Construction could begin next month on a $60 million year-round family recreational/activity complex near the Mid-America Center, a developer said.
And, it should be done by September 2009, said Josh Schultz, managing partner for Wedge Adventure Resorts Inc. of Milwaukee.
The Council Bluffs City Council Monday evening gave its unanimous approval for the project.
"I think it looks neat, it will be a great project," Councilman Matt Schultz said.
The complex will be located on 15.15 acres along the west side of Mid-America Drive south of 23rd Avenue. The focus would be on the growing popularity of adventure/action sports like snowboarding, skiing, surfing and skateboarding, Schultz said.
Plans call for a 12-story hotel/condominium with amenities like indoor aquatics, BMX/skate facility, indoor/outdoor battery-powered go-kart facility and a year-round ski/snowboard platform.
A water park would be located under the ski slope that climbs to 125 feet. The 400-unit hotel/condo structure would offer banquet, restaurant and retail services.
As many as 350 full- and part-time jobs could be created, Schultz said.
The developers, however, will have to make sure their outdoor signage meets state regulations about advertisements. Some retail companies may sponsor events there, Schultz acknowledged. According to City Attorney, these companies can't advertise products unrelated to the events or off the grounds of the complex.
"As long as they advertise something that's on the premises," Wade said.
"We will operate within DOT (Iowa Department of Transportation) regulations," Schultz told the council
Friday, August 29, 2008
Macon's hotel occupancy
Macon's hotel occupancy was down 2.8 percent during the past fiscal year, however, revenue increased 1.8 percent or $49.2 million due to higher average daily rates, CVB President/CEO Janice Marshall said in her state of the industry report to about 150 people.
Macon's hotel occupancy rate is close to the national average, which is down 2.6 percent, while Atlanta suffered a 4.9 percent decrease, she said.
One special visitor to Macon and Bibb County last November helped bring a great deal of media attention to the area.
When talk-show host Oprah Winfrey filmed her "Favorite Things Show" here, the marketing exposure was hard to beat, Marshall said.
"If we had bought the Oprah show and other media generated (by local, national and international sources), it would have cost $2.65 million," Marshall said. "You can't imagine the number of people who called ... who wanted to go where Oprah went."
The CVB's new $2.9 million center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was successful at attracting 21,334 visitors during the past fiscal year, as compared to 19,366 the year before, Marshall said.
Convention sales were flat during the past year with 352 meetings bringing 133,475 people compared to 360 meetings last year, which brought about 130,350 people here. But Marshall is optimistic that the new Marriott hotel under construction adjacent to the Wilson Convention Center and other new hotels built recently will help bring an increase in conventions.
The travel industry does more than put money into the hotels and tourist sites, Marshall said.
Tourism pumps about $257 million into the local economy and it sustains more than 3,200 jobs, she said. It also generated $17.9 million in sales tax revenue, of which $7.6 million went to the local governments. The figures were based on a 2006 study by the Travel Industry Association of America.
Guest speaker Berkeley Young, owner of Charlotte, N.C.-based Young Strategies Inc., presented an overall look at the travel industry.
"As we look at 2008, we predict slow growth," because of gas prices, food prices, the mortgage crises and war in Iraq, Young said. "The American consumer is definitely pulling back, but what we see is they are pulling back at home more than when they are on the road."
While travel was a luxury a generation ago, it's now considered a necessity, so people are still going to travel, he said.
Historic sites, museums and other tourist attractions must keep in mind that they need to stay in tune with what various generations need and want, Young said. For example, the younger generation will want to use electronics as part of their tourism experience, while "baby boomers want to be spoiled," he said.
"In many ways Macon has hit a high level of success," Young said. "So many things are going on, but don't rest on your laurels. ... You are the center of Georgia, and I think you are the leader in Georgia."
The annual meeting also gave the CVB an opportunity to hand out awards to people involved in the hospitality industry.
The B.J. Cain Top of the Line award was given to E.J. Nobles with the 1842 Inn for representing the best qualities of a city ambassador to visitors.
Lynn Cass, recently retired executive director of Macon Arts, was presented the Otis Hughes Spirit of Tourism award. She was recognized for her initiative of advocating the arts and tourism in the city.
"It's been a labor of love," Cass said after accepting the award.
Macon's hotel occupancy rate is close to the national average, which is down 2.6 percent, while Atlanta suffered a 4.9 percent decrease, she said.
One special visitor to Macon and Bibb County last November helped bring a great deal of media attention to the area.
When talk-show host Oprah Winfrey filmed her "Favorite Things Show" here, the marketing exposure was hard to beat, Marshall said.
"If we had bought the Oprah show and other media generated (by local, national and international sources), it would have cost $2.65 million," Marshall said. "You can't imagine the number of people who called ... who wanted to go where Oprah went."
The CVB's new $2.9 million center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was successful at attracting 21,334 visitors during the past fiscal year, as compared to 19,366 the year before, Marshall said.
Convention sales were flat during the past year with 352 meetings bringing 133,475 people compared to 360 meetings last year, which brought about 130,350 people here. But Marshall is optimistic that the new Marriott hotel under construction adjacent to the Wilson Convention Center and other new hotels built recently will help bring an increase in conventions.
The travel industry does more than put money into the hotels and tourist sites, Marshall said.
Tourism pumps about $257 million into the local economy and it sustains more than 3,200 jobs, she said. It also generated $17.9 million in sales tax revenue, of which $7.6 million went to the local governments. The figures were based on a 2006 study by the Travel Industry Association of America.
Guest speaker Berkeley Young, owner of Charlotte, N.C.-based Young Strategies Inc., presented an overall look at the travel industry.
"As we look at 2008, we predict slow growth," because of gas prices, food prices, the mortgage crises and war in Iraq, Young said. "The American consumer is definitely pulling back, but what we see is they are pulling back at home more than when they are on the road."
While travel was a luxury a generation ago, it's now considered a necessity, so people are still going to travel, he said.
Historic sites, museums and other tourist attractions must keep in mind that they need to stay in tune with what various generations need and want, Young said. For example, the younger generation will want to use electronics as part of their tourism experience, while "baby boomers want to be spoiled," he said.
"In many ways Macon has hit a high level of success," Young said. "So many things are going on, but don't rest on your laurels. ... You are the center of Georgia, and I think you are the leader in Georgia."
The annual meeting also gave the CVB an opportunity to hand out awards to people involved in the hospitality industry.
The B.J. Cain Top of the Line award was given to E.J. Nobles with the 1842 Inn for representing the best qualities of a city ambassador to visitors.
Lynn Cass, recently retired executive director of Macon Arts, was presented the Otis Hughes Spirit of Tourism award. She was recognized for her initiative of advocating the arts and tourism in the city.
"It's been a labor of love," Cass said after accepting the award.
Filling hotel rooms
Higher airfares and a slowing Mainland economy contributed to a 14.9 percent drop in visitor arrivals in July from a year earlier.
The visitor slowdown prompted Gov. Linda Lingle to call a meeting with 25 hotel executives and propose shifting $10 million in government spending to tourism marketing.
"This investment is not just about filling hotel rooms, but is critical to all other industries, including retail, restaurants, tour operators, car rental companies, visitor attractions and the countless other businesses that rely on tourism," Lingle said.
Not only did fewer tourists come to the Islands in July, but those who did visit spent less.
Expenditures by air travelers in July were down 14.9 percent, or $177.3 million, from the same month last year, to $1 Billion. Average daily spending per visitor was down 2.8 percent to $175.
The whole community feels a decline in visitor arrivals as people lose jobs, go out to eat less and spend less, said Keith Vieira, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawai'i and French Polynesia.
Vieira said higher airfares are a structural change and need to be considered over the long term, but he added that yesterday's numbers show how important it is to change the momentum now.
Tourism leaders hope more marketing will help slow or reverse the decline in arrivals.
They want to shift money that the Hawai'i Tourism Authority would have spent on non-marketing initiatives, such as sponsoring cultural events, into advertising.
"When things are tight, you get back to what your core function is — the marketing that brings the revenue into the state," said Outrigger Enterprises Group president and CEO David Carey in the meeting with Lingle, according to state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert.
The HTA budget, which comes from the hotel-room tax, is projected to be $88 million.
Out of that, $54 million is spent on marketing. The other roughly $34 million goes to a variety of initiatives, including culture, communications, research, project development, workforce development, and safety and security.
The actual budget likely will decline because of the expected drop in hotel-room tax revenue.
Wienert said a summer marketing boost has already helped slow the decline in arrivals.
"We knew for months going in that July was not looking good and June was not either," she said.
Air arrivals in June were down 14.2 percent from a year earlier. June marked the largest drop since January 2002, when air arrivals fell 16.2 percent
Wienert said she believes August will show a decrease but not by as much as the two previous months. "We had the ability to affect July and also August," she said.
She added, "Fall is traditionally our slower season."
Lingle met for 90 minutes with the 25 hoteliers. She said key, aggressive steps can be taken to increase visitors and visitor spending both in the coming months and in the long term.
Lingle said the state can't just wait for an eventual turnaround in the tourism market.
While most of the hotel properties indicated they were reaching out to the kama'aina market with special rates and package deals, the general agreement at the meeting was on the need to bring new money into the state.
Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona are planning separate trips to Asia in November to promote Hawai'i's visitor industry.
The visitor slowdown prompted Gov. Linda Lingle to call a meeting with 25 hotel executives and propose shifting $10 million in government spending to tourism marketing.
"This investment is not just about filling hotel rooms, but is critical to all other industries, including retail, restaurants, tour operators, car rental companies, visitor attractions and the countless other businesses that rely on tourism," Lingle said.
Not only did fewer tourists come to the Islands in July, but those who did visit spent less.
Expenditures by air travelers in July were down 14.9 percent, or $177.3 million, from the same month last year, to $1 Billion. Average daily spending per visitor was down 2.8 percent to $175.
The whole community feels a decline in visitor arrivals as people lose jobs, go out to eat less and spend less, said Keith Vieira, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawai'i and French Polynesia.
Vieira said higher airfares are a structural change and need to be considered over the long term, but he added that yesterday's numbers show how important it is to change the momentum now.
Tourism leaders hope more marketing will help slow or reverse the decline in arrivals.
They want to shift money that the Hawai'i Tourism Authority would have spent on non-marketing initiatives, such as sponsoring cultural events, into advertising.
"When things are tight, you get back to what your core function is — the marketing that brings the revenue into the state," said Outrigger Enterprises Group president and CEO David Carey in the meeting with Lingle, according to state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert.
The HTA budget, which comes from the hotel-room tax, is projected to be $88 million.
Out of that, $54 million is spent on marketing. The other roughly $34 million goes to a variety of initiatives, including culture, communications, research, project development, workforce development, and safety and security.
The actual budget likely will decline because of the expected drop in hotel-room tax revenue.
Wienert said a summer marketing boost has already helped slow the decline in arrivals.
"We knew for months going in that July was not looking good and June was not either," she said.
Air arrivals in June were down 14.2 percent from a year earlier. June marked the largest drop since January 2002, when air arrivals fell 16.2 percent
Wienert said she believes August will show a decrease but not by as much as the two previous months. "We had the ability to affect July and also August," she said.
She added, "Fall is traditionally our slower season."
Lingle met for 90 minutes with the 25 hoteliers. She said key, aggressive steps can be taken to increase visitors and visitor spending both in the coming months and in the long term.
Lingle said the state can't just wait for an eventual turnaround in the tourism market.
While most of the hotel properties indicated they were reaching out to the kama'aina market with special rates and package deals, the general agreement at the meeting was on the need to bring new money into the state.
Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona are planning separate trips to Asia in November to promote Hawai'i's visitor industry.
Ritz-Carlton hotel
Building on its status as a destination for superior service and a magnet for wealth, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota is considering expanding its number of rooms by nearly half, to 385.
Under a plan being developed by the four-star resort's Wichita, Kan.-based owners, the local Ritz-Carlton would add up to 119 rooms, a preliminary filing with the Florida Department of Community Affairs shows.
Sarasota's largest hotel is now the Hyatt Regency, with 294 rooms.
"It indicates the definite consideration our ownership group has made in investing in this project," Ritz General Manager Jim McManemon said about expansion.
If the addition goes through, it would also speak volumes about the depth of wealth in Sarasota and the hotel's acceptance by both locals and travelers alike, despite Southwest Florida's moribund economy.
By contrast, when it opened in November 2001 -- in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., that crippled domestic travel -- the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota was slow to attract a high volume of visitors. To lure guests, room rates were slashed far below expectations.
The expansion would also serve as a pre-emptive strike against a proposed $1 billion development with a Waldorf-Astoria hotel near the Ritz-Carlton. That project, the Proscenium, is set for completion in 2011.
If successful, the Proscenium could cut significantly into the Ritz-Carlton's luxury hotel monopoly.
The majority of the Ritz's new rooms -- 104 -- would be housed in a 10-story tower to be constructed in the back of the existing 17-story hotel, according to sketches by Atlanta architectural firm Milton Pate Associates that were submitted to the state. Another 15 new rooms would come from converting a fitness center on the second floor of the hotel and space on the eighth floor.
Ritz-Carlton owners SLAB LLC also intend to reconfigure the existing 464-space parking and add 130 new spaces.
SLAB hopes to complete the entire renovation and expansion by the end of 2010.
In all, SLAB would likely invest roughly $75 million, based on industry and construction costs estimates.
In addition to the existing 266-room hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota includes a $30 million beach club on Lido Key; an 18-hole, Tom Fazio-designed golf course near Lakewood Ranch; a 14,000-square-foot spa; and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.
Though the hotel itself has exceeded expectations, with an average occupancy rate above 80 percent and rates averaging $400 a night, the rest of the resort has lagged. The beach club, for example, is significantly underused, as are the Ritz-Carlton's links. In early 2007, SLAB declined to exercise an option to buy 250 acres of land for another 18 holes.
The Ritz expansion comes as a pair of other developers are planning upscale hotels.
At the Proscenium, Lion's Gate Development Group Inc.'s Waldorf-Astoria would contain 225 rooms. Meanwhile, Longboat Key Club owner Loeb Partners Realty wants to add nearly 200 upscale hotel rooms by 2012.
The competitors played down the impact of any Ritz-Carlton expansion.
"We'll be offering something that the consumer cannot find anywhere else in the community," Lion's Gate President Gary Moyer said. "Ritz-Carlton is a fine hotel, but I don't think it has, or will have, the stature and the amenities that the Proscenium will."
The Ritz addition would affect the mainland more than the barrier islands, said Michael Welly, general manager of the Longboat Key Club.
"It's an interesting defensive move at a time when the Waldorf-Astoria project is being considered," Welly said. "One hundred and nineteen is a lot of rooms."
But the new rooms, and the revenue they will generate, may aid in SLAB's more than yearlong effort to sell the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. Last fall, SLAB retained Jones Lang LaSalle to analyze the hotel market, a precursor of what was expected to be a sale. But in the months that followed, financing for hotel projects collapsed amid a global credit crunch that remains to this day.
