Some of the world's most well-loved cartoon characters will be coming to life through a partnership announced today by Cartoon Network and Palace Entertainment. The Cartoon Network Hotel will be the premier family lodging experience in Central Pennsylvania.
Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners announced today that it has acquired the Atherton Hotel in State College. The hotel will operate independently while renovations take place. Once complete in fall of 2019, the hotel will be converted to Graduate State College, part of the Graduate Hotels® collection.
Davidson Hotels & Resorts, one of the nation's premier management companies in the lodging industry, is proud to announce its 15th university-oriented property, with the addition of the Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel, owned by the University of Pennsylvania, one of the one of the world's leading teaching and research institutions, to its diverse nationwide portfolio.
Officials of Shaner Hotels, an award winning, international hotel owner, operator and developer, today announced the opening of the 123-room Fairfield Inn & Suites Harrisburg. Owned and operated by Shaner Hotels, the hotel is located on land leased from the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA), a joint-municipal authority that operates four regional airports.
Hilton and Audubon Land Development today broke ground on a new Tru by Hilton property located in Audubon, Pennsylvania. The 121-room, five-story hotel will be located at 825 Forge Avenue, just minutes from the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, Valley Forge National Park, and King of Prussia Mall, which is the largest shopping mall in the United States with over 400+ retailers. The hotel is expected to be completed in the fall of 2019.
Renaissance Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., together with The Buccini/Pollin Group, today announced the opening of Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel following a multi-million dollar renovation. This anticipated opening further reinforces the brand's significant growth momentum around the world with upcoming openings planned in neighborhoods from Harlem to Hangzhou, and from Chelsea to Taipei.
Cambria Hotels made its official debut in Philadelphia with the grand opening of the Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown - Center City. The 223-room, 15-story property will soon include a rooftop bar and restaurant with 3,000-square-feet of indoor and outdoor space featuring one-of-a-kind city views.
Modus Hotels and Parkway Corporation broke ground yesterday on Pod Philly, Philadelphia"s first micro-hotel, together with PhiladelphiaCommerce Director, Harold Epps. Modus Hotels, a developer, owner and operator of a diverse collection of lifestyle hotels in Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago andPhiladelphia, has partnered with Parkway Corporation, a Philadelphia-based family-owned and operated parking, real estate development, and airport services company, to develop the hotel. Parkway has acquired, developed and managed commercial parking facilities across the US and Canada since 1930.
Leo Spriggs, President and CEO of Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), is happy to announce that former team member Rory McCook will return to the company as General Manager of the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey. As an established hospitality professional, he brings extensive knowledge of hotel management and familiarity with the Harrisburg market. He previously held the position of General Manager for the Sheraton Wilmington South Hotel in New Castle, Delaware. Prior to that, McCook worked for HMC as Assistant General Manager at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey. His experience also includes numerous management positions with Classic Conferences out of Hackensack, NJ, and The Hotel Hershey, Hershey, PA. He received his Associate Degree from the Sawyer School, Pittsburgh, PA, in 2000.
German born Chef Mirko Loeffler started his culinary training in South Germany. He got his start working in some of Europe"s finest hotels throughout Germany, France, Monaco, Switzerland and Italy. He was hired by a French restaurant, The Ridgefield Inn, in Connecticut in 1983, which brought him stateside, and he spent a subsequent 4 years in New England before returning to Switzerland to open the five-star Les Haute de Gstaad Hotel. After a successful opening and a 9-month season, he returned again to America, where he held posts for Wyndham, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Adams Mark and Hilton Hotels, mostly on the East Cost and St. Louis. He also served as the executive chef for Sandals in Montego Bay, Jamaica. In 2010, he trained the culinary staff of six cruise ships of the Victoria Cruise Line, on the Yangtze River between Chongping and Shanghai, and once again returned to America where he opened his own restaurant, Mirko"s a Taste of Europe, in New Jersey.
The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia is proud to announce the appointment of Leonard Buckley as general manager. Mr. Buckley joins the historic hotel with thirty nine years of hospitality management experience. A tenured industry veteran, Mr. Buckley will be responsible for all aspects of operations at the hotel.
TRYP by Wyndham, Wyndham Hotel Group"s urban lifestyle brand, announces its next U.S. destination: a transformed former school building in Pittsburgh"s Lawrenceville neighborhood –recently dubbed "America"s Coolest Neighborhood" by Money Magazine.
The Logan Philadelphia, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, is pleased to welcome Philadelphia native JoAnn Wrenn as its new General Manager. Wrenn, a veteran of Sage Hospitality, which manages The Logan, joins from the JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek, where she was general manager for the last three years.
Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) All Suites portfolio, announced today its newest property, Home2 Suites by Hilton Dickson City Scranton. Designed for travelers who want to maintain their normal routine, the hotel features 70 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Located on the scenic Route 6, Home2 Suites by Hilton Dickson City Scranton adds new options that guarantee a fresh, new approach for travelers.
In preparation for the Four Seasons’ much-anticipated return to Philadelphia, Ben Shank has been appointed as General Manager of the new Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center. The appointment marks an exciting homecoming for Shank, who started his career in hospitality almost two decades ago at the original Four Seasons in Philadelphia, which the company operated from 1983 to 2015. Having worked his way across the continent and up the ranks with Four Seasons positions in New York, San Diego, Maui, Scottsdale, and Orlando, Shank will be returning to his hometown to take the helm as Four Seasons prepares to open its doors again in Philadelphia. Shank began his career with Four Seasons as a busboy at the popular Fountain Restaurant in Philadelphia before earning a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Penn State University, and ultimately becoming the restaurant’s General Manager. With his keen interest and increasing experience, Shank took leadership roles in the high-energy food and beverage departments at Four Seasons in New York, Maui and San Diego, before being promoted to Resort Manager in Scottsdale. Most recently, he served as opening Resort Manager in Orlando, where he was responsible for day-to-day operations of the 443-room hotel, including its much-lauded restaurants and bars, large spa, and extensive recreational facilities.
Strand Hospitality recently announced it has hired Joseph Hull as the General Manager of the SpringHill Suites West Mifflin, PA. Hull will oversee the day-to-day operations and direct leadership of the staff at the newly renovated hotel, which is located at 1000 Regis Ave. in Pittsburgh, PA. Hull most recently worked as the General Manager for the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Pittsburgh, where he was responsible for all of the daily activities at the hotel including; budgets, forecasts, team leadership, guest satisfaction and compliance with franchise standards. During his time at the Fairfield, Hull consistently received guest satisfaction scores of 90% or higher.
The 144-suite Residence Inn by Marriott in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is scheduled to open this Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Located at 3341 Forbes Avenue, the all-suite Residence Inn Pittsburgh Oakland/University Place will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by MWK Forbes II, LLC and managed by North Star Lodging Management Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Located adjacent to Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh Oakland Campus, the Residence Inn Pittsburgh Oakland/University Place offers its guests convenient access to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospitals, Petersen Events Center as well as Carnegie Mellon, Carlow and Chatham Universities. The hotel is also located near PPG Paints Arena, PNC Park, Heinz Field and Rivers Casino. Rates vary depending on length of stay.
Officials of Shaner Hotels, an award winning, international hotel owner, operator and developer, today announced the groundbreaking of the 120-room Fairfield Inn & Suites Harrisburg. Located at the Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) Airport, the four-story hotel is owned by Shaner Hotels on land leased from the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA), a joint-municipal authority that operates four regional airports. The property will be managed by Shaner and was financed by Kish Bank based in State College, Pa.
Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City is pleased to announce the promotion of Carrie Harrington from Task Force General Manager to General Manager of the property, effective immediately.
Jennie deCarrier Benzon, vice president of distinctive franchising brands at Marriott International, has joined the Penn State School of Hospitality Management (SHM) Industry Advisory Board. As vice president of the brands AC Hotels, Aloft, Element, and Moxy, Benzon is responsible for leading franchise advisory councils, achieving key financial metrics, growth distribution, and product and guest service metrics.The board invites industry experts to strategically advise SHM on industry trends and guide students who are studying hospitality management. The members are leaders in the field, including vice presidents and senior vice presidents of large companies and executive vice presidents, chief operating officers, and CEOs of smaller companies. Benzon has a track record of increasing sales, improving quality, exceeding financial projections, and successfully tackling tough projects. Previously, Benzon served as vice president of franchising for the Fairfield Inn and Moxy brands, where she was responsible for working closely with Marriott’s global brand team to continue Fairfield Inn’s rapid growth trajectory and launch the Moxy brand in North America. Benzon also previously served as vice president of renovations and product integrity for the Americas at Marriott, where she was responsible for creating a Center of Excellence for Product Integrity. She was accountable for strategizing with a cross-brand team to improve both renovation execution and the renovation cost model. She also created and led an executive leadership board that included the president of Americas at Marriott and several executive vice presidents and senior vice presidents. Before joining Marriott, Benzon was director of operations at McDonald’s, where she was responsible for $770 million in sales, 110 franchise organizations and 550 franchised restaurants. While there, she developed and oversaw the now famous advertising campaign of “Made For You” for the Northeastern U.S. This involved creating and implementing the operating systems, training programs, tracking and measurement systems, and then rolling out a road tour to introduce it.