Closely held Omni Hotels & Resorts is fast becoming a big player in the U.S. market for owning and operating convention-center hotels, putting itself in the class of heavyweights like Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Marriott International Inc.
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Hotels Poised to Shed Properties
With the U.S. hotel market recovering, some of the country's largest hotel companies are poised to resume their efforts to divest themselves of real estate.
Brands such as Marriott International Inc. and Hilton Hotels Worldwide began divesting their properties in the 1980s to focus on the more lucrative and less capital-hungry business of managing the properties for fees. By now, most have only a few dozen properties remaining on their balance sheets, and they are looking to further whittle their holdings after holding off during the recession.
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Brands such as Marriott International Inc. and Hilton Hotels Worldwide began divesting their properties in the 1980s to focus on the more lucrative and less capital-hungry business of managing the properties for fees. By now, most have only a few dozen properties remaining on their balance sheets, and they are looking to further whittle their holdings after holding off during the recession.
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Starwood Hotels selling four-star St. Regis Resort Aspen
The sale price was not disclosed.
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Homeless Upset About McDonald's Dollar Menu Increase
CANVAS STAFF REPORTS - Unhappy meals have arrived at a McDonald's in San Francisco.
Homeless people who hang out at the nearby Golden Gate Park used to get 99-cent burgers at the McDonald's located at Haight and Stanyan streets in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
But the eatery got rid of its Dollar Menu about a month ago. That move, which McDonald's called a simple business decision, means items on the menu are now too expensive for the people who spend much of their day hanging out on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
Items on the Dollar Menu now cost around $1.50.
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Homeless people who hang out at the nearby Golden Gate Park used to get 99-cent burgers at the McDonald's located at Haight and Stanyan streets in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
But the eatery got rid of its Dollar Menu about a month ago. That move, which McDonald's called a simple business decision, means items on the menu are now too expensive for the people who spend much of their day hanging out on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
Items on the Dollar Menu now cost around $1.50.
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Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Jimmy John’s workers in Minneapolis unionize
Here’s a Labor Day story for you: Newly unionized workers at nine Jimmy John’s sandwich shops in Minneapolis took to the streets over the weekend to protest minimum-wage pay, inconsistent daily schedules (some as short as one hour), and a lack of sick days.
“We formed a union to fight for change, starting at Jimmy John’s today, and throughout the entire fast food industry tomorrow,” David Boehnke, a union member said.
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“We formed a union to fight for change, starting at Jimmy John’s today, and throughout the entire fast food industry tomorrow,” David Boehnke, a union member said.
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5 Ways Restaurants "Penny Pinch" their Guests
Yeah, yeah, bad economy, food cost, hey entitled moron let's see you run a restaurant, blah, blah, blah. Restaurants are for-profit businesses, sure, and it's tempting to cut costs in creative ways, but here's the kicker, restaurants of America: they ought to be as invisible as possible to the customers. Here are five ways restaurants pinch pennies that drive us absolutely crazy.
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A Real Experience of Africa in Central London!
(hospitality business news) Sept 7, 2010: The most exciting restaurant venue to appear in the UK opened on August 4th in London.
Shaka Zulu, in the world-famous Stables Market in Camden, represents authentic African food with a dining ambience and cultural experience that is as close to South Africa as you will get – probably in Europe.
It is a must for lovers of great food, planners of unique events and just simply as a great night out.
Shaka Zulu offers three dining concepts: Braii, or South African barbecue; Durban curry; and Cape Town fish restaurant. These is offered to guests who are able to sit in one of the venue’s three very different areas, comprising restaurant, lounge and members’ club, all designed around the African theme with original hand carvings and contemporary African art.
To successfully manage this new, multi-concept venue, Shaka Zulu sought integrated solutions that could grow with the business, and turned to NFS Hospitality for many of its IT needs.
“Shaka Zulu brings together three concepts and provides an environment for the casual diner, be they corporate or leisure guests, seeking a more intimate club dining experience,” says Roger Payne, MD of this exciting new venue.
“In addition to outstanding cuisine, Shaka Zulu will also offer great service, and to do this we’ve invested heavily in staff recruitment and training as well as in new technology. Our selection of the NFS suite of software was based around having a single provider for all our needs, spanning front and back of house operations, as well as the comfort of knowing that we will benefit from a 24/7 support desk.”
Shaka Zulu’s technology investment brings together a leading EPOS solution: Aloha, with state-of-the-art handheld tableside ordering: Orderman and a graphical front of house table reservations solution: Guest Manager.
“It will give us the ideal combination to provide fast and efficient customer service, whilst also having the controls in place to operate a significant restaurant business with a total capacity of 800+ seats,” comments Payne.
According to Luis Desouza, NFS CEO, “Our Aloha EPoS suite includes an integrated back office solution that can easily be extended to other Shaka Zulu outlets in the future, enabling centralised management of all locations in real time.”
