Appointments & Promotions

Ellen Ruane New GM of Hilton Long Island - Huntington

June 28, 2011 - The Dow Hotel Company, LLC (DHC), a hotel ownership investment and management company, today announced that Ellen Ruane has been named general manager of the company’s 304-room Hilton Long Island/Huntington in suburban Long Island, owned by a joint venture between New Jersey-based Prudential Real Estate Investors and DHC.

“Ellen has a wide range of experience in the hospitality industry, which will be a great asset to the Hilton,” said Murray Dow, chief executive officer of The Dow Hotel Company. “The Hilton Long Island - Huntington has one of the area’s largest meeting facilities, which means we will attract groups from around the world. Her depth of experience will help the hotel to expand its leadership position in the market.” Ruane managed several properties, including the Founders Inn and Spa, Virginia Beach, VA; the North Maple Inn, Basking Ridge, NJ; and The Forrestal at Princeton, Princeton, NJ.

Ruane earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Montclair State University in Monclair, NJ with a major in Political Science.

Located at 598 Broad Hollow Rd., in the heart of Melville’s business district on the Route 110 corridor, the property is just 45 minutes from JFK airport, with easy proximity to New York City and the Hamptons. The full-service hotel features several resort amenities, including both indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center and tennis courts, as well as two restaurants and 26,000 square feet of meeting space.

Founded in 1997, Seattle-based The Dow Hotel Company is a hotel owner/investor and operator of 12 first-class, full-service hotels with properties throughout the United States. The company’s portfolio of owned and managed properties consists of institutional-grade hotels, under such brands as Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Sheraton, and Crowne Plaza. The company aggressively seeks to acquire, co-invest with joint venture partners and/or manage mid- to large-size, first-class, full-service hotels, especially those with extensive food and beverage capabilities.

The company currently operates food and beverage facilities around the nation, ranging from casual dining to upscale, bars/lounges with Starbuck and Tully’s coffee outlets. In addition to Basil’s Kitchen, the division’s proprietary restaurant concepts include SunSpot, BC Bistro, and Basil’s Bistro.

Coming Up In The June Online Hotel Business Review


Feature Focus
New Trends in Hotel Architecture and Design
On any hotel design project, architects are generally serving at least three masters - the owner/developer, the hotel operator, and the general public who will utilize the hotel - and each have their own goals, objectives and demands. The owner/developer is concerned with brand standards, the target market and the hotel's locale, while the operator is concerned about achieving the highest possible revenue through efficient design. The public is demanding that architecture and design be fully integrated into the guest experience, based on prevailing tastes and preferences. The architect's role is to respond professionally and efficiently to meet the demands of all and to develop a unified solution. Though each project has its own prerequisites and obligations, there are some general design trends which seem to be prevalent across the industry. First, there is an increased emphasis on the importance of the lobby. The principle here is that first impressions matter and that a hotel has only a few minutes to convince a guest that they have made the right decision. Hotel lobbies are being completely re-imagined - from eliminating front desks altogether to turning lobbies into warm, intimate social spaces, replete with fireplaces and comfortable furniture. There is also an increasing use of ambient natural light, even in large spaces like ballrooms and meeting rooms. In addition, there is greater emphasis on incorporating the distinctive attributes of any given location into the hotel design, which guests are defining as central to their experiences. The June issue of the Hotel Business Review will report on all these exciting developments in the fields of architecture and design.
In this issue...
Experiential Design Across All Sectors
By Ellis Katz, Principal, John Portman & Associates
Challenges of Contemporary Design in Historic Buildings
By Gary Meadows, President, HCI Architecture, Inc.
Ideal Meeting Spaces Should Offer Flexibility, Flexibility and Then Some
By Ronald M. Lustig, Design Architect/Principal, Earl Swensson Associates, Inc.
The Hotel Lobby
By Jennifer Skaife, Senior Associate, DiLeonardo
PLUS: Keeping an Eye on the Return on Design; Check In To the Future; L'AND Vineyards Wine Resort; How to Preserve Architectural Detail; Catering to Women in Hotel Design; Sustainability Retrofits, and much more.