The 2016 HVS Manhattan Lodging Overview examines the effects of up and down economic cycles on Manhattan hotels, reviewing trends in hotel performance, supply, and demand over the past 25 years. The report also provides the most current information available on today's market, as well as forecasts for supply growth and hotel performance.
The Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) reveals an all-star line-up for this year's Annual Hotel Investment Conference taking place Wednesday, June 8 in New York City. An esteemed list of the most prominent developers, financiers and hotel luminaries will forecast dynamic hotel trends and deliberate the latest in industry news, performance and development.
BridgeStreet Global Hospitality the leading solution for international serviced apartment experiences announces the appointment of Kevin Toomer as Director of Sales for New York City. Kevin will focus on leading BridgeStreets New York City sales team and driving revenue in the market. In addition, he will be a valuable contributor in the areas of marketing, business development and strategy.
Savills Studley announced today that it has strengthened its commercial real estate structured financing capability with the addition of Cara Leonard, an experienced hotel investment banking recruit who will join the groups Hotel Investment Banking platform as Senior Managing Director in Los Angeles. Cara will be part of Savills Global Hotel Group led by George Nicholas. Prior to joining Savills Studley, Cara was the strategic head of the structured finance platform at Lowe Enterprise Investors (LEI) where she was responsible for sourcing, underwriting, structuring and negotiating debt and preferred equity investments in hotels. In that role, she also led portfolio and asset management and played a key role in capital formation and investment strategy. While at LEI, Cara also served as the portfolio manager for the firm’s hospitality fund and led investor marketing for the firms comingled funds and separate accounts.
The previous Executive Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage, Murtagh will continue to bring powerful leadership, direction and operational accountability for both rooms and food and beverage divisions in her new role as Resident Manager. With experience spanning twenty years in the hospitality industry, Murtagh has held impressive leadership roles throughout her career within diverse enterprises, including Hershey Entertainment and Resort Company, CapStar, Interstate, Kimpton, Merritt/HEI, Northwood Hospitality and the Luxury division of Hilton Worldwide. Murtagh earned a bachelor’s degree from The Cornell School of Hotel Administration with a concentration in Food and Beverage.
Garcelon is no stranger to the kitchen with over twenty years of executive chef experience held at various locations across North America. In addition to his previous role as Director of Culinary at Waldorf Astoria New York, Garcelon’s extensive experience in the industry make him uniquely qualified for his new role as Executive Director of Food & Beverage. Prior to joining Waldorf Astoria New York, Garcelon held positions at Fairmont Royal Hotel in Toronto, The Fairmont Southampton Bermuda, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, Alberta; and CP Hotels’ The Lodge at Kananaskis, Kananaskis, Alberta where he implemented programming to support sustainability and further his passion for food. Garcelon, a transplant from New Brunswick, Canada, is a graduate of Cornell University and alumni of the Culinary Institute of Canada. He is also a Certified Food and Beverage Executive with the American Hotel & Motel Association and a Certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Federation.
Gemstone Hotels and Resorts, a full-service hotel management company that specializes in operating luxury and upscale urban hotels and resorts, today announced that William Parris has joined the company as national sales director. In his new position, Parris will open a NYC sales office, with a focus on group and national accounts, as well as the social, entertainment and travel industry markets. With 16 operating hotels, and several others either opening or coming under management over the next year, Parris’ impact will be felt immediately throughout the national portfolio.
The Knickerbocker, the luxury hotel and New York City landmark located steps from Times Square and Bryant Park, announces Mario Busquets as the new Director of Sales & Marketing. Effective immediately, Mario works in tandem with the executive team on the strategic direction of hotel operations, overseeing all sales and marketing initiatives, the Knickerbocker’s leisure and group sales divisions, and managing all communications initiatives. Busquets’ experience in the marketing and sales industry spans well over a decade, having held sales and marketing positions with several high-end properties from coast to coast. Most recently, Busquets served as City Director of Sales for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, where he played an integral role in managing the sales team, top-line revenues and business development for the Kimpton properties of New York City. Previously, Busquets was the Director of Sales & Marketing for W New York.
Gabriela Guevara comes to Duetto with management experience in revenue management at Hilton Worldwide. At Hilton, she supported several high profile properties as a Revenue Manager and Revenue Analyst. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Administration/Management from New York University.
Michael Klein brings more than a decade of management experience in hotel, travel and entertainment revenue management and analytics. He joined Duetto from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., where he served as Associate Director, Revenue Analytics. He also served as Director of Revenue Analytics or Director of Revenue Management at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, and the Fairmont Newport Beach, California, and the Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration, University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Real Hospitality Group (RHG) is delighted to announce the appointment of Alicia Luke as General Manager of Hotel Shocard, which will make its debut later this month. As a skilled associate of the hospitality industry, Luke will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and activities of the hotel, as well as overseeing the space through the final stages of the opening.
The School of Hotel Administration (SHA) at Cornell University has announced that multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist, investigative reporter, New York Times bestselling author, and CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg will serve as master of ceremonies at the 8th Annual Cornell Hospitality Icon & Innovator Awards on June 7, 2016, at 583 Park Ave in New York City. At this premier fundraising event, Greenberg will help honor Isadore Sharp, founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, recipient of the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award, and Ted Teng, president and CEO of The Leading Hotels of the World, recipient of the Cornell Hospitality Innovator Award.
M&R Hotel Management, operator of 16 hotels including 13 in New York, today announced the appointment of Danny Sanchez-Toro as general manager of the 129-room Holiday Inn Express New York JFK Airport Area near John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica, New York.
