Starting at the Front Door: OTH President and CEO Todd Felsen on His Path From Industry ‘Outsider’ to ‘Insider’
Category: Careers, Checking In, Featured, People
It all began with a family trip to Disney World for Todd Felsen, president and chief executive officer of OTH Hotels Resorts, an independent hotel management company. As he told LODGING, he never did outgrow his youthful attraction to the industry. It was love at first sight upon arriving at the Polynesian Village, which was one of the first Disney resorts. “I remember walking into that expansive atrium lobby with cascading waterfalls, exotic birds, and
Groups360 Expands GroupSync Instant Booking at Omni Hotels
Category: Marketing, Meetings & Events, Operations
DALLAS, Texas—Omni Hotels & Resorts and Groups360 announced the expansion of GroupSync Instant Booking, the ability to book hotels for small group blocks, at all Omni properties in the United States and Canada. Through GroupSync, event organizers can secure group guestrooms directly online, further streamlining an open complex RFP-based group booking process. For Omni Hotels & Resorts, Instant Booking provides group travel organizers and planners with a method to book 10-25 guestrooms in a single
NORTH BETHESDA, Maryland—Choice Hotels International, Inc. opened the Mayfair Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection. The Mayfair Hotel joins the Ascend Hotel Collection’s existing New York City hotels the Blue Angel Hotel, The L Hotel, and the Insignia Hotel. The seven-story, 77-room property is situated in New York City’s Theatre District. Located adjacent to Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill, Ambassador, Gershwin, and Barrymore theaters, guests will be a short walk from Times Square, Hell’s Kitchen, and other attractions. The
WASHINGTON—Placemakr announced the continuation of its national expansion with the launch of its first blended apartment-hotel property in San Antonio, Texas. The Maverick, powered by Placemakr, will be the first of its kind in San Antonio, providing its guests and residents with a single-use multifamily building and a blended experience with home and hotel within a single building. Placemakr is partnering with AREA Real Estate to bring this product offering to the state of Texas.
Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index Increased 9.3 Percent in November
Category: Finance, Finance & Development
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee, and MILWAUKEE—The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index increased 9.3 percent in November to a level of 6,119. “Hotel stocks rose sharply in November and snapped a three-month losing streak; performance generally tracked the benchmarks,” said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. “Lower interest rates primarily drove the gains during the month, particularly for real estate stocks, and overall investor sentiment improved. Year to date, the hotel REIT sub-index turned positive