In the first half of 2008, only three hotels nationwide sold for more than $100 million, a survey by real estate firm CB Richard Ellis found. During the same period in 2007, there were 14 seven-figure hotel sales.
"In today's environment, it's much easier to obtain financing for a sub-$15 million deal than it is for a $25-million-and-up deal," said Daniel Lesser, senior managing director in CB Richard Ellis' Valuation & Advisory Services Hospitality & Gaming Group.
The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota would likely sell for well in excess of $100 million.
C. Robert Buford, SLAB's managing director, declined to comment and referred expansion questions to McManemon, the Ritz-Carlton's general manager.
In addition to financing hurdles, it is expected that the Ritz-Carlton will have to grapple with state officials. Under state rules, projects with more than 350 hotel rooms are considered "developments of regional impact," which trigger extensive DCA reviews that typically take a year or longer.
SLAB representatives argued in their state filing that because the Ritz-Carlton expansion would be just over the 350-room limit, it should be somewhat exempt from DRI examination.
"Because these rooms are being added to a luxury hotel with substantial existing amenities and services, the potential impacts typically created by additional rooms are substantially negated," the filing stated.
The expansion, which would require city administrative site plan approval, would generate 295 more evening peak-hour trips and generate 41 new -- albeit very-low or low-income -- full-time jobs.
The last time the Ritz-Carlton hotel expanded was in 2003, when the resort added a $15 million spa. The spa has received top honors from Travel + Leisure magazine and the Mobile Travel Guide, and contributed to awards from Zagat and AAA.
In April, the resort received the prestigious Governor's Sterling Award as one of the top-run organizations in the state. The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota also regularly receives top marks within the chain for guest satisfaction.
McManemon acknowledged that maintaining guest quality amid construction would be challenging.
"We'll cross each bridge when it comes," McManemon said. "We have a tremendous physical structure here that can accommodate what we currently have and more."
Under a plan being developed by the four-star resort's Wichita, Kan.-based owners, the local Ritz-Carlton would add up to 119 rooms, a preliminary filing with the Florida Department of Community Affairs shows.
Sarasota's largest hotel is now the Hyatt Regency, with 294 rooms.
"It indicates the definite consideration our ownership group has made in investing in this project," Ritz General Manager Jim McManemon said about expansion.
If the addition goes through, it would also speak volumes about the depth of wealth in Sarasota and the hotel's acceptance by both locals and travelers alike, despite Southwest Florida's moribund economy.
By contrast, when it opened in November 2001 -- in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., that crippled domestic travel -- the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota was slow to attract a high volume of visitors. To lure guests, room rates were slashed far below expectations.
The expansion would also serve as a pre-emptive strike against a proposed $1 billion development with a Waldorf-Astoria hotel near the Ritz-Carlton. That project, the Proscenium, is set for completion in 2011.
If successful, the Proscenium could cut significantly into the Ritz-Carlton's luxury hotel monopoly.
The majority of the Ritz's new rooms -- 104 -- would be housed in a 10-story tower to be constructed in the back of the existing 17-story hotel, according to sketches by Atlanta architectural firm Milton Pate Associates that were submitted to the state. Another 15 new rooms would come from converting a fitness center on the second floor of the hotel and space on the eighth floor.
Ritz-Carlton owners SLAB LLC also intend to reconfigure the existing 464-space parking and add 130 new spaces.
SLAB hopes to complete the entire renovation and expansion by the end of 2010.
In all, SLAB would likely invest roughly $75 million, based on industry and construction costs estimates.
In addition to the existing 266-room hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota includes a $30 million beach club on Lido Key; an 18-hole, Tom Fazio-designed golf course near Lakewood Ranch; a 14,000-square-foot spa; and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.
Though the hotel itself has exceeded expectations, with an average occupancy rate above 80 percent and rates averaging $400 a night, the rest of the resort has lagged. The beach club, for example, is significantly underused, as are the Ritz-Carlton's links. In early 2007, SLAB declined to exercise an option to buy 250 acres of land for another 18 holes.
The Ritz expansion comes as a pair of other developers are planning upscale hotels.
At the Proscenium, Lion's Gate Development Group Inc.'s Waldorf-Astoria would contain 225 rooms. Meanwhile, Longboat Key Club owner Loeb Partners Realty wants to add nearly 200 upscale hotel rooms by 2012.
The competitors played down the impact of any Ritz-Carlton expansion.
"We'll be offering something that the consumer cannot find anywhere else in the community," Lion's Gate President Gary Moyer said. "Ritz-Carlton is a fine hotel, but I don't think it has, or will have, the stature and the amenities that the Proscenium will."
The Ritz addition would affect the mainland more than the barrier islands, said Michael Welly, general manager of the Longboat Key Club.
"It's an interesting defensive move at a time when the Waldorf-Astoria project is being considered," Welly said. "One hundred and nineteen is a lot of rooms."
But the new rooms, and the revenue they will generate, may aid in SLAB's more than yearlong effort to sell the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. Last fall, SLAB retained Jones Lang LaSalle to analyze the hotel market, a precursor of what was expected to be a sale. But in the months that followed, financing for hotel projects collapsed amid a global credit crunch that remains to this day.
In the first half of 2008, only three hotels nationwide sold for more than $100 million, a survey by real estate firm CB Richard Ellis found. During the same period in 2007, there were 14 seven-figure hotel sales.
"In today's environment, it's much easier to obtain financing for a sub-$15 million deal than it is for a $25-million-and-up deal," said Daniel Lesser, senior managing director in CB Richard Ellis' Valuation & Advisory Services Hospitality & Gaming Group.
The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota would likely sell for well in excess of $100 million.
C. Robert Buford, SLAB's managing director, declined to comment and referred expansion questions to McManemon, the Ritz-Carlton's general manager.
In addition to financing hurdles, it is expected that the Ritz-Carlton will have to grapple with state officials. Under state rules, projects with more than 350 hotel rooms are considered "developments of regional impact," which trigger extensive DCA reviews that typically take a year or longer.
SLAB representatives argued in their state filing that because the Ritz-Carlton expansion would be just over the 350-room limit, it should be somewhat exempt from DRI examination.
"Because these rooms are being added to a luxury hotel with substantial existing amenities and services, the potential impacts typically created by additional rooms are substantially negated," the filing stated.
The expansion, which would require city administrative site plan approval, would generate 295 more evening peak-hour trips and generate 41 new -- albeit very-low or low-income -- full-time jobs.
The last time the Ritz-Carlton hotel expanded was in 2003, when the resort added a $15 million spa. The spa has received top honors from Travel + Leisure magazine and the Mobile Travel Guide, and contributed to awards from Zagat and AAA.
In April, the resort received the prestigious Governor's Sterling Award as one of the top-run organizations in the state. The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota also regularly receives top marks within the chain for guest satisfaction.
McManemon acknowledged that maintaining guest quality amid construction would be challenging.
"We'll cross each bridge when it comes," McManemon said. "We have a tremendous physical structure here that can accommodate what we currently have and more."
Accor SA
The global economic slowdown is affecting the hotel industry. Accor SA, the big European-based international hotelier operating the Sofitel and Pullman brands, said today first-half profit fell by 48 per cent. France and Germany remain stable but Accor is cutting jobs at its U.S. and Latin American hotels, cutting back on marketing expense and beefing up its computer systems.
Brown Palace Hotel
There's a reason "Andy" only let "Barney" have one bullet for his gun. Denver Police have some 'splainin to do, Lucy!' Protecting candidates and delegates at the DNC (and the upcoming RNC, for that matter) is one thing. We all understand that is a necessary component of the world we live in. Manhandling reporters who are just doing their job is something else entirely. The word before the conventions was that the anarchist crowd was planning to physically target news media. Now, we're supposed to worry about the boys in blue, too? I've covered a lot of demonstrations in my career. Nothing seems to bring out the beast in some people like carrying or confronting a Billy club. Fortunately, this incident never escalated to that craziness. From accounts on the scene (and the video of incident), ABC News producer Asa Eslocker was standing on the sidewalk in front of a Denver hotel, working on a report about fat cat cash flow in politics, when he was ordered to move across the street. Now, on the surface of that, you might say, well, the police were just doing their job, guarding big wigs at the DNC. HOLD ON THERE! Isn't the sidewalk public property? Does the hotel ban cameras and reporters from the sidewalk when they don't have big wigs meeting with Senators? Just exactly what gives them the right to do that, aided and abetted by Denver's finest? The incident has riled reporters from coast to coast and it ought to have citizens up in arms, as well. That young man (Eslocker looks like a choirboy) was part of a unit trying to get video of the Senators and the Big Wig's leaving the hotel. There is no word of any attempt to "invade" the hotel. A burly (and I mean BURLY) Boulder County Sheriff (that's the uniform he was wearing) actually pushes the slight Eslocker, who was on a cell phone, into the street where traffic was passing! Eslocker did not retaliate (he shouldn't), other than continuously asking the deputy 'why are you doing this?' There was no answer.
Eslocker continued to do his job, while the Brown Palace Hotel supposedly filed a complaint with police about the news crew's presence. 2 hours later, yes, TWO HOURS LATER, a cigar-smoking (imagine the image) police sergeant arrested Eslocker on the street and did it somewhat roughly. The officer defended democracy and fought terrorism by choking the young man with a hand to his neck, back against a wall, until he was sufficiently red-faced and short of oxygen while they cuffed him behind his back and led him off like a petty thief. Remember, this is no screaming anarchist or bearded, belligerent dove or hawk. He is a professional journalist from a respected news organization with identification hanging from his neck, doing his job, being YOUR eyes!
That's why you should be outraged. He was there for YOU! What was it that the hotel and, by extension, the police, didn't want YOU to see? You can't be in Denver now or Saint Paul next week to keep your personal eye on the people who claim to have our best interests at heart. You depend on the eyes, ears, notebooks and cameras of the news media to do it for you. That holds true whether you prefer NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, or MSNBC. Now I know it's popular to bash media right now. But here's a revelation: There is a difference between Entertainment Tonight, the Paparazzi and the real broadcast and print journalists. The latter aren't trying to be sensational. We're just trying to report what IS! If it happens to be sensational, so be it. Mostly, it's not. Mostly, it's a bit dry. It's still important, mind you, but a bit dry. Back to that young producer. What was he charged with? The catch-all "disobeying a lawful order". Really? He was standing on a sidewalk in front of a hotel. No crime there, so they have to drum up something. When I was in the military, the "Catch-all" charge was "Disobeying a superior officer." Even if he was dead-wrong, and proven so, you could still end up in the brig for not following the man's foolish order. Well, Asa Eslocker is not in the military. He was released later on $500 bail. The whole thing smacks of a power trip by a few Barney Fife wannabe's bent on defending a public street curb by picking on a defenseless young newsguy. How dare he think the First Amendment applied to public sidewalks? If they were trying to intimidate reporters and photojournalists, I have news for them: It never works. It doesn't work in war zones, much less the streets of Denver and (heaven forbid) Saint Paul. I think Minnesota Lawmen and women are smarter than that. I talk with and cover them constantly. With very few exceptions, they are good people and excellent public servants. I know there are a few rude and pushy reporters, just as there are some hyper cops and deputies. I know both of us have jobs to do. I also know that tempers can be tested by street protests and major public events. I also think we (news types) understand the police role better than they (the police) often understand ours. The Constitution is not suspended on the whim of individual deputies. The "police power" is granted to keep order, not to assist in a cover-up. So, here's my bottom line: be very careful of over-reacting. Save the "Burly" action for Professional Wrestling. We obey legitimate police lines. We know the difference between trespassing and standing on a city sidewalk. It is not law enforcement's job to protect the reputations of public officials. It is their job to protect the rights of citizens (journalists included) to have reasonable public access to public places. Period. They owe Asa Eslocker an apology, both for their actions and their tone. And while they're at it, they owe the citizens of Denver an apology for acting like thugs in the uniforms of their city and county. Along the way, I hope someone in the Mile High City hierarchy rips that stogie out of that officer's mouth. Cigars belong in smoke-filled backrooms populated by 19th century politicians, not in clenched jaws of on-duty police. By Allen Costantini - 8/28/08
Eslocker continued to do his job, while the Brown Palace Hotel supposedly filed a complaint with police about the news crew's presence. 2 hours later, yes, TWO HOURS LATER, a cigar-smoking (imagine the image) police sergeant arrested Eslocker on the street and did it somewhat roughly. The officer defended democracy and fought terrorism by choking the young man with a hand to his neck, back against a wall, until he was sufficiently red-faced and short of oxygen while they cuffed him behind his back and led him off like a petty thief. Remember, this is no screaming anarchist or bearded, belligerent dove or hawk. He is a professional journalist from a respected news organization with identification hanging from his neck, doing his job, being YOUR eyes!
That's why you should be outraged. He was there for YOU! What was it that the hotel and, by extension, the police, didn't want YOU to see? You can't be in Denver now or Saint Paul next week to keep your personal eye on the people who claim to have our best interests at heart. You depend on the eyes, ears, notebooks and cameras of the news media to do it for you. That holds true whether you prefer NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, or MSNBC. Now I know it's popular to bash media right now. But here's a revelation: There is a difference between Entertainment Tonight, the Paparazzi and the real broadcast and print journalists. The latter aren't trying to be sensational. We're just trying to report what IS! If it happens to be sensational, so be it. Mostly, it's not. Mostly, it's a bit dry. It's still important, mind you, but a bit dry. Back to that young producer. What was he charged with? The catch-all "disobeying a lawful order". Really? He was standing on a sidewalk in front of a hotel. No crime there, so they have to drum up something. When I was in the military, the "Catch-all" charge was "Disobeying a superior officer." Even if he was dead-wrong, and proven so, you could still end up in the brig for not following the man's foolish order. Well, Asa Eslocker is not in the military. He was released later on $500 bail. The whole thing smacks of a power trip by a few Barney Fife wannabe's bent on defending a public street curb by picking on a defenseless young newsguy. How dare he think the First Amendment applied to public sidewalks? If they were trying to intimidate reporters and photojournalists, I have news for them: It never works. It doesn't work in war zones, much less the streets of Denver and (heaven forbid) Saint Paul. I think Minnesota Lawmen and women are smarter than that. I talk with and cover them constantly. With very few exceptions, they are good people and excellent public servants. I know there are a few rude and pushy reporters, just as there are some hyper cops and deputies. I know both of us have jobs to do. I also know that tempers can be tested by street protests and major public events. I also think we (news types) understand the police role better than they (the police) often understand ours. The Constitution is not suspended on the whim of individual deputies. The "police power" is granted to keep order, not to assist in a cover-up. So, here's my bottom line: be very careful of over-reacting. Save the "Burly" action for Professional Wrestling. We obey legitimate police lines. We know the difference between trespassing and standing on a city sidewalk. It is not law enforcement's job to protect the reputations of public officials. It is their job to protect the rights of citizens (journalists included) to have reasonable public access to public places. Period. They owe Asa Eslocker an apology, both for their actions and their tone. And while they're at it, they owe the citizens of Denver an apology for acting like thugs in the uniforms of their city and county. Along the way, I hope someone in the Mile High City hierarchy rips that stogie out of that officer's mouth. Cigars belong in smoke-filled backrooms populated by 19th century politicians, not in clenched jaws of on-duty police. By Allen Costantini - 8/28/08
Cardiff’s Park Plaza
HOLIDAYMAKERS are ditching expert travel guides in favour of online reviews by other travellers, according to new research.
Websites such as TripAdvisor, where people leave independent reviews and opinion, have overtaken the more traditional Lonely Planet-style guides.
A survey of 2,000 people found more than 70% of people now log onto the popular holiday review site before booking a hotel or destination.
It covers more than 212,000 hotels and 74,000 attractions in more than 30,000 destinations worldwide.
Professor Nigel Morgan, from the Welsh Centre for Tourism Research at Uwic, has been studying the phenomenon.
He said: “Word of mouth is one of the most tried and tested ways of marketing a tourism destination or hotel. As we know, good travelling experiences and places to stay will be passed from person to person, and these word-of-mouth testimonials are always far more valuable from a business point of view than traditional advertising and even celebrity endorsement.
“Today the online information found on blogs and review sites like TripAdvisor is one of the most powerful influencers when it comes to making travel decisions. The hundreds of reviews and the user-generated content found on these sites are excellent sources of word-of-mouth feedback about the experiences of other travellers.
“As with all word-of-mouth recommendations, these reviews will have an effect on consumers researching and planning trips as they provide details of the ‘real’ experience and will influence decisions.”
In addition to the hotel and destination reviews, users can rate an hotel, restaurant or place to see using a five-star rating system. They are then ranked by popularity based on how many reviews they’ve had and how positive people have been with their ratings.
For example, Mike Evan, from Gloucester, reviewed the National History Museum in St Fagans, Cardiff, as a “great day out” after visiting there this summer.
He wrote: “I have been meaning to take my wife to this museum for ages and we were both very impressed, The old cottages with log burning fires were wonderful. the grounds, even in winter were really good.
“Thoroughly recommended and entry is free, you only pay for parking, best value day out I have had in ages.”
The Aberystwyth Clifftop Railway ranks among the top 10 most popular attractions in Wales, according to TripAdvisor.
One visitor from Tucson in America wrote: “All in all, whatever the weather, if you stay in Aberystwyth, a trip up Constitution Hill is a must and though the climb by foot is not that taxing, travelling one way on some Victorian engineering is a most pleasant experience.”
Cardiff’s Park Plaza is rated as the most popular hotel in the capital, based on the reviews of 102 people who had stayed or eaten there.
Reviewers of the hotel include Donna Jardine, from Devon, who said: “We have just stayed at this hotel for our 15th wedding anniversary, it is so good you will not really need to leave it. The decor is superb. The staff all seem to enjoy their jobs and are consequently very pleasant and helpful.”
Caroline Sims, marketing manager for Park Plaza Hotel, said: “As more and more people use TripAdvisor to gain a real impression of the hotel and the quality of stay they’ll have, it has become one of our most important marketing tools.
“We’re thrilled with the number of positive reviews about Park Plaza as they really help draw in new guests, both business and leisure, and we do monitor it to ensure we maintain our top quality service for all guests.”
Websites such as TripAdvisor, where people leave independent reviews and opinion, have overtaken the more traditional Lonely Planet-style guides.
A survey of 2,000 people found more than 70% of people now log onto the popular holiday review site before booking a hotel or destination.
It covers more than 212,000 hotels and 74,000 attractions in more than 30,000 destinations worldwide.
Professor Nigel Morgan, from the Welsh Centre for Tourism Research at Uwic, has been studying the phenomenon.
He said: “Word of mouth is one of the most tried and tested ways of marketing a tourism destination or hotel. As we know, good travelling experiences and places to stay will be passed from person to person, and these word-of-mouth testimonials are always far more valuable from a business point of view than traditional advertising and even celebrity endorsement.
“Today the online information found on blogs and review sites like TripAdvisor is one of the most powerful influencers when it comes to making travel decisions. The hundreds of reviews and the user-generated content found on these sites are excellent sources of word-of-mouth feedback about the experiences of other travellers.
“As with all word-of-mouth recommendations, these reviews will have an effect on consumers researching and planning trips as they provide details of the ‘real’ experience and will influence decisions.”
In addition to the hotel and destination reviews, users can rate an hotel, restaurant or place to see using a five-star rating system. They are then ranked by popularity based on how many reviews they’ve had and how positive people have been with their ratings.
For example, Mike Evan, from Gloucester, reviewed the National History Museum in St Fagans, Cardiff, as a “great day out” after visiting there this summer.
He wrote: “I have been meaning to take my wife to this museum for ages and we were both very impressed, The old cottages with log burning fires were wonderful. the grounds, even in winter were really good.
“Thoroughly recommended and entry is free, you only pay for parking, best value day out I have had in ages.”
The Aberystwyth Clifftop Railway ranks among the top 10 most popular attractions in Wales, according to TripAdvisor.
One visitor from Tucson in America wrote: “All in all, whatever the weather, if you stay in Aberystwyth, a trip up Constitution Hill is a must and though the climb by foot is not that taxing, travelling one way on some Victorian engineering is a most pleasant experience.”
Cardiff’s Park Plaza is rated as the most popular hotel in the capital, based on the reviews of 102 people who had stayed or eaten there.
Reviewers of the hotel include Donna Jardine, from Devon, who said: “We have just stayed at this hotel for our 15th wedding anniversary, it is so good you will not really need to leave it. The decor is superb. The staff all seem to enjoy their jobs and are consequently very pleasant and helpful.”
Caroline Sims, marketing manager for Park Plaza Hotel, said: “As more and more people use TripAdvisor to gain a real impression of the hotel and the quality of stay they’ll have, it has become one of our most important marketing tools.
“We’re thrilled with the number of positive reviews about Park Plaza as they really help draw in new guests, both business and leisure, and we do monitor it to ensure we maintain our top quality service for all guests.”
ALBANY
ALBANY — The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the Lee County Chamber of Commerce joined together Thursday to officially welcome the new Country Inn & Suites in northwest Albany.
Visitors were treated to a luau-style ribbon cutting ceremony, with leis adorning tables and flowers behind the ears of many guests. The breezy sounds of Jimmy Buffet songs wafted from the speakers during the first 90-degree afternoon Albany has seen in more than a week.
The hotel’s 70 rooms range in price from $89-$149 per night, according to Operations Manager Lou Jones.
Jones said the hotel caters to both families and business travelers with a fitness center, meeting rooms, business center, indoor pool with whirlpool and sauna, Jacuzzi suites and indoor corridor access to rooms.
Among the speakers at the ceremony was Albany Mayor Willie Adams, who praised owner Navin Patel for bringing more jobs to the area with the Country Inn & Suites at 2809 Nottingham Way as well as the renovation of the Best Western on Pointe North Boulevard.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs — that’s what we like to hear,” Adams said.
The revamped Best Western- Albany Mall Inn & Suites will have its grand reopening Oct. 9.
The two hotels will create about 40-50 new jobs, according to Frederick W. Cerrone, president and CEO of Country Inn’s Atlanta-based development company, Hotel Equities.
“We think we’re a good, clean fit for Albany because we pay taxes, and those that visit us pay taxes that go back into the Chamber of Commerce,” Cerrone said, “which in turn spends money to promote more tourism. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.”
Hotel owner Navin Patel said he is happy to be investing in Albany, where he and his wife, Lasti, have lived since 1994.
Patel said he moved to Albany a week before the disastrous flooding of the Flint River to work as a mechanical engineer for Procter & Gamble.
Patel has since opened a consulting firm in addition to his hotel operations.
Visitors were treated to a luau-style ribbon cutting ceremony, with leis adorning tables and flowers behind the ears of many guests. The breezy sounds of Jimmy Buffet songs wafted from the speakers during the first 90-degree afternoon Albany has seen in more than a week.
The hotel’s 70 rooms range in price from $89-$149 per night, according to Operations Manager Lou Jones.
Jones said the hotel caters to both families and business travelers with a fitness center, meeting rooms, business center, indoor pool with whirlpool and sauna, Jacuzzi suites and indoor corridor access to rooms.
Among the speakers at the ceremony was Albany Mayor Willie Adams, who praised owner Navin Patel for bringing more jobs to the area with the Country Inn & Suites at 2809 Nottingham Way as well as the renovation of the Best Western on Pointe North Boulevard.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs — that’s what we like to hear,” Adams said.
The revamped Best Western- Albany Mall Inn & Suites will have its grand reopening Oct. 9.
The two hotels will create about 40-50 new jobs, according to Frederick W. Cerrone, president and CEO of Country Inn’s Atlanta-based development company, Hotel Equities.
“We think we’re a good, clean fit for Albany because we pay taxes, and those that visit us pay taxes that go back into the Chamber of Commerce,” Cerrone said, “which in turn spends money to promote more tourism. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.”
Hotel owner Navin Patel said he is happy to be investing in Albany, where he and his wife, Lasti, have lived since 1994.
Patel said he moved to Albany a week before the disastrous flooding of the Flint River to work as a mechanical engineer for Procter & Gamble.
Patel has since opened a consulting firm in addition to his hotel operations.
ALBANY
ALBANY — The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the Lee County Chamber of Commerce joined together Thursday to officially welcome the new Country Inn & Suites in northwest Albany.
Visitors were treated to a luau-style ribbon cutting ceremony, with leis adorning tables and flowers behind the ears of many guests. The breezy sounds of Jimmy Buffet songs wafted from the speakers during the first 90-degree afternoon Albany has seen in more than a week.
The hotel’s 70 rooms range in price from $89-$149 per night, according to Operations Manager Lou Jones.
Jones said the hotel caters to both families and business travelers with a fitness center, meeting rooms, business center, indoor pool with whirlpool and sauna, Jacuzzi suites and indoor corridor access to rooms.
Among the speakers at the ceremony was Albany Mayor Willie Adams, who praised owner Navin Patel for bringing more jobs to the area with the Country Inn & Suites at 2809 Nottingham Way as well as the renovation of the Best Western on Pointe North Boulevard.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs — that’s what we like to hear,” Adams said.
The revamped Best Western- Albany Mall Inn & Suites will have its grand reopening Oct. 9.
The two hotels will create about 40-50 new jobs, according to Frederick W. Cerrone, president and CEO of Country Inn’s Atlanta-based development company, Hotel Equities.
“We think we’re a good, clean fit for Albany because we pay taxes, and those that visit us pay taxes that go back into the Chamber of Commerce,” Cerrone said, “which in turn spends money to promote more tourism. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.”
Hotel owner Navin Patel said he is happy to be investing in Albany, where he and his wife, Lasti, have lived since 1994.
Patel said he moved to Albany a week before the disastrous flooding of the Flint River to work as a mechanical engineer for Procter & Gamble.
Patel has since opened a consulting firm in addition to his hotel operations.
Visitors were treated to a luau-style ribbon cutting ceremony, with leis adorning tables and flowers behind the ears of many guests. The breezy sounds of Jimmy Buffet songs wafted from the speakers during the first 90-degree afternoon Albany has seen in more than a week.
The hotel’s 70 rooms range in price from $89-$149 per night, according to Operations Manager Lou Jones.
Jones said the hotel caters to both families and business travelers with a fitness center, meeting rooms, business center, indoor pool with whirlpool and sauna, Jacuzzi suites and indoor corridor access to rooms.
Among the speakers at the ceremony was Albany Mayor Willie Adams, who praised owner Navin Patel for bringing more jobs to the area with the Country Inn & Suites at 2809 Nottingham Way as well as the renovation of the Best Western on Pointe North Boulevard.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs — that’s what we like to hear,” Adams said.
The revamped Best Western- Albany Mall Inn & Suites will have its grand reopening Oct. 9.
The two hotels will create about 40-50 new jobs, according to Frederick W. Cerrone, president and CEO of Country Inn’s Atlanta-based development company, Hotel Equities.
“We think we’re a good, clean fit for Albany because we pay taxes, and those that visit us pay taxes that go back into the Chamber of Commerce,” Cerrone said, “which in turn spends money to promote more tourism. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.”
Hotel owner Navin Patel said he is happy to be investing in Albany, where he and his wife, Lasti, have lived since 1994.
Patel said he moved to Albany a week before the disastrous flooding of the Flint River to work as a mechanical engineer for Procter & Gamble.
Patel has since opened a consulting firm in addition to his hotel operations.
Hotel On Sale
THE only hotel in the town of Barry is up for sale.
The Mount Sorrel, a Best Western three-star hotel high on Porthkerry Road, overlooking Barry Island, has been put on the market for £1.9m.
The hotel was originally three Victorian townhouses and a doctor’s surgery and was recently extensively refurbished.
The 42-room hotel caters for businessmen and visitors and has a restaurant, three function rooms, an indoor pool and a gym.
Tourism experts and business leaders say there is a need for more hotels if Barry is to benefit from the growing trend for British people to stay at home for their holidays rather than travel abroad.
Jonathan Hill, spokesman for Christie and Co, which specialises in marketing hotels, pubs, restaurants, shops and leisure facilities, and has put the hotel on the market, said: “The owner of the freehold owns other businesses on the Isle of Wight.
“This is a business decision. He wants to concentrate on his other businesses on the south coast of England. It is just time.”
The proposed sale of the Mount Sorrel comes a month after budget hotel chain Travelodge announced plans to open a hotel in Barry, the first for more than 50 years.
The chain is looking to open 55 new hotels for Britain’s traditional seaside holiday market by 2015, creating 1,000 new jobs.
The company said it was “actively seeking sites” to convert to a hotel in Barry.
Mr Hill said they had sent details of the Mount Sorrel to Travelodge which was looking into it.
Paul Haley, chairman of Pride in Barry, said: “This is a great opportunity for someone to set up in a prime hotel location in Barry.
“It might be an opportunity for Travelodge.
“I would like to see more than one hotel in Barry.
“With further investment into a marina development and the large Barry regeneration project moving forward, Barry is a very attractive proposition.”
The Mount Sorrel, a Best Western three-star hotel high on Porthkerry Road, overlooking Barry Island, has been put on the market for £1.9m.
The hotel was originally three Victorian townhouses and a doctor’s surgery and was recently extensively refurbished.
The 42-room hotel caters for businessmen and visitors and has a restaurant, three function rooms, an indoor pool and a gym.
Tourism experts and business leaders say there is a need for more hotels if Barry is to benefit from the growing trend for British people to stay at home for their holidays rather than travel abroad.
