from USA Today (9/17)
If you build it, they will check in
By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY
"Hundreds of new hotels are rising across the USA as the lodging industry seeks to cash in on rising room rates and strong demand from travelers.
The number of hotel rooms under construction in July jumped 20% from a year earlier, a report from industry tracker Smith Travel Research shows. More than 196,000 rooms — more than 2,000 hotels — will open within two years. That's the highest number of new rooms in the pipeline in more than seven years.
For travelers, the boom will provide more lodging selections in many markets. In some places, including San Antonio and Phoenix, the buildup of hotel rooms could possibly push down rates, says Jan Freitag, Smith vice president. But in the two markets with the most rooms under construction — Las Vegas and New York — traveler demand is so strong that room rates should continue increasing, Freitag says.
Industry consultant Mark Woodworth of PKF Consulting sees no threat to the building boom from tight credit. The credit crunch will likely weed out only some future projects that weren't strong contenders to begin with, he says." ...
"In the Chicago area, hotel developer Peter Dumon's firm is halfway through building an upscale, full-service InterContinental hotel near O'Hare airport. His firm, The Harp Group, is also building an upscale, limited-service hotel in downtown Chicago within blocks of the Sears Tower.
The credit crunch has caused Dumon to finance his projects differently, but financing is available at around the same rate as last year, when lenders were more liberal. Developers with less hotel experience could see their financing fall through, says Dumon, whose company is based in Oak Brook, Ill." ...
"Times have been good for the hotel industry. It finished 2006 with a U.S. occupancy rate of 63.4%, the highest since 1998, says industry consultant Bjorn Hanson at PricewaterhouseCoopers. This quarter, the average nightly rate is expected to reach a record $103, vs. $83 five years ago, according to PKF Consulting. The surge in construction should continue through at least next year, though probably not at the current fast pace, Hanson says.
Hotel construction came nearly to a halt after recession and terrorism in 2001. Although travel started to rebound strongly by 2004, the hotel industry was slow to add properties, concentrating instead on expansions and upgrades. But now, that's changed.
For now, developers mostly are opting to build hotels that will charge midrange rates, the Smith report shows. Holiday Inn Express is building the most rooms, followed by the Hampton Inn chain and Hilton Garden Inn.
Holiday Inn Express, the midprice, limited-service chain, is taking advantage of New York's high rates. The chain opened its first New York hotel in October 2005 and already plans to grow to seven, says John Merkin, the chain's top U.S. executive.
In some markets, downtown revivals are spurring activity.
With the doubling of the Indianapolis convention center underway, local government is subsidizing the construction of a Marriott hotel complex that features an upscale 1,000-room J.W. Marriott and three less-pricey Marriotts. More hotels are being pitched as the city nears completion of the 63,000-seat Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indianapolis Colts' new home." ...
"San Antonio will add the equivalent of nearly 13% of existing hotel rooms in the next two years, the Smith report says.
Optimism reigns
One of those projects will give the city its second 1,000-room hotel: The Grand Hyatt. It's rising on the River Walk, the city's main tourist destination and adjacent to its convention center.
Industry executives, for now, remain optimistic about filling future rooms. The Grand Hyatt's sales and marketing director, Scott Lane, says his hotel's already booked more than 500,000 room nights, with an additional 350,000 pending. Those figures rank it as the best opening in Hyatt's history, he says. The hotel opens in February." ...
For the complete story see:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2007-09-1
7-newhotels_N.htm
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
PWC on Scottish football
For PWC's annual financial review of Scottish Football see:
http://www.pwc.com/extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/5A5DFED
AB5D0B733802573520050CF87
http://www.pwc.com/extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/5A5DFED
AB5D0B733802573520050CF87
PricewaterhouseCoopers reports on sports/hotels, European luxury hotels, and UK hotel industry
For access to the PWC PDFs of thier UK hotel forecast, European trends in luxury hotels and the development of the HNW market, and sports venues with associated hotels see:
http://www.pwc.com/extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/6D6C311D
8FD1F01380257359003BC7EF
http://www.pwc.com/extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/6D6C311D
8FD1F01380257359003BC7EF
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Vail Resorts mega-, mixed-use, green resort plans announced
from yesterday's GlobeSt. --
Vail Resorts Details Green Aspects of Ever Vail
By Brian K. Miller
"BROOMFIELD, CO-Six months after announcing the project, Vail Resorts Inc. is revealing more detailed plans for the $1-billion Ever Vail project, believed to be the largest LEED-certified, multi-use resort development project in the nation. The locally based public company plans to convert its 9.5-acre West Lionshead brownfield site into a ski resort.
The property currently houses Vail Mountain's vehicle maintenance shop yard and warehouse, a gas station, and a retail and office complex. The new resort is slated to include 150 to 250 whole ownership condominium units, 75 to 125 fractional ownership condos, a 100,000-sf hotel, a 100,000-sf mountain operations facility, and 100,000 sf to 150,000 sf of retail, office, and restaurant space.
The project will also feature a public parking garage, a new gondola, a related skier portal and public park, and affordable housing. In total the new resort will encompass approximately one million sf and include between 600,000 sf and 700,000 sf of saleable residential and commercial space.
First announced in March, the project was accepted into the pilot program for LEED's new "Neighborhood Development" certification program in June, putting it on the path to becoming the largest LEED-certified project for resort use in the nation. Vail Resorts anticipates that the sales aspect of the project won’t begin until at least 2009 because plans must still be approved by the Town of Vail." ...
for the complete story see:
http://www.globest.com/news/999_999/denver/164292-1.html
Vail Resorts Details Green Aspects of Ever Vail
By Brian K. Miller
"BROOMFIELD, CO-Six months after announcing the project, Vail Resorts Inc. is revealing more detailed plans for the $1-billion Ever Vail project, believed to be the largest LEED-certified, multi-use resort development project in the nation. The locally based public company plans to convert its 9.5-acre West Lionshead brownfield site into a ski resort.
The property currently houses Vail Mountain's vehicle maintenance shop yard and warehouse, a gas station, and a retail and office complex. The new resort is slated to include 150 to 250 whole ownership condominium units, 75 to 125 fractional ownership condos, a 100,000-sf hotel, a 100,000-sf mountain operations facility, and 100,000 sf to 150,000 sf of retail, office, and restaurant space.
The project will also feature a public parking garage, a new gondola, a related skier portal and public park, and affordable housing. In total the new resort will encompass approximately one million sf and include between 600,000 sf and 700,000 sf of saleable residential and commercial space.
First announced in March, the project was accepted into the pilot program for LEED's new "Neighborhood Development" certification program in June, putting it on the path to becoming the largest LEED-certified project for resort use in the nation. Vail Resorts anticipates that the sales aspect of the project won’t begin until at least 2009 because plans must still be approved by the Town of Vail." ...
for the complete story see:
http://www.globest.com/news/999_999/denver/164292-1.html
Montreal rail station area development plans
from yesterday's GlobeSt --
$355M Secures Montreal Rail Station Agreement
By Joe Clements
"MONTREAL-In the latest example of private infrastructure investment, the Canadian National Railway Co. has agreed to a $355 million sale/leaseback of this city’s Central Station transit terminal and ancillary facilities. The deal includes CNR’s 17-story corporate headquarters and the railway passenger facilities, around which new owner Homburg Invest envisions upwards of one million sf of new mixed-use development." ....
"The sale/leaseback does require federal government approval of an initiative to protect the historical features of the station, a goal that Homburg insists his firm is eager to achieve for a facility now approaching its 65th anniversary. Should the proposal pass muster on that matter and the normal regulatory clearance, both sides say they anticipate closing on the deal by year’s end. "
for the complete story see:
http://www.globest.com/news/999_999/canada/164283-1.html
$355M Secures Montreal Rail Station Agreement
By Joe Clements
"MONTREAL-In the latest example of private infrastructure investment, the Canadian National Railway Co. has agreed to a $355 million sale/leaseback of this city’s Central Station transit terminal and ancillary facilities. The deal includes CNR’s 17-story corporate headquarters and the railway passenger facilities, around which new owner Homburg Invest envisions upwards of one million sf of new mixed-use development." ....
"The sale/leaseback does require federal government approval of an initiative to protect the historical features of the station, a goal that Homburg insists his firm is eager to achieve for a facility now approaching its 65th anniversary. Should the proposal pass muster on that matter and the normal regulatory clearance, both sides say they anticipate closing on the deal by year’s end. "
for the complete story see:
http://www.globest.com/news/999_999/canada/164283-1.html
Monday, September 24, 2007
Chicago Children's Museum news
From today's Crain's Chicago Business
More than kids behind proposed museum move
By Gregory Meyer
Sept. 24, 2007
"The Chicago Children's Museum, at the center of a political firestorm, stands to get more than $1 million a year in taxpayer money by moving to Grant Park.
As part of a move from Navy Pier, museum officials would apply for membership in Museums in the Park, the coalition of 10 city cultural institutions that annually share millions in operating aid from the Chicago Park District. The subsidy would be a significant boost to the 25-year-old Children's Museum, which had $8.8 million in revenue last year, and a clear motivation for relocating.
The museum's proposal to move touched off a rhetorical inferno last week after Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd) came out against it. Mayor Richard M. Daley said Mr. Reilly was pandering to white residents near the park who want to keep out minority children who would visit the museum. Unmentioned was the annual subsidy paid to museums on Park District acreage — a property-tax assist the Children's Museum doesn't get at its Navy Pier location. The museums will share $33.8 million this year." ....
"The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority charges the museum $1 a year to rent 57,000 square feet on the west end of Navy Pier but does not subsidize operations.
Park District proceeds are largely allocated by museum attendance and budget and require institutions to be free at least 52 days a year (and free year-round for children on class trips). The Children's Museum draws 500,000 visitors a year. Mr. Law says he hopes the number visiting a Grant Park location will be greater.
As part of Museums in the Park, the largest institutions this year receive $6.7 million, while the smallest get around $1 million. The current funding levels are subject to budget cuts and have been reduced in recent years.
The tax levy is an important part of the financial support for the museums, providing smaller ones with a significant portion of their operating budgets, says Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a non-profit tax watchdog that has no position on the Children's Museum relocation.
The Children's Museum did not provide projections of what it would receive from the Park District.
Mr. Law says the chief reason for the Grant Park move is to imbue the museum with a "cultural identity" apart from Navy Pier in a larger, centrally located facility with easy parking. The museum would sit beside Daley Bicentennial Plaza, a location that Mr. Reilly, who didn't return a call for comment, has said should remain open space."
for the complete story and tables see:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=26461&seenIt=1
From the article you can link to a series of articles on the continuing saga of the move.
More than kids behind proposed museum move
By Gregory Meyer
Sept. 24, 2007
"The Chicago Children's Museum, at the center of a political firestorm, stands to get more than $1 million a year in taxpayer money by moving to Grant Park.
As part of a move from Navy Pier, museum officials would apply for membership in Museums in the Park, the coalition of 10 city cultural institutions that annually share millions in operating aid from the Chicago Park District. The subsidy would be a significant boost to the 25-year-old Children's Museum, which had $8.8 million in revenue last year, and a clear motivation for relocating.
The museum's proposal to move touched off a rhetorical inferno last week after Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd) came out against it. Mayor Richard M. Daley said Mr. Reilly was pandering to white residents near the park who want to keep out minority children who would visit the museum. Unmentioned was the annual subsidy paid to museums on Park District acreage — a property-tax assist the Children's Museum doesn't get at its Navy Pier location. The museums will share $33.8 million this year." ....
"The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority charges the museum $1 a year to rent 57,000 square feet on the west end of Navy Pier but does not subsidize operations.
Park District proceeds are largely allocated by museum attendance and budget and require institutions to be free at least 52 days a year (and free year-round for children on class trips). The Children's Museum draws 500,000 visitors a year. Mr. Law says he hopes the number visiting a Grant Park location will be greater.
As part of Museums in the Park, the largest institutions this year receive $6.7 million, while the smallest get around $1 million. The current funding levels are subject to budget cuts and have been reduced in recent years.
The tax levy is an important part of the financial support for the museums, providing smaller ones with a significant portion of their operating budgets, says Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a non-profit tax watchdog that has no position on the Children's Museum relocation.
The Children's Museum did not provide projections of what it would receive from the Park District.
Mr. Law says the chief reason for the Grant Park move is to imbue the museum with a "cultural identity" apart from Navy Pier in a larger, centrally located facility with easy parking. The museum would sit beside Daley Bicentennial Plaza, a location that Mr. Reilly, who didn't return a call for comment, has said should remain open space."
for the complete story and tables see:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=26461&seenIt=1
From the article you can link to a series of articles on the continuing saga of the move.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
misc news
California Real Estate Journal (9/17): second big development planned for Sacramento; Angel Stadium vs affordable housing; special section on retail
Tradeshow Week (9/3): Chicago plans for expansion; Nashville Opryland expansion plans; bargain convention locales (Shreveport-Bossier City, Branson, off-strip Las Vegas); area review -- New England
Tradeshow Week (9/17): Detroit center expanding; New Orleans CC cancels expansion plan
National Real Estate Investor (Sep): city review of Phoenix; overbuilding in hotel sector; international emerging markets (India, China); senior housing
American Indian Report (Sep): economic progress
Tradeshow Week (9/3): Chicago plans for expansion; Nashville Opryland expansion plans; bargain convention locales (Shreveport-Bossier City, Branson, off-strip Las Vegas); area review -- New England
Tradeshow Week (9/17): Detroit center expanding; New Orleans CC cancels expansion plan
National Real Estate Investor (Sep): city review of Phoenix; overbuilding in hotel sector; international emerging markets (India, China); senior housing
American Indian Report (Sep): economic progress
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Disney resorts expanding
from Hotels enews 9/18:
Disneyland Resort Expanding Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa;
First West Coast Disney vacation villas planned
"Responding to a growing demand for guest accommodations in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort today celebrated an expansion of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that will increase accommodations by more than 30 percent and will include the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim.
This expansion, scheduled for completion in late 2009, will involve 300 union construction jobs and result in 100 new hotel jobs. It underscores Disney's long-term commitment to growing and investing in Anaheim. The expansion also marks the latest in a series of major additions to the Resort that include the newly launched Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure. " ...
"The 2.5-acre expansion on the hotel's south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, to include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, will mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, Disney's innovative vacation-ownership program." ....
"Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240, architect for Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is designing the ambitious expansion. It will reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, which immerses guests in a turn-of-the-20th-century California experience.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa currently features 745 guest rooms, including 44 suites. Upon completion of the expansion project, the hotel will feature 945 guest rooms, including 44 guest suites, and 50 Disney Vacation Club two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas." .....
"One of three hotels at the Disneyland Resort (others include Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel), Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is home to the nationally renowned and award-winning Napa Rose restaurant, where Wine Country cuisine tempts taste buds and expert sommeliers help guests make selections from one of the world's finest collections of California wines. The nearby Storytellers Cafe lets kids and adults alike enjoy a dining experience that only Disney can do, complete with an array of popular Disney characters.
These dining experiences, coupled with a luxury spa, onsite shopping and other amenities, helped the hotel earn the No. 3 spot on Travel & Leisure Family magazine's list of the top family-friendly resort destinations." ....
"The development of 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa represents the first dedicated Disney Vacation Club accommodations on the West Coast. Disney Vacation Club is a vacation-ownership program that helps families enjoy flexibility and savings on vacations for decades to come. By purchasing a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club resort, families enjoy flexible vacations at Disney destinations worldwide as well as more than 500 other popular Member Getaways vacation locations around the globe.
Disney Vacation Club, currently celebrating its milestone 15th anniversary, has grown to serve more than 350,000 individual members from more than 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states." ...
"The expansion project marks the latest growth for Disney Vacation Club, which recently opened the first phases of Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The new Disney Vacation Club resort, located at the popular Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, is scheduled to open in phases through early 2009.
Construction is already underway on the new Kidani Village building and amenities, with completion scheduled for late 2009.
