Tourismembassy Blog

HNA Group Chairman Chen Feng Gives Speech at The 2014 World Travel & Tourism Council

Washington Restaurant Association Pioneers Use of Google Glass Technology within Foodservice Industry with Live Stream of Major Trade Show.

To engage its members and add a new dimension to its trade show presence, the Washington Restaurant Association (WRA) will unveil Google Glass technology at the 2014 Northwest Foodservice Show (NWFSS) on April 13-14. This is the first time the foodservice industry has featured Google Glass live streaming at a major trade show.

Congratulations Didix !

Didix, market leader in the Netherlands in gift cards and leisure promotions, annouced today that it has completed two acquisitions in the United Kingdom; that of Gourmet Society and Restaurant Choice. The Gourmet Society is one of the largest and most successful subscription based dining clubs in the UK with more than 500,000 members and 7,000 affiliated restaurants. Restaurant Choice is the first open-loop restaurant gift voucher scheme in the UK and is welcomed at more than 1,500 restaurants throughout Britain.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is taking a unique approach to its newest social media channel by using long form storytelling, bringing the number of branded social media channels to twelve:  http://ritzcarltonreserve.tumblr.com/.

Marriott International,today became the largest hotel company in Africa according to published information, and nearly doubled its presence in its Middle East and Africa region to more than 160 hotels and 23,000 rooms as it completed its acquisition of the 116-hotel Protea Hospitality Group (PHG), based in South Africa.  Marriott now operates or franchises more than 4,000 hotels in 79 countries. 

Today Hello Vino, Inc. announces the acquisition of Corkbin, a popular social networking app for wine enthusiasts to save and share photos of their purchases.

Jin Jiang International Hotels will be sponsoring the conference venue and hosting a Welcome Reception on 31 March at its historic flagship heritage hotel, Jin Jiang Hotel, located in the Former French Concession in downtown Shanghai. Steeped in a long, rich history, the hotel was the official state guest house of the People's Republic of China, having had witnessed many great political events in modern Chinese history, including the initial signing of the Sino-U.S. joint communique.

  Interstate Hotels & Resorts – the leading U.S.-based global hotel management company – announces the opening of seven new leading hotels around the world expanding the Company's portfolio by nearly 2,000 rooms, including the four top hotels in the dynamic Olympic city of Sochi, Russia; the award-winning combined Residence Inn and Courtyard New York Manhattan/Central Park, renowned as the tallest hotel in North America; and the new contemporary designed Streamsong® Resort, a critically-acclaimed Florida golf resort and conference center featuring two top-ranked signature golf courses and world class amenities. The new global openings further prove the Company's ability to open any hotel or destination resort, no matter asset class or brand, in any market of the world, even within a two-month span.

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:WYN) announced today its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.35 per share on its common stock, payable March 28, 2014 to shareholders of record as of March 14, 2014.

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Guest rooms sell out months in advance for the festivities of Awards Season and the unique gifts provided during each Awards Season give the VIP's another reason to return, beyond the impeccable service and amenities of the hotel.

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced today that Micky Arison, Chairman of the Board of Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc, has advised Carnival Corporation that trusts organized for his benefit plan to sell up to 10 million shares of Carnival Corporation common stock ("Shares") in market sales, representing up to approximately 1% of the total combined voting rights of Carnival Corporation & plc. Arison indicated that he is selling for tax planning, estate planning and diversification purposes. All Arison Shares are held either directly or indirectly in various trusts for his benefit.

Choice Hotels International,launched an online system, Verified Reviews, for ChoiceHotels.com. This new functionality provides consumers with an added layer of authenticity regarding reviews of Choice Hotels properties. Unlike other review sites, guests posting reviews on ChoiceHotels.com will be asked to provide their booking confirmation number to verify their stay at the hotel, and thereby provide potential guests with information from real guests in order to help them make their booking decision.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM TOURISMEMBASSY !

Global technology provider, Sabre (www.sabre.com), today announced that Yannis Karmis will lead the newly formed Global Corporate Solutions group at Sabre Travel Network, where he will oversee corporate travel solutions such as GetThere, which provides technology to corporations through its innovative online and mobile booking tools; TruTrip, which will allow business travel buyers to easily capture travel activity across booking sources; TripCase Corporate mobile app and other areas of the business that support corporate travel.

Drinks Americas (OTC: DKAM), the exclusive United States broker for leading premium authentic Mexican beers currently present in over 32 states, today is pleased to announce that it has signed Craft Beer Distributors of Puerto Rico as its new distributor, bringing its Day of the Dead Beer line of premium authentic Mexican craft beers to bars, restaurants, chains, liquor stores and retailers throughout Puerto Rico.

Tourism has always been regarded as the impetus that brings in new business opportunities and economic development for a region. As an industry, there are several factors that have an impact on tourism both positively and negatively. One such aspect is the natural disasters and climate changes that occur in a place unexpectedly. 

Hope you have a great new year 2014. Let the celebration begin. Cheers to 2014. May all your dreams come true.. !

The Tourismembassy Team