Loews Hotels & Resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Loews Corporation (NYSE:L), today announced that the new Loews Chicago Hotel has officially opened. "Returning to Chicago with a branded hotel has been a goal of ours for some time now," said Jonathan M. Tisch, Chairman, Loews Hotels & Resorts. "It is especially exciting for us to be able to expand our footprint by adding such a spectacular property at a time when Chicago is thriving."
The design of Virgin Hotels Chicago has been widely praised for bringing something new to the industry and offering guests an alternative to the traditional hotel experience. But where do the ideas for a new business come from? We caught up with CEO Raul Leal to find out more about how their ideas were conceived and developed...
After a hectic morning of working while traveling, I checked into the Virgin Hotel in Chicago this week in typical business traveler fashion: sleep deprived, cranky, and on a deadline. Six hours later, I was relaxed, dolled up, and cackling with the hotel restaurant staff over a rude game of Cards Against Humanity. And that’s exactly how Richard Branson wants me. When his very first hotel opened last month in Chicago's business district, he dubbed it “female friendly” and especially equipped to pamper professional women. “We’re taking into consideration the rise of female business travelers and appreciate what it means to our success as a brand,” said Branson.
BridgeStreet Global Hospitality – the leading international solution for serviced apartment experiences – has announced the appointment of John Janco to Director of Sales for the Midwest region. Reporting directly to Lucas Hewett, Regional Director, Sales - Americas at Bridgestreet, Janco will be responsible for developing and managing the sales team, encouraging them to perform to their highest level using guidelines set forth by Hewett.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that Hyatt Centric, a new, full service lifestyle brand designed for business and leisure travelers, will open its first hotels in April. The hotels – Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago and Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami – will deliver on the brand's mission of putting its guest at the center of the action in the best destinations.
Today, Sertifi announced that Dolce's sales and catering group utilizes its integrated eSignature and payment solution to significantly speed the sales process, while reducing the risk and liability of security data breaches.
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson looked ruefully at the coupe of Moet set in front of him by a cheery young waitress. After a few quiet words with her, he said, “I was so hungover this morning. I just can't say no.”
FRHI Hotels & Resorts appoints Mark Huntley as regional vice president and general manager of Swissôtel Chicago. Huntley will continue to be responsible for the overall operations, performance, and strategic direction for hotels based in the Central U.S. & Mexico Region and will carry out the responsibilities of general manager for Swissôtel Chicago. Huntley joined the company in 1986 and held several progressive positions over the years, including general manager of the Fairmont San Francisco and The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed Hotel. Most recently, Huntley was the regional vice president & general manager, Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park.
Today marks a milestone in the history of the Virgin brand with Virgin Hotels opening the doors to its first property, Virgin Hotels Chicago. The new hotel brand will join a stellar portfolio of hospitality companies led by Virgin Group and its founder Sir Richard Branson, and offer the same excitement, heartfelt service and smart innovation that Virgin is known for.
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.
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 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, 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.
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.
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 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, 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.
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.
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, 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.