About the Disneyland Resort:
Located on approximately 500 acres in Anaheim, Calif., the Disneyland Resort includes the Disneyland (R) and Disney's California Adventure (R) Parks, three hotels with a total of 2,224 rooms and the 310,000 square foot retail, restaurant and entertainment Downtown Disney (R) District. With 20,000 employees, the Disneyland Resort is Orange County's largest single-site employer and a $3.6 billion annual contributor to the local economy. In January 2004, the Resort welcomed its 500 millionth guest since opening on July 17, 1955.
About Disney Vacation Club:
The Disney Vacation Club family of resorts also includes five other Walt Disney World properties as well as resorts in Vero Beach, Fla., and Hilton Head Island, S.C. Disney Vacation Club has sold out of inventory at its first six resorts, and sales remain ahead of schedule at its seventh property, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, which opened in May 2004 near the Downtown Disney area at the Walt Disney World Resort, as well as at the aforementioned Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. "
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:671382382&start=4&nid=3457
Disneyland Resort Expanding Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa;
First West Coast Disney vacation villas planned
"Responding to a growing demand for guest accommodations in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort today celebrated an expansion of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that will increase accommodations by more than 30 percent and will include the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim.
This expansion, scheduled for completion in late 2009, will involve 300 union construction jobs and result in 100 new hotel jobs. It underscores Disney's long-term commitment to growing and investing in Anaheim. The expansion also marks the latest in a series of major additions to the Resort that include the newly launched Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure. " ...
"The 2.5-acre expansion on the hotel's south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, to include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, will mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, Disney's innovative vacation-ownership program." ....
"Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240, architect for Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is designing the ambitious expansion. It will reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, which immerses guests in a turn-of-the-20th-century California experience.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa currently features 745 guest rooms, including 44 suites. Upon completion of the expansion project, the hotel will feature 945 guest rooms, including 44 guest suites, and 50 Disney Vacation Club two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas." .....
"One of three hotels at the Disneyland Resort (others include Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel), Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is home to the nationally renowned and award-winning Napa Rose restaurant, where Wine Country cuisine tempts taste buds and expert sommeliers help guests make selections from one of the world's finest collections of California wines. The nearby Storytellers Cafe lets kids and adults alike enjoy a dining experience that only Disney can do, complete with an array of popular Disney characters.
These dining experiences, coupled with a luxury spa, onsite shopping and other amenities, helped the hotel earn the No. 3 spot on Travel & Leisure Family magazine's list of the top family-friendly resort destinations." ....
"The development of 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa represents the first dedicated Disney Vacation Club accommodations on the West Coast. Disney Vacation Club is a vacation-ownership program that helps families enjoy flexibility and savings on vacations for decades to come. By purchasing a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club resort, families enjoy flexible vacations at Disney destinations worldwide as well as more than 500 other popular Member Getaways vacation locations around the globe.
Disney Vacation Club, currently celebrating its milestone 15th anniversary, has grown to serve more than 350,000 individual members from more than 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states." ...
"The expansion project marks the latest growth for Disney Vacation Club, which recently opened the first phases of Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The new Disney Vacation Club resort, located at the popular Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, is scheduled to open in phases through early 2009.
Construction is already underway on the new Kidani Village building and amenities, with completion scheduled for late 2009.
About the Disneyland Resort:
Located on approximately 500 acres in Anaheim, Calif., the Disneyland Resort includes the Disneyland (R) and Disney's California Adventure (R) Parks, three hotels with a total of 2,224 rooms and the 310,000 square foot retail, restaurant and entertainment Downtown Disney (R) District. With 20,000 employees, the Disneyland Resort is Orange County's largest single-site employer and a $3.6 billion annual contributor to the local economy. In January 2004, the Resort welcomed its 500 millionth guest since opening on July 17, 1955.
About Disney Vacation Club:
The Disney Vacation Club family of resorts also includes five other Walt Disney World properties as well as resorts in Vero Beach, Fla., and Hilton Head Island, S.C. Disney Vacation Club has sold out of inventory at its first six resorts, and sales remain ahead of schedule at its seventh property, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, which opened in May 2004 near the Downtown Disney area at the Walt Disney World Resort, as well as at the aforementioned Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. "
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:671382382&start=4&nid=3457
Another mega resort casino hotel plan for Macau
from the South China Morning Post via Hotels newsline(9/17):
South China Morning Post
September 18, 2007 Tuesday
Galaxy Entertainment raises stakes in Macau;
US$3b mega project on Cotai Strip to challenge the Venetian
Neil Gough
"Galaxy Entertainment Group yesterday unveiled plans for 12 casino hotels and serviced apartment blocks totalling 8,500 rooms on Macau's Cotai Strip, a project expected to cost more than US$3 billion.
Galaxy said its 4.7 million square foot plot next to Las Vegas Sands Corp's newly opened Venetian complex would be developed to include 1.4 million sqft of retail space - twice the size of Pacific Place - and 750,000 sqft of convention and meeting space, equal to the total rentable area of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
The company's planned 700,000 sqft of total casino space on Cotai compares with the Venetian's 546,000 sqft gaming floor, the world's largest single casino.
Las Vegas Sands is developing an additional 13 hotels on Cotai, where its own projects will total 20,000 hotel rooms, three million sqft of retail and three million sqft of convention space and cost between US$11 billion and US$14 billion.
The first section of Galaxy's four-phase Cotai project was set to open in stages from 2008-09 and was budgeted at US$1.1 billion including land costs, executives said yesterday.
Named GalaxyWorld Resort, it will initially include three hotels with 2,500 rooms, 420 gaming tables and 1,200 slot machines.
Based on GalaxyWorld's cost per square foot of floor area, the company's investment on Cotai is likely to exceed US$3 billion." ...
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:671327758&start=1&nid=3457
South China Morning Post
September 18, 2007 Tuesday
Galaxy Entertainment raises stakes in Macau;
US$3b mega project on Cotai Strip to challenge the Venetian
Neil Gough
"Galaxy Entertainment Group yesterday unveiled plans for 12 casino hotels and serviced apartment blocks totalling 8,500 rooms on Macau's Cotai Strip, a project expected to cost more than US$3 billion.
Galaxy said its 4.7 million square foot plot next to Las Vegas Sands Corp's newly opened Venetian complex would be developed to include 1.4 million sqft of retail space - twice the size of Pacific Place - and 750,000 sqft of convention and meeting space, equal to the total rentable area of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
The company's planned 700,000 sqft of total casino space on Cotai compares with the Venetian's 546,000 sqft gaming floor, the world's largest single casino.
Las Vegas Sands is developing an additional 13 hotels on Cotai, where its own projects will total 20,000 hotel rooms, three million sqft of retail and three million sqft of convention space and cost between US$11 billion and US$14 billion.
The first section of Galaxy's four-phase Cotai project was set to open in stages from 2008-09 and was budgeted at US$1.1 billion including land costs, executives said yesterday.
Named GalaxyWorld Resort, it will initially include three hotels with 2,500 rooms, 420 gaming tables and 1,200 slot machines.
Based on GalaxyWorld's cost per square foot of floor area, the company's investment on Cotai is likely to exceed US$3 billion." ...
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:671327758&start=1&nid=3457
Friday, September 14, 2007
regional business journal news
Crain's Chicago Business (9/3): art colony preservation development planned
Orange County Business Journal (8/20): Vault 28-- Disney's urban marketing platform kicks off in Anaheim; Orange County meetings market; Disney Institute
California Real Estate Journal (9/4): high-speed rail developments; San Diego redevelops public sites; Concord Navy Yard reuse; Sacramento K Street redevelopment problems; Sacramento airport and hotels and developing hospitality market
New Orleans City Business (8/27): construction boom; tourism infrastructure
Los Angeles Business Journal (9/3): L.A. building boom; L.A. Live's impact on the area's older arenas; mixed-use retail/residential hot property
San Fernando Valley Business Journal (9/3): team-building event venues
San Diego Business Journal (9/10): Chargers north and south county stadium developments; Red Bull air race in San Diego
San Diego Business Journal (9/3): Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay plan expanded gaming in new hotel-casino conplex
Orange County Business Journal (8/20): Vault 28-- Disney's urban marketing platform kicks off in Anaheim; Orange County meetings market; Disney Institute
California Real Estate Journal (9/4): high-speed rail developments; San Diego redevelops public sites; Concord Navy Yard reuse; Sacramento K Street redevelopment problems; Sacramento airport and hotels and developing hospitality market
New Orleans City Business (8/27): construction boom; tourism infrastructure
Los Angeles Business Journal (9/3): L.A. building boom; L.A. Live's impact on the area's older arenas; mixed-use retail/residential hot property
San Fernando Valley Business Journal (9/3): team-building event venues
San Diego Business Journal (9/10): Chargers north and south county stadium developments; Red Bull air race in San Diego
San Diego Business Journal (9/3): Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay plan expanded gaming in new hotel-casino conplex
misc news
Shopping Center Business (Sep): remote-control car racing at malls; Tustin Legacy retail development aa part of Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin BRAC; CA retail rising; mixed-use trends; Queensridge mixed-use in Las Vegas
Forbes Life (Sep): luxury golf courses
Urban Land (Aug): TOD without transit; Toronto and green waterfront development; mixed use; university campus and mixed-use development; Charleston, SC expansion; China's second-tier cities; senior living in Europe; mixed-use financing; regional spotlights on NY and Boston
Nation's Restaurant News (9/3): NY Yankee's ballpark concessions
Forbes Life (Sep): luxury golf courses
Urban Land (Aug): TOD without transit; Toronto and green waterfront development; mixed use; university campus and mixed-use development; Charleston, SC expansion; China's second-tier cities; senior living in Europe; mixed-use financing; regional spotlights on NY and Boston
Nation's Restaurant News (9/3): NY Yankee's ballpark concessions
news from Indian Country
Native American Casino (Sep): casino profiles of Seneca Allegany and Paragon
Indian Country Today (9/12): Santa Ana Pueblo (NM) resort; Pueblo of Pojoaque (NM) resort; WI tribes collaborate in tourism initiative; Kah-Nee-Ta resort (OR); Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe proposes casino near Disneyland; tribal coalition opening new hotel in Sacramento; CT casinos expansion; Pauma Band and Mashantucket Pequots in joint venture for resort casino in San Diego County; NM racino regulation
Indian Country Today (9/12): Santa Ana Pueblo (NM) resort; Pueblo of Pojoaque (NM) resort; WI tribes collaborate in tourism initiative; Kah-Nee-Ta resort (OR); Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe proposes casino near Disneyland; tribal coalition opening new hotel in Sacramento; CT casinos expansion; Pauma Band and Mashantucket Pequots in joint venture for resort casino in San Diego County; NM racino regulation
Vietnam resort planned
from yesterday's Hotel online newsfeed
Life Resorts Signs Contract for a Mountain Resort in Sapa
The Life Resorts Management Co.
September 13, 2007
"The Life Resorts Management Company has signed a joint venture agreement to build a 110-unit Life Heritage Resort in Sapa, a picturesque market town nestled high in the mountains of northwestern Vietnam.
The Sept. 11 signing event formalized the partnership between the Life Resorts Company, the Son Kim Development Company and the Vietnam Investment and Project Development Group (VIPD)." ...
"Scheduled to open in early 2009, the resort’s design will marry the aesthetics of colonial French villas with elements of the highlanders’s traditional stone buildings." ...."the accommodation, the spa, heated pool and restaurant, all of which will be built on the resort’s 15 hectares of hills, valleys and plateaus." ...
"The resort will feature 110 rooms and suites located in a mix of free-standing bungalows and two-storey lodges. Each of the resort’s French villa suites will encompass 45 square meters, as well as a six square-meter terrace that provides stunning valley views. In the deluxe hillside chalets, the rooms take in 60 square meters, including living area, with a 10 square-meter terrace. The four two-storey mountain lodges are 90 square meters each, with fireplaces, panoramic views and private terraces."
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:669042808&start=1&nid=3457
Life Resorts Signs Contract for a Mountain Resort in Sapa
The Life Resorts Management Co.
September 13, 2007
"The Life Resorts Management Company has signed a joint venture agreement to build a 110-unit Life Heritage Resort in Sapa, a picturesque market town nestled high in the mountains of northwestern Vietnam.
The Sept. 11 signing event formalized the partnership between the Life Resorts Company, the Son Kim Development Company and the Vietnam Investment and Project Development Group (VIPD)." ...
"Scheduled to open in early 2009, the resort’s design will marry the aesthetics of colonial French villas with elements of the highlanders’s traditional stone buildings." ...."the accommodation, the spa, heated pool and restaurant, all of which will be built on the resort’s 15 hectares of hills, valleys and plateaus." ...
"The resort will feature 110 rooms and suites located in a mix of free-standing bungalows and two-storey lodges. Each of the resort’s French villa suites will encompass 45 square meters, as well as a six square-meter terrace that provides stunning valley views. In the deluxe hillside chalets, the rooms take in 60 square meters, including living area, with a 10 square-meter terrace. The four two-storey mountain lodges are 90 square meters each, with fireplaces, panoramic views and private terraces."
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:669042808&start=1&nid=3457
Harrah's new Macau golf propoerty
From yesterday's Hotels online newsfeed
September 13, 2007 Thursday
Harrah's gains Macau play with golf course
Neil Gough
South China Morning Post
"Harrah's Entertainment, the world's largest casino company by revenue, has acquired the Orient Golf Course on Macau's Cotai Strip casino-development zone, according to a source.
If approved for casino-resort development, the site could be worth HK$21 billion to well over HK$30 billion based on recent Cotai casino-land deals.
The Orient Golf purchase gives Harrah's its first footprint in Asia after failed bids for gaming licences in Macau in 2002 and Singapore last year. It also instantly delivers the 70-year-old Las Vegas-based company the second-biggest plot of land among all casino developers in the world's largest gaming market.
At about 7.6 million square feet, the site is second only to the neighbouring 8.7 million square foot parcel claimed by Las Vegas Sands Corp, which recently opened the Venetian casino resort and is building a total of 14 hotels on Cotai at a cost of US$11 billion to US$14 billion." ....
"Two other substantial Cotai sites are understood to have been earmarked by the government for development by both Wynn Resorts and a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Pansy Ho Chiu-king." .....
"It remains unclear what price Harrah's is paying for Orient Golf, which was privately controlled by a Taiwanese investor and a Macau partner. While the Las Vegas firm does not have a Macau gaming licence, analysts and industry observers have speculated it may target licence-holders Galaxy or Melco PBL in a revenue-sharing deal to co-operate on the operation of casinos." ...
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:669071489&start=7&nid=3457
September 13, 2007 Thursday
Harrah's gains Macau play with golf course
Neil Gough
South China Morning Post
"Harrah's Entertainment, the world's largest casino company by revenue, has acquired the Orient Golf Course on Macau's Cotai Strip casino-development zone, according to a source.
If approved for casino-resort development, the site could be worth HK$21 billion to well over HK$30 billion based on recent Cotai casino-land deals.
The Orient Golf purchase gives Harrah's its first footprint in Asia after failed bids for gaming licences in Macau in 2002 and Singapore last year. It also instantly delivers the 70-year-old Las Vegas-based company the second-biggest plot of land among all casino developers in the world's largest gaming market.
At about 7.6 million square feet, the site is second only to the neighbouring 8.7 million square foot parcel claimed by Las Vegas Sands Corp, which recently opened the Venetian casino resort and is building a total of 14 hotels on Cotai at a cost of US$11 billion to US$14 billion." ....
"Two other substantial Cotai sites are understood to have been earmarked by the government for development by both Wynn Resorts and a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Pansy Ho Chiu-king." .....
"It remains unclear what price Harrah's is paying for Orient Golf, which was privately controlled by a Taiwanese investor and a Macau partner. While the Las Vegas firm does not have a Macau gaming licence, analysts and industry observers have speculated it may target licence-holders Galaxy or Melco PBL in a revenue-sharing deal to co-operate on the operation of casinos." ...
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:669071489&start=7&nid=3457
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Convention Centers as Art Museums
from Successful Meetings (9/2007):
State of the "Art" Convention Centers
September 12, 2007
By Kinley Levack
"Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon meandered through the exhibit, taking in photographs of The Beatles by acclaimed lensman Harry Benson. But it wasn't at a trendy gallery, or a downtown museum, it was at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Arkansas." ...