Jonathan Hill, spokesman for Christie and Co, which specialises in marketing hotels, pubs, restaurants, shops and leisure facilities, and has put the hotel on the market, said: “The owner of the freehold owns other businesses on the Isle of Wight.
“This is a business decision. He wants to concentrate on his other businesses on the south coast of England. It is just time.”
The proposed sale of the Mount Sorrel comes a month after budget hotel chain Travelodge announced plans to open a hotel in Barry, the first for more than 50 years.
The chain is looking to open 55 new hotels for Britain’s traditional seaside holiday market by 2015, creating 1,000 new jobs.
The company said it was “actively seeking sites” to convert to a hotel in Barry.
Mr Hill said they had sent details of the Mount Sorrel to Travelodge which was looking into it.
Paul Haley, chairman of Pride in Barry, said: “This is a great opportunity for someone to set up in a prime hotel location in Barry.
“It might be an opportunity for Travelodge.
“I would like to see more than one hotel in Barry.
“With further investment into a marina development and the large Barry regeneration project moving forward, Barry is a very attractive proposition.”
Obama
The emotion on the floor of Mile High Stadium was like a tidal wave. When the Black Eyed Peas took the stage for a live version of Obama's "Yes We Can" speech set to music, including the great line "There is nothing false about hope,' followed by the recorded voice of MLK giving his "I Have a Dream" speech, I looked around to see two African American women in the Wisconsin delegation in tears.
"Our country should be proud of itself today. That's all I have to say," said Paulette Dorsey of Milwaukee.
Hope was more than a campaign slogan, as delegates hugged and celebrated.
In the Louisiana delegation, Elsie Burkhalter, a superdelegate from Slidell, who had just moved out of a FEMA trailer two weeks before the convention was so hopeful and optimistic, despite losing everything, it was moving.
Even as we spoke, another storm was closing in. "My community--I don't know how we could withstand another storm," she said. "There are so many people left in FEMA trailers."
Bukhalter was disgusted by the Bush Administration's mishandling of Katrina, yet somehow feeling positive about the future anyway.
As a history and government teacher, she said that after Katrina, "the first thing I thought was someone needs to give George Bush a history lesson on the Berlin Airlift. They could have gotten food and water to people."
"And they called us refugees! We're not refugees. We're evacuees. We give our sweat and blood to build these communities where we live. When they called us refugees, that was an insult."
But the Obama campaign has lifted her up. "His campaign inspires me and many of the young people I taught who are now adults." More than that, she is inspired by the tremendous youth energy she sees in both the campaign and in the rebuilding effort after Katrina. Burkhalter is the chair of the University of Louisiana system. "My students in eight universities volunteered in the rebuilding of the 9th Ward. They are out there and they are involved. They felt this urgent need to do community service."
""They did everything they could. Students and young people came from across the country to nail and paint and hang sheetrock."
Obama, she says, has tapped into that same positive energy.
"Young people will decide the election," said Burkhalter. "I think it's going to be a surprise to the nation how young people are going to unite. They're out there for Barack. I'm proud of them. They're our leaders. They're leading us."
As we finished talking Sheryl Crow was singing "I Can See Clearly Now," and the delegates' energy was tremendous. The lack of cynicism, and the feeling of possibility were contagious. Even the anchors up in the CBS sound stages were dancing, When Stevie Wonder came out and played "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" the Ohio delegation came to life. A cheer went up as the oldest member of the delegation, 85-year-old Ruby Gilliam started dancing in the aisle.
"What are you thinking right now?" I asked her.
"I'm thinking what a great time we're having and what a great time we're going to have," she replied, beaming. "This is my seventh convention and this is the greatest one. History is being made." Gilliam, the county chair of Carroll County in Ohio, was a HIllary delegate. "But I'm with Barack all the way," she said.
As hard as life can be for many Americans, and even many of the delegates here, having a big party, an outpouring of emotion and a celebration of hope, seemed like a great idea.
Still, after the uplift of the 2004 convention, where Obama and Edwards gave their great, hopeful speeches and the Democrats went on to lose the election, one hesitates to give way to emotion.
There were a few skeptics on the floor.
Al Gore came out to a thunderous ovation and gave what I thought was a very good speech.
But when he got to the part where he was comparing Obama to Abraham Lincoln--"known chiefly as a clear thinker and a great orator with a passion for justice," a young, African-American Georgia delegate sitting next to me groaned. "Oh, come on," she said. "He always talks too long! One bad election and he goes on and on--blah, blah, blah."
I was surprised, since I thought he was making a winning point. The delegate, it turned out, was demographer Bernita Smith, who worked on voter targeting for the Hillary campaign. She like Hillary, she said, because of all the candidates who came to the DNC's winter meeting in 2007, she was by far the smartest in the room.
"I look at it like, are we reaching the right groups we need to reach to win, and how do we get to that?" she said. She rode out to the convention all the way from Atlanta with a group of other Hillary delegates in an RV they called "the unity express."
The youth vote will probably be large for Obama, she said. But 'we have to swing back and get all those older people to embrace the campaign."
"We need to win. Right now we don't have time to be in a cult of personality. It's about the hard work. It's about stating our position and getting to people we haven't reached yet."
Most of all, Obama's task is to convert the white, working class voters who didn't chose him in the primary. I sat next to one such voter--a HIllary delegate from the industrial Miidwest, William Cobb, a machinist from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Cobb's story, which he told reluctantly, because, he explained, "I'm of a generation where you don't like to talk about these things," was the hard luck story the Democrats highlighted throughout the convention.
"For 25 years I had a good paying factory job with all the benefits," he said. "in 2004, days after the election, my job was eliminated. At that time I'm 60 years old. Nobody is going to hire a 60-year-old at a good paying job." Cobb had been delivering pizzas a few hours a week for some extra money. After he was laid off, he had to ask for more hours at Pizza Hut. "That plus my Social Security pays the bills," he said. Fortunately his house was paid off.
Cobb was for Hillary, who he felt was a real fighter and could win.
During Obama's speech he listened intently and softly concurred "Uh huh," "mmhm" "yes."
When Obama said that the "ownership society" the Republicans like to talk about really means "You're on your own," and then detailed how people are left on their own without health insurance, good jobs, and help pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, Cobb said, "That's me!"
The job Obama has in front of him is daunting. How does he convince a historically racist society, and one riven by economic insecurity, to elect him?
On the closing night of the convention he did exactly what the critics said he needed to do: laying out a specific platform that appeals to working class voters, and taking a few hard swipes at McCain along the way.
He paused over McCain adviser Phil Graham's comments about a "mental recession," and, especially, "a nation of whiners." "Tell that to the Michigan plant autoworkers . . . Tell it to the military families who watch their loved ones leave for a third, fourth, fifth tour. . . . These aren't whiners. They work hard and keep going, without complaint."
He connected his humble family background, the themes of hard work and middle class struggle, and the incompetent and unjust Republican program very effectively.
There was a lot of red meat and a few specific proposals to chew on.
He hit back on the Republican attacks. "I've got news for you John McCain. We all put our country first."
He took an important step.
"I think he nailed everything," said Cobb afterwards, as the country western music was playing.
That's what he needs to do.
"Our country should be proud of itself today. That's all I have to say," said Paulette Dorsey of Milwaukee.
Hope was more than a campaign slogan, as delegates hugged and celebrated.
In the Louisiana delegation, Elsie Burkhalter, a superdelegate from Slidell, who had just moved out of a FEMA trailer two weeks before the convention was so hopeful and optimistic, despite losing everything, it was moving.
Even as we spoke, another storm was closing in. "My community--I don't know how we could withstand another storm," she said. "There are so many people left in FEMA trailers."
Bukhalter was disgusted by the Bush Administration's mishandling of Katrina, yet somehow feeling positive about the future anyway.
As a history and government teacher, she said that after Katrina, "the first thing I thought was someone needs to give George Bush a history lesson on the Berlin Airlift. They could have gotten food and water to people."
"And they called us refugees! We're not refugees. We're evacuees. We give our sweat and blood to build these communities where we live. When they called us refugees, that was an insult."
But the Obama campaign has lifted her up. "His campaign inspires me and many of the young people I taught who are now adults." More than that, she is inspired by the tremendous youth energy she sees in both the campaign and in the rebuilding effort after Katrina. Burkhalter is the chair of the University of Louisiana system. "My students in eight universities volunteered in the rebuilding of the 9th Ward. They are out there and they are involved. They felt this urgent need to do community service."
""They did everything they could. Students and young people came from across the country to nail and paint and hang sheetrock."
Obama, she says, has tapped into that same positive energy.
"Young people will decide the election," said Burkhalter. "I think it's going to be a surprise to the nation how young people are going to unite. They're out there for Barack. I'm proud of them. They're our leaders. They're leading us."
As we finished talking Sheryl Crow was singing "I Can See Clearly Now," and the delegates' energy was tremendous. The lack of cynicism, and the feeling of possibility were contagious. Even the anchors up in the CBS sound stages were dancing, When Stevie Wonder came out and played "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" the Ohio delegation came to life. A cheer went up as the oldest member of the delegation, 85-year-old Ruby Gilliam started dancing in the aisle.
"What are you thinking right now?" I asked her.
"I'm thinking what a great time we're having and what a great time we're going to have," she replied, beaming. "This is my seventh convention and this is the greatest one. History is being made." Gilliam, the county chair of Carroll County in Ohio, was a HIllary delegate. "But I'm with Barack all the way," she said.
As hard as life can be for many Americans, and even many of the delegates here, having a big party, an outpouring of emotion and a celebration of hope, seemed like a great idea.
Still, after the uplift of the 2004 convention, where Obama and Edwards gave their great, hopeful speeches and the Democrats went on to lose the election, one hesitates to give way to emotion.
There were a few skeptics on the floor.
Al Gore came out to a thunderous ovation and gave what I thought was a very good speech.
But when he got to the part where he was comparing Obama to Abraham Lincoln--"known chiefly as a clear thinker and a great orator with a passion for justice," a young, African-American Georgia delegate sitting next to me groaned. "Oh, come on," she said. "He always talks too long! One bad election and he goes on and on--blah, blah, blah."
I was surprised, since I thought he was making a winning point. The delegate, it turned out, was demographer Bernita Smith, who worked on voter targeting for the Hillary campaign. She like Hillary, she said, because of all the candidates who came to the DNC's winter meeting in 2007, she was by far the smartest in the room.
"I look at it like, are we reaching the right groups we need to reach to win, and how do we get to that?" she said. She rode out to the convention all the way from Atlanta with a group of other Hillary delegates in an RV they called "the unity express."
The youth vote will probably be large for Obama, she said. But 'we have to swing back and get all those older people to embrace the campaign."
"We need to win. Right now we don't have time to be in a cult of personality. It's about the hard work. It's about stating our position and getting to people we haven't reached yet."
Most of all, Obama's task is to convert the white, working class voters who didn't chose him in the primary. I sat next to one such voter--a HIllary delegate from the industrial Miidwest, William Cobb, a machinist from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Cobb's story, which he told reluctantly, because, he explained, "I'm of a generation where you don't like to talk about these things," was the hard luck story the Democrats highlighted throughout the convention.
"For 25 years I had a good paying factory job with all the benefits," he said. "in 2004, days after the election, my job was eliminated. At that time I'm 60 years old. Nobody is going to hire a 60-year-old at a good paying job." Cobb had been delivering pizzas a few hours a week for some extra money. After he was laid off, he had to ask for more hours at Pizza Hut. "That plus my Social Security pays the bills," he said. Fortunately his house was paid off.
Cobb was for Hillary, who he felt was a real fighter and could win.
During Obama's speech he listened intently and softly concurred "Uh huh," "mmhm" "yes."
When Obama said that the "ownership society" the Republicans like to talk about really means "You're on your own," and then detailed how people are left on their own without health insurance, good jobs, and help pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, Cobb said, "That's me!"
The job Obama has in front of him is daunting. How does he convince a historically racist society, and one riven by economic insecurity, to elect him?
On the closing night of the convention he did exactly what the critics said he needed to do: laying out a specific platform that appeals to working class voters, and taking a few hard swipes at McCain along the way.
He paused over McCain adviser Phil Graham's comments about a "mental recession," and, especially, "a nation of whiners." "Tell that to the Michigan plant autoworkers . . . Tell it to the military families who watch their loved ones leave for a third, fourth, fifth tour. . . . These aren't whiners. They work hard and keep going, without complaint."
He connected his humble family background, the themes of hard work and middle class struggle, and the incompetent and unjust Republican program very effectively.
There was a lot of red meat and a few specific proposals to chew on.
He hit back on the Republican attacks. "I've got news for you John McCain. We all put our country first."
He took an important step.
"I think he nailed everything," said Cobb afterwards, as the country western music was playing.
That's what he needs to do.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Darpan Management
A new hotel concept that caters to business travelers and young travelers is joining the growing Port Columbus market.
A local hotelier has begun work on a Four Points by Sheraton near the airport. Starwood Hotels & Resorts International has freshened the brand to mimic other so-called focused-service hotels such as Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott.
Darpan Management plans to spend up to $12 million on the 110-room Four Points, said regional manager Dan Shah.
"We were really impressed by the culture they have created with Four Points," Shah said.
Four Points was a Sheraton brand before Starwood acquired that company in 1988.
Jamey Cua, a regional manager for Starwood, said the company introduced the new Four Points prototype in January at the American Lodging Investment Summit. About a dozen deals are in the pipeline, and the Columbus version will be one of the first.
"The Four Points is going to be a good product if they can get these prototypes out of the ground," said Eric Belfrage, vice president of CB Richard Ellis Hotel Group. "Sheraton has one of the best handles on the 'Gen-Y' traveler."
Darpan Management acquired the site in January for $1.3 million. The company's parent is VJP Hospitality, which consists of Shah's father, Victor Shah; Jay Patel; and Paul Patel. The company's other central Ohio properties include two Cross Country Inns, a Baymont Inn & Suites and a Wingate by Wyndham hotel.
Jeff Shah said the Four Points hotel, when completed in June, will include a lobby with a 15-foot ceiling. Rooms will have wireless Internet; 37-inch, flat-screen LCD televisions; and sliding bathroom doors.
One corporate touch is what Starwood calls the "Best Brews" program, in which two local microbrews will be featured. Shah said the company hasn't selected the beers to be poured at the Columbus hotel's bar.
Four Points also has something called the "Four Pies" program that ensures four variations of the dessert are continually featured at its restaurants.
Shah says the combination of modern and traditional amenities is designed to make business travelers feel at home and provide high-tech creature comforts for younger travelers.
The 19 hotels in the East Side and airport market that reported their mid-year statistics to Experience Columbus had an average occupancy rate of 65.5 percent, above the regional average of 61.9 percent. That inventory will grow this fall with the addition of the 185-room, full-service Embassy Suites at Airport Drive.
The Four Points, though, will compete in concept more with the Courtyard by Marriott at Easton, which has logged an impressive 83.8 percent occupancy rate this year through six months.
