The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago welcomes Franco Diaz as the new Executive Chef where he will lead all culinary operations in the downtown hotel including Torali Italian-Steak, Torali Bar, The Café, The Rooftop at Torali as well as catering, events, and in-room dining.
Sheraton Grand Chicago has appointed Marcus Cornelious as the hotel's director of sales and marketing. Cornelious comes to the riverfront property at an exciting time as a renovation of its Club Rooms has just been unveiled and its seasonal favorite, Chicago Burger Company, celebrated its grand reopening this month. In his new role Cornelious will be responsible for the strategy and implementation of all sales and marketing activations, while overseeing a team of more than two dozen directors, managers and associates. Boasting the largest ballroom in the Midwest, Sheraton Grand Chicago is known to host many high-profile groups and conventions, which Cornelious will be instrumental in promoting and selling.
Hilton today unveiled The Mile, a collection of luxurious suites, at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago - Magnificent Mile. Located on the hotel's highest floors, these rooms offer guests a refined, condominium-style studio or one-bedroom suite as their ideal urban oasis.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, today announced Emmy Award-winning host, producer, and author Andy Cohen as a featured speaker at the 51st edition of GBTA Convention 2019, held August 3-7 in Chicago. Cohen's keynote address will take place at the Convention Arena Luncheon on Tuesday, August 6. His appearance is made possible by United Airlines.
The Ivy Hotel, 233 E. Ontario Street, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Wayne Leming as Chicago Regional Director of Operations. With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Leming will oversee all aspects of property management and lead the operational teams at the Ivy Hotel and three sister hotels on the North Side of Chicago in his new position.
C-Levels from Caesars Entertainment, Marriott, Hilton, Preferred Hotels, The Travel Corporation, Jetlines, CIE Tours, CruiseDirect, Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino and the Woodland Park Zoo are set to Achieve the Personalized Future of Travel at EyeforTravel North America on October 28-29 in Chicago.
RoomIt by CWT has appointed Shannon Hyland as Senior Vice President of Global Supply.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced the opening of its newest hotel, the dual-branded Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown South Loop and Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown South Loop. The new property brings a total of 342 new rooms and suites (many featuring scenic lakeshore views) to downtown Chicago's bustling South Loop neighborhood along with 95 new hospitality jobs. The dual-brand hotel adds even more versatile options for guests visiting the Windy City, which attracted a record number of nearly 58 million tourists in 2018.*
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, today announced author, restaurateur and host of Spike TV's Bar Rescue Jon Taffer as a featured keynoter at GBTA Convention 2019, held August 3-7 in Chicago. Taffer will deliver a keynote during the Welcome Kick Off Session on Sunday, August 4. His appearance is made possible by Travel Leaders Corporate.
WINiT by GBTA, a network driving positive change for the career mobility of women in the travel-related industries, today announced speaker, author and change-agent Joanna Martinez will be a featured speaker at WINiT Summit 2019 - Chicago on August 3rd at McCormick Place. Martinez will draw from experiences and lessons showcased in her book "A Guide to Positive Disruption" to navigate attendees through her proven process for driving positive change within organizations.
Eurostars Hotel Company, the hotel area of the Hotusa Group, had just added its 200th hotel to its portfolio, the 4* Eurostars Magnificent Mile (previously Dana Hotel & Spa), located in the heart of Chicago. This is a special boutique hotel located in the heart of the city, in the River North district, in the very famous The Magnificent Mile area, the commercial district par excellence of the city.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, today announced actress, activist and social justice humanitarian Ashley Judd as a keynote speaker at the 51st edition of GBTA Convention, held August 3-7, 2019 in Chicago. Judd will take the stage at Convention Arena on Wednesday, August 7. This session is made possible by American Airlines.
RoomIt by CWT has appointed Geoffrey Waldmiller as Vice President of Revenue Optimization.
The Peninsula Chicago is pleased to announce the appointment of Executive Chef Baasim Zafar, a native of England with more than 25 years of experience in restaurants and luxury hotels in the United States, London and Saudi Arabia. Chef Zafar will oversee all Peninsula restaurant kitchens for The Lobby, Shanghai Terrace, Pierrot Gourmet and Z Bar, as well as banquets, in-room dining and pastry kitchen operations.
Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel is thrilled to announce the appointment of Kristin Duncan as General Manager of the 530-room property located steps from the Theater District. Duncan has 30 years of experience with Marriott in a variety of roles, most recently as the General Manager of the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook.
Cloud5 Communications has appointed hospitality technology professional Neil Schubert as Senior Vice President of Product Management and Development, bringing three decades of unparalleled experience and knowledge to lead the Company's product strategy and development team. Schubert will also drive development for new product innovation, featuring the Cloud5 Hospitality Dashboard Experience (HDX).
Hotel Chicago West Loop has announced the appointment of a new, dynamic leader. At only 31-years-old, Virginia-native Jean-Luc Laramie is (quite possibly) the youngest hotel general manager in Chicago. In his role at the independent, 3-year-old dual-purpose property known for its eccentric art initiative, Laramie oversees operations while looking to expand the hotel's relationship with Millennial travelers.
Chicago continues to attract major corporations and hotel development, supported by its proximity to global transportation infrastructure and a well-educated workforce. In 2018, 57.6 million visitors came to Chicago, setting a record for city tourism. In addition to the plethora of tourist attractions in Downtown Chicago, McCormick Place continues to be a major demand generator for the ever-growing supply of hotels in the market. In the last two years, the 1,200-room Marriott Marquis, the 466-room tri-brand Hilton hotel, and the 10,000-seat Wintrust Arena all opened within one block of the convention center. After a record-breaking year for conventions in 2018, numbers are expected to decline slightly in 2019, but could once again the break record in 2020.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago - Magnificent Mile today announced the launch of the first Five Feet to Fitness™ rooms in Chicago, a convenient way for guests to exercise in the privacy of their room with over 11 different pieces of equipment. These rooms are part of a $35 million dollar hotel transformation that includes renovated guest rooms, lobby arrival experience, meeting space and rooftop pool and terrace, in addition to the launch of a new lobby bar and restaurant, HotHouse, as well as the grab-and-go Made Market.