ORLANDO, Fla. --- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, recently promoted Amy Phillips to marketing manager.
Lonnie Peterson, chairman at Cuhaci & Peterson Architects said Phillips joined the firm six years ago as marketing coordinator.
Phillips is a graduate of the University of Central Florida.
Friday, August 19, 2011
HOTEL INDUSTRY VETERAN MIKE MASON LAUNCHES ZENTILA
Groundbreaking new company offers first-ever online booking engine to meeting planners
ORLANDO, Fla., – Mike Mason, a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry, has launched Zentila, a revolutionary online platform for hotels and meeting planners to conduct business more efficiently.
Zentila, a sales solution for hotels, is the first-ever online booking engine specifically focused on short-term meetings or STMs, which are meetings booked within 90 days of the arrival date. Beyond providing a user-friendly application to search and source pre-qualified venues, Zentila offers access exclusively to the top upscale and luxury meeting hotels in the country, which already capture 85 percent of the STMs. The company also promises planners a three-hour bid turnaround time versus the traditional three to four days it currently takes planners to search and source.
“Not only does Zentila make it easier for meeting planners to get their jobs done, it drives incremental business to hotels within a time period that has traditionally been difficult to sell against,” said Mike Mason, founder and ZEO of Zentila. “The demand was there, but the hotel’s ability to sell against it was not. And, Zentila offers hotels an advantage they’ve never had before, which is the ability to see who they’re competing against before they make their offer to the planner. That’s an invaluable tool for them to be able to make better sales decisions.”
The Secret is in the Offer
A key component of the Zentila business model is called the Secret Offer. Here’s how it works: planners create their meeting request and select the specific hotels they want to work with. When hotels respond, the planner will not see the hotel names, but only the meeting package. They will know, though, that the bids they receive back are only from those hotels they have personally pre-selected. The Secret Offer appeals to meeting planners shopping multiple hotels for the best package versus a specific brand while at the same time, creating new opportunities for hotels. In addition, the short-term booking window means hotels can have the confidence to offer their best deal upfront, knowing that planners are ready to book and not just rate-shopping. And because the hotel bids that aren’t chosen remain confidential, there is no worry about losing a competitive edge.
Other compelling features of Zentila include:
• “Search, Source and Book,” a dynamic RFP builder with full drag-and-drop functionality, the first of its kind, that enables planners to go from needing a venue to having one in three hours or less.
• A “search engine with a brain” that delivers 100 percent relevant results because there’s no advertising. The site also features interactive filtering that was crafted from planner feedback, such as landmark distance that is measured in time instead of miles, last-renovated date, and sleeping room size. Not only does this significantly shorten sourcing time but planners report that it’s easy-to-use and fun.
• The ability to “Zoot,” a Twitter-like function that assists planners in their hotel and destination research by connecting them directly to other planners.
• Access to “Zenalyitics,” which is information provided to hotels to help them make better decisions. For example, Zentila will provide competitive set data on every lead, will let the hotels know where a meeting was booked, and will ensure that the booking cycle is complete. They’ll also see macro trends relating to their performance on Zentila.
Available free to meeting planners, Zentila’s hotel customers will participate via different membership levels as well as a fixed fee for each room booked and actualized. “We’re the first technology to focus specifically on this growing channel,” said Mason. “We’re revolutionizing how things are done with a game-changing platform that consolidates searching, sourcing, and purchasing down to as little as three hours, which is unprecedented. Planners can now go from needing a site to having one in less than a day. It’s planning Zen.”
The Journey to Zentila
Based in Winter Garden, Fla., Zentila is the brainchild of hospitality industry veteran Mike Mason, who identified a window of sales opportunity for hotels that was potentially lucrative, but difficult to sell against. In an effort to capitalize on the growing trend to book Short Term Meetings (STMs), namely 90 days or less from when the meeting would actually take place, he set out on a journey to create an easier path between hotels and planners. The result is the first-ever online booking engine for meetings that also acts as a sales solution for hotels. For more information, visit www.zentila.com or call (407) 656-5683.
ORLANDO, Fla., – Mike Mason, a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry, has launched Zentila, a revolutionary online platform for hotels and meeting planners to conduct business more efficiently.
Zentila, a sales solution for hotels, is the first-ever online booking engine specifically focused on short-term meetings or STMs, which are meetings booked within 90 days of the arrival date. Beyond providing a user-friendly application to search and source pre-qualified venues, Zentila offers access exclusively to the top upscale and luxury meeting hotels in the country, which already capture 85 percent of the STMs. The company also promises planners a three-hour bid turnaround time versus the traditional three to four days it currently takes planners to search and source.
“Not only does Zentila make it easier for meeting planners to get their jobs done, it drives incremental business to hotels within a time period that has traditionally been difficult to sell against,” said Mike Mason, founder and ZEO of Zentila. “The demand was there, but the hotel’s ability to sell against it was not. And, Zentila offers hotels an advantage they’ve never had before, which is the ability to see who they’re competing against before they make their offer to the planner. That’s an invaluable tool for them to be able to make better sales decisions.”