A local hotelier has begun work on a Four Points by Sheraton near the airport. Starwood Hotels & Resorts International has freshened the brand to mimic other so-called focused-service hotels such as Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott.
Darpan Management plans to spend up to $12 million on the 110-room Four Points, said regional manager Dan Shah.
"We were really impressed by the culture they have created with Four Points," Shah said.
Four Points was a Sheraton brand before Starwood acquired that company in 1988.
Jamey Cua, a regional manager for Starwood, said the company introduced the new Four Points prototype in January at the American Lodging Investment Summit. About a dozen deals are in the pipeline, and the Columbus version will be one of the first.
"The Four Points is going to be a good product if they can get these prototypes out of the ground," said Eric Belfrage, vice president of CB Richard Ellis Hotel Group. "Sheraton has one of the best handles on the 'Gen-Y' traveler."
Darpan Management acquired the site in January for $1.3 million. The company's parent is VJP Hospitality, which consists of Shah's father, Victor Shah; Jay Patel; and Paul Patel. The company's other central Ohio properties include two Cross Country Inns, a Baymont Inn & Suites and a Wingate by Wyndham hotel.
Jeff Shah said the Four Points hotel, when completed in June, will include a lobby with a 15-foot ceiling. Rooms will have wireless Internet; 37-inch, flat-screen LCD televisions; and sliding bathroom doors.
One corporate touch is what Starwood calls the "Best Brews" program, in which two local microbrews will be featured. Shah said the company hasn't selected the beers to be poured at the Columbus hotel's bar.
Four Points also has something called the "Four Pies" program that ensures four variations of the dessert are continually featured at its restaurants.
Shah says the combination of modern and traditional amenities is designed to make business travelers feel at home and provide high-tech creature comforts for younger travelers.
The 19 hotels in the East Side and airport market that reported their mid-year statistics to Experience Columbus had an average occupancy rate of 65.5 percent, above the regional average of 61.9 percent. That inventory will grow this fall with the addition of the 185-room, full-service Embassy Suites at Airport Drive.
The Four Points, though, will compete in concept more with the Courtyard by Marriott at Easton, which has logged an impressive 83.8 percent occupancy rate this year through six months.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Robots
At a mall in Osaka, Japan, lost shoppers can get directions from a robot that looks like something out of “The Jetsons.” In hospitals across the US, disc-shaped robots deliver bed linens and meals to rooms. In some homes, robots are already doing a range of chores, such as vacuuming rooms and cleaning gutters. At least one company is working on a robot that works on a farm.
As a growing number of robots become capable of working alongside humans, the service industry may face a pattern all too familiar in the manufacturing sector: robots replacing humans in jobs.
“The service sector, which is a gigantic part of the employment landscape in the United States, is inevitably going to be a place where you can replace millions of people with robots that work 24/7 for less money,” says futurist Marshall Brain.
While it will take a decade or more for droids, such as “Robovie,” the mobile MapQuest in Osaka, to become pervasive in everyday life, the robotics industry is primed to begin producing robots that could eventually take the place of tour guides and bellhops.
The first robots to make a serious impact on the staffing in the service industry will probably carry out low-level tasks, experts say, allowing people to focus on chores that require higher levels of intelligence.
For now, automatons such as Robovie that use cameras and sensors to “understand” human emotions are more the exception than the rule.
“Dealing with humans is a very complex task. It takes us as humans many years to grow up and learn all the social etiquette and cues,” says Joel Burdick, a professor of mechanical engineering who specializes in robotics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. It will take time to perfect robots capable of understanding human emotions well enough to please people in service roles, says Dr. Burdick.
And, though he expects that robots will have a substantial impact on the service industry, he says that in some cases humans will simply always want to interact with other humans.
But robots have already started their march into the service industry. Though they might not look like robots, automated checkout lines at grocery stores or touch-screen check-in kiosks at airports are the tip of the service industry’s robotic revolution.
Already at the hospital
Autonomous mobile robots are starting to appear, as well. In more than 100 hospitals across the US, nurses receive help from robotic “tugs” that tow carts that deliver everything from meals to linens.
Once loaded and given a destination, they can drive through crowded hallways, steering around obstacles and stopping if someone unexpectedly steps in front. If it reaches an impasse, such as a wayward gurney, it automatically calls a help desk, where a technician steers around the obstruction or calls the hospital to ask someone to move the roadblock.
Like many robotics companies, Aethon, the Pittsburgh-based robotics company that makes the tug, has targeted an industry riddled by staffing shortages. Instead of eliminating jobs, tugs alleviate strain on nurses and clinicians already spread thin, says Aldo Zini, president and CEO of Aethon.
“If I’m an administrator of a hospital, the last thing I want my nurses to do [is] push a cart down the hall or pick up [dirty dishes] or go downstairs to fetch a chart. I want those clinicians doing what they’re trained to do, and that’s providing patient care,” says Mr. Zini.
Other companies hope to automate farm equipment to help with agricultural labor shortages, which some analysts say may worsen if immigration constraints tighten.
Still, it’s only a matter of time before droids like the tug enter job markets where they will be competing directly with humans. At least one major hotel chain has contacted Aethon to inquire about using the tug for room service. Though the Pittsburgh company has elected to focus on hospitals for now, hotel owners could conceivably hire a call center in India to handle all room service orders and e-mail them to the kitchen staff, who would then load them onto a tug for delivery.
“If I were in the service industry, I wouldn’t worry about losing my job tomorrow because of robotics,” says Burdick. “But certainly, if I were at the low end of the service industry, I would be worried about, over time, could my job either be outsourced to India or China or replaced by more autonomy, whether it’s a physical robot or a complex computer software system.”
Though millions of jobs in the service sector are at stake, experts say the change should come gradually enough to create a natural shift in the workforce.
New lines of work
In many ways, introducing robots in the service industry might be comparable to the time when personal computers entered the office space, eliminating many basic bookkeeping and accounting jobs, says John Wen, a director of the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.
“A lot of people that we needed 20 years ago are no longer needed,” says Dr. Wen. “However, [the personal computer] has spawned another huge industry – and I see robots doing exactly the same thing.”
Wen believes that, while designing robots from scratch will always require an advanced degree, eventually programming preexisting robots could become as easy as designing a webpage, making it possible for people with a high school degree to work with robots.
“It’s easy to say, ‘The robots are taking over,’ ” says Julian Alssid, executive director of Workforce Strategy Center, a nonprofit organization in New York that works to create a globally competitive workforce in the US. “But it’s all just so much more about an evolution.”
Boeing
One small concession and three "deal breakers."
That's the Machinists union's tally after it reviewed Boeing's initial offer for a new contract Friday.
Boeing dropped a proposal to separate Machinists in Wichita into a distinct bargaining unit.
However, the offer also contained what International Association of Machinists (IAM) national aerospace coordinator Mark Blondin referred to as "deal breakers":
• Allowing Boeing to outsource building-maintenance work, provided the union is given 90 days to bid for the work against outside contractors;
• Eliminating early-retiree medical benefits for workers hired as of 2010;
• Replacing the traditional basic pension with a 401(k)-style plan for workers hired as of 2009.
The union had asked Boeing in a meeting Thursday night at the SeaTac Doubletree Hotel to change a clause in the current contract imposed by the company in 2002 that allows outsourcing of parts delivery inside the factory. Instead of doing that, Boeing expanded the potential for outsourcing with the building-maintenance provision proposed Friday.
"They want to bring in suppliers to do virtually any job here," Blondin said, citing electricians, plumbers, maintenance mechanics and heating technicians. The language proposed, he said, "would put thousands of facilities-maintenance jobs at risk."
Boeing spokesman Tim Healy said an initial offer is just a starting point, implying that the terms can only improve for the Machinists over the next week.
"This is the first full day of negotiations," Healy said. "We are going to be negotiating until we drop the final offer."
On the economic side, the pay raises are significantly boosted by the addition of a productivity-incentive plan.
If targets are met, the incentive plan would add two weeks base pay per year, or just shy of 4 percent of annual pay. (It could pay out up to twice that much if targets are exceeded, or pay nothing if the targets are completely missed.)
Boeing said the wage increase, lump sum and incentive-plan payments would add about $8,000 each year of the contract for a typical machinist.
The highlights of the initial Boeing offer:
• Pay raises totaling 6.5 percent, paid in three installments over the three-year duration of the contract.
• Retention of the current cost-of-living adjustment formula, which Boeing estimates will add a further 3 percent pay increase over the three years.
• A single lump-sum payment after contract ratification of $2,500.
• A new incentive plan that will pay out up to 20 days extra pay annually, depending on performance as measured by company profits, quality of work and days lost due to injury. Assuming an average incentive payout of 10 days pay in a year, that would add about $2,000 to the average machinist's annual base pay of about $56,000.
• Pension increased to $75 a month for each year of credited service, a 7.1 percent increase from the current $70 figure. This basic pension is in addition to a 401(k) plan where the company adds 50 cents on the dollar up to 8 percent of salary.
• Improved health-care benefits, but with higher premiums in two of the health plans offered. One Boeing health-care plan has zero cost to employees. Of the two plans for which employees must pay, the company offer would double the monthly premiums in one and raise them 28 percent in the other.
For one Everett machinist, Joe Albanese, the incentive plan made the pay side of the package at least close to adequate, if not generous. But Albanese said the whole package becomes totally unacceptable with the take-aways from future hires.
"They want to divide us from anyone hired after 2009," Albanese said. "If they don't pull that pension proposal off the table, we're striking."
Albanese said the 6.5 percent wage increase is initial posturing by the company, and he expects Boeing to raise it during talks in the week ahead. He also said the incentive-plan terms need to be nailed down so that the union can see that the company won't manipulate the targets that trigger payments.
But given those assumptions, he said, "the money there isn't bad."
Albanese, 44, who delivers parts to the assembly lines in Everett and has 14 years with the company, said he's ready to strike over the three deal-breaker issues.
On the other hand, he said that if the company removes the two proposals for future hires and also pulls out any provision that allows Boeing to outsource parts delivery or building maintenance, then "the contract will have a good chance of flying."
Tom Wroblewski, president of IAM District 751, who leads the union side along with Blondin, was less amenable. He said he doubts the talks can end by noon next Friday.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Settles Hotel
With the 78-year-old Settles Hotel looming east across Runnels Street, Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday that two Big Spring natives’ $20 million plan to restore the building represents more than economic development or downtown revitalization.
He addressed some 200 people in an air conditioned tent and then took up a golden shovel for the groundbreaking with brothers G. Brint and Kris Ryan, state Sens. Kel Seliger and Troy Fraser, state Rep. Joe Heflin, former state Comptroller John Sharp, Mayor Russ McEwen and others.
“I’ve been coming to Big Spring since 1957, when my uncle Gene farmed at Lomax,” said Perry during a news conference outside in intense 90-plus degree heat.
“I chose Webb Air Force Base for my pilot training in 1972 because it was 80 miles from Paint Creek. Grand old buildings like this have an extraordinary story to tell, but this is not just about a building.
“It’s about good neighbors who go out and strip somebody’s cotton when they have something go rough and tough in their life. It’s a reflection of our spirit of individualism as Texans and a celebration of family and friends.”Perry said the 15-story hotel, built in 1930 for $500,000 by W.R. Settles, has long been one of his memories. “Coming out of Paint Creek (north of Abilene in Haskell County), I thought this was the biggest building in Texas,” he said, drawing chuckles from the tightly packed crowd.
“Bringing The Settles back into the glorious shape it was in in the 1930s and ’40s is going to be a great asset.”
G. Brint Ryan heads a national tax services company in Dallas while his brother is general manager of the hotel at Third Street and Runnels, where it will be transformed into a golden tower in 19 months. A banner behind the podium held a depiction by Dallas architect Norman Alston.
Ralph and Billye McLaughlin of Big Spring, who had their wedding reception at The Settles on Aug. 29, 1948, laughed when asked if they had country music. “Oh, no, we had ’40s music with a local big band,” McLaughlin said.
“It was grand — the finest place in town!”
“This can’t do anything but help,” his wife said.
Big Spring Correctional Center Senior Warden David Justice said the project will be the centerpiece of downtown redevelopment. “It will give us an opportunity to open up more businesses and bring more people downtown,” he said.
Rebecca Moughon, director of the Howard College Child Development Center, said the event was memorable. “I have looked at this building all the years I’ve been here and I’m so excited it will be refurbished,” she said.
“It will generate new jobs and do something for the attitude and morale of the community to see this building restored.”
McEwen thanked hotel maintenance man Tommy Churchwell for work that he said will make the task easier.
He addressed some 200 people in an air conditioned tent and then took up a golden shovel for the groundbreaking with brothers G. Brint and Kris Ryan, state Sens. Kel Seliger and Troy Fraser, state Rep. Joe Heflin, former state Comptroller John Sharp, Mayor Russ McEwen and others.
“I’ve been coming to Big Spring since 1957, when my uncle Gene farmed at Lomax,” said Perry during a news conference outside in intense 90-plus degree heat.
“I chose Webb Air Force Base for my pilot training in 1972 because it was 80 miles from Paint Creek. Grand old buildings like this have an extraordinary story to tell, but this is not just about a building.
“It’s about good neighbors who go out and strip somebody’s cotton when they have something go rough and tough in their life. It’s a reflection of our spirit of individualism as Texans and a celebration of family and friends.”Perry said the 15-story hotel, built in 1930 for $500,000 by W.R. Settles, has long been one of his memories. “Coming out of Paint Creek (north of Abilene in Haskell County), I thought this was the biggest building in Texas,” he said, drawing chuckles from the tightly packed crowd.
“Bringing The Settles back into the glorious shape it was in in the 1930s and ’40s is going to be a great asset.”
G. Brint Ryan heads a national tax services company in Dallas while his brother is general manager of the hotel at Third Street and Runnels, where it will be transformed into a golden tower in 19 months. A banner behind the podium held a depiction by Dallas architect Norman Alston.
Ralph and Billye McLaughlin of Big Spring, who had their wedding reception at The Settles on Aug. 29, 1948, laughed when asked if they had country music. “Oh, no, we had ’40s music with a local big band,” McLaughlin said.
“It was grand — the finest place in town!”
“This can’t do anything but help,” his wife said.
Big Spring Correctional Center Senior Warden David Justice said the project will be the centerpiece of downtown redevelopment. “It will give us an opportunity to open up more businesses and bring more people downtown,” he said.
Rebecca Moughon, director of the Howard College Child Development Center, said the event was memorable. “I have looked at this building all the years I’ve been here and I’m so excited it will be refurbished,” she said.
“It will generate new jobs and do something for the attitude and morale of the community to see this building restored.”
McEwen thanked hotel maintenance man Tommy Churchwell for work that he said will make the task easier.
Major investments
Ohio Sen. Jason Wilson wants to hear how local residents and community leaders believe they can utilize state funds to create jobs and revitalize the region.