In addition, the newly released Guest Manager, for table management and CRM, is designed to help a business optimise the guest experience and maximise seat utilisation. “Guest Manager will be invaluable for the size and functionality of this unique new venue,” notes Desouza. “Increasingly in this competitive market, restaurants need to move to marketing themselves effectively to stay ahead of the game. With integrated CRM, Shaka Zulu will be in a strong position to do this.”
As well as being open to members and the general public, Shaka Zulu hopes to host events at the venue, and for this they need to implement suitable and efficient technology that is able to handle simultaneous events on the same day, and also the booking of all available space. NFS’ Rendezvous SaaS is the solution selected by Shaka Zulu to meet these challenges, and this will be fully integrated with the Aloha suite.
Rendezvous SaaS is fully integrated scheduling software for event management, meetings management, catering and resources. The software is expected to help Shaka Zulu run a successful and streamlined events business, whilst all the time substantially reducing its costs and delivering a good return on investment.
Shaka Zulu, in the world-famous Stables Market in Camden, represents authentic African food with a dining ambience and cultural experience that is as close to South Africa as you will get – probably in Europe.
It is a must for lovers of great food, planners of unique events and just simply as a great night out.
Shaka Zulu offers three dining concepts: Braii, or South African barbecue; Durban curry; and Cape Town fish restaurant. These is offered to guests who are able to sit in one of the venue’s three very different areas, comprising restaurant, lounge and members’ club, all designed around the African theme with original hand carvings and contemporary African art.
To successfully manage this new, multi-concept venue, Shaka Zulu sought integrated solutions that could grow with the business, and turned to NFS Hospitality for many of its IT needs.
“Shaka Zulu brings together three concepts and provides an environment for the casual diner, be they corporate or leisure guests, seeking a more intimate club dining experience,” says Roger Payne, MD of this exciting new venue.
“In addition to outstanding cuisine, Shaka Zulu will also offer great service, and to do this we’ve invested heavily in staff recruitment and training as well as in new technology. Our selection of the NFS suite of software was based around having a single provider for all our needs, spanning front and back of house operations, as well as the comfort of knowing that we will benefit from a 24/7 support desk.”
Shaka Zulu’s technology investment brings together a leading EPOS solution: Aloha, with state-of-the-art handheld tableside ordering: Orderman and a graphical front of house table reservations solution: Guest Manager.
“It will give us the ideal combination to provide fast and efficient customer service, whilst also having the controls in place to operate a significant restaurant business with a total capacity of 800+ seats,” comments Payne.
According to Luis Desouza, NFS CEO, “Our Aloha EPoS suite includes an integrated back office solution that can easily be extended to other Shaka Zulu outlets in the future, enabling centralised management of all locations in real time.”
In addition, the newly released Guest Manager, for table management and CRM, is designed to help a business optimise the guest experience and maximise seat utilisation. “Guest Manager will be invaluable for the size and functionality of this unique new venue,” notes Desouza. “Increasingly in this competitive market, restaurants need to move to marketing themselves effectively to stay ahead of the game. With integrated CRM, Shaka Zulu will be in a strong position to do this.”
As well as being open to members and the general public, Shaka Zulu hopes to host events at the venue, and for this they need to implement suitable and efficient technology that is able to handle simultaneous events on the same day, and also the booking of all available space. NFS’ Rendezvous SaaS is the solution selected by Shaka Zulu to meet these challenges, and this will be fully integrated with the Aloha suite.
Rendezvous SaaS is fully integrated scheduling software for event management, meetings management, catering and resources. The software is expected to help Shaka Zulu run a successful and streamlined events business, whilst all the time substantially reducing its costs and delivering a good return on investment.
Long An Viet Nam to get $2 billion leisure, hotel complex
HA NOI — Happyland Viet Nam, a US$2 billion complex with entertainment and hotels, will become a tourism spotlight in Long An Province and the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region in the near future, said the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism director Pham Van Tran.
Financed by Khang Thong Group, its affiliate Phu An Construction and Infrastructure Development Co, the complex will cover a total area of 338ha in Ben Luc District.
Work on the complex, the largest of its kind to date in Viet Nam, is scheduled to begin early next year and set for completion in April, 2014.
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Financed by Khang Thong Group, its affiliate Phu An Construction and Infrastructure Development Co, the complex will cover a total area of 338ha in Ben Luc District.
Work on the complex, the largest of its kind to date in Viet Nam, is scheduled to begin early next year and set for completion in April, 2014.
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Lehman Estate Files to Foreclose on Ritz Kapalua .
The estate of bankrupt securities firm Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. has filed court papers to foreclose on Hawaii's Ritz-Carlton Kapalua resort, continuing the carnage in that state's hotel sector.
