HOSPITALITY TRENDS

Travel companies, big and small, find opportunity in crisis

Travel Weekly | November 23, 2020

When the Covid-19 pandemic started sending seismic stuns through the worldwide travel industry, the hospitality organization Sonder looked for first to take up some slack. However, the San Francisco-based organization likewise observed chances.

Sonder offers a blend of lodgings and private rentals and supports its customers with touchless hospitality - a mix that left it preferable situated over most during the emergency. As movement went to a close to stop, Sonder directed its concentration toward the lengthy visit market, where fundamental specialists and a couple of outstanding experience explorers introduced in any event a little prepared market.

The technique has paid off, Sonder VP of income Shruti Challa clarified during the Phocuswright Conference Thursday.

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HOSPITALITY TRENDS

Placemakr Launches Its First Luxury Condo Hotel Project With Placemakr South Gulch in Nashville, TN.

prnewswire | May 30, 2023

Placemakr, a flexible-use multifamily and hospitality property operator and investor, today announced its expansion into the condo hotel market in partnership with CA South, a Nashville-based real estate development company. Placemakr will operate the majority of the building as high-end furnished rentals for CA South's latest luxury condo development project, Hyve. Hyve is a collection of 83 premier short-term rental-eligible residences in the heart of Pie Town, offering impeccable finishes and amenities within close proximity to the Convention Center, Broadway, and SoBro in Downtown Nashville. The property was designed by Alex Pettas Architecture and Barnett Design Studio. Placemakr will act as both property manager and hospitality operator of Hyve units, providing the company's signature blend of home and hospitality to the property. This partnership will create a powerful combination of excellence in design and experience for owners and guests. "At Placemakr we are constantly striving to push the boundaries and exceed expectations within the real estate and hospitality fields. We are excited to announce this expansion, alongside the new and exciting function of our business," said Jason Fudin, CEO and Co-founder at Placemakr. "This is the first opportunity for individual condo owners and investors to own a Placemakr property, and we are thrilled to be breaking new ground in the high-end luxury condo market. This venture further demonstrates our commitment to innovation and our dedication to providing exceptional value to our partners." Hyve has cultivated a number of unique partnerships with designers and brands including frenchCALIFORNIA, ThirdHome, and The Home Edit. Specifically, Hyve features 20 units designed and furnished by frenchCALIFORNIA, an AD Pro Directory founding member. As another innovative collaboration, Hyve allows for complimentary access to ThirdHome's luxury vacation platform. Lastly, The Home Edit will be offering buyers the opportunity to have their spaces organized and designed by The Home Edit team. "This project is a first of its kind for Nashville and represents a new wave of quality and design for the city. Placemakr is the perfect partner to oversee operations of the property and create this unique opportunity for our buyers," said Megan Aubale Epstein, CEO and Founder of CA South. "We greatly respect and admire the Placemakr brand and the professionalism they bring to everything they do. Hyve provides exceptional value and an innovative approach for participants seeking to participate in this unique Nashville hotel-flexible living product." About Placemakr Placemakr is a flex-use hospitality and residential operator, and real estate investor. Its tech-enabled operating platform allows the company to blur the line between hospitality and home, delivering the best experiences of both in a single building. Placemakr's curated spaces in hand-picked neighborhoods allow its guests and residents the flexibility to stay for a night, a year, or anywhere in between.

