HOSPITALITY HEADLINES

• Schlitterbahn: New waterpark, hotel for South Padre Island (The Brownsville Herald, Texas)
• Closed Red Lion Hotel in Concord gets new owners and a fresh start (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.)
• Studio 54 remembered as party winds down at iconic Vegas nightclub (Las Vegas Sun)
• Wynn reports revenue increases, hints at Encore redesign (Las Vegas Sun)
• Hyatt finishes makeover (The Indianapolis Star)
• Myrtle Beach lodging providers, restaurant earn AAA four diamonds (The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
• Miami Gansevoort hotel sold, renamed (The Miami Herald)
• Orange tourist tax dips for 1st time in 22 months (The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.)
• Hotels join conservation efforts (Ruidoso News, N.M.)
• Henrico-based StreamCo acquires hotel management firm (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.)
• Tampa hotels, RNC still at odds over fee (Tampa Tribune, Fla.)
• New Hard Rock hotel should open this year (Tulsa World, Okla.)
• Parkways moves ahead in effort to get hotel on Tamarack land (The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.)

INSIDE HOTEL ONLINE TODAY
DAILY EMAIL NEWS

• Grand Hyatt San Francisco Offers Eco-Friendly Rooms, High-Tech Security From VingCard Elsafe; Comprehensive renovation of luxury Union Square hotel includes installation of VingCard's Orion energy management system, RFID locks, Elsafe safes and VISIONLINE access control system.
• Starwood Reports Net Income 4th Qtr 2011 of $167 million Compared to $339 million Same Period 2010; Worldwide System-wide RevPAR Up 5.8% / Systemwide Hotel Statistics
• Las Vegas Sands Corporation Reports 4th Qtr. 2011 Net Income of $320.1 million Compared to $273.0 million Same Period 2010
• Wynn Resorts Reports Fourth Quarter Net Income of $190.5 million Compared to $114.2 million Same Quarter 2010 Driven by Revenue Increases of 9.1% in Macau Operations and 7.2% in Las Vegas Operations
• South Beach, Florida Hotel, Formally Known as Gansevoort, Acquired by Starwood Capital Group, LeFrak Organization and Invesco; Beachfront Hotel to Undergo $100 Million Renovation; Will be Named The Perry South Beach Until Re-launch and Re-branding in 2013
• Memories Shared as After 14 Years, Las Vegas Nightclub, Studio 54, in the MGM Grand Nears its Closing Date
• Hyatt and Naseel Holding Company Enter Management Agreements for Three New Hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Agreements for Park Hyatt Riyadh, Grand Hyatt Jeddah, and Hyatt Regency Jeddah Bring Total to Six Hotels Under Development in Saudi Arabia
• Three New European Hotels Join the Courtyard by Marriott Portfolio in France, Poland and The Netherlands
• Tampa, Florida Hotels and Republican National Committee Still at Odds Over Booking Fee to be Paid by Hotels; Debate Regarding Room Rates Eases as Hotels Agree to Lower Charges
• Schlitterbahn on South Padre Island, Texas Ungoing Transformation; Property to Become Schlitterbahn Beach Resort, to Include a 222-room Hotel Conncected to Water Park
• European Hospitality Results for 2011 Lie Somewhere Between Satisfaction and a Question Mark; European Union Averaged 5.5% RevPAR Growth
• Planning for Search Marketing in 2012 as a Hotel Marketer; Interview with James Harrower of Hilton Worldwide / Ritesh Gupta
• Red Lion Hotels Partners With Concept Amenities to Create Memorable Guest Experiences
• Educational Institute Becomes New Sponsor for EUHOFA International
• StreamCo LLC Acquires Hotel Management Firm, Afton Hospitality
• Louvre Hotels Group Actively Pursues its Development Worldwide with 62 New Hotels Opened in 2011 and 170 Hotels in their Pipeline
• HSMAI Greater New York Chapter Calls for Nominations for the Annual Hospitality Awards of Excellence Program
• Registration Now Open for 34th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference
• Leisure Hotel Group Acquires Closed Red Lion Hotel in Concord, California; Renovations Underway
• RIU Hotels & Resorts to Open the $140 Million 562-room Riu Palace Peninsula in Cancun, Mexico
• The 125-suite DoubleTree by Hilton Saltillo Opens in Mexico; Operated by American Hotel Group
• Following a Multi-Million Dollar Renovation, the 41-room Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara Opens in California; Owned by Santa Barbara Beach House Hotel, LP and Managed by Courtland-Dane Management Group
• Tampa Airport Marriott in Florida Completes $9 Million Renovation Project Transforming its 298 Guest Rooms and Public Spaces
• Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia and the Indigenous Land Corporation Begin Extensive Renovation Project for Ayers Rock Resort in Australia
• Marshall Hotels & Resorts Adds Six Management Contracts; Closes Out 2011 with 19 Additions to Management Portfolio
• Hilton Worldwide Appoints Johannes Van Der Putten as Vice President for Africa & Indian Ocean
• Jim Mikula Appointed Managing Director of Hotel Madeline Telluride & Inn At Lost Creek in Telluride Colorado
• Palace Resorts Names New Executive Marketing Team
• Roger Soane Named as General Manager for the 77-room Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
• Bernie Sefcik Named as Director of Sales for the 2,000-key Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey

