Seaport Boston Hotel announced key topics and speakers for the two-day event, including:
LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE:LHO) today announced that it acquired a majority interest in The Liberty Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts through a joint venture with the original developer and co-owner, an entity controlled by Dick Friedman of Carpenter & Company, Inc. The total value of the transaction was $170.0 million. The Company funded this transaction with proceeds from its sale of common shares on December 19, 2012.
The nation's leading hotel executives will gather in Boston April 8-9, 2013 for the second annual Hotel Equity & Lender Perspectives (HELP) Conference to discuss the outlook for hotel finance, real estate and development transactions. The two-day hotel investment event will be held at the Boston Seaport Waterfront Hotel.
Davidson Hotels & Resorts, one of the nation's largest independent hotel management companies, today announced that it has assumed management of the 362-room Hilton Boston Downtown/Financial District. The hotel is the second management agreement between owners DiamondRock Hospitality Company (NYSE: DRH) and Davidson.
DoubleTree by Hilton today announced the opening of a newly renovated, upscale, full-service hotel situated on Boston's prestigious North Shore. With its easy proximity to Boston's historic and cultural center, the 364-room DoubleTree by Hilton Boston North Shore is an ideal location for both business and leisure visits to the Boston area. The hotel, formerly the CoCo Key Water Resort Boston, is owned by The Lightstone Group and operated by Sage Hospitality.
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate will take over The Langham, Boston when the iconic hotel launches its renowned Chocolate Bar in Café Fleuri Saturday, September 8. The 24thyear of the legendary "All-You-Can-Enjoy" dessert paradise will bring more than 120 chocolate combinations to New England. Also re-joining the hotel's culinary weekend line-up is the tantalizing Sunday City Brunch buffet.
Murphy brings extensive hospitality leadership to the position, with more than 21 years of experience in all facets of hotel management and food and beverage gained in New England, the UK and his native Ireland. His list of accomplishments includes orchestrating a successful $19 million brand re-invention of seven dining outlets and in-room dining concepts for The Boston Copley Marriott; increasing revenue for all restaurants and earning #1 company ratings from meeting planners at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common; and driving pre- and post-opening sales for four outlets at Boston Marriott Copley. Most recently, during two years as Executive Director of Rooms at Providence Marriott Downtown, Murphy inspired significant gains in guest and associate satisfaction across six front and back of the house departments while also assisting with food and beverage operations.
Today International SOS joins thousands of corporate travel directors and other business travel thought leaders at the 2012 GBTA Convention in Boston, Mass. Many of these convention attendees may also be gearing up for their organizations' travel to London to attend or conduct business during the 2012 Olympics Games.
The sheer number of education sessions offered during the 2012 GBTA Convention, taking place this week in Boston, illustrates that a one size fits all approach does not suffice when it comes to serving today's business traveler. In particular, female employees who travel internationally for work may face a unique set of challenges when it comes to health and safety. International SOS, the world's leading medical and security services company, provides organizations with gender-specific, pre-travel training and assistant services for female business travellers.
Today International SOS marked a milestone for the company's mobile travel assistance application for members by announcing that since the app was released in September 2011 it has been downloaded by more than 50,000 users.
Business travel thought leaders will gather today at GBTA's 2012 Convention in Boston, Mass. Among the participants are directors and managers tasked with putting travel and risk management programs in place to fulfill their organization's Duty of Care to employees. At the convention, International SOS will share findings from its seminal Duty of Care and Travel Risk Management Global Benchmarking Study, first released in November 2011to shed light on what organizations do well when it comes to safeguarding employees, and where gaps exist in their programs.
Nexonia today announced a partnership with Egencia, an Expedia Inc. Company, to offer Nexonia's full corporate expense management platform and can be integrated with data from Egencia's online travel management system. We work with corporate travellers to support a smooth expense management process, and working with Egencia on our integration has been just as smooth" said Neil Wainwright, CEO at Nexonia.
Nexonia today announced that Nexonia has joined Sabre as a GetThere Preferred Supplier so that Nexonia's full corporate expense management platform can be integrated with GetThere's online travel booking system. With Nexonia and GetThere, employees will use the web or mobile devices to book travel and check status with GetThere, while at the same time having that data flow smoothly to Nexonia in support of creating, submitting, and approving expense reports.
Nexonia today announced that Nexonia has integrated their corporate expense management platform with Atriis's online travel management and booking system. "Our Atriis integration is seamless and real-time. It's been a pleasure to have worked with Atriis on the integration," said Neil Wainwright, CEO at Nexonia.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)—the voice of the global business travel industry—today announced that the 2012 GBTA Convention will have the largest buyer attendance in the show's 44 year history, with almost 1,400 buyers registered. GBTA Convention reached the 1,000 buyer mark nearly three months before the start of the event. This year's 2012 GBTA Convention is being held in Boston, Massachusetts from July 22-25 and will feature two former U.S. Presidents and compelling sessions with the who's who in the travel industry.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the business travel industry, today announced Ed Rendell, former Governor of Pennsylvania, author and NBC News Analyst, will be joining GBTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Michael W. McCormick for a one-on-one conversation at the opening session of the annual 2012 GBTA Convention in Boston, Massachusetts. The Welcome Session: GBTA's Sunday Night Live, sponsored by J.P. Morgan | AirPlus, will be held Sunday night from 5:00 – 6:00 pm ET on July 22, 2012.
Angie Clifton, who has been appointed hotel manager, The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston. Clifton brings extensive experience to her new role, having worked at Fairmonts across North America, most recently Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown.