• Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

  • Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

Barbican beefs up sales team

April 24, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The Barbican, a conference and international arts venue located in London, has appointed Jenny Waller as head of sales. The expanded role will see Jenny managing the growing sales team, which includes a renewed focus on international and association markets. Jenny will be supported in her role by the newly-appointed deputy head of sales, Charlie Smith.

Jenny has been promoted from the role of senior account manager within the Barbican team, where she has already achieved a number of significant wins for the world-leading arts and conference venue. These include major corporate and association events due to take place over the coming 24 months. Prior to working at the Barbican Jenny spent four years developing industry knowledge and expertise at Park Plaza Hotels.

Charlie returns to the Barbican, where he worked as an account manager for two years between 2016 and 2018. Other experience includes time developing sales skills at both Dreamland and HMS President.

“The Barbican is going from strength to strength,” commented Jackie Boughton, head of business events at the Barbican. “Last year we opened and showcased our new cinema offering, comprised of two cinemas and supporting food and beverage, as well as exhibition or networking space capable of seating up to 150 for conferences, meetings and private screenings. When added to our wider offering it makes the Barbican one of Europe’s most comprehensive venues. This in turn has led to an increase in both association and international bookings. Jenny has been instrumental in that success over the last year and was therefore the perfect choice to take on the demanding role leading our sales team. It is also a real pleasure to welcome Charlie back to the team – his in-depth knowledge of the venue is already having a significant impact on new business development.”

Jenny responded by saying: “This is a new and exciting challenge for me. Over the course of the next year I am particularly looking forward to working alongside our association specialists as we develop that market, whilst supporting our work with a strong presence at major international trade shows and events. The UK of course remains our core market and we are delighted by the ongoing support we receive from domestic clients booking direct or via our agency partners. However, there is still significant opportunity for us to develop internationally – particularly given our ability to partner with the Barbican International Enterprises team to deliver truly inspiring content and theming. The addition of Charlie to the team ensures we have the ongoing experience and depth of knowledge needed to deliver to the highest standards for our clients.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, appointed, Arts, association, Barbican, beverage, Booking, bookings, Breaking Travel News, Business, Business Development, business events, challenge, Charlie, choice, cinema, clients, coming, conference, conferences, Content, corporate, course, deliver, deputy, Deputy Head, development, direct, domestic, due, Europe, Events, exhibition, expanded, experience, expertise, food, Forward, Growing, head, head of sales, highest, Hotels, impact, in, includes, increase, Industry, inspiring, International, international trade, internationally, IT, knowledge, last, leading, LED, located, London, looking, major, manager, Managing, Market, markets, meetings, MICE Industry News, months, most, needed, networking, New, newly, News articles, number, offering, ongoing, opened, opportunity, over, park, Park Plaza, particularly, partner, partners, Place, pleasure, presence, president, private, promoted, real, receive, remains, responded, returns, role, s, Sales, saying, seating, see, senior, shows, significant, skills, space, specialists, standards, strength, strong, success, support, supported, supporting, team, The World, time, to, Trade, trade shows, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, turn, UK, UK Travel News, up, US, venue, venues, We, welcome, work, worked, working, World, year, years

TIME Hotels to open five new properties across Middle East in 2019

April 22, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

TIME Hotels, the UAE-headquartered hospitality company and hotel operator, is set to announce plans to open five new properties across the Middle East during 2019 – as it targets 35 properties by 2025.

The properties, which will see the growth and launch of existing as well as new TIME Hotel brands to key territories throughout the region, will be unveiled during Arabian Travel Market 2019, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 April – 1 May.

Mohamed Awadalla, CEO TIME Hotels, said: “Our pipeline of hotels and residences meet the demands of multiple value-driven markets by offering a high-quality experience right across all of our branded properties.

“We currently have 15 properties in operation across the UAE and wider GCC with new additions in Dubai, Sharjah and Saudi Arabia scheduled for this year as well as extending our presence to Egypt – further supporting our strategic business plan to increase our total portfolio to 35 properties across the Middle East by the end of 2025.”

TIME Hotels will debut its TIME Express Hotels brand with the opening of a property in Sharjah, during the third quarter of 2019. The three-star TIME Express Hotel Al Khan will feature 55 keys in total and is located 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport, 20 minutes from Sharjah International Airport and a 15-minute walk from Al Khan Beach.

In Dubai, TIME Asma Hotel is scheduled to open during the second quarter of 2019. The four-star property, located in Al Barsha, will feature 232 rooms including 12 suites, a gym, swimming pool, jacuzzi, four meeting rooms, a business centre and two restaurants.

“Plans are in place for two floors of the hotel to be reserved exclusively for female travellers, with dedicated services, including: personalised room service, a female-only check-in counter, dedicated ladies-only guest relations, in-house baby-sitting services, and in-room tablets highlighting all of the services offered for women as well as enhanced bathroom amenities in each room,” said Awadalla.

Meanwhile, TIME Hotels’ international openings in Saudi Arabia and Egypt demonstrate the brand’s strength and popularity in markets outside of the UAE.

TIME Hotels opened its second property in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of April. Featuring 28 deluxe apartments – comprising four one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units – TIME Dammam Residence is located 35 minutes from King Fahad International Airport and just minutes from various shopping and dining destinations in Dammam.

Joining TIME Dammam Residence in the kingdom will be TIME Golden Tower Al Khobar. Scheduled to open August 2019, the 65-key property will be strategically located on Al Khobar Main Street and within close proximity to Al Khobar Waterfront. The property will feature a roof-top garden lounge, a gym and a high-tech business centre.

In Egypt, TIME Nozha Beach Aqua Park Hotel & Resort will open its doors during Q3 2019. The four-star property – located in Ras Sudr, on Egypt’s Red Sea Coast – will feature 52 rooms and four suits as well as five castles, 93 villas, 891 chalets and 136 studios.

Located along a 945 metre stretch of white sand beach, the resort will feature the largest aqua entertainment complex in Ras Sudr, complete with various water slides, wave pools and water sport activities.

Awadalla, said: “This is a very exciting chapter in TIME Hotels’ short history as we open TIME Nozha Aqua Park & Resort, our first beach resort and first property in Egypt. Built with leisure and adventure visitors in mind, this resort is fully-equipped with everything the modern traveller requires for the perfect family getaway.”

These scheduled openings follow the signing of a new management agreement by TIME Hotels Management to operate Dunes Hotel Apartments’ three properties located throughout Dubai.

TIME Hotels took over day-to-day operations of TIME Dunes Hotel Apartment Al Barsha, TIME Dunes Hotel Apartments Al Qusais and TIME Dunes Hotel Apartments Oud Metha following the signing of the agreement on 24th January 2019.

“It has been a busy year for TIME Hotels with a raft of properties announced with several of them due to come online within the next 12 months. We have been very strategic with our openings, identifying and assessing the demand within the market and implementing the most suitable brand from the TIME portfolio, that best matches that demand and we’re looking forward to bringing more properties into our portfolio,” added Awadalla.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, announce, announced, apartment, apartments, April, Aqua, arabia, Arabian, Arabian Travel Market, August, beach, Beach Resort, best, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, bringing, built, Business, business plan, busy, castles, Centre, CEO, Chapter, check, check-in, close, coast, come, company, complete, complex, Corporate News, counter, currently, day, debut, deluxe, demand, demands, Destinations, dining, Dubai, Dubai International Airport, Dubai World, Dubai World Trade Centre, due, East, Egypt, end, entertainment, existing, experience, express, extending, Family, Feature, featuring, female, first, follow, following, Forward, four-star, free, Garden, GCC, getaway, golden, Growth, high, high-tech, history, hospitality, hospitality company, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel brands, hotel operator, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, house, in, including, increase, International, International Airport, International Travel News, IT, January, joining, just, key, Keys, king, Kingdom, ladies, largest, launch, Leisure, located, looking, lounge, Luxury Travel News, Main, management, Market, markets, May, meet, meeting, Middle, Middle East, mind, minutes, modern, Mohamed, months, most, New, new properties, News articles, offering, online, only, open, opened, opening, openings, operate, operation, operations, operator, outside, over, park, pipeline, Place, plan, plans, pool, popularity, portfolio, presence, properties, property, quality, quarter, Ras, Red, Red Sea, region, relations, Residence, residences, resort, Resort News, restaurants, right, roof, room, room service, rooms, s, said, sand, Saudi, Saudi Arabia. (, scheduled, sea, second, second quarter, see, service, services, Set, Sharjah, Sharjah International Airport, shopping, short, Signing, sport, Star, strategic, Street, strength, suites, supporting, swimming, swimming pool, tablets, targets, tech, territories, The Region, third quarter, time, to, TO BE, top, total, tourism, Tourism Investment News, tower, Trade, Travel, Travel Destination News, travel market, Traveller, travellers, Travelwire News, UAE, units, unveiled, value, villas, visitors, water, waterfront, wave, We, white, women, World, World News, year

Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi prepares to host World Travel Awards

April 22, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, the latest addition to Yas Island’s series of world-class attractions, is stepping up to host the World Travel Awards (WTA) Middle East Gala Ceremony 2019 on Thursday 25 April.

The gala ceremony will be the premier gathering of the Arabian hospitality industry, with the key players and VIPs from across the region attending.

Opened last summer, Warner Bros. World is the world’s first-ever Warner Bros. branded indoor theme park, and represents another milestone in Abu Dhabi’s remarkable journey to establish itself as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations.

Located on Yas Island, the 1.65 million sq. ft. indoor theme park features six immersive lands with 29 state-of-the-art rides, interactive family-friendly attractions and unique live entertainment shows, as well as a variety of themed dining and retail outlets.

The park is the latest addition to Yas Island’s award-winning theme parks, joining Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld.

The red-carpet evening will form the second leg of the WTA Grand Tour 2019 – a global search for the finest travel and tourism brands in the world.

Graham Cooke, Founder, WTA, said: “We are deeply honoured to host our Middle East Gala Ceremony at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, an enthralling new addition to Abu Dhabi’s incredible roster of tourist offerings.

He added: “WTA has maintained its position as the industry leader for the past 26 years, consistently proving its value as the global benchmark for acknowledging excellence in travel and tourism. I greatly look forward to welcoming the most senior decision-makers of the Arabian travel industry for what promises to be a most memorable evening at this phenomenal new attraction.”

Don Strickler, General Manager, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, said: “We are delighted and honored to welcome the prestigious World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony at Warner Bros. World for the first time this year. The choice of our Park as host for this coveted industry event is a testament to the growing appeal of theme parks within the leisure and entertainment sector in the region. We look forward to bringing together some of the world’s leading travel industry professionals and organizations for an evening full of many successes and celebrations.”

As part of the Grand Tour 2019, WTA is also hosting ceremonies in Montego Bay (Jamaica), Mauritius, Madeira, La Paz (Bolivia) and Phu Quoc (Vietnam), with the winners progressing to the Grand Final in Muscat (Oman).

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, appeal, April, Arabian, art, attraction, attractions, award, award-winning, Awards, Bay, Benchmark, Bolivia, brands, Breaking Travel News, bringing, carpet, celebrations, ceremonies, ceremony, choice, class, Corporate News, decision, Destinations, Dhabi, dining, East, entertainment, establish, event, excellence, Family, family-friendly, Features,, ferrari, Ferrari World, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, first, form, Forward, founder, free, friendly, ft, full, gala, gala ceremony, gathering, general, general manager, Global, Grand, grand final, Grand Tour, Growing, honored, honoured, hospitality, hospitality industry, Hospitality News, host, hosting, in, indoor, Industry, industry event, interactive, International Travel News, island, Jamaica, joining, journey, key, LA, La Paz, lands, last, LATEST, leader, leading, Leisure, live, located, Madeira, manager, Mauritius, meetings.travel, MICE Industry News, Middle, Middle East, Middle East Gala Ceremony, milestone, million, Montego, Montego Bay, most, Muscat, New, new addition, new attraction, News articles, offerings, Oman, opened, organizations, Outlets, park, parks, past, People in Travel, Phu, Phu Quoc, players, position, premier, prestigious, professionals, promises, Red, region, represents, Resort News, retail, s, said, search, second, sector, senior, series, shows, State, summer, The Region, The World, theme, theme park, theme parks, themed, time, to, TO BE, tour, tourism, tourist, tourist destinations, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, travel and tourism, Travel Award News, travel awards, Travel Destination News, Travel Industry, Travelwire News, UAE travel news, unique, up, value, variety, Vietnam, VIPs, Warner, Warner Bros, Waterworld, We, welcome, welcoming, winners, World, World News, world travel, World Travel Awards, World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony, world-class, WTA, Yas Island, Yas Waterworld, year, years

Time Hotels to open five additional hotels in Dubai, Sharjah and Saudi Arabia

April 22, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

TIME Hotels, an UAE-headquartered hospitality company and hotel operator, is set to announce plans to open five new properties across the Middle East during 2019 – as it targets 35 properties by 2025.

The properties, which will see the growth and launch of existing as well as new TIME Hotel brands to key territories throughout the region, will be unveiled during Arabian Travel Market 2019.

