| January 9, 2013 | News for hotel and lodging professionals |
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| Business Update |  |  |
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- Supertel Hospitality announces sale of 4 properties
Supertel Hospitality has sold four of its properties across the U.S. under a strategy to divest itself of "non-strategic underperforming assets to improve the firm's margins," said company President and CEO Kelly Walters in a news release. The hotels sold are a 145-room Comfort Inn in Erlanger, Ky.; an 82-room Super 8 hotel in Lincoln, Neb.; a 73-room Ramada Limited hotel in Ellenton, Fla.; and a 73-room Super 8 in Omaha, Neb. Lincoln Journal Star (Neb.) (tiered subscription model)
(1/7)
| Market Trends |  |  |
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- Hotel developers get creative with small-hotel designs
Several hotel investors have found a way around the limited lending availability in the lodging market by acquiring small lots and adopting a flexible design attitude to fulfill brand requirements. The Embassy Suites in Fort Worth, Texas, built its brand-standard atrium on the seventh floor instead of at the lobby as in other Embassy Suites properties. "What that ultimately means for smaller footprints in an urban environment is that Embassy can enter that space because of this ... flexible strategy," said Shawn McAteer, a vice president at Embassy Suites. HotelNewsNow.com
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Luxury hotels are cooking up special inauguration menus: Several luxury-hotel restaurants are featuring inauguration meals and culinary creations inspired by President Barack Obama. Adour restaurant at The St. Regis Washington D.C. will offer tasting plates from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. during the weekend of the inauguration this month. Seasons at the Four Seasons Hotel will host a Presidential Sunday Brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Inauguration Day, featuring some of Obama's favorite dishes and those inspired by his Chicago hometown. Forbes
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| Development |  |  |
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| AH&LA News |  |  |
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Recognize your Star employees
AH&LA's 2013 Stars of the Industry Awards competition recognizes the industry's top employees, programs and lodging property achievement in 11 categories. The national deadline is Feb. 15, and there is no cost to enter. For more information on Stars of the Industry, the award categories, the nomination process and the list of 2012 winners, please visit www.ahla.com/Stars.
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Gain spa management know-how
Spas are fast becoming an essential hotel amenity. Gain the targeted knowledge you need to understand and manage spa operations with spa management courses from the Educational Institute, developed in collaboration with the International SPA Association (ISPA). For more information, call 800-349-0299 or 407-999-8100.
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Does your business use digital signs or kiosks to communicate with customers?
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| SmartQuote |  |  |
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 | If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today."
--E. Joseph Cossman, American entrepreneur and inventor

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- Monday, January 07, 2013
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- Wednesday, January 02, 2013
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