| Acquisition Market for Hotels | | Posted Thursday, January 25, 2007 1:09:18 PM by Blog57 Team | | LOS ANGELES-The frenzied hotel acquisition market of 2006 may slow down a bit in 2007 due to fewer properties being put up for sale. So said a panel of experts speaking here yesterday at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit. The session, entitled ?The Transaction Outlook: It?s Been a Totally Awesome Ride These Past Few Years. Is a ?Wipe-Out? on the Horizon??, was moderated by Michael G. Desiato, group publisher and editorial director of Real Estate Media, the parent company of GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum. The panelists included: Mark W. Elliott, senior managing director of Hodges Ward Elliott Inc.; Douglass W. Henry, senior vice president of Host Hotels & Resorts Inc.; Joel W. Hiser, CEO, Horwath Hospitality & Leisure LLC; Robert T. Koger, president of Molinaro Koger; Mit B.Shah, president and CEO of Noble Investment Group; and Gary A.... | |
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| | | Ashford plans to buy 51 hotels | | Posted Saturday, January 20, 2007 3:01:37 PM by Blog57 Team | | Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc. will double in size and become the nation's second-largest lodging real estate investment trust with its $2.4 billion deal announced Friday. The Dallas-based company said it has agreed to purchase 51 hotels from closely held CNL Hotels & Resorts Inc. in what Ashford executives described as a "transformational investment." After gaining as much as 12 percent in pre-market trading, shares in Ashford rose 2.74 percent to finish at $12.37, up 33 cents, in New York Stock Exchange trading. Under the agreement, Ashford would acquire higher-end properties in 31 U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas. The acquisition would expand Ashford's reach in markets with the biggest potential for revenue growth and heighten the company's visibility among investors and potential joint-venture partners, executives said.... | |
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| | | Blue Square Studios powers ARAMARK Harrison Lodging's online marketing | | Posted Sunday, December 24, 2006 3:00:01 PM by Blog57 Team | | Phoenix AZ –Blue Square Studios, a leading provider of web presence management solutions for the hospitality industry, has been selected by ARAMARK Harrison Lodging to relaunch its website and enhance its e-commerce capabilities. Blue Square Studios will support ARAMARK Harrison Lodging's marketing structure with its Hospitality Toolkit tm allowing each of the company's properties to create and manage online content, packages and promotions while maintaining the integrity of the corporate graphics standards and brand identity. ARAMARK Harrison Lodging provides a wide range of professional services, including meeting and recreational support services to conference and corporate training centers, specialty hotels, national and state parks, resorts and other tourist destinations throughout the United States.... | |
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| | | Incentives draw firm, 211 jobs to High Point | | Posted Wednesday, December 13, 2006 1:04:15 PM by Blog57 Team | | A subsidiary of home furnishings company Brown Jordan International has landed $135,000 in state incentives to move its operations to High Point. Lodging by Liberty said Tuesday that it plans over the next three years to gradually transition 158 workers currently based in Liberty, southeast of Greensboro, to its new High Point location, as well as create 53 new jobs. Lodging by Liberty will spend $2.5 million on the move, which is expected to streamline the company's manufacturing and administrative functions, according to a written statement released by the governor's office on Tuesday. .... | |
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| | | Lodging industry turns in profitable 2005 | | Posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 3:05:12 AM by Blog57 Team | | The numbers are finally in on 2005 U.S. lodging industry profits and, as expected, they confirm that the slump that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks is over. The American Hotel & Lodging Association reported last week that the industry posted a pretax profit of $22.6 billion, up from $16.7 billion in 2004. Overall, the industry grossed $122.7 billion last year, compared with $113.7 billion in 2004. The increase was the result of rising room rates and increase in demand from both business and leisure travelers. Some other 2005 national industry facts: There were 47,590 lodging properties with 4.4 million guest rooms. The industry directly supported 7.5 million jobs. Tourism is the third-largest retail industry, trailing automotive and food stores.... | |
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| | | Readers' Retreats | | Posted Sunday, November 12, 2006 11:00:59 AM by Blog57 Team | | Book lovers have their own special system for rating hotels. Naturally, top points go to rooms with good lamps, cheery fireplaces and chairs you can plop into with ease. But what tips reader-friendly lodging into the premier category are serenity and literary spirit. Now that we've put away the beach novels and taken to more substantial books, we went hunting for accommodations with just the right amenities for a good, relaxing read. Alexander House Booklovers Bed & Breakfast Princess Anne, Md. .... | |
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| | | Young cowboys and cowgirls descend on Alva | | Posted Saturday, November 11, 2006 1:17:49 PM by Blog57 Team | | They come from near and far in fancy rigs pulled behind big pickup trucks for the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rodeo. This year 500 contestants will participate in the three-day affair which is a member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) and sanctioned by the Central Plains Region of the NIRA, representing 25 colleges and universities. ECONOMIC IMPACT Their impact on the Alva economy is widely felt in many areas. An Economic Impact Study prepared by the Walch Center for Business Development at NWOSU completed in 2006 reported that each day the event attracts approximately 1,000 people including 35 coaches, a total of 12 rodeo production people including a stock contractor with numerous employees, bull fighters, announcer, pick-up men and judges.... | |
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| | | AH&LA President/CEO Highlights Lodging Career Opportunities At National Veterans Employment Summit | | Posted Friday, November 10, 2006 7:08:30 PM by Blog57 Team | | Norfolk, Va. | Joseph A. McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), addressed a crowd of more than 2,000 military veterans today at the U.S. Department of Labor's inaugural National Veterans Employment Summit and “HireVetsFirst" job fair in Norfolk, Va. Recognizing the value that veterans bring to the workforce, McInerney urged attendees to consider careers in the lodging industry. Representatives of three hotel companies—Marriott International, InterContinental Hotel Group, and MMI Hotel Group—attended the job fair and met with veterans to discuss employment opportunities. “You've served your country proudly," McInerney said. “Here's an opportunity to continue that sense of service in an industry that relishes and rewards your strength and commitment.... | |
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| | | AH&LA Releases 2006 Lodging Industry Profile | | Posted Wednesday, November 08, 2006 11:04:30 PM by Blog57 Team | | Washington | As predicted by industry experts, the U.S. lodging industry recorded its best year ever in 2005, posting pretax profits of $22.6 billion, up from $16.7 billion in 2003, based on the American Hotel & Lodging Association's (AH&LA) Lodging Industry Profile (LIP), a statistical analysis of the lodging industry for year-end 2005. The lodging industry's overall profitability grossed $122.7 billion in total sales—compared to $113.7 billion in 2004. This increase is attributed to a variety of sources, including the industry's ability to raise room rates due to an increase in demand from both leisure and business travelers. The LIP's other indicators — promotional spending, average occupancy rate, and revenue per available room — also point to a stronger lodging industry performance ahead.... | |
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| | | Shots fired at house | | Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:13:39 AM by Blog57 Team | | A TERRIFIED Lovely Banks couple had their Anakie Rd home come under fire from an anonymous shooter early on Sunday morning. Eleven shots were fired at the property, smashing windows and lodging into walls. Senior Detective Damian McKeegan of Corio CIU said the middle-aged couple woke up about 1.20am after they thought they heard someone moving around their house. They heard a window smash in the loungeroom and saw a car driving slowly down the road with its lights off before more shots were fired. Sen-Det McKeegan said nobody was injured in the attack but the couple were left very shaken. He said they told police they had no idea why their house was targeted. Sen-Det McKeegan said inquiries were pending. Anybody with information should contact the Corio police station on 5273 9555.... | |
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