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Industry News

IHG REPORTS REVPAR GROWTH FOR YEAR-TO-DATE THROUGH AUGUST
Los Angeles — At its annual conference for hotel owners in the Americas region in Los Angeles last week, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) reported an increase in RevPAR for the year-to-date ending August 31 in the overall Americas Region. Each brand increased in RevPAR over that time, with Indigo leading the way at 11.3 percent, and Holiday Inn the lowest at 0.5 percent. During July and August, Holiday Inn was the only one of the seven IHG brands to have a negative RevPAR at 0.4 percent, still just below a flat level. Overall, the total RevPAR growth for the Americas in all seven brands was 2.0 percent.

ABVI LAUNCHES NEW PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM
Cleveland — America’s Best Value Inn (ABVI) has introduced a new marketing campaign to increase brand awareness and continue its image as a family brand. Thus, ABVI encourages parents to share outrageous stories of their kids’ vacation escapades on its website for the promotion entitled “Your Kids Did WHAT! On Vacation?” All visitors to the site — whether posting or voting on the posts — have an opportunity to win prizes as well as free room nights at both ABVI or Lexington Hotels. The promotion began September 15 and runs through January 30, 2009.

Transactions

MOLINARO KOGER SECURES FINANCING FOR PARIS HOTEL
Paris, France — Despite the news that large deals are having difficulty being done these days, Washington, D.C.-based firm Molinaro Koger recently secured funding for the €141 million acquisition of the Hotel Prince de Galles, a hotel located in Paris that is part of the Starwood Luxury Collection. The hotel features 138 guest rooms and 30 suites, as well as a restaurant, bar and meeting rooms. The property was purchased by the Mussallam family, which plans to invest an additional €80 million in refurbishing the hotel. Ed Blum, Ali Baheri and Eric Kudlak of Molinaro Koger structured the deal.

MUMFORD COMPANY BROKERS DEAL FOR MOTEL 6 HOUSTON – HOBBY
Houston — Randy Lee of Mumford Company’s Dallas office recently represented Accor Hospitality and Motel 6 in its sale of the 124-unit Motel 6 Houston – Hobby Airport. Jai Umiya Mata LLC purchased the development for an undisclosed price, and it will be renovated and re-licensed to an alternative economy lodging brand.

Mumford Company recently brokered a deal for the Motel 6 Houston - Hobby Airport.

Openings

STARWOOD SETS UP SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS IN PHOENIX AND ATLANTA
Phoenix and Kennesaw, Ga. — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide recently opened a Sheraton hotel in Phoenix and is planning a Four Points hotel in suburban Atlanta. First, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel opened on October 1, rising 31 stories and boasting 1,000 guest rooms. The project is the largest hotel in Arizona, and it features 80,000 square feet of meeting space as well, the most in the downtown area.
In Kennesaw, located about 30 minutes northwest of Atlanta, Starwood is building a Four Points by Sheraton, featuring 134 rooms. With 2,500 square feet of meeting space, a full-service restaurant, a business center and a fitness facility, the hotel’s amenities will accommodate small to mid-size business meetings.

NEW STAYBRIDGE SUITES NOW OPEN IN LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas — InterContinental Hotels Group is planning to open a new 118-room Staybridge Suites in Las Vegas, located four blocks from the Las Vegas Strip. The five-story, $45 million property features deluxe studio and one-bedroom suite options, and offers a breakfast buffet, guest laundry, workout facilities, a 24-hour business center, a guest library and wireless Internet, all of which are complimentary. The hotel also includes a BridgeMart, a 24-hour convenience store and meeting space for business functions or special events.

Appointments and Hirings

Snyder

PAUL SNYDER APPOINTED NEW VP OF IHG
Atlanta — Paul Snyder recently has been appointed as vice president, development brand management and marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). From this newly created position, Snyder oversees marketing of IHG’s brands and management offerings to possible investors and owners in the Americas. He also identifies new business opportunities for the company’s portfolio while managing current development positioning, working on strategic projects, joint ventures, IHG-owned development and acquiring new management contracts. Snyder has been with the company since 2003, most recently serving as vice president, operations brand management and business development.

AH&LA NAMES ROBERT STEELE PRESIDENT AND COO OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE
Washington, D.C. — Robert Steele III, who currently is general manager of the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, has been named president and chief operating officer of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) Educational Institute. Succeeding Roy Kennington, who will retire from the position at the end of 2008, Steele is responsible for day-to-day operations of the Institute, developing its vision and strategies with the board of trustees. He is also the Institute’s spokesperson and leader, enhancing its efforts within the industry.

Product Information

PEGASUS UPGRADES NEARLY 5,000 PROPERTIES TO REZVIEW NG
Dallas — Pegasus Solutions, a global provider of technology and services to hotels and travel distributors, has upgraded 4,700 properties to its RezView NG, a central reservation system designed to offer hotels a one-stop shop for easy management of room and non-room item inventory, status, restrictions, pricing and policies. The company has confirmed plans to upgrade 9,000 total by the end of the year.

It's Got the Look      A guest’s first impression often can be the last chance a hotelier has for repeat business. Leisure travelers, and especially businesspeople, oftentimes don’t spend a large amount of time in their room. When they arrive, they’ll go in, put down their things and head out the door. How important is the lasting image in each guest’s mind to their repeat business? If they don’t want to go back to the room while they’re staying there, the chances they’ll come back are slim to none. Starwood Hotels' aloft      Lodging Operator interviewed designers from two major brands as well as two textile manufacturers to see what options are out there with regards to in-room design, and to gauge the importance a first impression truly can leave. Click here to read the entire story.