"Convention centers around the country are incorporating gallery spaces in an effort to introduce meeting attendees to art from the area, encourage locals to visit the center, and beautify a space generally considered bland and unappealing.
Keep It Clean
At its core, all art is an attempt to come to terms with life's mysteries. With as many solutions to those questions as there are human beings, art is subjective and can be controversial, so centers have also found themselves in the awkward position of having to track down pieces that are compelling without being offensive." ...
The Hot Springs Convention Center is home to both a permanent collection and rotating exhibits, which have included Woodstock Vision: The Spirit of a Generation, by Elliot Landy, the official photographer of Woodstock; Portrait of an Era, Robert Altman's 1960s-era photography; and the current exhibit called The American Soldier, curated by Cyma Rubin, which displays more than 100 photographs of men and women in the armed forces, in images dating from the advent of photography." ...
A to Z in WA
"In Washington, planners tend to be unaware of the art prior to seeing the convention center. "When the meeting planners come for site visits early on, they are most often surprised to see the gallery spaces here," says Linda Willanger, director of corporate development for the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, in Seattle.
"We have had some groups ask for guided tours, which we can do easily," she says, although the center also makes a detailed self-guided walking tour brochure available to lead visitors through the six floors of permanent and rotating works. "We're not trying to be a museum; we just want to be a showcase for what visitors can see while they are here. We're kind of a sampling of Northwest art," says Willanger, who specifies that the convention center represents all of Washington, not just the Seattle area.
Apples to Zinfandel — Aberdeen to Zillah, the juried exhibit currently on display, is designed to drive home that point. The convention center partnered with the department of agriculture to highlight Washington's diverse agriculture and "to remind our citizens of the beauty across the entire state," says Willanger. "The rotating exhibits are fun, because they change every three months, and we can do about 125 works on our second level and we can actually do two shows simultaneously."
The permanent collection includes the Washington State Centennial Bell Garden, by David Mahler, comprising a bell from each of the state's 39 counties. A Jackie Ferrara, three-dimensional design called Meeting Place on the second floor combines a red, green, and black slate floor with steel and concrete benches and a platform. One of the convention center's most prominent pieces is Lebeg, by Ann Gardner, a hanging glass piece suspended four stories above the center's atrium floor that rotates slowly. The atrium is often used by groups for receptions and events, and various other gallery spaces around the facility accommodate groups of up to 500 for coffee breaks, receptions, or networking." ...
"A Cultural Connection
Under Hawaii's Art in Public Places program, established in 1967, one percent of the construction cost of new public buildings must go toward procuring commissioned or purchased art. So for the Hawaii Convention Center, the decision was not whether to include art, but how best to display the pieces and to select works of significance from a cultural perspective. "We use the term 'a Hawaiian sense of place,' " explains Tanaka. The center's pieces were all commissioned for the building, and "all of the artists had some grounding in the state of Hawaii, whether through education in Hawaii, having lived here," or some other connection, he says." ...
"If These Walls Could Talk
In Hartford, CT, it was a museum that made the first move when the Wadsworth Atheneum—the country's oldest public art museum—contacted the Connecticut Convention Center about incorporating a display. The display highlights the history of the Hartford area, and comes primarily from Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt, who amassed a personal collection of over 600 pieces, all of which she bequeathed to the Wadsworth Atheneum upon her death in 1905; pieces at the center include a portrait of her husband, Samuel Colt, who is best known for Colt firearms.
"It was hard for us, because our art is very expensive, but we wanted to do it," says Lee Oliver, group visit coordinator at the Wadsworth Atheneum, which is located about a block from the center. "We tried to pick works that are not easily damaged, and also some pieces that would allow people to see what we have to offer."
The resulting display, which is lit to the specifications of the Wadsworth, has been embraced by both incoming groups and area residents. "It was kind of a dead-end spot on the exhibition level, and this provided us an opportunity to do something interesting in it," says Katie Blint, communications director for the convention center. "When people come to events, they're looking for places to relax, and this is a quick getaway from the business at hand. It's refreshing to be surrounded by beautiful art in a small space within a larger building. And when there are no groups in, people come in with their newspapers and their coffee and just enjoy it."
The relationship between meeting attendees and the museum extends beyond the convention center's gallery, as Oliver reaches out to incoming groups with whom she foresees a fit. Oliver creates tours of displayed pieces that would be of particular interest to a visiting group, and is sometimes able to bring pieces out of storage to display, if she thinks a group might appreciate viewing the work. "We try to be proactive and be a good partner based on those things; it's about playing nicely with your neighbors," Oliver says." ...
"Midwestern Masterpiece
Art has been an important part of the Overland Park Convention Center since its construction, which was completed in 2002. The center now boasts a permanent collection of 100 pieces as well as a rotating gallery collection that generally includes on an annual basis one juried show, one purchased show, one show of artwork from schools, and two to three exhibits decided by the local Friends of the Arts. "We consider it an integral part of what we do here. Sometimes I refer to us as a museum," says Nadine Guest, general manager of the convention center.
The gallery corridor is used on occasion for receptions—"I'm kind of surprised it doesn't happen more often," says Guest—and the pre-function space that can accommodate a couple of hundred attendees includes a number of pieces as well. "You don't have to be in the corridor to appreciate the art," explains Guest.
Local artist and gallery owner Paul Dorrell was selected to consult on the project from the beginning. "Paul is a well-published art advocate who is always interested in seeing vibrant environments. He was the perfect person to oversee the installation," says Guest. "His concept was to use regional artists; he wanted to create a world-class-caliber collection, featuring Midwestern artists." ...
for the complete story see: http://www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/articles/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003632735
State of the "Art" Convention Centers
September 12, 2007
By Kinley Levack
"Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon meandered through the exhibit, taking in photographs of The Beatles by acclaimed lensman Harry Benson. But it wasn't at a trendy gallery, or a downtown museum, it was at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Arkansas." ...
"Convention centers around the country are incorporating gallery spaces in an effort to introduce meeting attendees to art from the area, encourage locals to visit the center, and beautify a space generally considered bland and unappealing.
Keep It Clean
At its core, all art is an attempt to come to terms with life's mysteries. With as many solutions to those questions as there are human beings, art is subjective and can be controversial, so centers have also found themselves in the awkward position of having to track down pieces that are compelling without being offensive." ...
The Hot Springs Convention Center is home to both a permanent collection and rotating exhibits, which have included Woodstock Vision: The Spirit of a Generation, by Elliot Landy, the official photographer of Woodstock; Portrait of an Era, Robert Altman's 1960s-era photography; and the current exhibit called The American Soldier, curated by Cyma Rubin, which displays more than 100 photographs of men and women in the armed forces, in images dating from the advent of photography." ...
A to Z in WA
"In Washington, planners tend to be unaware of the art prior to seeing the convention center. "When the meeting planners come for site visits early on, they are most often surprised to see the gallery spaces here," says Linda Willanger, director of corporate development for the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, in Seattle.
"We have had some groups ask for guided tours, which we can do easily," she says, although the center also makes a detailed self-guided walking tour brochure available to lead visitors through the six floors of permanent and rotating works. "We're not trying to be a museum; we just want to be a showcase for what visitors can see while they are here. We're kind of a sampling of Northwest art," says Willanger, who specifies that the convention center represents all of Washington, not just the Seattle area.
Apples to Zinfandel — Aberdeen to Zillah, the juried exhibit currently on display, is designed to drive home that point. The convention center partnered with the department of agriculture to highlight Washington's diverse agriculture and "to remind our citizens of the beauty across the entire state," says Willanger. "The rotating exhibits are fun, because they change every three months, and we can do about 125 works on our second level and we can actually do two shows simultaneously."
The permanent collection includes the Washington State Centennial Bell Garden, by David Mahler, comprising a bell from each of the state's 39 counties. A Jackie Ferrara, three-dimensional design called Meeting Place on the second floor combines a red, green, and black slate floor with steel and concrete benches and a platform. One of the convention center's most prominent pieces is Lebeg, by Ann Gardner, a hanging glass piece suspended four stories above the center's atrium floor that rotates slowly. The atrium is often used by groups for receptions and events, and various other gallery spaces around the facility accommodate groups of up to 500 for coffee breaks, receptions, or networking." ...
"A Cultural Connection
Under Hawaii's Art in Public Places program, established in 1967, one percent of the construction cost of new public buildings must go toward procuring commissioned or purchased art. So for the Hawaii Convention Center, the decision was not whether to include art, but how best to display the pieces and to select works of significance from a cultural perspective. "We use the term 'a Hawaiian sense of place,' " explains Tanaka. The center's pieces were all commissioned for the building, and "all of the artists had some grounding in the state of Hawaii, whether through education in Hawaii, having lived here," or some other connection, he says." ...
"If These Walls Could Talk
In Hartford, CT, it was a museum that made the first move when the Wadsworth Atheneum—the country's oldest public art museum—contacted the Connecticut Convention Center about incorporating a display. The display highlights the history of the Hartford area, and comes primarily from Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt, who amassed a personal collection of over 600 pieces, all of which she bequeathed to the Wadsworth Atheneum upon her death in 1905; pieces at the center include a portrait of her husband, Samuel Colt, who is best known for Colt firearms.
"It was hard for us, because our art is very expensive, but we wanted to do it," says Lee Oliver, group visit coordinator at the Wadsworth Atheneum, which is located about a block from the center. "We tried to pick works that are not easily damaged, and also some pieces that would allow people to see what we have to offer."
The resulting display, which is lit to the specifications of the Wadsworth, has been embraced by both incoming groups and area residents. "It was kind of a dead-end spot on the exhibition level, and this provided us an opportunity to do something interesting in it," says Katie Blint, communications director for the convention center. "When people come to events, they're looking for places to relax, and this is a quick getaway from the business at hand. It's refreshing to be surrounded by beautiful art in a small space within a larger building. And when there are no groups in, people come in with their newspapers and their coffee and just enjoy it."
The relationship between meeting attendees and the museum extends beyond the convention center's gallery, as Oliver reaches out to incoming groups with whom she foresees a fit. Oliver creates tours of displayed pieces that would be of particular interest to a visiting group, and is sometimes able to bring pieces out of storage to display, if she thinks a group might appreciate viewing the work. "We try to be proactive and be a good partner based on those things; it's about playing nicely with your neighbors," Oliver says." ...
"Midwestern Masterpiece
Art has been an important part of the Overland Park Convention Center since its construction, which was completed in 2002. The center now boasts a permanent collection of 100 pieces as well as a rotating gallery collection that generally includes on an annual basis one juried show, one purchased show, one show of artwork from schools, and two to three exhibits decided by the local Friends of the Arts. "We consider it an integral part of what we do here. Sometimes I refer to us as a museum," says Nadine Guest, general manager of the convention center.
The gallery corridor is used on occasion for receptions—"I'm kind of surprised it doesn't happen more often," says Guest—and the pre-function space that can accommodate a couple of hundred attendees includes a number of pieces as well. "You don't have to be in the corridor to appreciate the art," explains Guest.
Local artist and gallery owner Paul Dorrell was selected to consult on the project from the beginning. "Paul is a well-published art advocate who is always interested in seeing vibrant environments. He was the perfect person to oversee the installation," says Guest. "His concept was to use regional artists; he wanted to create a world-class-caliber collection, featuring Midwestern artists." ...
for the complete story see: http://www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/articles/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003632735
Quirky hotels
from the Meetingsnet blog 9/10/2007 --
TripAdvisor Names 10 Quirkiest Hotels for 2007
From Alaska to Australia, quirky hotels abound, according to TripAdvisor.com.
Their top 10 list of 2007’s quirkiest hotels are:
1. Forget-Me-Not-Lodge The Aurora Express, Fairbanks, Alaska, where the rooms are old railroad cars. Sounds a little like a place my dad and I once stayed in Pennsylvania, which was duded up like a cross between a railroad car and a bordello. Wish I could remember the name of the place…
2. Icehotel, Marknadsvagen, Sweden, where the surroundings may be chilly, but the hospitality is warm.
3. Malmaison Oxford Castle, Oxford, England, “where lifelong dreams of becoming institutionalized come true.”
4. Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, Idaho, for those whose trips have gone to the dogs.
5. McMenamin’s Kennedy School, Portland, Oregon, a converted schoolhouse where you will never have to wear the dunce cap.
6. Gamirasu Cave Hotel: Ayvali koyu, Urgup, Turkey, a restored eighteen-room troglodyte cave house where you can cater to your inner caveman.
7. King Pacific Lodge, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for those who always wanted to have their own barge party on a floating hotel.
8. Fur N’ Feathers Rainforest Tree Houses, Tarzali, Queensland, Australia, where you can share your tree house accommodations with parrots and platypus.
9. Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona, for some kitchy chic fun on Rt. 66.
10. The Witchery by the Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, which is described as “an historic 15th century building that is only a stone’s throw from famous Edinburgh Castle, [where] visitors will enjoy an amazing array of antiques, and amorous ambiance.”
see: http://blog.meetingsnet.com/face2face/2007/09/10/tripadvisor-names-10-quirkiest-hotels-for-2007/
TripAdvisor Names 10 Quirkiest Hotels for 2007
From Alaska to Australia, quirky hotels abound, according to TripAdvisor.com.
Their top 10 list of 2007’s quirkiest hotels are:
1. Forget-Me-Not-Lodge The Aurora Express, Fairbanks, Alaska, where the rooms are old railroad cars. Sounds a little like a place my dad and I once stayed in Pennsylvania, which was duded up like a cross between a railroad car and a bordello. Wish I could remember the name of the place…
2. Icehotel, Marknadsvagen, Sweden, where the surroundings may be chilly, but the hospitality is warm.
3. Malmaison Oxford Castle, Oxford, England, “where lifelong dreams of becoming institutionalized come true.”
4. Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, Idaho, for those whose trips have gone to the dogs.
5. McMenamin’s Kennedy School, Portland, Oregon, a converted schoolhouse where you will never have to wear the dunce cap.
6. Gamirasu Cave Hotel: Ayvali koyu, Urgup, Turkey, a restored eighteen-room troglodyte cave house where you can cater to your inner caveman.
7. King Pacific Lodge, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for those who always wanted to have their own barge party on a floating hotel.
8. Fur N’ Feathers Rainforest Tree Houses, Tarzali, Queensland, Australia, where you can share your tree house accommodations with parrots and platypus.
9. Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona, for some kitchy chic fun on Rt. 66.
10. The Witchery by the Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, which is described as “an historic 15th century building that is only a stone’s throw from famous Edinburgh Castle, [where] visitors will enjoy an amazing array of antiques, and amorous ambiance.”
see: http://blog.meetingsnet.com/face2face/2007/09/10/tripadvisor-names-10-quirkiest-hotels-for-2007/
"Art Walks" as San Diego market incentive and cultural feature
from yesterday's San Diego Business Journal:
Art Walks Draw Crowds Looking for Culture and Entertainment
By PAT BRODERICK - 9/10/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Jae Kim opened CJ Art Gallery more than three years ago in the Gaslamp Quarter to take advantage of what was then the beginnings of a revitalized downtown.
“I saw the change and I decided to come downtown,” said Kim, who owns the gallery with her husband, Chang Kim. “We get a lot of tourists, conventioneers and San Diego residents.”
She continues to run Artworks Inc. at the Grossmont Center shopping mall in La Mesa, a 30-year-old business that attracts a completely different market, said Kim." ...
"Cultivating Collectors
Art walks that combine culture with food, drink and socializing are one way that galleries have been trying to stimulate business. Venues such as North Park’s Ray at Night, and Little Italy’s Kettner Nights, as well as the Thursday Night Thing — TNT — hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, are all designed to draw out a younger crowd.
Hugh M. Davies, the David C. Copley director of MCASD, considers these venues to be a boon to the art scene.
“I love it,” he said. “Building new and younger audiences is absolutely vital to the growth and survival of cultural organizations, and I pity the arts organizations that don’t have that.”
The museum’s TNT program is good business, said Davies.
“We are investing a lot in that audience with the hope that they will generate loyalty,” he said.
Davies acknowledges that, with the smaller, independent dealers, it can be a pricey investment.
