Names and Notes: July 2007
Published: June 29, 2007
Names
Matthew Hart was named chief executive officer of Hilton Hotels Corporation. Meredith Quarnstrom was named vice president of food and beverage.
Cary Broussard was named vice president of marketing and brand strategy of Meeting Planners International.
Joseph Serreyn was named director of food and beverage of Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa in Sedona, Ariz.
Co-owner and Chef Nobuo Fukuda of Scottsdale, Ariz.’s Sea Saw received “Best Chef in the Southwest” honors from James Beard Foundation.
Candace Taylor became director of sales at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Ariz.
Mark Shine was named director of sales and marketing of The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa in Denver, Colo.; Jim Gallo was named executive pastry chef.
Christophe Granger became general manager of Green Gable Country Club in Denver.
Bob Pallay was promoted to general manager of National Hotel in Miami.
Niccole Haschak was promoted to tourism sales associate at the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades [Fla.] Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Luigi Romaniello became managing director of the Mansion on Peachtree, to open next year in Atlanta.
Michael Touchy was named director of sales and marketing for Renaissance Arts Hotel in New Orleans.
Steve Weitman was promoted to vice president of food and beverage of Wynn Las Vegas.
Phil Evans was named executive chef of The Umstead Hotel’s restaurant Herons in Cary, N.C.
Paul McCormick was named vice president and general manager of the Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas. Melody Campbell-Goeken was named director of marketing communications.
Duncan Graham became managing director of the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.
John Langston became managing director of Stoneleigh in Dallas.
Charles Riley was named food and beverage director of Omni Dallas Park West.
John Coleman was appointed executive chef at Ritz-Carlton Dallas, scheduled to open this summer. Joel Harrington was named chef de cuisine for the property’s Fearing’s Restaurant.
Glenn Lee was appointed director of golf at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.
Patrick O’Neil was named general manager of NYLO Hotel in Plano, Texas. In addition to his new position, he serves as the chain’s senior vice president of operations.
Brett Boreing was named director of sales and marketing of Hotel Contessa in San Antonio, Texas.
Alberto Andrade was hired as general manager of St. Anthony in San Antonio; David Bull was named director of food and beverage.
Mike Aylmer was named director of sales and marketing at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Va.
Notes
International
Ten new spas in Europe and Asia joined Starwood Collection, the largest collection of luxury spas in the world.
Hilton Hotels Corporation plans to open 15 new hotels in the Caribbean within the next five years in Trinidad, Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.
Accor Hotels plans to open 18 new hotels in China by the end of this year and add 80 more by 2008.
Candlewood Suites opened its first hotel outside the U.S. in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This is the first of several developments Candlewood Suites plans to open throughout Canada.
National
ExpressJet began offering daily, nonstop service between New Orleans and Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.; Birmingham, Ala.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Southwest added one daily nonstop flight between New Orleans and Dallas. United increased air service between New Orleans and Washington Dulles and Denver.
Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts has invested $725 million on recent and current renovations, and is planning to invest an additional $248 million by 2010. Properties undergoing renovations and improvements include hotels and resorts in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Palm Beach, Fla.; Atlanta; Maui, Hawaii; Chicago; New York; Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texas; Prague, Czech Republic; Punta Mita, Mexico; and Geneva, Switzerland.
Staybridge Suites introduced “Wireless Anywhere” service in all U.S. and Canadian hotels, allowing guests free WiFi access to the Internet anywhere on property.
New luxury brand eSuites is to begin conversion on four hotels later this year, with properties opening in fall 2008 in Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Phoenix, Ariz. Amenities at the eight-story, 224-suite hotels will cater to a young, tech-savvy demographic with state-of-the-art technology and avant-garde design elements. Future locations include Sacramento, Calif., and Atlanta.
Ohio-based independent meeting planning company Experient opened a Las Vegas office to serve clients in California, Nevada and Arizona.
Alabama
In Birmingham, renovations of the 220-room Holiday Inn-Airport and the 197-room Best Western Birmingham Airport Hotel are completed.
A new Tourist Information Center opened in Birmingham’s Vulcan Park and Museum.
The Birmingham Museum of Art is hosting “Art on the Rocks,” a monthly after-hours social with music, food, drinks and admission to the museum’s collections.
