Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008 - (Page 38)

38 Special Report ANNUAL HOTEL COMPANY REPORT H&MM September 15, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Power of partnership is key for White Lodging By Stephanie Ricca EDITOR IN CHIEF A rendering shows an 800-room multi-use project planned by White Lodging in downtown Austin, Texas. YOU’RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO GO THE EXTRA MILE AND ACHIEVE MORE. FOR YOU, THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IS FULL OF UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL. WE SHARE YOUR VISION AND YOUR PASSION FOR SUCCESS. CHOOSE ROCKBRIDGE AND PERFORM BEYOND EXPECTATIONS—SO YOU DON’T JUST SURVIVE, YOU THRIVE. THRIVE CIRCLE NO. 150 ROCKBRIDGECAPITAL.COM Since then, White Lodging has grown its portfolio quietly, concentrating in 17 states. Today, the company manages 132 properties and plans to end 2008 with around 140, Sibley said. “We have a lot of hotels leveraged in a few cities,” he explained. “We’re really looking at how we can use that leverage to drive down costs.” While it has paid off for the company to stick with cities and brands they know–particularly Marriott and Hilton Sibley brands—Sib- WHITE LODGING ley said the company’s latest news involves partnerships with brands new to the portfolio. “This year we picked up a management contract for a brandnew Sheraton in Erie, Pa.,” he said. “It’s our ﬁrst foray with Starwood, and we’re excited about that.” White Lodging’s new partnership with Starwood will keep growing through its plans to build an aloft in Chicago and a Westin in Austin, Texas, next year. Hyatt is another company new to the White Lodging stable; Sibley said he is excited particularly about new Hyatt Place and Summerﬁeld Suites projects in the works. “Just [a month] ago we took over three Summerﬁeld Suites that we’re going to manage for RLJ,” he said. Going hand in hand with its brand diversifying, White LodgSee White Lodging | page 43 WHITE LODGING artnerships are a cornerstone for White Lodging. And in 2009, the company based in Merrillville, Ind., plans to strengthen its partnerships even more as it develops brands P new to its portfolio and multi-use projects. The company made news in 2006’s deal heyday when it sold 100 properties to RLJ Development, a move that solidiﬁed the partnership between White Lodging and RLJ. Dave Sibley, president and CEO of White’s hospitality management division, credits the partnership’s success to the ﬁrst property the companies worked on together, a Hilton Garden Inn in Chicago that RLJ owned and White Lodging managed. “We came in and helped turn it around from a market share stand- point,” Sibley said. “They did well with it, and when we went to sell our portfolio of hotels [in 2006], they felt comfortable with us as a management company because they got to know us at that hotel. Then they got a lot bigger, and we have continued to add value to the relationship and help grow it.” http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://ROCKBRIDGECAPITAL.COM http://ROCKBRIDGECAPITAL.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008 Contents Microtel, Hawthorn Settle in at Wyndham Is it Black or Red for Green Hotels? New City on the Strip When in Doubt, Purchase some Seashells Legal FAQ Consultant's Corner Sales Clinic On Finance Travel Trends Franchise Law Guest Column Events Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Top Hotel Companies Survey Awards Lending Requires Knowledge, Preparation Casegoods Minibars Historian to Keynote Leadership Forum at IH/M&RS Fitness Equipment The Lodging Conference Preview Accent Lighting Awards Vacuums Supplier News Transactions People Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008

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