Magnuson Hotels Reports 200th Choice Franchise Conversion
Magnuson Hotels announced today its 200th Choice Hotels franchise conversion, the Magnuson Hotel Washington located in Washington, North Carolina.
Press Releases
Best Western Announces Vib-A New Urban Boutique Hotel Concept Focused on Style, Technology and Engagement
Best Western International is launching two major new hotel development offerings – a stylish new hotel concept and a soft brand – both designed to meet growing demand for new hotel offerings in urban and primary markets. The announcement, made today during the brand's 2014 North American Convention, comes as Best Western continues to see historic growth in the brand's North American and global development pipeline.
RLHC Signs Detroit Airport Franchise
RLHC (NYSE:RLH) announced today the company signed a franchise agreement on a hotel located near the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, one of the top 20 busiest airports in the country serving more than 32 million passengers a year.
Top U.S. Hotel & Travel Industry Executives Assemble to Address ASFONA Board Meeting in Washington DC
When members of ASFONA (Association of Starwood Franchisees & Owners – North America) convene in the nation's capitol this week, they will be privy to the latest information on critical initiatives that affect the 1.8 million-employee U.S. travel industry. The ASFONA Board of Directors meeting, taking place on October 7th and 8th at the W Hotel in Washington DC, will feature high-level presentations from some of the industry's most sought-after speakers from the hotel and travel industry's most powerful organizations. These will include:
G6 Hospitality Raises the bar for economy segment
G6 Hospitality will conclude its annual brand convention today at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Hawaii by emphasizing three major initiatives that are expected to poise the company to be the uncontested leader in the economy lodging segment.
Win 15 Nights of Hotel Stays in Americas Best Value Inn’s 15th Birthday Giveaway
Americas Best Value Inn is celebrating its 15th birthday this month and giving away great prizes, including the grand prize of 15 certificates good for up to 15 nights of stays at any of ABVI's 1,000+ inns, hotels and suites in North America.
G6 Hospitality Kicks Off 2014 Annual Brand Convention
G6 Hospitality, known for its iconic economy lodging brands, Motel 6 and Studio 6 in the U.S. and Canada, is hosting its annual convention at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Hawaii, bringing together thousands of its franchisees and corporate representatives from the U.S. and Canada.
Magnuson Hotels approved by US Small Business Administration (SBA) franchise registry
Magnuson Hotels today announced its certification to the US Franchise Registry, the national listing of brands approved by the US Small Business Administration (SBA).Hotel projects that utilize SBA approved brands receive a streamlined process and faster financing approvals, cutting months off the typical loan process. As many local and regional lenders are nervous to make loans in an unstable economy and often unfamiliar with national hotel brand franchising contracts, the SBA franchise certification helps secure loan guarantees with the SBA.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. Adds One Bal Harbour to Florida Portfolio of Hotels on October 2
The Ritz-Carlton will assume management of ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa on October 2, 2014. The luxury resort will become The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami marking the tenth property in the hotel company's award-winning Florida portfolio.
Eva Ferguson Celebrates 30 Years with IHG Owners Association, Appreciating and Advocating for Franchisees
As hotel industry veteran Eva Ferguson celebrates 30 years with the IHG Owners Association - the last nine as President - she says she is most proud of taking the Association global and building a team to direct an organization where "everything we do is aimed at helping InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) franchisees."
IHG Owners Association and The Growing Role of Hotel Owners Under Forty
With hotel owners and operators under 40 making up an ever-growing portion of the industry and increasingly involved in decision-making, how are hotel companies getting input from these younger professionals? How are they helping to shape the current and future state of the hospitality industry?
ResorTime Launches New Web Site and Brand Identity
ResorTime L.P., a division of Grand Pacific Resorts, proudly re-launches its website www.ResorTime.com with a Brand Identity backed by a promise to provide unsurpassed value and service to timeshare owners and renters looking for condo-style rental accommodations at exceptional resorts worldwide.
Carlson Completes Acquisition of Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company, today announced the completion of the acquisition from JPMorgan Chase & Co. ("JPMC") for the 45 percent equity interest JPMC indirectly held in Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Forbes Travel Guide Expands Its Five Star Rating System Into The Caribbean And Mexico
Forbes Travel Guide—the originator of the Five-Star hospitality rating system and formerly Mobil Travel Guide—announced that it will begin rating properties in the Caribbean and Mexico. It will unveil the region's first group of five star properties in 2015, and will expand further in Latin America in coming months. The company also named Lourdes Hainlin Vice President, Client Services, to drive its growth in the region. Hainlin reports to Peter Kressaty, Forbes Travel Guide's Senior Vice President, Client Services.