Mohamed Awadalla, CEO TIME Hotels, said: “Our pipeline of hotels and residences meet the demands of multiple value-driven markets by offering a high-quality experience right across all of our branded properties.

“We currently have 15 properties in operation across the UAE and wider GCC with new additions in Dubai, Sharjah and Saudi Arabia scheduled for this year as well as extending our presence to Egypt – further supporting our strategic business plan to increase our total portfolio to 35 properties across the Middle East by the end of 2025.”

TIME Hotels will debut its TIME Express Hotels brand with the opening of a property in Sharjah, during the third quarter of 2019. The three-star TIME Express Hotel Al Khan will feature 55 keys in total and is located 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport, 20 minutes from Sharjah International Airport and a 15-minute walk from Al Khan Beach.

In Dubai, TIME Asma Hotel is scheduled to open during the second quarter of 2019. The four-star property, located in Al Barsha, will feature 232 rooms including 12 suites, a gym, swimming pool, jacuzzi, four meeting rooms, a business centre and two restaurants.

“Plans are in place for two floors of the hotel to be reserved exclusively for female travellers, with dedicated services, including: personalised room service, a female-only check-in counter, dedicated ladies-only guest relations, in-house baby-sitting services, and in-room tablets highlighting all of the services offered for women as well as enhanced bathroom amenities in each room,” said Awadalla.

Meanwhile, TIME Hotels’ international openings in Saudi Arabia and Egypt demonstrate the brand’s strength and popularity in markets outside of the UAE.

TIME Hotels opened its second property in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of April. Featuring 28 deluxe apartments – comprising four one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units – TIME Dammam Residence is located 35 minutes from King Fahad International Airport and just minutes from various shopping and dining destinations in Dammam.

Joining TIME Dammam Residence in the kingdom will be TIME Golden Tower Al Khobar. Scheduled to open August 2019, the 65-key property will be strategically located on Al Khobar Main Street and within close proximity to Al Khobar Waterfront. The property will feature a roof-top garden lounge, a gym and a high-tech business centre.

In Egypt, TIME Nozha Beach Aqua Park Hotel & Resort will open its doors during Q3 2019. The four-star property – located in Ras Sudr, on Egypt’s Red Sea Coast – will feature 52 rooms and four suits as well as five castles, 93 villas, 891 chalets and 136 studios.

Located along a 945 metre stretch of white sand beach, the resort will feature the largest aqua entertainment complex in Ras Sudr, complete with various water slides, wave pools and water sport activities.

Awadalla, said: “This is a very exciting chapter in TIME Hotels’ short history as we open TIME Nozha Aqua Park & Resort, our first beach resort and first property in Egypt. Built with leisure and adventure visitors in mind, this resort is fully-equipped with everything the modern traveller requires for the perfect family getaway.”

These scheduled openings follow the signing of a new management agreement by TIME Hotels Management to operate Dunes Hotel Apartments’ three properties located throughout Dubai.

TIME Hotels took over day-to-day operations of TIME Dunes Hotel Apartment Al Barsha, TIME Dunes Hotel Apartments Al Qusais and TIME Dunes Hotel Apartments Oud Metha following the signing of the agreement on 24th January 2019.

“It has been a busy year for TIME Hotels with a raft of properties announced with several of them due to come online within the next 12 months. We have been very strategic with our openings, identifying and assessing the demand within the market and implementing the most suitable brand from the TIME portfolio, that best matches that demand and we’re looking forward to bringing more properties into our portfolio,” added Awadalla.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, and, announce, announced, apartment, apartments, April, Aqua, arabia, Arabian, Arabian Travel Market, August, beach, Beach Resort, best, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, bringing, built, Business, business plan, busy, castles, Centre, CEO, Chapter, check, check-in, close, coast, come, company, complete, complex, Corporate News, counter, currently, day, debut, deluxe, demand, demands, Destinations, dining, Dubai, Dubai International Airport, due, East, Egypt, end, entertainment, existing, experience, express, extending, Family, Feature, featuring, female, first, follow, following, Forward, four-star, Garden, GCC, getaway, golden, Growth, high, high-tech, history, hospitality, hospitality company, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel brands, hotel operator, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, house, in, including, increase, International, International Airport, IT, January, joining, just, key, Keys, king, Kingdom, ladies, largest, launch, Leisure, located, looking, lounge, Main, management, Market, markets, meet, meeting, Middle, Middle East, mind, minutes, modern, Mohamed, months, most, New, new properties, News articles, offering, online, only, open, opened, opening, openings, operate, operation, operations, operator, outside, over, park, pipeline, Place, plan, plans, pool, popularity, portfolio, presence, properties, property, quality, quarter, Ras, Red, Red Sea, region, relations, Residence, residences, resort, restaurants, right, roof, room, room service, rooms, s, said, sand, Saudi, Saudi Arabia. (, scheduled, sea, second, second quarter, see, service, services, Set, Sharjah, Sharjah International Airport, shopping, short, Signing, sport, Star, strategic, Street, strength, suites, supporting, swimming, swimming pool, tablets, targets, tech, territories, The Region, third quarter, time, to, TO BE, top, total, tower, Travel, travel market, Traveller, travellers, Travelwire News, UAE, UAE travel news, units, unveiled, value, villas, visitors, water, waterfront, wave, We, white, women, year

Drink like a New Yorker

April 20, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

If you live in New York, work in New York or are doing business in New York – there is only one appropriate drink to order…New York State wines.

New York State of Wine

The New York grape, grape juice and wine industries generate more than $4.8 billion in economic benefits annually for New York State. There are 1,631 family vineyards, over 400 wineries, producing 175,000,000 bottles of wine, generating $408 million in state and local taxes (www.newyorkwines.org). New York’s wineries also contribute to New York State’s exports and in 2012, 19.8% of the wine produced in the state was exported.

Wineries and satellite operations attracted more than 5.9 million tourist visits in 2012, spending $401+ million. The tourism industry (including wineries, hotels, restaurants, retailing, transportation) contributes over 6400 jobs to the state, for a total of $213+ million in wages. The tourist is particularly important to the farm wineries, with sales direct to consumers representing approximately 60 percent of total wine sales volume.

The winery industry directly employs approximately 62,450 people and generates an additional 14,359 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries which supply goods and services to the industry and whose sales depend on the wine industry’s economic vitality.

In excess of 101,806 jobs can be linked to the wine industry and these positions average $51,100 in annual wages and benefits. The total wages generated by direct, indirect and induced economic activity driven by the wine industry – $5.2 billon.