Jonathan Tisch gave the Dean's Distinguished Lecture at SHA on October 23, 2015. In this DDLS conversation, Mr. Tisch explains how travel and tourism can be a vehicle for job creation and economic development. He recounts events leading up to the September 11, 2001 tragedy, and how he met with business leaders directly after 9/11 to talk about how to begin rebuilding the city. He recounts how travel and tourism was the first industry to come together to help rebuild the New York City economy in the desperate time after 9/11.
When management of the AAA Four Diamond luxury Hyatt Union Square Hotel New York decided to upgrade its in- room sound systems after only two years, they turned to Kube Systems. With chic guestrooms, lofts and suites that evoke the city's vibrant spirit and invigorating atmosphere, it was determined that in-room equipment also needed to blend with the urban-inspired design. Today, the Bluetooth streaming KS Clock™ is proudly displayed at the bedside, and features the ability to charge up to six mobile devices with built-in Apple® Lightning cable, Apple® 30-pin cable and Micro USB flip out cables suitable for Androids, Blackberrys and virtually every smartphone and tablet on the market. The KS Clock™ also features two auto-sensing USB ports and optional Qi wireless on top of the intuitive alarm clock. Hyatt Union Square New York is located at 134 Fourth Ave. in the center of Manhattan's Silicon Alley; Kube Systems is a Hyatt Preferred Vendor.
RIU Hotels & Resorts has inaugurated the Riu Plaza New York Times Square, its first hotel in New York City. The newly constructed hotel has an excellent location in the heart of Manhattan, just a few steps from emblematic Times Square and the city's most famous spots. All of these features make the new, 647-room hotel the ideal point from which to explore the city. RIU has invested a total of $ 310 million in the project, its largest investment to date. This investment included purchasing the land, constructing the building — with its modern style and 29 floors — and fitting out and decorating the hotel, with its simple and contemporary design. "This opening is a dream come true. It took us nearly ten years to find for the most appropriate opportunity to invest in the right location in New York, in addition to the three years it took to prepare and build the hotel. However, without a doubt, all of the effort and work was worth it seeing how the Riu Plaza New York Times Square hotel is now a reality", affirmed Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts. Luis Riu also made clear how "proud he is to offer our most trusted guests the opportunity to explore the city with us." New York is the cultural and economic capital of the world and receives more visits than any other city across the globe. In 2015 alone it received almost 60 million tourists, once again, beating its own record for number of visitors. Almost everyone dreams of visiting the city at least once in their lifetime and RIU expects that many of its repeat customers will also join them in New York, Of RIU's 4.1 million guests in 2015, 40% are loyal to the brand. The 647 rooms housed in the majestic building of the Riu Plaza New York Times Square are divided into doubles, executives, family suites, junior suites and the presidential suite. All of the rooms will have all sorts of amenities such as: a minibar, a flat screen television, a safe and free Wi-Fi, which will be available throughout the entire hotel. With respect to gastronomy, the hotel has the Fashion restaurant and the Capital Grab & Go bar. Fashion is an à la carte restaurant for dinners and lunches, and offers buffet breakfast in the morning. It will also be open for snacks from 12 PM to 11 PM. In turn, Capital will offer coffee, tea, soft drinks, snacks, sweets and healthy bites to eat. With regard to business tourism, the hotel has two conference rooms with capacity for 70 and 75 people, respectively, along with two meeting rooms. Guests can also rent full audiovisual equipment and all four rooms have Wi-Fi connection. It is also worth noting that guests will have a gym with the latest and most modern equipment at their disposal. With the opening of the RIU Plaza New York Times Square, RIU now has five hotels in its urban line: the Riu Plaza Berlin in Germany, the Riu Plaza Panama in Panama City, the Riu Plaza Guadalajara in Mexico, and the Riu Plaza Miami Beach in Florida (USA). About RIU: The international RIU chain was founded in Mallorca by the Riu family in 1953 as a small holiday firm and is still owned by the family's third generation. The company specialises in holiday resorts and over 70% of its establishments offer its acclaimed All Inclusive by RIU service. With the inauguration of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU is expanding its range of products with its own line of city hotels called Riu Plaza. RIU Hotels & Resorts now has more than 100 hotels in 18 countries which welcome over 4 million guests a year and provide jobs for a total of 27,268 employees. RIU is currently the world's 29th ranked chain, one of the Caribbean's most popular, the largest in Spain in terms of revenue and the third largest in number of rooms.
Hyatt Times Square New York is pleased to announce the appointment of Executive Chef Nicholas Pelliccione as Director of Food and Beverage Operations. In this new position, Pelliccione will provide vision and oversight for the hotel’s events spaces, restaurant to-go and the hotel’s vibrant restaurant and lounge, including T45, which offers classic American comfort food with a creative twist and Bar 54, one of the city’s highest rooftop lounges with breathtaking river-to-river views, gourmet bites and a bevy of creatively crafted cocktails.
Conrad New York announces the appointment of Max Harris as Director of Food and Beverage. In his new role, Harris will provide strategic leadership and execution for the hotel’s food and beverage concepts, including ATRIO Wine Bar and Restaurant, and Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar. Harris has nearly 10 years of experience to guide Conrad New York’s unique culinary programs, centered on creativity, innovation and complete guest satisfaction.
Loews Regency New York Hotel, the iconic Park Avenue hotel in Midtown Manhattan, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicholas Farina as Hotel Manager. In his new position, Farina will oversee all day-to-day operations and overall guest experiences while ensuring the implementation of strategic hotel initiatives.
Questex Travel Group today announced that it will launch a fresh, revitalized program for the annual MEET National event, formerly known as HSMAI's MEET National, Sept. 7-8 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.