Partner News

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Whether it’s celebrating an anniversary, receiving an award, earning a certification, debuting a new product or expanding the business, hotel companies and vendors achieve new milestones on a daily basis. Here’s a look at recent accomplishments:

Opterra Capital and The Hada Group Create Hobi Solutions

Opterra Capital LLC has entered into a strategic partnership with The Hada Group LLC to launch HOBI Solutions LLC and its HOBI (Hospitality Operations Business Intelligence) program, which is designed for owners of multiple hotels and resorts that are managed by multiple management companies and operated under different hotel flags and brands.

Offering comprehensive, enterprise-level business intelligence (BI) solutions to asset managers and hospitality companies, HOBI Solutions’ HOBI software is tailored to provide clients customized reporting, analytics and decision support in an easily accessible, digestible format.

The program includes hundreds of customizable components (including web, iPad and iPhone-based dashboards, data warehouse and ETL processes, among others) coupled with industry metrics and key performance indicators, providing owners, managers and operators of multiple hotels and resorts a simple and scalable BI solution. HOBI empowers users to develop unique insights into the data in a trusted and governed environment by leveraging MicroStrategy’s enterprise and mobile analytics platform in a cost-effective format, according to the company. The underlying analytics platform also facilitates the delivery of big data analytics and predictive analysis through R and Python modeling, further empowering business teams to tap into trusted enterprise data without sacrificing preferred BI visualization tools.

Unified Brands Reveals New Line of Randell Blast Chillers

Unified Brands unveiled a twist to a classic product with the all new Randell BC Series Blast Chillers. The BC Series incorporates more technologically advanced features that give foodservice operators greater control over refrigerated food storage, including intuitive touch-screen controls; no-program required, auto-launch cooling feature; and color-coded probe identification system ensuring proper probe placement.

The reach-in Randell BC Series Blast Chiller (model no. BC-918RI) has a capacity of nine standard sheet pans or 18 hotel pans (12x20x2-inch)—or a combination of both. The work-top Randell BC Series Blast Chiller (model no. BC-510WT) has a capacity of five standard sheet pans or 10 hotel pans (12x20x2-inch)—or a combination of both. Both the reach-in and work-top units will be shipped on heavy duty 6-in.-high casters. The under-counter Randell BC Series Blast Chiller (model no. BC-003UC) has a capacity of three hotel pans (12x20x2) and is shipped on 3-in.-high casters.

Stonehill Improves Access to Alternative Financing
Stonehill has increased its alternative financing capabilities for hotel projects. Year-to-date, the company has provided more than $450 million in financing to 20 projects nationwide. Stonehill provided $4 million of mezzanine capital to an affiliate of Ascent Hospitality for the conversion of the Chattanoogan Hotel to the Curio Collection by Hilton in Tennessee. The borrower required certainty of execution with a hard close date and additional capital necessary to complete the renovation.

Stonehill delivered a preferred equity investment in five hotels owned by the Briad Group. The preferred equity provided capital necessary for the sponsor to continue its growth strategy by leveraging the value created in ongoing and recently completed development projects.

Stonehill also provided a $3.5-million PACE loan at a 6.15% fixed rate for 20 years to refinance The Broadway Columbia—A DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Missouri and replaced more expensive mezzanine debt that was accruing during construction. Shortly after construction was completed, PACE, a relatively new financing alternative, became available in Columbia. By virtue of adhering to brand standards, the project met the state’s PACE program qualifications. Like most state programs, Missouri allows PACE to be used retroactively, even following construction completion.

Dometic Wins Red Dot Award

Dometic succeeded in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2019 to win over the international jury with its well-designed brand communication.

“We developed a brand that gave us a common mission for the whole company,” said Peter Kjellberg, chief marketing officer, Dometic. “It’s a mission that clearly sets out the direction of our future development and offering to the market. The changes we carried out were extensive. We are now a more modern and inspiring company. The feedback, both internally and externally, has been unanimously positive.”

Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder/CEO of the Red Dot Award, added, “For around 65 years, the Red Dot Award, as one of the world’s largest design competitions, has been providing a platform for designers, agencies and companies to evaluate good design. 2019 was the first year in which brands had the opportunity to compete for the sought-after distinction. This makes me even happier to congratulate the laureates most sincerely on their win. It is a testament both to their convincing performance and to the quality and design leadership of their brands. Anyone who succeeds in such a strong and international bunch of competitors deserves to be proud of themselves and of their achievements.”

Dyson Launches New Air Dryer

Dyson has launched the Dyson Airblade 9kJ hand dryer to enable people to dry their hands quickly and hygienically, while using low energy.

The dryer has been in development for three years and is the quietest Dyson Airblade yet, with hand drying in 10 seconds, according to the company. The dryer uses 86% less energy than warm air dryers in Eco mode, while producing up to 85% less carbon dioxide emissions per dry than paper towels.