New York State Wines and Wineries (Curated)

At a recent Rockefeller Center/ Rainbow Room wine event sponsored by the Wine & Grape Foundation, Sam Filler, the Executive Director of the organization stated, “New York is home to the first bonded winery in the United States, making our state one of the oldest wine regions in the country.” The objective of the NY Drinks NY Grand Tasting, “…is to showcase the diversity, artistry and accessibility of New York’s wine and food landscape.”

The 8th Annual NY Drinks NY Grand Tasting offered access to over 200 wines from approximately 50 wineries across the state.

  1. Keuka Lake Vineyard. 2017. Turkey Run. Vignoles (Finger Lakes)

Located on the slopes above the southern end of Keuka Lake this winery showcases young vinifera and old hybrid plantings that range from 3-years (representing Cabernet Franc and Vignoles), to vines over 50-years of age (representing Leon Millot and Delaware vines).

Thanks to the Finger Lakes, the vineyard produces excellent fruit. The heat of the summer is retained by the lakes and moderates the extreme cold temperatures of the vineyards in winter. As spring approaches, the frigid waters moderate the warming air temperatures and act as a delay for bud break and lower the risk of frost damage.

The terroir is a glacial mix of glacially laid rocks, sand, silt and clay that has been deposited on the lower slopes above Keuka Lake providing for water drainage that is essential for vine balance and health.

Staci Nugent

The owner is Mel Goldman and the winemaker is Staci Nugent. Nugent attended Cornell and did graduate work in California in genetics. Making a career switch, she enrolled in the wine program at the University of California at Davis, receiving a Master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. Nugent has worked with highly regarded wineries that include Ornellaia, Italy; Hardy’s Tintara Winery, South Australia; and William Selyem, Sonoma, California. Before joining Keuka Lake Vineyards (2008), she was a winemaker at Lamoreux Landing Wine Cellars.

Sustainable farming practices brings the Vignoles to our attention. The grape is made by crossing Seible and Pinot de Corton, is associated with the Finger Lakes and grows well in the gravel soils (glacial till).

Notes: Keuka Lake Vineyards. 2017 Turkey Run Vignoles

Light bright blonde to the eye, the nose is rewarded with lemons, honey, green grapes and sweet oranges, (lemons and oranges) while the palate enjoys citrus and other fruits with the sweetness tempered by a light acidity. Pair with seafood curry, Buffalo chicken wings, pepper and Swiss cheese.

  1. Red Newt Cellars. 2006. Legacy. Niagara Cream Sherry (Hector, New York)

Located on the east side of Seneca Lake (Hector, NY) in the Finger Lakes region, the winery started in 1998 by David and Debra Whiting and the 1998 vintage produced 1200 cases of Chardonnay, Riesling, Vida, Cayuga, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The first white wines were released in July 1999.

Whiting is considered to be one of the top winemakers in the Finger Lakes Region. Current production of Red Newt Cellars is apprximately 20,000 cases with a white wine focus on aromatic varities: Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. CIRCLE Rielsing is the most popular and widely distributed wine, made in a classic Finger Lakes style, with hints on tangerine and honeysuckle, citrus and peach on the palate.

Kelby Russell

Kelby Russell is the head winemaker at Red Newt and considered an expert in the art of cold-climate white wines. Thanks to the variable climate of the East Coast, he recognizes that the search for the “perfect wine” is a “false idol, “ finding that the role of the winemaker is to, “…artfully direct what comes into the winery into the best thing and the  most honest expression of the year that you possible can.”

At Harvard (Class of 2009) Russell majored in government and minored in economics, was a member of the Glee Club and thought his career would follow a path that would lead to orchestra management. During a study abroad experience in Tuscany he discovered the art and science of making wine.

After graduation, when a job with Jazz at Lincoln Center did not materialize, he visited Fox Run Vineyards and thought he had an interview. The staff was busy with the harvest so he was handed a shovel and offered the opportunity to help on the “crush pad.” This was the begnning of his unpaid internships and he got to spend winters in New Zealand and Australia and autumns in the Finger Lakes as an intern.

His first salaried position in 2012 was with Red Newt as an assistant winemaker. David Whiting, the co-founder and winemaker, promoted Russell to head winemaker and the rest is history. He currently directs the Red Newt house styles and reserves and develops his own Kelby James Russell label with a focus on small-batch wines, from dry rose to Australian-style dry Riesling.

Notes: Red Newt Cellars. 2006 Legacy. Niagara Cream Sherry (Niagara grapes)

The Niagara grape develops into a long-aged solera sherry, creating a complex palate experience.

Bright golden yellow to the eye (think daffodils) with the nose picking up hints of honey, raisins, oranges, apricots, yellow apples, and spices. The finish to absolutely delicious, delivering honey, lemons and spices. Perfect as a dessert course or pair with Blue cheese and pate.

  1. Damiani Wine Cellars (DWC)

DWC was started by Lou Damiani, a Cornell engineer specializing in energy conservation, and Phil Davis. Damiani had an interest in winemaking and his education started in the field of food science before switching to engineering. In the 1990s he returned to study winemaking and mentored under Phil Hazlitt.

In 1996 Damiani wanted to plant Cabernet Franc and Merlot and visited an old friend and college friend, Phil Davis, who was also a viticulturist. They started the project and in 1997 Hazlitt pulled out a hybrid vineyard and planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot. When their vineyards started producing in 2003 the next step was to make world class red wines.

Damiani was the head winemaker from 2003 – 2011 and he trained Phil Arras to continue and improve the DWC tradition. In 2007 Glenn Allen joined as a Business Consultant and later became a partner in the enterprise. Today DWC has four main vineyard sites with approximately 40 acres of land under vine and a new tasting room that hosts events and is the retail outlet.

Phil Arras, originally from Philadelphia, moved to the Finger Lakes in 2003 to attend Cornell University and majored in philosophy and political science. Inspired by a class on wine appreciation, Arrras changed his career focus to winemaking. He was hired by Damiani Wine Cellars in 2009 as the assistant winemaker and began “on the job” training. In 2012, Arras became head winemaker.

Notes: Damiani Wine Cellars. NV Marechal Foch “Vino Rosso” Finger Lakes. (Varietal may be a cross between Goldriesling and a Vitis riparia/Vitis rupestris or a cross between Gamay Noir and Vitis riparia – Oberlin 595).

Deep ruby color to the eye, an undertone of tomatoes runs alongside notes of plums and apricots and the tannins are so soft as to be obscure. Pairings might include pasta, barbeque and smoked gouda cheese.