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BUSINESS TRAVEL

Hotel Equities and National Hospitality Services Form Strategic Alliance

globenewswire | May 12, 2023

Today, Hotel Equities (HE) and National Hospitality Services (NHS) announced they have formed a strategic alliance. The NHS portfolio of 38 hotels will integrate into HE’s management platform creating strategic growth opportunities for associates and optimizing systems to create a more dynamic and powerful operations and sales engine. The alliance leverages efficiencies and resources to drive elevated performance across the combined portfolio of approximately 300 hotels and resorts throughout the United States and Canada. “Since opening our first hotel in 1996, we have lived our promise to maximize earnings and value for the ownership groups we represent. Our partnership with Hotel Equities allows us to take that commitment to the next level," said founder and President of NHS, Norman Leslie. "The synergies and shared cultures of both companies ensure that our stakeholders will continue to see strong and growing returns for our ownership groups. This is an exciting time for our industry – but management must perform at a pinnacle level to deliver the returns that investors are seeking. That’s exactly what we will be able to do with this partnership." “This alliance has been forged from a shared vision for future growth and a commitment to foundational values,” said HE’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Brad Rahinsky. “NHS’s track record of success and its stellar associate-centric reputation are well established in our industry. This alliance enables them to stay independent while honoring their legacy and unlocking the added scale, support and resources of HE’s collective platform.” A key benefit from the alliance is the focused efforts on labor concerns, recruitment and retention with the added proprietary training and development resources and benefits HE has available to all of its associates and partners. NHS’s nearly 1,200 associates will bring HE’s total to more than 9,000 with access to additional perks including a sabbatical program, daily pay option, HE Marketplace and peer management training programs to spur and support continuous career growth. “Not only will our team members have added growth opportunities by being part of an expansive portfolio but they also have the ability to tap into additional benefits and training programs to catapult their careers,” said Sarah Koustrup, Chief Strategy Officer for NHS. “Partnering with a group that invests heavily into its people was a huge deciding factor in moving forward with an alliance; it’s what we are most proud of.” “Our people-focused and performance-driven model creates immediate value add for all of NHS’s stakeholders,” added HE’s Chief Operating Officer, Bryan DeCort. “As all new NHS associates are fully integrated into the HE ecosystem, owners will also experience real performance lift.” “We continue to look for scale with the right groups where we both add value to the relationship in many ways,” said HE’s Chief Development Officer, Joe Reardon. “The alliance makes everyone better not only from cost savings to ownership groups but even more on the people side of the business. We are particularly excited about the growth opportunity this allows us in the Midwest.” “The best-in-class systems, operations management and buying power of our combined efforts will not only elevate the guest experience at all of our hotels but also allow us to intensify our focus on NHS’s owner and asset management services with even more opportunities for property acquisitions, financing and enhanced operations management,” Leslie added. About National Hospitality Services, LLC National Hospitality Services (NHS) is a nationally recognized, award-winning hotel real estate investment and development company with a portfolio of 38 assets throughout the United States. NHS was founded by President Norman Leslie in 2001 and is led by Leslie and Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Koustrup. More information about NHS can be found at www.nhshotels.com.

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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

WrkSpot Announces Two-Way Integration with HotelKey

accesswire | April 10, 2023

WrkSpot, an innovator in hotel operations and panic solutions, has announced a robust two-way integration with HotelKey, a next-generation hospitality management system platform. The strategic partnership between the companies supports the integration of WrkSpot's hotel productivity, labor management and compliance application with HotelKey's hospitality management system. The integration allows seamless data transmission, reduces paperwork and eliminates information gaps between two critical aspects of the hospitality business. "HotelKey is a fantastic HMS, and we're proud to be entering this relationship," said Raja Epsilon, CEO of WrkSpot. "Our integration will increase automation and streamline the total hotel experience. Together we will help hoteliers optimize operations and maximize revenue. We are excited for a successful integration and partnership." The companies say their partnership essentially reinvents hotel operations by seamlessly combining operations with labor management and compliance at the property level or across multiple properties. With a single SaaS solution, hoteliers will be able to get work done more effectively and efficiently. "HotelKey and WrkSpot's integration showcases the common goals between our companies, streamlining management and operations, while improving guest experience," said HotelKey Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing Katrina Stephenson. "We look forward to combining our technology with the capabilities of WrkSpot." WrkSpot is a SaaS software solution for managers paired with an app for line employees. It provides managers with live data on scheduling, clock-in/clock-out status, room status and employee locations, allowing remote monitoring of staffing, tasks, and performance. WrkSpot's intuitive dashboards and reports provide actionable data for its robust budgeting and forecasting tools. And its comprehensive panic solutions secure properties and safeguard staff. HotelKey is a fully integrated suite of hospitality products that power both property and central reservation management for everything from individual hotels to large hotel chains. It distributes inventory globally, accepts reservations through call centers, property systems, booking engines, native websites, and OTAs and GDS channels. It also assists companies in accepting card payments, running captive retail and food and beverage outlets, and more. More than 12,000 contracted hotels, including four hotel chains and more than 500 independent properties, are HotelKey clients. . About HotelKey HotelKey was founded in 2015 and today counts four large enterprise chains among its clients, including G6 Hospitality, Extended Stay America & Red Roof Inn. HotelKey's client portfolio includes roughly 400,000 rooms live and over 12,000 hotels under contract, including 500 independent hotels, mainly in the U.S. In addition to its industry-leading PMS solution, HotelKey also offers an enterprise-grade central reservations system and point-of-sale system, along with a host of other products and services specifically designed for the hospitality industry.

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