In Mobile, the legendary Battle House, A Renaissance Hotel, reopened with more than 27,000 square feet of meeting and event space near the 54-hole Magnolia Grove golf course, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The 238-room hotel originally opened in 1852 and hosted such luminaries as presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Woodrow Wilson as well as baseball legend Babe Ruth. Other amenities include on-site dining, a full-service spa (scheduled to open in December), and proximity to both the riverfront and the convention center.
Arizona
Award-winning Chef Nobuo Fukuda is opening Shell Shock, his second restaurant in Scottsdale, at SouthBridge next to his restaurant Sea Saw. The new restaurant will resemble a traditional izikaya (Japanese tavern) with décor inspired by “The Jetsons” cartoons and the concept of an underwater desert.
The Ritz-Carlton has purchased 123 acres in Paradise Valley to build a 225-room hotel.
Florida
The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in South Walton county opened two additional lodging options: Elation (Bayside) and Luau Tower II (Beachside) as part of its 10-year, $400 million master redevelopment plan, scheduled for completion in 2008. Elation has 100 luxury condominiums; Luau II has 243 suites. Other recently completed enhancements include a $23 million, 150-ft. beach nourishment project along one mile of the resort’s beachfront; the opening of the Residence Inn Sandestin at Grand Boulevard and the Courtyard Sandestin at Grand Boulevard; a $4.2 million renovation of the 175-room Bayside Inn; renovations of the resortís on-site salon, day spa and fitness center; and new shops and restaurants at the Village of Baytowne Wharf and the Market Shops at Sandestin.
The Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front opened with 273 rooms (including 92 suites) and 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Hampton Inn Pensacola Beach scored one of the highest annual Hampton inspection scores ever received by a first-year property (96.7 percent).
A $30 million, eight-story Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites at Kings Avenue Station ground this summer in Jacksonville. Amenities planned for the 123-room Hilton Garden Inn include a 24-hour business center, WiFi Internet and on-site dining. Amenities planned for the 98-room Homewood Suites include free continental breakfasts and in-room kitchenettes. The hotels will share access to two meeting rooms, three boardrooms and a fitness center.
The 193-room One Ocean (formerly the Sea Turtle Inn), a flagship property for the Gallery luxury resort brand, is undergoing a $24 million renovation and is expected to open this fall in Atlantic Beach.
The Westin Tampa Harbour Island is scheduled to complete its $15 million renovation in mid-September. Other area properties undergoing renovations include the Doubletree Guest Suites Tampa Bay (completion scheduled for fall 2007) and the Hilton Garden Inn North Tampa (scheduled for completion this month).
The InterContinental Tampa (formerly the Wyndham Westshore) is to open this fall in the Westshore district with 21,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a divisible ballroom, multi-tiered amphitheater, conference and meeting rooms, and a boardroom.
A 150-room Holiday Inn is to open as part of Tampaís mixed-use Alafia Crossing development in 2008. Alafia Crossing has more than 1,200 feet of waterfront and is bordered by a national wildlife conservation area. Groundbreaking is set for this summer.
Also expected to open in Tampa in 2008 is the Epicurean Hotel, a luxury condo-hotel project from Bernís Family of Legends. The property will be located across the street from Bernís Steak House on Howard Avenue, and its on-site restaurant will include a Bernís Fine Wines & Spirits wine shop with wine storage space for guests. Other planned amenities include meeting space, a full-service day spa, and a state-of-the-art culinary and wine classroom.
The Sandpearl Resort, the first Florida resort designed to meet the standards of the United States Green Building Councilís rating system, is to open in August in Clearwater Beach. Green systems planned include a solar-powered, geothermal water heating system (for the pool and spas); a salt bromine pool-filtration system (to eliminate chlorine waste); a cool-water air-conditioning system (to improve air quality); and an ozone laundry system (to reduce water consumption).
The Grosvenor Resort in Lake Buena Vista, by Downtown Disney, is undergoing a $25 million renovation to enhance guest rooms and suites, meeting space, the lobby, restaurants and lounges, the pool area, guest room corridors and pre-function space. All renovations are scheduled for completion by this September. Amenities of the 626-room resort include a new lobby bar, 24-hour café and kids recreation zone (to open this month), 19,000 square feet of meeting space, an on-site dinner theater, a health club, resort-wide WiFi Internet access and in-room kitchenettes.
The Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando received the American Automobile Associationís (AAA) Four-Diamond Award rating for 2008.
Orlando City Council approved plans for a 22-story tower with 225 hotel rooms, restaurants and retail space to be built on Lake Eola’s waterfront in downtown Orlando. The developer will donate one percent of the $75 million project cost to a public art fund.