Florida Ramada Rebrands as Magnuson Grand Hotel Maingate West
Magnuson Hotels, the world's largest independent hotel group, announced today the complete rebranding of the Magnuson Grand Hotel Maingate West. Formerly franchised by Wyndham Worldwide as the Ramada Kissimmee Maingate West, the hotel will upgrade its local, regional, and national market to attract travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Hotels' global portfolio of nearly 2,000 hotels.
Latest CWT Research Shows Mobile Booking Set to Represent 25 Percent of all Online Corporate Bookings by 2017
Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) today releasedTap into mobile: managed travel in the digital economy, an investigation into the impact of mobile in the managed travel space. The free-to-download study suggests that mobile bookings are set to climb steeply over the next decade and will influence not only the entire traveler experience but will shift how travel managers control their travel programs, using the latest mobile technology to help support and connect to their travelers. Both travelers and travel managers expect mobile booking to increase significantly, reaching 25 percent of online transactions by 2017.In addition, CWT's research predicts that mobile bookings will more than double in the next two years.CWT research also shows that it took up to eight years for online booking tools to reach the same level of activity that mobile is expected to achieve in the next three years. The study highlights the high expectations that both travelers and travel managers have for mobile travel services and their awareness of the advantages and benefits it will bring.Supporting the idea that traveler experience is key, the study highlights that neither travelers nor travel managers expect mobile to significantly drive down travel costs; instead ease of doing business, productivity and traveler wellbeing all rank higher as key benefits of mobile. As a result, managed travel apps are becoming more sophisticated, and companies who act now will reap the most benefit, as they steer travelers towards the apps that support the travel program.The study also highlighted that an estimated average of 62 percent of travelers already carry company smartphones and 56 percent of companies surveyed already, or plan to, have a 'Bring your own device' policy. Globally, travel managers also consider the potential impact of mobile on the travel program to be high, rating it 6.8 overall on a scale of 1 to 10.David Moran, CWT executive vice president, Global Marketing & Enterprise Strategy, said, "We have been planning for this shift for some time and are getting ready to launch new mobile services, such as mobile booking through CWT To Go later this year. While 80 percent of travelers and travel managers told us they want a one-stop-shop app so they don't have to juggle between best-of- breed consumer apps, there isn't an app on the market today that answers all their needs, and that's what we're excited about – building on CWT To Go to create the corporate travel app that appeals to both travel managers and travelers."Looking to the Asia Pacific region, CWT's research shows:
U.S. Business Travel Spending Projected to Top $292 Billion in 2014
A leading travel industry forecast finds U.S.-originated business travel grew nearly 3% year-over-year, with company spending for business travelers increasing 7.6% to $71.2 billion during 2014 Q1 / the first quarter of 2014. This indicates rising management confidence in the economic recovery, which tends to accompany increased travel budgets and fewer travel restrictions. Overall, U.S.-generated business travel spending is expected to increase 6.8% to $292.3 billion in 2014.
For Hotel Guests, a Key and an Airport Lounge | nytimes.com
Airport lounges have long been a way for airlines to offer exclusive waiting areas for elite-class travelers; now a few hotels are entering the game. The Four Seasons Lana’i has a branded lounge in Honolulu, Hawaii, at Island Air’s commuter terminal, for guests to enjoy snacks, nonalcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi and courtesy iPads while they wait for their connecting flight — at no extra cost.
IHG Owners Association Holds Summits 2014 Around the Globe
The IHG Owners Association, which has represented thousands of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) owners for nearly six decades, has been holding regional gatherings to hear directly from IHG owners and operators around the globe. The 2014 Summit series was launched in San Francisco and has visited Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Toronto and Washington, D.C. In addition, meetings have been held in Puebla, Mexico and Sydney, Australia.
Independent Gateway Inn Rebrands as M-Star Cleveland
London UK/Spokane WA -- Magnuson Hotels, the world's largest independent hotel group, announced today the complete rebranding of the M-Star Cleveland. Formerly the Gateway Inn Cleveland, Georgia, the hotel will upgrade its local, regional, and national market to attract travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Hotels' global portfolio of nearly 2,000 hotels. "We are proud to welcome Paul Patel and his entire staff, and are fully committed to increasing their visibility and reservations," stated Thomas Magnuson, CEO of Magnuson Worldwide. Corporate, educational, government, and leisure travelers will appreciate this 30-room facility located between Atlanta and North Carolina, within walking distance of Truett McConnell College. The M-Star Cleveland will receive complete global brand representation via an affiliation with the fastest growing hotel brand in history. A top 10 global hotel chain, Magnuson Hotels has added more hotels in the past 11 years than 8 of the top 10 chains combined. The M-Star Cleveland will expand its consumer awareness through Magnuson Hotels' contemporary brand and its massive hotel reservation network including 650,000 GDS travel agents, over 2,000 internet booking channels such as Google, Facebook, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, Global Hotel Exchange, and all major airlines websites.