Tourismembassy Blog

Caesars Entertainment Corporation  announced today the commencement of an underwritten public offering of 7 million shares of its common stock.  Caesars expects to grant the underwriter of the offering an option to purchase up to 1.05 million additional shares of its common stock. Caesars and its financial sponsors, affiliates of TPG Capital LP and Apollo Global Management, LLC, have agreed to a lock-up (subject to certain exceptions) for a period of 60 days after the date of the prospectus supplement for the offering.

Advanced Entertainment SA de CV and its wholly owned Subsidiary Canibal Bar and Lounge is pleased to announce the opening of Canibal Lounge.

The world's first-ever "Asia Cruise Fund" was announced at Cruise Shipping Miami on March 11th, 2014 by Philip Yung, Commissioner for Tourism of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, Anthony Lau, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), and Dr. Wayne Liu, Deputy Director-General of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB).

Ambassador Hotel Collection, a Tulsa-based hospitality company, opened its doors in Oklahoma City on March 19. The latest in the Ambassador's portfolio of hotels boasts traditional elegance with contemporary touches adding to the Midtown District's mix of entertainment, commercial and residential culture.

The newest addition to the Innside by Melia hotel brand will bring a lifestyle business experience, efficient and smart service, contemporary design and the latest technology to New York City's NoMad area when it opens 2016. With the signing of a new hotel in New York City, Melia Hotels International continues progressing with its global growth strategy, which during 2013, achieved the milestone of hotels in 40 countries around the world.

Vince Cook, CEO of Grand Circle Cruise Line, the leader in small ship and river cruising worldwide, announced today that the fleet has acquired the River Cloud II,  a 90-passenger ship that will operate Grand Circle Cruise Line's new river cruise tour in Bordeaux beginning in March 2015.  Renamed the M/S Chanson, the river ship was acquired for an undisclosed price from Sea Cloud Cruises. "We are delighted to add the Chanson to our award-winning fleet," said Cook.  "With its capacity of just 90 passengers, our new ship can enter small ports that are inaccessible to larger ships, allowing our travelers to explore small villages and towns, engage with local people, and experience the daily life of a community.  These are the experiences our travelers want in small ship travel, and we are extremely happy to offer this in a brand new river cruise in one of the most beautiful parts of the world."

Choice Hotels International, one of the world's largest hotel companies, announced today that Monte Koch has been appointed to its board of directors.

Kevin Parker, owner of bio-dynamic and organic winery Chateau Maris, today announced his plans to sell 300,000 bottles of wine in 2014, including approximately 100,000 in New York City alone.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® brings more than 50 years of coffee expertise to the K-Cup® pack marketplace today with the introduction of four coffee varieties for the Keurig® K-Cup® Brewing System. The new lineup showcases some of the company's most popular roasts and new blends created specifically for the Keurig® K-Cup® Brewing System.

PepsiCo believes acting ethically and responsibly is not only the right thing to do, but also the right thing for our business. To build on the policies and programs PepsiCo has already established in a number of areas including supplier conduct, sustainable agriculture and environmental health and safety, the company is now rolling out a land policy with zero tolerance for illegal activities in our supply chain and for land displacements of any legitimate land tenure holders.

"Through our sponsorship of these two outstanding Porsche programs, Hertz is able to connect with car enthusiasts as well as the growing United SportsCar Championship racing fan base," said Mark P Frissora, Hertz Chairman and CEO.  "With the best selection of cars in the industry, Hertz is proud to have the most diverse Porsche fleet available for rent and our partnership with both teams highlights the availability of such high performance, luxury vehicles found in Hertz Dream Cars."

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.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts( http://www.hilton.com ) and Hilton Worldwide( http://www.hiltonworldwide.com ) today announced the opening of Hilton Zhengzhou( http://www.zhengzhou.hilton.com ). The opening marks the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts property in Henan Province. Strategically situated in the center of Zhengzhou, the 39-story hotel features 448 contemporary guestrooms and suites and is operated by Hilton Worldwide and owned by Henan Sheng Long Real Estate Co. Ltd.

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.

Its long coastline, the purity of its water and the nutritional resources of the sea are highly unique advantages that Chile has in relation to its competitors which have allowed developing an industry that has grown exponentially over the last 30 years.

abba hotels, an exclusive urban Spanish hotel chain, is primed to bolster its sales and marketing efforts in Argentina, France, Italy, Mexico, Russia and the UK with its new Discover the World partnership.

Paulson & Co. Inc. ("Paulson"), a New York-based investment firm, today announced that it has acquired a majority interest in the Condado Vanderbilt and La Concha Renaissance Hotel and Tower, and the accompanying Condado Vanderbilt condominium towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico for $260 million, including costs to complete construction of the Vanderbilt. The investment was made in partnership with International Hospitality Enterprises ("IHE"), a highly regarded owner and operator of hotels in Puerto Rico.

 Interstate Hotels & Resorts – the leading U.S.-based global hotel management company – announces new UK management contracts for ibis budget Hotel Derby and ibis budget Hotel Leicester. The new hotels increase Interstate's rapidly expanding UK portfolio by 154 guestrooms and cements its position as the premier hotel management company in the UK, raising its collection to 49 hotels managed and signed.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG®), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has been named to FORTUNE Magazine's 2014 "World's Most Admired Companies" list*. Celebrating ten years as a standalone hotel company, this is IHG's first-ever recognition on this list. IHG was ranked fourth in the Hotels, Casinos and Resorts Industry Category. And with a portfolio of more than 4,700 hotels and 687,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories, IHG led its industry category on the 'Global Competitiveness' key attribute. 

Ayer Capital Advisors ("Ayer Advisors"), an investment firm, and The Wankawala Organization ("TWO"), a hotel owner and management firm are pleased to announce the acquisition of a 78-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hotel, located in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.  Ayer will work with The Wankawala Organization to manage the property.

Hard Rock International – the brand that continues to strike a chord in the lifestyle hotel experience by keeping music at the forefront – proudly welcomed Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs on March 6, 2014 with an extravagant Grand Opening party. Celebrating the brand's introduction to the famed Desert Valley hot spot, guests witnessed the hotel debut with unrivalled entertainment as the popular indie headlining electronic rock duo, Phantogram, performed poolside. High profile celebrities including The Mindy Project's Anders Holm and reality star, Audrina Patridge, all stepped out to greet California's second Hard Rock Hotel.

Plans to add more than 500 new jobs in the region in response to record revenue growth and customer momentum in Europe

Plans to open new data centres in U.K., France and Germany

Companies of all sizes in Europe, including BMW Group, Pernod Ricard, and Zeiss, turn to salesforce.com to transform for the Internet of Customers with Salesforce1

Conceived by agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for the CMPB in 1993, "got milk?" became so successful it was quickly licensed and adopted by the national Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) for use in their Milk Mustache campaign (which originally carried the line, "MILK - What a surprise!", and then transitioned to "MILK - Where's your mustache?"). MilkPEP also ran the California TV campaign for four years. 

Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: BEE) today announced that the Company has closed on the sale of the Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort and the adjacent La Solana land parcel for $200.0 million.  The Company expects after tax proceeds to total approximately $180.0 million which it intends to use to retire its 8.50% Series A Preferred Stock and reduce indebtedness under its revolving credit facility.