Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced it will convert its Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile hotel located at 630 N. Rush Street into one of the first AC Hotels by Marriott in the U.S. with an anticipated opening in spring 2015.
On December 19 at the State of Illinois Hotelier of the Year Awards, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IHLA) presented Dean Lane, General Manager of the Palmer House Hilton, with the Hotelier of the Year award for the State of Illinois. The IHLA represents over 450 hotels across Illinois, making this award highly selective and prestigious. Back in October, Lane won the regional Hotelier of the Year award for Chicago, which qualified him to compete for the state title. Lane will now move forward to represent Illinois at the national finals in April 2014.
Commonwealth Hotels, Inc. today announced that Kelly Sujka has been appointed Director of Sales for the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Chicago Naperville Warrenville. The Hyatt Place is 123 rooms and the Hyatt House has 123 suites and are operated by Commonwealth Hotels, LLC.
Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center, slated to open April 2014, announced the appointment of Simon A. Fricker to General Manager. Fricker joins with over 20 years of hospitality experience across world class hotel brands in Zurich, New York, Las Vegas and Miami. Born and raised in Switzerland, Fricker moved to the United States after graduating from an elite program at the Swiss Hotel Management School. His career excelled in Manhattan where he held several esteemed positions at renowned properties, including The Gramercy Park, an Ian Schrager hotel, The Peninsula and The St. Regis. In 2009 Fricker joined the opening team of the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. The team made history when FORBES awarded triple Five Star designations, for each, the hotel, spa and restaurant. In 2011 Fricker repeated this success with the Mandarin Oriental Miami, including an AAA Five Diamond designation.
Today, Thompson Hotels announces the opening of Thompson Chicago, the latest property in its portfolio of leading luxury lifestyle hotels. Located in the heart of Chicago's famed Gold Coast, the 247-room hotel debuts with unobstructed, spectacular views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, and offers personalized service and attention to its savvy clientele of business and leisure travelers.
Langham Hospitality Group's fourth U.S. property—The Langham, Chicago—officially opens today onSeptember 10, 2013. Located in the last office building designed byLudwig Mies van der Rohe, known for developing the modern skyscraper, the 316-room hotel resides within the 52-story landmarked riverfront property at 330 N. Wabash in the heart of downtownChicagojust minutes from the loop business district and Michigan Avenue.
Benchmark Hospitality International®, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Ender Oktayuren executive chef for World of Whirlpool, located in the historic Reid Murdoch Building in the River North area of Chicago. Ken Jesina, conference center manager for World of Whirlpool, Whirlpool Corporation's flagship brand and product experience center for influencers in the appliance industry, made the announcement.Chef Ender Oktayuren brought 13 years of exemplary culinary experience to Benchmark Hospitality International when he joined the team at World of Whirlpool in the fall of 2011. He served as sous chef prior to his recent promotion, and gained a stellar reputation for a cooking style of refined farm-to-table freshness and flavor, seasonal offerings, with a distinctive French culinary influence. Prior to joining Benchmark Hospitality at World of Whirlpool, Chef Oktayuren served as head line cook for Sixteen Restaurant at Trump International Hotel & Towers in Chicago.
Questex Hospitality + Travel, the world's largest multinational media, event and e-commerce company serving the global hospitality and travel industry, today announced that its North America Hotel Investment Conference (NATHIC) will be held Nov. 20-22 at the newly renovated Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile, becoming the only event of its kind in the Midwest.
Thompson Hotels announced today the appointment of Steve Shern as general manager of the highly-anticipated Thompson Chicago, slated to open fall 2013. Shern, a hospitality industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience, will oversee the general operations of the 247-room lifestyle hotel.
Thompson Hotels announces October 2013 as the opening of its 11th property, Thompson Chicago, as the company continues to expand its global portfolio of lifestyle hotels. The first phase of the hotel opening will occur in October 2013 with reservations being accepted as of October 1 and the following phases rolling out through the end of the year. Thompson Chicago will offer its savvy clientele sophisticated comforts of a home-away-from-home, joined by personalized service provided by the hotel's highly trained and committed staff. Located in the heart of Chicago's famed Gold Coast, the 247-room hotel offers unobstructed city views of Lake Michigan and is just steps from glamorous Michigan Avenue, Oak Street boutiques and downtown's finest dining and nightlife destinations.
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world's largest hotel company with approximately 7,380 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today rebranded the former Hotel 71 in downtown Chicago as the 334-room Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront, expanding the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® brand footprint in key markets throughout the U.S.
PAR Springer-Miller reduced the amount of time it takes to receive signed sales contracts from 3 to 5 business days to only 5 minutes with Sertifi for Salesforce, a pre-built electronic signature application. With more than 99% of contracts sent through Sertifi, the organization significantly shortened its sales cycle and serves customers faster.
Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel Chicago announces Valeria Benner as the new Executive Chef of the 306-room historic hotel. Chef Benner will oversee all culinary operations, including NiX Restaurant featuring American cuisine and seasonal menus. She will also be in charge of catering for weddings, meetings and events.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) today announced that Hyatt Regency O'Hare is the recipient of the company's first "CEO's Award for Innovation." Given by Hyatt President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian, the global award recognizes a hotel or team that has fostered innovation and positively evolved the guest experience. "Hyatt Regency O'Hare has redefined the guest arrival experience, resulting in tangible and significant increases in guest satisfaction scores"
Hotel Indigo®, IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] upscale boutique brand, is continuing its expansion in major U.S. cities with plans for its third hotel in the Chicago market. The hotel, which will be located in the historic downtown area’s Atlantic Bank Building, is expected to open in spring 2014.
In its commitment to Chicago’s growing Chinese tourism market, the Hilton Chicago and the Palmer House Hilton have enhanced their sales operation with the addition of a key position specifically designated to sell and service Hilton Hotels Huanying (welcome!) initiative.
Alex Zoghlin is finally taking a corporate gig. Mr. Zoghlin, one of Chicago's top techies who's best-known for launching and running early-stage companies, has taken a job as global head of technology for Hyatt Hotels Corp. For the past four years, he's been running VHT Inc., an online-marketing technology company for the real estate industry. He said goodbye Friday.
Loews Hotels & Resorts, a wholly owned-subsidiary of Loews Corporation (NYSE: L), today held a ceremonial groundbreaking in Chicago on the site where the company will open the Loews Chicago Hotel in 2015.
Konstantine Drosos, a 17 year veteran of Hilton Hotels has been appointed to the position of Hotel Manager of the Palmer House, the longest continuously operating full service hotel in North America. The announcement was made by Dean Lane, Palmer House Hilton General Manager. Drosos’ most recent position -- as Director of Finance, was at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, California, for which he was on the hotel’s opening team.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced the signing of Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center. Located in Greater Chicago directly adjacent to Oakbrook Center, one of the most prestigious shopping destinations in the United States, the 10-story building is set to undergo a $20 million transformation prior to its 2014 debut. Owned by RockBridge and managed by Wischermann Partners Inc., Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center will combine timeless, chic design with sophisticated offerings.