Current News

MICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCRS 51.32 (0.00%)), a leading provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality and retail industries, is pleased to announce that the latest TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™ property, the Trump International Hotel & Tower® Toronto, which opened on January 31, 2012, has selected the MICROS OPERA Enterprise Solution and the MICROS Restaurant Enterprise Solution (RES) as its primary hospitality technology systems.

The MICROS OPERA Enterprise Solution (OES), which includes the OPERA Property Management System (PMS), the OPERA Vacation Ownership System (OVOS) and the OPERA Customer Information System (OCIS) to manage customer data, provides the lavish Trump International Hotel & Tower® Toronto with the most advanced technology for operating the property, all while consolidating Customer Relationship Management functionality and providing the ability to manage Guest and Owner Relations across the entire TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™.

MICROS RES was selected for its rich restaurant operations functionality. In addition to MICROS RES, Trump International Hotel & Tower® Toronto will utilize MICROS’s mymicros.net business intelligence platform for robust reporting functionality including mobile reporting capabilities on smartphone devices, the powerful MICROS Workstation 5A (WS5A) point-of-service terminals, and Mobile MICROS handheld units to bring service to its clientele wherever they are enjoying the renowned Trump hospitality.

“Our partnership with MICROS for our primary hospitality systems allows us to standardize our technology and corporate best practices across our entire portfolio,” stated Mike Straube, Corporate Director of Finance, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™. “We are pleased to have a single partner that can provide us with the most advanced technology in the industry for both our hotel and restaurant operations. By standardizing on MICROS technology, we are able to replicate our processes to become more efficient and secure, and provide a consistent and superior experience to our clientele.”

About TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™ | Launched in October 2007, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™ is the next generation of luxury hospitality – one that is raising the bar in the top-tier travel experience with a level of customized service unrivaled in the market today. For more information on Trump International Hotel & Tower® Toronto, please visit http://www.trumptoronto.ca/.

About MICROS Systems, Inc.
MICROS Systems, Inc. provides enterprise applications for the hospitality and retail industries worldwide. For more information on MICROS and its advanced information technology solutions for the hospitality industry, please contact Louise Casamento, Vice President of Marketing at (443) 285-8144 or (866) 287-4736. You can also visit the MICROS website at www.micros.com or send an email to info@micros.com.

Atlanta—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] today announced the latest addition to the growing Holiday Inn Resort® portfolio with The Beach House, a Holiday Inn Resort – Hilton Head Island. The property is a conversion from a Holiday Inn® hotel and will officially join the Holiday Inn Resort portfolio in March, after a $5 million renovation. 

“This conversion reflects our strategy to bring Holiday Inn Resort hotels to leisure destinations that are convenient for our guests,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Management, the Americas, IHG. “As part of the work surrounding the Holiday Inn relaunch, we identified opportunities for existing Holiday Inn hotels in resort markets to convert to the newly-created Holiday Inn Resort brand, paving the way for this renovation. This oceanfront property is in one of the most family-friendly vacation destinations in the world, making it an ideal addition to the Holiday Inn Resort portfolio.”

The Beach House, a Holiday Inn Resort – Hilton Head Island is located directly on the shoreline of the island’s popular Coligny Beach. With more than 50 miles of scenic peddling and nature trails at its doorstep, the 202-room resort’s newly designed interior emphasizes the island’s family-friendly biking culture and brings the island’s love for exploration indoors.

Upon arrival, guests are welcomed into a refined island atmosphere, with colorful bicycles suspended overhead. The property features an expanded oceanfront fitness center with new equipment, game room, remodeled restaurant, newly created oceanfront lounge, more than 4,500 square feet of meeting space, and the Tiki Hut, a wildly popular watering hole for locals and tourists alike. The guestrooms now feature a stylish, cool blue décor, new bedding and updated amenities, including flat screen TV’s, to reflect the natural colors and textures of the island landscape.

Integrated Capital, a Los Angeles based private equity firm, acquired the Holiday Inn - Hilton Head hotel in July 2011 with the goal of transforming the property into a casually elegant beachfront destination.

“Through our revitalization of this resort, we have embraced Hilton Head’s renowned island culture, incorporating it into every detail of the property,” said Stewart Cushman, Integrated Capital Partner. “This resort offers guests the perfect place for exploration or enjoying a relaxing beach escape,” added Kenneth Fearn, Integrated Capital Managing Partner.

The Beach House, a Holiday Inn Resort – Hilton Head Island is managed by Hospitality Ventures Management Group under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

About Holiday Inn
With over 1,200 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn® is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world. In fact, Holiday Inn was one of the first international hotel brands to establish a presence in China in 1984. For more information about Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resort hotels, including IHG’s new vacation resort brand Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, or to book reservations, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or visit www.holidayinn.com.

Stamford, Conn.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced the global launch of StarwoodMeetings.com – a new simple, engaging and intuitive website that understands meeting planners and delivers relevant and comprehensive content for all phases of the meeting planning process.

The new Starwoodmeetings.com is the result of an extensive research effort that included looking at today’s best practices and interviewing customers to determine how best to bridge Starwood’s online resources with the on-site services provided by properties.

StarwoodMeetings.com makes it easy to research meetings at more than 1,000 Starwood properties worldwide and provides rich property content and key information on Starwood’s brands and growing global footprint. Meeting planners now have full property details complete with hotel features, integrated maps with points of interest, photos and floor plans, on-site meeting services, a Compare View tool to compare hotels, special offers, and meeting management tools on an easy to navigate site The new site also includes information on signature services including Starwood Preferred Planner, Starwood Convention Collection, On-Site Specialty Events, and Starwood’s sustainability and social responsibility initiatives.

“StarwoodMeetings.com was designed to increase the ease of doing business with Starwood,” said Christie Hicks, Senior Vice President, Starwood Sales Organization. “We listened to feedback from our customers and developed a tool which gives them easy access to information they need throughout the planning cycle. We look forward to hearing our customer’s feedback as we continue to evolve the site to meet the needs of meeting planners around the world.”

In celebration of the new site launch and to give back to the communities in which Starwood does business, the company will donate 500 Starwood Preferred Planner Starpoints^®, up to one million Starpoints total, to global partner UNICEF for each unique site visitor between now and the end of April.

Get More for Your Meeting
In addition to the launch of StarwoodMeetings.com, planners can get more for their meeting with a special offer available at more than 350 Starwood properties in North and South America. Now through March 31, 2012 planners who book a meeting will receive bonus Starpoints and a choice of either a welcome reception, percent off master-billed rooms, or complimentary room upgrades.

Starwood Preferred Planner
Planners who are part of the Starwood Preferred Planner program can earn Starpoints for groups, meetings and events while enjoying dual-membership in the award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest® program – all with one convenient member account to redeem for free night rewards, continuing education, charitable contributions, instant meeting awards and more. Starpoints accumulate together and members of Starwood Preferred Planner use the same member number for SPG to book for business or pleasure.

For more information visit www.StarwoodMeetings.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,090 properties in 100 countries and territories with 154,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. The company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – today announced that the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, will be featured as a keynote speaker at the annual 2012 GBTA International Convention & Exposition at the Boston Convention Center in Boston, MA, July 22-25, 2012. President Bush’s appearance is made possible by Orbitz for Business.

“The GBTA Convention is a forum to hear from some of the most influential leaders in the world and this year’s Convention is no exception. We are honored to be hosting President George W. Bush at our annual convention in Boston and we look forward to hearing his views on his legacy,” said Michael W. McCormick, GBTA executive director and COO.

George W. Bush began his career in politics as the 46th Governor of Texas and made history as the first governor in Texasto be elected to consecutive four-year terms. In Austin, he earned a reputation for his bipartisan governing approach and his compassionate conservative philosophy.

