Hotel & Motel Management - September 3, 2007 - (Page 4)

4 News H&MM September 3, 2007 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Convention centers add bells, whistles By Christine Blank CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ 14th edition of the Hotel Investor Sentiment Survey predicts that U.S. hotel sales will hit a record $48 billion by December 2007. The survey also ﬁnds that 18.5 percent of respondents expect to build hotel assets in light of a shortage of available investment stock. Smith Travel Research reports that occupancy was down for July, although average daily rate and revenue per available room were up. July occupancy was 70.9 percent, down 0.5 percent from July 2006 and 0.3 percent year todate. July ADR increased 5.2 percent, to $103.42. July RevPAR was $73.35, up 4.6 percent. The American Hotel & Lodging Assn. scheduled a Washington Fly-In Sept. 6, to provide an opportunity for hoteliers to urge Congress to renew relief legislation regarding the H-2B visa program. Currently, the number of seasonal workers available under H-2B is capped at 66,000 per year. A relief provision that exempts certain workers expires Sept. 30. The AH&LA is asking members to urge their Senators to cosponsor S.-988 and their Congress representatives to co-sponsor H.R.-1843. Lowe Enterprises named Robert J. Lowe Jr. president and c.o.o. of Lowe Hospitality Group. Lowe joined Lowe Enterprises in 1992, becoming president of Lowe Destination Development in 2003. He will continue his responsibilities with LDD. For updated breaking news, visit www.HotelMotel.com. Convention space at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans encompasses more than 35,000 square feet. The hotel can accommodate small groups holding training sessions as well as large groups that require breakout space. NATIONAL REPORT—When executives at Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Orlando, a privately held operator of seven hotels and resorts, were planning the company’s newest convention hotel, input from meeting planners and sales staff was taken to heart. “We were allowed to take blueprints on the road to production companies and customers. We took some [requests for proposals] from pharmaceutical companies and other groups,” said Leslie Menichini, director of sales for Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, which opened last fall. Sales-and-marketing staff obtained input on the meeting needs of high-end corporate customers, including ﬂexibility of space, preferred ceiling heights, the number of breakout rooms and loading dock doors to meeting rooms. “It is easier to sell the customer your product when it ﬁts their needs,” Menichini said. The same type of collaboration RITZ-CARLTON NEW ORLEANS went into the planning of new convention space when the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans was forced to renovate after Hurricane Katrina. Executives asked sales-and-marketing staff how they should design convention space to “help us sell better,” according to Michael Kochie, director of sales for Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. “‘More meeting space was what we all collectively said at once.” Executives listened and added 8,000 square feet to bring the space up to more than 35,000 square feet total. One unique room added—a classroom that seats 85 people—has helped sell the space to smaller groups holding training sessions. In addition, adding nine self-contained rooms (with no airwalls) has helped the property book larger groups that require several rooms for breakout sessions, Kochie said. Meanwhile, bells and whistles added to Shingle Creek’s meeting space as a result of ideas from executives and meeting planners have paid off in bookings. Additional features added after the See Meetings | page 30 Questex acquires Five Star Alliance Staff Report NEWTON, MASS.—Questex Media Group, a global, diversiﬁed business-to-business media company and publisher of HOTEL & MOTEL MANAGEMENT, HOTEL DESIGN, LUXURY HOTELIER, PREMIER HOTELS & RESORTS, LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR and TRAVEL AGENT magazines and producer of Luxury Travel Expo and Incentive Travel Exchange, acquired Five Star Alliance (www.ﬁvestaralliance.com), a leading online luxury hotel booking service for the afﬂuent traveler. “Questex serves the hospitality and travel industry across its entire value chain, with a strong presence in the luxury travel niche,” said Questex president and c.e.o. Kerry Gumas. “We recognize that afﬂuent travelers frequently book with a travel agent, and some are extremely active online obtaining travel information and pricing and booking reservations. Adding Five Star Alliance’s impressive online booking engine to our existing media platform provides us with the means to fully serve the afﬂuent traveler and their luxury travel advisors. It’s a great growth opportunity for us to bring our suppliers closer to their end market, the travelers.” “With more than $30 million in gross luxury hotel sales annually, Five Star Alliance’s track record in booking luxury speaks for itself. We are thrilled to serve this growing market more effectively with the resources available in Questex’s travel portfolio,” said Cal Simmons, chairman and founder of Five Star Alliance. “At the end of the day, our goal is to ensure travelers get the ideal luxury experience they seek. Our easy-to-use plat- Gumas QUESTEX form and the feedback from our community of discerning luxury travelers about what they loved, liked and disliked about properties they’ve experienced is key to our product’s success.” Five Star Alliance will operate as a subsidiary of Questex Media Group, and will continue to be led by Simmons and president Jay Ashton. In just more than two years, Five Star Alliance has become the leading online booking engine dedicated to luxury hotel properties. Properties are listed on www.ﬁvestaralliance. com by invitation only and are vetted through an extensive approval process. With more than 1,300 properties, Five Star Alliance features a collection of luxury hotels that are presented to site visitors in an easy-to-navigate environment. The site employs state-of-the-art search technology and provides its visitors with recommendations on the site and via newsletters and blogs, resulting in more than 3 million to 4 million page views and McMahon 400,000-plus visitors per QUESTEX month. “This move capitalizes on the strengths of each organization to better serve all facets of the luxury travel market—luxury hoteliers, travel advisors who book luxury travel and afﬂuent travelers themselves,” said John McMahon, group publisher of Questex’s Luxury Travel Group. “At Questex, we have concentrated on educating luxury travel advisors on the best travel options for their clients. Now we will work closely to integrate Five Star Alliance into our travel portfolio and look at new ways to serve the luxury travel market. With this acquisition, we can offer our luxury suppliers an unmatched, integrated marketing opportunity.” hmm@questex.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://HotelMotel.com http://www.fivestaralliance.com http://www.fivestaralliance.com http://www.fivestaralliance.com http://www.fivestaralliance.com http://www.fivestaralliance.com http://www.HotelMotel.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - September 3, 2007

Cover Contents Convention Centers Add Bells and Whistles Questex Media acquires Five Star Alliance Perspective At Your Risk Energy Star Update Sales Clinic Transactions Awards Trends & Stats Wireless Networking Northwest Pipeline Coffee Services Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - September 3, 2007

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