As associate vice president of market development, Kim Twiggs manages DIRECTV’s Hospitality & Institutions business unit, which includes creating and implementing strategies that support the sale of DIRECTV free-to-guest programming and products to hotels, hospitals, senior living facilities, and universities. Twiggs’ team leads both direct and indirect sales and distribution, including a network of more than 200 in-room television integrator partners. Products sold through these distribution channels include the Advanced Entertainment Platform (AEP), DIRECTV Residential […] The post Ahead ..read more

What initially inspired you to get into the hospitality business? My father was a commercial airline pilot, and his passion for travel, took my family and I to hotels around the world. As I walked the lobbies and corridors, I became fascinated with every aspect of the operation and never looked back.  You might say I was born into the business.   Who were some of your mentors or role models, male or female, and what […] The post Born into the Business appeared first on LODGING Magazine ..read more

ATLANTA—Officials of the former Banyan Tree Management announced that the company has relaunched as Aperture Hotels. The new company will continue to provide hotel management services but with an eye on expanding its third-party management portfolio and possible management company mergers and acquisitions. “Historically, we have been seen almost exclusively as an extension of Banyan Investment Group, providing services only for their portfolio,” said Charles Oswald, president and CEO, Aperture Hotels. “The truth of the […] The post Banyan Tree Management Relaunches as Aperture Hotels appeared ..read more

SALEM, Oregon—Hilton announced the opening of the Holman Riverfront Park Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, in Salem, Oregon. The seven-story hotel, developed by Sturgeon Development Partners, has 127 guestrooms and suites and is adjacent to the Salem Convention Center. The hotel is also nearby the Oregon State Capitol and Willamette Valley Wine Country. “We are excited to partner with this iconic hospitality brand in introducing one of the newest hotels that make up Hilton’s Tapestry […] The post The Holman Riverfront Park Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Opens appeared first on LODGI ..read more

Like many in the hospitality business, CoralTree Hospitality Group President Tom Luersen grew up in the industry. In his case, that formative experience was a job at the Galt House, a Louisville, Kentucky hotel where his father served as general manager. There, he mowed lawns at 13 and functioned in a managerial role—assistant front office manager—at age 16. Smitten from the start, he likely could have just continued on the time-honored path from entry level […] The post Branching Out: CoralTree President Tom Luersen’s Journey From Cutting Grass to Cutting Deals and More appeared first on LODG ..read more

What initially inspired you to get into the hospitality business? Having grown up in Asia and fortunate to travel regularly with my family, I became fascinated at a young age by the cross-cultural expressions of hospitality in Asia-Pacific. My father’s focus in international real estate development, including hotels, further exposed me to the unique complexities of hotels as operating businesses. These factors, combined with my high school internships in hotel operations in China, inspired me […] The post Feeling the Pull of Diversity appeared first on LODGING Magazine ..read more

HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—Helped by spring break travel, U.S. hotel performance increased from the previous week, according to STR’s latest data through March 18, 2023. U.S. Hotel Performance March 12-18, 2023 Percentage change from comparable weeks in 2022, 2019:Occupancy: 67.6 percent (up 1.3 percent, down 2.5 percent)ADR: $167.04 (up 8.9 percent, up 23.9 percent)RevPAR: $112.89 (up 10.4 percent, up 20.8 percent) Among the Top 25 Markes, Boston saw the highest year-over-year increase in occupancy (up 17.8 percent […] The post STR: U.S. Weekly Hotel Performance Increases, Backed by Spring Bre ..read more

Transforming how you accept payments can help strengthen your brand, drive revenue, enhance transaction security and attract new guests. To learn more about how other hospitality financial leaders are transforming payments, download the Hospitality Payments Transformation eBook. The post Improve RevPAR by Transforming Your Payment Acceptance Strategies appeared first on LODGING Magazine ..read more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee—Uniguest announced enhancements to its Hotel TV guestroom entertainment offering with the launch of a new SaaS cloud solution. The release leverages technology from Otrum, which was acquired by Uniguest in 2022. The integration of Otrium technology into Uniguest Hotel TV makes creating and managing in-room entertainment on a cloud-based solution, which is accessed via a browser-based portal for hotels and brands to access, manage, and monitor guestroom entertainment services. Uniguest’s new Hotel TV […] The post Uniguest Updates Hotel TV Offering With SaaS Solution appeare ..read more

What initially inspired you to get into the hospitality business? My father started Budget Host when I was 13. One of my earliest jobs was stuffing marketing mailers to let independent motel owners know about Budget Host. My father encouraged me to study what interested me and follow my own path, but I continued to closely follow the growth of the business. After finishing college at the University of Texas—Austin and working for 10 years, […] The post Following In The Footsteps appeared first on LODGING Magazine ..read more