SuitePineapple Podcast #005 Welcome to the suitePineapple Podcast *Show Format/Frequency/Length suitepineapple@gmail.com Operations Unreasonable fees give guests reason to flee hotelmotel.com (Hotel And Motel Management) A recent trend has been hotels charging for services and products that have been free in the past. Items such as toothpaste, swimming pool towels and local phone call costing guests less than one dollar seems like they are more headache than they’re worth. Many hotels agree these fees are simply to increase revenue. It seems though most guests are willing to pay these fees as long as they are disclosed before their arrival. Charging a guest without telling them is simply not acceptable and may not be legal. Construction www.hotelnewsrecource.com You may want to consider metal roofing in your next hotel project. Metal roof have a greater resistance to extreme weather such as hail, snow, wind, and rain. Most metal roofs are better for the environments as well as they are typically 25%-95% recycled materials. As another environmental benefit the finish on a metal roof is inert and poses no health risks. Hotel bel-air announces plans for new spa The hotel Bel-Air announced plans for their 12,000sqf spa. The groundbreaking will take place in September of this year with completion sometime in August of 2008. Openings Ghent Marriott Hotel Opens in Belgium Interstate hotels and resorts has opened the new Ghent Marriott Hotel in Belgium. Granite Group owns the 150-room hotel. The hotel is located in the heart of the city close to historic 16th century architecture and spectacular views of the city. Miscellaneous There is an interesting survey on PG 34 of these months Hotel & Motel Management. When asked “How important is complimentary breakfast daily?� 24% of males and 33% of females said it was extremely important. Then when asked the importance of complimentary newspaper 9% of males said it was not at all important and 20% of females had the same answer. Take a moment to read the article there are some very interesting statistics. If you have any feedback email me at suitepineapple@gmail.com or visit the site suitepineapple.com This week’s word is Breakfast

Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program • Hotel News resources • North Americas first eco-tourism certification program. • STEP Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program o educational in nature o practical o applicable to businesses of all sizes o designed to help hoteliers support environmental tourism o Fees start at about $200.00 and more information is available at ecocirtification.org. Hyatt Place portfolio reaches 29 hotels in April and will have 120 by December. • Article on hospitalitynet.org • Hyatt Place has reached a number of 29 hotels in 13 states. • Hyatt will open the 50th of this brand this month. New Orleans Marriott undergoes 38.0Mil Renovation • A renovation that will be completed late summer of 2007 • started in 2005 • Changing every aspect of the hotel including o Guestrooms o public Spaces o Lobby o Concierge Lounge o Grand Ballroom • The property has nearly 1300 guest room and over 80,000 sq Feet of meeting space. Priority Club of IHG Program of the year. • Two years in a row Priority Club wins club of he year. • Voters were asked about o service o Bonuses o Awards o Benefits and Opportunities.

Once again sorry about the delay in shows. I have have a cold, and I was able to move into a new apartment this week. Now that I am all settled I should be able to get a regular show into the pipeline.