HOSPITALITY TRENDS
prnewswire | April 04, 2023
Cambria Hotels, part of the Choice Hotels International, Inc.family of brands, continues its nationwide expansion with the grand opening of its first hotel in Georgia: the Cambria Hotel Savannah Downtown Historic District. The brand's newest downtown addition will provide modern travelers with the upscale amenities they need to discover all the opportunities Savannah has to offer.
To commemorate the grand opening of Georgia's first hotel, which officially opened its doors in December, the Cambria Hotel Savannah Downtown Historic District welcomed community members and distinguished guests to a ribbon cutting ceremony. Guests were treated to a Savannah-inspired reception and property tours featuring the hotel's full-service bar and restaurant, contemporary and sophisticated guestrooms, and state-of-the-art fitness center.
Speakers at the event included Janis Cannon, senior vice president, Upscale brands, Choice Hotels, Savannah city officials, and Lois Model, Executive Director at Savannah Center for Blind and Low Vision, who each expressed their enthusiasm about the brand's debut in Georgia.
"Known for its hospitality, innovative history, and vibrant culture, Savannah is a corporate, entertainment and industrial hub," said Janis Cannon. "At Cambria Hotels, our expansion stays focused on growth in markets with strong business and leisure demand. This makes Savannah the ideal spot to debut the Peach State's first Cambria. We're proud to welcome guests to yet another brand-defining property in our growing lineup of Cambria hotels nationwide."
The new six story, 101-room Cambria hotel positions guests in the heart of the city's National Historic Landmark District, providing modern travelers with easy access to top Savannah landmarks, renowned architecture and more than 100 restaurants situated along the neighborhood's cobblestone streets. The Cambria Hotel Savannah Downtown Historic District is within walking distance to the Savannah Civic Center, the SCAD Museum and Forsyth Park, and is a short drive to several top area employers, including Georgia Ports Authority – one of the busiest container gateways in the nation – Gulfstream, Hunter Army Airfield, St. Joseph's Hospital, and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power System's North American headquarters. The hotel's charming design is reflective of the surrounding Savannah community, known for its stunning buildings, iconic city squares and parks, and coastal landscapes.
The Cambria Hotel Savannah Downtown Historic District, which participates in Choice Privileges, the award-winning loyalty program from Choice Hotels, features upscale amenities and approachable indulgences that appeal to today's travelers, including:
Multi-purpose indoor and outdoor spaces, including a lobby bar, for productive work or relaxation.
Locally inspired design décor, reflecting the unique personality of the surrounding National Historic Landmark District community.
Contemporary and sophisticated guest rooms, complete with design forward fixtures, abundant lighting and plush bedding.
Immersive, spa-style bathrooms with Bluetooth mirrors.
Onsite dining with freshly made food, local craft beer, wine and specialty cocktails, as well as to-go options.
Multi-function meeting and event spaces.
State-of-the-art fitness center.
The Cambria Hotel Savannah Downtown Historic District showcases how Choice Hotels has become the go-to challenger brand for developers looking to move to upscale with the flexibility to build at a reduced cost while retaining a design-forward experience. This property was developed by HOS Management Group, a second-generation hospitality and development group with over 30 years of industry experience managing a diverse collection of iconic hotel brands, and is managed by Peachtree Hotel Group, a private equity management firm focusing on opportunistically deploying capital across its distinct operating and real estate divisions.
There are currently over 65 Cambria hotels open across the U.S. in popular cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, and Phoenix, with over 70 hotels in the pipeline. Cambria guests visiting any of these locations and more are able to gain enhanced rewards and benefits through the Choice co-branded, no fee credit card program.
About Cambria Hotels
The Cambria Hotels brand is designed for the modern traveler, offering guests a distinct experience with simple, guilt-free indulgences allowing them to treat themselves while on the road. Properties feature compelling design inspired by the location, spacious and comfortable rooms, flexible meeting space, and local, freshly prepared food and craft beer. Cambria Hotels is rapidly expanding in major U.S. cities, with hotels open in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Nashville, and Phoenix. There are currently more than 65 Cambria hotels open and nearly 70 hotels in the pipeline. To learn more, visit www.choicehotels.com/cambria.