“If I was a private art dealer, and I had an opening celebration for my artist’s show, and 100 people show up to drink my wine and socialize, but only 10 are serious clients, it would be hard to subsidize that as a private owner. But as a nonprofit, it is our mandate. I like to think that we are helping private galleries by growing clients for them.”
Davies was a pioneer in finding ways to cultivate new collectors in the community.
“Now, almost 25 years later, we are starting to reap some of the benefits of that activity,” he said. “Seventy-five percent of works come to museums by gifts, not purchases. If you don’t have great artworks in your community, it won’t trickle up to the museums.”
Ray Of Hope
A moving force behind the six-year-old Ray at Night is Gustaf Rooth, who owns Planet Rooth Studios, where he designs and builds high-end furniture.
“For local artists it has been a huge plus,” he said. “It motivates them to produce more work and get more professional.”
According to North Park Main Street’s Web site, Ray at Night, held the second Saturday of every month, draws more than 1,500 people, showcases everything from paintings, sculptures and ceramics, to blown glass and jewelry, and taps into two dozen businesses.
Hillcrest-based art appraiser Joan Seifried said that she has observed “a terrific change” in San Diego’s gallery scene in the past five years, and credits efforts such as these. But, she cautions, “It can be a double-edged sword. There is a fine line between a party and an actual art-buying excursion, and it’s kind of a challenge for all the galleries involved.” .....
"While selling art for $100 to $200 is a fairly easy sale in San Diego, she observed, “You can’t make a living selling those price points of art.”
“The hopes are that people who start out paying $200 will keep the interest in these artists and purchase works for them in the thousands,” said Seifried. “You start off with a lesser work and move up to a greater work. As a rule, a collector has to start somewhere, and usually they start with not a lot of money.”
for the complete story see:
http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=525772302.6770541.1525225.6369706.7146795.667&aID2=117316&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Art Walks Draw Crowds Looking for Culture and Entertainment
By PAT BRODERICK - 9/10/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Jae Kim opened CJ Art Gallery more than three years ago in the Gaslamp Quarter to take advantage of what was then the beginnings of a revitalized downtown.
“I saw the change and I decided to come downtown,” said Kim, who owns the gallery with her husband, Chang Kim. “We get a lot of tourists, conventioneers and San Diego residents.”
She continues to run Artworks Inc. at the Grossmont Center shopping mall in La Mesa, a 30-year-old business that attracts a completely different market, said Kim." ...
"Cultivating Collectors
Art walks that combine culture with food, drink and socializing are one way that galleries have been trying to stimulate business. Venues such as North Park’s Ray at Night, and Little Italy’s Kettner Nights, as well as the Thursday Night Thing — TNT — hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, are all designed to draw out a younger crowd.
Hugh M. Davies, the David C. Copley director of MCASD, considers these venues to be a boon to the art scene.
“I love it,” he said. “Building new and younger audiences is absolutely vital to the growth and survival of cultural organizations, and I pity the arts organizations that don’t have that.”
The museum’s TNT program is good business, said Davies.
“We are investing a lot in that audience with the hope that they will generate loyalty,” he said.
Davies acknowledges that, with the smaller, independent dealers, it can be a pricey investment.
“If I was a private art dealer, and I had an opening celebration for my artist’s show, and 100 people show up to drink my wine and socialize, but only 10 are serious clients, it would be hard to subsidize that as a private owner. But as a nonprofit, it is our mandate. I like to think that we are helping private galleries by growing clients for them.”
Davies was a pioneer in finding ways to cultivate new collectors in the community.
“Now, almost 25 years later, we are starting to reap some of the benefits of that activity,” he said. “Seventy-five percent of works come to museums by gifts, not purchases. If you don’t have great artworks in your community, it won’t trickle up to the museums.”
Ray Of Hope
A moving force behind the six-year-old Ray at Night is Gustaf Rooth, who owns Planet Rooth Studios, where he designs and builds high-end furniture.
“For local artists it has been a huge plus,” he said. “It motivates them to produce more work and get more professional.”
According to North Park Main Street’s Web site, Ray at Night, held the second Saturday of every month, draws more than 1,500 people, showcases everything from paintings, sculptures and ceramics, to blown glass and jewelry, and taps into two dozen businesses.
Hillcrest-based art appraiser Joan Seifried said that she has observed “a terrific change” in San Diego’s gallery scene in the past five years, and credits efforts such as these. But, she cautions, “It can be a double-edged sword. There is a fine line between a party and an actual art-buying excursion, and it’s kind of a challenge for all the galleries involved.” .....
"While selling art for $100 to $200 is a fairly easy sale in San Diego, she observed, “You can’t make a living selling those price points of art.”
“The hopes are that people who start out paying $200 will keep the interest in these artists and purchase works for them in the thousands,” said Seifried. “You start off with a lesser work and move up to a greater work. As a rule, a collector has to start somewhere, and usually they start with not a lot of money.”
for the complete story see:
http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=525772302.6770541.1525225.6369706.7146795.667&aID2=117316&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Dubai World and Comoros Island resort
from yesterday's Hotel online news
Dubai World to invest US$70 million In Comoros Island Beach Development and Resort
Dubai World
September 11, 2007
"Dubai World, which is wholly-owned by the Government of Dubai, today announced it would be investing US$ 70 million in a luxury hotel and residential development in Comoros, in the Indian Ocean.
Dubai World inked a deal yesterday with senior representatives of the Comoros Government. The deal saw the formation of a company established specifically for the acquisition, Dubai World Comoros Limited, in which the Comoros Government is a shareholder.
The partnership will see the redevelopment and refurbishment of the country’s leading hotel, the 150-room Le Galawa beach resort and spa. In addition, 22.5 hectares of adjacent prime beachfront will be developed, with 100 new residential villas and townhouses, a spa, restaurants, and beach and kids club. A watersports centre with a boat club, diving centre, marina watervillas and a residents’ club will also play an integral role in the upscaling and expansion of the resort development." ....
"The Le Galawa resort was formerly owned by Sun International and built by Sol Kerzner. Interest in the project was built following a visit by Dubai World executives to Comoros in July 2007, where they met with representatives of the country’s government, including the president of Comoros, Ahmed Abdullah Sambi.
Idi Nadhoim ,Vice President of the Union of Comoros, said: “The tourism potential of Comoros is clear to all visitors but has been largely untapped until now. Having Dubai World on board as partners in this major redevelopment of the country’s leading hotel, and subsequent master-planning for additional island developments, will enable us to maximise that potential." ...
"Khaled Al Kamda, Vice Chairman of Istithmar, said: “This is an important strategic deal for Istithmar. Comoros has tremendous potential for growth, and this development offers both partners significant opportunity. Construction on the development will commence in October 2007, with a view to reopening the hotel, resort and residences in early 2009.”
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:667903611&start=12&nid=3457
Dubai World to invest US$70 million In Comoros Island Beach Development and Resort
Dubai World
September 11, 2007
"Dubai World, which is wholly-owned by the Government of Dubai, today announced it would be investing US$ 70 million in a luxury hotel and residential development in Comoros, in the Indian Ocean.
Dubai World inked a deal yesterday with senior representatives of the Comoros Government. The deal saw the formation of a company established specifically for the acquisition, Dubai World Comoros Limited, in which the Comoros Government is a shareholder.
The partnership will see the redevelopment and refurbishment of the country’s leading hotel, the 150-room Le Galawa beach resort and spa. In addition, 22.5 hectares of adjacent prime beachfront will be developed, with 100 new residential villas and townhouses, a spa, restaurants, and beach and kids club. A watersports centre with a boat club, diving centre, marina watervillas and a residents’ club will also play an integral role in the upscaling and expansion of the resort development." ....
"The Le Galawa resort was formerly owned by Sun International and built by Sol Kerzner. Interest in the project was built following a visit by Dubai World executives to Comoros in July 2007, where they met with representatives of the country’s government, including the president of Comoros, Ahmed Abdullah Sambi.
Idi Nadhoim ,Vice President of the Union of Comoros, said: “The tourism potential of Comoros is clear to all visitors but has been largely untapped until now. Having Dubai World on board as partners in this major redevelopment of the country’s leading hotel, and subsequent master-planning for additional island developments, will enable us to maximise that potential." ...
"Khaled Al Kamda, Vice Chairman of Istithmar, said: “This is an important strategic deal for Istithmar. Comoros has tremendous potential for growth, and this development offers both partners significant opportunity. Construction on the development will commence in October 2007, with a view to reopening the hotel, resort and residences in early 2009.”
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:667903611&start=12&nid=3457
Ecotourism in Libya
from yesterday's Hotel online news
New Eco-Tourism Venture Unveiled by Libya
Sara Hassan
"Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, yesterday unveiled an ambitious new eco-tourism project near the ancient city of Cyrene on the north-east of coast of Libya. The plan is to build a tourism complex, which is to include over 20 luxury hotels, near the city's archaeological ruins, with the initial stages of the project set to cost US$3 billion. As a result of its long period of international isolation, Libya has so far escaped the mass tourism invasion of neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia, and much of its landscape remains unspoilt. Further details about the project and a proposed timescale have yet to be unveiled." ......
"The project has received strong backing from the UNESCO (UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Centre."
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:667960762&start=3&nid=3457
New Eco-Tourism Venture Unveiled by Libya
Sara Hassan
"Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, yesterday unveiled an ambitious new eco-tourism project near the ancient city of Cyrene on the north-east of coast of Libya. The plan is to build a tourism complex, which is to include over 20 luxury hotels, near the city's archaeological ruins, with the initial stages of the project set to cost US$3 billion. As a result of its long period of international isolation, Libya has so far escaped the mass tourism invasion of neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia, and much of its landscape remains unspoilt. Further details about the project and a proposed timescale have yet to be unveiled." ......
"The project has received strong backing from the UNESCO (UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Centre."
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:667960762&start=3&nid=3457
Pandas and zoo attendance
from the L.A. Times 9/7/2007
In U.S. zoos, pandas have universal appeal
Los Angeles Times
September 9, 2007
The giant pandas of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. - and those of the San Diego Zoo - are hot tickets. The endangered bears, indigenous to China, have become so admired by Americans that there are fan clubs, panda cams enabling viewers to watch them remotely, and hundreds of products featuring pandas, such as T-shirts, clocks, mugs and mouse pads.
At the National Zoo, the roly-poly mammals have been one of the capital's biggest tourist draws since two pandas took up residence in 2000. After the birth of cub Tai Shan in 2005, interest mushroomed. Now, the three are spending their first summer in an expanded habitat.
On the West Coast, the San Diego Zoo's pandas recently welcomed a baby born Aug. 3. And in Atlanta, the zoo is getting ready for a big celebration to mark cub Mei Lan's first birthday on Sept. 6. But the news from the zoo in Memphis, Tenn., is not happy: Ya Ya didn't carry her baby to term.
To panda fans, it's all part of the day-to-day drama. "We relate to them because in some ways, they're very much like humans," said Maryland resident Frances Nguyen, who founded Pandas Unlimited, an international group that celebrates the bears at flickr.com /groups/pandasunlimited. The expanded panda home at the National Zoo is part of an exhibit, the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat & Asia Trail, opened late last year. Nearly 6 acres, it is the first major project completed in a 10-year revitalization plan. Visitors wander the perimeter of the habitat, where they're likely to catch the creatures munching bamboo or sleeping in a tree.
The pandas helped design the habitat themselves, say zookeepers, who kept a list of the things the animals liked best in their original home - places they enjoyed playing, eating, sleeping and cooling off.
Water ranked high, so their new home includes a waterfall, pools and a shallow stream.
The San Diego Zoo has been a center of panda-mania since China allowed two to visit in 1987. After years of red tape, a new exhibit area was built, and has since been expanded and renovated and is called the Giant Panda Research Station. One of the original pandas, Bai Yun, has been busy since coming to the San Diego Zoo; the new cub is her fourth, all born there.
Another one of Bai Yun's cubs, Mei Sheng, born in 2003, is expected to be sent to China in October as part of an international collaboration to save the species, which numbers about 1,600 worldwide.
The U.S. pandas are of such great interest to Pandas Unlimited that members keep track of them through blogs and panda cams. At the National Zoo, they take turns standing watch during zoo hours.
"It's a peaceful, beautiful place," said Nguyen. "Pandas are so cute. They always make you laugh."
IF YOU GO
Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave. SE, Atlanta, GA 30315; 404-624-9453; panda cam: zooatlanta.org /animals_panda_cam.php4. Open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission: $12.99 to $17.99.The zoo has three pandas.
Memphis Zoo, 2000 Prentiss Place, Memphis, TN 38112; 901-276-9453; panda cam: memphiszoo.org /pandacam.aspx. Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission: $8 to $13. The zoo has two pandas.
San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Dr., San Diego, CA 92101; 619-234-3153; panda cam: sandiegozoo.org /zoo/ex_panda_station.html. Open daily. Admission: $15.50 to $22.75. Four grown pandas and a newborn cub live at the zoo.
Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008; 202- 633-4800; panda cam: nationalzoo.si.edu/animals /giantpandas/default.cfm. Open daily except Christmas. Admission free. Three pandas live at the zoo.
In U.S. zoos, pandas have universal appeal
Los Angeles Times
September 9, 2007
The giant pandas of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. - and those of the San Diego Zoo - are hot tickets. The endangered bears, indigenous to China, have become so admired by Americans that there are fan clubs, panda cams enabling viewers to watch them remotely, and hundreds of products featuring pandas, such as T-shirts, clocks, mugs and mouse pads.
At the National Zoo, the roly-poly mammals have been one of the capital's biggest tourist draws since two pandas took up residence in 2000. After the birth of cub Tai Shan in 2005, interest mushroomed. Now, the three are spending their first summer in an expanded habitat.
On the West Coast, the San Diego Zoo's pandas recently welcomed a baby born Aug. 3. And in Atlanta, the zoo is getting ready for a big celebration to mark cub Mei Lan's first birthday on Sept. 6. But the news from the zoo in Memphis, Tenn., is not happy: Ya Ya didn't carry her baby to term.
To panda fans, it's all part of the day-to-day drama. "We relate to them because in some ways, they're very much like humans," said Maryland resident Frances Nguyen, who founded Pandas Unlimited, an international group that celebrates the bears at flickr.com /groups/pandasunlimited. The expanded panda home at the National Zoo is part of an exhibit, the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat & Asia Trail, opened late last year. Nearly 6 acres, it is the first major project completed in a 10-year revitalization plan. Visitors wander the perimeter of the habitat, where they're likely to catch the creatures munching bamboo or sleeping in a tree.
The pandas helped design the habitat themselves, say zookeepers, who kept a list of the things the animals liked best in their original home - places they enjoyed playing, eating, sleeping and cooling off.
Water ranked high, so their new home includes a waterfall, pools and a shallow stream.
The San Diego Zoo has been a center of panda-mania since China allowed two to visit in 1987. After years of red tape, a new exhibit area was built, and has since been expanded and renovated and is called the Giant Panda Research Station. One of the original pandas, Bai Yun, has been busy since coming to the San Diego Zoo; the new cub is her fourth, all born there.
Another one of Bai Yun's cubs, Mei Sheng, born in 2003, is expected to be sent to China in October as part of an international collaboration to save the species, which numbers about 1,600 worldwide.
The U.S. pandas are of such great interest to Pandas Unlimited that members keep track of them through blogs and panda cams. At the National Zoo, they take turns standing watch during zoo hours.
"It's a peaceful, beautiful place," said Nguyen. "Pandas are so cute. They always make you laugh."
IF YOU GO
Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave. SE, Atlanta, GA 30315; 404-624-9453; panda cam: zooatlanta.org /animals_panda_cam.php4. Open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission: $12.99 to $17.99.The zoo has three pandas.
Memphis Zoo, 2000 Prentiss Place, Memphis, TN 38112; 901-276-9453; panda cam: memphiszoo.org /pandacam.aspx. Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission: $8 to $13. The zoo has two pandas.
San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Dr., San Diego, CA 92101; 619-234-3153; panda cam: sandiegozoo.org /zoo/ex_panda_station.html. Open daily. Admission: $15.50 to $22.75. Four grown pandas and a newborn cub live at the zoo.
Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008; 202- 633-4800; panda cam: nationalzoo.si.edu/animals /giantpandas/default.cfm. Open daily except Christmas. Admission free. Three pandas live at the zoo.
Macau Studio City gets W hotel
from yesterday's Hotel news online
JLL Brings Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and 'W' hotels to ‘Las Vegas of Asia’
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels
September 11, 2007
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (the “Firm”) is pleased to have advised the investors in Macao Studio City in the selection and negotiations with world-class hotel brands namely, the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and ‘W’ to operate three hotels with an approximate total of 1,800 rooms in the integrated development. Mr Mark Brannigan, Senior Vice President, Asset Management of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in Asia, spearheaded the selection and negotiations of the management contracts for the three hotels.
“Leveraging our understanding of the global hotel market as well as hotel brands and operators, we were able to bring to Macao Studio City high profile international hotel management companies that will add to the level of luxury and splendour that matches our client’s grand vision. This case is a prime example of how proactive asset management could help to maximise the competitive positioning and long-term growth potential of a real estate asset,” said Mr Brannigan." ...
Currently, the Firm is negotiating hotel operating agreements in China, Japan, India, Thailand and Macao. Late in 2006, the Firm advised All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd (ANA) and its subsidiary ANA Hotels and Resorts in the joint venture with InterContinental Hotels Group which resulted in the formation of the largest international hotel group in Japan, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan. The Firm was also the exclusive advisor to Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts in negotiating a management lease agreement with Mori Trust last year that brings the luxury hotel brand to Tokyo in 2008.
Located strategically on the Cotai strip – Asia’s equivalent of the world-renown Las Vegas strip – Macao Studio City is Asia’s first leisure resort to integrate television and film production facilities with retail, entertainment and world class hotels. All three hotels – the 965-room The Macao Studio City Marriott Hotel, 563-room W Macao Studio City and 256-room Ritz-Carlton, Macao Studio City – will make their debut in 2009."
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:667903419&start=1&nid=3457
JLL Brings Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and 'W' hotels to ‘Las Vegas of Asia’
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels
September 11, 2007
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (the “Firm”) is pleased to have advised the investors in Macao Studio City in the selection and negotiations with world-class hotel brands namely, the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and ‘W’ to operate three hotels with an approximate total of 1,800 rooms in the integrated development. Mr Mark Brannigan, Senior Vice President, Asset Management of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in Asia, spearheaded the selection and negotiations of the management contracts for the three hotels.
“Leveraging our understanding of the global hotel market as well as hotel brands and operators, we were able to bring to Macao Studio City high profile international hotel management companies that will add to the level of luxury and splendour that matches our client’s grand vision. This case is a prime example of how proactive asset management could help to maximise the competitive positioning and long-term growth potential of a real estate asset,” said Mr Brannigan." ...
Currently, the Firm is negotiating hotel operating agreements in China, Japan, India, Thailand and Macao. Late in 2006, the Firm advised All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd (ANA) and its subsidiary ANA Hotels and Resorts in the joint venture with InterContinental Hotels Group which resulted in the formation of the largest international hotel group in Japan, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan. The Firm was also the exclusive advisor to Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts in negotiating a management lease agreement with Mori Trust last year that brings the luxury hotel brand to Tokyo in 2008.
Located strategically on the Cotai strip – Asia’s equivalent of the world-renown Las Vegas strip – Macao Studio City is Asia’s first leisure resort to integrate television and film production facilities with retail, entertainment and world class hotels. All three hotels – the 965-room The Macao Studio City Marriott Hotel, 563-room W Macao Studio City and 256-room Ritz-Carlton, Macao Studio City – will make their debut in 2009."
for the complete story see:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:667903419&start=1&nid=3457
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Corporate Contest
I'll have some sort of prize for the person with the best explanation for why someone at ERA thought this box should be shipped to me.
The following photos show very clearly that the box is addressed to me at the library and chronicles exactly the revelatory process.
Yup. That says "wet-dry vac." See...
And, no, the actual vacuum was not included in the shipment. Just a big box with a hose, skweegy, and instructions.
The following photos show very clearly that the box is addressed to me at the library and chronicles exactly the revelatory process.
Yup. That says "wet-dry vac." See...
And, no, the actual vacuum was not included in the shipment. Just a big box with a hose, skweegy, and instructions.
misc news
Indian Country Today (8/22); ME tribes in dispute over water regulation
Indian Country Today (8/29): MA gaming study; Gun Lake compact
Nation's Restaurant News (8/27): New Orleans restaurant slump continues
Indian Country Today (8/29): MA gaming study; Gun Lake compact
Nation's Restaurant News (8/27): New Orleans restaurant slump continues
business news
Business Week (9/10): luxury hotels trying to go hip; cable TV and the rise of niche sports
Business Week (9/3); feature on the economy of the Ukraine
Fortune (9/3): for the sports inclined -- Rawlings has released the world's most expensive baseball glove made of the finest of Italian leather for a mere $400.
Business Week (9/3); feature on the economy of the Ukraine
Fortune (9/3): for the sports inclined -- Rawlings has released the world's most expensive baseball glove made of the finest of Italian leather for a mere $400.
real estate journals
San Diego Business Journal (8/27): STR ranking puts San Diego at #1 in hotel occupancy
Los Angeles Business Journal (8/27): South Broadway high-rent retail may be pushed out for lower-rent, national chains as high-end residential reuse takes over the upper stories of historic buildings; L.A. Mayor planning to lure more big box retail
Crain's Chicago Business (8/20): lifestyle center tenancy; residential sales; Rosemont waterpark plans
San Fernando Valley Business Journal (8/20): film equipment firms opening offices in NC and SC
California Real Estate Journal (8/27): San Diego housing state of emergency; City of San Diego offering land for city hall development
Los Angeles Business Journal (8/27): South Broadway high-rent retail may be pushed out for lower-rent, national chains as high-end residential reuse takes over the upper stories of historic buildings; L.A. Mayor planning to lure more big box retail
Crain's Chicago Business (8/20): lifestyle center tenancy; residential sales; Rosemont waterpark plans
San Fernando Valley Business Journal (8/20): film equipment firms opening offices in NC and SC
California Real Estate Journal (8/27): San Diego housing state of emergency; City of San Diego offering land for city hall development
Friday, August 31, 2007
San Diego college economic impact study released
from this afternoon's San Diego Business Journal:
Study: SDSU to Have $4.5B Impact on Region
8/31/2007
"Officials at San Diego State University announced results of a study examining the economic impact of the school on the region.
By 2025, the university’s annual economic impact will increase from $2.4 billion to $4.5 billion because of growing enrollment, which is expected to increase from 25,000 full-time students to 35,000 during the next 20 years." ....
"Researchers at Fairfax, Va.-based ICF International conducted the two-part study during a three-month span for a cost of $53,000, according to Jack Beresford, an SDSU spokesman.
Results of the study concluded that there are 100,000 alums living in the San Diego region. Two-thirds of local teachers are SDSU grads as well as 50 percent of local engineers and the majority of local nurses with bachelor’s degrees. Tax revenue generated by SDSU students will nearly double during the next two decades from $308.3 million to $587.7 million in 2025.
Scott Alevy, vice president of public policy at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, also announced the chamber’s formal support for SDSU’s campus master plan revision, which will increase academic space, student housing and services and faculty housing."
by Jaimy Lee
for the complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=27321405.9827587.1520272.4566733.5451224.186&aID2=116935&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
for links to the complete economic impact report and the campus' masterplan see: http://advancement.sdsu.edu/masterplan/
Study: SDSU to Have $4.5B Impact on Region
8/31/2007
"Officials at San Diego State University announced results of a study examining the economic impact of the school on the region.
By 2025, the university’s annual economic impact will increase from $2.4 billion to $4.5 billion because of growing enrollment, which is expected to increase from 25,000 full-time students to 35,000 during the next 20 years." ....
"Researchers at Fairfax, Va.-based ICF International conducted the two-part study during a three-month span for a cost of $53,000, according to Jack Beresford, an SDSU spokesman.
Results of the study concluded that there are 100,000 alums living in the San Diego region. Two-thirds of local teachers are SDSU grads as well as 50 percent of local engineers and the majority of local nurses with bachelor’s degrees. Tax revenue generated by SDSU students will nearly double during the next two decades from $308.3 million to $587.7 million in 2025.
Scott Alevy, vice president of public policy at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, also announced the chamber’s formal support for SDSU’s campus master plan revision, which will increase academic space, student housing and services and faculty housing."
by Jaimy Lee
for the complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=27321405.9827587.1520272.4566733.5451224.186&aID2=116935&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
for links to the complete economic impact report and the campus' masterplan see: http://advancement.sdsu.edu/masterplan/
Sunday, August 26, 2007
misc news
Retail Traffic (Aug): retail developers moving into Mexico and Latin America; area focus on FL
Business Week Small Biz (Aug-Sept): Harry Potter theme park in FL
Tradeshow Week (8/13): Las Vegas getting new venues
Tradeshow Week (8/6): Jamaica getting its first convention center
Nation's Restaurant News (8/13): stadium food policies
Business Week Small Biz (Aug-Sept): Harry Potter theme park in FL
Tradeshow Week (8/13): Las Vegas getting new venues
Tradeshow Week (8/6): Jamaica getting its first convention center
Nation's Restaurant News (8/13): stadium food policies
planning and real estate news
Journal of Planning Literature (Aug): housing and disasters (featuring Katrina)
California Real Estate Journal (8/20): CRA L.A. on Chinatown
San Diego Business Journal (8/20): Del Mar racetrack visitation up
National Real Estate Investor (Aug): Dracula's castle for sale; Las Vegas hotel construction on the rise; city review of St. Louis; mixed-use development; outlet mall retail developments
California Real Estate Journal (8/20): CRA L.A. on Chinatown
San Diego Business Journal (8/20): Del Mar racetrack visitation up
National Real Estate Investor (Aug): Dracula's castle for sale; Las Vegas hotel construction on the rise; city review of St. Louis; mixed-use development; outlet mall retail developments
Saturday, August 18, 2007
misc news
Shopping Center Business (Aug): focus on FL
Hotels (Aug): Blackstone review; feature report on the North American hotel market
Hotels (Aug): Blackstone review; feature report on the North American hotel market
Friday, August 17, 2007
misc news
Tradeshow Week (7/16); Gaylord abandons Chula Vista (CA) plans; CVB developments in Fort Worth and Baltimore; Tucson closing in on a CC hotel; area feature on the Southwest (TX, AZ, NM, and OK)
Tradeshow Week (7/30): Kansas City, MO convention business on the rise
Tradeshow Week (7/9): IN CC details announced
World Waterpark (July-Aug): Kool Runnings Water Park, Jamaica; CoCo Key Water Resort, Rockford, IL; Great Wolf Lodge, OH; Sun-N-Fun Lagoon, Collier County, FL
AZA Connect (June): aquariums online -- Shedd, Monterey Bay, and Vancouver
Fortune (8/20): Yankees; lengthy feature on New Orleans redevelopment "progress"
Tradeshow Week (7/30): Kansas City, MO convention business on the rise
Tradeshow Week (7/9): IN CC details announced
World Waterpark (July-Aug): Kool Runnings Water Park, Jamaica; CoCo Key Water Resort, Rockford, IL; Great Wolf Lodge, OH; Sun-N-Fun Lagoon, Collier County, FL
AZA Connect (June): aquariums online -- Shedd, Monterey Bay, and Vancouver
Fortune (8/20): Yankees; lengthy feature on New Orleans redevelopment "progress"
real estate and planning news
Urban Land (July): sustainable spa in Thailand; riverfront redevelopment case studies (includes, Davenport and Dubuque, IO; Little Rock, AR; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN; Newport, KY; Pittsburgh, PA; Providence, RI; Tacoma, WA); London economics; Berlin transport; Tokyo building boom; affordable housing; aging college stadiums (Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Orange Bowl); development in Vietnam; regional spotlight on CA (includes a nice piece on the Great Park); feature on Cordoba, Argentina; retirement communities in Japan; redevelopment in India
CP&DR (Aug): disposition of tribal casino cases; Fresno planning
San Diego Business Journal (8/13); San Diego Chargers ticket sales
California Real Estate Journal (8/13): Wild Rivers waterpark (Irvine, CA) under threat of demolition and development as residences by Irvine Co.: downtown L.A. lofts
New Orleans City Business (8/6); St. Charles and the tourism shortfall
CP&DR (Aug): disposition of tribal casino cases; Fresno planning
San Diego Business Journal (8/13); San Diego Chargers ticket sales
California Real Estate Journal (8/13): Wild Rivers waterpark (Irvine, CA) under threat of demolition and development as residences by Irvine Co.: downtown L.A. lofts
New Orleans City Business (8/6); St. Charles and the tourism shortfall
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
misc articles
Funworld (Aug): Universal Studios parks planned for South Korea and UAE; Kennywood purchase of Story Land (NH); Harbour Park (England); FECs and holiday events; feature on upcoming rides and attractions; Dollywood developments; new coasters for 2007; new waterparks; Cedar Fair developments; Europa Park's 4th themed hotel
M&C (Aug): Javits expansion plans; location features on -- PA; South FL; TX; VA; Savannah, GA
M&C (Aug): Javits expansion plans; location features on -- PA; South FL; TX; VA; Savannah, GA
gaming and Indian development articles
IGWB (Aug): Macau revenues up; Hard Rock Biloxi; Detroit-area casinos expanding; Vietnam on rise as resort destination
Indian Country Today (8/8): Mashpee Wampanoags (MA) casino plans; Kalispel Tribe (WA) facility expansion; Gun Lake (MI) compact approved; road improvements announced for road to Skywalk (AZ)
Native American Casino (Aug): feature on Kiowa Casino (OK) articles on golf course developments
Indian Country Today (8/8): Mashpee Wampanoags (MA) casino plans; Kalispel Tribe (WA) facility expansion; Gun Lake (MI) compact approved; road improvements announced for road to Skywalk (AZ)
Native American Casino (Aug): feature on Kiowa Casino (OK) articles on golf course developments
business journal news
Economic Development Quarterly (Aug): universities and high-tech centers; inner-city neighborhoods; BIDs -- San Diego's BID program
Business Week (8/13): misunderstanding demographics and the housing over supply
Orange County Business Journal (8/6); the annual list of OC cities including population, revenues, and largest employers
Crain's Chicago Business (7/30): map of existing and planned Chicago hotels; McCormick Place meetings market plan; feature section of 'second string" sports
California Real Estate Journal (8/6): Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World opening in Rancho Cucamonga; San Diego v WalMart
Orange County Business Journal (7/23): OC tourism's top cities
New Orleans City Business (7/16): listing of the largest French Quarter hotels with room numbers, ADR, etc.
California Real Estate Journal (7/30): CA home sales falling; Sacramento riverfront development; Pleasanton TOD
Los Angeles Business Journal (7/30): real estate and development trends in East L.A.; annual list of public golf courses ranked by rounds played (includes greens fees)
Business Week (8/13): misunderstanding demographics and the housing over supply
Orange County Business Journal (8/6); the annual list of OC cities including population, revenues, and largest employers
Crain's Chicago Business (7/30): map of existing and planned Chicago hotels; McCormick Place meetings market plan; feature section of 'second string" sports
California Real Estate Journal (8/6): Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World opening in Rancho Cucamonga; San Diego v WalMart
Orange County Business Journal (7/23): OC tourism's top cities
New Orleans City Business (7/16): listing of the largest French Quarter hotels with room numbers, ADR, etc.
California Real Estate Journal (7/30): CA home sales falling; Sacramento riverfront development; Pleasanton TOD
Los Angeles Business Journal (7/30): real estate and development trends in East L.A.; annual list of public golf courses ranked by rounds played (includes greens fees)
Monday, August 6, 2007
new tourism project for North Korea
from Yonhap News 8/2:
Hyundai Asan plans to spend US$3 billion for new tourism project in North Korea
"SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean company operating businesses in North Korea said Thursday it plans to spend US$3 billion by 2025 to develop an area on the North's east coast as a new tourist destination.