Gov. Ted Strickland's Bipartisan Job Stimulus package took center stage when Wilson, D-Columbiana, spoke to a roomful of residents Wednesday at the Harrison County Courthouse.
The economic package makes major investments in work force, infrastructure and new and emerging industries that will spur job creation throughout the state.
Wilson highlighted areas of $1.56 billion package, stressing the importance it will play in the success of the county and surrounding areas.
Wilson said the proposal's investments of $1.57 billion will be funded through a combination of bond sales, existing revenue and other sources.
"It's the governor's goal to turn around Ohio's economic situation," Wilson said. "But that's like turning around a battleship."
About $920 million in the package will go to infrastructure. Of that amount, $400 million will support the Clean Ohio Fund. Another $120 million will be earmarked for the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, and an additional $400 million goes to the Public Works Commission to be used for improving roads, water and broadband systems.
The biomedical and logistics fields will get $400 million of the total package, while $250 million will be used for educating the state's work force.
Wilson said the package would provide funding to create about 50,000 jobs and allow the district to become more competitive in the work force.
"Ohio needs every job it can get," Wilson said. "Harrison County needs every single job opportunity it can get. We all know that."
According to Wilson, the tax credit money could open up investments in historic structures and spur development of historic districts in area communities.
He said investors and homeowners could benefit by determining if their homes are eligible to obtain the tax credits.
He also suggested using the preservation department at Belmont Technical College for restoration of such homes.
Additionally, Wilson said the Ohio Public Works funding is now accessible for local communities because the state is divided into 11 areas for the program.
Each district could obtain nearly $40 million, and that means local communities could earn up to $5 million for projects for water, sewage and roads.
"Harrison County communities won't be competing against Columbus, Cleveland or Cincinnati for this money," Wilson said. "You will compete against Zanesville, Coshocton, Dover, Lisbon or Steubenville. They are a lot less intimidating than Columbus."
Wilson said including coal in the advanced energy portion of the agreement took "quite an effort," and he was proud that those supporting this form of energy prevailed.
"Coal is producing 88 percent of electricity in Ohio and 56 percent in the entire country," he said. "Wind and solar are great, but they won't replace coal."
Eastern Ohio's strong agricultural background is also an area that local leaders need to explore, according to Wilson.
"Most people forget where their breakfast comes from," Wilson said. "Agricultural is probably the largest industry in eastern Ohio."
He said advancements in agricultural such as using cellulosic, or sugar, ethanol derived from switch grass could be an economic boon for the area.
The proposed ethanol plant just south of Cadiz could easily be using switch grass instead of corn to produce the ethanol product.
In addition, he believes Ohio could produce latex by raising and harvesting Russian dandelions. Latex is currently only manufactured in Malaysia.
He said local lands which have been strip-mined would be perfect for raising the dandelions used to produce latex.
Wilson fielded questions from attendees on topics ranging from funding for action at the former Custer Hotel in Cadiz to the eligibility of local townships for obtaining funds; seeking financial support from the historic preservation funds for the county home; and providing an area for researching the plight of the honeybee.
Wilson also encouraged local leaders to work with other leaders, including those in neighboring counties.
"This package is a golden opportunity for all of us," he said. "I'm willing to go out and ask the questions. You need to provide me with your ideas. The time frame is now."
Treasure Coast
The Workforce Development Board of the Treasure Coast recently matched local job applicants with 230 new job positions in Indian River County.
“This success is the result of the board working with new employers coming into the area to fill positions that range from entry-level to management before they even open their doors,” said Workforce Development Board President Gwenda Thompson.
The new TA Travel Center in Vero Beach recruited 55 employees for the Subway and Popeye’s stores. Marshall’s and Home Goods stores, which recently opened, filled 110 job positions. Additionally, Benchmark Hospitality hired 65 employees from valets to a human resource manager for Costa D’Este, the newest luxury oceanfront hotel in Vero Beach, owned by Gloria Estefan.
The Workforce Development Board will conduct a job fair in October to recruit 40 to 50 new employees for Coral Hospitality to fill positions for the Vero Beach Hotel and Club.
The Workforce Development Board of the Treasure Coast coordinates workforce solutions for Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Ramada Encore hotel opens
FIFTY jobs will be created in Crewe when the Ramada Encore hotel opens.
The 112-bedroom hotel on Electra Way, Crewe Business Park, launches on October 13.
Andrew Pyle, operations director of New World Hotels, said: “We are extremely excited about opening a new hotel in such a vibrant area as Crewe. We have received a lot of positive feedback from local businesses.
“The Encore concept is simple, fresh, stylish, vibrant and upbeat and has a broad appeal.
“The hotel offers comfortable, contemporary accommodation, innovative design and modern amenities.”
The Ramada Encore will also feature seven meeting rooms and events and banqueting suites.
new four-star hotel
A TOUCH of class will be coming to Neath this autumn when the town’s new four-star hotel opens its doors.
The luxury 23-bedroom Blue Bell Hotel is due to open in September on the site of the old Bluebell Inn on the Parade.
The £3million development has been coordinated by the Centre Great Ltd, who claim the hotel will create up to 23 jobs.
Funding for the project has come from Centre Great, Neath Port Talbot Council and an Objective One grant.
The initial proposals were drawn up in consultation with the Wales Tourist Board and Cadw to ensure the design is in keeping with the surrounding area.
The hotel will have a Welsh theme with a lounge bar and an 80-seat restaurant, staffed by a team of top local chefs.
Council leader Derek Vaughan said: “The council has pledged to improve the quality of the local environment and to regenerate Neath town centre.
“This new hotel is part of these plans. All our plans for the town centre are aimed at making Neath an even better place for traders, visitors and residents.”
Jobs Careers
With the summer holiday season nearly over its a good time to look for a new start - come along to Jobs & Careers Heathrow and find yourself a new career.
Jobs & Careers Heathrow at the Thistle Hotel, Heathrow on Wednesday and Thursday, September 17 and 18, will have lots of employers waiting to meet you and help you find a job. As well as meeting the recruiters you can take advantage of the free expert advice on how to get that next job, improve your skills or write your CV.
This event is presented by Hounslow Informer, Staines Informer & Skyport and sponsored by the London Boroughs of Hounslow and Hillingdon.
Getting there couldnt be easier and there are free buses running regularly from Hayes Mainline Train Station and Hounslow West Tube Station - just look for the signs in the windows.
There will be over 40 companies and organisaations at the event, including the the two borough councils, London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police, Office Angels, Gate Gourmet, VOSA, BSM, Caviar House, G4S and Serco.
And dont worry about interview nerves you can just come along for a chat. With vacancies waiting to be filled Jobs & Careers is the ideal opportunity for anyone looking for a change. Advice clinics at the event will also help you with coaching on everything from CV writing skills to starting up a new business.
Cllr Peter Thompson, leader of Hounslow Council, said: This event helps employers meet local people with the skills, talents and enthusiasm to join them.
He added: There will also be valuable advice from teams of experts who can help people find out how to train for new skills, write a perfect CV or even set up their own business.
Jobs & Careers Heathrow is returning for its 12th year and has helped thousands of people get new jobs and expert advice.
It's a free event and anyone in the job market is welcome to come along. The doors open at 11am on the Wednesday until 6pm and 10.30am on the Thursday, until 3pm. To find out more visit www.jobsandcareersevents.co.uk and register your interest today.
Jobs & Careers Heathrow at the Thistle Hotel, Heathrow on Wednesday and Thursday, September 17 and 18, will have lots of employers waiting to meet you and help you find a job. As well as meeting the recruiters you can take advantage of the free expert advice on how to get that next job, improve your skills or write your CV.
This event is presented by Hounslow Informer, Staines Informer & Skyport and sponsored by the London Boroughs of Hounslow and Hillingdon.
Getting there couldnt be easier and there are free buses running regularly from Hayes Mainline Train Station and Hounslow West Tube Station - just look for the signs in the windows.
There will be over 40 companies and organisaations at the event, including the the two borough councils, London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police, Office Angels, Gate Gourmet, VOSA, BSM, Caviar House, G4S and Serco.
And dont worry about interview nerves you can just come along for a chat. With vacancies waiting to be filled Jobs & Careers is the ideal opportunity for anyone looking for a change. Advice clinics at the event will also help you with coaching on everything from CV writing skills to starting up a new business.
Cllr Peter Thompson, leader of Hounslow Council, said: This event helps employers meet local people with the skills, talents and enthusiasm to join them.
He added: There will also be valuable advice from teams of experts who can help people find out how to train for new skills, write a perfect CV or even set up their own business.
Jobs & Careers Heathrow is returning for its 12th year and has helped thousands of people get new jobs and expert advice.
It's a free event and anyone in the job market is welcome to come along. The doors open at 11am on the Wednesday until 6pm and 10.30am on the Thursday, until 3pm. To find out more visit www.jobsandcareersevents.co.uk and register your interest today.
The Ashdown Park Hotel
WEXFORD County Council has granted planning permission for the first phase of a major new business and technology park on the outskirts of Gorey town.
Local developers Tom and Pat Redmond had applied for the €50 million development at Ballyloughan at the beginning of June. The permission granted includes wholesale units, a builders merchants, an office building and light industrial units.
A further application has since been made for further development at the site. It is hoped that the park will provide a much needed jobs boost to the local area, and will help attract new industry to invest in the town.
This is the first phase of the proposed development, and will sit on just ten acres of the fifty acre site, which fronts onto the Gorey bypass.
The goahead was given for 18 wholesale units, totalling approx 4,836 sq.m. (twelve measuring 250 sq.m. and six measuring 306 sq.m. incorporating 56 sq.m. mezzanine); a builders merchants measuring approx 3,130 sq.m.; a three storey office building measuring approx 1,233 sq.m.; and 6 light industrial units totalling approx 3,070 sq.m. (two measuring 501 sq.m. and four measuring 517 sq.m.; as well as 331 carparking spaces, and internal access roads.
Permission was also granted to make alterations to the previously approved two vehicular entrances, and to construct a new third vehicular entrance, and to make alterations to the previously approved fully serviced access road.
The Redmond brothers said in June that they hoped to start work on site once it was possible to do so.
The Craanford builders have built up a fine reputation in the construction industry, and have been responsible for the building of two successful hotels in Gorey: The Ashdown Park Hotel and the Amber Springs Hotel, as well as other housing and commercial developments.
The plans were shown to a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Trade and Employment when it visited the town recently, and those present appeared to be impressed with the proposals for job creation. Mayor Bernard Crosbie welcomed the news that permission had been granted for the first phase of the development.
‘Hopefully it will lead to sustainable jobs for the town,’ he said. ‘I want to congratulate the Redmond brothers on their achievements for the town, including their hotels and other buildings. This is a new area for them and I wish them well.’
Hebron offshore oil project
Premier Danny Williams played to Newfoundland nationalism Wednesday as he signed a final agreement to develop the Hebron offshore oil project, a deal that could provide $20 billion in royalties and 3,500 jobs for the province's residents.
The outspoken premier stressed that the province's decision to secure a 4.9 per cent ownership stake in the multibillion-dollar project represents an historic "breakthrough" for a small province that had given away too much its natural resources in the past.
"Never before in the history of our energy industry have we taken the bold steps that we are taking today," Williams said of the province's fourth development on the Grand Banks, led by a consortium that includes ExxonMobil (NYSE:XON), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Petro-Canada (TSX:PCA) and Norsk Hydro.
"We, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, are stepping forward and proudly taking our place as full partners and active participants in energy resource development."
Construction on a giant concrete base for the well is likely to begin in three to four years, and first oil could be pumped by 2017, he said.
The premier said that, assuming an average oil price at $87 per barrel, the royalty take for the province will be roughly double that of the smaller Terra Nova and White Rose offshore oilfields, which are expected to bring in a combined $10 billion over their lifespans.
The cost of a barrel of light, sweet crude closed at US$114.98 on Wednesday.
Williams acknowledged the deal means the province must pay for "its share" of a project that will cost between $5 billion and $7 billion to build.
Earlier in the day, government officials told a technical briefing that rising prices for steel could increase the cost of construction, but Williams brushed aside such concerns, saying the potential benefits far outweighed the costs.
He also said the flow of revenue from the four projects will mean Newfoundland and Labrador is "soon to become a 'have' province," contributing to the coffers of other, larger provinces.
However, the premier's most common theme was that the ownership stake makes the province an industry partner with access to the inner workings of the Calgary-based oil industry.
The Liberal Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador, along with some industry analysts, have been critical of that claim, suggesting the premier is overstating the province's influence and downplaying the financial risks.
Ian Doig, a Calgary-based industry analyst, recalled that construction of the $5-billion Hibernia oil platform by a consortium of Canadian firms was $1 billion over budget and a year behind schedule by the time it started producing in 1997.
He noted that if there are cost overruns with Hebron, the province will have to shoulder its share of the costs.
"Whether they paid too high a price to get into this project remains to be seen," he said.
As well, the province won't have a veto on the consortium's decisions and will be last in line for insider information, he said.
"The coffee is cold and the donuts are stale by the time information gets down to the end of the table," he said.
Ed Martin, president of the province's energy corporation, noted that the concrete base for the huge Hebron rig - called the gravity based structure - will be built at the Bull Arm fabrication facility in eastern Newfoundland. The Hibernia platform, the province's first offshore project, was built there in the late 1990s.
However, there is a clause in the deal that states three other sections of the new offshore rig can be built outside the province if there are not enough skilled workers to do the job.
Asked if the province's local industry is getting its fair share of the work, Williams said the shipyards and fabrication facilities in the province can only handle so much, given labour shortages.
"This is hardly a giveaway," he said. "You can't work above 100 per cent capacity."
Yvonne Jones, interim Liberal leader, said a large part of the production platform - known as the utilities and production module - is going to international tender.
"This is a significant piece of work that could create millions of person hours of employment," she said.
The oilfield is 310 kilometres southeast of St. John's, and is thought to contain up to 700 million barrels of oil.
Once production ramps up, Hebron is expected to produce up to 200,000 barrels of heavy oil per day.
Despite the good news Wednesday, the Hebron project had been shelved twice since the oilfield was discovered in 1981 - only three years after Hibernia was discovered.
In 2002, the project was put on hold by Chevron because of low oil prices and the challenges of extracting Hebron's heavy oil.
As oil prices rose, there was renewed interest in the project. But those plans were set aside in 2006 as Williams pushed for more benefits.
His demands initially drew fierce criticism from the oilpatch and others who accused him of gambling with the province's future.
But the oil consortium and Williams eventually agreed to compromise on some points and a tentative deal, which included the 4.9 per cent equity stake, was announced last Aug 22.
Also last year, Williams announced Newfoundland would seek a 10 per cent ownership stake in all future oil and gas projects after he secured five per cent of the expanded White Rose project.
Some facts the Hebron offshore oil project:
What it is: The fourth major offshore oil deposit off the coast of Newfoundland after Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose.
Cost: About $7 billion to develop.