  1. Thirsty Owl Wine Company. 2017. Traminette

Ted Cupp purchased 150 acres of frontage on Cayuga Lake from Robert and Mary Plan, trailblazers who started the Cayuga Wine Trail in 2001. During 2001 and 2002 he began construction on the winemaking facility and tasting room for the Thirsty Owl. In 2002, in cooperation with Shawn Kime, he planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Malbec. When the doors to the winery opened in 2002, Thirsty Owl had produced 1200 cases.

Jon Cupp, President

Today, the Thirsty Owl is synonymous with award winning wines, including the Governor’s Cup and the John Rose award for Rieslings. The Pinot Noir had the highest rated North American Pinot at the Taster’s Guild International Competition. Thirsty Owl produces Malbec and Syrah as well as blends, reds, whites and ice wine.

Shawn Kime

The winemaker and vineyard master, Shawn Kime, is originally from Romulus, New York and attended Morrisville College and Cornell University. Kime started to work in agriculture at the age of 14 and started winemaking after spending 2 years working with one of the earliest Finger Lake Vinifera growers.

The goal of the Thirsty Owl is to “…make changes in the vineyard and winemaking based on the year to produce wines that not only reflect our region but the growing season…. As a Finger Lakes native, I am proud of the fact that we are producing cool climate varietals that are on par with any region in the world.”

Notes: Thirsty Owl Wine Company. 2017 Traminette (cross between Gewurztraminer and Joannes Seyve 23.416).

To the eye, highlights of golden yellow. The nose finds apricots, peaches, pears, honey and fresh lemons as well as florals (especially roses and tulips) and a bit of spice. The palate is entertained with citrus and lemons, oranges and a bit of earth. The finish brings light acidity making it an interesting dessert wine.

Pair with spicy/sweet and sour sauces on chicken, pork and veal and Cheddar, Fontina and Gruyere cheese.

  1. Benmarl Winery. 2015 Baco Noir. Hudson River Valley

Benmarl (slate hill) Winery is located in Marlboro, NY and covers 37-acres and is considered to be the oldest vineyard in America (it holds New York Farm Winery license no.1). It was owned by magazine illustrator turned vintner Mark Miller from 1957 -2003. In 2006 Victor Spaccarelli purchased the vineyard and Matthew Spaccarelli is currently the winemaker

In the 17th century, wine was being made by the French Huguenots in New Paltz, New York. Andrew Jackson Caywood started his vineyard in the early 1800s. The community was incorporated as the Village of Marlborough, a cluster of grapes carved in its seal commemorated its major crop (1788).

Caywood became an important viticulturist and leading authority in the development of new grape varieties. The Miller family bought the Caywood property in 1957 and renamed it Benmarl. It was purchased in 2006 by the Spaccarelli family. They replanted many abandoned vineyards, refurbished the estate and carry on the tradition of experimentation, planting new hybrid varieties like Traminette as well as Old World vinifera.

Notes: Benmarl Winery. 2015 Baco Noir. Hudson River Valley

The Baco Noir, made from estate-grown fruit, brings dark plum hues to the eye, and delivers the aromas of dark plums, cedar and sage to the nose. On the palate are flavors of blackberry with hints of spice.  Tannins give it a structure that is delicious and the finish delivers spice and black berry fruits. Benmarl has been producing Baco Noir for 50 years.  Pair with pork roast, pasta with meat sauce, beef burgers with blue cheese.

The NY Drinks NY Event

The elegant Rainbow Room @ Rockefeller Center was the venue for the New York Drinks New York event. As an important wine trade events, many hundreds of wine buyers, sellers, sommeliers, wine educators, and writers convened to experience a wine-range of quality wines produced in New York State.

Wines of Distinction included:

Brotherhood Winery

Brotherhood Winery is the oldest continuously operating winery in America, producing wine for 180 years in Hudson Valley. It features one of the most modern bottling facilties for wine on the East coast, with a capacity of 1.5 million cases er year. A wine current featured focuses on low calories (approximately 90 calories per glass).

Glenora Wine Cellars

Glenora Wine Cellars produces award-winning Finger Lakes wines for over 40 years with a focus on sparkling wine and Riesling, sourcing grapes from 13 growers across four of the Finger Lakes. Glenora opened the first winery on Seneca Lake (1977).

Saltbird Cellars

Robin McCarthy is the owner and winemaker at Saltbird Cellars that started in 2014 and, based on the unique maritime terroir, developed Stainless Steel Sauvignon Blanc, Migratus Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc and Stainless-Steel Chardonnay.

Hosmer Winery

Hosmer Winery is located on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. Grapevine plantings date back to the 1970s and early experiments with plantings of classic Vinifera started in 1985. The 70-acre estate includes Rieslings, Chardonnays, Cabernet Francs as well as French-American hybrid varieties.

For additional information: @NYWineGrapeFdn and NYWineGrapeFdn

© Dr. Elinor Garely. This copyright article, including photos, may not be reproduced without written permission from the author.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, amp, ancillary, and, annual, appreciation, art, Assistant, attend, Australia, Australian, author, authority, average, award, award-winning, balance, based, benefits, best, billion, Bit, black, BlackBerry, break up, Breaking Travel News, Business, busy, buyers, California, capacity, caption, Career, carry-on, center, Century, changed, changes, cheese, chicken, Circle, class, classic, climate, club, Cluster, co-founder, coast, cold, College, Color, community, company, competition, complex, conservation, construction, consultant, consumers, continue, contributes, cooperation, Cornell, country, course, crossing, crush, current, currently, curry, damage, dark, date, Delaware, delay, Delicious, Dessert, development, direct, directly, director, diversity, doing, Dr, drink, drinks, Drinks NY, early, Earth, East, east coast, economic, economics, Education, elegant, end, energy, energy conservation, Engineering, enterprise, ER, essential, estate, event, Events, Excellent, excess, executive, Executive Director, experience, expert, exports, extreme, facility, false, Family, farming, Feature, Features,, finding, first, follow, food, Food Travel News, foundation, founder, FOX, French, Fresh, Friend, fruit, glass, Glee, goal, golden, goods, Got, government, Governor, graduate, graduation, Grand, grapes, green, Growing, Harvard, harvest, head, HEALTH, Heat, help, highest, highlights, history, home, hosts, Hotels, house, Hudson, Hudson River, ice, ID, important, improve, in, included, includes, including, indirect, Industries, Industry, information, inspired, interest, International, Interview, IT, Italy, Jazz, job, Jobs, John, joined, joining, Land, landing, landscape, later, lead, leading, legacy, license, light, like, linked, live, local, located, low, lower, magazine, Main, major, Make, malbec, management, maritime, Master, materialize, May, meat, member, million, modern, most, most popular, moved, New, new york, New York State, New Zealand, News articles, Niagara, North, North American, notes, NY, NY Drinks, only, opened, Operating, operations, opportunity, order, organization, out, over, owner, PAR, particularly, partner, path, People, percent, permission, Phil, Philadelphia, philosophy, photos, plan, plant, planted, political, popular, position, positions, practices, president, production, program, project, promoted, property, proud, pulled, purchased, quality, range, rated, receiving, recent, recognizes, Red, refurbished, region, regions, released, renamed, representing, reserves, restaurants, retail, Risk, river, Robert, rockefeller, rocks, role, Romulus, room, rose, s, Sales, sand, satellite, science, seafood, search, season, services, Sherry, showcase, sites, slopes, small, South, South Australia, Southern, sparkling, spending, Spice, spring, staff, started, State, stated, states, structure, study, Style, summer, supplier, supply, sustainable, Sweet, SWISS, switch, tasting, taxes, TED, temperatures, the United States, The World, think, to, TO BE, today, tomatoes, top, total, tourism, Tourism Industry, tourist, Trade, tradition, trail, training, Transportation, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, Turkey, Tuscany, unique, United, United States, university, unpaid, up, valley, venue, victor, village, vine, vineyards, vino, visited, visits, wages, warming, water, waters, We, were, white, whites, WHO, wine, Wine News, Wine Trail, Winemakers, winery, wines, Wings, winter, work, worked, working, World, writers, year, years, Yellow, York, young, Zealand