Yoon Man-joon, chief executive officer of Hyundai Asan, the North Korean business arm of Hyundai Group, said the company submitted the proposal to the North's authorities in June and that North Korea is expected to make a final decision as early as next month.
The new project calls for Hyundai Asan to develop the costal area from the North's eastern port city of Wonsan to Haegeumgang near Mt. Geumgang, where the South Korean company built a mountain resort in 1998.
If North Korea approves the proposal, it would be Hyundai Asan's third major economic project in the North, following the mountain resort and an industrial complex in the city of Kaesong near the inter-Korean border." ....
" Mount Geumgang, located just north of the border between the two Koreas near the east coast, has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since 1998, Yoon said.
In the first seven months of this year, some 150,000, mostly South Korean guests, visited the scenic mountain.
Yoon said the company will make efforts to meet this year's target of 400,000 visitors as the North recently opened an inner side of the mountain.
The North's approval to open a wider part of Mount Geumgang and its surrounding area to tourists "indicated a normalization in relations between Hyundai and North Korea," Yoon said." ....
for the complete story see: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2007/08/02/19/0401000000AEN20070802006300320F.HTML
Hyundai Asan plans to spend US$3 billion for new tourism project in North Korea
"SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean company operating businesses in North Korea said Thursday it plans to spend US$3 billion by 2025 to develop an area on the North's east coast as a new tourist destination.
Yoon Man-joon, chief executive officer of Hyundai Asan, the North Korean business arm of Hyundai Group, said the company submitted the proposal to the North's authorities in June and that North Korea is expected to make a final decision as early as next month.
The new project calls for Hyundai Asan to develop the costal area from the North's eastern port city of Wonsan to Haegeumgang near Mt. Geumgang, where the South Korean company built a mountain resort in 1998.
If North Korea approves the proposal, it would be Hyundai Asan's third major economic project in the North, following the mountain resort and an industrial complex in the city of Kaesong near the inter-Korean border." ....
" Mount Geumgang, located just north of the border between the two Koreas near the east coast, has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since 1998, Yoon said.
In the first seven months of this year, some 150,000, mostly South Korean guests, visited the scenic mountain.
Yoon said the company will make efforts to meet this year's target of 400,000 visitors as the North recently opened an inner side of the mountain.
The North's approval to open a wider part of Mount Geumgang and its surrounding area to tourists "indicated a normalization in relations between Hyundai and North Korea," Yoon said." ....
for the complete story see: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2007/08/02/19/0401000000AEN20070802006300320F.HTML
Chicago convention center hotel plans
from the Chicago Tribune 8/3:
McPier floats new hotel plan
Project would double lodging at McCormick Place
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
August 3, 2007
A"fter trumpeting the completion of the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, a top McCormick Place official disclosed preliminary plans for another jumbo expansion that could include a 1,500-room hotel located on the block directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board, said in an interview. Other elements could include more parking for McCormick Place, restaurants and other businesses.
This bold but risk-laden project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, an 800-room property owned by the authority, which is known as McPier. The agency is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly, with a contract likely to be awarded late this year or early next." ....
"A manager of one of Chicago's largest trade shows says she thinks the show is losing attendance due to tight hotel supply. "We use 16,000 rooms on peak, and we could use another 2,000 to 3,000," said Mary Pat Heftman, of the National Restaurant Association's annual show at McCormick Place.
Potential attendees who cannot find rooms "either don't come or they stay out by the airport," she said, "and I'm confident many are choosing not to come, which limits growth for the city." .....
"At least some of the parcel is owned by Maine-based developers Pam Gleichman and Karl Norberg, who last fall had proposed their own mixed use for the property, including 350 residential units, a 200-room hotel and a 475-spot parking garage, according to a posted notice of a zoning change request." ....
"Pulling off a hotel expansion at McCormick Place will be anything but a cakewalk, observers say. South Loop redevelopment is expanding southward rapidly, but the immediate McCormick Place area remains devoid of restaurants, night spots and retail." .....
"Others note that on-campus hotels are becoming de rigueur for convention centers. "They are competing against other convention centers that have attached hotels," said Mark Eble, regional vice president for PKF Consulting.
And the existing Hyatt Regency, despite a feast-or-famine business cycle, is a cash cow for McPier, in part because public financing kept borrowing costs below what they would have been in the private market.
The hotel "averages $18 million to $20 million a year in operating income for us, which is very significant," McPier Chief Executive Juan Ochoa said." .....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_mccormick0803aug03,0,4975147.story
****************
and From the Chicago Tribune 8/2:
McCormick may add 1,500-room hotel
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
1:21 PM CDT, August 2, 2007
"Even as McCormick Place officials unveiled the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, they are moving swiftly toward another massive expansion, this one a potential mixed-use development that could include a new 1,500-room hotel directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, said Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board.
This project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the McCormick Place Hyatt Regency, which now has 800 rooms. The authority, known as McPier, is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070802-mccormick-new-hotel,0,2861997.story
McPier floats new hotel plan
Project would double lodging at McCormick Place
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
August 3, 2007
A"fter trumpeting the completion of the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, a top McCormick Place official disclosed preliminary plans for another jumbo expansion that could include a 1,500-room hotel located on the block directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board, said in an interview. Other elements could include more parking for McCormick Place, restaurants and other businesses.
This bold but risk-laden project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, an 800-room property owned by the authority, which is known as McPier. The agency is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly, with a contract likely to be awarded late this year or early next." ....
"A manager of one of Chicago's largest trade shows says she thinks the show is losing attendance due to tight hotel supply. "We use 16,000 rooms on peak, and we could use another 2,000 to 3,000," said Mary Pat Heftman, of the National Restaurant Association's annual show at McCormick Place.
Potential attendees who cannot find rooms "either don't come or they stay out by the airport," she said, "and I'm confident many are choosing not to come, which limits growth for the city." .....
"At least some of the parcel is owned by Maine-based developers Pam Gleichman and Karl Norberg, who last fall had proposed their own mixed use for the property, including 350 residential units, a 200-room hotel and a 475-spot parking garage, according to a posted notice of a zoning change request." ....
"Pulling off a hotel expansion at McCormick Place will be anything but a cakewalk, observers say. South Loop redevelopment is expanding southward rapidly, but the immediate McCormick Place area remains devoid of restaurants, night spots and retail." .....
"Others note that on-campus hotels are becoming de rigueur for convention centers. "They are competing against other convention centers that have attached hotels," said Mark Eble, regional vice president for PKF Consulting.
And the existing Hyatt Regency, despite a feast-or-famine business cycle, is a cash cow for McPier, in part because public financing kept borrowing costs below what they would have been in the private market.
The hotel "averages $18 million to $20 million a year in operating income for us, which is very significant," McPier Chief Executive Juan Ochoa said." .....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_mccormick0803aug03,0,4975147.story
****************
and From the Chicago Tribune 8/2:
McCormick may add 1,500-room hotel
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
1:21 PM CDT, August 2, 2007
"Even as McCormick Place officials unveiled the $882 million West Building addition Thursday, they are moving swiftly toward another massive expansion, this one a potential mixed-use development that could include a new 1,500-room hotel directly north of the newly opened hall.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board on Tuesday is expected to consider exercising its eminent domain powers to condemn the block, clearing the way for a project that would more than double the convention center's on-site hotel offerings, said Ted Tetzlaff, chairman of the board.
This project would be in addition to the planned 600-room expansion of the McCormick Place Hyatt Regency, which now has 800 rooms. The authority, known as McPier, is expected to request development proposals for the Hyatt expansion shortly." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070802-mccormick-new-hotel,0,2861997.story
Asian hotel rates on rise
from today's Hotels enewsletter
Hoteliers Across Asia See Room Rates Soar
Deloitte
August 6, 2007
"Half year results from the HotelBenchmark™ Survey by Deloitte show that the hotel market in Asia Pacific is seeing much stronger growth this year than last.
Room revenue per available room (revPAR) across the region is up 14.1% to US$97 – outperforming the 9.4% growth achieved in 2006. Improvements have been driven by double-digit increases in average room rates, which now stand at US$137.
Asia Pacific continues to build on, and benefit from its position as the world’s second most visited region after Europe. For the first time last year, Asia’s volume of international tourism receipts equalised with the Americas. And the region is not stopping there. Latest figures from the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) show that it has seen the strongest growth in international tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2007 – clearly great news for hotel industry.
The key winners in 2007 have been Asia’s resort destinations. Bali has continued to recover despite fresh travel warnings and achieved the region’s highest revPAR growth at 58.6% in the first half of 2007. This marks an incredible turnaround for the resort island, which has struggled since the bomb attacks in 2002 and 2005. Improvements have been largely driven by a 37.6% occupancy rise, underlining returning public confidence – with direct foreign arrivals reaching an all time high in the first quarter.
Indonesia wasn’t alone in seeing the fortunes of its island resorts improving; Penang experienced revPAR growth of 18.4%, driven by rising average room rates. Meanwhile further up the coast in Thailand, Phuket is booming. Double-digit rises in both occupancy levels and average room rates have caused revPAR to swell by 39.6% to US$111 – considerably higher than its Indonesian and Malaysian rivals. This is largely due to the increased accessibility of the islands, as low-cost airlines connect these resorts to the region’s gateway cities.
This trend also allows developed resorts such as Phuket to take business tourism away from cities. Bangkok has struggled with this, while the uncertain political situation and the New Year bombings have also discouraged visitors. There have also been problems at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport with cracks on the runway which have restricted international flights. Occupancy in the Thai capital is down 7.8% compared to last year, curbing revPAR at US$82.
Rival cities are also benefiting; in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City recorded 49.0% revPAR growth - the region’s second highest - while Hanoi grew 34.4%. A shortage of hotel rooms in Vietnam is also enabling hoteliers to drive up performance. Singapore and Manila also continued their impressive form, with strong revPAR rises driven by average room rates.
Much has been reported about China’s growth, but their heavyweight partner India is shining in 2007. With a limited supply of rooms and increased demand in the business travel sector, Mumbai saw the region’s third highest revPAR growth, an impressive 46.7% increase to US$197. This was again driven by soaring average room rates, which at US$253 are the highest in Asia.
China meanwhile is seeing huge developments in its hotel industry. New hotel openings in all sectors of the market have diluted occupancy levels and slowed performance growth. Shanghai, which will see its supply grow by over 6,000 rooms in 2007, has seen revPAR fall 1.2% to US$97 in the first half of 2007, although this remains on a par with the regional average." ....
for the complete story see: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:651672407&start=1&nid=3457
also see the Deloitte newswire for further info: http://www.hotelbenchmark.com/pressroom/pressreleases/06082007AsiaPacific-EN.aspx
Hoteliers Across Asia See Room Rates Soar
Deloitte
August 6, 2007
"Half year results from the HotelBenchmark™ Survey by Deloitte show that the hotel market in Asia Pacific is seeing much stronger growth this year than last.
Room revenue per available room (revPAR) across the region is up 14.1% to US$97 – outperforming the 9.4% growth achieved in 2006. Improvements have been driven by double-digit increases in average room rates, which now stand at US$137.
Asia Pacific continues to build on, and benefit from its position as the world’s second most visited region after Europe. For the first time last year, Asia’s volume of international tourism receipts equalised with the Americas. And the region is not stopping there. Latest figures from the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) show that it has seen the strongest growth in international tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2007 – clearly great news for hotel industry.
The key winners in 2007 have been Asia’s resort destinations. Bali has continued to recover despite fresh travel warnings and achieved the region’s highest revPAR growth at 58.6% in the first half of 2007. This marks an incredible turnaround for the resort island, which has struggled since the bomb attacks in 2002 and 2005. Improvements have been largely driven by a 37.6% occupancy rise, underlining returning public confidence – with direct foreign arrivals reaching an all time high in the first quarter.
Indonesia wasn’t alone in seeing the fortunes of its island resorts improving; Penang experienced revPAR growth of 18.4%, driven by rising average room rates. Meanwhile further up the coast in Thailand, Phuket is booming. Double-digit rises in both occupancy levels and average room rates have caused revPAR to swell by 39.6% to US$111 – considerably higher than its Indonesian and Malaysian rivals. This is largely due to the increased accessibility of the islands, as low-cost airlines connect these resorts to the region’s gateway cities.
This trend also allows developed resorts such as Phuket to take business tourism away from cities. Bangkok has struggled with this, while the uncertain political situation and the New Year bombings have also discouraged visitors. There have also been problems at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport with cracks on the runway which have restricted international flights. Occupancy in the Thai capital is down 7.8% compared to last year, curbing revPAR at US$82.
Rival cities are also benefiting; in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City recorded 49.0% revPAR growth - the region’s second highest - while Hanoi grew 34.4%. A shortage of hotel rooms in Vietnam is also enabling hoteliers to drive up performance. Singapore and Manila also continued their impressive form, with strong revPAR rises driven by average room rates.
Much has been reported about China’s growth, but their heavyweight partner India is shining in 2007. With a limited supply of rooms and increased demand in the business travel sector, Mumbai saw the region’s third highest revPAR growth, an impressive 46.7% increase to US$197. This was again driven by soaring average room rates, which at US$253 are the highest in Asia.
China meanwhile is seeing huge developments in its hotel industry. New hotel openings in all sectors of the market have diluted occupancy levels and slowed performance growth. Shanghai, which will see its supply grow by over 6,000 rooms in 2007, has seen revPAR fall 1.2% to US$97 in the first half of 2007, although this remains on a par with the regional average." ....
for the complete story see: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=u:651672407&start=1&nid=3457
also see the Deloitte newswire for further info: http://www.hotelbenchmark.com/pressroom/pressreleases/06082007AsiaPacific-EN.aspx
Costa Rican resort plans
from today's GlobeSt:
Last updated: August 6, 2007 11:58am
Revolution Plans $800M Costa Rican Resort
By Erika Morphy
"WASHINGTON, DC-Steve Case's real estate venture, Revolution Places--launched to develop sustainable, high-end, resort communities--has selected its first destination, Cacique, Costa Rica. The 650-acre, $800-million development is scheduled to open in 2010.
Revolution was unable to be reached for comment by press time. The resort group is a unit of Case's holding company, Revolution LLC, which he seeded with $500 million in 2005 when he founded the company. The goal embellishes the traditional concept of sustainable development to take advantage of a handful of emerging trends in global travel, including ecotourism, condo ownership at resort locations and green building standards." ....
"Located on the northwest coast of Guanacaste, the Cacique resort, for instance, will be built with environmentally friendly designs to reduce energy and water demand. Spatial, wind and solar patterns also will be taken into account in order to maximize natural ventilation, shade and daylight. The resort will establish a recycling and solid waste management program as well as create on-site treatment facilities to reuse wastewater. Finally, electrical power will be purchased from renewable sources.
At the same time the resort is geared to the luxury travel set, including the planned condos. The resort will include estate sites, custom and semi-custom whole ownership residences, resort-loft living and Exclusive Resorts club memberships.
Amenities will be provided by a handful of companies known for their high end services. One&Only Resorts will develop a 120-unit, all-villa property, with each room situated on its own compound with an Pacific Ocean view. The resort will include a Miraval: Life in Balance, a top-ranked destination spa that's marking its first exotic location expansion for this brand. It will offer 100 programs for 120 rooms and 60 villas on 50 acres of private grounds. Exclusive Resorts, another top luxury destination club, has committed to custom design and purchase 30 residences in a private enclave. Also coming is a Tom Doak 18-hole golf course, and the first Agassi-Graf Tennis and Fitness Centers, personally designed and programmed by Andre Agassi and Stefi Graf." ...
For the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/964_964/washington/162909-1.html
Last updated: August 6, 2007 11:58am
Revolution Plans $800M Costa Rican Resort
By Erika Morphy
"WASHINGTON, DC-Steve Case's real estate venture, Revolution Places--launched to develop sustainable, high-end, resort communities--has selected its first destination, Cacique, Costa Rica. The 650-acre, $800-million development is scheduled to open in 2010.
