Carmel ordering Airbnb hosts to cease operations
The city announced Tuesday that it sent letters to residents who rent out their homes on Airbnb, notifying them that they are in violation of city zoning laws and demanding they cease operations.
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Hamilton County sees jump in visitor spending
Visitors spent nearly $681 million in the county in 2015, with most of the dollars used for food and beverages. That’s a 12 percent boost over 2014, nearly double the increase for the overall metro area.
Advanced bookings down for Indy hotels
The number of hotel rooms Visit Indy booked into future years took a tumble in 2016 to the lowest level since 2013. But local tourism and hotel officials aren’t overly concerned.
Developer aims to convert historic downtown building into 110-room hotel
The firm has purchased One Jackson Square and is in discussions to brand it a Canopy by Hilton. The fate of first-floor restaurant tenant Ike & Jonesy’s has yet to be determined.
High-rise hotel pitched for surface lot across from fieldhouse
A New Orleans company wants to build a 15-story hotel and a seven-level parking garage on downtown property where two previous attempts from other developers have failed.
Hospitality experts disagree on West Elm’s chances for hotel success
Bjorn Hanson, of New York University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, expressed doubt at the home-furnishing retailer’s plan to open at least five hotels, including one in Indianapolis.
High-end retailer West Elm plans Mass Ave hotel
The retail chain plans to open a line of West Elm hotels, with five locations beginning to open in late 2018—including one in the former Coca-Cola bottling plant.
Marriott buys Starwood, becomes world’s largest hotel chain
Several of the best-known names in travel are now united in one hotel company after the $13 billion acquisition.
Billionaire hotelier Dean White dies at 93
His company, Merrillville-based Whiteco Industries, developed hotels across the United States, including the downtown Indianapolis hotel complex that includes the JW Marriott.
City studies need for more hotels after losing 1,000+ rooms
The closure of a handful of hotels across the city has essentially wiped out the gains made when the JW Marriott opened with its 1,005 rooms. Now Visit Indy and the city’s Capital Improvement Board are studying whether the city needs more rooms and more convention center space.
Merrillville’s Star Plaza Theatre, hotel set for closure
Hotel officials say Merrillville's Star Plaza Theatre and its adjacent Radisson Hotel will be demolished next year to make room for a new hotel.
Peer-to-peer housing debate hits area communities
Indianapolis-area communities stayed out of the home-sharing-platform debates—until Zionsville ordered a couple to stop offering an apartment above their garage to out-of-town guests.
Hospitality industry braces for new overtime rules
While the new law applies to all employers, it could hit the hospitality sector harder than most. The hotel industry is one that relies heavily on modestly paid middle managers, who are exempt from overtime, to pick up the slack—and extra hours—when called upon.
Hamilton County sees flurry of hotel projects
Nearly 10 projects are in various stages of development, including three in Westfield. Once the announced hotels are open, Hamilton County’s room count could increase 35 percent.
Zionsville officials deny couple’s Airbnb request
Two Zionsville residents who have used Airbnb to rent an apartment above their garage to short-term visitors can no longer do so. The town’s zoning board saw no wiggle room in existing rules.
Zionsville stirs up debate over lodging service Airbnb
A local couple wants permission to list a garage apartment through the lodging platform. Some residents think Airbnb could attract tourism dollars, while others worry about safety and the area’s character.
Restroom neutrality becomes hospitality sales tool
Only 1 percent of the events booked over the last year at the Indiana Convention Center asked for gender-neutral bathrooms, but hospitality experts say it’s a big and growing issue.
Major renovation for downtown Marriott to run ‘tens of millions’
The revamp of the 622-room Marriott is meant to bring the hotel up to the same standards as the JW Marriott a block to the west. The latter’s owners have agreed to buy the former for $165 million.
UPDATE: City’s second-largest hotel to be sold for $165M
White Lodging Services Corp. and REI Investments have a contract to acquire the 622-room Indianapolis Marriott Downtown hotel, the owner said Thursday.
Indiana Comic Con draws record crowd, plans to return next year
Attendance for the third annual Indiana Comic Con was up more than 4,000 and the event’s economic impact increased by $1 million, according to local tourism officials.