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DESTINATION AND TOURISM
businesswire | April 19, 2023
Emburse, the global leader in spend management, and OMNIA Partners, the largest and most experienced purchasing organization for public sector procurement, have entered into an agreement to offer, without a formal bidding and contracting process, Emburse travel and expense management solutions to the more than 115,000 state and local government agencies and educational institutions participating in the OMNIA Partners cooperative.
“Emburse is already a trusted spend optimization partner to more than 500 higher education institutions, public-sector agencies and nonprofits, ranging from some of the country’s largest universities, to city and county governments, regional charities and faith-based organizations,” said Eric Friedrichsen, CEO of Emburse. “This agreement underscores our commitment to help organizations whose budgets are under constant pressure deliver on their commitment to use public and donor funds wisely.”
“We are so excited to announce our partnership with Emburse through a valuable program awarded by Region 4 ESC – TX,” says Doug Looney, Senior Vice President, Public Sector Sales for OMNIA Partners. “This new cooperative contract will provide participating agencies with travel expense management solutions that they haven't had through the program in the past.”
About Emburse
Emburse is a modern spend management company offering solutions that revolutionize the way organizations manage employee expenses, process invoices and make payments. Emburse humanizes work by empowering business travelers, finance professionals, and CFOs to eliminate manual, time-consuming tasks, so they can focus on what matters most.
Its innovative offerings, which are tailored to meet the unique business needs of specific industries, company sizes, and geographies, are trusted by more than 9 million users in more than 120 countries. Over 18,000 customers, from start-ups to global enterprises, including Bosch, Grant Thornton, Telefónica, Lufthansa Systems, and Toyota, rely on Emburse to make faster, smarter decisions, improve compliance, and optimize spend -- making corporate spend deliver meaningful value for the organization.
Emburse is recognized as a leader in expense management and accounts payable automation by analyst firm IDC, and has received multiple awards for innovation and its high levels of customer satisfaction.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
businesswire | March 23, 2023
Sonder Holdings Inc. a leading next-generation hospitality company that is redefining the guest experience through technology and design, has expanded its business travel segment to include group bookings. Sonder also announced a new partnership with HelmsBriscoe, the global leader in meetings procurement and site selection.
Having formally launched its business travel segment in 2021, Sonder continued to expand this area in 2022, including strengthening its position on GDS platforms, and adding a significant number of corporate travel accounts. This translated into approximately $70 million in booked corporate sales in 2022, roughly 5x growth compared to 2021. The company continues to grow both corporate travel and corporate housing accounts, and is now increasing its share of group bookings within popular verticals such as sports and entertainment, hosting elite athletes and sports teams, as well as film and television production crews. Sonder offers both hotel and apartment accommodations in over 40 markets worldwide, including entertainment hubs and cities that host international sporting events.
“Partnering with an industry leader like HelmsBriscoe unlocks growth in group travel, at a time when corporate travel is still recovering to pre-pandemic levels, and the landscape is evolving with trends such as the blending of business and leisure travel. Sonder accommodations offer short-stay and long-stay groups an elevated experience at a great value. We see exciting opportunities to scale within our existing verticals, including sports and entertainment, and to add others,” said Kristen Richter, Vice President of Global Sales at Sonder.
Sonder’s portfolio now includes properties with on-site amenities and high key counts suited to groups, such as Battery Park in NYC, Business Bay in Dubai, Cielo in Mexico City, Maisonneuve in Montreal, and The Witherspoon in Philadelphia. Sonder spaces provide fast wi-fi, and many offer a comfortable place to spread out and work remotely, with fully-equipped kitchens, living rooms, multiple bedrooms and en-suite laundry.
About Sonder
Sonder is revolutionizing hospitality through innovative, tech-enabled service and inspiring, thoughtfully designed accommodations combined into one seamless experience. Launched in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, Sonder provides a variety of accommodation options from spacious rooms to fully-equipped suites and apartments found in over 40 markets spanning ten countries and three continents. The Sonder app gives guests full control over their stay. Complete with self-service features, simple check-in and 24/7 on-the-ground support, amenities and services at Sonder are just a tap away, making a world of better stays open to all.
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