Dusit Princess Residences Dubai Marina opens at the end of April

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Dusit International has signed a Franchise Agreement with Al Masar Hotel Management LLC, to upgrade the former Dusit Residence Dubai Marina to the Dusit Princess Residences Dubai Marina.

Located at the Marina, a popular tourist destination and preferred residential area just off the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, which includes Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Village, the 146-key property is currently being refurbished and will comprise Serviced Apartments, Holiday Homes and Residential units in a choice of one, two or three-bedroom configurations.

Designed to facilitate business and leisure, the upgraded property will feature meeting facilities, a fully equipped gym, a spa, a wellness-focused restaurant serving healthy and organic foods, and a bakery.

Damac Metro and Tram Stations, the Marina Mall, and The Beach Mall are all within walking distance. Attractions such as Mall of Emirates, Ski Dubai, Ibn Battuta Mall, Emirates Golf Club, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Park and Wild Wadi Water Park can all be reached in 10 – 15 minutes by car. The Dubai World 2020 Expo site is also only a short drive away.

“We are delighted to sign this franchise agreement with Al Masar Hotel Management LLC for Dusit Princess Residences Dubai Marina,” said Mr Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Operating Officer, Dusit International. “The comfort and convenience of the Dusit Princess brand, and the property’s prime location, make it an attractive proposition for anyone looking for a short- or long-term base in the city, especially with the Dubai Expo 2020 coming up.”

H.E. Abdulla Alnuaimi, Chairman, Al Masar Hotel Management LLC, said, “By signing this franchise agreement we can further position the property to delight residents and guests with Dusit’s unique brand of Thai-inspired gracious hospitality. And we look forward to establishing Dusit Princess Residences Dubai as the premier place to live, stay, visit and conduct business.”

Known globally for its distinctive brand of gracious hospitality inspired by authentic Thai values, Bangkok-based Dusit International opened its first hotel in the Middle East more than 15 years ago, in Dubai. Today, the company operates five hotels across the region, including three in the GCC – namely Dusit Thani Dubai, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, and dusitD2 Kenz Dubai. According to its plans, Dusit will have nine hotels in operation in the GCC by the end of the year.

Dusit Princess Residences Dubai will be the third Dusit-branded property in Dubai, following Dusit Thani Dubai and dusitD2 Kenz. A fourth Dusit-branded property, Dusit Princess Rijas, is slated to open in 2020.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, apartments, April, area, attractions, attractive, authentic, bakery, bangkok, base, based, beach, boon, brand, Breaking Travel News, Business, car, Chairman, chief, chief operating officer, choice, city, club, comfort, coming, company, currently, designed, Destination, Dhabi, distance, drive, Dubai, Dubai World, Dusit, dusit international, Dusit Residence Dubai Marina, Dusit Thani, dusitd2, East, Emirates, end, Expo, Expo 2020, facilities, Feature, first, first hotel, following, Forward, franchise, free, GCC, globally, golf, guests, healthy, holiday, homes, hospitality, Hospitality News, hotel, hotel management, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, in, includes, including, inspired, International, International Travel News, Internet, IT, Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach, just, key, knowledge, known, Leisure, live, LLC, located, location, looking, Luxury Travel News, Make, mall, management, Marina, Marina Mall, media, meeting, metro, Middle, Middle East, minutes, Mr, News articles, officer, only, open, opened, Operating, operation, organic, organic foods, Palm Jumeirah, park, Place, plans, popular, position, Preferred, premier, Prime, Princess, property, refurbished, region, Residence, residences, residential, residents, Resort News, restaurant, s, said, Serviced apartments, serving, short, sign, signed, Signing, site, ski, slated, spa, stations, stay, Technology, term, Thai, The Region, to, today, tourism, Tourism Investment News, tourist, tourist destination, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, UAE travel news, unique, units, up, upgrade, village, visit, walking, water, We, wellness, wild, World, World News, year, years

Mr. C Coconut Grove: South Florida’s newest boutique hotel officially opens

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Mr. C Coconut Grove, the first Mr. C hotel to debut in Florida, has officially opened its doors to begin welcoming guests. Mr. C Coconut Grove is the third property operated by the Cipriani brothers, who currently operate a 138 key luxury property in Beverly Hills, California and a 66 key luxury property located in the lower Manhattan neighborhood of the Seaport District New York.

“We are excited to officially welcome guests to experience Mr. C Coconut Grove and Bellini in the heart of one of Miami’s most culturally-rich neighborhoods,” said Ignazio Cipriani, Founder/President of Mr. C Hotels. “Our partners, staff, and management are proud to contribute to the revitalization of the Coconut Grove community.”

