Hattiesburg to host 69th annual Miss Hospitality Competition

The 69th annual Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition will be hosted in Hattiesburg on July 20 and 21, beginning at 8 p.m. each night. 

This is the 21st year that Hattiesburg has hosted the event. The competition has expanded with program upgrades and the addition of the Little Miss Hospitality program, according to a Miss Hospitality news release. 

The competition will showcase 31 of Mississippi's best and brightest young women, who represent regions from across the state. The winner will serve a year as the state's official ambassador for economic development and tourism. 

The Best Hotel Rewards Programs in the World

Read More >

Luxury Dublin hotel bans all social media influencers

A hotel has banned YouTubers and Instagram stars - after a 22-year-old YouTuber asked for a five-night free stay and broke down in tears when she was bluntly refused.

The issue started when Elle Darby, a UK-based social media influencer, with 87,000 YouTube subscribers and 76,000 Instagram followers, reached out to the owner of The White Moose Café, Paul Stenson, asking if he was interested in a “possible collaboration.”

read the full story >

New regional head named for StayWell Hospitality Middle East

StayWell Hospitality has appointed Colin A. Baker as the new regional director for its Middle East operations.

Baker brings with him a wealth of hospitality management experience spanning New Zealand, Beijing, Papua New Guinea, and Australia before moving to Dubai. His journey as a hotelier started when he worked as general manager in Christchurch Airport Travelodge in 1991, before opening Holiday Inn City Centre Perth, being appointed as general manager in various IHG hotels in Australia and taking on a corporate role as resorts operations manager in Accor Premiere Vacation Club.

Baker also led the pre-opening team of Park Plaza Beijing West and worked as general manager in Courtyard by Marriott Beijing Northeast. Baker has also earned a considerable experience in property development, having worked in Mirq Corp, a hospitality consulting and real estate investment company. His career in StayWell Hospitality Group began in 2013 when he worked as group director for Technical Services and New Projects and later rejoining as regional director in 2017 after a year working as group operations manager in Coral Sea Hotels Papua New Guinea.

Baker’s 35-year career and extensive knowledge in the hospitality industry is a great asset to StayWell Hospitality Group, especially in the group’s strategic objective of expanding its portfolio and strengthening its presence in the region.

Marriott launches Tahseen hospitality training in Egypt

MARRIOTT International, the world’s leading hotel company, reinforces its commitment to Egypt with the launch of Tahseen, a unique hospitality training program developed in response to a growing need for talent within the industry. Created in partnership with Helwan University and Professional Development Foundation (PDF), the program is focused on fast tracking the next generation of hospitality leaders from Egypt by providing them with firsthand experience and a springboard to launch successful careers in the industry. The company today unveiled the program at a signing ceremony graced by the Honorable Minister His Excellency Khalid Atef Abdul Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt.

TAP Coin Takes Hospitality Industry to the Next Level

HOOCH, the first blockchain-based hospitality subscription app to bring real-world experiences and rewards to the market, plans to embed the TAP Coin (TAP) Wallet in all HOOCH member apps at the public launch and release of the decentralized TAP crypto-utility token.

“TAP Coin is designed with brands and hospitality companies in mind. It’s more than a utility token. TAP Coin is your ticket to the best in restaurants, bars, and nightlife culture around the world. Additionally, we believe our approach to data is incredibly innovative and will change the how data is bought and sold. It’s really the first time that consumers have been able to monetize their data,” HOOCH CEO Lin Dai said.

Indian Hotels Company signs new Vivanta in India

The Indian Hotels Company has signed a new Vivanta hotel in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, India with Delhi-based DMG Group.

The DMG Group's existing hotel in Katra has 80 guestrooms spread over eight acres of land. The property is close to the Jammu airport, the Holy Shrine, the Trikuta Mountains, Patnitop, Nathatop, Mansar Lake, Shivkhori, Nau Devi, Baba Dhansar and Sanasar Lake. DMG Group will invest approximately Rs10 crore to convert the hotel under the Vivanta brand by early 2019. 

“We are pleased to partner with DMG Group in bringing the Vivanta brand to Katra. This announcement is aligned to our strategy of expanding our footprint and driving growth across popular pilgrimage and tourist destinations,” Suma Venkatesh, EVP of real estate and development at Indian Hotels Company, said in a statement.

Swiss-Belhotel appoints new hotel manager for two upcoming Kuwait properties

Swiss-Belhotel International has appointed Hakan Gencer as the hotel manager for its upcoming properties in Kuwait Swiss-Belhotel Bneid Al Gar, scheduled to open in Q4 2018 and Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq, scheduled to open in Q3 2019. 

Swiss-Belhotel Bneid Al Gar will have two restaurants, lobby café, spa, health club and swimming pool. The second property, Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq will have one- and two-bedroom hotel apartments with fully-equipped kitchen facilities. The hotel will also feature an all-day-dining restaurant, a deli corner in the lobby, kids club and a swimming pool.

Prior to joining Swiss-Belhotel International group, Gencer was the complex director of food and beverages in two leading business hotels in Bursa, Turkey.

Hilton Salalah Resort attains first Green Globe certification

Hilton Salalah Resort has received its Green Globe certification. Green Globe is a sustainability standard within the travel and tourism industry and certifies hotels, resorts, cruises and casinos are managed with an interest to protect environment and supports the local community and culture.

Commenting on the award, Green Globe Certification CEO Guiso Bauer said: “Hotels that are certified by Green Globe are serious about sustainability, they have green teams in place who act within the Green Globe standard, building and maintaining the foundation and framework for sustainable management. Hilton Salalah is one of these hotels that has taken sustainability matters to heart and we look forward to the Hilton Salalah team maintaining their Green Globe certification in the years to come.”

Hilton Salalah general manager Mehdi Othmani said: Putting into practice solutions to the challenges humans are posing to the environment is part of Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy — travel with purpose and I am very proud to see this responsibility being taken to heart by the Hilton Salalah team.”

China's HNA reportedly explores sale of Radisson Hotel Group

HNA Group Co. is reportedly exploring a sale of Radisson Hotel Group, Bloomberg reports according to people familiar with the matter. It recently sold its Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. shares for US $1.1 billion.

The Chinese company has been selling off its assets to repay debts. 

Radisson Hotel Group has since released a statement emphasising the company's place in the hospitality industry. 

"While it has been widely reported that HNA has recently been exploring the sale of some of its assets, we are in a very strong place with our business and remain committed to our go-forward strategy," John Kidd, chief executive of Radisson’s operations in the Americas and Asia Pacific., said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Vefa Celik appointed as the new General Manager of Park Inn by Radisson Istanbul

Before joining Radisson Hotel Group, Vefa worked as General Manager for Wyndham Hotel Group and for InterContinental Hotel Group.

This is his first position within Radisson Hotel Group. He chose our company because he thinks it’s one of the best. He makes Every Moment Matter to our guests by “immediate proactive decision taking" and his service philosophy is “100% guest satisfaction.” 

His advice to anyone considering a career as a General Manager is “to have very good knowledge of the operational activities, always seek staff satisfaction and give value to the employee. The result will be a happy guest.”