InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announces the signing of a new 900-room InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts property in downtown Los Angeles, California. The luxury hotel will make its mark on the city's skyline as part of Korean Air and Hanjin Group's more than $1.1 billion new-build Wilshire Grand project. Once completed it will be the largest InterContinental hotel in the Americas region.
Long-time industry veteran Bob Hazard will be honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 26-28, 2015, in Los Angeles. Hazard served as chairman, president, and CEO of Choice Hotels International from 1980 to 1996. During that period, he and his team grew Choice from a regional group of 339 Quality Inns into a six-brand, global hotel company with more than 3,800 inns, hotels, and resorts, offering over 330,000 guest rooms in 43 countries. Additionally, the value of Choice Hotels rose from $15 million in 1980 to over a billion dollars when the company went public in 1996 on the NY Stock Exchange.
The Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel announced that it has appointed Celsa Zamora-Padilla as Director of Human Resources. Zamora-Padilla will manage the Human Resources challenges of the 496-room hotel as the property embarks on a major rejuvenation. Zamora-Padilla is responsible for providing innovative solutions that drive results and foster a culture of collaboration and accountability. “We look to Celsa for her guidance as our chief HR expert as we manage the significant improvements planed for our hotel,” said General Manager Jonathan Litvack. Prior to coming aboard at the hotel, Zamora-Padilla was a senior Human Resources executive at the Westin Pasadena. She was also a member of the Human Resources team at the Westin Century Plaza and St. Regis Los Angeles. She is a 2001 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. The Ratkovich Company, in partnership with National Real Estate Investors and the Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel, recently announced a $45 million transformation of the hotel as part of the massive development of The Bloc.
Prior to this position with The Beverly Hilton, Chef Thompson served as executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey for six years where he developed and opened Jer-ne Restaurant + Bar, which during his tenure, was named “Best Fusion Cuisine” by Los Angeles Magazine and given the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. He also assisted Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto on “Iron Chef America.” His other experience includes the position of executive chef at Kress Hollywood, opening DB American Cuisine Restaurant in The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and Fusebox restaurant in Atlanta, which under his leadership was named among the best restaurants by Esquire Magazine.
Los Angeles, CA, August 5, 2014 – In a bid to bring its digital members together in real life, the LinkedIn- only group called the Travel Industry Executive Women's Network, powered by BLLA - the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association, held its inaugural Global Leadership Conference on July 30–31, 2014 in Los Angeles.
Chef Cyrille Pannier joins Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills as Executive Chef after spending two decades with the company.
The hospitality technology community came together last month to explore the industry's best practices and latest innovations at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®). 2014 was one of the highest attended HITEC's with 5,745 hospitality professionals representing 57 countries. The conference addressed important issues, including system selection, ethics, mobile and guestroom technology, data security, PCI Compliance and more.
Crowds gathered at the ZDirect booth last month during HITEC (Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference) as hospitality's Email Service Provider showcased its latest Hotel Marketing Automation arsenal. The attraction was four fold, as ZDirect announced its: 1) Automated Responsive Designer that gives hoteliers a way to reach their customers through an advanced email editor that automatically resizes an email to fit every mobile device; 2) Google Action Cards by ZDirect that provides integration to Google Now, enabling hotel guests to access their reservation information on their mobile device at the exact moment they need it; 3) Lifetime Guest Value Analytics which blends Big Data with proprietary predictive analysis and machine learning algorithms to predict a guests future spend; and 4) White-listed relationship with Google that facilitates a feedback loop allowing the ZDirect development team access to Google's cutting-edge features.
HHM is now managing the historic and eclectic Hotel Figueroa, an icon in Downtown Los Angeles. The Figueroa is directly across the street from L.A. LIVE, a 4 million square foot entertainment complex that most notably includes the STAPLES Center and Nokia Theatre. The hotel will join the company's Full Service Division and the 17 other managed properties on the West Coast. HHM will be managing the hotel on behalf of the new ownership, a joint venture between GreenOak Real Estate and Urban Lifestyle Hotels, which is comprised of Bradley Hall, Jack van Hartesvelt and Mark van Hartesvelt.