Accommodations at the well-appointed hotel include 100 guestrooms and suites with unmatched views of Biscayne Bay and the Coconut Grove skyline from the furnished room terraces. From its interior, the hotel draws inspiration from Italy’s iconic coastal style and hints at the aesthetic elements of a classic yacht. Interior design includes high gloss timber paneling, leather-upholstered blue and caramel headboards, nautical style dressers, playful and comfortable sofas and armchairs in a range of soft and airy blue and white fabrics throughout the space. Acclaimed architecture and design firm, Arquitectonica, in conjunction with the Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, combined the stylish European glamour and nautical aesthetic Mr. C Hotels are best known for with the tropical surroundings of South Florida.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, appointed, Architecture, Bay, begin, best, Beverly, Beverly Hills, boutique, boutique hotel, Breaking Travel News, c, C Coconut, C Coconut Grove, C Hotels, California, classic, Coastal, Coconut, Coconut Grove, community, currently, debut, design, District, elements, European, experience, firm, first, Florida, founder, free, Grove, guestrooms, guests, heart, high, Hills, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, iconic, in, includes, inspiration, interior, Interior Design, Italy, key, known, located, lower, Luxury, luxury property, Luxury Travel News, management, Manhattan, Martin, Miami, most, Mr, Nautical, neighborhood, New, new york, newest, News articles, officially, opened, operate, operated, partners, president, property, proud, range, Resort News, rich, room, s, said, SeaPort, skyline, South, South Florida, space, staff, Studio, Style, suites, timber, to, tourism, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, tropical, views, We, welcome, welcoming, white, WHO, yacht, York

Tallest modular hotel in the world will be built in New York City

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The world’s tallest modular hotel – which will carry a brand of Marriott International – is on track to be stacked in late fall in New York City with prefabricated and pre-furnished guestrooms. Once erected over a 90-day period, the 360-foot-tall tower will represent a milestone for Marriott’s ongoing initiative to encourage hotel developers in North America to embrace modular for new construction projects. To be topped with a modular roof and modular rooftop bar, the world’s tallest modular hotel is expected to open in late 2020 as the AC Hotel New York NoMad.

“In North America, the construction process hasn’t changed significantly in 150 years and it’s ripe for innovation,” said Eric Jacobs, Marriott International, Chief Development Officer, North America, Select and Extended Stay Brands. “The world’s tallest modular hotel in one of the world’s greatest destinations will act as a game-changing symbol to ignite even greater interest in modular among the real estate and lending industries.”

Fully finished guest rooms

The 168-room, 26-story AC Hotel New York NoMad is scheduled to rise at 842 Sixth Avenue with prefabricated guestrooms arriving at the hotel site fully constructed, inside and out. Besides finished, painted walls, each “module” will contain a fully outfitted guest room – with beds, sheets, pillows, flooring and even toiletries. The hotel’s roof and rooftop bar are expected to be produced using modular construction, and its more customized public areas such as the restaurant and lobby are expected to be constructed using traditional methods.

Prefabrication is a process that Marriott has found typically reduces the construction timeline, curbs site waste and noise, and results in a higher-quality product produced with factory level precision. The time savings comes from the ability to perform two crucial functions simultaneously – building the public spaces on site while manufacturing the guest rooms offsite.

“This is the moment where modular construction takes center stage,” says Danny Forster, a leading modular building advocate whose firm, Danny Forster & Architecture, designed the project. As he explains it, “This hotel takes every advantage of off-site manufacturing, as you might expect. But it does so in a way that defies expectation. We wanted to demonstrate that modular building can do more than just harness the efficiencies of the factory. It can produce a graceful and iconic tower. And yes, it can do so at the rate of an entire floor a day.”

Marriott sees a modular future

Marriott, which has the largest pipeline of hotels in North America, began researching modular construction in 2014 to offset lengthening hotel construction times – a trend attributed to the nation’s building boom and resulting labor shortages. Since 2011, Marriott has seen the average time to build and open a hotel in North America increase by as much 50 percent, depending on factors such as location and size of property.

Since 2015, Marriott has been educating owners, franchisees, architects, lenders, consultants, general contractors and other stakeholders across the industry about the benefits of modular by hosting town halls, factory tours and stacking events. The company also worked with leading modular manufacturers to help them better understand the untapped demand that hotel development companies represent.

Since the launch of Marriott’s initiative, the company’s development partners in North America have opened 31 Marriott-brand hotels – all low-rise structures – that incorporate prefabricated guestrooms and/or bathrooms, including a Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites in Folsom, Calif.; a Courtyard by Marriott in Pullman, Wash., and three AC Hotels in Oklahoma City, Louisville, Ky., and Chapel Hill, N.C. To date, the largest Marriott-branded modular-built to open is the 354-room, dual-brand Courtyard and TownePlace Suites by Marriott property in Hawthorne, Calif., while the first to also incorporate a prefabricated elevator bank was the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites in Prairie, Wisc. Later this year, a developer will start stacking the first modular-built Moxy hotel in the United States in downtown Oakland, Calif.

The company continues efforts to support developers interested in leveraging prefabrication, most recently launching modular versions of its prototypes for four of its higher-volume brands: Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott and TownePlace Suites by Marriott. Underscoring its commitment to igniting demand for modular construction, Marriott this year is offering an incentive to development companies that leverage prefabrication for guestroom construction.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, Architecture, areas, arriving, Avenue, average, bank, bar, bathrooms, beds, benefits, better, boom, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, build, building, built, c, center, center stage, changed, Chapel, Chapel Hill, chief, Chief Development Officer, city, commitment, companies, company, construction, contain, continues, Corporate News, Courtyard, Courtyard by Marriott, date, day, demand, designed, Destinations, developers, development, Downtown, efforts, embrace, estate, even, Events, expect, expected, extended stay, factors, factory tours, fall, firm, first, floor, foot, found, free, future, game, general, greater, greatest, guestrooms, help, higher, Hospitality News, hosting, hotel, hotel development, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, iconic, in, Incentive, including, increase, Industries, Industry, initiative, inn, innovation, inside, interest, interested, International, IT, just, labor, largest, late, later, launch, launching, leading, lenders, lobby, location, Louisville, low, Luxury Travel News, Manufacturers, Marriott, Marriott International, milestone, module, most, Moxy, N, nation, New, new york, New York City, News articles, noise, North, North America, Oakland, offering, officer, offset, Oklahoma, ongoing, open, opened, out, over, owners, painted, partners, percent, perform, period, pillows, pipeline, Pre, prefabrication, product, project, projects, property, prototypes, public, Pullman, quality, rate, real, Real Estate, represent, Resort News, restaurant, results, rise, roof, room, rooms, s, said, savings, says, scheduled, significantly, site, Size, spaces, stakeholders, start, states, stay, story, suites, support, the United States, The World, time, timeline, times, to, TO BE, tourism, Tourism Investment News, Tours, tower, town, traditional, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, trend, United, United States, untapped, using, waste, way, We, worked, World, world's tallest, year, years, York, York City

Shadow Play by Peppers: Melbourne’s newest luxury hotel opens its doors

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Accor has opened the doors of its newest luxury Melbourne hotel – Shadow Play by Peppers – in the city’s vibrant Southbank arts and entertainment district.

