M&R Hotel Management today announced the appointment of Robert Arigo, a 29-year hospitality veteran, as vice president of operations, responsible for overseeing the company's 15 managed hotels in the New York metropolitan area.
Ahead of one of the busiest travel days of the year, Terminix, a leading provider of termite and pest control services and a ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) company, today released its 2018 ranking of the top 25 most bed bug-infested cities in the country.
Planning on attending the Eye for Travel in Las Vegas on the 18th and 19th October 2018? Be sure to join the 18th October afternoon discussion: Catapult Your Profits Through Industry Partnerships.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) today unveiled Clarion Pointe, a midscale select-service brand extension of Clarion that brings together the premium elements guests desire and an affordable travel experience. It also meets hotel owners' strong demand for a new select-service opportunity that is a differentiator in the popular midscale segment.
Building on decades of investments in safety and security and in coordination with security experts, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the major hotel brands in membership today announced the 5-Star Promise, a pledge to provide hotel employees across the U.S. with employee safety devices (ESDs) and commit to enhanced policies, trainings and resources that together are aimed at enhancing hotel safety, including preventing and responding to sexual harassment and assault.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' (NYSE: WH) President and CEO Geoff Ballotti, Chairman of the Board Steve Holmes, executive leadership, team members and hotel teams today rang the NYSE Opening Bell celebrating the launch of the company's new ticker symbol "WH".
Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) today announced that its subsidiary, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, has completed its previously announced acquisition of La Quinta Holdings' hotel franchising and hotel management business. The addition of La Quinta's over 900 franchised hotels with a total of nearly 89,000 rooms builds Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' midscale presence and expands its reach further into the upper-midscale segment of the lodging industry.
RLH Corporation (NYSE:RLH) today announced it has entered into consulting agreements with key executives Roger Bloss, President of Global Development, and Bernard (Bernie) Moyle, Chief Operating Officer, which will continue through 2020. Bloss and Moyle have agreed to end their employment with the Company effective May 31, 2018, and start their consulting work on June 1, 2018.
Cambria Hotels knows you don't need to be the boss to travel like a boss. Nearly four out of five people today define a boss as someone who is confident and in control. Just like the concept of a boss has been redefined, so have the needs of today's business travelers.
A new report issued today at GBTA Conference 2018 - Toronto reveals the high potential of business travel to drive economic development and business success. The report, produced by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), in partnership with BCD Travel and Air Canada, also reveals the risk to the nation's economy from a downturn in travel.
After three years, prices travelers paid for overnight accommodations rose 2% globally in 2017, according to the latest Hotels.com® Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®). In a year where cryptocurrencies flooded the market, hashtags took over the red carpet and political debate turned well, political, the needle has also moved for travelers, with a two-point rise in the global Index to 116, the closest it has been to the 2007 peak of 118.
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world's largest and most dynamic hotel groups, today announced the appointment of nine field directors within its development team. This new geographical structure allows the team to work more effectively with franchise owners and operators in addition to other business areas across the organization.
The IHG Owners Association, which represents InterContinental Hotels Group® (IHG®) franchise hotel owners worldwide, has announced that Deepesh Kholwadwala has assumed chairmanship of its Global Board of Directors for 2018. Deepesh is the President and CEO of Dreamcatcher Hotel Group and Sun Capital Hotels with expertise in hotel feasibility, planning, financing, construction, and operations. Deepesh succeeds Allen Fusco, owner and operator of ANABRA Associates. "I am proud to serve as the voice of our owner members this year, and I look forward to collaborating with IHG in this endeavor," said Kholwadwala. Don Berg, CEO of the IHG Owners Association, notes that "Deepesh's intellect and mathematical mindset will prove beneficial as we tackle our hotel owners' challenges with revenue management and commissions to third parties. Another of our main goals is to manage industry disrupters to ensure optimal returns to the bottom line. Deepesh's technological perspective will be a fresh, forward-thinking approach for our Association members." Deepesh is a University of New Mexico graduate and holds a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He started his first career at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque where he was appointed as the principal investigator to lead several Russian R&D projects aimed at nuclear non-proliferation. Deepesh became a principal member managing research projects in the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center. Deepesh jointly holds three patents, the most recent in 2017 which deals with neural interface methods for artificial sensory. He has received the R&D 100 Award [often referred to as the Oscars of Innovation] and was the recipient of the Individual Leadership Award. Deepesh was recognized as an outstanding contributor in developing new methods in solving complex engineering problems. Guided by his father's principles of business, Deepesh raised capital and structured a successful launch of his hotel company in 2003. Today, Deepesh's company owns and/or operates nine IHG, Hilton and Marriott-branded hotels in its portfolio with an additional four in the pipeline. He leads his management team to uphold the company's mission to provide guests unrivaled and exceptional levels of hospitality. Deepesh deeply connects with the challenges of both internal and external market forces affecting today's hotel owners. He volunteers his time to lead and advocate on behalf of IHG Owners Association members from around the world. In becoming the voice for these members, Deepesh states, "the success of any brand is ultimately determined by long-term profitability of its owners, not shareholders. Every dollar improves owner's margin, and each margin point drives their future branding decision, and therefore, chains must commit to protecting and growing the owners' margins to remain a relevant choice." Deepesh serves as an Officer of the IHG Owners Association Board of Directors, Capital CDC Board of Director, Albuquerque Lodgers Tax Committee (2018), Co-chair of the IHG Owners Association Americas Council (2015), IHG OA Strategic Planning Committee (2015), vice-chair of the Governance Committee (2013-2016), New Mexico Lodging Association Board of Director (2010-2012), La Quinta Brand Council (2006-2012), and First American Bank Advisory Board Executive (2012-2015). He completed the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration Real-estate Development Program (2007, 2010), and Emory Institute Goizueta Business School Executive Global Leadership program in 2009. Deepesh's hotels have received the Newcomer of the Year and Quality Excellence Awards from IHG in 2011-13 and 2016, Hilton's Lighthouse Award (2014, 2015), Marriott Gold Guest Satisfaction (2016). The IHG Owners Association is also pleased to announce its 2018 Global Board of Directors:
