Tourismembassy Blog

 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.

A new survey indicates that the only thing we all have in common when it comes to a good night's sleep is that our needs and preferences are diverse, and for those seeking rest away from home, the demand for a personalized sleep environment is increasing. For the 92% of survey respondents who expressed distinct preferences on the firmness of a bed, there's especially good news.

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.

  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.

For the first time, guests of Catalina Island Vacation Rentals will be able to experience a luxurious new lodging opportunity in Two Harbors, at the island's remote West End.

Nation's largest economy extended stay brand targets metro Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Riverside, Ventura

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.

World-class celebrity chefs dish out their tips and tricks to showcase their culinary talents at the World Culinary Showcase at this year's 2014 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® and the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event at NRA Show® (IWSB). Guest attendees will have the opportunity to learn from acclaimed chefs such as Maxime Bilet, co-author of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking; Top Chef Masters contestants Rick Bayless, David Burke, Graham Elliot, and Art Smith; Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern, as well as Food Network stars Claire Robinson, Robert Irvine, Marc Forgione; and more.

In honor of Valentine's Day, Barbados is offering a "gift of love" to travelers with the return of the wildly successful Barbados Island Inclusive offer for those looking to book their dream Caribbean getaway. Whether planning a quintessential island escape to master Barbados' art of fine living or to discover the rich cultural heritage of the island, guests can use free spending money for a variety of island experiences! With many more hotels, attractions, activities and restaurants to try, this exciting offer is available for travel May 1 - December 19, 2014 inclusive but trips must be booked from February 14 - March 31, 2014. 

Souverain wines will hit shelves this month with a bold new look, impactful positioning that highlights a legacy in North Coast Cabernet led by Winemaker Ed Killian and a regained focus to grow a long respected and historic Sonoma County-based brand. 

The following is being released by the American Beverage Association:

Contrary to what you might have heard, the vast majority of energy drinks consumed in the United States - including Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, AMP, Full Throttle and NOS - have similar or lower levels of caffeine than home-brewed coffee which many Americans enjoy on a daily basis. And many contain about half the caffeine of a similarly-sized coffeehouse coffee.

From Tennessee to Kentucky to Ireland, stories of old whiskies forgotten in the back of rickhouses and warehouses drift among distillers the world over. From lunch breaks to happy hours, their debates over which whiskey would taste best has become the stuff of legend. To offer resolution and introduce a new line of rare spirits to a growing base of whiskey aficionados, DIAGEO (NYSE: DEO) today announced the official start of the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company. 

The mesmerizing art of carving fruits and vegetables originated in the Far East and has caught on in other parts of the world as well. It was believed to have been practiced in Japan and Thailand 700 years ago. Also called as Mukimono in Japan, chefs carved vegetables to garnish food. In Thailand too, it was used to decorate rafts during important festivals. In both the countries, it was started by chefs who wanted to impress the members of the royal family with their skills. Over a period of time, this art was passed on from one generation to another and it also became more refined over the years. With colonialism and globalization, it spread to other parts of the world and today, it is practiced seen as a form of art in both Eastern and Western countries. 

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

The Tourismembassy Team

Many years drinking Coca Cola in thousands of pubs and bars around the world and suddenly one question, how to serve a Coca Cola?

Does people around the world know how to serve a Coca Cola?

The tourism industry has topped as one of the fastest developing sectors of the global economy. This unique success has been attributed to a number of factors most notably the impact of that the music industry has had on tourism. In the present day, music flows in arguably each and every sector of the economy. As such, it has had great influences on tourism and has thereby left behind a trail of benefits on the sector. Over the years, music has been revolutionalized a lot leading to emerging trends in the music industry. It is very important to note that there are a number of ways through which music has affected tourism either directly or indirectly.

The hotel industry has over the years grown incredibly especially due to the fact that it has become easy for new developments in the hotel industry to emerge. One of the most well   defined developments in this sector is seen in light of architecture designs used during the construction of hotel rooms. There’s never going to be a better time to travel than when you are planning a vacation to your number one tourist destination. When such is the case, there is usually need to ensure that you are able to choose a hotel whose rooms are designed uniquely to address your needs for style and comfort. One great attribute of present day hotel rooms is that these rooms come with very edgy designs, a factor that serves as a key selling point of the rooms.