Revolution was unable to be reached for comment by press time. The resort group is a unit of Case's holding company, Revolution LLC, which he seeded with $500 million in 2005 when he founded the company. The goal embellishes the traditional concept of sustainable development to take advantage of a handful of emerging trends in global travel, including ecotourism, condo ownership at resort locations and green building standards." ....
"Located on the northwest coast of Guanacaste, the Cacique resort, for instance, will be built with environmentally friendly designs to reduce energy and water demand. Spatial, wind and solar patterns also will be taken into account in order to maximize natural ventilation, shade and daylight. The resort will establish a recycling and solid waste management program as well as create on-site treatment facilities to reuse wastewater. Finally, electrical power will be purchased from renewable sources.
At the same time the resort is geared to the luxury travel set, including the planned condos. The resort will include estate sites, custom and semi-custom whole ownership residences, resort-loft living and Exclusive Resorts club memberships.
Amenities will be provided by a handful of companies known for their high end services. One&Only Resorts will develop a 120-unit, all-villa property, with each room situated on its own compound with an Pacific Ocean view. The resort will include a Miraval: Life in Balance, a top-ranked destination spa that's marking its first exotic location expansion for this brand. It will offer 100 programs for 120 rooms and 60 villas on 50 acres of private grounds. Exclusive Resorts, another top luxury destination club, has committed to custom design and purchase 30 residences in a private enclave. Also coming is a Tom Doak 18-hole golf course, and the first Agassi-Graf Tennis and Fitness Centers, personally designed and programmed by Andre Agassi and Stefi Graf." ...
For the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/964_964/washington/162909-1.html
San Diego airport expansion
from today's San Diego Business Journal
Agency Trying to Get $650M Airport Project Off the Ground
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Constrained on all sides, the single-runway Lindbergh Field has seen passenger traffic grow to the point that it needs at least two more gates to handle it. In addition, traffic going into and out of the airport continues to create bottlenecks.
“We are already behind the eight ball. Today we’re short by two gates,” said Keith Wilschetz, director of airport planning for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the agency that manages the downtown airport. “And every year we’re going to be behind by another gate or two.” .....
"Airport managers say a short-term remedy is to expand Terminal 2 or the farthest west terminal by 10 gates from its current total of 41.
The expansion plan that is still being examined also calls for constructing an elevated road to the terminal for easier traffic access, a possible five-story parking garage, and an overnight parking area for passenger jets that must be grounded to comply with a no-fly curfew from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
The latest cost estimate on the project is $650 million, Wilschetz said." ...
"However, not everyone is convinced that the airport authority’s plans are best for Lindbergh and the region.
Fourth District Supervisor Ron Roberts is adamantly opposed to the gate expansion project, saying the authority’s immediate action plan makes no sense in light of the agency’s earlier plans to build additional gates at the northeastern side of the airport.
More than 10 years ago, Roberts said the airport plans were to construct a mass transit center at Pacific Highway, along with ramps that would take traffic from Interstate 5 into the airport. Also, there were plans to acquire land from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot to enlarge the airport’s taxiways, and possibly build another runway.
Roberts said he and other members of the San Diego Association of Governments’ transportation committee will be taking a hard look at the airport’s environmental report. Sandag is a regional planning agency." ...
"Passenger Counts Soaring
As more carriers, particularly regional airlines such as ExpressJet and Frontier, provide direct service to certain cities, the airport has seen its passenger counts rise annually in the last four years. Last year, 17.5 million passengers flew from and into the airport, up only 0.6 percent from 2005. But that number was up 6.7 percent from 2004.
In the first half of 2007, more than 8.6 million passengers came through Lindbergh, with the heaviest travel months, July and August, still to be counted.
Airport managers are also intent on using 44 acres of land just east of the existing commuter terminal the agency will get that formerly belonged to Teledyne Ryan. This year, the authority has begun assessing the extent of the site’s contamination in advance of cleaning it up. Teledyne Ryan used hazardous materials on the site during decades of aerospace manufacturing.
The gate expansion project was initially planned for the late 1990s when the airport expanded and improved Terminal 2, then called the West Terminal. At the time, the project included installing utilities and other infrastructure at the terminal that would permit adding a row of 10 new gates at a future date." ........
for the complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=18211637.7737948.1508871.4092485.210346.122&aID2=116058&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Agency Trying to Get $650M Airport Project Off the Ground
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Constrained on all sides, the single-runway Lindbergh Field has seen passenger traffic grow to the point that it needs at least two more gates to handle it. In addition, traffic going into and out of the airport continues to create bottlenecks.
“We are already behind the eight ball. Today we’re short by two gates,” said Keith Wilschetz, director of airport planning for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the agency that manages the downtown airport. “And every year we’re going to be behind by another gate or two.” .....
"Airport managers say a short-term remedy is to expand Terminal 2 or the farthest west terminal by 10 gates from its current total of 41.
The expansion plan that is still being examined also calls for constructing an elevated road to the terminal for easier traffic access, a possible five-story parking garage, and an overnight parking area for passenger jets that must be grounded to comply with a no-fly curfew from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
The latest cost estimate on the project is $650 million, Wilschetz said." ...
"However, not everyone is convinced that the airport authority’s plans are best for Lindbergh and the region.
Fourth District Supervisor Ron Roberts is adamantly opposed to the gate expansion project, saying the authority’s immediate action plan makes no sense in light of the agency’s earlier plans to build additional gates at the northeastern side of the airport.
More than 10 years ago, Roberts said the airport plans were to construct a mass transit center at Pacific Highway, along with ramps that would take traffic from Interstate 5 into the airport. Also, there were plans to acquire land from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot to enlarge the airport’s taxiways, and possibly build another runway.
Roberts said he and other members of the San Diego Association of Governments’ transportation committee will be taking a hard look at the airport’s environmental report. Sandag is a regional planning agency." ...
"Passenger Counts Soaring
As more carriers, particularly regional airlines such as ExpressJet and Frontier, provide direct service to certain cities, the airport has seen its passenger counts rise annually in the last four years. Last year, 17.5 million passengers flew from and into the airport, up only 0.6 percent from 2005. But that number was up 6.7 percent from 2004.
In the first half of 2007, more than 8.6 million passengers came through Lindbergh, with the heaviest travel months, July and August, still to be counted.
Airport managers are also intent on using 44 acres of land just east of the existing commuter terminal the agency will get that formerly belonged to Teledyne Ryan. This year, the authority has begun assessing the extent of the site’s contamination in advance of cleaning it up. Teledyne Ryan used hazardous materials on the site during decades of aerospace manufacturing.
The gate expansion project was initially planned for the late 1990s when the airport expanded and improved Terminal 2, then called the West Terminal. At the time, the project included installing utilities and other infrastructure at the terminal that would permit adding a row of 10 new gates at a future date." ........
for the complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=18211637.7737948.1508871.4092485.210346.122&aID2=116058&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
San Diego-Gaylord hotel/Convention center deal still may be in the works
from today's San Diego Business Journal:
Gaylord May Still Move Ahead on $1B Chula Vista Hotel/Convention Center
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Local labor leaders dismissed a proposal by Gaylord Entertainment on a $1 billion Chula Vista hotel/convention center project last week. But some observers say the Tennessee-based developer may still move ahead with plans.
At a news conference Aug. 1, union officials said a proposal made by Gaylord in late July was a “nonstarter” because it failed to provide for hiring local workers first." ....
"In July 2006, Chula Vista, the port and Gaylord entered into a development agreement on 32 acres of prime bay front land to build a 2,000-room hotel and a 400,000-square-foot convention center. The city and port agreed to invest $308 million into the $1 billion project that was said to create 6,500 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent hotel jobs." ....
"Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox said the unions’ decision to stop talking robbed the city of “the opportunity to work with this established and successful company.”
“Gaylord promised to give first dibs to local union contractors and said the company would use their best faith efforts to hire people from Chula Vista and surrounding areas,” Cox said.
Despite the apparent demise of the Gaylord project, some said the developer may still go forward on the Chula Vista project, but without a project labor agreement, or PLA.
Not Legally Required
The pacts are not legally required but have become common on large projects when public funding is involved.
PLAs are usually negotiated with unions as a way to nail down all the various aspects of constructing a major project, including the union scale wages, starting times, and whether nonunion contractors can bid on contracts." ....
"Gaylord may have wanted to avoid having the unions and other parties challenge the project as it moves through regulatory approvals.
Raising environmental and legal objections to the project would increase the cost, and possibly derail it entirely, said George Hawkins, president of Associated Builders and Contractors of San Diego, another trade association for local contractors.
Gaylord agreed to negotiate with labor on a PLA because with an agreement in hand, regulatory approval would likely be easier to obtain, Hawkins said.
Besides challenges during the environmental review process, parties could also file legal challenges in the courts. That tactic caused two years of delays in building Petco Park." ....
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=38211536.5682585.1508923.1425568.1603234.322&aID2=116062&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Gaylord May Still Move Ahead on $1B Chula Vista Hotel/Convention Center
By MIKE ALLEN - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Local labor leaders dismissed a proposal by Gaylord Entertainment on a $1 billion Chula Vista hotel/convention center project last week. But some observers say the Tennessee-based developer may still move ahead with plans.
At a news conference Aug. 1, union officials said a proposal made by Gaylord in late July was a “nonstarter” because it failed to provide for hiring local workers first." ....
"In July 2006, Chula Vista, the port and Gaylord entered into a development agreement on 32 acres of prime bay front land to build a 2,000-room hotel and a 400,000-square-foot convention center. The city and port agreed to invest $308 million into the $1 billion project that was said to create 6,500 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent hotel jobs." ....
"Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox said the unions’ decision to stop talking robbed the city of “the opportunity to work with this established and successful company.”
“Gaylord promised to give first dibs to local union contractors and said the company would use their best faith efforts to hire people from Chula Vista and surrounding areas,” Cox said.
Despite the apparent demise of the Gaylord project, some said the developer may still go forward on the Chula Vista project, but without a project labor agreement, or PLA.
Not Legally Required
The pacts are not legally required but have become common on large projects when public funding is involved.
PLAs are usually negotiated with unions as a way to nail down all the various aspects of constructing a major project, including the union scale wages, starting times, and whether nonunion contractors can bid on contracts." ....
"Gaylord may have wanted to avoid having the unions and other parties challenge the project as it moves through regulatory approvals.
Raising environmental and legal objections to the project would increase the cost, and possibly derail it entirely, said George Hawkins, president of Associated Builders and Contractors of San Diego, another trade association for local contractors.
Gaylord agreed to negotiate with labor on a PLA because with an agreement in hand, regulatory approval would likely be easier to obtain, Hawkins said.
Besides challenges during the environmental review process, parties could also file legal challenges in the courts. That tactic caused two years of delays in building Petco Park." ....
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=38211536.5682585.1508923.1425568.1603234.322&aID2=116062&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
San Diego hottel/vacation rates
from this morning's San Diego Business Journal
San Diego on $7,000 a Night or $200 a Day
By CONNIE LEWIS - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Thanks to successful marketing and promotion, along with a great climate, attractions and proximity to Mexico, San Diego has gone from a sleepy Navy town in the 1950s to one of the nation’s top tourism destinations today.
However, some would argue that it has yet to achieve the status of a world-class destination, and if they’re using hotel room rates as the measure, they’re right. This year, San Diego’s rates average $137 per day compared with New York at $254, London at $217 and Paris at $229, according to industry analysts." ...
"Traveling In The Lap Of Luxury
One of Bob and Carol’s main reasons for coming to town is to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Padres on the evening of Aug. 27 and they’ve opted for the two-night “Opulence Redefined” package at the U.S. Grant Hotel. For $15,000, plus $1,500 extra for a third night, they’ll stay in one of the Grant’s two 1,500-square-foot presidential suites with a view of downtown and San Diego Bay. That price includes gratuities, but not taxes.
The package includes dining “al fresco” on the suite’s balcony with a meal for two prepared to order by the hotel’s top chef. It also includes a private butler, a chauffeured Bentley at their disposal, sailing aboard a private yacht and being served a “gourmet” luncheon, a four-hour treatment by Spa Velia, either in their room or at the spa’s downtown location, and a couple of plush robes and two pairs of slippers to take with them when they leave." .....
"First up on their places-to-go list is the horse races. Clubhouse admission at the Del Mar Race Track plus seating costs $20 per person. The track has no elite seating other than the Turf Club, but you have to be a member or a member’s guest to enter." ...
"Two seats in Petco Park’s Toyota Terrace will run $60 each. Altogether, the cost of Bob and Carol’s mini-vacation, including the city’s 10.5 percent hotel room tax of $1,732.50, comes to $21,115, or about $7,000 per night, a far cry from the $160 that the average leisure visitor staying in a hotel spent per night in 2006, according to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2006, 32.2 million visitors came to the county and spent $7.7 billion while they were here, ConVis says.
The Other Side Of The Coin
Ted and Alice, another hypothetical couple coming to San Diego from Phoenix, are an entirely different story.
For starters, they’re driving and bringing groceries with them. Gas for their economy car would cost $160, considering they’d fill up four times during the 360-mile trip." ....
They will stay at the Hotel Occidental, a recent renovation of a historic building on Bankers Hill between Hillcrest and downtown, in a $79-a-night room that has a full-size bed, kitchenette, fridge and microwave, phone with voice mail, TV and DVD player, according to a reservations clerk. The restroom and shower are shared facilities outside the room. For three nights, their hotel bill will be $237 and the room tax is an additional $24.89." .....
"They’ll walk or bike to the game and watch from the Park at the Park, the grassy area behind the outfield fence. Cost for two tickets: $10." ...
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=58211517.9100611.1508845.17583702.3888906.408&aID2=116056&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
San Diego on $7,000 a Night or $200 a Day
By CONNIE LEWIS - 8/6/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"Thanks to successful marketing and promotion, along with a great climate, attractions and proximity to Mexico, San Diego has gone from a sleepy Navy town in the 1950s to one of the nation’s top tourism destinations today.
However, some would argue that it has yet to achieve the status of a world-class destination, and if they’re using hotel room rates as the measure, they’re right. This year, San Diego’s rates average $137 per day compared with New York at $254, London at $217 and Paris at $229, according to industry analysts." ...
"Traveling In The Lap Of Luxury
One of Bob and Carol’s main reasons for coming to town is to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Padres on the evening of Aug. 27 and they’ve opted for the two-night “Opulence Redefined” package at the U.S. Grant Hotel. For $15,000, plus $1,500 extra for a third night, they’ll stay in one of the Grant’s two 1,500-square-foot presidential suites with a view of downtown and San Diego Bay. That price includes gratuities, but not taxes.
The package includes dining “al fresco” on the suite’s balcony with a meal for two prepared to order by the hotel’s top chef. It also includes a private butler, a chauffeured Bentley at their disposal, sailing aboard a private yacht and being served a “gourmet” luncheon, a four-hour treatment by Spa Velia, either in their room or at the spa’s downtown location, and a couple of plush robes and two pairs of slippers to take with them when they leave." .....
"First up on their places-to-go list is the horse races. Clubhouse admission at the Del Mar Race Track plus seating costs $20 per person. The track has no elite seating other than the Turf Club, but you have to be a member or a member’s guest to enter." ...
"Two seats in Petco Park’s Toyota Terrace will run $60 each. Altogether, the cost of Bob and Carol’s mini-vacation, including the city’s 10.5 percent hotel room tax of $1,732.50, comes to $21,115, or about $7,000 per night, a far cry from the $160 that the average leisure visitor staying in a hotel spent per night in 2006, according to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2006, 32.2 million visitors came to the county and spent $7.7 billion while they were here, ConVis says.
The Other Side Of The Coin
Ted and Alice, another hypothetical couple coming to San Diego from Phoenix, are an entirely different story.
For starters, they’re driving and bringing groceries with them. Gas for their economy car would cost $160, considering they’d fill up four times during the 360-mile trip." ....
They will stay at the Hotel Occidental, a recent renovation of a historic building on Bankers Hill between Hillcrest and downtown, in a $79-a-night room that has a full-size bed, kitchenette, fridge and microwave, phone with voice mail, TV and DVD player, according to a reservations clerk. The restroom and shower are shared facilities outside the room. For three nights, their hotel bill will be $237 and the room tax is an additional $24.89." .....
