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NAR Eliminates Mandatory Buyer Broker
Commission in Settlement

By Julia Stumbaugh

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has agreed to a $418 million settlement that could change who pays broker fees and reshape how Americans sell their homes.

Photos of the Week

Travel advocates attended U.S. Travel’s Destination Capitol Hill Travel advocates attended U.S. Travel’s Destination Capitol Hill

Travel advocates attended U.S. Travel’s Destination Capitol Hill event on March 20. Delegates from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia participated, and more than 300 meetings with policymakers took place.

Destination DC’s cherry pies Destination DC’s cherry pies

Destination DC’s Claire Carlin, Sr. Vice President, Partnerships and Alliances, and Nick Price, Sr. Manager, Sports and Events Tourism, head out to deliver cherry pies last week during the organization’s Operation Cherry Pie. The annual event symbolizing the bloom of District’s cherry blossoms shows Destination DC’s appreciation to clients.

Tampa Bay Monopoly Tampa Bay Monopoly

Santiago C. Corrada, President & CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, showed off the new MONOPOLY: Tampa Edition game on March 12 at a gathering of local dignitaries and media members at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The Tampa edition includes some of the city's cultural sites, historic landmarks, charitable organizations, and businesses on the game's classic squares.

Savannah-green Savannah-green

Visit Savannah team members welcomed the arrival of March and the St. Patrick’s Day season by donning green. On March 16, the city will celebrate 200 years of its St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Indy NBA Indy NBA

Visit Indy, alongside the NBA and Pacers Sports & Entertainment, welcomed 125,000 guests to Indianapolis for NBA All-Star Weekend on February 15–18. Visit Indy employees featured here hosted clients for a handful of the events. Left to right: Leonard Hoops, President & CEO; Schnette Queisser, Sr. National Sports Account Director; Susie Townsend, Sr. Vice President of Visitor Experience; Brett Sanford, Sr. Manager of Convention Services and Sports; John Mellinger, Destination Experience Manager of Visitor Services; Roberta Tisdul, Director of Destination Experience; Taylor Melangton Event & Communications Manager; and Chris Gahl, Executive Vice President & CMO.

Travel advocates attended U.S. Travel’s Destination Capitol Hill Destination DC’s cherry pies Tampa Bay Monopoly Savannah-green Indy NBA

Trending Now

Industry Movers

Tony Phillips

Tony Phillips is now General Manager of Bobby Nashville. He has more than 25 years of experience in hotels. Phillips joins Bobby Nashville following a long tenure at Loews Hotels. His journey led him to Nashville in 2008, initially taking on the role of director of rooms at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. Subsequently, he earned promotions to director of operations in 2012 and general manager in 2013.

 

Sara Bell

Sara Bell has been hired by Louisville Tourism as a Convention Sales Assistant. She’ll support several of the department’s sales managers. Bell previously worked as the Assistant Taproom Manager at West Sixth Brewery in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood. Bell led various initiatives, including implementing diversity training, which earned her a nomination for the Louisville Tourism Rose Awards. She served as the executive director of events at Butchertown Grocery.

 

 

Jason Kreul

Jason Kreul is now First Hospitality’s COO. Prior to joining First Hospitality, Kreul served in numerous executive roles at Highgate, most recently as president – central US and west coast divisions. Before that, he held various leadership roles at White Lodging Services and Winegardner & Hammons. Kreul serves on various advisory and board roles at major hotel brands and industry organizations. Kreul is an alumnus of Purdue University.

Patrick Stanley

Patrick Stanley has been appointed General Manager at Lodge at Marconi, which is located in California and overlooks Tomales Bay in Marconi State Historic Park. Oliver Hospitality made the announcement. He has been an educator with the University of California system and was director of operations at Alliance Redwoods Conference Grounds for several years, where he handled food service operations and retail operations. He’s worked for H&R Block.

