CHEVY CHASE, Maryland—PM Hotel Group has been chosen to take over the management of the Holiday Inn Dallas Market Center. The addition of Holiday Inn Dallas Market Center to the PM Hotel Group portfolio marks the continued expansion of the company’s presence in Texas. “We are pleased to be taking over the management of Holiday Inn Dallas Market Center near thriving Downtown Dallas,” said Ethan … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—American Hotel & Lodging Association Board Member and Principal of Sita Ram LLC Jagruti Panwala will testify before Congress in opposition to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposal to raise the overtime salary exemption threshold for executive, administrative, and professional employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. DOL in August proposed raising the threshold from … [Read more...]

PHOENIX, Arizona—Aligned Hospitality Management has added the Comfort Suites Denver Tech Center to its portfolio. The property, owned by Colorado Hotel Group LLC and franchised by Choice Hotels, is Aligned’s first property outside of the Arizona market and the 21st in the company’s portfolio. In the suburb of Englewood, the hotel is located 10 minutes from the Denver Tech Center, 30 minutes … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON, D.C.—AAA projects 55.4 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. This year’s Thanksgiving forecast is an increase of 2.3 percent over last year and marks the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000. The top two years were 2005 and 2019, respectively. “For many Americans, … [Read more...]

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey—Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced that its Board of Directors received a letter from Choice Hotels International, Inc. on November 14, 2023. Wyndham’s Board of Directors, together with its financial and legal advisors, closely reviewed Choice’s letter and determined that it represents a step backward and that the terms Choice outlined are not in the best interests of … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) concluded a three-day Global Reformbnb General Assembly, which drew hospitality and policy leaders from around the globe. The meeting convened in Washington and focused on best practices for promoting equal tax and regulatory treatment of hotels and short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, and ensuring that online booking sites, or … [Read more...]

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Valencia Hotel Group is excited to announce a rebranding to Valencia Hotel Collection. VHC plans to continue its approach to hospitality and share how this moniker is a reflection of how the independent hotel group’s portfolio has transformed since its launch. “We are incredibly proud to be celebrating twenty years of Valencia Hotel Group and felt that … [Read more...]

CHICAGO—First Hospitality assumed management of Hotel Indy in Indianapolis, Indiana. The property marks First Hospitality’s first hotel with owner group KennMar. Since opening in 2021, Hotel Indy has 90 keys; two restaurants, The Hulman and The Cannon Ball Lounge; and 1,200 square feet of meeting space. The Hulman is open daily and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Cannon Ball Lounge is … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—The business outlook for hotels remains strong for the remainder of 2023 thanks to an uptick in business travel and a healthy preference among business and leisure travelers to stay in hotels. According to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and conducted by Morning Consult, 68 percent of U.S. adults whose jobs involve travel said they were likely to … [Read more...]

MINNEAPOLIS—IDeaS released Future Forecast: Six Hotel Technology Predictions for 2024, which includes six hotel technology predictions that it believes will shape the year to come. Some predictions from the report include: The continued breakdown of hospitality data silos: The hospitality industry collects a large amount of guest data, but it’s often coming from disparate sources with no … [Read more...]

NEEDHAM, Massachusettes—Tripadvisor’s Winter Travel Index reveals that 58 percent of U.S. respondents will travel this season. Though the findings are on par with Tripadvisor’s data from last winter (59 percent), this figure rises to 63 percent of Millennials and 68 percent of Gen Z travelers this season. The vast majority (91 percent) are planning travel for specific seasonal reasons, … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—AHLA Foundation, in partnership with the Employment and Training Administration Office of Apprenticeship at the U.S. Department of Labor, will expand its registered apprenticeship programs for the hospitality industry. The $505,000 grant will enable AHLA Foundation to serve more than 400 apprentices in one of three pathways: Lodging Manager, Hotel Cook, and Maintenance. Since 2018, … [Read more...]

DALLAS—The commercial real estate lending market is beginning to stabilize, with borrowing costs appearing to have peaked, even as transaction activity remains subdued, according to the latest research from CBRE. The CBRE Lending Momentum Index, which tracks the pace of CBRE-originated commercial loan closings in the United States, declined by 3.0 percent from Q2 2023 and 47.9 percent when … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas challenging the legality of the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) new “joint-employer” regulation. The suit contends the NLRB has violated the National Labor Relations Act and is acting in violation … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—Hilton’s Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Global Head of Sustainability, Jean Garris Hand, testified on behalf of Hilton and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion. The hearing, titled “Sustainable Tourism for a Thriving Economy,” explored how to build a sustainable … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON, D.C.—AHLA Foundation has received a $605,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support its Empowering Youth Program (EYP) over two years. The primary goal of EYP is to address the workforce shortage in the U.S. hotel and lodging industry by promoting equitable hiring practices and training untapped talent, including opportunity youth (age 16-24 and currently not in … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—After the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to make available an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas in Fiscal Year 2024, AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers released the following statement: “The H-2B Workforce Coalition, which AHLA co-chairs, worked hard to convince the Biden Administration to offer this considerable expansion, which nearly … [Read more...]

iSeatz’s Andy Hermo discusses the findings of his company’s 2023 Hospitality Rewards Report Exactly how important are loyalty programs as a vehicle for promoting, well, loyalty, and ultimately beefing up hoteliers’ bottom lines? That was the gist of what LODGING asked Andy Hermo, chief commercial officer at loyalty technology company iSeatz. In response, Hermo, who leads the development and … [Read more...]