"They’ll walk or bike to the game and watch from the Park at the Park, the grassy area behind the outfield fence. Cost for two tickets: $10." ...
for complete story see: http://sdbj.com/enews_article.asp?aID=58211517.9100611.1508845.17583702.3888906.408&aID2=116056&lid=30&sid=&cID=Z
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
San Diego Civic Center revision out for bid
from today's San Diego Business Journal newsletter:
CCDC Puts Out Call for Civic Center Makeover
By - 7/31/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"The Centre City Development Corp. announced July 31 that it has issued a nationwide request for qualifications for the possible redevelopment of the Civic Center Complex in downtown San Diego.
The site is bounded by Third and Fourth avenues, and A and C streets, and includes the city’s administration building, development services center, city concourse building, Civic Theatre and Evan Jones Parkade." ...
"The city has had to lease privately owned space for more than 15 years to supplement what is provided in the administration building, which accommodates only 600 employees, according to CCDC, which oversees downtown redevelopment for the city.
Some tidbits from CCDC:
• City offices are located within eight downtown buildings — four of them leased — representing more than 500,000 square feet of leased space.
• Collectively, more than 3,000 employees work in these properties, which include annual leasing costs of $13.5 million.
• Deferred maintenance on the administration building alone is estimated to exceed $10 million.
• With the majority of leases coming due in 2013 and 2014, and rates projected to significantly rise, the RFQ is seen as a “proactive approach” to evaluate possible savings through redevelopment.
Responses are due Oct. 12. A pre-bid conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 6 in the Silver Room of the Community Concourse, 202 C St.
The RFQ can be downloaded from CCDC’s Web site at www.ccdc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/rfp.home.
— Pat Broderick"
see next weeks San Diego Business Journal for the entire article
CCDC Puts Out Call for Civic Center Makeover
By - 7/31/2007
San Diego Business Journal Staff
"The Centre City Development Corp. announced July 31 that it has issued a nationwide request for qualifications for the possible redevelopment of the Civic Center Complex in downtown San Diego.
The site is bounded by Third and Fourth avenues, and A and C streets, and includes the city’s administration building, development services center, city concourse building, Civic Theatre and Evan Jones Parkade." ...
"The city has had to lease privately owned space for more than 15 years to supplement what is provided in the administration building, which accommodates only 600 employees, according to CCDC, which oversees downtown redevelopment for the city.
Some tidbits from CCDC:
• City offices are located within eight downtown buildings — four of them leased — representing more than 500,000 square feet of leased space.
• Collectively, more than 3,000 employees work in these properties, which include annual leasing costs of $13.5 million.
• Deferred maintenance on the administration building alone is estimated to exceed $10 million.
• With the majority of leases coming due in 2013 and 2014, and rates projected to significantly rise, the RFQ is seen as a “proactive approach” to evaluate possible savings through redevelopment.
Responses are due Oct. 12. A pre-bid conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 6 in the Silver Room of the Community Concourse, 202 C St.
The RFQ can be downloaded from CCDC’s Web site at www.ccdc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/rfp.home.
— Pat Broderick"
see next weeks San Diego Business Journal for the entire article
future retail trends
from the North Jersey Record 7/28:
How we'll shop in year 2015
Saturday, July 28, 2007
By JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER
AP
"In the future, Smart carts such as this one would be able to virtually steer themselves to sale items in the stores — and offer a reminder that you forgot to pick up a gallon of milk, according to predictions offered by the TNS Retail Forward consulting group." ...
Get ready for the future of retail. And that future could be as near as eight years away.
Gallo and Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president of TNS Retail Forward, urged retailers to be receptive to change, and warned that those who don't stay knowledgeable about new technologies could be left behind by the competition."
.....
"Technology is integrated into the social fabric and has become a fundamental driver of change," Gallo said. "It is clearly changing the economics of all the business models for anybody that's in the business of creating or satisfying demand."
Here are some of the ways technology will change retailing by 2015, said Gallo:
Privacy will become optional. "Would you rather stand in line at the airport, or would you rather give up some information in order to get a card that lets you breeze through security? Or looking at retail, do you want to give up some information in exchange for all sorts of high-value offers, exclusively for you? Increasingly it will become a choice."
Shopping ''avatars'' or agents will be online shopping assistants. Intelligent software will track shopping suggestions, inventory levels and unique promotions for frequent shoppers.
Cellphones and computers will come equipped with instant translation devices. "Eventually, it will be possible for people who don't speak the same language to communicate in real time without the need of a human translator."
A company called Speech Gear is already working on this technology.
Niche marketing will replace mass marketing. "Niche-casting will allow us to cost-effectively reach niches heretofore unable to reach and it will have a huge effect on the mass marketing model that many business are currently built upon."
Cellphones will replace credit cards. Sony is already working on technology that would allow shoppers to use their cellphones to authorize payments.
Smart carts. "There are people coming out with grocery carts with video interfaces. The idea is to get you to buy what they want you to buy." A cereal maker, for example, could contract with the cart maker to have the cart play a video featuring a certain cereal as the cart turns into the cereal aisle.
Hologram store clerks. "You'll be able to use them to access information, look at pictures, and using your cellphone you'll be able to talk to someone and even conduct transactions."
Interactive mirrors. "The mirror, a high-resolution digital screen with a camera, can relay live video. When a customer tries on an item, she can send live video to her friends for feedback." The customer can try on other clothes projected on the screen as holograms. "This technology is available today, and it won't be long, looking to 2015, before you have a version of it available to you in your home."
Pay by touch. "People can steal your credit cards, but they can't steal your finger."
for the full story see: http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxOTcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxNzQ1ODkmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyMg
How we'll shop in year 2015
Saturday, July 28, 2007
By JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER
AP
"In the future, Smart carts such as this one would be able to virtually steer themselves to sale items in the stores — and offer a reminder that you forgot to pick up a gallon of milk, according to predictions offered by the TNS Retail Forward consulting group." ...
Get ready for the future of retail. And that future could be as near as eight years away.
Gallo and Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president of TNS Retail Forward, urged retailers to be receptive to change, and warned that those who don't stay knowledgeable about new technologies could be left behind by the competition."
.....
"Technology is integrated into the social fabric and has become a fundamental driver of change," Gallo said. "It is clearly changing the economics of all the business models for anybody that's in the business of creating or satisfying demand."
Here are some of the ways technology will change retailing by 2015, said Gallo:
Privacy will become optional. "Would you rather stand in line at the airport, or would you rather give up some information in order to get a card that lets you breeze through security? Or looking at retail, do you want to give up some information in exchange for all sorts of high-value offers, exclusively for you? Increasingly it will become a choice."
Shopping ''avatars'' or agents will be online shopping assistants. Intelligent software will track shopping suggestions, inventory levels and unique promotions for frequent shoppers.
Cellphones and computers will come equipped with instant translation devices. "Eventually, it will be possible for people who don't speak the same language to communicate in real time without the need of a human translator."
A company called Speech Gear is already working on this technology.
Niche marketing will replace mass marketing. "Niche-casting will allow us to cost-effectively reach niches heretofore unable to reach and it will have a huge effect on the mass marketing model that many business are currently built upon."
Cellphones will replace credit cards. Sony is already working on technology that would allow shoppers to use their cellphones to authorize payments.
Smart carts. "There are people coming out with grocery carts with video interfaces. The idea is to get you to buy what they want you to buy." A cereal maker, for example, could contract with the cart maker to have the cart play a video featuring a certain cereal as the cart turns into the cereal aisle.
Hologram store clerks. "You'll be able to use them to access information, look at pictures, and using your cellphone you'll be able to talk to someone and even conduct transactions."
Interactive mirrors. "The mirror, a high-resolution digital screen with a camera, can relay live video. When a customer tries on an item, she can send live video to her friends for feedback." The customer can try on other clothes projected on the screen as holograms. "This technology is available today, and it won't be long, looking to 2015, before you have a version of it available to you in your home."
Pay by touch. "People can steal your credit cards, but they can't steal your finger."
for the full story see: http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxOTcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxNzQ1ODkmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyMg
mixed-use museum project breaks ground in TX
from GlobeSt (7/31)
UPDATE Last updated: July 31, 2007 09:58pm
Allegiance-Led JV Begins $850M Rayzor Ranch
By Connie Gore
"DENTON, TX-A Texas-bred development joint venture is breaking ground this morning on the $850-million Rayzor Ranch, a 410-acre mixed-use project with a new Museum of Texas Art and Culture as its centerpiece. Infrastructure costs alone total $135 million for the Interstate 35-fronting site in the two-university town.
"The project is really the leading development in Denton County and North Texas for the next 24 months. The magnitude is much larger than anything that anyone else has under way," says C. Joseph Gampper, president of Dallas-based Allegiance Development LP, which is teaming with Torreon Capital LP of Austin for the undertaking. Nearly 400 business leaders are expected to attend Rayzor Ranch's groundbreaking.
The massive development will rise over seven years. First out of the ground will be the $320-million retail component: a 1.2-million-sf town center, 885,000-sf marketplace and 430,000 sf of inline and street retail. It will be complemented by 300 to 500 multifamily units, 700 townhouses and brownstones, roughly 250,000 sf of office and a hotel and 90,000-sf convention center. The museum's first phase will be 35,000 sf, but is planned to eventually rival Austin's Texas heritage museum in size and scope.
The Greater Denton Arts Council this month will kick off a fund drive to raise $20 million to $25 million for the museum and subsequent phases, which include a sculpture garden, permanent library and corporate-sponsored galleries. The museum project is being seeded by $800,000 from the Rayzor family of Denton and a five-acre donation, valued at $2.2 million, from Allegiance." ...
"The museum is slated to open in late 2009.
Rayzor Ranch's first space will come on line in November 2008 and the balance in March 2009. Randy Holcombe, Allegiance's executive vice president of retail, tells GlobeSt.com that the town center is 40% preleased and the marketplace is 70% preleased."
......
"The declared anchors are Dillard's and corporate-owned sites for a 200,000-sf Wal-mart Supercenter and 130,000-sf Sam's Club." ...
"Holcombe estimates site work will take four months. The $135 million of infrastructure upgrades include adding two lanes to US Hwy. 380 or University Drive, which should be completed by fall 2008." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/961_961/gsrsouthwest/162778-1.html
UPDATE Last updated: July 31, 2007 09:58pm
Allegiance-Led JV Begins $850M Rayzor Ranch
By Connie Gore
"DENTON, TX-A Texas-bred development joint venture is breaking ground this morning on the $850-million Rayzor Ranch, a 410-acre mixed-use project with a new Museum of Texas Art and Culture as its centerpiece. Infrastructure costs alone total $135 million for the Interstate 35-fronting site in the two-university town.
"The project is really the leading development in Denton County and North Texas for the next 24 months. The magnitude is much larger than anything that anyone else has under way," says C. Joseph Gampper, president of Dallas-based Allegiance Development LP, which is teaming with Torreon Capital LP of Austin for the undertaking. Nearly 400 business leaders are expected to attend Rayzor Ranch's groundbreaking.
The massive development will rise over seven years. First out of the ground will be the $320-million retail component: a 1.2-million-sf town center, 885,000-sf marketplace and 430,000 sf of inline and street retail. It will be complemented by 300 to 500 multifamily units, 700 townhouses and brownstones, roughly 250,000 sf of office and a hotel and 90,000-sf convention center. The museum's first phase will be 35,000 sf, but is planned to eventually rival Austin's Texas heritage museum in size and scope.
The Greater Denton Arts Council this month will kick off a fund drive to raise $20 million to $25 million for the museum and subsequent phases, which include a sculpture garden, permanent library and corporate-sponsored galleries. The museum project is being seeded by $800,000 from the Rayzor family of Denton and a five-acre donation, valued at $2.2 million, from Allegiance." ...
"The museum is slated to open in late 2009.
Rayzor Ranch's first space will come on line in November 2008 and the balance in March 2009. Randy Holcombe, Allegiance's executive vice president of retail, tells GlobeSt.com that the town center is 40% preleased and the marketplace is 70% preleased."
......
"The declared anchors are Dillard's and corporate-owned sites for a 200,000-sf Wal-mart Supercenter and 130,000-sf Sam's Club." ...
"Holcombe estimates site work will take four months. The $135 million of infrastructure upgrades include adding two lanes to US Hwy. 380 or University Drive, which should be completed by fall 2008." ....
for the complete story see: http://www.globest.com/news/961_961/gsrsouthwest/162778-1.html
travel spending up
released today by PRnewswire from comScore
Retail E-Commerce Climbs 23 Percent in Q2 Versus Year Ago
Total E-Commerce Reaches $95 Billion during First Half of 2007
"RESTON, Va., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR),
a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report on U.S.
e-commerce spending for the second quarter of 2007, which showed that
non-travel (retail) e-commerce grew 23 percent versus year ago to $27.2
billion, while online travel spending increased 14 percent to $20.3
billion. Total U.S. e-commerce spending climbed 19 percent to $47.5 billion
during the period." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
E-Commerce Spending Q2 2006 Q2 2007 Change
Total $40.0 $47.5 19 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $22.2 $27.2 23 %
Travel $17.8 $20.3 14 %"
......
"Top Gaining E-Commerce Categories
Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University
Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Category Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Percent Change
Video Games, Consoles & Accessories 159 %
Sport & Fitness 58 %
Consumer Electronics (excl. PC Peripherals) 51 %
Event Tickets 44 %
Jewelry & Watches 32 %
Furniture, Appliances & Equipment 25 %
Music, Movies & Videos 24 %
Computer Software (excl. PC Games) 23 %
Books & Magazines 22 %
Apparel & Accessories 20 %
U.S Online Consumer Spending Likely to Reach $200 Billion in 2007
Total U.S. online consumer spending reached $170.8 billion in 2006,
with non-travel spending accounting for $102.1 billion and travel spending
accounting for $68.8 billion. Based on the first-half growth rates, total
U.S. online consumer spending is on track to reach $200 billion in 2007." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
Q1+Q2 2006 Q1+Q2 2007 Change
E-Commerce Spending
Total $80.8 $94.7 17 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $46.1 $55.1 20 %
Travel $34.7 $39.6 14 %
"
for the complete story see: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-30-2007/0004635442&EDATE=
Retail E-Commerce Climbs 23 Percent in Q2 Versus Year Ago
Total E-Commerce Reaches $95 Billion during First Half of 2007
"RESTON, Va., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR),
a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report on U.S.
e-commerce spending for the second quarter of 2007, which showed that
non-travel (retail) e-commerce grew 23 percent versus year ago to $27.2
billion, while online travel spending increased 14 percent to $20.3
billion. Total U.S. e-commerce spending climbed 19 percent to $47.5 billion
during the period." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
E-Commerce Spending Q2 2006 Q2 2007 Change
Total $40.0 $47.5 19 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $22.2 $27.2 23 %
Travel $17.8 $20.3 14 %"
......
"Top Gaining E-Commerce Categories
Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Total U.S. - Home/Work/University
Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.
Category Q2 2007 vs. Q2 2006
Percent Change
Video Games, Consoles & Accessories 159 %
Sport & Fitness 58 %
Consumer Electronics (excl. PC Peripherals) 51 %
Event Tickets 44 %
Jewelry & Watches 32 %
Furniture, Appliances & Equipment 25 %
Music, Movies & Videos 24 %
Computer Software (excl. PC Games) 23 %
Books & Magazines 22 %
Apparel & Accessories 20 %
U.S Online Consumer Spending Likely to Reach $200 Billion in 2007
Total U.S. online consumer spending reached $170.8 billion in 2006,
with non-travel spending accounting for $102.1 billion and travel spending
accounting for $68.8 billion. Based on the first-half growth rates, total
U.S. online consumer spending is on track to reach $200 billion in 2007." ....
Billions ($)
Percent
Q1+Q2 2006 Q1+Q2 2007 Change
E-Commerce Spending
Total $80.8 $94.7 17 %
Non-Travel (Retail) $46.1 $55.1 20 %
Travel $34.7 $39.6 14 %
"
for the complete story see: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-30-2007/0004635442&EDATE=
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