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.