Golf legend Arnold Palmer signs SpringHill hotel project

by Melanie Nayer on

Golf master Arnold Palmer can now add “hotelier” to his impressive resume.

Palmer is partnering with Concord Hospitality Enterprises to build a 109-key SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel near his Latrobe Country Club in Pennsylvania. The hotel will be jointly owned by Palmer Hospitality LP, Concord and Keith H. McGraw, is slated to open late next year.

What can guests expect? A lot of green. Palmer’s golfing career will be the inspiration for the hotel’s design, which will feature everything from his awards to golf memorabilia. The hotel will be a LEED-certified prototype that was pioneered by Concord in conjunction with Marriott.

The all-suite concept will offer separate areas for sleeping, working and relaxing, and will feature complimentary daily breakfast buffet, in-suite microwave and mini-fridge, pull-out sofa bed, free high-speed Internet access, swimming pool and whirlpool, fitness room and on-site business services.

We’re pretty sure the SpringHill Suites will offer shuttle service to the golf course, too.

Hotels making a move on social media, with targeted help

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The hotel industry has plenty of faith in the social media world – and no reservations about using it to gain reservations. But, it’s struggling to take control of the medium. A survey by Wine and Hospitality Network indicates that most respondents (in the business) spend only two hours a week managing their Facebook fan pages – with 14.2 percent having no such page to manage. Forty-two percent don’t use Twitter, and 25 percent tweet for less than an hour a week (they should reach out to @Colonnade for tips).

But, it isn’t for lack of trying. The internet is littered with the corpses of abandoned social media marketing initiatives, inside the travel industry and out. Notes online marketing publication ClickZ:

“Before hoteliers even consider a social media initiative, they should be aware that social media is a very engaged, hands-on marketing format. The social networks are a graveyard of abandoned hotel profiles and fan pages by hoteliers who did not realize the complexity of social marketing,” said Margaret Mastrogiacomo, social media specialist with Hospitality eBusiness Strategies, a strategic services and design firm.

Several properties are getting in on the action, committing resources and genuinely seeking returns. New York’s Roger Smith Hotel has made a clear social media play, according to ClickZ, by adopting Revinate, a tool to facilitate active social media management specifically for the hospitality business. Kimpton has adopted this platform as well.

ClickZ continues:

The focus on hotels pays off for the Roger Smith’s Simpson, who used to spend hours using search and setting up news alerts on competitors. While Revinate doesn’t include some of the hot new social media startups he keeps an eye on, like Bizzy and Pegshot, he says it covers the major sites, especially TripAdvisor, the most important. The ability to compare his hotel’s buzz with competitors is also unique. “It’s one thing to do it manually for your own establishment, but for me to do that for surrounding hotels or for what other people we have an interest in are doing, that becomes more laborious.”

So, what does this mean for the average traveler? Your opportunities to engage with the hotels you’ll call home, if only temporarily, are set to increase. Think beyond deals (though they are important) to every other reason you’d contact and open dialogue with a hotel. The possibilities are immense, and hotels, a bit slow to move in social media, appear to be on the brink.

Survey says: Hotel guests generally happier with their stays

by Melanie Nayer on

It’s no surprise the hotel industry is making a strong comeback. When travel started to falter in the down economy, hotels kept the spirit alive with the ‘staycation’ craze. Now, as more people start spending money on much-needed vacations again, the hotel industry is once again at the forefront of recreating the ultimate customer service experience and according to travelers, hotels are doing a pretty good job.

The latest survey results from J.D. Power and Associates says guests have generally been happier with their hotel experience over the past year. The study finds that the proportion of hotel guests making reservations online has increased in 2010. Not surprisingly, a drop in hotel prices had a little something to do with this, but we’ve heard from more hotels that customer service and personalized guest programs have been at the forefront of their efforts over the past year.

So, how has your hotel stacked up against its competition? The latest study measures how well hotel chains satisfy their customers and ranks the hotels by economy-budget to upscale-luxury. The study leaves out independent chains and hotels, but more well-known brands like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Embassy Suites and Hilton are part of the survey. Drury Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Microtel Inns & Suites, Omni Hotels and The Ritz-Carlton rank highest in customer satisfaction.

The following hotel brands rank highest in guest satisfaction within their respective segments:

Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton
Upscale: Omni Hotels & Resorts
Mid-Scale Full Service: Hilton Garden Inn (for a second consecutive year)
Mid-Scale Limited Service: Drury Inn & Suites (for a fifth consecutive year)
Economy/Budget: Microtel Inns & Suites (for a ninth consecutive year)
Extended Stay: Homewood Suites

We’re curious: Do you agree with the results? Were you satisfied with your most recent hotel stay?

Starwood to open seven hotels in NYC this year

by Melanie Nayer on

New York City is getting a few new addresses.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced its plans to open seven more hotels in New York City, upping the hotel’s portfolio by 50 percent in the Big Apple. Starwood currently operates 12 hotels in New York City across six of its nine brands, and expects to have 18 properties open in the city by year’s end, including the local debut of the Aloft and Element brands.

From Starwood:

“While nearly 80% of our future hotel pipeline is outside of the United States, we have more hotels in New York City than any city in the world and we will open more hotels right here in our backyard than anywhere else, which speaks to New York’s enduring stature as the most global gateway city in the world,” says Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen.

Coming soon: Aloft hotels in Harlem and Brooklyn and Starwood’s first Element hotel in Times Square.

In addition to the new brands, Starwood’s Sheraton hotels is making a splash in the big city. Of the seven hotels opening, Sheraton will debut two New York hotels including the Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel the Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel. Starwood’s most popular brand, the W, continues to operate four hotels in NYC including its landmark W New York and W New York-Times Square.

New York short-term apartment rentals to become illegal

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Traveling to New York on a budget? Well, you just lost an option. Governor David Paterson just put his signature on a bill banning short-term vacation apartment rentals in New York City. Unless you’re renting an apartment for 30 days or longer, you’re out of luck. Originally, he said he’d veto the measure.

According USA Today, Paterson says the new law:

“… fixes problems caused by illegal hotels and improves quality of life in traditional residential apartment buildings, while also meeting the needs of visitors. By removing a legal gray area and replacing it with a clear definition of permanent occupancy, the law will allow enforcement efforts that help New Yorkers who live in SRO units and other types of affordable housing preserve their homes.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg came out in support of the law, USA Today continues:

“When housing designated for permanent occupancy is illegally converted into a hotel, unsafe conditions are created, the residential character of City neighborhoods is harmed and the supply of much-needed units of housing is depleted,” added New York Mayor Michael A. Bloomberg. “The bill provides a clear definition of what constitutes transient and permanent occupancy, which will allow City agencies to issue summonses and initiate other enforcement actions against illegal hotels.”

The law is ostensibly designed to protect New Yorkers, but could have an effect on the lower end of the tourism industry here. It takes effect May 1, 2011.

What about everyone else, the tourists coming to visit and looking for cheap digs? You can always find bargain in New York … well, almost. Your best bet is to read Melanie Nayer’s stuff: she always has some great tips.

[photo by Randy Lemoine via Flickr]