| LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2000 - Omni Hotels announced
today that the hotel chain has assumed management of the former Hotel Inter-Continental
Los Angeles, a 439-room luxury hotel located in downtown Los Angeles at
California Plaza, and will operate the property as the Omni Los Angeles
Hotel beginning immediately.
Omni Hotels was awarded a long-term management contract for the property
from the hotel�s owner, RMMK-II, L.L.C.
Michael Knapp, formerly a general manager with Omni Hotels in Houston,
has been named general manager of the new Omni Los Angeles Hotel. Knapp,
a veteran hotel manager who has a long association with the Omni Hotels
chain, also has served as general manager of the historic Omni Parker House
hotel in Boston.
According to Jim Caldwell, president of Omni Hotels in Irving, Texas,
the new Omni Los Angeles Hotel supports the hotel chain�s strategy of expanding
its presence in California and other western states, which includes plans
to open the Omni San Francisco Hotel in downtown San Francisco in 2002.
 �Our
new Omni Los Angeles Hotel is a flagship luxury hotel in an important gateway
market in the West,� Caldwell said. �Our goal is for this hotel to become
the premier luxury property in downtown Los Angeles. Based on Omni Hotels�
management expertise, as well as the commitment and resources of the hotel�s
owner, we will ensure that the Omni Los Angeles Hotel will be operated
at full four-star, four-diamond status.�
The new Omni Los Angeles Hotel is located at 251 S. Olive Street in
the heart of downtown Los Angeles, atop Bunker Hill. The 17-story hotel
is the cornerstone of the integrated California Plaza mixed-use development
project, directly adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art and a short
distance from the Los Angeles Civic Center, City Hall, the Pacific Stock
Exchange and the Los Angeles Music Center. With 439 rooms and suites, the
hotel features a full-service restaurant, a health club, outdoor heated
swimming pool, executive business center, and 20,000 square feet of meeting
space, including a ballroom that seats up to 900 guests. Beginning
immediately, all signature programs and services offered by Omni Hotels
will be available to guests at the new Omni Los Angeles Hotel.
|
Omni Hotels� Leaders
in Development Management Training Program Retooled to Adopt a Shorter,
Accelerated Timetable
IRVING, Texas (Jan. 18, 1999) -- Ken Ross is on the career fast track.
An energetic, quick-minded young man, Ross� office is a sleek, 19-story
highrise overlooking the scenic James River in downtown Richmond, Virginia.
At 23, Ross is an assistant front office manager for the Omni Richmond
Hotel, one of the city�s premier luxury hotels. On a daily basis, Ross
supervises a team of 15 front office associates, helps manage guest services
and operations for the 353-room hotel and participates in business development
meetings with senior staff members. Ross is a recent graduate of Omni Hotels�
Leaders in Development management training program.
Simply referred to as �LID�, Omni Hotels� Leaders in Development management
training program has been newly retooled to adopt a shorter, accelerated
timetable. Unlike the six-months-to-a-year calendar that governs
some hotel training programs, Omni Hotels� new accelerated program places
graduates in introductory management positions in as early as eight weeks
to four months. The benefit to training candidates is increased access
to management opportunities. The benefit to Omni Hotels; an improved workforce
of better-trained managers contributing more quickly to the companyís
overall success.
�Bright people should have the opportunity to determine their own success
in their own timeframe,� says Barbara Kogen, Omni Hotels senior director
of training and development. �That�s exactly what this new program is designed
to do. Our management trainees are given the tools and the support they
need to begin their career in hotel management as soon as possible.�
Beginning this month, Omni Hotels will be selecting 18 people out of
over a thousand candidates for its Leaders in Development management training
program. Initial training will be conducted in Dallas where the company
is headquartered. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be placed
in introductory management positions at one of Omni Hotels 40 hotel and
resort properties.
The company�s uniquely structured, self-directed training program enables
management trainees to move through the training process at a faster rate
than other comparable hotel programs. A contributing factor as to why Omni
Hotels is able to offer an accelerated management career track is the distinctly
personalized attention that the smaller, luxury hotel chain can afford
its associates.
Omni Hotels� reputation for management mentoring is widely regarded
within the industry.
�As a Leaders in Development trainee, I received individual training
that allowed me to learn at my own pace,� says Ross. �The personal attention
did not stop when my training ended. As an assistant manager, I have continued
to receive guidance and support at the hotel and corporate level to help
me further my career.�
Another reason why the company decided to shorten its training timetable
was to keep pace with advanced university curriculums which are producing
savvier hospitality graduates, as well as management training candidates
who now bring extensive hotel experience to the table. According to Omni
Hotels, accelerating the program was a natural progression.
In Omni Hotels� unique, self-directed, self-managed learning environment,
trainees are able to demonstrate their ability to make sound decisions,
manage time effectively and assume responsibility for achievement, as well
as showcase their job skills and competencies in their respective hotel
discipline. Trainees progress through the program by completing a series
of departmental contracts, which act as a checklist for perfecting job
related skills. Omni Hotels� elite, management training program is one
of the industry�s premier training programs.
Contact:
Kimberly Clay
Omni Hotels
972-871-5623
[email protected]
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