ONE Lodging Management Inc. ("ONE") is proud to unveil Baymont Inn & Suites Wellington, Kan., one of 44 Oak Tree Inn hotels now converted to three of Wyndham Hotel Group's brands as part of an unprecedented agreement announced last month. "Over the past month and a half, we've transitioned three or four hotels each day to a Baymont Inn & Suites®, a Travelodge®, or a Super 8® brand" says Robert Pratt, President of ONE Lodging Management. Mr. Pratt continued, "It's all about appealing to a wider audience and Wyndham's brand recognition, reach in the economy lodging segment, and their award-winning loyalty program will ensure our hotels stay competitive in their markets." Attendees for the milestone event comprised Wyndham Hotel Group's executive team including President and CEO Geoff Ballotti as well as leadership from the company's development team and Baymont Inn & Suites, Travelodge and Super 8 brands. Kevin Brickner, Vice President of Development and Wyndham's lead on establishing the unprecedented agreement, congratulated the team on the 44 successful conversions. From ONE Lodging Management's executive team, Robert Pratt, President; Bruce Pittet, Senior Vice President of Operations; and Brett Sundstrom, Managing Director of Lodging Enterprises as well as from the hotel ownership group, Ian McAuley, President of American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP were also present for the celebratory unveiling.
In the spirit of the Sydney Opera House, Paris' Eiffel Tower, the St. Louis Gateway Arch and even the Washington Monument, the iconic guitar hotel tower under construction at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood is soon to become one of the world's most recognized landmarks.
The U.S. leisure travel population fell to 145 million in 2016, decreasing for the first time since 2011. The decline came a year after leisure travel incidence surpassed the pre-recession peak for the first time to hit a new high of 72%. But instead of maintaining their confident outlook, U.S. consumers pulled back on travel, with just two thirds of Americans taking a leisure trip. New Phocuswright research found that those who did travel took fewer trips and spent less; average annual travel spend declined more than $500.
Extended Stay America® hotels (ESA), the largest owner operated hotel chain in the U.S., has announced the completion of the brand's largest renovation and improvement program in company history. Having invested more than $1 billion over the past five years on portfolio-wide enhancements for the brand's more than 620 properties nationwide, Extended Stay America has both ensured guests' stays are comfortable and convenient, and set a solid foundation for the brand's next stage of development and growth.
Further cementing its long-standing position as a leader in the midscale hotel segment, Wyndham Hotel Group – the hospitality giant with an unparalleled portfolio of more than 8,000 hotels globally – today announced plans to acquire the Minnesota-based AmericInn® hotel brand and its management company, Three Rivers Hospitality, from Northcott Hospitality for $170 million. AmericInn's portfolio consists of 200 primarily franchised hotels with approximately 11,600 rooms in 21 states, predominately in the Midwestern U.S., Ohio Valley, and Mountain states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and North Dakota. The brand's U.S. pipeline consists of 23 hotels. Committed to its asset-light strategy, Wyndham Hotel Group will explore options to divest the owned portfolio, which consists of 10 hotels.The deal, subject to regulatory and government approval and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, will bolster Wyndham Hotel Group's existing collection of more than 1,500 midscale hotels while also significantly increasing its footprint in the Midwest. Upon closing, Wyndham's family of brands will expand to 20 iconic names. "AmericInn's unwavering dedication to first-rate quality and service, proven by its consistently high ratings and guest satisfaction scores, grows our North American system in the heartland where we see great opportunity for continued growth," said Geoff Ballotti, Wyndham Hotel Group's president and chief executive officer. "AmericInn's guest-centric culture aligns perfectly with our values, making it a fantastic tuck-in brand for us. And with the global middle class expected to more than double in the next 10 years, we know investing in the midscale segment allows us to offer great experiences and value at price points that travelers need and where they want to be." "By joining a renowned company with more hotels globally than any other, our AmericInn brand and our owners have the unique opportunity to leverage Wyndham's tremendous distribution and sales and marketing capabilities, taking the brand to the next level," said Paul Kirwin, president and chief executive officer for Northcott Hospitality. "For our guests, this move gives them access to some of the most amazing and attainable travel experiences around the world through Wyndham's unrivaled loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards." AmericInn is the latest addition to Wyndham Hotel Group's growing portfolio of brands following last month's launch of The Trademark Hotel Collection, a new concept for upper-midscale-and-above independent hotels. Late last year, the company acquired Fen Hotels and its Dazzler Hotels and Esplendor Boutique lifestyle brands, significantly expanding its presence and management business in Latin America.
Good service isn't just about quality anymore; it's also about flexibility. It's not enough for transport to be fast and comfortable, it needs to be inexpensive and accessible too. The same goes for the other key aspects of travel: meal choices and, of course, accommodation.
Magnuson Hotels, America's fastest growing hotel brand and RG Hotels, the leading hotel management company today announced that the Magnuson Grand Memphis Airport Hotel, in just a few months has seen revenue increases in excess of 400%.