The Sonesta travel brand includes an eclectic collection of international luxury hotels, resorts and cruise ships. With a tiny hotel portfolio relative to major hotel brands (it currently has only ten U.S. hotels, for example), Sonesta is making a push to gain brand awareness by entering a new segment -- the extended stay market.

By acquiring fifteen Staybridge Suites and two Residence Inns, Sonesta is able to jump start its new "ES Suites" brand in the primary markets of Atlanta, Houston and Orlando, in addition to locations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Ohio. Mike Wohl, operations vice president at Sonesta ES Suites, told HotelNewsNow.com, "We really like the extended stay business. It has matured to the point where it is a solid fundamental market segment on a national scale. It's a proven segment, and we really like the business model."Continue reading...

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People generally get hotel rooms because they need a place to sleep. The location of the hotel is more often than not selected for convenience than for the hotel itself. So Renaissance hotels, which is owned by Marriott, is going to play up the surrounding areas of its hotels in its new ad campaign.

The hope, of course, is to attract a younger, hipper market that is mostly visiting due to business travel. To do this, Renaissance introduced a “Navigator” program back in 2010 “to provide tips about the hotels’ surroundings,” the New York Times reports. The hotels have attempted to host more musical events in the past two years of both local and national acts, such as Bruno Mars.Continue reading...

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Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest, AEG and CAA partner on AXS cable network launch.Continue reading...