Developed by luxury property developer Jonathan Hallinan of BPM and echoing Melbourne’s sophistication, the 46-storey landmark hotel features an exquisite selection of spacious one and two bedroom apartments with incredible city or bayside views.

Nestled in the heart of the city and within walking distance to the Eureka Skydeck, Melbourne Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria, Crown Casino, the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, and the city’s finest shopping and dining precincts, Shadow Play by Peppers offers a stylish urban retreat for leisure and business travellers.

“We’re excited visitors to Southbank can now experience Peppers’ unique style and acclaimed hospitality. Shadow Play by Peppers has added a new level of sophistication and luxury to Melbourne’s accommodation offering, which caters perfectly to an increasingly selective global market that is looking for quality, location and facilities of a world-class caliber,” Accor Chief Operating Officer Pacific, Simon McGrath said.

Shadow Play by Peppers is the brand’s second Melbourne property. The first, Peppers Docklands, opened in January 2016.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, apartments, Arts, Australia travel news, BPM, brand, Breaking Travel News, Business, casino, Centre, chief, chief operating officer, city, class, convention, crown, dining, distance, District, entertainment, Eureka, exhibition, experience, facilities, Features,, first, free, Global, global market, heart, hospitality, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel Travel News, in, International Travel News, January, landmark, Leisure, location, looking, Luxury, luxury hotel, luxury Melbourne, luxury property, Luxury Travel News, Market, Melbourne, national, New, newest, newest luxury, News articles, offering, offers, officer, opened, Operating, Pacific, Peppers, play, property, quality, Resort News, retreat, s, said, second, selection, Shadow, Shadow Play, shopping, Skydeck, Style, The National, to, tourism, Travel Destination News, travellers, Travelwire News, unique, urban, Victoria, views, visitors, walking, We, World, world-class

New team member at The Pod Hotels

April 17, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The Pod Hotels is striving to address the rapidly-increasing demand for affordable lifestyle hotels targeted at progressive-minded and budget-conscious travelers who are creative and ambitious and who maintain high expectations when it comes to authentic experiences, smart design and intuitive technology.

As part of this progress, BD Hotels today announced the appointment of Rani Gharbie as the Head of Acquisitions & Development for The Pod Hotels, BD Hotel’s highly profitable micro-hotel concept to replicate this successful business model in even more key markets including Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, and Mexico City, amongst others.

Gharbie formerly oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels where he actively contributed to grow the brand’s footprint in key markets.

As Head of Acquisitions & Development working closely with BD Hotels owners Richard Born and Ira Drukier, Gharbie will be responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities and bringing together strategic partners and investors to fund future projects in numerous markets. He will leverage BD Hotels’ expertise in hotel development, investment and operations to expand The Pod Hotels brand across the country and eventually globally.

“Rani joins us at a pivotal time as we scale The Pod Hotels portfolio exponentially in North America” said Richard Born, Owner of BD Hotels. “He will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset as he brings over 20 years of experience in hotel acquisitions, development and operation.”

“I’m looking forward to expanding the profitable model Richard and Ira created to key markets nationwide,” said Gharbie. “I see great growth potential for the brand as there is an increased desire from today’s travelers to stay at smart, innovative brands like The Pod Hotels.”

Prior to joining Virgin Hotels, Gharbie was the Managing Director and Founder at Cedar Funds, a New York City based development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel and real estate assets, as well as regional Director of Development with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). In addition, Gharbie is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches the spring course Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus. He holds a Masters Degree from the program, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montreal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University in New York.

The Pod Hotels currently has five properties in the portfolio, three of which opened over the past two years (the brand’s flagship Pod Times Square opened in January 2018; Pod DC and Pod Brooklyn opened in 2017), with the brand recently announcing two more hotels in the direct pipeline (Pod Philly opening in fall 2019 and Pod LA slated for 2020). With its functional guestrooms, vibrant communal space and flexible design, The Pod Hotels presents superior investment returns when compared to legacy hotel brands of similar positioning.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, amp, and, announced, appointment, assets, Austin, authentic, Bachelor, based, BD, BD Hotels, Boston, brand, brands, Breaking Travel News, bringing, Brooklyn, budget, Business, business model, certificate, Chicago, city, columbia, compared, concept, Cornell, country, course, created, creative, currently, D.C., demand, design, development, development program, direct, director, equity, estate, even, expand, expanding, expectations, experience, experiences, expertise, fall, firm, flagship, Forward, founder, Francisco, fund, funds, future, globally, Group, grow, Growth, guestrooms, head, high, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel brands, hotel development, Hotel Focus, hotel management, hotel school, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, Hotels The Pod Hotels, IHG, in, including, increased, increasing, increasing demand, innovative, InterContinental, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Investment, investment opportunities, investments, investors, IT, January, joining, joins, key, key markets, LA, legacy, Lifestyle, like, looking, M, maintain, management, Managing, managing director, markets, Masters, MBA, member, Mexico, Mexico City, Miami, model, Montreal, Nationwide, New, new york, New York City, News articles, North, North America, numerous, opened, opening, operation, operations, opportunities, over, owner, owners, partners, past, People in Travel, pipeline, Pod, Pod Hotels, portfolio, potential, private, Professor, profitable, program, progress, projects, properties, Rani Gharbie, real, Real Estate, regional, regional director, responsible, returns, Richard Born, s, said, San Francisco, scale, school, Seattle, see, slated, space, spring, Square, stay, strategic, successful, Switzerland, team, Technology, The Pod Hotels, time, times, Times Square, to, today, Toronto, travelers, Travelwire News, university, US, virgin, We, WHO, working, years, York, York City

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »

Search




Recent Articles

  • Hotel Arts Barcelona Unveils Summer Experiences with Launch of Marina Coastal Club – the Ultimate Summer Destination Complete with Cocktails, Food and Live Music
  • Sandals Foundation Preserves Caribbean Crafts, Culture and Lives
  • Sandals Resorts Foundation Empowers Caribbean Youth
  • Minister Bartlett Welcomes Return of Reggae Sumfest 
  • Partners from Turin Win Experiences in Seychelles in an Italian Trade Event
  • Western Air Makes Inaugural Flight Between Nassau and Fort Lauderdale
  • A Sea of Flowers Meet Snow-Capped Mountains
  • The Bahamas Joins CARICOM Member States for Agri-investment Forum and Expo
  • IMEX in Frankfurt returns May 31 – June 2
  • Tourism Seychelles Tells its Travels Tales at the 2022 ATM in Dubai

Copyright © 2022 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in