DALLAS, Texas—New data from Motel 6 found that U.S. travelers who are celebrating a winter holiday are planning to participate in an average of 10 or more gatherings this year. In its sixth annual holiday travel survey, Motel 6 heard from over 2,000 respondents who celebrate a winter holiday and found that their festivities are expected to lead to an increase in travel. Eighty-four percent of … [Read more...]

BOISE, Idaho—Resolute Road Hospitality announced the addition of two hotels to its third-party managed portfolio. The properties, both located in Oregon, are owned by Evergreen Hospitality Development Group, a hospitality development and investment firm led by Alkesh Patel. The addition of the Hampton Inn & Suites Portland Tigard, located in Tigard, Oregon, and the Hampton Inn & Suites … [Read more...]

ATLANTA—Davidson Hospitality Group announced the inaugural launch of “Davidson Day of Service,” a companywide initiative aimed at giving back to the local communities at its hotels and resorts. From supporting food banks and assisting homeless shelters to contributing goods and equipment to local schools to trail clean-ups, each participating property has developed engagement to make an impact on … [Read more...]

LISBON, Portugal—The American Hotel & Lodging Association and its technology committee, HTNG, announced that Oracle Hospitality, in collaboration with PolyAPI, received AHLA’s Technology Acceleration Award. The award was presented at the HTNG Hotec European Conference in Lisbon. Each year, the AHLA Technology Acceleration Award recognizes companies that have taken steps to advance … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and IncentiFind announced a new partnership to help AHLA’s more than 30,000 members identify sustainability-related cost savings. IncentiFind offers more than a half million incentives, including tax credits, grants, fee waivers, rebates, and bill credits. These credits support the implementation of green measures like energy … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON—American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) President and CEO Chip Rogers spoke after the National Labor Relations Board issued a final regulation expanding the “joint-employer standard” under the National Labor Relations Act. The standard is used to determine when two or more employers are jointly responsible for a shared group of workers’ essential terms and conditions of … [Read more...]

BOSTON and NEW YORK—Bain Capital Special Situations and Smith Hill Capital, an affiliate of Procaccianti Companies, announced the formation of a joint venture to originate debt and preferred equity to serve the financing needs of companies and assets in the hospitality sector. The platform launches with the objective of deploying $1 billion of gross capital over the next several years. The … [Read more...]

CHICAGO, Illinois—Maverick Hotels and Restaurants announced that it has added another property in the state of Illinois to its growing portfolio. Maverick Founder and CEO Robert Habeeb made the announcement. Located in Rockford along the banks of the Rock River, the 84-room Riverview Inn & Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, offers guestrooms that include amenities like pillowtop mattresses, … [Read more...]

Marriott International continues to grow its brand portfolio and expand its reach through new initiatives, such as the recent launch of a new extended-stay flag and a newly forged licensing deal with MGM Resorts. Marriott President/CEO Anthony Capuano recently sat down with LODGING to discuss some of those developments, as well as key issues impacting the lodging industry as a whole. The Q&A … [Read more...]

ATLANTA—hihotels by Hospitality International announced four properties—Scottish Inns in Austin, Forest Hill, and Hankamer, Texas, as well as a Passport Inn in Paradise, Pennsylvania. The Scottish Inns & Suites in Austin, Texas is a former Rodeway Inn. The 35-room hotel is located in downtown Austin just off Interstate 35 and East Highway 290. It offers access to the 6th Street … [Read more...]

DENVER, Colorado—McKibbon Hospitality welcomed a new addition to its management portfolio, Aloft Denver North Westminster. The 120-room pet-friendly property marks McKibbon’s fifth managed Aloft and its entry into the Colorado market as the company continues its westward expansion, having also recently assumed management of Hyatt House Austin Downtown. Aloft Denver North Westminster is owned by … [Read more...]

AMSTERDAM—Booking.com commissioned research among more than 27,000 travelers across 33 countries and territories, combining it with its insights as a digital travel platform to reveal seven predictions for travel in 2024. Where in years past travel has been a means to escape life, Booking.com released research that shows that travel is life in 2024 with more than three quarters (78 percent) … [Read more...]