Front Desk

• Accor plans $1.5B expansion in Brazil
  Accor is undertaking a four-year expansion strategy in Brazil that is designed to increase its portfolio there to 250. The effort is expected to cost $1.5 billion and produce about 25 hotel openings a year. Bloomberg (9/28)     

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Business Update

• Globalization will remain Rezidor's top priority, new CEO says
  Rezidor Hotel Group will continue to strive for globalization and greater consumer loyalty as it executes its growth strategy in international markets, says Wolfgang Neumann, the company's newly appointed CEO. "Fighting the loyalty battle to me is a critical one. It's all about globalizing the brand and communicating with the customers across the globe," Neumann said. HotelNewsNow.com (9/28)     

• Inland American Lodging Group is acquiring boutique hotels
  Three boutique hotels under Marriott's Autograph Collection are being acquired by Inland American Lodging Group. The purchase of the Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront in Savannah, Ga., has already been finalized. Inland says it expects to complete the transactions for the Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando in Florida by December and for the Bohemian Hotel Celebration, also in Florida, by January. American City Business Journals/Chicago (9/28)     

• Resorts CEO: Atlantic City should lift hotel room rates
  Resorts Casino Hotel CEO Gary Van Hettinga said Atlantic City casino hotels should raise room rates and invest in nongaming attractions to help improve business. "The successful casinos are going to have to figure out how to make profits beyond the casino floor. I just think we have so much to offer here compared to the other markets," Van Hettinga said. He said Resorts, which has been reducing its promotional spending, looks to increase its room rates as part of a new business plan. The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.) (9/28)     

• Other News

• First Hilton Garden Inn in Uruguay is planned for late 2014
  Travel Weekly (9/28)     

Market Trends

• Recovery in U.S. resort segment is ramping up, STR says
  U.S. resort markets are steadily returning to peak performance, STR reports. The segment saw a 6.1% growth in revenue per available room, a 2.7% rise in occupancy and a 3.3% increase in average daily rate in August year to date, STR says. STR attributes the improvement in average daily rate to solid increases in transient demand and minimal supply growth. HotelNewsNow.com (9/28)     

• Hyatt hotel in NYC invites community to join the club
  The Hyatt 48 Lex in midtown Manhattan has opened its new Lex Club, selling annual memberships for $500 a year. The club offers food through room service, a private concierge and access to the fitness club. For a $450 fee, members can also access meeting and boardrooms. "We pride ourselves on being a unique and fresh concept," said Hyatt 48 Lex's Deirdre Yack. Travel Weekly (9/27)     

• Ski resorts expect pent-up demand to boost business this year
  A number of ski resorts have launched attractive packages to bring in more business for the coming ski season even as skiers are reportedly booking rooms early because of pent-up demand, this feature says. Bad ski conditions last season led many skiers to cancel plans, resort operators said. "People who decided not to come last year really missed skiing. They're eager to get their reservations on the books and start planning," said Linda Warren, chief marketing officer of Talisker, the parent company of Canyons Resort in Utah. USA TODAY/Hotel Check-in blog (9/30)     

• Other News

• August 70% occupancy rate at metropolitan Detroit hotels is near peak 2000 levels
  The Detroit News (9/29)     

• "Sleep Art" program at Ibis hotels depicts images based on rest
  HotelChatter (9/27)     

Hot Topics

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

• Gaylord stockholders vote in favor of REIT conversion (Reuters)

• Guests are increasing spending on hotel telecommunications (USA TODAY/Hotel Check-in blog)

• Summit Hotel Properties to add 10 hotels to portfolio (TravelPulse)

• Hotel industry's growth pace could be declining, experts say (USA TODAY/Hotel Check-in blog)

• Major Gaylord stockholder opposes sale to Marriott (Maryland Gazette)

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

Best Practices

• Column: Offering solutions gives more weight to a marketing pitch
  Hoteliers can make their marketing efforts more effective by offering solutions to common traveler problems instead of simply declaring their property's value proposition, writes Tom Costello, principal of Groups International. "If you want to attract and engage prospective customers and lead them down the sales funnel, you need to focus on them and their problems. The more your message helps to solve your customers problems, the more apt they are to respond to your message and move that much closer to a conversion," Costello writes. 4Hoteliers (9/27)     

Development

• Rotate Black gets approval to build Gulfport, Miss., casino
  The Gulfport, Miss., Planning Commission gave casino company Rotate Black the final major approval it needed Thursday for its planned casino in Gulfport, Miss. Rotate Black President Dual Cooper said long-term plans for the Hemingway Resort and Casino resort include construction of additional hotel rooms and a parking garage. "We're going to probably take the casino up another 60 percent. Add a couple of restaurants. Really make it larger and better," Cooper said. WLOX-TV (Biloxi, Miss.) (9/28)     

• 21C Museum Hotels buys building in Louisville, Ky., for redevelopment
  Plans for a boutique hotel and art museum in Louisville, Ky., moved forward with 21C Museum Hotels' acquisition of the historic First National Building. The hotel group has secured approval for its tax increment financing plan from the city's Planning Commission to aid its $38 million project, which will include an 80-room hotel, a restaurant, meeting rooms and an art museum. Lexington Herald-Leader (Ky.) (9/28)     

• Other News

• MGM Grand completes $160 million rooms renovation
  Las Vegas Sun (9/27)     

AH&LA News

• AH&LA partners with groups assisting veterans
  AH&LA is working with two groups that share a similar mission -- hiring veterans. America Wants You brings together the private sector and corporate America to find job opportunities for men and women who have served in the U.S. military. First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden's Joining Forces is a comprehensive national initiative to mobilize all sectors to give service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned around employment, education and wellness.     

• American Express and AH&LA give hospitality credit
  Now on AH&LA's site, you'll find an array of business services from American Express to help you better understand and connect with your guests. Resources include Business Insights, which analyzes consumer spending trends and Loyalty Edge, which provides tools to optimize loyalty programs, as well as small business resources and gift card options. Visit www.ahla.com/amex to learn more.     

SmartQuote

Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working." --Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist