Linchris makes its presence felt deep in the heart of Texas

Winter 2015
Linchris makes its presence felt deep in the
heart of Texas
Linchris Acquires Second
Plymouth (MA) location
ts motto is “Everything is bigger in Texas,” and that phrase rang true this past November when Linchris Hotel Corporation made its presence felt in the Lone Star State with
the acquisition of four properties under the Hyatt Place flag. The hotels are located in
Austin, Dallas-Grand Prairie, San Antonio and Houston, totaling 513 rooms and more
than 4,700-sq. ft. of meeting space.
The number 1620 has long been
associated with the date the Pilgrims
landed on Plymouth Rock. But as of
November that number—1620—is
now associated with the town’s
newest hotel.
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The Hyatt Place Houston
The move into
Texas seemed
a natural one
as Linchris
has properties
dotting the
map from New
England down
to Florida, and
now turns its
eye westward.
“We always
wanted to
expand our
footprint in that
direction,” said
Nick Pancoast,
Linchris’ VP
of Operations,
“Texas is a phenomenal
market because there is so
much going on, and we are
very excited to be working
with Hyatt Place for the first
time, as well as partnering
once again with Blue Vista
Capital Management on the
Dallas-Grand Prairie, Austin
and San Antonio hotels.”
The Radisson Hotel on Water Street
in Plymouth, MA was purchased on
November 18 through its partnership
with Blue Vista Capital Management,
and has been renamed the Hotel 1620
At Plymouth Harbor. Explains Robb
Moskowitz, Linchris’ Senior VP of
Operations. “This property has been
on our radar for decades. It is a market we know very well as we have
been running the Hilton Garden Inn
in town for over 10 years. In addition,
several Corporate Officers live in or
near Plymouth and our corporate office is only 20 minutes up the road.”
The hotel offers a desirable location in
the heart of “America’s Hometown,”
across the street from Plymouth’s
harbor and within walking distance to
the “rock”, the Mayflower, shopping
and numerous restaurants.
Hyatt Place has received
many notable awards since its
The Hyatt Place Austin’s bedroom suite
introduction in 2006,
including the Business Travel News “#1 Select-Service Brand” for two consecutive
years. Each property is unique in what its location brings to the table:
“In choosing the hotel’s new name,
we arrived upon Hotel 1620 At
Plymouth Harbor to honor and
commemorate the historical significance of this location especially since
we are now approaching the 400th
“Texas” continued on page 4
“Plymouth” continued on page 2
THE LINCHRIS INNSIDER IS A PUBLICATION OF LINCHRIS HOTEL CORPORATION
269 Hanover Street, Unit #2 • Hanover MA 02339 • 781-826-8824 • www.linchris.com
A Message From Chris
Growth and progress has been the
cornerstone of our company since we
managed our first hotel back in 1985.
Through the years, we have continued
to acquire hotels from New England to
the tip of Florida, but at the same time
knowing in order to grow and continue
to be successful, we needed to look for
opportunities further west.
In this issue of the INNsider you will
read about how Linchris has established
its presence in the great state of Texas,
with the acquisition of properties in
Dallas-Grand Prairie, Austin, San
Antonio and Houston, all under the
Hyatt Place flag. It seemed the perfect
landing spot as no other state has seen
a population boom like Texas, where
in 2014 three out of the top five fastestgrowing cities in the United States were
Austin, Houston and San Antonio.
We are very excited to be there.
But a transaction of this magnitude—
four properties acquired in the same
state in the same month—doesn’t
happen in a vacuum. It can only be
accomplished by aligning with a
financial partner that allows you 100%
confidence that the transaction you are
undertaking, the investment you are
making, is the right transaction. This is
the relationship we have with Blue Vista
Capital Management, a full-service real
estate investment firm based in Chicago,
who worked with us on the purchase
of the Dallas-Grand Prairie, Austin and
San Antonio properties, as well as our
recent purchase of the Hotel 1620 At
Plymouth Harbor.
We first partnered with Blue Vista in
2010 for the purchase of the Hilton,
Scranton, PA, and since then have
teamed up for nine purchases,
including the Texas and Plymouth
properties. They have been a truly
exceptional partner and we look
forward to continuing to work with
them in the future.
Finally, in this most festive time of the
year, I extend to everyone and their
families my heartfelt best wishes for a
happy Holiday Season and a healthy
New Year.
Stowe property puts old furniture to good use
The Golden Eagle Resort in Stowe, VT
is making its impact on the community
with a donation of furniture which
was originally planned to be discarded
following an extensive renovation. The
furniture, which includes credenzas,
pictures, lighting, mirrors and night
stands, was donated to the Green
Mountain Habitat for Humanity for
sale in its ReStore.
(L-R)—Pictured are GM Andrew Cournoyer (far left), and
Green Mountain Habitat’s Jonathon Goldhammer (second from
right), along with various volunteers.
The Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity ReStore sells donated new and gently
used furniture, appliances, housewares and building supplies to the public and the net
proceeds go towards building energy-efficient and affordable homes for low-income
families in northwestern Vermont.
David Mullin, Executive Director of Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity said,
“We greatly appreciate the donation of rooms of furniture by the Golden Eagle Resort
in Stowe. The sale of the furniture will help us to build homes for the low-income
families who desperately need safe and affordable homes.”
INN the News
Hilton Scranton & Conference Center in Scranton, PA recently earned their ninth
consecutive “OUTSTANDING” quality assurance inspection by the Hilton brand. This
accomplishment represents over four consecutive years of “OUTSTANDING” performance by the team at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center. John Argonish, Hilton
Scranton & Conference Center General Manager sums it up best by saying, “The
constant and never ending strives toward continual improvement drives this team each and
every day.” “This award winning team is not satisfied with anything less than outstanding
performance, and the nine consecutive outstanding QA inspection results are a testament to
that drive and desire our team displays on a daily basis. I am extremely proud of this team.”
Finally, members
of the staff of the
Best Western
in Rutland, VT,
shown below,
undertook a 5K
road race to benefit
the Rutland
Community
Health Center.
“Plymouth” continued from cover
anniversary of the Mayflower Voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony,” said
Robb. “The Hotel 1620 logo was designed to signify the connection between Old
World traditions and New World aspirations. The dual rectangles convey peacefulness and stability, while shades of dark and light blue emulate our harbor and sky.
The number “1620” is white to symbolize new beginnings – a reflection of the new
life created when the Pilgrims landed here and the new vision for the future of Hotel
1620 At Plymouth Harbor.”
Adds Robb, “A $5.7 million renovation is scheduled to begin this winter with the goal
of being completed by early June. All areas of the hotel will be redesigned to feature a
contemporary coastal ambiance.”
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Linchris Employee Spotlight: Alan Zhu
Over the course of the next several Innsiders, we will be spotlighting the many faces at the Linchris offices. Next up is Alan Zhu.
For the last four-and-a-half years Alan Zhu has played an
important role at Linchris, first as an accountant and now as an
analyst working out of the Hanover, MA office. But be assured
it was quite a roundabout route to get where he is today.
“I grew up in Shanghai, a typical urban city much like New York
City,” says Alan. “People are very competitive there and always on
the go, which has been very helpful to me in handling my
current position, which can get very busy at times.”
Alan Zhu
Alan explains that the thing he enjoys the most about being an
Analyst is working on multiple jobs, which requires balancing many skills. Fortunately,
he has smoothly made the transition from working in the Accounting Department to
being an Analyst, but says there is still a lot to learn. “It is a complete change, although
I am still in the same department,” he offers. “I’ve gone from preparing financial statements to analyzing a hotel’s prospective value, and inputting budgets for them.”
According to Janine Hodge, Corporate Controller, Alan has made the leap very successfully. “He has a great understanding of Linchris accounting procedures and is always
willing to lend a helping hand,” says Janine. “Alan is my go-to guy when it comes to
excel macros and links as well as other technical issues. We all enjoy working with him
and he is a valued member of the Linchris team.”
When he’s not crunching numbers, Alan says he enjoys sports. “I am a runner and have
been in three half marathons, four 10Ks, numerous 5Ks and obstacle courses. I am also a
big Patriots fan and tailgater, and often attend home games. I also enjoy travelling, which
is why I am in the hotel business in the first place.”
Alan Zhu journeyed from China to attend college in Boston, and uses as his work ethic
the words of his former college professor. “He told me three words in order to ‘make it’ in
America: honesty, courage, and confidence,” remembers Alan. “I always remember those
words and use that philosophy whenever I can in order to do the best job.”
Future Hoteliers
Keeping it all in the family, the
Surfside Inn in Provincetown, MA
recently announced a new addition
courtesy of
Front Office
Manager Liz
Saraiva and
Chief Engineer Carlos
Saraiva. Liz
and Carlos
welcomed
into the world
twins Ariana
and Mikael on
September 15, 2015. Both children and
mom are doing well.
Michael Caruso,
Front Desk Agent at
the Holiday Inn
Express in Poughkeepsie, NY
welcomed Michael
James Caruso on
September 8, 2015.
Little Michael
weighed in at
7 pounds- 9 ounces.
Linchris deploys to Iraqi desert with US Troops
Wedding Bells
Major Fred Moskowitz (fourth from left), with the US Army 77th Sustainment Brigade
Detachment 1, brother of Linchris’ Senior Vice President, Robb Moskowitz, has been
deployed to Iraq since the summer to assist and advise the Iraqi army. Several of our
hotels and the home office have worked together to send Fred and his unit special care
packages. We wish them a safe return and thank them for their service.
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The DoubleTree by Hilton in
Milford, MA has announced the
happy news that Gianni
Saltalamacchia, who serves as the
hotel’s Catering Sales Manager,
recently wed Katie Damigella.
We offer both bride and groom
our heartfelt congratulations!
“Texas” continued from cover
People on the move
The DoubleTree by Hilton in
Wilmington, DE has announced a
number of promotions.
Alison Walter has been
promoted to
Corporate Sales
Catering Manager
from Sales Coordinator.
Ralph Feeser has been
promoted to Executive
Chef from Sous Chef.
The Holiday Inn LPGA
in Daytona Beach, FL
has named Benjamin
Crowder as its new Front
Office Manager. Benjamin
was formerly the Front Office Manager at
the Holiday Inn Express in Manchester, NH.
The Golden Eagle Resort in Stowe,
VT has promoted Steve Buchanan
(shown right) from Housekeeper to
Executive
Housekeeper.
And Adam
Berg, (shown
left) was
recently
hired as Chief
Engineer.
• The Hyatt Place Austin
(127 rooms) is a highly visible
location in the heart of thriving North Austin, adjacent to
The Domain (Austin’s largest
mixed-use development of
retail, restaurants, entertainment and homes).
• The Hyatt Place Houston The Hyatt Place Dallas-Grand Prairie
(126 rooms) is located close to
George Bush Intercontinental,
one of the busiest airports in
the nation.
• The Hyatt Place San Antonio
(126 rooms) is located near the
airport and across from Quarry
Market, a premier retail and
office location.
• The Hyatt Place DallasGrand Prairie (134 rooms)
is close to Arlington’s major
entertainment district, home
to Six Flags, AT&T Stadium
(Dallas Cowboys) and Globe
Life Park (Texas Rangers).
The Hyatt Place Dallas-Grand Prairie lobby
Pancoast says each property will receive several million dollars in renovations to include
new room carpeting, paint, soft-seating, corridor carpet and new lobby furniture among
other improvements.
“We are thrilled to be part of the booming Texas economy,” adds Pancoast, citing
an unemployment rate well below the national average, nation-leading job and population
increases (Austin, Houston and San Antonio were three of the top five U.S. cities in
population growth in 2014), and home to the country’s most Fortune 500 headquarters (52).
Hotel employees help thwart money scam
Stowe, VT police, with the help of employees of the Golden Eagle Resort in Stowe,
VT, were able to be in the right place at the right time and recoup nearly $14,000 in
cash, and get it back to some folks who fell for a very common Internet fraud; “Help,
I am in prison, send money.”
A special appearance
Pat the Patriot stopped by the Hilton
Garden Inn after the Plymouth Thanksgiving Parade. Shown above is Emma
Anderson, Executive Housekeeper,
Pat the Patriot, hotel GM Sheryl Barrett, Front Desk Agent Elise Atti and
a Patriots’ cheerleader
On Sept. 22, the Golden Eagle received a call from a police department in Tennessee.
According to General Manager Andrew Cournoyer, “They said there’s a package on
its way to your hotel, and there’s a criminal who’s going to pick up that package.” The
next day the FedEx truck came and some packages were delivered for a person who’d
reserved a hotel room earlier under a fake name, using a fake credit card. Andrew
promptly turned over the packages to Stowe police.
According to Stowe police detective Fred Whitcomb, one package had $3,994, sent by
a woman living in Pennsylvania. She’s a grandmother who was fooled into thinking
her grandson was in a Mexican jail. The other package had $9,800, and came from a
grandparent in California. Stowe police were able to get the money back to both
victims. A nice day’s work by the heads-up staff at the Golden Eagle Resort!
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