Interstate adds two: Arlington, Virginia-based Interstate Hotels & Resorts unveiled the addition of two new properties to its managed portfolio – Hotel RL Olympia in Olympia, Washington and Hotel RL Salt Lake City in Salt Lake City, Utah. The two new management contracts further Interstate’s coast-to-coast U.S. expansion following recent additions, including The Westin Portland Harborview, Maine. RLH Corporation will retain ownership of both hotels.
A billion-dollar property? The 1,000-room Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, the second-largest in South Florida after the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, is being sold by owners Brookfield Asset Management for reportedly as much as US$1 billion, or US$1 million per key, according to Bloomberg.
Unions push back on Seattle ruling: Seattle will ask the state Supreme Court to revive a voter-approved city law that gave new rights to hotel workers before being struck down last month. City Attorney Pete Holmes joined union leaders to announce the plan Wednesday, vowing to fight for the law, which won overwhelming support at the ballot two years ago and inspired similar measures in cities such as Chicago and Oakland. Holmes said his office will petition the Supreme Court to review and overturn a ruling by the state Court of Appeals.
Accor eyes Orbis: AccorHotels has put in an offer to acquire 21,800,593 shares of hotel operator Orbis at 87 zlotys (US$23) per share: a bid that represents 47% of total shares in the company, which is headquartered in Warsaw, Poland and is the largest hotel operator in Central & Eastern Europe and the exclusive master franchisee of certain AccorHotels brands in the region. Its portfolio comprises 128 hotels (21,000 rooms) in 16 countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia) operated under the Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget brands.
Say Hello to Bucks: RLH Corporation is adding onto its Hello Rewards guest recognition program with the introduction of a new digital currency: Hello Bucks. Unlike other loyalty program benefits, Hello Bucks was developed to reward all travelers staying at RLH Corporation hotels, not just the frequent traveler. Differentiated in the industry, the innovative Hello Bucks currency will instantly gratify Hello Rewards members with the compensation of 10 Hello Bucks for every qualifying stay at all participating RLH Corporation-branded hotels. Hello Bucks work like cash with one Hello Buck equaling one Dollar (CAD or USD depending on the hotel). Guests can apply their Hello Bucks to their next reservation or save for a free night making this currency one of the simplest and most versatile currencies available from a hotel brand.