Hotel Management has been focused on new leadership in major hospitality companies. Just a week after the unexpected death of Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson on 15 February, the company’s board of directors appointed Anthony “Tony” Capuano as the company’s new CEO and Stephanie Linnartz as the new president.
Capuano previously was group president, global development, design and operations services, while Linnartz was group president, consumer operations, technology and emerging businesses. The two had been tapped in early February to share the responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Marriott’s business units and corporate functions while Sorenson focused on his health. Upon his death, Marriott announced that they would continue in those capacities as well as continuing in their own roles until the board named new leadership.
Meanwhile, Virgin Hotels has appointed James Bermingham as the division's CEO, effective immediately. Bermingham is stepping into the role following former CEO Raul Leal's departure after 10 years leading the company, and joins the Virgin Hotels executive team following nearly two decades with Montage International. He will be responsible for delivering the company's global growth pipeline, customer experience and culture.
The rise of virtual restaurants
Ghost kitchens and virtual concepts remain one of the hottest topics in industry news this week, as some of country’s biggest restaurant brands entered the arena. White Castle, Cracker Barrel, Applebee’s and Bloomin’ Brands embraced this new frontier by launching virtual concepts to maximize revenue during Covid-19, reported Bar & Restaurant. A virtual concept is a brand with no brick-and-mortar location. These 100% digital restaurants are quickly gaining in popularity and are estimated to become a $1 trillion opportunity over the next decade. Bloomin’ Brands, the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, expects their virtual venture to bring in approximately $75 million of sales this year.
Supermodel Kenall Jenner took her first foray into the spirits world last week, with the launch of 818 tequila. Jenner announced the move in an Instagram post, and quickly sparked a heated debate on social media. Many see her as the latest in a string of Americans who seek to gain profit through the appropriation of Mexican culture. She follows George Clooney, Adam Levine, Sammy Hagar, Toby Keith, The Rock, Nick Jonas, Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston in launching an agave brand. “All of these celebrities are equally culpable of ignoring the economic and environmental impact on the communities where agave spirits are produced,” writes Hector Meza for Bar & Restaurant, as he explains the systemic issues that plague mass market, celebrity labels.
Relief efforts in the United States
Last week, a bipartisan group of Senators and Congressional Representatives unveiled the Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act of 2021, which would provide relief and recovery measures for the travel and hospitality, entertainment, convention and trade show industries and their workers. It would, as reported by Travel Agent, extend the Employee Retention Tax Credit, as well as provide a tax credit for qualified travel expenses for many Americans, establish a tax credit for the cost of attending or hosting a convention, business meeting or trade show in the U.S., and create a tax credit for restaurants or food service businesses that would cover any cost associated with reopening or increasing service.
In the travel realm, Ruthanne Terrero, Vice President, Questex Travel and Meetings Group, hosted a roundtable of top travel advisors and suppliers to get the pulse on the industry for 2021. Many are seeing traveler intent increasing, although they don’t see a serious rebound occurring until later in the year. The demand is evident, the suppliers say, in that they’re releasing itineraries or selling out in the destinations where it operates much further out than ever before. Travelers are also, at the moment, more concerned with what’s open and available in a destination than they are its safety protocols.
New focal points for golf resort developers
Countries across the world are preparing to open up for leisure tourism later this year and sport tourism is likely to be high on the agenda for travellers. Golf resorts have been around for decades but new consumer demands have meant the very best have had to constantly evolve. Hospitality Insights reported on five of the new focal points developers and operators need to take into account to integrate golf successfully into a resort project.
Elsewhere, Hospitality Insights sat down with Peter Stack, CEO, Amaris Hospitality Limited (owned by the LRC Group), to discuss its achievement as Overall Winner of the HAMA Europe Asset Management Achievement 2020 Awards.