• IDeaS Revenue Solutions Honored with 'Allied Vendor of the Year' Award from Minnesota Lodging Association; IDeaS recognized for its revenue management services and products
• Rainmaker Offers RateGain's Rate Shopping Solution to its Casinos and Resorts Customers; Revenue Management Leader Partners with RateGain as Reseller to Offer Competitive Price Intelligence Data to its Vast Customer Base in Cities like Las Vegas and Macau
• Luxury Communication International to Provide Hosted Enterprise Email Service to Noble-Interstate Management Group Selected Properties
• FelCor Lodging Trust Acquires Iconic New York City Knickerbocker Hotel for $115 million; Also Marketing 16 Non-Strategic Hotels to Support Portfolio Repositioning Strategy and Strengthen Balance Sheet
• Starwood Preferred Guest Survey of 9,900 Global Travelers Reveals Loyalty to Frequent Traveler Programs Beyond Reason; Fear of Losing Loyalty-Program Status Looms Larger Than Lost Luggage, Missed Flights
• Starwood Reinvents Hotel Loyalty Landscape with First-of-Its-Kind Benefits for Global Mega Travelers; Services Aimed at Small but Powerful Group, the 2% of Travelers Who Drive 30% of the Company's Profits
• Brand USA Marketing Budget to Grow by $21 Million as Marriott, Disney and Best Western Make Multimillion Dollar Commitments to be Matched by Federal Funds
• Unite Now Union to Picket Hyatt Regency Indianapolis Claiming Hyatt is Replacing 20 Subcontractor Employees
• Generational Similarities - Cravings that Need to be Fed / Tommy Taylor
• U. S. Department of Commerce Figures Show Travel and Tourism-related Exports have Increased, on Average, More than $1.5 billion a Month in 2011; When Year-end Results Compiled Tourism Industry Exports will Set all-time Record for the Year
• 24th Hunter Hotel Investment Conference Set for March 18-20 in Atlanta; 'Take Charge, Move Forward!' Theme Reflects Attitude of Hotel Owners; Tom Corcoran (Felcor) and David Morris (Kiplinger Editor) are Keynote Speakers, H.P. Rama to be Honored for Excellence and Inspiration
• Lead Me: Help Me to Become More Than I Realize I Can Be / Bryan K. Williams
• Yellow Dog Software Provides Resorts World Casino with Retail Inventory Management
• Harmony Hospitality and Wilmington, North Carolina City Council Negotiate Terms for Development of a 194-room Embassy Suites Hotel; Plans Moving Forward Based on Recent Compromises
• Cafaro Company, Owner of the Eastwood Mall in Youngstown, Ohio, Proposes Building 100-suite Hotel and Conference Center at the Mall with Anticipated Opening in Early 2013
• Strand Development Plans to Expand 70-plus Hotel Portfolio Further into U.S. Midwest and West Coast within Three to Five Years
• New-Build $52 Million Holiday Inn New York City Midtown Opens in New York; Owned by Chesapeake Lodging Trust and Managed by Real Hospitality Group
• Former Wyndham Garden Hotel Becomes the 224-room DoubleTree by Hilton New York - Times Square South in New York City
• Davidson Hotels & Resorts Opens the 335-room Hyatt North Houston in Texas; Completing a ReFlagging of the Former Crowne Plaza Houston Greenspoint
• Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts to Manage its First Hotel in Paris, Currently a Courtyard by Marriot, Property to Undergo Mutli-million Renovation
• The 316-room Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana Completes $22 Million Property-wide Restoration
• Waterford Hotel Group Honors Company's Top Performers for 2011; Tara Capiello, Restaurant Supervisor at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton, Connecticut Named Associate of the Year
• Cindy Mastrella Named General Manager of the 85-room Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor, Maine
• Dorota Antoszkiewicz Named as General Manager for the 7-villa, 16-suite Las Alamandas in Costalegre, Mexico
• The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia Names Joni Mamana as Senior Sales Manager
• Chef Charlie Palmer and The Joule in Dallas, Texas Appoint New Executive Chef Team; Michale Sindoni Named Executive Chef for the Hotel and Joel Harrington Named Executive Sous Chef of Charlie Palmer at the Joule

Top five viewed pages during January 2012

• Business Traveler Sues Starwood Hotel Chain for Negligence after Man Claiming to be her Husband is Given the Key to her Room and Joins her in Bed
• HSMAI Names the Top 25 Minds in Hospitality Sales and Marketing for 2011; Winners to be Honored at Reception and Adrian Awards Gala February 27, 2012
• Sex for Sale in Las Vegas and The Consumer Electronics Show / Terence Ronson
• What Is The Difference Between Hospitality Excellence and Mediocrity? / Doug Kennedy
• Where Does the President of the United States Stay While in Las Vegas? The Eco-Chic Element of Course