Houston relief: The Houston Hospitality Employee Relief Fund will provide aid to help offset financial losses incurred due to the storm and its aftermath, according to Visit Houston’s website. It was created by Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, a division of Houston First Corp.; the Greater Houston Restaurant Association; and the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston.
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SLH loyalty program evolves: Small Luxury Hotels of the World has relaunched its loyalty program. Invited replaces the Club of SLH and focuses the program on hotel stays versus wider promotions. Members get 10% off the best available rate, free WiFi and breakfast, and improved front-end technology; the system takes the value of bookings into account as well. The highest tier of the three-tier system (Invited, Inspired and Indulged) is based on six or more stays, or stays of US$6,000 or more.
Origin Kentucky and beyond: Origin, a 120-room boutique hotel, will be another component of The Summit at Fritz Farm, a US$156 million mixed-use development with retail, restaurants and condominiums in Lexington, Kentucky. Thrash Group, the developer, ultimately plans to build four Origin hotels. The first, in Red Rocks, Colorado, is to be finished in May, with other Origin hotels planned for Westminster, Colorado, and Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Graduate Hotel Columbus: Chicago-based AJ Capital Partners acquired and will renovate the former 100-unit low-income Bollinger Tower in Columbus, Ohio, replacing it with a 171-unit Graduate Hotel Columbus in spring of 2019. The 11-story property will begin extensive construction and renovations in spring. In addition to the 171 rooms, it will have two food and beverage outlets and 4,000-square-feet of meeting space. Its ground floor retail space will be marketed for lease.
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Paul Sacco at RLH: RLH Corporation named Paul Sacco as chief development officer, upscale brands and corporate development. Sacco joins RLH Corporation from TPG Hotels & Resorts, where he was president and chief development officer for the past four years.
At least mankind won’t end: Egencia, the business travel arm of Expedia, announced new results from its 4th edition Business Travel and Technology Survey, which found increased confidence levels from U.S. business travelers in emerging tech for business travel, compared to their international counterparts. Overall, balance between emerging technology and human interaction in business travel is a key theme across the board with 55% of U.S. business travelers believing that AI advancements can improve their travel experiences, while 62% “reject the belief that AI and VR could end mankind as we know it today.” Some 50% of global business travelers said they would avoid human interaction on the road unless they are having a problem.