Output: Oil production expected to start in 2017 and will produce up to 200,000 barrels of heavy oil per day.
Jobs: 3,500 construction jobs from the project.
Location: about 350 kilometres off the Newfoundland coast.
Partners: ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), Chevron Resources (NYSE:CVX), Petro-Canada (TSX:PCA) Norsk Hydro and the Newfoundland government.
Government stake: Newfoundland paid $110 million for its 4.9 per cent equity share in the development and will pay its share of project costs.
Royalties: Newfoundland expects to gain $20 billion in royalties over project life. Ottawa and other provinces are expected to receive more than $8 billion in revenues from the project.
Quote: "With Hebron we are launching a new era of energy projects in which we, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, are stepping forward and proudly taking our place as full partners and active participants in energy resource development." - Premier Danny Williams at a news conference in St. John's.
Some of what was said Wednesday about the Hebron offshore oil project:
-"With Hebron we are launching a new era of energy projects in which we, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, are stepping forward and proudly taking our place as full partners and active participants in energy resource development." - Premier Danny Williams at a news conference at a hotel in downtown St. John's.
-"The Hebron project is key to our Canada growth strategy and is one of many projects in our global portfolio that will allow us to grow our reserves and production. Moreover, Chevron Canada is also pursuing long-term growth through the development of legacy assets in the Alberta oil sands and northern Canada." - Mark Nelson, president of Calgary-based Chevron Canada, the project's operator.
- "Chevron's participation in the Hebron Project gives our company a strategic platform for growth on the East Coast of Canada, where we are exploring for impact-sized resources in the Orphan Basin and have a major financial interest in the Hibernia offshore oil project." - James Bates, vice-president of asset development at Chevron Canada and the company's lead negotiator on the project.
-"We are soon to become a 'have' province, and finally Newfoundland and Labrador is being recognized for the long-standing contributions we have made to the Canadian federation. These contributions will continue and expand as the Hebron project comes on stream." - Williams.
Ridpath Hotel has closed
Spokane's historic Ridpath Hotel has closed for at least four months.
The managing owner, Douglas Da Silva of Las Vegas, says the 200-room hotel could be revamped and reopen for New Year's Eve as a Clarion Suites franchise.
Da Silva bought the hotel in 2006 and had it for sale last winter for $8.5 million. More than 15 employees lost their jobs Monday when the hotel closed.
The Ridpath opened in 1900 and became a Spokane landmark with the big letters spelling out Ridpath on top of the 13-story building.
Unemployment
The Grand Strand and Williamsburg County will see slower economic activity for the rest of 2008 compared with the same period last year, but experts predict a rebound as early as spring.
Coastal Carolina University research economist Don Schunk gave a detailed forecast for various sectors Wednesday during a meeting of the Grand Strand Economic Outlook Board.
Here are more details about what to expect:
HOUSING
Single-family and multifamily building permits issued saw the biggest year-over-year declines this spring (March through May) of all economic indicators, and it will likely be early 2009 before they rebound, Schunk said.
There were 704 permits issued for single-family homes in the spring, down from 1,260 last spring. Schunk expected that number crept up to 784 in the summer (June through August) and predicted it will hit 732 this fall (September through November).
Builders have slowed construction because there's already an oversupply of inventory on the market, Schunk said. Construction will only pick back up once the number of home sales do.
"The population growth is still there, there's just so much already out there," he said.
He's heard from Realtors that sales and traffic have picked up recently, especially in the under-$200,000 range.
Those sales increases have not shown up in monthly statistics from the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors, in which the number of sales peaked at 339 for single-family houses in June.
But it can take up to 60 days for a sale to show up in the data once a contract has been signed, said market analyst Tom Maeser.
He also expects a housing market turnaround in 2009, once buyer confidence rebounds and the presidential election is over.
"The election plays a horrendous role. Both parties are trying to make everyone believe the economy is in the tank so they'll vote for them," Maeser said.
"Our biggest problem is attitudinal. Once that changes and people start having confidence in their buying decisions again, I think the comeback will happen pretty fast," he said.
TOURISM
Tourism and visitor spending is expected to stay sluggish this year in part because of expensive gas during peak vacation season.
The number of people traveling to the Myrtle Beach area has been relatively flat, said Gary Loftus, director of Coastal Carolina University's Center for Economic and Community Development. They're staying fewer days and spending less to make up for the money they're shelling out at the pump.
"The bad news is occupancy is down. The good news is it's not down as much as the rest of the nation," Loftus said.
Occupancy rates were down to 52.4 percent in the spring, compared with 55.9 percent last spring, and are expected to have peaked at about 77.2 percent in the summer, 2 percentage points lower than last summer. Final statistics for the summer aren't yet in.
By comparison, U.S. hotel occupancy fell 4.5 percent for the week ending Aug. 16 to 68.7 percent, according to Smith Travel Research.
An increase in the number of available hotel rooms on the Grand Strand has also contributed to a lower occupancy rate, Loftus said.
As hoteliers compete for customers, the average daily room rate has dropped from $99.10 during spring 2007 to $97 this spring and is expected to average $143.20 this summer compared with $146.60 last summer.
Accommodations and admissions taxes the state collects have been relatively steady. The accommodations tax, charged on overnight lodgings, is expected to be down $100,000 from last year during the spring and fall. The admissions tax collected on area entertainment is expected to be up $100,000 this summer.
Though families might be nixing a meal at a restaurant or a shopping spree, amusement parks seem to be among the last to be cut from families' budgets when they're on vacation, Schunk said.
"We've seen anecdotal evidence that a lot of these places are seeing pretty good years," Schunk said.
RETAIL
Retail sales were down more than Schunk expected in the spring, but summer numbers could show an uptick because of the government stimulus checks that went out in May.
Sales were down this spring 9.1 percent in Horry County and 9.7 percent in Georgetown County compared with last spring.
Those declines were expected to soften in the summer months as people cashed in their rebate checks.
Myrtle Beach Mall, formerly Colonial Mall-Myrtle Beach, said it was a slow spring but things picked up as people spent their rebate checks and especially now as people are doing their back-to-school shopping.
"We have, this past July, seen a rebound, and in August we've had a few really solid days that really helped us meet some of the numbers for August," said the mall's marketing director, Matt Morris.
Still, many people are tucking that extra money away or paying down debt - which is perhaps not a good thing for area retailers but good for household budgets in the long run.
"Consumers look like they're slowly starting to pay off some of that debt they built up," Schunk said.
JOBS
Employment this year has risen from last year's levels, and it's expected to continue to top 2007 through the fall quarter.
There were 167,600 jobs in the region during the spring, about 2,000 more than the same period last year, Schunk's data show. He expects the summer and fall quarters to show 2,000 to 2,600 more jobs than last year.
Many of those new jobs, however, are not high-paying ones.
"In Horry County, jobs are growing pretty well actually, but if you look at the sectors that job growth is in, it's in food service," Schunk said.
There have been job losses here, too, but they haven't been nearly as bad as in regions such as the Northeast and Midwest, Schunk said.
Unemployment was also up to 6 percent, from 5 percent last spring.
"All you've got to do is drive by our office and you'll see" that unemployment is up, said Mary Nell Smith, area director for the Coastal Workforce Center.
That might seem to contradict the job growth numbers, but it's possible that the number of jobs can increase along with the number of people looking for jobs.
"When you have such rapid population growth and growth in the number of people looking for work, that's what leads to higher unemployment rates," Schunk said.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
CAMBODIA is facing a shortfall of 3,000 hotel rooms
CAMBODIA is facing a shortfall of 3,000 hotel rooms in the face of tourist arrivals growing at an annual rate of up to 20 percent, said a tourism official in Phnom Penh.
"There is a shortage of about 1,500 hotel rooms in Phnom Penh and of about 1,500 rooms in Sihanoukville due to tourist growth and the business boom," said Kousoum Saroeuth, director general for the Ministry of Tourism.
"But the shortage is mainly for high-end hotels."
He added, "We have enough hotels and guesthouses for common tourists, but we need more high-end hotels for luxury tourists and business people."
He said that Cambodia had about 350 hotels with roughly 20,000 rooms, including 140 in Phnom Penh, 100 in Siem Reap, about 50 in Sihanoukville, with the rest in other provinces.
The hotel industry was a major revenue-earner but no figures were available on how much hotels earn every year, Kousoum Saroeuth said.
He noted that two million tourists were visiting Cambodia every year, generating revenues of about US$1.4 billion last year. He added that tourism was responsible for generating about 300,000 jobs.
So Mara, undersecretary of state at the Tourism Ministry, said that even with the shortfall, the industry had grown quickly to meet demand.
"The good side is that this industry is mostly owned by local investors, so revenues are not flowing out of the country," he said. "Tourism has grown about 19 percent year-on-year, so demand for accommodation will grow, too."
But Cambodian Hotel Association President Luu Meng said there was still too little investment in top-end accommodation.
"In this industry, what we need is high-class hotels for high-class guests. Currently, we have a lot of hotels, but only a few are top class," Luu Meng said.
He noted that the hotel industry was responsible for creating about 22,000 jobs in the Kingdom but that the industry carried risks for investors as it was vulnerable to economic downturns and political instability.
Regional hotels have also been affected by high fuel prices and increased airfares, as well as a slowing global economy, he added.
"Security and safety are the major priority for this sector, and road infrastructure comes next," Luu Meng said.
Kousoum Saroeuth said that, in a bid to strengthen the hotel industry, the Tourism Ministry would require hotels to obtain proper classifications or risk having their licences pulled.
The classification ranges from one to five stars, he said.
"Since the subdecree on hotel classification took effect in 2003 ... only 15 out of 350 hotels in Cambodia have been classified: 12 in Siem Reap, two in Phnom Penh and one in Sihanoukville."
He said that, since 2003, the Ministry of Tourism has warned hotel owners to apply with the ministry for classifications, but most had ignored the notice.
"As soon as the new government is formed, if hotel owners still ignore having their hotels classified, they will be denied extensions to their operating licences, which they need to apply for every year," he said.
The hotel standards conformed with ASEAN rules, he said, and "will build credibility among foreigners as well as trust that the hotels they are staying in are as good as others in ASEAN. It will also allow hotels to promote themselves and strengthen their service."
He said that the classification procedures were not complicated and would take only three days to complete.
"There is a shortage of about 1,500 hotel rooms in Phnom Penh and of about 1,500 rooms in Sihanoukville due to tourist growth and the business boom," said Kousoum Saroeuth, director general for the Ministry of Tourism.
"But the shortage is mainly for high-end hotels."
He added, "We have enough hotels and guesthouses for common tourists, but we need more high-end hotels for luxury tourists and business people."
He said that Cambodia had about 350 hotels with roughly 20,000 rooms, including 140 in Phnom Penh, 100 in Siem Reap, about 50 in Sihanoukville, with the rest in other provinces.
The hotel industry was a major revenue-earner but no figures were available on how much hotels earn every year, Kousoum Saroeuth said.
He noted that two million tourists were visiting Cambodia every year, generating revenues of about US$1.4 billion last year. He added that tourism was responsible for generating about 300,000 jobs.
So Mara, undersecretary of state at the Tourism Ministry, said that even with the shortfall, the industry had grown quickly to meet demand.
"The good side is that this industry is mostly owned by local investors, so revenues are not flowing out of the country," he said. "Tourism has grown about 19 percent year-on-year, so demand for accommodation will grow, too."
But Cambodian Hotel Association President Luu Meng said there was still too little investment in top-end accommodation.
"In this industry, what we need is high-class hotels for high-class guests. Currently, we have a lot of hotels, but only a few are top class," Luu Meng said.
He noted that the hotel industry was responsible for creating about 22,000 jobs in the Kingdom but that the industry carried risks for investors as it was vulnerable to economic downturns and political instability.
Regional hotels have also been affected by high fuel prices and increased airfares, as well as a slowing global economy, he added.
"Security and safety are the major priority for this sector, and road infrastructure comes next," Luu Meng said.
Kousoum Saroeuth said that, in a bid to strengthen the hotel industry, the Tourism Ministry would require hotels to obtain proper classifications or risk having their licences pulled.
The classification ranges from one to five stars, he said.
"Since the subdecree on hotel classification took effect in 2003 ... only 15 out of 350 hotels in Cambodia have been classified: 12 in Siem Reap, two in Phnom Penh and one in Sihanoukville."
He said that, since 2003, the Ministry of Tourism has warned hotel owners to apply with the ministry for classifications, but most had ignored the notice.
"As soon as the new government is formed, if hotel owners still ignore having their hotels classified, they will be denied extensions to their operating licences, which they need to apply for every year," he said.
The hotel standards conformed with ASEAN rules, he said, and "will build credibility among foreigners as well as trust that the hotels they are staying in are as good as others in ASEAN. It will also allow hotels to promote themselves and strengthen their service."
He said that the classification procedures were not complicated and would take only three days to complete.
Mansfield’s hotel boom
For the last couple of decades in Mansfield the visitor who wanted to check into a local hotel would quickly discover options were extremely limited.
In fact before 1985 the options were zero – Mansfield had no hotels or motels. Most visitors to Mansfield ended up staying in one of neighboring Arlington’s many hotels, much to the chagrin of those involved with the city’s on-going economic development efforts.
That changed slightly in 1985 with construction of the modularly designed, 50-room Courtesy Inn at the corner of U.S. 287 and Broad Street. The Courtesy Inn had the city’s hotel business all to itself until 2000, when, at long last, a 60-room Comfort Inn opened.
But that was the status quo for several more years, though now there’s this: The hotel industry has definitely discovered Mansfield.
A Best Western (71 rooms) opened last year, and thus far a Holiday Inn Express and La Quinta, collectively with 156 rooms, also opened this year. An 88-room Hampton Inn is slated to open in November and a Fairfield Inn (79 rooms) is under construction with an expected March 2009 opening. All of them are essentially on a fast growing U.S. 287 strip in Mansfield between Cooper and Broad streets.
“We’ve gone from 50 rooms to 504 rooms, quite a jump in our community profile,” said Richard Nevins, assistant director of the Mansfield Economic Development Department.
The economic motivation for so much hotel construction?
Some of it can be attributed to simple growth. Mansfield is closing in on a population of 70,000 and is expected to hit the 100,000 mark within the next decade. More people, more hotels.
“I also think our new hospital is driving part of it, and we’ve got some companies here with international connections, so we’re having more people from outside the U.S. who want to stay near our industrial companies,” said Scott Welmaker, Mansfield’s Economic Development Department director. “We’re also having more recreational traffic related to outings at Joe Pool Lake, and to the city’s new baseball complex, Big League Dreams.”
Mansfield’s city limits include the southern and southwestern boundaries of the 7,200-acre Joe Pool Lake. Mansfield offers quick and easy access.
Welmaker said he also believes another factor in Mansfield’s hotel boom is visible on much of Arlington’s skyline – the massive Dallas Cowboys stadium project.