The 120-seat American steakhouse A Land Remembered opened at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, serving Florida-inspired cuisine (Cajun-Spiced Little Creek Frog Legs in a Mango Rum Glaze), seafood (Key West Seafood Au Gratin with Baked Lobster, Scallops and Shrimp) and fine cuts of meat (Harris Ranch Five Diamond Black Angus Prime).
A 74-room, 28-suite Hampton Inn & Suites opened in Fort Myers. Amenities include complimentary high-speed Internet access and hot breakfasts.
The Miami Met Marquis hotel, part of JW Marriott Collection, is to open as part of phase two of Miamiís The Met mixed-use development (completion dates TBD). Planned amenities include 376 rooms, cutting edge technology, a bilingual staff, a 25,000-sq. ft. column-free ballroom and Chef Daniel Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne.
The Crowne Plaza Miami Kendall opened June 26. It includes 156 guest rooms and 5,000 square feet of meeting space.
Eden Roc Renaissance Resort & Spa in Miami Beach is undergoing $110 million renovation. The resort will be closed until renovations are complete; it is to reopen in fall 2008.
The 124-room Regent Bal Harbour Hotel is to open this late summer.
Georgia
The Georgia Department of Economic Development launched a membership rewards program for visitors and residents. The Georgia Dream Pass is a wallet-sized card offering rewards and incentives at more than 35 participating golf courses and resorts.
Alpharettaís Old Milton Country Fair (Sept. 8, 2007) made the list of Southeast Tourism Societyís Top 20 Events. Attractions include live bluegrass music, barbecue and country foods, square dancing, horse rides, craft demonstrations, antiques shopping, classic car shows, historical reenactments and military exhibits.
In Atlanta, Kevin Rathbun Steak opened in the Inman Park neighborhood near sister restaurants Rathbun’s and the Krog Bar. The modern steakhouse menu includes tapa-sized dishes, prime steaks served tableside, local organic ingredients, and dishes with Italian, Asian and Creole influences. The restaurant has patio seating for groups of up to 35 and a speakeasy atmosphere.
Atlanta’s Wyndham Hotels and Resorts debuted a Bordeaux and Wyndham Burger menu, pairing French wines (by tasting flights or the glass) with specialty burgers.
Also in Atlanta, Piedmont Park is scheduled to host the first-annual Atlanta Arts Festival Sept. 14-16, 2007. The festival will be a professionally juried, fine arts exhibition featuring the work of 200 painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metal craftspeople and glassblowers.
The Flat Creek Lodge, a hunting and fishing resort and spa in Swainsboro, opened the Flat Creek Lodge Dairy. Four artisanal cheeses (Havarti, Gouda, Edam and Colby), herbs and vegetables are produced or grown on-site for use in the lodge’s dining room and local restaurants; the cheeses also will become available in selected retail outlets. The dairy is only the second licensed artisanal cheese producer in the state (the first was Sweetgrass Dairy).
The Gilmer Street Café opened on the historic public square in Adairsville, offering soups, salads, baked goods and sandwiches for lunch.
Louisiana
The Hilton New Orleans St. Charles Avenue opened in an historic 1926 Masonic Temple building in the Central Business District. Amenities include 250 guest rooms, including 25 suites and a five-bedroom grand suite, and 12,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.
The Hilton New Orleans Riverside has completed most of its $66 million renovation, with the entire renovation scheduled for completion in 2008. Improvements include the front desk, business center, guest rooms and public spaces.
Plans for the World Trade Center in New Orleans to be converted into 250 residences and a 130-room Renaissance Club Sport Hotel by Marriott are underway. Other planned amenities of the $160 million project include the development of a cultural museum and the conversion of Spanish Plaza into a public entertainment area.
The Hilton Shreveport opened adjacent to the 380,000-sq. ft. Shreveport Convention Center in the heart of the city’s Riverfront District. Amenities include 313 guest rooms, complimentary WiFi Internet access, a state-of-the-art fitness facility and in-room work stations.
Maryland
The 42-acre Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is to open in early 2008 along the Potomac River in Prince George’s County. Planned amenities will include 2,000 rooms, including 100 luxury suites; on-site dining, shopping and entertainment venues; a full service marina; a 20,000-sq. ft. luxury spa, salon and fitness center; and 470,000 square feet of meeting, convention, exhibit and pre-function space; and proximity to Old Town Alexandria, Va., Georgetown and the cultural amenities of Washington, D.C.
