Hip cafes make way to lobbies

USA Today, January 8, 2008 — As major hotels compete to create hip scenes in their lobbies, they're adjusting menus to deliver more and better food options for guests who like to hang out there.

"The energy they're seeking is that of a cocktail party," says Jody Pennette of CB5 Restaurant Group, a Greenwich, Conn.-based firm that designs restaurants for hotels.

The Branding Game

Call it about time, but hotel companies are mastering brand refinement

Lodging Magazine, October 6, 2006 — When Jean Thomas switched industries in 2002, leaving Kraft Foods for the Cendant Hotel Group, her first impression of lodging was the depth and breadth of customer information—most of it freely given up at check-in and check-out. Her second impression was how little of that information explained why customers did what they did.