“The stadium will be hosting so many events other than Cowboys games that I believe we’re having a spillover effect in terms of hotel construction,” he said.
Nor is the hotel construction boom likely over just yet. Welmaker said he has received inquiries from other hotel chains, though interest seems to be shifting slightly from U.S. 287 to Texas 360.
If there’s a glaring problem with the upsurge in hotel construction it is that, thus far, all of the facilities have been limited service hotels – no restaurants and with limited meeting space for events like business conferences or big weddings. It is a dilemma that has not escaped Welmaker’s attention.
“We’ve been focusing on acquisition of a full service hotel with restaurants, meeting and conference rooms,” he said. “Other than a few small spaces in local restaurants, Mansfield has a dearth of spaces big enough to host larger meetings.”
Such hotels, Welmaker said, these days tend to shy away from stand-alone construction sites in favor of synergistic locations with more extensive amenities.
“Big hotels like it when their patrons can walk outside to shop, go to movies or other restaurants,” he said.
Right now about the only location fitting that particular description is the upcoming Shops of Broad Street, but the current national economic downturn has resulted in many of the amenities that would be in the center putting a hold on temporary development.
So how long before a full service hotel shows up? Welmaker predicts two to three years, maximum.
In the meantime, Mansfield continues to reap extensive benefits from its newly emerging 504-room hotel bonanza. Besides creating jobs and boosting property taxes revenues, Mansfield’s share of hotel bed taxes is 6 percent of revenues. That’s estimated to be almost $300,000 in 2009.
State law requires such funds be spent in either direct advocacy of the visitation business, or on cultural enhancements that will accomplish the primary mission: Put more heads in hotel beds.
The idea of receiving those funds for cultural enhancement projects has any number of Mansfield organizations salivating at the possibilities. For the current fiscal year alone – it ends Sept. 30 – the city expects to disburse $156,000 from the hotel tax.
With the hotel boom in full bloom, even more bed tax funds are expected to be available over the next few years. This will be particularly true if the full service hotel becomes a reality.
“Though the economy is clearly slow, we’re also still receiving some additional inquires about limited service hotels,” Welmaker said. “We may not have peaked out yet.”
Nevada corporation
Business Services industry news provided by Financial News USA (OTC: FNWU). Business.vn, Inc. (OTCBB:BVNI), a Nevada corporation, a travel tourism and e-marketing company focusing on the Vietnamese market, announced recently that Hotels.vn has now over 400 hotels listed on the premier hotel web portal. The www.Hotels.vn hotel reservation web portal now has over 400 2-5 star hotels advertising on the site, and is one of the very few websites inside Vietnam offering real time e-commerce transactions. This comprehensive online travel web portal has been operating successfully for over 5 years and has a database of over 4,500 Vietnam hotels. Vietnam welcomed 2.5 million foreign tourists in the first half of the year, according to the Government’s web portal. June alone saw some 450,000 foreign arrivals, surging 34% over the same period last year. Vietnam attracted a record 45.28 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the year’s first seven months, a four-time year-on-year increase, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI).
WinSonic Digital Media Group, Ltd. (OTC Bulletin Board: WDMG) announced they have entered into an agreement with IT/IS Telecom Solutions to provide consulting services to WinSonic. IT/IS will develop for WinSonic an integrated enterprise plan and provide consulting services during implementation. This is critical to the roll out of the digital distribution platform WinSonic will provide to Sony, Rainysongs, iTunes, Paramount, Universal, Jump Start, Swagg Media, Cogent, Verizon, AT&T, WinSonic Home Services, and WinSonic Distribution Services. IT/IS consultants have supported over 75 communications-based companies in over 50 countries. The firm is comprised of senior industry professionals with extensive experience in every aspect of communications industry strategy, engineering and operations, and enterprise development. It also is deeply involved with mission-critical communications company network, process and system transformation. "Our legacy is in strategy and operations; and, we are expert in NGN and NextGen BSS/OSS technologies and systems. Our global experience and focus on creating value optimally enables us to support a company like WinSonic through all the lifecycles of its various initiatives. We understand the company's forward-thinking integrated telecom and digital media business model; and, our team is excited about supporting company leadership as it takes these major steps forward," said Robert Hebert, CEO of IT/IS Telecom Solutions.
WinSonic Digital Media Group, Ltd. (OTC Bulletin Board: WDMG) announced they have entered into an agreement with IT/IS Telecom Solutions to provide consulting services to WinSonic. IT/IS will develop for WinSonic an integrated enterprise plan and provide consulting services during implementation. This is critical to the roll out of the digital distribution platform WinSonic will provide to Sony, Rainysongs, iTunes, Paramount, Universal, Jump Start, Swagg Media, Cogent, Verizon, AT&T, WinSonic Home Services, and WinSonic Distribution Services. IT/IS consultants have supported over 75 communications-based companies in over 50 countries. The firm is comprised of senior industry professionals with extensive experience in every aspect of communications industry strategy, engineering and operations, and enterprise development. It also is deeply involved with mission-critical communications company network, process and system transformation. "Our legacy is in strategy and operations; and, we are expert in NGN and NextGen BSS/OSS technologies and systems. Our global experience and focus on creating value optimally enables us to support a company like WinSonic through all the lifecycles of its various initiatives. We understand the company's forward-thinking integrated telecom and digital media business model; and, our team is excited about supporting company leadership as it takes these major steps forward," said Robert Hebert, CEO of IT/IS Telecom Solutions.
thousands of new jobs
A proposed massive development anchored by a Cabela's store that could generate up to $400 million in investment over a decade leads a list of projects in western Michigan expected to receive tax credits today.
All of the projects together could generate thousands of new jobs -- most of them if the Cabela's project occurs --Â in the region in the years ahead.
The Michigan Economic Growth Authority was expected to approve the $39.2 million tax-increment financing plan to aid the Orchard Park development planned along Four Mile Road in Walker, near Grand Rapids.
The project could include a Cabela's developers hope to lure to the area. The first phase also would include a 160-room resort hotel with a water park and a 150-room business-class hotel.
The second phase would include a lifestyle center, 135,000 square feet of office space, multifamily residential with 325 apartments and 114 townhomes and condominiums, and senior living.
"The Orchard Park development is designed to be a high-quality, mixed-use development that will provide the community with live, work, shop and play opportunities unlike any other development within the Grand Rapids metropolitan area," states a Michigan Economic Development Corp. memo to the MEGA Board.
The development could generate up to $250 million annually in tourist spending and eventually create 3,668 jobs directly, plus 3,902 construction during its 10-year buildout.
Construction is expected to exceed $200 million and could reach $400 million, according to the MEDC.
Other tax credits up for consideration at today's MEGA meeting are
• A $2.5 million, 10-year tax credit for Precision Aerospace Corp., which is planning a $10.1 million expansion near Grand Rapids in Wyoming.
The company, which employs 122, would create up to 190 new jobs, paying an average weekly wage of $724, over the duration of the tax credit. It will invest $2.3 million in facilities and $7.8 million in equipment.
• LeanLogistics Inc. in Holland, which plans to invest $13.9 million and move to Zeeland., creating 186 new jobs in one year and 581 new jobs over the next five years that pay an average weekly wage of $1,092, according to the MEDC.
• Food processor Request Foods Inc. in Holland, which will invest $26.1 million for new machinery and equipment to accommodate a new contract with Campbell Soup Co. to make frozen soup, macaroni-and-cheese, and pot-pie filling.
The company, which employs 396 people, would add 139 to 154 jobs in the first year and another 202 in the next five years that pay an average weekly wage of $590.
• Genzink Steel Supply and Welding Co. in Holland, which will invest $7.9 million over five years to expand its Holland facility, creating 104 new jobs that pay an average weekly wage of $766. The company currently employs 311 people.
• Wolverine World Wide Inc. in Rockford, which is competing for a U.S. Air Force contract to supply between 50,000 and 250,000 pairs of men's and women's boots. The contract could include four additional years with up to 187,500 pairs of boots annually.
Wolverine would make the boots at its Big Rapids facility, creating 115 new jobs and investing $5.5 million.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Dora Hotel Company, LLC
Dora Hotel Company, LLC announced today that it plans to break ground next month on a extended-stay Candlewood Suites and adjoining Richard L. Johnson Conference and Education Center. The property is scheduled to be completed and opened in November or December 2009. Cost of construction is estimated at $16 million. The center is estimated at $6 million and the hotel at $10 million.
The six-story 86-suite Candlewood Suites is located at 4th and the future Jackson Street extension; the heart of Columbus. The hotel is adjoined with the Conference and Education Center encompassing the second floor which also adjoins the city’s renowned Cummins Engine Company office building, also under construction. The structure was designed by the world renowned architect Koetter Kim & Associates. Dykstra Building Company of Fishers, IN, will be in charge of constructing the three separate but adjoining entities.
The entire second floor of the Candlewood Suites hotel building will be devoted to the Richard L. Johnson Conference and Education Center, including meeting rooms and a ballroom. The facility will be able to accommodate up to 750 people for a single event. The events will be accessible to public and private functions such as weddings, trade shows, parties, conventions, civic events, while also accommodating education and business-oriented needs of the region.
The Conference and Education Center is named in honor of Richard L. Johnson, a highly regarded entrepreneur in the community of Columbus. He co-owns Johnson Ventures, a firm that invests in small businesses. Education has been a vital quality in Johnson’s personal and professional life. About Candlewood SuitesThe Candlewood Suites brand is a member of Intercontinental Hotels Group (Holiday Inn Family) – see Candlewood brand is focused on comfort, space and value. At 181 hotels located throughout North America, guests find spacious studio and one-bedroom suites each with their own fully equipped kitchen, large workspace, overstuffed recliner, VCR and/or DVD and CD player, complimentary high-speed internet access and telephones with voicemail and free local calls. The complimentary fitness center and guest laundry are open around the clock, and the Candlewood Cupboard® is open 24 hours for snacks, refreshments, entrées and other necessities. Candlewood Suites hotels offer guests all of this at a very comfortable price. For more information, please visit www.ichotelsgroup.com or www.candlewoodsuites.com.
About Dora Hotel Company, LLC
Dora Hotel Company, LLC, owned by Tim Dora, is a second-generation hospitality management group continuing the Dora Family tradition of outstanding hotels for over 50 years. Mr. Tim Dora currently supervises 18 hotels consisting of 1919 rooms in Indiana.
Dora Hotel Company, LLC achieves outstanding customer satisfaction through hands-on management of hospitality professionals. Our team members are dedicated to providing our guests with outstanding service in impeccably clean and well-maintained hotels. We aggressively renovate our hotels to provide our guests with the highest quality facilities in the markets that they serve. Dora Hotel Company, LLC provides a full range of hospitality services including consulting, accounting and financial reporting, project development, purchasing administration, design and construction services and sales administration.
Mr. Dora has been lead developer of over 38 hotels across Central Indiana which includes Holiday Inns, Holiday Inn Expresses, Hilton Garden Inns, Hotel Indigos, Staybridge Suites, Comfort Suites, and Comfort Inn & Suites. He is a principal in Dykstra Building Company, LLC. Dykstra Building Company is a general contractors/construction management firm. Currently, developing is Candlewood Suites in Columbus and Bloomington, Indiana; Holiday Inn Express in Terre Haute and Greenfield, Indiana; a Staybridge Suites in Indianapolis, Indiana (Traders Point); Hotel Indigo in downtown Indianapolis, Carmel, Indianapolis Airport/Plainfield and Bloomington, Indiana; 105,000 square foot Cummins Office Building and a Conference and Educational Center in Columbus, Indiana. For more information on Dora Hotel Company, LLC, please visit http://www.dorahotelco.com/.
The six-story 86-suite Candlewood Suites is located at 4th and the future Jackson Street extension; the heart of Columbus. The hotel is adjoined with the Conference and Education Center encompassing the second floor which also adjoins the city’s renowned Cummins Engine Company office building, also under construction. The structure was designed by the world renowned architect Koetter Kim & Associates. Dykstra Building Company of Fishers, IN, will be in charge of constructing the three separate but adjoining entities.
The entire second floor of the Candlewood Suites hotel building will be devoted to the Richard L. Johnson Conference and Education Center, including meeting rooms and a ballroom. The facility will be able to accommodate up to 750 people for a single event. The events will be accessible to public and private functions such as weddings, trade shows, parties, conventions, civic events, while also accommodating education and business-oriented needs of the region.
The Conference and Education Center is named in honor of Richard L. Johnson, a highly regarded entrepreneur in the community of Columbus. He co-owns Johnson Ventures, a firm that invests in small businesses. Education has been a vital quality in Johnson’s personal and professional life. About Candlewood SuitesThe Candlewood Suites brand is a member of Intercontinental Hotels Group (Holiday Inn Family) – see Candlewood brand is focused on comfort, space and value. At 181 hotels located throughout North America, guests find spacious studio and one-bedroom suites each with their own fully equipped kitchen, large workspace, overstuffed recliner, VCR and/or DVD and CD player, complimentary high-speed internet access and telephones with voicemail and free local calls. The complimentary fitness center and guest laundry are open around the clock, and the Candlewood Cupboard® is open 24 hours for snacks, refreshments, entrées and other necessities. Candlewood Suites hotels offer guests all of this at a very comfortable price. For more information, please visit www.ichotelsgroup.com or www.candlewoodsuites.com.
About Dora Hotel Company, LLC
Dora Hotel Company, LLC, owned by Tim Dora, is a second-generation hospitality management group continuing the Dora Family tradition of outstanding hotels for over 50 years. Mr. Tim Dora currently supervises 18 hotels consisting of 1919 rooms in Indiana.
Dora Hotel Company, LLC achieves outstanding customer satisfaction through hands-on management of hospitality professionals. Our team members are dedicated to providing our guests with outstanding service in impeccably clean and well-maintained hotels. We aggressively renovate our hotels to provide our guests with the highest quality facilities in the markets that they serve. Dora Hotel Company, LLC provides a full range of hospitality services including consulting, accounting and financial reporting, project development, purchasing administration, design and construction services and sales administration.
Mr. Dora has been lead developer of over 38 hotels across Central Indiana which includes Holiday Inns, Holiday Inn Expresses, Hilton Garden Inns, Hotel Indigos, Staybridge Suites, Comfort Suites, and Comfort Inn & Suites. He is a principal in Dykstra Building Company, LLC. Dykstra Building Company is a general contractors/construction management firm. Currently, developing is Candlewood Suites in Columbus and Bloomington, Indiana; Holiday Inn Express in Terre Haute and Greenfield, Indiana; a Staybridge Suites in Indianapolis, Indiana (Traders Point); Hotel Indigo in downtown Indianapolis, Carmel, Indianapolis Airport/Plainfield and Bloomington, Indiana; 105,000 square foot Cummins Office Building and a Conference and Educational Center in Columbus, Indiana. For more information on Dora Hotel Company, LLC, please visit http://www.dorahotelco.com/.
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