iNNtelligenz (www.inntelligenz.com), the flagship product of iQueLab, has announced the official release of their market intelligence application to public beta. The revolutionary app provides a new level of transparency into the online marketplace for hotels, collecting daily market data for the complete online hotel market from the major online hotel distributors.
The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH) today confirmed that its wholly-owned subsidiary, HSH Chicago, Inc. has entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Tower Summit LLC, whereby HSH purchased the remaining 7.5% of the ownership interest in Peninsula Chicago LLC, which it did not previously hold. Prior to this transaction, HSH Chicago, Inc. owned 92.5% of the ownership interest in Peninsula Chicago LLC. Peninsula Chicago LLC owns The Peninsula Chicago.
More than 500 members of the city's hospitality industry rallied Thursday around Mayor Richard Daley's 2016 Olympic bid. "The reason we're here is to let everyone on the planet know that Chicago's hospitality community is excited and ready to serve the world in the Chicago 2016 Olympics," said Tim O'Malley, publisher of Concierge Preferred, the visitor marketing company that organized the rally at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The issue of whether or not to discount is becoming increasingly contentious as companies struggle to compete in an ever more strained market. Should revenue managers in the travel industry reduce prices to stimulate demand? What are the alternatives? And what damage could be done? EyeforTravel research has shown that this is a crucial issue facing revenue managers today.
While the national recession continued into the first half of 2009, the Chicago hotel industry, as with many major cities throughout the United States, continued to experience shrinking demand. Looking to the second half of 2009, some evidence suggests that the recession may be nearing an end and the pace of decline may be moderating in the hotel industry. This article examines several of the historical trends and future sources of supply and demand that are expected to shape the city of Chicago’s hotel industry performance during the next three to four years. Additionally, we present findings from our survey of hotel managers throughout Chicago. Based on this data, HVS developed projections of hotel demand, supply, and performance through 2012.
A real estate investment group that owns the Sears Tower said it is pushing forward with plans to build a 500-room environmentally friendly hotel next door to North America's tallest building, but released few details on financing for a project that will cost as much as $225 million. The group, which includes investors Yisroel Gluck, John Huston, Joseph Chetrit and Joseph Moinian, said they would spend $350 million to make the 110-story tower more environmentally friendly and reduce the amount of energy it uses. It plans to cut the equivalent of about 150,000 barrels of oil used annually by such steps as replacing the tower's 16,000 windows with more energy-efficient alternatives, adding solar panels, more efficient gas boilers and motion detectors so that escalators operate only as needed.
W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, today unveils the renovation of the iconic W Chicago-City Center. As the first W Hotel in Chicago, having opened in mid-2001, and as part of W Hotels’ original portfolio, the completion of this renovation is another milestone for W in its pursuit to renovate and upgrade its existing hotel portfolio while more than doubling its footprint by the end of 2011. Mixing the Beaux-Arts architecture of W Chicago-City Center’s historic building with cutting-edge design and stylish elements for which the W Brand is known, the redesign of this hotel extends to the hotel’s 235 guestrooms and suites, signature W Living Room, and more than 14,000 square feet of ultra-modern meeting and event space.
Located just a few blocks north of what was considered the busiest intersection in the world in the early 20th century, theWit – A Doubletree® Hotel has proudly opened to grace the Chicago skyline and reinvigorate the continuing rebirth of the city’s Loop District.
Chicago's hotel market is feeling the impact of declining demand, falling rates as new properties open, compete for tourists. The Wit, a boutique hotel that opened in the Loop last month, seeks to impart a playful, chic sense of humor on its guests. For local hoteliers, though, there isn't much to smile about. Hotel occupancy and average daily room rates have posted double-digit percentage drops over the first four months of this year compared with the same time last year.
Programming during the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) fourth annual Summer Summit, held at the Hilton Chicago, will offer attendees insight for hospitality business development, networking with diverse groups of industry professionals, and opportunity to shaping future AH&LA initiatives. Featured programming includes a keynote presentation from noted economist Geoffrey Colvin, additional economical foresight from industry insiders at the Lodging Industry Summit, new events and programs coordinated by AH&LA’s Under 30 Gateway and Women In Lodging (WIL) Executive Council, and the annual Stars of the Industry Awards ceremony.
Mr. Cartwright launched his hospitality career at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers -New York City in 1991. That post, as finance department coordinator, was a springboard for progressively more responsible management roles with the diverse collection of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide brands. Some notable assignments include: director of rooms operations for the Westin Copley Place in Boston, MA; resort manager for The St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, CA; corporate director of rooms, Starwood North America; and senior director, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Southern California region of Starwood. Most recently, Mr. Cartwright served as the general manager of the 1053-room urban resort, Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, named “Green Hotel of the Year” for 2006 by the California Hotel Lodging Association.
More than 85 percent of meeting planners attending the Ninth Annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings® Mid-America Conference & Exposition at Chicago's Navy Pier, April 1-2, 2009, stated that customer service is the deciding factor in the current economy when selecting an event location.
CLEVELAND -- Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading provider of innovative information technology and hospitality software solutions, announced today that Elysian, a new ultra-luxury hotel in Chicago, has selected a comprehensive suite of hospitality solutions to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. The Elysian will implement the Visual One software suite, InfoGenesis POS™, Eatec Solutions inventory and procurement system and Guest eMarketing (GeM) correspondence and marketing management solution, all from Agilysys. Agilysys also is providing information technology infrastructure services for the property, including implementation of a storage area network and virtualization services. The Elysian, scheduled to open in early summer 2009, will feature 188 suites and 52 condominium residences.
CHICAGO -- The hotel with the most nominations in the prestigious HotelWorld Global Hospitality and Design Awards isn't a Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis or Las Vegas' celebrated Bellagio, Palazzo or Encore at Wynn hotels.
Daniel Preston was appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the InterContinental Chicago in January 2009, after serving as the Director of Sales at the award-winning property for nearly four years. Collectively, Preston has served at the Chicago location for more than seven years starting out as a Group Sales Manager in January 2002. Previously, Preston served as a Sales Manager at the W Chicago City Center Hotel, where he served as part of the pre-opening team. He also spent time as the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel (A Four Seasons Hotel) in Chicago, as well as gaining industry experience while working various roles at The Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D.C.
Michael Hooper has recently joined the company as General Manager effective January 28 2009. Prior to joining, Hooper was the Sr. Vice President of Operations at Cable Beach Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. A hotel school graduate in British Columbia, Mr. Hooper began his career with Hilton International at the Drake Chicago. He has 20 years of experience within the Hilton family and has worked in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The resort is owned and operated by Rosemont, Ill.-based First Hospitality Group.
CHICAGO | Elysian Hotels and Resorts today announced that zig, an ideas company within the MDC Partners Network, will serve as its agency of record following a closed review. zig will launch the Elysian brand on a global scale, beginning with its flagship property, Elysian Chicago.