Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008 - (Page 40)

40 Special Report ANNUAL HOTEL COMPANY REPORT H&MM September 15, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Sonesta keeps tradition alive By Jennifer Kovacs SENIOR EDITOR A bout 60 years ago, Stephanie Sonnabend’s grandfather became a real estate entrepreneur and eventually went into the restaurant business with a publicly traded chain. After completing one metamorphosis after another, that company today is Sonesta International Hotels Corp., which operates the Sonesta Collection of hotels, resorts and cruises. At the helm of the still-familyrun business is Sonnabend, president and CEO of Sonesta. She operates the company along with nine of her relatives, though last year she lost an uncle at the age of 80. “It’s the ﬁrst Sonnabend who ever retired,” she said. Her grandfather was A.M. Sonnabend, who founded Sonnabend Operated Hotels in the 1940s, eventually merging with Original artwork is on display in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston. Be our guest. Check out RETROAIRE’s complete line of air conditioners and heat pumps. VPAC Vertical Stacked PTAC’s/PTHP’s Choose the VPAC/VPHP Corner-Concealed, Vertical Stacked Units that are ideal for new construction and renovation, for both single and suite room designs. • Dual motors – quiet operation. • Condition multiple rooms with ducting from one system. • No condensate drain needed. (most models) • Supplemental electric or hydronic heat options. RetroAire Thru-The-Wall Units For thru-the-wall PTAC / PTHP replacement and renovation, look to RetroAire for the most comprehensive selection of quiet, efficient, dependable and economical air-conditioning/heating solutions. • Replacement chassis for 50 plus models from more than 20 original manufacturers. • Designed to retrofit into existing wall sleeves and cabinetry. 800.228.9364 5780 Success Drive, Rome, NY 13440 www.retroaire.com retroaire@enviromaster.com The right fit for comfort AN BRAND Gas & Oil-Fired Hot Water & Steam Boilers / Electric Boilers / Hydronic Controls / Baseboard Radiation / Indirect-Fired Water Heaters / Gas & Oil-Fired Furnaces / Ductless Mini-Split Air-Conditioning Systems / Hydronic Air Handlers / VPAC’s & VPHP’s / Replacement PTAC Chassis the 1880s-founded Childs Restaurant Co. to become Hotel Corp. of America. The company’s portfolio today includes 21 land hotels in Boston, Miami, New Orleans, St. Maarten in the Caribbean, Brazil, Peru and Egypt. Also in Egypt are ﬁve cruise ships that sail the Nile River. “I like to say we have a ﬂeet,” Sonnabend said. Sonesta also recently celebrated 25 years in Egypt as one of the longest operating chains there. And while Sonesta is built on a high level of service standards, with its core values resting on service with passion and exceeding guest expectations, the properties found under its umbrella aren’t exactly standard cookie-cutter hotels. “We like to say that Sonnabend SONESTA each hotel reﬂects the environment where they’re located. So they’re all unique,” Sonnabend said. Whether a property is in Boston or Peru, the company works to bring the outside in with décor and food-and-beverage options that are indigenous to that destination. “We’ve been going local even before it was popular,” Sonnabend said. “It’s part of how we position our hotels.” The company’s website describes its guests as those who are looking for that taste of distinction in both leisure and business trips, those who tend to be “adventurous, independent-minded, experienced travelers who are See Sonesta tradition | page 43 CIRCLE NO. 118 SONESTA http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.retroaire.com http://www.retroaire.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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.