Today, Los Angeles welcomes its newest stars with the opening of the unique combination, two-in-one hotel, the Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. LIVE. Owned by American Life, Inc. and Williams & Dame Development, the Courtyard offers 174 rooms and the Residence Inn features 219 suites. Sharing the same space, the hotel brings to L.A. Live all of the services and amenities travelers have come to expect from the two Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) power brands, Courtyard and Residence Inn.
IT'S FINALLY HERE . . . a new solution to streamline operations for minibar, snack tray and bottled water in guestrooms. Administering these items is complex and creates problems for all hotel owners, operators and staff. Revenue losses, inventory control, labor challenges, reconciliation issues, guest complaints . . . Sound familiar? But today, the winds are changing.
Marriott International, Inc., a leading lodging company, and Kube Systems, a division of leading hospitality brand Ramler International Ltd., today announced the formation of a business agreement to offer a premium charging solution to meet the needs of guests for its Marriott Hotels brand.
Cendyn/ONE™ has been selected as an official Tech Tour Stop during the popular educational sessions at HITEC 2014 in Los Angeles, CA. These exclusive tours will take place on the show floor from 8:30 - 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 25th.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)—the voice of the global business travel industry—today announced a new panel to be featured on Center Stage at the GBTA Convention 2014, July 26-30, in Los Angeles: Executive Leadership Panel: A View Across The Distribution Landscape. Moderated by Michelle (Mick) Lee, Founder & CEO, WINiT- WomenInTravel, Managing Director, Global Head of General Services & Travel, Citi, the panel will feature prominent industry executive leaders sharing their views on the challenges and opportunities facing the travel distribution landscape today. Panelists include:
This is a return for Orlich to the heart of Beverly Hills where he was on the pre-opening team as the hotel manager in 2007. In 2010, Orlich was named general manager for Montage Laguna Beach where he has led the team to noteworthy success. A twelve year associate of Montage Hotels & Resorts, Orlich joined Montage Laguna Beach on the pre-opening team in 2002 as food and beverage director, where he was instrumental in positioning the property as an industry leader. Under his direction as general manager, the hotel generated many accolades including Five Star ratings from Forbes Travel Guide for the hotel, Spa Montage and Studio restaurant as well as the AAA Five Diamond Award for the resort. Orlich's leadership resulted in the resort being recognized locally as the "Top Workplace in Orange County" by the Orange County Register. Globally, Montage Laguna Beach was honored by Condé Nast Traveler with the "World Saver Award" for sustainable practices.
iRiS Software Systems, the multi award-winning guest facing apps provider will be attending the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) 2014 for the fourth year running to showcase their suite of apps.
Global leader in hotel front desk upselling to help debunk hospitality's myth of a price ceiling at the must-attend event of the year for revenue management strategy
Examining a Danish hotel guest, I became uncomfortably aware of sweat dripping down my back. I hadn't experienced this since the previous autumn. Summer doesn't arrive in Los Angeles until mid-June, but it was an average day with temperatures in the 80s. The lobby and corridors felt comfortable, but a wave of hot air greeted me as the guest opened his door.
Industry professionals attending the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) June 23 -26, 2014 in Los Angeles, Calif., will be pleased to find several new and returning technology features. These features are meant to help attendees participate and navigate their way through the event filled week.
Barry Shuler was selected as the 2014 inductee to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame for his role in developing a model for hotel industry enterprise architecture and IT strategic planning. After a long career as a lead technology strategist for Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and International Hotels Group, he is currently CIO and IT consulting principal with Design Management Associates, Inc. The induction into the Hall of Fame, which is Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP) highest level of recognition in the area of technology, will take place at the 2014 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif. USA.