Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007 - (Page 106)

106 Checking Out LODGING’S LIGHTER SIDE H&MM September 18, 2007 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition By the numbers WATERFORD HOTEL GROUP 29 Percent of hotel guests who said they “didn’t know” if the hotels they stayed in had conservation programs in place, such as reusing towels, according to a J.D. Power and Associates survey. $2.1 billion Amount that JER Partners paid to acquire Highland Hospitality Group 128,000 Number of guestrooms added to hotels since June 2001, reports Smith Travel Research Big Texas salute to U.S. Marines Making a splash in the new pool Comfort Inn Mystic (Conn.) associates take a plunge into the hotel’s new outdoor swimming pool. The 30foot by 18-foot pool, which holds 16,600 gallons of water, joins a long list of amenities offered to guests of the hotel. The Comfort Inn completed a number of renovations, including new guestroom mattress sets and bedding, as well as upgrades to guestroom bathrooms. Waterford Hotel Group manages the 120room Comfort Inn Mystic. As a franchise of Choice Hotels International, the Comfort Inn Mystic ranks in the top 5 percent of all Choice Hotels. Burt Cabañas, founder, chairman and c.e.o. of Benchmark Hospitality International, met with Houston-area Marines recently to dedicate the state’s ﬁrst monument honoring Marine Medal of Honor recipients born or enlisted in Texas. Pictured [from left] are fellow Marines Tom Early, Wesley Fox (Medal of Honor recipient) and Cabañas. Designed by J. David Nunneley, the 10-foot memorial includes names of 17 Texas Medal of Honor recipients from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Excluding one, all were Marines. Putting for a cause Sterling Resorts and some Alabama celebrity athletes joined area corporations to drive, putt and “chip” in for charity at Cornerstone School of Birmingham’s annual C. Moulton Williams golf tournament. At Farm Hills Golf Club in Sylacauga, Ala., more than 100 participants joined the tournament, which raised more than $135,000 to aid an urban Christian academy offering low-cost private education to inner-city youth. Celebrities included former Detroit Tigers pitcher Bobby Humphreys, former Philadelphia Eagles running back Siran Stacy and event chairman, Alabama Sports Hall of Fall inductee Johnny Musso. As title sponsor, Sterling Resorts gave monetary support and three-night stays at any of the company’s more than 20 resorts in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. STERLING RESORTS Quotable “ It was a no-brainer to bring it back.” TIM O’CONNOR, senior v.p. of brand management, Settle Inn & Suites, on the reintroduction of the Shoney’s Inn brand to its line. Editor’s note: If you have information about an event that would be considered the lighter side of lodging, please e-mail Stephanie Ricca at sricca@questex.com. According to a recent survey of ALIS delegates, over half of the respondents believe that publicly traded hotel stock prices will outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) from Labor Day until the opening of ALIS on January 28, 2008. An additional 33 percent believe that hotel stocks will keep the same pace as the DJIA. Collectively, this is a very similar outlook for hotel stock prices to what the delegates reported last year. The same survey indicated that three-fourths of the respondents believe that hotel interest rates will increase as we head into 2008, which is a nearly identical percentage of the delegates who responded this way to the same survey question in the summer of 2006. For an update, join us at ALIS in January 2008! Hotel Stock Prices Expected performance between Labor Day 2007 and ALIS opening January 28, 2008. 50% 24% 19% 2% 3% Hotel Interest Rates 1% 1% Expected performance between Labor Day 2007 and ALIS opening January 28, 2008. Underperform the DJIA 14% 53% Outperform the DJIA 3% 2% 1% 1% 19% 50% 33% Keep the same pace as the DJIA 24% James E. Burba Chair, ALIS and President, BHN CIRCLE NO. 118 BENCHMARK HOSPITALITY http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://HotelMotel.com http://www.alisconference.com http://www.alisconference.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007

Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007 Contents Vista Inns Redefines Business Model Conley Applies Satisfaction Theory to Boutique Hotels Questex Acquires Oxford Publishing Perspective At Your Risk Consultant’s Corner Sales Clinic Travel Trends On Finance Franchise Law Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Training Trends Satisfaction Trends Management Trends Speakers Named, Registration Open for IH/M&RS Going Green Saves Green Trends & Stats Vacuums Go the Extra Mile Transactions Offsetting Emissions is Newest Sustainability Initiative Minibar Advancements Supplier News People on The Move ADA Compliance Can Be Easier With Programs Business Travelers Interested in Remote Check-In/Out Awards Markets Dictate Renovations vs. New Builds More Development Opportunities Available Top Hotel Companies Survey The Lodging Conference Previews Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - September 18, 2007

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