Meet 'Lucy': Virgin Hotels New Mobile App
Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hotel arm of Virgin Group, has introduced Lucy, a mobile app that allows guests to integrate their device into their hotel experience.
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Richard Branson Pitches Virgin Hotels as Female-Friendly | wsj.com
Richard Branson ’s Virgin Hotels has been slow to get going since it was launched in 2010, falling behind schedule and losing top executives. But with its first property opening this week in Chicago, the billionaire entrepreneur thinks he has found an edge: women. More specifically, he says, Virgin is courting female business travelers. His hotels will emphasize safety with separate room chambers to accept deliveries and will pamper professional women with features such as well-lit vanities.
Hyatt Signs Lease to Relocate Company’s Global Headquarters to Chicago’s West Loop
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that a subsidiary has signed a lease on new office space currently under construction at 150 N. Riverside Plaza in Chicago. Hyatt's relocation of its global headquarters to the state-of-the-art facility brings together approximately 1,000 colleagues currently based in two separate buildings.
Virgin Hotels Introduces "The Know"
Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hotel brand by Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, announces the launch of The Know a hotel preference program. Members of the program will receive personalized service and recognition, and be the first in "the know" about what is happening with Virgin Hotels and its partners.
NATHIC 2014 Marked by Optimism for all Industry Segments
Attendees at this year's North America Hotel Investment Conference (NATHIC) in Chicago were encouraged to hear optimistic predictions by some of the industry's most influential leaders and investment professionals who announced positive results in all industry segments, including industrywide supply and demand.
Defying Industry Trend, Virgin Hotels Resists Tacked-On Fees | nytimes.com
A NEW hotel company plans to buck the trend when it opens its first property, in Chicago, in January by not charging travelers those annoying extra fees, while allowing reservation cancellations till late on the day a guest is scheduled to arrive. Set to open in mid-January, the Virgin Hotel Chicago will not impose fees on various things that other hotels routinely charge for, including high-speed Wi-Fi and business center services. And travelers will be able to cancel a reservation as late as midnight on the day of arrival without being charged.
Patrick Cook has been appointed as director, sales and marketing at Swissotel Chicago
Patrick Cook has taken on the role of director, sales and marketing at Swissôtel Chicago. Cook brings over 20 years of sales experience to this position beginning his career with Sheraton National Hotel, Arlington, Virginia. He later held several progressive sales positions at Hilton Hotels and, most recently, held the title of director of sales & marketing at the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare.
Sertifi and Shift4 Partner to Provide Combined eSignature & Payment Solution
Sertifi, a leading electronic signature provider, announced that it has completed integration with Shift4 Corporation, provider of the world's largest independent payment gateway, to provide a complete solution for quickly capturing customer signatures and secure payments online.
Halima Barbary has been appointed as Director of Operations at Hyatt The Loop Chicago
Hyatt The Loop Chicago, scheduled to open in early 2015 in the heart of Chicago’s financial district, announced the appointment of director of operations, Halima Barbary. As director of operations, Barbary will be responsible for developing and implementing procedures and strategies that will support the hotel’s customer service and profitability goals and work closely with the finance, sales, revenue management and human resource teams to ensure seamless operations. Prior to joining Hyatt The Loop Chicago, Barbary directed operations at the Doubletree Suites by Hilton Chicago and is highly knowledgeable about the city’s hospitality market.
Aine Haley has been appointed as Director of Revenue Management at Hyatt The Loop Chicago
Hyatt The Loop Chicago, scheduled to open in early 2015 in the heart of Chicago’s financial district, announced the appointment of director of revenue and Aine Haley. Haley most recently served as area revenue analyst for Chicago Hyatt Revenue Cluster. Her past positions, predominantly with Hyatt properties, include assistant revenue manager, reservations manager and front office supervisor, equipping her with more than 10 years of experience in revenue, reservations and front desk systems.
Sertifi and Cendyn Arcaneo to Host Webinar on eSignature and Payment Integration into eProposal
Sertifi, a leading eSignature provider for hospitality organizations, and Cendyn Arcaneo, revolutionizing the way event professionals and suppliers plan, execute and measure meetings and worldwide, will conduct a 30-minute webinar on how the event planning organizations can use Cendyn Arcaneo's eProposal solution to collect signed contracts and customer payments electronically on Wednesday, October 29 at 1 p.m. CST.
