Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Ledgestone Hospitality, LLC Signs Three Hotel Management Contracts in ten days

(Hospitality Business News) Shorewood, MN  - Ledgestone Hospitality, LLC announces the addition of three hotels to their management portfolio.  Cedar Falls Win Lodge, LLC; Davenport Lodge & Suites, LLC; and Lincoln Lodge & Suites, LLC contracted with Ledgestone Hospitality, LLC to manage the Wingate Inn & Suites of Cedar Falls, Iowa; the AmericInn Lodge & Suites of  Davenport, IA and Lincoln, NE, respectively.

“These properties further expand the diversity of our portfolio and demonstrate the breadth of our capacity as a management company,” said Ken Garvin, president.

“These new contracts involve hotels that span various segments of the industry.  All these properties are in lucrative markets.  Our goal is to further strengthen their competitive position within their respective markets.  We expect to add significant value through enhanced operations and aggressive marketing at these hotels.  We are excited to work with each ownership group in exceeding their expectations.”

Ledgestone Hospitality, LLC is a fully integrated hotel management company specializing in upscale, limited service properties and is currently managing 17 locations including:  AmericInn, Baymont Inn & Suites, Country Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, La Bellasera Hotel & Suites a luxury boutique property, Microtel Inn & Suites, Ramada, Super 8 and Wingate Inn & Suites.  Ledgestone Hospitality is turnkey property management company led by industry veterans with more than seventy-five years of combined experience. Implementing professional best practice management techniques together with the most cutting edge tools sets Ledgestone apart from the typical management company.  The style of this premier hospitality management company is to utilize a very hands-on and personal approach ensuring the success of a diverse hotel portfolio.

Based in Shorewood, Minnesota, Ledgestone Hospitality, LLC continues to grow at a rapid rate and is continually contracting new properties for management services.  Additional information about Ledgestone Hospitality, LLC can be found at the company website:  www.ledgestonehospitality.com

Three Brazilian Hotel Companies join forces to create Allia Hotels

(Hospitality Business News)
Bristol, Plaza Inn and Solare merge to create the largest Brazilian hotel group

Three regional hotel groups in Brazil have announced the formation of Allia Hotels, the largest 100% Brazilian hotel chain in the country. As a result of this alliance between Bristol Hotels, based in Minas Gerais; Plaza Inn Hotels, based in São Paulo and Solare Hotel Group, based in Maranhão, Allia Hotels has a combined 40 hotels in operation and more than 3,000 rooms with approximately 1,600 employees.

Allia becomes the third largest hotel chain in Brazil, based on the number of properties, and will have a presence in six states and total revenues of approximately R$ 150 million in 2010.
 
The company already has a commitment of R$450M for the development of 30 new hotels.

 "This alliance will give us more ability to grow and invest in expansion, at a time when the prospects are very favorable for the hospitality industry and tourism, besides increasing the management capacity of our enterprises," said André Monegaglia,CEO.

Hotels sprout around New York City

Hotels are popping up everywhere in Brooklyn and the other boroughs outside Manhattan, some in very strange places.
The hotel wave is coming more than a decade after the 1998 opening of the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn's first new luxury hotel in a half century. Now dozens of new lodgings are coming to the borough, as well as to Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.

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Couple suing restaurant, server in hot sauce case

A Cleveland couple is suing the local Steak ’n Shake restaurant, its parent company and an employee for allegedly serving their son a hot sauce so hot that he had to be hospitalized.

The lawsuit was filed Sept. 30, in Bradley County Circuit Court by Bilbo Law Offices which is representing Tim and Mary Katherine Gann.

Steak ’n Shake restaurant is located at 220 Paul Huff Parkway.

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Dublin hotel prices continue to fall

Dublin now ranks as the tenth cheapest city for hotel prices among major holiday destinations worldwide, according to a new survey.

The latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index shows that the average price per room in the capital fell 7 per cent from €78 in the second quarter of 2009 to €73 for the same three-month period this year. This means that Dublin continues to be the cheapest city for hotels in western Europe.
Monte Carlo, the city which is the playground of the rich and famous, is the world's most expensive city for holidaymakers with prices having risen by 6 per cent over the past year to an average of €180 per night.

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Wallaby mistreated at Irish hotel party

Dublin - Irish police are investigating after an animal, believed to be a sheep wallaby, was manhandled on a dance floor at a large birthday party, and was reported to have died.
A bout 150 people were at a 30th birthday party at Dublin’s Liffey Valley Clarion Hotel on Saturday night when one of them opened a large box and took out an animal.

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Saudi prince gets life for London Hotel murder

Bandar Abdulaziz, 32, was found beaten and strangled in the Landmark Hotel, Marylebone, on 15 February 2010.
The Old Bailey was told the assault by Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud had a "sexual element" and he had attacked Mr Abdulaziz many times before.
Al Saud, 34, who had admitted manslaughter but denied murder, was given a minimum jail term of 20 years.

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Did Colts fan cause $1M of damage to Jacksonville hotel?

Did an Indianapolis Colts fan get so angry about his team's loss earlier this month in Jacksonville Jaguars territory that he broke stairwell pipes in his hotel and flooded the building?


It's one possibility that law enforcement officials have been considering in the case of a vandalized dual Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites hotel in Jacksonville, Fla.

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The battle at the Hilton and beyond - A view from he Left

Workers at Hilton Hotels in San Francisco, Chicago and Honolulu ended limited strikes October 18, vowing to continue the fight against a dramatic increase in the workload for room cleaners.
Hilton, which is controlled by the powerful Blackstone Group, a private equity firm known for its ruthless cost-cutting and anti-labor policies, has become the front line in UNITE HERE's fight for decent contracts with major hotel chains in cities across the U.S. Hilton bosses want to dramatically increase the number of rooms serviced by cleaners.

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Hooters opens in Japan


(Hospitality Business News) The first Hooters location in the "land of the rising sun" will open on October 25th.  The Hooters of Tokyo, Japan marks the 30th international country and 470th Hooters location where guests can enjoy Hooters nearly-world famous wings.  The store will host a VIP Party on October 23rd.

"We are very excited about this opportunity to open a Hooters in Japan," stated Hooters Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations, John Weber.  "The combination of population density, economic strength and demand for iconic American culture makes us believe this will be the first of many successful locations in the country."

Located in the Akasaka district near the Emperor's Palace, the Hooters of Tokyo boasts the same beach-themed atmosphere, menu items and iconic Hooters Girls that you can find in America and around the world.  The location can accommodate over 150 guests, features 11 TVs, a full liquor bar and has employed 90 residents as managers, cooks, staff and Hooters Girls.

There are 11 additional Hooters restaurants scheduled to open by the end of this year, including 7 international locations in Germany, Wales, Ecuador and Spain.

Hotel Operators Deny Corruption Allegations

CHICAGO (CN) - Owners of a Windham Hotel franchise say a Fox News affiliate falsely accused them of bribing State Rep. Paul Froehlich to get their property taxes reduced. Sharad and Harish Dani, operators of the Wingate by Windham Hotel in Schaumburg, say the allegations were baseless and that after the Fox News report came out, the Cook County Board of Review unfairly singled out their hotel for tax revaluation.
     In their federal complaint, the Danis, father and son, claim that when they appealed their hotel property taxes in 2007, the co-defendant Cook County Board of Review reduced the appraisal, saving the Danis more than $40,000 per year.
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