HVS, the leading global hospitality consulting and services firm, in conjunction with New York University"s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, has released its annual Manhattan Hotel Market Overview, and the occupancy and average rate trends continue to remain positive. Additionally, new inventory continues to be occupied indicating a continued need for more rooms.
New York"s Roger Smith Hotel is now driving mobile and Facebook reservations through tools provided by Pegasus Solutions. The Midtown Manhattan boutique has launched a mobile site leveraging OpenFlex from Open Hospitality, a division of Pegasus, and has tapped the OpenView booking engine to capture "Facebookings."
Trying to tap into Manhattan's hot market for luxury apartments and high-end hotels, Starwood Capital Group's Baccarat Hotels and Resorts is launching a plan to develop a project across from the Museum of Modern Art. The $403 million development will include 115 hotel rooms with some rates that Starwood said will exceed $800 a night and 64 residences that the real-estate investor hopes will be among the city's most expensive on a square-foot basis.
The New York City hotel market managed to defy the slump most of the country experienced during and after the recession. Occupancy rates in the city were 85 percent last year, compared with a national average of 60 percent. And despite a tough market for financing, at least 15 hotels opened in the five boroughs in 2011 — roughly half of them outside Manhattan. From 2006 to 2011, 42 percent of the city’s new hotels were built in the outer boroughs, according to data from NYC & Company, the local tourism organization
As Hilton New York prepares to play host during Earth Week to sustainability experts and advocates from across the corporate world for the Sustainable Operations Summit (www.sustainableoperationssummit.com) being held from April 17 to 19, Manhattan's largest hotel is pleased to announce the completion of a new green roof system and the installation of a Cogeneration (Combined Heat & Power) System, both designed to reduce the hotel's overall carbon footprint.
What will travel look like in fifty years? Will heavy suitcases and lineups be annoyances of the past? It is hard to know, but we can speculate. In this new "Travel SOS" video, Mat Devine of alternative rock band Kill Hannah helps me paint a picture of the future. Our predictions are based on bona fide technological advances. Robots to carry luggage Yotel NYC, the futuristic hotel where we filmed this video, has a robot bellhop. The 20-foot-tall arm lifts and stores baggage in a space-saving unit. A scanner and password system keeps the bags secure. No tip needed.
ARINC Incorporated today announced that the flagship YOTEL New York hotel, located on 10th Ave. and W42nd St. in Times Square West, has become the first hospitality provider to offer ARINC's microFIDSTM airline flight information service to its guests via their in-cabin flat screen TVs.
Wyndham's first, Euro-style Tryp hotel in the USA wants to make sure you feel connected - whether to other guests in your group, helpful hotel staffers or other guests you've never met. So in a move that may be repeated by more hotels in coming months, Tryp has become the first hotel in the U.S. to launch a new, temporary social media networking service called "LobbyFriend." LobbyFriend - an app designed specifically for registered hotel guests - creates a network that you can tap into on your smartphone. You can also see it in action on prominently displayed, lobby TV screens.
The upscale Four star, 100 large rooms, 12-story, 71,250-square-feet building is a unique property in a prime midtown location. The property was managed by Vincci Hotel Management prior to the acquisition.
As the hospitality industry experiences positive growth, their business partners work with them to expand and meet their growing needs. Signature Worldwide, the leading provider of training and business solutions for hotels, hotel management companies, casinos, and other service-based organizations, has added new staff to keep up with growth in this industry. A key hire is Brian Kotula, new National Director of Sales, based in New York City.
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., owners or part owners and managers of 49 luxury hotel, restaurant, tourist train and river cruise properties in 24 countries, today announced the appointment of Richard M. Levine, as Chief Legal Officer, effective February 21, 2012. Based in New York, Levine will supervise global legal and regulatory matters for the Company. With a legal career spanning over 23 years, Levine joins Orient-Express from Kerzner International Holdings Ltd, where he was Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and led the legal, regulatory and compliance departments, negotiations for major corporate investments and financings under the acclaimed One&Only and Atlantis brands. Prior to joining Kerzner International, Levine was General Counsel at the private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, LLC and the Private Equity Division of Credit Suisse First Boston.
Operators of the biggest hotels in New York City have agreed to a long-term contract that will give hotel housekeepers and other employees significant pay raises, fully paid health coverage, larger pension contributions and one unusual benefit: personal panic buttons.
Chef Muraco comes to Andaz 5th Avenue with nearly 20 years of experience in both the hospitality and restaurant industries and will be overseeing all of the hotel's food & beverage operations including the shop, the bar downstairs, in-room dining and Apartment 2E.
With sales skills that developed on two continents, Ordóñez-Maloney joined Hyatt 48 Lex from Hilton New York Fashion District where she held the position of Associate Director of Sales. Previously, she held sales positions in New York City and Baltimore, including Senior Sales Manager at Hotel Indigo Chelsea in New York; Pre-Opening Director of Sales at Hotel Indigo Inner Harbor in Baltimore; and Catering and SMERF Sales Manager at Doubletree Inn at the Colonnade in Baltimore. Ordóñez-Maloney got her start in 2002 as a Front Office Manager at the Red Mangrove Adventure Inn in the Galapagos Islands before moving into sales at Hotel El Dorado in Cuenca, Ecuador the following year.
A Rooms Division management veteran who gained valuable guest relations experience with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Brian Twomey joined Hyatt 48 Lex following one year as Director of Housekeeping at W Times Square, a Starwood property. Previously, Twomey held the same position at Grand Hyatt New York, overseeing 300 associates from 2008-2010. His experience with Hyatt before that included Front Office Manager at Hotel Victor in Miami Beach from 2007-2008 and Assistant Front Office Manager at Grand Hyatt New York from 2005-2007. Twomey launched his career as Housekeeping Supervisor at Grand Hyatt New York in 2005.
Member hotels gathered last week at the Harvard Club of New York City for the Centric Hospitality Group Annual Sales, Marketing & Reservation Conference, which featured the announcement of new initiatives for 2012, a VIP 10th Anniversary Event and panel discussions with the industry's top travel agencies and corporate travel buyers. CARINO Hotels and Resorts, Qube Hotels and InnPoints Worldwide merged in September 2011, creating the global multi-tiered hotel service and technology company Centric Hospitality Group.
LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE:LHO) today announced that it acquired The Park Central Hotel in New York City for $396.2 million. The 934-room, urban, full service hotel is located on Seventh Avenue, between West 55th and West 56th Streets, in midtown Manhattan. The transaction was funded with cash on hand, borrowings from the Company’s senior unsecured credit facility and issuance of 296,300 Operating Partnership Units valued at $27.00 per share.
TTI Technologies, the hospitality industry's leading provider of Driver's License/Passport Scanners, Business Centers, Concierge Services and other hotel solutions was selected by Boston Park Plaza to design and install their new business center. In July of 2011 Boston Park Plaza distributed a RFP to replace their existing business center solution in an effort to consolidate the services provided by three vendors.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts today announced the brand's return to Albany, N.Y., with the reflagging of Crowne Plaza Albany - City Center as Hotel Albany, an affiliate of Hilton. The hotel will undergo extensive renovations to the guest rooms, lobby, common areas, administrative offices and parking garage in early 2012, and upon completion will bear the new name of Hilton Albany. Hotel Albany is the first Hilton property in the Capital District region and joins The Saratoga Hilton as the second hotel in Upstate New York.
Ringing in the New Year in New York City this December 31 will be an expensive proposition for travelers who waited until the last minute to secure a reservation. New analysis compiled by NewYorkHotels.org has found that a few hotel rooms are still available in and around the Big Apple, but only if revelers are willing to pay sky-high prices.