As President, George W. Bush worked to expand freedom, opportunity and security at home and abroad. His first initiative as President was the No Child Left Behind Act, a bipartisan measure that raised standards in schools, insisted on accountability in return for federal dollars, and led to measurable gains in achievement-especially among minority students. Faced with a recession when he took office, President Bush cut taxes for every federal income taxpayer, which helped lead to an unprecedented 52 straight months of job creation. President Bush also modernized Medicare by adding a prescription drug benefit that provided access to needed medicine for 40 million seniors and other beneficiaries.

President Bush has many other notable accomplishments including implementing free trade agreements with more than a dozen nations; empowered America’s armies of compassion by creating USA Freedom Corps and the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives; improved air quality and made America’s energy supply more secure; designated more ocean area habitats for environmental protection than any predecessor; transformed the military to meet the changing threats of the 21st century and nearly doubled government support for veterans; pioneered a new development strategy that tied American foreign aid to reform and good governance; launched global HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives that have saved millions of lives; expanded the NATO alliance; and forged a historic new partnership with India.

The most significant event of President Bush’s tenure came on September 11, 2001, when terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people on American soil. President Bush responded with a comprehensive strategy to protect the American people. He led the most dramatic reorganization of the federal government since the beginning of the Cold War, reforming the intelligence community and establishing new institutions like the Department of Homeland Security.

Since leaving office, President Bush has focused his attention on developing the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, which will encompass the Presidential Library and Museum, Archives, and the George W. Bush Institute. The Institute, which President Bush announced in the fall of 2009 seeks to improve the human condition through education reform, global health, human freedom, and economic growth.

About the Global Business Travel Association Convention | The GBTA Convention, with nearly than 6,000 attendees, is the largest, most comprehensive annual gathering of business travel and meetings managers, meeting planners, procurement professionals and suppliers anywhere in the world. For more information on the GBTA Convention, visit www.gbta.org/convention.

About the Global Business Travel Association | The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings organization. Collectively, GBTA’s 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of 17,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. For more information, visit gbta.org

U.S. Travel invites you to the world’s premier USA Travel Marketplace to meet more than 1,000 leading USA travel suppliers and destinations.  Hosted program for meeting and incentive buyers includes complimentary hotel and registration (first-time attendees), pre-scheduled business appointments, unique venue tours and three exciting evening events.

Location:  Los Angeles Convention Center

Register now, limited spaces available. www.powwowonline.com

Meeting and Incentive Buyer’s Guide  http://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/page/2009/10/IPW2012_Meeting_Incentive_Buyers_Guide.pdf

Alexandria, Virginia—The Association of Corporate Travel Executives announced today its support of the President’s newly signed legislation to modernize the nation’s aviation system. The new regulation, among other initiatives, will facilitate a timely shift from radar to an air traffic control system based on GPS technology for U.S. flights.

“As a strong proponent of technological advances for the business travel industry, ACTE supports the much needed legislation to upgrade the nation’s air traffic control system,” said ACTE Executive Director Ron DiLeo.  

“These upgrades are long overdue,” DiLeo continued. “The new aviation technology will make air travel safer, more efficient and more convenient for travelers. A GPS-based system also will help reduce flight delays and decrease the element of human error in traffic control.

“Business travel continues to drive the economy and is responsible for approximately $246 billion in spending and 2.3 million* American jobs. Improving flight safety and convenience is vital to the health of our industry.”

For additional media information, or to speak with Ron DiLeo, please contact: Jodi Bannerman - 212.871.3020 x. 107, jbannerman@jgordonassociates.com. Visit ACTE on Facebook and Twitter @ACTEtweets .

About ACTE
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), founded in 1988, is a leading non-profit organization that serves and advances the global business travel industry in 102 different countries. For more than 20 years, ACTE has continued to fulfill its vision of uniting travel executives around the world, providing them with up-to-date news, knowledge, beneficial research findings and networking opportunities. To join ACTE, or for more information, please visit www.acte.org.

