Developers Jump on the AC Hotels Brand Bandwagon

By: Harvey Chipkin

With the opening of the first AC Hotel by Marriott in North America, the brand is moving quickly toward a possible 150 to 200 hotels in the not too distant future as younger travelers look for hotels that will fit their unique needs. And Marcus Hotels & Resorts has wasted no time joining in. Joe Khairallah, COO of Marcus Hotels & Resorts, explains why the company is currently in the process of converting a Four Points hotel in Chicago to an AC Hotel and what changes will be made to attract a new generation of valued guests.

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Lessons get children off on right foot

By: Brian Clark

When my children were little — just 3 and 5 — my spouse and I put them in a preschool skiing program at Tyrol Basin. That was almost a decade ago. And while they haven’t become ski racers, it got them off to a great start.

They loved sliding around on the snow, making pizza wedges and french fries with their skis and zipping down beginner runs with monikers like Nisse Sti — named for a mischievous Norwegian elf — and Trollway. They also liked the friendly instructors, the hot chocolate breaks and the graham crackers.

Enjoy holiday cheer, wintertime fun and that summer experience all in one spot

LAKE GENEVA (WITI) — Tucked within historic Lake Geneva, Grand Geneva Resort and Spa is one of only five AAA Four-Diamond resorts in Wisconsin, and Chip gets a behind the scenes look.

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Lessons at Midwest ski resorts get children off on right foot

By: Brian Clark

When my children were little — just 3 and 5 — my spouse and I put them in a preschool skiing program at Tyrol Basin. That was almost a decade ago. And while they haven’t become ski racers, it got them off to a great start.

They loved sliding around on the snow, making pizza wedges and french fries with their skis and zipping down beginner runs with monikers like Nisse Sti — named for a mischievous Norwegian elf — and Trollway. They also liked the friendly instructors, the hot chocolate breaks and the graham crackers.

See more here.

Shelley Smith, a licensed Esthetician at Evensong Spa, was named People Pleaser of the Month for November 2014. She has been with us since July 2006. “Shelley has worked hard to update our nail and body services for the new spa menu, ” said spa director Druellen Kosti. Kosti continues to speak highly of Shelley, explaining […]

Celebrate the Season at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa invites both locals and out-of-town guests to join the property and ring in 2015. For a night of fun and festivities, guests can make reservations to dine at one of the signature restaurants including Geneva ChopHouse and Ristorante Brissago, and enjoy a delicious New Year’s Eve prix-fixe menu.

Upcoming Events

At Timber Ridge Lodge, holiday shoppers can enjoy gift shopping and a visit from Santa on Dec. 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Santa will be on site from 1:30 to 3:30 for photos. Timber Ridge is located off Highway 50 West outside of downtown Lake Geneva.

Tomorrow’s hotel paper?

By: Barb Delollis

Milwaukee-based Marcus Hotels & Resorts recently replaced complimentary printed newspapers for guests with a free-to-use mobile device app called PressReader in three of its 17 hotels. The PressReader app gives news craving guests access to 3,500 papers and magazines. Chris Anderson, senior vice president of Marcus Hotels & Resorts, talks about change and the reaction the company is seeing from its guests.

Read more here.

The new Pala Casino Spa and Resort mobile application will allow its administrators to deliver location-based offers to guests and enhance their time spent at the resort.

Featuring loyalty account integration and an interactive property map, the Pala Band of Mission Indians has likely created an app to modernize the guest experience. If executed efficiently, the app could cause return visits and the recruitment of new guests.

“This new JoinGo-powered app allows Pala Casino’s marketing staff to engage with their guests in real-time and create a truly personal connection that gives every app user a VIP experience,” said Seamus McGill, president of JoinGo. “The app connects to Pala’s casino management system, which stores a wealth of data on each guest.

“For the guest, it’s all about convenience – the ability to just open up an app and have immediate access to everything that the casino has to offer – all in one place and all available at the touch of a button,” he said.

Entertaining and serving
Mobile loyalty solutions provider JoinGo powered the making of the app.

The tribal casino has integrated its existing Casino Management System into the app, allowing players to have access to the casino’s Privileges Club. This integration provides real-time account balances and tier-point summaries and details.

Pala will also utilize JoinGo Places, which is a location-based marketing and analytics tool that enables casino operators to use geo-fencing technology to automate the delivery of mobile messages. Through this tool, Pala can send offers to patrons’ mobile devices when and where they are most likely to act on them.

Players can also find their favorite on-property slot titles based on name, denomination or game type through the Slot Finder feature on the app.

Pala can promote nearby concerts and events, and tickets for them can be purchased on the app.

The app is available on iOS and Android devices.

Easing guests’ visits
Hotel chains have embraced mobile in remarkable ways this year.

Wyndham Hotels recently extended its reach to last-minute travelers through an integration with the Last Minute Travel Deals mobile application.

The partnership with Wyndham also includes other major brands, such as Days Inn, Ramada and Howard Johnson. The app, which claims to offer agent-level prices on hotels worldwide, allows consumers to locate last-minute deals on their smartphone or tablet – a feature that it expects will be even more popular during the holiday season (see story).

Marcus Hotels & Resorts’ flagship property The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee is channeling mobile through responsive Web design and augmented reality to appeal to younger audiences.

Having launched a new responsive Web site capable of processing mobile bookings and an augmented reality tour that offers an enticing, interactive factor, millennials will be more likely to consider the hotel. Mobile is being used in a multitude of ways to deliver modern and convenient experiences for guests (see story).

Pala and JoinGo have similar expectations for the new app.

“The immediate goals for this app include increasing guest visits and monthly win,” Mr. McGill said. “The long-term goal is to reduce direct mail costs.”

Grand Geneva Resort offers plenty of Family Fun

When Hugh Heffner opened the Lake Geneva Playboy Club Hotel back in 1968, it was the place to be for, well, swingers who enjoyed top entertainers like Sonny and Cher, Bob Hope, George Carlin, Ann-Margret, Buddy Rich and Dylan Cannon. The 1, 300-acre resort boasted two tournament-style golf courses, horse stables, four restaurants, an airport, a ski lodge, a 15-acre lake and a wildlife refuge. The club also had Heffner’s signature Playboy Bunnies: attractive young women who paraded around the grounds in corsets and high heels with puffy tails and rabbit ears.

Now known as the Grand Geneva, the human bunnies are long gone from the resort, which has been operated by the Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. since 1993.

See more here.