TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
businesswire | May 03, 2023
SPB Hospitality, an industry-leading operator and franchisor of casual, upscale, and brewery restaurants, today announced the completion of its merger with Krystal Restaurants, adding one of the nation’s most iconic restaurants to its growing portfolio of independently operated hospitality brands.
Founded in 1932 in a single Chattanooga, Tennessee location, Krystal today operates nearly 300 restaurants across 10 states, powered by a team of over 3,500 employees. For 90 years, Krystal has maintained its unwavering focus on delivering a one-of-a-kind taste experience through unique menu items offered at a great price. To support its team in maintaining a consistent brand experience across its growing portfolio of locations, Krystal created its Atlanta-based Restaurant Support Center, which provides real-time support and service for Krystal team members nationwide.
“We are thrilled to welcome Krystal to the SPB Hospitality family,” said Josh Kern, SPB Hospitality Interim Chief Executive Officer. “Krystal’s innovative approach to their menu, marketing, and overall strategy is inspiring, and over its 90-year history, Krystal has demonstrated its commitment to SPB’s overriding vision of providing a truly exceptional guest experience.”
Each brand in the SPB portfolio will continue to operate independently, allowing brands to enhance their unique identity to build affinity with consumers. The team will collaborate to share strategic thinking and best practices across brands, taking advantage of shared services and systems to enable restaurants to run more smoothly. With the addition of Krystal, SPB Hospitality supports a work force of 18,500 individuals.
“We continue to have enormous confidence in SPB Hospitality and the work the team is doing to build the most successful restaurant group in the industry,” said Morgan McClure, President of SPB Hospitality and Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group LLC. Funds managed by affiliates of Fortress own SPB, which was created in 2020 to manage its growing portfolio of hospitality brands. “Krystal’s time-honored brand, and dynamic team, are significant additions to the SPB portfolio and a major step forward in achieving SPB’s vision.”
About SPB Hospitality
SPB Hospitality is a leading operator and franchisor of full-service dining restaurants, spanning a national footprint of hundreds of restaurants and breweries in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The Company’s diverse portfolio of restaurant brands includes Logan’s Roadhouse, Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, and a collection of high-end restaurant brands including J. Alexander’s, Merus Grill, Redlands Grill and Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill. SPB Hospitality is also one of the largest operators of craft brewery restaurants in the country, including Rock Bott
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BUSINESS TRAVEL
prnewswire | April 12, 2023
Whimstay, Inc., the marketplace leader for last-minute vacation rental bookings, announces today that it has secured $10 million in equity financing. The investment will fund key new hires and the development of new products and features focused on search experience, guest engagement, more integrated dynamic pricing, flexibility for guests, loyalty and rewards programs, ancillary fintech products, and multiple conversion initiatives that will generate more bookings for property managers during periods that typically experience lower occupancy rates and RevPAR. Roughly 50 percent of vacation rental nights stay vacant every year. Whimstay is uniquely positioned to book nights that would have otherwise gone unrented. This lost revenue for property managers and owners represents a $60 billion market opportunity.
Whimstay offers travelers the best deals and significant savings on last-minute vacation rentals across North America. For property managers and owners, the company offers better economics, more control over the customer experience, robust reporting and reconciliation, reduced dependency on larger, less user-friendly, and more expensive channels, and, most importantly, generates incremental bookings, revenue, and profitability above and beyond the property manager's direct bookings and those from other channels.
"Closing our financing amidst a myriad of extremely challenging market conditions is a testament to the caliber of our amazing team, our differentiated product offering, the quality of our partner and customer relationships, the size of our market opportunity, and the confidence our investors have in our ability to strengthen our position as the leading vacation rental marketplace focused on booking last-minute stays," said Whimstay's CEO David Weiss.
"Propelled by our proprietary marketing engine, product features and functionality, and unique go-to-market strategy, we're able to attract incremental guests and generate incremental bookings for property managers and owners. We complement a property manager's overall distribution strategy by providing specific capabilities and conducting specific types of missions, all focused on booking last-minute stays. As a result, bookings on Whimstay are up 7x YTD vs. the same period last year, and March was our highest booking month in the company's history. Guest traffic and bookings are further accelerating due to our recent integration into Google Vacation Rentals, giving us access to millions of potential guests."
About Whimstay
Whimstay is a vacation rental marketplace that offers travelers the best deals on vacation rentals across North America. For property managers and owners, Whimstay books nights last-minute that would have otherwise gone un-rented, and certain property managers are now utilizing the company to fill vacancies during shoulder seasons, off-seasons, and other booking windows throughout the year that typically experience lower occupancy rates and RevPAR. From beautiful beach homes to the world's best ski retreats to cozy mountain cabins and more, Whimstay currently offers vacation rental homes and condos in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and is adding new properties and destinations daily.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Apple Leisure Group | March 06, 2023
Apple Leisure Group (ALG), a travel services provider, has recently launched a new platform ALG Vacations (a part of Hyatt), dedicated for its customers’ vacation planning, connecting experts from travel industry.
Vacation planning for most Americans is arduous, and their travel gets complicated. With expert travel advisors, ALG Vacations help its customers with the ins and outs of travel, solution to every travel problem, and solve any issues during the journey. Its new platform ‘Travel Advisors Get You There’ offers resources and step-by-step guidelines for utilizing its network of professionals, helping with vacation planning without any tension. It is beneficial in current economic situations where airline inventory can be meager than expected.
ALG Vacations (ALGV) is a part of Hyatt, managed under Apple Leisure Group (ALG). It is a North American resort brand management, leisure travel, and hospitality group. It connects with growing vacation brands to transform the leisure travel experience worldwide. It was voted the ASTA Tour Operator Partner of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
The travel advisor from ALGV’s directory is an invaluable expert who can be trusted for customized vacations, reducing the stress of guesswork and the period of travel selection. With complete knowledge of deals and perks, they have the best insider tips, recommendations, and support for unexpected happenings. This solution empowers travelers with travel anticipation without any anxiety and offers support in any misfortune.
Executive Vice President of Apple Leisure Group Vacations, Jacqueline Marks said, “From the moment you start planning, put your getaway in the hands of someone who will be there to answer your questions and solve any issues.” She added, “From recommending the right hotel to coordinating entire wedding groups, travel pros can make your dream vacation a reality.”
(Source – Business Wire)
About ALG
Headquartered in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, ALG, a hospitality company, provides services for end-to-end Unlimited-Luxury vacation experiences, Luxury resort brand management, sales and marketing, partnering with hotel owners and developers to enhance the AMResorts brand, destination management, distribution channels, charter flights, and packaged vacations. Its infrastructure consists of travel industry innovators for exceptional travel experience and luxury. Its Vacation brands include Apple Vacations, BeachBound, Blue Sky Tours, CheapCaribbean, Funjet Vacations, Funway Holidays, United Vacations, Travel Impressions, and Southwest Vacations.
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