You know Ian Schrager. He made disco rock at Studio 54 and went on to invent the 'design' or 'boutique' hotel that has been ripped off by virtually every hotelier from Birmingham to Boston. Without Schrager, there would be no lobby 'scene', no go-to bars, no signature scents, no hot staff and cool nightclubs, no baffling taps in the bathrooms. Hotels would still be full of swags and ruffles.
With more than 30 years of hotel management experience, as well as a wealth of knowledge about the Windy City, Pinto previously served as vice president of Oakbrook Hotels & Resorts and general manager, Pheasant Run Resort, the Midwest’s largest entertainment resort, located in the Chicago suburbs.
Veteran boutique hotelier Ian Schrager appears to be defying the "slick and trendy" style with his newest hotel venture. He's going for a retro approach, starting with a simple, unassuming name - "PUBLIC." Based on the rather generic name, it doesn't sound like you'll find red-velvet roped bar entries, but we'll see.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that it has completed the sale of W Chicago - City Center to Chesapeake Lodging Trust for $128.8 million, or approximately $350,000 per key. Starwood has entered into a 40-year management agreement with full extensions to continue operating the hotel under the W flag.
In this newly created position, Mendoza will be responsible for the development of a core global framework for Hyatt that enhances the company’s diverse and inclusive workplace and focuses on strategies that can be implemented locally by colleagues around the world.
The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, A Four Seasons Hotel, welcomes Tom Segesta as its new General Manager. Segesta, who most recently spent eight years as General Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Austin, replaces Patrick Ghielmetti, who was named Vice President for Human Resources for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific Properties. Segesta joined Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in 1987 as Director of Housekeeping at Four Seasons Seattle. His career path has taken him through Four Seasons hotels in Boston, Vancouver, Newport Beach and Las Vegas before he was named General Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Austin in 2002.
CHICAGO (Jan. 20, 2011) — Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has signed a franchise agreement with The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, for a Hyatt Place hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii. Under the agreement, the hotel, which is currently operating under the name Ocean Resort Hotel Waikiki, will undergo an extensive renovation and will be re-branded in the fall of 2011 as the 425-room Hyatt Place Waikiki.
Labor-management battles, once fought on picket lines and behind closed doors, are now being waged in cyberspace. Borrowing from the union's playbook, Hyatt laid out its latest offer to hotel workers on YouTube last week. Hyatt also played the video continuously on television monitors in employee cafeterias of properties in Chicago. Hotel workers said the video, which featured actors speaking in English, Cantonese and Spanish, caused a stir by noting that a $1,000 employee bonus expired Dec. 20.
The Dining Room at Kendall College was recognized in the first-ever MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2011, which showcases the finest restaurants and hotels in Chicago. The Dining Room at Kendall College was the only culinary school restaurant recognized in the MICHELIN Guide Chicago, and joins a very short list of just three U.S. culinary school restaurants recognized by the prestigious restaurant reviewer. The rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process has made the MICHELIN Guide an international benchmark in gourmet dining.
– Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced its expansion in Chicago with the addition of the full-service, 162-room Wyndham Blake Chicago, situated in the heart of Chicago's South Loop.
Already a member of the Kimpton family, Pagone joins Palomar Chicago from the Hotel Allegro, also in Chicago, where he served as director of rooms. He was a member of the opening and task force teams, and was responsible for increasing both employee and guest satisfaction scores during his two-year tenure. Prior to joining Kimpton, Pagone spent four years at the Intercontinental Chicago, starting as the assistant manager of Zest restaurant and rising through the ranks to become assistant director of food and beverage, overseeing operations of all outlets and banquet functions at the 792-room property, as well as a team of nearly 300 employees. He previously held roles at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and the Doral Eaglewood Conference Center, Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate sold three Chicago area hotel properties to a joint venture of AREA Property Partners and Aimbridge Hospitality and entered into long-term hotel franchise agreements with the buyers for each of the three hotels, Hyatt Lisle, Hyatt Deerfield, and Hyatt Rosemont. The combined sale price of the three properties was $51 million, and the AREA/Aimbridge joint venture plans to invest $13.5 million in capital improvements at the three properties.
Occupying legendary Chicago architect Daniel Burnham's historic Continental & Commercial National Bank Building in Chicago's bustling financial district, the JW Marriott Chicago will open November 11, 2010. The hotel represents the first JW Marriott branded hotel to open in Chicago. JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts is a luxury brand within the Marriott International global family of brands.
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. today announced the appointment of Martha Austin-Lobb as Director of Sales for the 357 guestroom Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile. The hotel is located in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, just steps to North Michigan Avenue shops and restaurants. It offers 5,727 square feet of flexible meeting space located on the first and 12th floors with spectacular views of Chicago’s skyline.
OpenWays, the hospitality industry's first mobile-based front desk bypass solution, is live and operating well at the Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago O'Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown. IHG is the first company in the world to launch a pilot of the OpenWays technology. Today, guests are given the option to either stop at the front desk to check-in and receive a plastic keycard or bypass the front desk altogether and use "MobileKey" to proceed directly to their rooms using their cell phone to securely open their door.
Even in a city known for its architecture, theWit Doubletree in Chicago, Illinois stands out, thanks in no small part to the neon green lightning bolt down the exterior facade. It is a design element that boldly proclaims something even more interesting is going on inside. Indeed, theWit is one of the most technologically advanced hotels in the world.
New York, NY, August 3, 2010 -- Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS), the hospitality industry's leading Internet marketing and distribution consulting firm, today announces Chief eBusiness Strategist, Max Starkov, will present at EyeforTravel's flagship Travel Distribution Summit North America in Chicago, IL, Oct 13-14. Starkov will speak during the Keynote Session, "The New Age -- Mobile Strategies and Opportunities in Travel," on day two of the conference.
Maxime de La Grange Sury’s career with InterContinental Hotels over the last decade includes positions at hotels in Costa Rica, Houston, Atlanta, and San Francisco. As food and beverage director at the InterContinental Chicago, the seasoned industry veteran oversees operations for the restaurants and bars on property, as well as banquet services—a job he relishes. “I enjoy the fact that I have to use my brain and be innovative in this position—to create menus, new food concepts, as well as figuring out how to be profitable and control expenses,” he says, adding with a laugh, “and, of course, being French, food and wine are very important.”
OpenWays, developer of the hospitality industry's first mobile-based front desk bypass solution, will give guests at the Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown "freedom of choice" like never before. As part of a summer pilot beginning in August, travelers visiting the two IHG properties can choose between "Mobile Key" access to their guestroom, enabling them to bypass the front desk upon arrival, or continue to check-in the traditional way and obtain a plastic keycard prior to going to their room.
Gerhart most recently served as director of catering for the Wyndham Hotel Chicago. Prior to relocating to Chicago, she worked in Sante Fe, New Mexico at the unique La Posada de Sante Fe as director of catering and conference services. Her career has also included roles in event planning and catering for the Beach Chalet & Brewery and the Majestic Hotel, both in San Francisco, California.