Expotel Secures Management Contract for Crowne Plaza Charlotte, NC
NEW ORLEANS, LA, November 14, 2006. Expotel Hospitality Services L.L.C., an innovative and well-known hotel management company, has partnered with Michigan-based Charlotte Hospitality, LLC (a division of Space Source, Inc.) to manage their first hotel venture. The Crowne Plaza-Charlotte, formerly the Best Western-Charlotte Uptowne Hotel located at 201 S Mcdowell Street in the uptown district of Charlotte NC, is scheduled to officially open as a Crowne Plaza Hotel upon completion of a renovation in January.
Specializing in commercial space, this will be Space Source, Inc's first foray into the hotel arena. The company is excited about expanding into the lodging industry to add to their already successful business model. President and CEO of Charlotte Hospitality, Dan Dykgraaf explained, "Our new ventures have been clearly thought out for the long-term growth of our company. We sought out Expotel Hospitality based on their track record and their ability to provide the expertise of managing a premium product as well as their ability to transition a pre-opening and stabilize a hotel for maximum growth."
Vice President, Marketing & Sales/E-Commerce for Expotel Hospitality, Jeff Iavarone concurred, "All of our support mechanisms are entirely focused on a smooth transition. Our proven disciplines within Expotel will address the basic elements to drive performance, allowing us to gain the desired market share forecasted in our ramp up period. Our intent is to have the shortest ramp up for a conversion of this type - to be minimal and flow effortlessly."
The addition of Crowne Plaza complements the broad appeal of Expotel's diverse portfolio ranging from select feature to full service upscale products. The range of brands extends from Hampton Inns to Embassy Suites, Hilton, Doubletree, Holiday Inns, Crowne Plaza, Best Western and independent boutique hotels. Expotel Hospitality has entered into the field of hotel management companies by marketing the ability to manage almost all types of hotel products across the spectrum of lodging products today.
Executive Vice President of Operations, Mark Kucera adds, "The addition of the Crowne Plaza Charlotte enhances our credentials, demonstrating our growth potential, who we are, what we can do. We currently own and manage eleven hotels with two additional properties under investigation. Expotel has long believed that a portfolio consisting of 20-30 hotels is ideal. Within this range of products, we are confident we can effectively operate successfully and partner with owners such as Charlotte Hospitality to achieve their return on investment. Our approach to operating hotels - by ensuring our focus is neither too limiting nor too global -- within this scope of number of hotels gives us a great advantage to any owner."
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