New Hotel Appraisal Company Formed: Hotel Appraisers & Advisors, LLC
Hans Detlefsen, MPP, MAI is President and Founder of Hotel Appraisers & Advisors, LLC (HA&A). HA&A is a national appraisal company focused on hospitality-related properties. The new company is headquartered in downtown Chicago at 111 North Wabash Avenue, in the heart of Chicago's downtown "Loop" business district. The company is currently engaged by several lenders and developers, performing hotel appraisals, feasibility studies, and market studies across the United States.
Sertifi and Merchant Link to Host Webinar on eSignatures and PCI Compliance
Sertifi, a trusted eSignature provider for hospitality, and Merchant Link, a leading payment gateway offering cloud-based cardholder data security solutions, will co-host a timely webinar on how hospitality organizations can use an integrated electronic signature and PCI payment solution to securely close business faster on Thursday, October 2 at 11:30 a.m. EST.
HTS Completes Converged Network Refresh at theWit Hotel Chicago
When theWit Hotel opened in downtown Chicago in 2009, it truly was a one-of-a-kind property with technology at its core and a seamless converged network designed to deliver an impeccable guest experience. Today, with average bandwidth consumption tripling due to travelers' reliance on mobile technology and media streaming, theWit has completed an extensive converged network refresh. To plan and execute the upgrade, theWit called upon the expertise of Hospitality Technical Services (HTS).
Martin Knaubert has been appointed as Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago (A Four Seasons Hotel)
Knaubert is certainly not a newcomer to the culinary scene. Born and raised in Saarlouis, Germany, Knaubert spent much of his childhood experimenting with food, so it was no wonder that his life took a culinary path. Now, he is gracing the kitchen of The Ritz-Carlton Chicago with his expertise as the Executive Chef. The Ritz-Carlton Chicago will be his 8th hotel and 4th assignment as Executive Chef with Four Seasons properties. Chef Knaubert hopes to bring his diverse experience to the city of Chicago. He has been able to gain this perspective through his extensive experience and looks forward to bringing his unique taste to the city of Chicago. Even with this gained expertise, Knaubert knows that culinary taste can sometimes be lost in translation and these talents do not always travel from one destination to the other. Chef Knaubert knows that Chicago has its own unique taste and he looks forward to discovering it.
Rick Remington has been appointed as Food and Beverage Director at Pheasant Run Resort & Spa
Rick Remington has joined the management team at Pheasant Run Resort & Spa as food and beverage director, according to Charlie Shirk, general manager for the 473-room resort and expo center located in St. Charles. Remington, a 30-year food and beverage pro, now oversees a team of 140 employees who serve convention services, culinary and catering operations for the 38,000 square foot expo center, on-site meeting space, and dining outlets including Jambalaya, Harvest, poolside and golf course guest options.
Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center Opens
Hilton Hotels & Resorts today announced the official opening of Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, formerly Oak Brook Hills Resort, conveniently located just west of downtown Chicago. Nestled in the upscale suburb of Oak Brook, Ill., the peaceful, 150-acre estate is home to Audubon certified 18-hole championship Willow Crest Golf Course and other premier amenities making the resort an ideal destination for getaways, golf trips, family vacations, weddings and business events. Situated just 30 minutes outside of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center is a multi-faceted retreat for leisure and business travelers alike.
Hilton Worldwide Reaches 700,000th Room Milestone with Opening of Dual-Branded Hotel Near Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile”
One of downtown Chicago's most storied tourist and shopping attractions – Magnificent Mile – now has two new hotel options as Hilton Worldwide today announced the opening of the dual-branded, 352-room Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile, which also marks the company's 700,000th room globally and Homewood Suites' 350th hotel opening.
Le Meridien Debuts In Chicago with Opening of Le Méridien Chicago - Oakbrook Center
Chicagoland's Newest Hotel Unveiled Following $25 Million Interior and Exterior Transformation, Including a Modern Rooftop Spanish Restaurant with Sweeping City Views and High Impact Artwork that Unlocks the Destination
AmTrav Corporate Booking Tool Becomes First To Offer Extra Leg Room Seats on Delta & United
AmTrav, the Chicago-based travel management specialist, announced today that the company now offers Delta Economy Comfort Seats and United Economy Plus seats directly through its online booking tool. AmTrav is the first third-party travel site to offer Delta and United paid seats and the first corporate booking tool to do so.