Toronto, ON—The Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB) is pleased to announce Connect-Worldwide as its Canadian travel trade and public relations agency.

“Chicago is a global city that truly resonates with Canadians,” says Charmaine Singh, President of Connect Worldwide Canada.  “The metropolis offers something for everyone; from incredible theatre, architecture and art galleries to Michelin starred chefs, a vibrant music scene and unlimited sporting and athletic activities. The team at Connect Worldwide is thrilled to be working with such an exciting destination and we look forward to sharing Chicago’s story with the Canadian market.”

Chicago is already a destination of choice for many Canadians. Statistics indicate that nearly 452,000 Canadians visited Chicago in 2010, resulting in a 14.3 percent increase from 2009.

As Chicago continues to prioritize the Canadian market, the bureau will work with Connect-Worldwide Canada to inform the country about Chicago’s unique and remarkable offerings. 

“The decision to partner with Connect-Worldwide is crucial to our overall communications and tourism marketing plan to increase domestic and international visitation,” said Warren R. Wilkinson, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the CCTB. “We see significant growth potential from the Canadian market as a result of Chicago’s accessibility – less than one day’s drive and 40 non-stop daily flights from Toronto.

Connect-Worldwide was founded in 2002 to fulfill the growing need of travel companies around the world to market their brands in new and innovative ways. Connect-Worldwide Canada is a recognized leader in providing strategic sales, marketing, and public relations, in market expertise for travel companies and destinations.

For more information please contact April Beauchamp at 416-341-6919 april@cww.travel or Melanie Greco at 905-426-8462 Melanie@cww.travel

Carlsbad, California—Scheduled to open this July with unparalleled ocean views and more than 25,000 square-feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa is the west coast’s only major new-build resort and meeting venue scheduled for completion this year.

With a focus on stylish event settings and full adaptability of its conference space, the 215-room resort is now accepting meeting and wedding reservations for summer 2012 and beyond. To celebrate its opening, the property is also offering a Premier Meeting Package, providing one complimentary night in an Oceanview Corner Suite for every 50 group room-nights booked. The property’s flexible, contemporary meeting facilities include 8,500 square feet of indoor space, 11,800 square feet of outdoor space and 5,000 square feet of pre-function areas ideal for coffee breaks, receptions and exhibit booths.

Indoor space at the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa is highlighted by the 5,700-square-foot Shearwater Ballroom, divisible into five settings including four meeting rooms and a conference room. Outdoor venues include an ocean-view event lawn which can accommodate 450 guests for lunch or dinner, presenting an ideal way to take advantage of the area’s desirable climate and colorful California landscape. For more intimate gatherings, the Private Dining Room at the hotel’s Chandler’s restaurant offers a striking ocean panorama via its outdoor, covered terrace which can accommodate up to 40 people. A further outdoor highlight of the resort is a romantic scenic garden lookout which can serve as a stunning frame for weddings and social gatherings.

“Interest in our meetings and weddings has escalated since the first of this year,” said Kathy Van Vechten, vice president of sales and marketing. “With opening day just months away, we look forward to welcoming our first events, and we are very excited to share this stunning new ocean-view location with numerous upcoming groups, brides and events.”

Owned and operated by Wave Crest Hotels & Resorts, the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa is located 10 minutes from Carlsbad’s Palomar Airport (CLD - served by United Airlines via LAX) and 35 minutes from San Diego International Airport (SAN). Directly across from the resort lies legendary Ponto Beach, acclaimed for its white sand and popular surf break, while nearby are Carlsbad Business Park and award-winning golf courses and the headquarters for both Callaway and TaylorMade golf. LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad Premium Outlets, and Carlsbad’s famed Flower Fields are just five minutes from the property, and San Diego’s popular SeaWorld, Zoo, Safari Park and Balboa Park are within a 30-minute drive. The multi-award winning Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad Beach, an ocean view property steps from the beach also managed by Wave Crest Hotels & Resorts, lies just two miles north of the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa. The combined indoor and outdoor meeting space for these two Hilton coastal properties equals 41,800 square-feet.

About Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa
Modeling the California Craftsman style, the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa features 215 guest rooms including eight suites, many with panoramic ocean views. The hotel’s central west-facing courtyard includes a 4,000 square foot free-form swimming pool surrounded by a vibrant coastal desert garden of palms, succulents and grasses, while an undulating, mosaic-tiled water-wall across the pool lends visual and aural sparkle. For further meeting space information, contact Kathy Van Vechten, vice president of sales and marketing at Kathy.VanVechten@hilton.com.

Fredericton, NB—The Fredericton International Airport Authority wants to reassure passengers in the wake of strike notice by unionized airport employees that it foresees no disruption in service as a result of this action. FIAA Marketing and Business Development Director John Hamilton says it is unfortunate that the PSAC union has decided to take this step but that “our priority is safe and uninterrupted travel for our customers, and we have every intention of ensuring that this priority is met”. 

Under the terms of employment, members of the union are obliged to provide essential services. Hamilton says this will ensure safe and uninterrupted service.

Meantime, the FIAA spokesperson says he hopes a contract can be agreed to soon. “This has been a particularly frustrating exercise for airport management and I expect it has for many of the union’s rank and file as well. We have been trying to settle a contract since June of 2009, but all we have seen is a pattern of the union cancelling scheduled bargaining sessions one after another over the past two and a half years, and failing to provide counteroffers to our offers.”

Hamilton says the airport sent a final offer to the union in October. “At that time we told them the new terms and conditions would be implemented if we didn’t hear back from them within two weeks. The union didn’t reply, so the new terms of employment were implemented in November.”

Hamilton says those new terms were quite generous, including a 3% raise which is comparable to settlements at other airports of Fredericton’s size. He says as well, these pay increases are on wages that average more than $50 thousand per year, which makes the Fredericton airport workers better paid than their counterparts working for many municipalities and in much of the private sector.  “These employees are very valued, and compensated accordingly. We are at a lost to figure out why their union leadership is acting so irresponsibly. Airline passengers flying in and out of Fredericton deserve safe, uninterrupted service and we fully intend to ensure they get it.”

Paradise Island, Bahamas—Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) recently conducted its annual Industry Advisory Council conference at Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas. During the conference, IAC attendees – which consisted of meeting professionals, incentive/recognition specialists, association executives and hoteliers – participated in the “IAC Walk for a Cause.” Each attendee received a pedometer, and wore it for the duration of the conference. On the last day of the conference ALHI collected the total steps from each attendee. The group walked approximately 1,250 miles collectively. In celebration, ALHI and Atlantis, Paradise Island each donated $1,250 to the Bahamas’ Children’s Emergency Hostel, which provides accommodations, food, clothing, medical care and other necessities for the benefit of abandoned and neglected children.

With a distinctive worldwide portfolio of more than 130 Four- and Five-Diamond quality hotels and resorts, ALHI provides planners and their organizations experienced National Sales Organization (NSO) services with diverse options among its outstanding member hotels and resorts which specialize in meetings and incentive programs. There is no cost to planners’ organizations to utilize the National Sales services of ALHI, as its members’ dues fund the organization to best serve planners with local professionals.

Atlantis, set amidst the lush tropical splendor of Paradise Island, Bahamas, recently completed an impressive $1 billion expansion. Resort offerings include 3,400 guest rooms and suites; 60 meeting rooms with a total of 200,000 square feet of indoor function space; and an additional 21 locations offering 300,000 square feet of breathtaking outdoor event space. Atlantis also features the 30,000-square-foot Mandara Spa, 20 million gallon Aquaventure waterpark, 21 restaurants, and 19 bars and lounges.

For more information about ALHI, or to inquire about a future meeting at any of the ALHI member properties including Atlantis, Paradise Island, contact your nearest ALHI National Sales Office, call the “ALHI Group Desk” toll-free at 866-303-ALHI (2544), and visit www.alhi.com.