| March 6, 2013 | News for hotel and lodging professionals |
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- Marriott and IKEA parent partner for new economy hotel brand
Marriott International has unveiled plans to launch a new hotel brand in the economy segment through a partnership with Inter IKEA, the parent company of the IKEA furniture chain. The Moxy Hotels chain will offer rooms with high-tech amenities and floor-to-ceiling wall art. The brand's first property is expected to open in Milan in 2014. Reuters
(3/5), HotelNewsNow.com
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- IHG will expand Holiday Inn Express into Russia
InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the entry of its Holiday Inn Express brand into Russia through a 15-hotel development deal with Regional Hotel Chain. The agreement will add a total of 2,250 rooms to IHG's development pipeline in Russia. The first two hotels will be in Voronezh and Chelyabinsk, and will open in 2014 and 2015, respectively. HotelsMag.com (free registration)
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- Four Seasons plans its first hotel in Spain
Four Seasons Hotels is looking to open its first property in Spain in the next four years. The Four Seasons Hotel Madrid will be in Madrid's historic Canalejas complex and include 215 rooms. Work is expected to start at the end of the year. TravelPulse
(3/4)
- Hyatt is in joint venture to build 2 hotels in Panama
Hyatt Hotels has unveiled a new joint venture to develop two hotels in Costa del Este in Panama City, Panama. Construction of the 168-room Hyatt Place Panama City Costa del Este and the 120-room Hyatt House Panama City Costa del Este will begin in late 2013 as part of a mixed-use development project. GlobeSt.com
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| Market Trends | | |
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- China, Brazil are edging out older inbound travel markets
Market share for inbound travel to the U.S. is gradually shifting toward emerging markets such as China and Brazil, whose consumers are also spending more than travelers from traditional markets, says Julie Heizer of the Office of Travel & Tourism Industries. "The average Chinese traveler will spend $6,000 on a trip to the U.S., as opposed to about $4,000 from mature market travelers and much less from neighboring Mexico and Canada," Heizer said. TravelMarketReport.com
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- Mixed-use developments boost focus on hotel rooms
Mixed-use developments are changing to an increased emphasis on hotel properties and a more limited focus on residential units, this feature says. Ritz-Carlton last year opened a new property in Puerto Rico with 115 hotel rooms and 13 condos that immediately sold out. "The projects include residential, but in a much more rational way in that they are really hotel projects that have residential components rather than the reverse of that," said Ritz-Carlton executive Timothy J. Grisius. HotelNewsNow.com
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| Best Practices | | |
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- Column: How to use blogging for consumer outreach
An effective blogging strategy can complement a hotel's outreach campaign on social media, writes Jennifer Nagy, president of public relations firm jlnpr. An interactive blog that offers exciting content and useful information for readers will help capture the audience's interest and can be an opening to promote the property's brand image, Nagy writes. eHotelier.com
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| Development | | |
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- Upgrade at Hyatt Regency Chicago focuses on tech offerings
The Hyatt Regency Chicago is nearing completion of a $168 million renovation project that seeks to introduce technological innovations aimed at enhancing the guest's stay. When the property reveals the upgrades in April, guests will be able the check in through strategically placed kiosks in the lobby or with the help of iPad-equipped "lobby ambassadors." The lobby will also be equipped with 106 plasma TV displays that aid in navigating the property. Hotel Management online
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| AH&LA News | | |
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PCI compliance 101
Credit card standards have changed, and if you don't change your policies, you could be putting your guests' private information at risk and incurring millions of dollars in damages. In response, AH&LA's Technology Committee created a thorough manual, The PCI Compliance Process for Hotels, making this complicated matter easy to understand and implement. Funded by the Foundation, AH&LA members can download their free copy.
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Learn to manage the front office effectively
The Educational Institute's best-selling textbook Managing Front Office Operations is now in its ninth edition. This practical book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of a hotel's front office and the role it plays in creating memorable guest experiences. The ninth edition features a new section on payment card industry (PCI) compliance, as well as hundreds of small but important changes that reflect today's new computer, Internet, self-service and telephone technologies.
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 | Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want."
--Anna Lappé,
American writer, speaker and activist
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