Association NEWS

Around Associations

National Grocers Association Breaks Attendance Record at 2024 Trade Show… The National Grocers Association (NGA) hosted 3,600 attendees for their annual 2024 NGA Show at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas from March 10-12. That made it the best-attended show in 42 years of association history, according to NGA. “The bar continues to rise as we plan our next show for 2025,” said NGA President and CEO Greg Ferrara. The NGA will return to the Caesars Forum Convention Center for year’s event in February 2025.

Energy Associations Celebrate House GOP’s “Energy Week”… Energy associations including the American Petroleum Institute (API) and National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) are celebrating House Republican’s decision to call the week of March 22 “energy week,” in which legislators plan to focus on bill cutting down Environmental Protection Act (EPA) regulations on oil and gas producers while streamlining permitting processes for new energy projects. “We welcome the House of Representatives’ actions this week to increase access to America’s oil and natural gas resources, strengthen energy infrastructure with commonsense permitting reforms, and repeal taxes on energy production that weaken U.S. security and add costs to American families,” said Mike Sommers, President and CEO, API.

Hotel NEWS

Checking Inn

The Singer Oceanfront Resort in Singer Island, Florida, announced on March 14 the completion of its property-wide, multimillion dollar renovation.

When the property opens this spring, it will do so under the Curio Collection by Hilton umbrella. The newly completed transformation of the 223-room hotel will include reimagined restaurant concepts, Singer Island excursions, refreshed guest rooms, lobby and common spaces, and meeting venues.

“While Palm Beach is a popular travel destination, we’re excited to unveil this new resort experience that will undoubtedly put a spotlight on Singer Island,” said Steve Contos, Executive Vice President of Davidson Resorts, the company operating the Singer. “This newly enhanced resort offers a coastal haven in Florida for travelers near and far.”

A newly renovated guest room at The Singer Oceanfront Resort.
A newly renovated guest room at The Singer Oceanfront Resort.

 

 

Global lifestyle brand, Kenneth Cole and Hotel Emporium, a direct manufacturer of hotel amenities, have partnered to bring eco-conscious, bulk amenities to 854 Presidential Reserve Suites at Wyndham Destination properties throughout the United States, St. Thomas in the Caribbean and Bali in Indonesia.

“We are inspired by Wyndham’s commitment to take eco-consciousness to the next level, showing the hospitality industry what is environmentally possible and helping to move the needle towards a better and brighter future, both environmentally and socially,” said Kevin Maciulewicz, Sr. Vice President of Resort Operations for Club Wyndham and Margaritaville Vacation.

The Kenneth Cole collection available at select Wyndham Destinations properties will include dispensers of shampoo, condition and body wash, hand wash, body lotion and dish soap.

“We are excited to see the good that comes from the partnership between Wyndham Destinations and Kenneth Cole, knowing that our dispenser programs are contributing to a larger environmental goal,” said Andy De Silva, CEO of Hotel Emporium.

 

 

Convention Bureau/Center NEWS

CVB Update

The Baltimore Convention Center on March 20 announced a new partnership with Levy, the market-leading hospitality team of major convention and meeting venues across the country.

Through a comprehensive RFP process, the Baltimore Convention Center selected Levy as their new exclusive food and beverage provider. Together, the two will bring an elevated, refreshed mindset to food and beverage, with a focus on elevating downtown Baltimore as a destination for world-class events and hospitality. Levy will officially begin operating at the Baltimore Convention Center in July.

The Baltimore Convention Center and Levy will work together to craft menus, dining concepts and catering experiences to be activated throughout the venue. In addition to new offerings, the partnership will focus on creative, elevated catering for major events that attract visitors to Baltimore. Levy and the BCC will prioritize partnerships with local community organizations and minority- and women-owned businesses, while also continuing to elevate sustainability initiatives by buying local, reducing food waste, and expanding other green initiatives.

“The potential in the BCC/Levy partnership is almost limitless in Baltimore,” said Mac Campbell, Executive Director, Baltimore Convention Center. “With the exciting new patron-facing capital improvement concepts to be unveiled in the coming months along with Levy’s bespoke approach to telling the Baltimore story through food, we’ll be ensuring a decade’s worth of guests will return home full but with a hunger to return and explore more of our amazing city.”

 

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