The luxury resort, which has two golf courses, has been owned since 2006 by a venture of Gencom Group and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s Whitehall Street Global Real Estate LP. The venture has been in default on its $255 million mortgage for more than a year partly because of its ill-fated strategy to convert 107 units into condominiums.
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The luxury resort, which has two golf courses, has been owned since 2006 by a venture of Gencom Group and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s Whitehall Street Global Real Estate LP. The venture has been in default on its $255 million mortgage for more than a year partly because of its ill-fated strategy to convert 107 units into condominiums.
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Chartwell Hospitality plans up to $500 million in hotel buys
Chartwell Hospitality plans to spend $400 million to $500 million on select-service hotels, taking advantage of bargains made possible by the recession.
The Franklin-based hotel investor and operator announced its plans Tuesday, saying it has raised $200 million for Chartwell Hospitality Fund I, which will be leveraged to create a half billion in investment capital. Company founders Phillip McNeill Sr. and Robert Schaedle — who kicked in a total of $50 million — hope to recreate the acquisition strategy they used in the early 1990s and 2001.
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The Franklin-based hotel investor and operator announced its plans Tuesday, saying it has raised $200 million for Chartwell Hospitality Fund I, which will be leveraged to create a half billion in investment capital. Company founders Phillip McNeill Sr. and Robert Schaedle — who kicked in a total of $50 million — hope to recreate the acquisition strategy they used in the early 1990s and 2001.
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Whitbread Confident After Strong Second Quarter
LONDON (Dow Jones)--Hotel and restaurant chain Whitbread PLC (WTB.LN) said Tuesday it's confident of its full year performance, but the strong sales growth in the first half is unlikely to continue in the rest of the financial year.
"It's unrealistic to expect the rates of growth seen in the first half to repeat themselves," said Finance Director Chris Rogers on a conference call with reporters, "I would expect a lower rate of growth."
The operator of Premier Inn hotels and the Costa Coffee chain said that sales in the 24 weeks to Aug. 19 grew 14%. Stripping out the opening of new outlets, sales in the U.K. were up 7.9%--a slight acceleration from the 7.6% growth reported in the first quarter.
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"It's unrealistic to expect the rates of growth seen in the first half to repeat themselves," said Finance Director Chris Rogers on a conference call with reporters, "I would expect a lower rate of growth."
The operator of Premier Inn hotels and the Costa Coffee chain said that sales in the 24 weeks to Aug. 19 grew 14%. Stripping out the opening of new outlets, sales in the U.K. were up 7.9%--a slight acceleration from the 7.6% growth reported in the first quarter.
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Shubh Hotels Files for Bankruptcy After Hilton Pulls Pittsburgh License
Shubh Hotels Pittsburgh LLC, the owner of Pittsburgh’s largest hotel, filed for bankruptcy protection days after Hilton Hotels Corp. terminated its franchise license agreement.
The Boca Raton, Florida-based company listed assets of as much as $50 million and debt of as much as $100 million in Chapter 11 documents filed today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Pittsburgh.
Hilton Hotels terminated a 20-year franchise agreement and pulled its name from the hotel last week, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Shubh bought the 713-room hotel in downtown Pittsburgh in 2006 for $28 million.
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The Boca Raton, Florida-based company listed assets of as much as $50 million and debt of as much as $100 million in Chapter 11 documents filed today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Pittsburgh.
Hilton Hotels terminated a 20-year franchise agreement and pulled its name from the hotel last week, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Shubh bought the 713-room hotel in downtown Pittsburgh in 2006 for $28 million.
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Pandox acquires Brussels Hilton
Pandox's strengthens its position as a leading player with six hotels and total of 1,750 rooms in Brussels, one of Europe's most dynamic hotel markets. Brussels Hilton is one of Brussel's largest and best-known hotels. The hotel property is located at Boulevard Waterloojust a few steps fromthe prestigious shopping street Avenue Louise. The hotel, which is a landmark, comprises 432 rooms on 26 floors with several conference floors, two restaurants, fitness and spa center. The acquisition totals EUR 29 million, which includes the hotel building and the operations. The seller is a US investment company.
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Monday, September 6, 2010
Minnesota county considers anti-porn bill for employee hotel stays
A Minnesota county tomorrow will consider passing a bill that would ban county employees from selecting hotels with porn on their pay-per-view TV systems.
Concerned about sexual and domestic violence, Winona County commissioners will consider a so-called "clean hotel" policy, the Winona Daily News reports. It's not clear how county employees would figure out whether or not the hotel they're thinking about booking offers porn.
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Concerned about sexual and domestic violence, Winona County commissioners will consider a so-called "clean hotel" policy, the Winona Daily News reports. It's not clear how county employees would figure out whether or not the hotel they're thinking about booking offers porn.
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