George Seli - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 4

3 min

Sun and Sophistication

🌞 Miami-based Lang & Schwander, a hotel interior design firm, renovated Hyatt Centric South Beach with a focus on FF&E, which they partly manufactured themselves. The design showcases Florida's sunshine and the upscale Hyatt Centric brand, avoiding traditional Art Deco in favor of a modern, sophisticated look with a sober color palette. The lobby bar features brass accents and globe-shaped light fixtures from Chicago's Lightology, reflecting the sun. Cost-saving measures included updating the existing bar and flooring, creating a white hexagonal tile inset that merges with the original gray tile, and adding a reflective relief pattern to the ceiling for a golden glow.

1 min

Albert Hotel: Blending Past and Present

🏡 New Waterloo opened Albert Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas, in January 2025, featuring 105 rooms. Designed with historical elements by architect Albert Keidel, the property blends heritage homes with new construction. Guests enjoy amenities like The Spa with seven treatment rooms, 3,600 square feet of event space, and F&B venues like a Michelin-starred restaurant. Junebugs BBQ is expected to launch in spring. Interior design by Melanie Raines and landscaping by Word + Carr Design Group emphasize Texas Hill Country style.

3 min

Driftwood Capital Intensifies Focus on Lifestyle & Luxury Sector With New Division and Investment Fund

🏠 Driftwood Capital launched its Driftwood Lifestyle & Luxury Division (DLLUX) in February, managing 12 assets, with $2 billion invested since 2019 in luxury and lifestyle projects, including the Westin Resort & Spa Cocoa Beach and Dream Miami. Alinio Azevedo, Managing Director, indicated that luxury hotels saw a 29% ADR increase from 2019 to 2023, with branded residences growing by 160% over a decade. DLLUX has a dedicated fund (DLLX) targeting over $3 billion in investments, focusing on luxury hospitality assets and branded residential properties.

5 min

Capitalizing on Extended-Stay Demand With the Right Brand Partner

📱 Vinny Patel, CEO of VMV Capital, specializes in extended-stay hotels in the Southeastern U.S. He opened the 88-room Extended Stay America Premier Suites Greenville – Spartanburg – I-85 in December 2023, emphasizing strong Gross Operating Profit (GOP) and Return on Investment (ROI) margins. The Premier Suites brand, launched by Extended Stay America in 2021, features upgraded amenities. Patel's management strategies focus on guest experience, financial management, property maintenance, and talent development. The Greenville – Spartanburg location benefits from the local manufacturing industry and the Sun Belt growth trend, expecting to end 2025 with a double-digit percentage increase in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR). Patel underscores the importance of franchisor support, brand consistency, and understanding extended-stay nuances for success.

2 min

AI and In-Room Entertainment: Enhancing Personalization and Service Quality

💻 AI is transforming hospitality technologies, with guestroom TV providers like DISH Business and DIRECTV HOSPITALITY implementing AI for a personalized, intuitive experience. DISH anticipates AI will connect with loyalty programs to tailor content, such as sports games and travel documentaries, to guest preferences. DIRECTV uses AI to monitor service quality, detecting issues and recommending solutions, thus ensuring faster restoration of TV viewing experiences.

2 min

Recycling Partner: Clean the World Introduces Live Impact Dashboard

🗑 Clean the World, marking its 14th anniversary, distributes approximately 7 million bars of soap annually through its WASH Foundation globally, reaching areas from Maui to the Philippines to Ukraine. It recycles used soap and amenities from major hotel companies worldwide, vowing to divert 100% of received plastic from landfills. The new Live Impact Dashboard provides hotel partners with detailed recycling metrics and aligns with the United Nations’ 17 SDGs. The tool also streamlines logistical processes like ordering and pickup scheduling.

5 min

Entertainment Expectations: Leading In-Room TV Providers Analyze the Latest Guest Preferences

🎥 DIRECTV HOSPITALITY's research shows 87% of hotel guests watch live TV, 72% premium channels and streaming, 66% on-demand content. 73% experienced weak Wi-Fi impacting streaming and on-demand services. 68% of business travelers, 58% loyalty members, 70% leisure travelers with children would switch hotels for better TV and music access, with a willingness to pay more (61%, 45%, 61% respectively). DIRECTV's Advanced Entertainment Platform offers a customizable guest experience, with partners like Enseo and DISH Business enabling personalized content and promotional opportunities for hoteliers. Strong Wi-Fi and user-friendly systems are essential. HUB Entertainment conducted the research in April 2024 with 1,200 U.S. consumers.

4 min

Conscientious About Cosmetics: Ensuring Bathroom Amenities Are Not Left Out of the Sustainability Program

🚼 ADA Cosmetics International GmbH, under chief marketing officer Gerd von Podewils, emphasizes sustainability in hotel bathroom amenities, with their first sustainable shampoo and bodywash launched in 2008. Their products exclude harmful ingredients and are Cradle to Cradle Certified. The company adheres to external audits to combat greenwashing and has earned certifications like FSC. ADA introduced Refillution, a refilling machine, last year, reducing plastic waste and improving hygiene. Their green practices align with EU and U.S. legislation banning small cosmetic portions and contribute toward hotel Green Key certifications, enhancing the guest experience and meeting increasing traveler expectations for sustainability.

5 min

On Point: Today’s Point-of-Sale Systems Afford Numerous Advantages to Hoteliers and Guests

💳 POS systems gained traction in the hotel industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to the need for modernization and complexity of hotel services. They are vital for both larger hotels and limited-service properties, offering cloud integration, advanced analytics, personalization capabilities, omnichannel functionality, and enhanced integrations. Silverware Pay, launched at HITEC, distinguishes itself by providing integrated payment processing within the Silverware POS ecosystem, supporting various payment methods, and enabling data-driven decisions across multiple properties. Future enhancements may include AI-powered personalization, voice/gesture recognition, sustainability integration, and hyper-integration with various operational systems.

1 min

A New Vacation Experience on Oahu

🏕 The new Marriott Vacation Club in Honolulu's Waikiki neighborhood, Hawaii, opened in October 2024. It offers 110 guestrooms, ranging from studios to one-bedroom suites, with amenities like kitchenettes, wet rooms, HDTVs, and balconies. Developed by Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. & Merrimon LLC, and operated by Marriott Resorts Hospitality Corporation, the resort boasts an infinity edge pool, onsite dining, a fitness center and is close to attractions and shopping.

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