Sonesta Names New COO
NEWTON, MA – Sonesta International Hotels Corporation recently tapped Vera Manoukian as the company’s new chief operating officer. In her new role, Manoukian will leverage over three decades of hotel industry knowledge, skills, and experience to develop and execute operating strategies for its rapidly growing footprint of branded and managed hotels. Manoukian will work closely with Sonesta president and CEO Carlos Flores.
Manoukian recently served as the Global Head of the Hilton Brand at Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. where she led the strategic direction, vision, and growth for nearly 600 properties in 95 countries. Previously, she served as senior vice president of Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., where she was responsible for their largest geographic region, including seven brands, 68 full-service and luxury properties, and $3.4 billion in annual revenue.
“We are thrilled to welcome Vera,” said Flores. “In addition to her operations role, she’ll be helping me refine and extend our strategic vision for the company and expand the capability and capacity of the overall organization. She brings deep industry expertise in hospitality brand growth, which will be invaluable as we reposition and optimize the performance of our rapidly growing portfolio of hotels, soon to exceed more than 300 destinations globally.”
New York’s Historic Roosevelt Hotel Enters Final Month
NEW YORK – Opened in September of 1924, New York’s Roosevelt Hotel at East 45th St. will soon close its doors. As reported in CNN Travel and elsewhere, the historic hotel in the heart of Manhattan will permanently close its doors “this year.” As of Nov. 30, the hotel is still open.
According to CNN, The Roosevelt Hotel, owned by Pakistan International Airlines, cited the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing drop in business as the principal reasons it will cease operations. “Due to the current, unprecedented environment and the continued uncertain impact from COVID-19, the owners of The Roosevelt Hotel have made the difficult decision to close the hotel and the associates were notified this week,” wrote hotel officials in a statement. “The iconic hotel, along with most of New York City, has experienced very low demand and as a result the hotel will cease operations before the end of the year. There are currently no plans for the building beyond the scheduled closing.”
As a fixture of the Manhattan skyline, the hotel served as a backdrop to several Hollywood films, including: Wall Street; Malcolm X; Quiz Show; The Dictator; The French Connection; Maid in Manhattan; The Boiler Room; 1408; and most recently The Irishman.
Standalone Boutique Hotel Company Takes Shape
LONDON – Not every company in the hospitality world is retracting. Travel Weekly reports that boutique hospitality group Ennismore, parent company of the Hoxton hotel chain and Scotland’s Gleneagles resort, have announced plans to create a standalone lifestyle platform comprising a dozen of their hotel brands.
Writer Christina Jelski reports that the entity will “bring Ennismore’s Hoxton and Gleneagles properties under the same umbrella as Accor’s Delano, SLS, Mondrian, SO/, Hyde, Mama Shelter, 25h, 21c Museum Hotels, Tribe and Jo&Joe brands.” Operating in London under the Ennismore name, Accor will be the group’s majority shareholder, with Ennismore founder and CEO Sharan Pasricha holding a “substantial minority position.”
“Lifestyle, entertainment, places with a soul have been at the heart of our development and growth strategy over the last years,” said Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin in a statement. “Partnering with Ennismore’s founder Sharan and his great teams will take our lifestyle ambition to a new and exciting level.”
Summit Hotel Properties Reports 63% RevPAR Decrease for Q3
AUSTIN, TX – Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. Notable points include a pro forma revenue per available room (RevPAR) decrease of 63.5 percent to $46.83 from the same period in 2019. Pro forma average daily rate (ADR) decreased 34.6 percent to $103.98 compared to the same period in 2019, and pro forma occupancy decreased 44.2 percent to 45.0 percent.
“We were encouraged by the significant improvement in demand during the third quarter as our portfolio RevPAR more than doubled from the second quarter driven by improved short-term leisure demand and significant market share gains,” said Dan Hansen, president, chairman, and CEO. “Our monthly corporate cash burn rate has been reduced by nearly 70% which has significantly extended our liquidity runway as our disciplined focus on cost controls and refining of an already efficient operating model lead to improved hotel-level profitability. We remain confident that the quality of our portfolio, the strength of our team, and the actions we are taking today position us well to resume our place as an industry leader as the headwinds related to the COVID-19 pandemic begin to abate.”