Nevada
Construction began on the Echelon, a $4.8 billion mixed-use development scheduled to open in 2010 in Las Vegas on the site of the former Stardust casino-hotel. Plans include a 300,000-sq. ft. retail area, 5,000 hotel rooms, 750,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, 30 dining and entertainment venues, and a 140,000-sq. ft. casino.
New Mexico
The Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau launched a new Web site promoting the city at itsatrip.org.
North Carolina
The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville debuted two signature wines, a 2005 Grove Park Inn Chardonnay and a 2004 Grove Park Inn Cabernet Sauvignon, the first created by the resort in its 100-year history.
The 500,000-sq. ft. Raleigh Convention Center and an adjacent 400-room, Raleigh Marriott City Center are to open in downtown Raleigh next to the existing 355-room Sheraton Raleigh hotel in summer 2008. The Raleigh Marriott City Center also will have nearly 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
Other new properties in Raleigh include the 150-room Umstead Hotel & Spa (16,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space), the 229-room Renaissance Raleigh North Hills (scheduled to open in 2008), and the Westin at Crabtree Valley (scheduled to open in spring 2009).
More new developments for Raleigh include the $138 million expansion of the North Carolina Museum of Art (for completion in spring 2009), a new Terminal C at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (to open in phases in 2008 and 2010) and a new contemporary art museum (scheduled to open late this year). Plans for the Green Square Project, to open in 2009, include a Nature Research Center with a $500,000 NASA-sponsored Space and Earth Observation Wing as well as office space and hands-on training facilities for science, technology and problem-solving.
South Carolina
Construction began on a 136-room aloft hotel by the Charleston Convention Center and Charleston International Airport, to open summer 2008. Features of the aloft brand include loft-style rooms with 9-ft. ceilings, oversized windows and Bliss Spa in-room amenities, communal social areas, and indoor and outdoor pools.
Renovations are scheduled to begin on Charleston’s Woodlands Resort & Inn in early August, with completion scheduled Dec. 1. The inn will remain open throughout construction. Projected enhancements include the addition of a casual dining area with an exposed wine room for special food and wine events, and a new courtyard patio space. The resort also began a Chef du Jour cooking class for guests, led by Executive Chef Tarver King, which may be booked up to three months in advance.
Texas
Omni Hotels introduced Kids’ Sensory Suites, with kid-orientated furniture such as twin beds and beanbag chairs, at Omni Austin at Southpark, Omni Corpus Christi Hotel, Omni Houston Hotel and the Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade.
Seven aloft hotels are to open in Texas in Las Colinas, Plano, Frisco, San Antonio, Grapevine, Houston and Dallas, with groundbreakings to begin this year and continue through 2008.
Twenty-five Value Place extended-stay hotels are to open in locations throughout North Texas in the next five years. In-room amenities include high-speed Internet, satellite television and kitchenettes.
Groundbreaking on the 21c Museum Hotel is to begin early next year in Austin within a block of the Austin Convention Center. The luxury condo-hotel will offer free admission to an on-site, world-class contemporary art collection open to the public 365 days a year. Other planned amenities include 209 hotel rooms, 202 residential units, a spa, a pool and on-site dining.
The Hilton Dallas Southlake Town Square opened by the DFW Airport with 248 rooms, a spa, 15,000 square feet of meeting space and outdoor pre-function areas.
The Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott South and its General Manager Nancy Sorrelis received the Leadership Excellence Award during the 2007 Marriott International Global Conference for outstanding leadership and team commitment to enhancing the guest experience.
Presidio Hotel Group and Starwood announced plans to open a hotel in Fort Worth late this year. The hotel will be called Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa and will include 430 guest rooms as well as 22,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science, in partnership with the Ethiopian government, will present “Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia,” a world premiere exhibit of nearly 200 artifacts, including the remains of “Lucy,” a 3.2-million-year-old hominid, thought to be one of mankindís earliest ancestors, from Aug. 31, 2007 through April 20, 2008.
Virginia
The 253-room Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria opened five miles from downtown Washington, D.C., and eight blocks from the shops and restaurants of Alexandriaís historic waterfront. Amenities include 10,000 square feet of meeting space, a rooftop pool, a fitness center and a business center.
Soapbox
Have an opinion, experience, knowledge or question about this story? Sound off below.
Note: This space is for comments about the story above. General questions to PYM should be sent via our contact page.
