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.
The bar climbs higher Thirty-five hotels totaling 9,600 rooms in New York City feature a rooftop bar, representing 12 percent of New York City's total hotel room supply. Lifestyle boutique hotels are still the most prevalent properties offering rooftop bars; however, international hotel chains have entered the rooftop bar arena, representing nearly a third of the total number of rooms.
Marshall-Alan Associates, renowned as one of the best hospitality executive search consultants in the industry, announces the appointment of Suzanne McIntosh who joins from the Morgans Hotel Group. In this new position, Suzanne will specialize in retained executive search and mid management recruitment for hotels and resorts, and the gaming industry. Suzanne's extensive 25 years' experience leading and directing high performing sales and marketing teams for prestigious hotel brands including Four Seasons and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts provides Marshall-Alan Associates with further insight into understanding clients' needs and the demands of recruitment assignments.
The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration has named the Tisch family as recipients of the 2012 Cornell Icon of the Industry Award. This award will recognize the Tisch family for their lifetime achievements in business and for their extraordinary contributions to educational, civic, and charitable communities. Andrew, James, and Jonathan Tisch will receive the award on behalf of the family at a gala dinner at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on June 5, 2012.
In a sign of continued confidence in New York's booming hotel market, the New York Observer reports that a developer wants to super-size a hotel planned on Broadway between 29th and 30th streets - an area being hyped as "NoMad." The goal is to build a 600-room hotel that appeals to business travelers and tourists alike with moderate rates, the article says.
The forum, entitled "Sustainable Hospitality: Green Innovation in Practice", took place at the NYU Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for University Life. This topic represents an important challenge for the hospitality industry today, and has also been designated a key issue at EHL during its current academic year. The NYU-SCPS faculty panel was represented by Constantine Kontokosta, Clinical Assistant Professor at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate and Director of the NYU Schack Center for the Sustainable Built Environment, and Sharr Prohaska, Clinical Associate Professor in hospitality and tourism management at the NYU-SCPS Tisch Center. Speakers were Claude Béglé, Ph.D., CEO of Symbioswiss, as well as Professor Frédéric Delley, head of Innovation and Creativity at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (INTEHL). The panel was presided over by Hervé Houdré, regional director and general manager of InterContinental New York Barclay.
Heather brings with her more than 10 years of spa industry expertise. Most recently, she was Spa Director at the Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa at the Plaza Hotel, the North American flagship for Caudalie’s French retail brand. Prior to her tenure at Caudalie Vinotherapie, Heather spent three years as Director of Spa Operations for Plus One Management opening and operating spas for brands including Fairmont, InterContinental, Loews, Trump and AmeriStar Casinos. Heather’s extensive experience also includes Spa Manager posts in New York for both the famous Soho House Cowshed Spa and the Trump International Hotel & Tower’s spa. Heather began her career with Hilton as the Spa Operations Manager for Hilton New York. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.
On November 14th in New York City, HOTELS Magazine formally presented its 2011 Hotelier of the World awards to Katie Taylor, president and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts,Toronto, and Geoffrey Gelardi, managing director of The Lanesborough in London. Marking the 31st year of the awards program, more than 200 industry luminaries were on hand to fete Taylor and Gelardi, who were voted by HOTELS readers for displaying leadership and setting the standard for global hotelkeeping excellence.
On Monday afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference at the boutique Z NYC hotel in Long Island City, to announce that by year’s end, the city will have 90,000 hotel rooms, 24 percent more than it had in 2006. The mayor made his announcement on a rooftop complete with padded banquettes, a bar, and a panoramic view of Manhattan. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve increased the number of hotel rooms in New York City by more than 50 percent,” boasted the mayor.
Four Seasons President and CEO Kathleen Taylor was recognised as the Corporate Hotelier of the World by HOTELS Magazine at a ceremony in New York City today. She is the first woman ever to receive the award.
The other day I received a totally undeserved standing ovation as I spoke to students at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. I think the students just wanted to stretch their legs after 45 minutes of listening to my stories. I was really surprised and stunned by the applause. But as I later thought about it, the clapping wasn’t for me but the incredible growth of our hospitality industry.
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. today announced its appointment as the management company for the new Hotel Indigo, IHG's (InterContinental Hotels Group) upscale boutique brand, being built on Broad Street in downtown Newark. The historic National State Bank Building, designed in 1912 by Cass Gilbert, will be converted into the 106 guest room hotel opening in late 2012. The Hotel Indigo will include 1,100 square feet of meeting space, a full-service business center, a lounge and restaurant which serves breakfast and dinner.
Nancy Johnson, CHA, executive vice president, development, Carlson Hotels, Americas, outlined her agenda for the coming year at the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) Inaugural Gala held at the Mandarin Oriental Sunday, November 13.