Hard Rock International and the Bristol community celebrated the groundbreaking of the long-awaited permanent casino located at 500 Gate City Highway. The celebration featured a commemorative shovel groundbreaking with Hard Rock representatives and local community leaders.
Demand for hotel rooms picked up again after the week of Thanksgiving, and the U.S. hotel industry sold the second-highest number of rooms on record for this week.
While there was a lot of political debate over the past few months about whether two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth — a common definition for a recession — in the first six months of 2022 constituted a recession or not, the U.S. hotel industry did not realize a recession by any measure. Hotel companies are seeing demand rise above pre-pandemic levels, and ADRs are at record highs. This is fueling unrealistic optimism for hotel revenues in 2023 and contributing to a familiar industry habit of thinking that strong current revenue performance will continue into next year.
The Adolphus announces Danny Estevez as Area Managing Director for the iconic, award-winning Downtown Dallas hotel. Relocating from South Florida, Estevez offers refreshed energy and expertise to the historic property.
Aimbridge Hospitality, a leading global hospitality company, has been selected to manage the 233-room Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia hotel, which will be operated within its Full Service division focused on differentiated and nimble management of full service and luxury assets. The new Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia, located near the Arcadia Horse Racetrack and Santa Anita Golf Course, opened last year and is owned by Chateau Group USA and Mingzhu LLC. The hotel will transition to Aimbridge management by year-end.
NexGen Hotels, a hotel development and management company based in Itasca, Illinois, today announced the acquisition of the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Chicago Waukegan/Gurnee. Located at 4101 Fountain Square Place, the 120-suite hotel offers guests convenient access to Naval Station Great Lakes, Six Flags Great America & Hurricane Harbor, Gurnee Mills Mall, Waukegan Municipal Beach and numerous shopping, dining and entertainment options.
Industry's largest soft brand continues expansion in Georgia, providing unique experiences for guests.
As Detroit Foundation Hotel's new Director of Sales, Laia Whitfield brings with her eleven years of dedication within the hospitality industry. Her ability to seamlessly foster long-lasting business relationships is evidenced in her previous roles where her hands-on approach to sales allowed her to engage a diverse audience, changing the trajectory of client relations at all properties she has touched. At Detroit Foundation Hotel, Whitfield will spearhead sales and marketing initiatives that will showcase all that makes Detroit Foundation Hotel a hub for the community.
Joining Dannecker is Jaimie Skriba, the property's new Director of Lifestyle. Skriba started her hospitality career in Michigan working across the art and beverage industries. Skriba then moved to France, where she traveled the country studying wine and working with various hospitality groups on photography and marketing. Since moving back to Michigan Skriba has held various production roles with brands including Skymint Brands, Capitol Records and The Sundance Institute and has continued her work as a freelance marketing consultant and photographer. In her new role, Skriba plans to further integrate the Motor City community into the Detroit Foundation Hotel's events and programming, uplifting those who make up the expansive culture while providing guests the opportunity to experience a slice of Detroit.
Leading the team is James Dannecker, who joins as General Manager. Dannecker previously served as Director of Task Force Operations for Aparium Hotel Group, supporting multiple properties across the portfolio. Prior to joining Aparium, Dannecker spent five years with Davidson Hospitality Group and Pivot Lifestyle Hotels, managing several properties across the United States, including the award-winning Hotel Zephyr and Hotel Madera. Dannecker has worked with boutique properties across the country for the duration of his career, from The Restoration On King Boutique Hotel to the SLS Las Vegas and Hotel Palomar. At Detroit Foundation Hotel, Dannecker hopes to use his expertise to bring the community together and create the foremost hospitality experience in Detroit.
Wild Onion Bistro & Bar at Hotel Citrine is pleased to announce Julie Cablay as Executive Chef for the California-cuisine inspired eatery. In addition to running the breakfast, weekend brunch and the all-day bistro menu, Chef Cablay is responsible for the culinary operations for Hotel Citrine and the adjacent AC Palo Alto. Chef Cablay recently accepted the position of Executive Chef after serving as interim chef for the destination.
The big picture: The latest U.S. Travel forecast is relatively unchanged from our previous estimates from the spring, despite the increased odds of a recession, stubborn inflation and additional headwinds.
As the Federal Reserve is expected to hike interest rates again next week in its attempt to curb high inflation, billionaire real estate investor Barry Sternlicht says the U.S. central bank has missed the mark.
U.S. hotel performance came in higher than the previous week but showed weakened comparisons to 2019, according to STR‘s latest data through 3 December.
NexGen Hotels, a hotel development and management company based in Itasca, Illinois, today announced the acquisition of the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Chicago Waukegan/Gurnee. Located at 4101 Fountain Square Place, the 120-suite hotel offers guests convenient access to Naval Station Great Lakes, Six Flags Great America & Hurricane Harbor, Gurnee Mills Mall, Waukegan Municipal Beach and numerous shopping, dining and entertainment options.
Edgewater Group LLC, a multidisciplinary real estate investment firm, is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Historic Windsor Hotel in Americus, Georgia to join Edgewater’s growing portfolio of assets in the hospitality, retail, office and residential spaces. The property was purchased by 125 West Lamar LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Edgewater Valley Forge Fund III LP, an affiliate of Edgewater Group LLC.
W Nashville, the luxury lifestyle hotel nestled in the Gulch, recently hired William Friedrichs as the director of beverage and food for the property. In his new role, Friedrichs is responsible for leading all food and beverage operations and activations for W Nashville.
Tom Scudero has been named Director of Engineering at Virgin Hotels New York, bringing with him two decades of experience in the engineering operations space at a luxury hospitality level. He will be tasked with setting operational standards and procedures, while simultaneously liaising with key stakeholders of the hotel to ensure proper execution of plans and project quality. Prior to this role, Scudero worked as the Director of Engineering at YOTEL New York. With his vast knowledge in hotel building infrastructure, environmental codes and regulatory requirements, Tom will bring an innovative supervisory skillset, leading the department to peak performance level.
As Director of Food & Beverage, Dennis O'Connor is responsible for overseeing all facets of the food & beverage development and programming at Virgin Hotels New York City. O' Connor has amassed over twenty years hospitality management experience in New York City, complemented by national food and beverage operations positions across a variety of cuisines and concepts. Throughout his career, O' Connor has held executive positions at several notable restaurant groups, including Soho & Tribeca Grand Hotels, The James Hotel with David Burke, The Ace Hotel with April Bloomfield, and Jean George's 66. O'Connor also worked alongside chef and mentor Laurent Tourondel as Director of Operations and was a key component in developing LT Hospitality. Recently, he served as the Director of Restaurants for all South Florida locations in the Starr Restaurant Organization, as well as collaborated in the openings of the Conrad Fort Lauderdale and AMAN New York.
Maria Murillo has been named Director of People with a core responsibility of supporting employee engagement and productivity. Murillo's approach in humanizing business operations works to create a positive employee experience, which ensures proactive company culture, consistent engagement, training and development, recruitment practices, and other "people processes." The People team's main priority will be to understand employees holistically, not just as individual contributors. Murillo joins Virgin Hotels New York after decades-long experience as Director of Human Resources at The St. Regis New York, The Knickerbocker Times Square, and, most recently, Room Mate Hotels.