Front Desk

• Interstate Hotels takes over management of 14 UK properties
  Interstate Hotels & Resorts has announced the addition of 14 hotels to its U.K. portfolio through the acquisition of U.K.-based Sanguine Hospitality's management platform. The portfolio comprises five hotels in development and nine newly opened properties operating under several international hotel brands. HotelsMag.com (free registration) (3/1), Hotel Management online (3/1)     

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Business Update

• 7 Days Group Holdings will be acquired by consortium
  Chinese hotel chain 7 Days Group Holdings is set to be acquired in a $689 million deal. The buyer is a group composed of the Carlyle Group, Actis and Sequoia Capital. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/DealBook blog (3/1)     

• Wyndham announces rebranding of 8 hotels in U.S.
  Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has announced that it has reflagged and taken over operations of eight hotels owned by FelCor Lodging Trust. The properties, with 2,523 rooms, are in Boston, Houston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Charleston, S.C., and Santa Monica, Calif. TravelPulse (3/3)     

• Other News

• Pacific Hospitality acquires Bacara Resort & Spa in Calif.
  Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)/Money & Co. blog (2/28)     

Market Trends

• 2013 forecast is holding strong, travel experts say
  Hotels around the globe are doing relatively well so far this year. As long as they can "maintain rate, capitalize on changing channel mixes and create value creation offerings," the trend should continue, experts say in this feature. TravelClick says "the top 25 U.S. markets will see an increase of 3.7% in ADR, a 1.9% boost in occupancy and a 5.9% surge in revPAR," this feature says. "We see in most markets, the markets are relatively stable. The top 300 markets are showing stability and growth," said John Hach, a TravelClick executive. HotelNewsNow.com (2/28)     

• Number of hotel transactions expected to rise in 2013
  Rich Conti, president of The Plasencia Group, which specializes in hotel transactions, says real estate investment trust acquisition activity will grow this year. That in turn would drive more competition for properties in the major markets along with higher prices. Hotel Management online (2/28)     

• Other News

• New hotels are coming to Costa Rica, but occupancy is lackluster
  Hotel Management online (2/28)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AH&LA SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Katherine Lugar is appointed president, CEO of AH&LA (HotelsMag.com (free registration))

• TripAdvisor invites green hotels to enter GreenLeaders program (HotelsMag.com (free registration))

• World's tallest hotel is set to open this week (Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates))

• Column: 10 elements of top-notch guest service (eHotelier.com)

• $95M upgrade planned for The Woodlands Resort in Texas (American City Business Journals)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Best Practices

• Column: How to spot sagging staff engagement
  Managers should watch out for reduced work quality, absenteeism and a higher frequency of customer complaints in their workforce as they are common signs of employee disengagement, Kevin Dwyer writes. An increase in accident and incident reports also indicates a possible weakening of work standards, Dwyer writes. 4Hoteliers (3/1)     

Development

• Ground is broken for hotel at Pinnacle's Harvey, La., casino
  The construction of a $20 million hotel near Pinnacle Entertainment's Boomtown Casino in Harvey, La., will begin immediately, according to officials. The company, parish leaders and gaming board officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the five-story facility. "There's nothing as exciting as a new hotel. It will rev up the West Bank," Boomtown vice president and general manager Harold Rowland said. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (2/28)     

Government Affairs

• AH&LA outlines effects of federal spending cuts on travel
  AH&LA says that a series of federal budget cuts that took effect Friday will deeply affect the travel industry. Hotels should prepare for shorter bookings and delayed meetings in the government segment as agencies' travel budgets get slashed, the group says. HotelsMag.com (free registration) (3/1)     

AH&LA News

• Information center provides wealth of resources
  AH&LA members have unlimited access to a full-service research center dedicated to assisting them with industry-related questions. The AH&LA Information Center maintains extensive working files on thousands of hospitality-related topics. Contact Research Manager Tamika Figgs at informationcenter@ahla.com or 888-743-2515 with your member questions.     

• Safety and Security Resources
  AH&LA has seen an increase in the number of members requesting safety and security resources. AH&LA works closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve hotel property awareness as it relates to terrorism and have partnered on several resources, including videos and a risk self-assessment tool. Additionally, you can download the award-winning Traveler Safety Tips. The Educational Institute also has security training products.     

SmartQuote

The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you must accept regret." --Henri Frédéric Amiel, Swiss philosopher, poet and critic