The Secret is in the Offer
A key component of the Zentila business model is called the Secret Offer. Here’s how it works: planners create their meeting request and select the specific hotels they want to work with. When hotels respond, the planner will not see the hotel names, but only the meeting package. They will know, though, that the bids they receive back are only from those hotels they have personally pre-selected. The Secret Offer appeals to meeting planners shopping multiple hotels for the best package versus a specific brand while at the same time, creating new opportunities for hotels. In addition, the short-term booking window means hotels can have the confidence to offer their best deal upfront, knowing that planners are ready to book and not just rate-shopping. And because the hotel bids that aren’t chosen remain confidential, there is no worry about losing a competitive edge.
Other compelling features of Zentila include:
• “Search, Source and Book,” a dynamic RFP builder with full drag-and-drop functionality, the first of its kind, that enables planners to go from needing a venue to having one in three hours or less.
• A “search engine with a brain” that delivers 100 percent relevant results because there’s no advertising. The site also features interactive filtering that was crafted from planner feedback, such as landmark distance that is measured in time instead of miles, last-renovated date, and sleeping room size. Not only does this significantly shorten sourcing time but planners report that it’s easy-to-use and fun.
• The ability to “Zoot,” a Twitter-like function that assists planners in their hotel and destination research by connecting them directly to other planners.
• Access to “Zenalyitics,” which is information provided to hotels to help them make better decisions. For example, Zentila will provide competitive set data on every lead, will let the hotels know where a meeting was booked, and will ensure that the booking cycle is complete. They’ll also see macro trends relating to their performance on Zentila.
Available free to meeting planners, Zentila’s hotel customers will participate via different membership levels as well as a fixed fee for each room booked and actualized. “We’re the first technology to focus specifically on this growing channel,” said Mason. “We’re revolutionizing how things are done with a game-changing platform that consolidates searching, sourcing, and purchasing down to as little as three hours, which is unprecedented. Planners can now go from needing a site to having one in less than a day. It’s planning Zen.”
The Journey to Zentila
Based in Winter Garden, Fla., Zentila is the brainchild of hospitality industry veteran Mike Mason, who identified a window of sales opportunity for hotels that was potentially lucrative, but difficult to sell against. In an effort to capitalize on the growing trend to book Short Term Meetings (STMs), namely 90 days or less from when the meeting would actually take place, he set out on a journey to create an easier path between hotels and planners. The result is the first-ever online booking engine for meetings that also acts as a sales solution for hotels. For more information, visit www.zentila.com or call (407) 656-5683.
Mattamy Homes U.S. Group Hires New Marketing Coordinator to Help Promote its Minnesota Division
EDINA, Minn. – Mattamy Homes has hired Lauren DeZellar as sales and marketing coordinator for its Minnesota division in the Twin Cities area.
In her new position, DeZellar will be responsible for promoting and marketing Mattamy’s Minnesota division, including assisting in the implementation of sales promotions and coordinating and organizing community sales events, said Steve Logan, vice president of Mattamy Homes in Minnesota.
DeZellar holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from The College of Wooster in Ohio and is working on her Masters in Teaching degree at Hamline University in St. Paul. Her career experience includes advertising sales and management for a weekly newspaper in Wooster, Ohio, an internship on the Dave Ryan in the Morning Show on KDWB radio in Minneapolis and experience as a sales representative for Cbeyond specializing in small business phone and IT solutions.
Most recently, DeZellar was the administrative assistant for Realty House/ Thomas L. Herzog Real Estate Inc.
In the community DeZellar volunteers as both a life coach and lacrosse coach for middle school and high school aged girls, as well as a varsity women’s lacrosse head coach.
“Lauren brings a wealth of knowledge and versatility to our Mattamy team in the Twin Cities,” said Logan. “With her energy, enthusiasm and communication skills, Lauren should prove to be a huge asset to the company.”
About Mattamy Homes
Mattamy Homes expanded into the U.S. in 2003 and has divisions in Jacksonville, Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix and Minneapolis. The homebuilder is the largest and most active in Canada with annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion.
In her new position, DeZellar will be responsible for promoting and marketing Mattamy’s Minnesota division, including assisting in the implementation of sales promotions and coordinating and organizing community sales events, said Steve Logan, vice president of Mattamy Homes in Minnesota.
DeZellar holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from The College of Wooster in Ohio and is working on her Masters in Teaching degree at Hamline University in St. Paul. Her career experience includes advertising sales and management for a weekly newspaper in Wooster, Ohio, an internship on the Dave Ryan in the Morning Show on KDWB radio in Minneapolis and experience as a sales representative for Cbeyond specializing in small business phone and IT solutions.
Most recently, DeZellar was the administrative assistant for Realty House/ Thomas L. Herzog Real Estate Inc.
In the community DeZellar volunteers as both a life coach and lacrosse coach for middle school and high school aged girls, as well as a varsity women’s lacrosse head coach.
“Lauren brings a wealth of knowledge and versatility to our Mattamy team in the Twin Cities,” said Logan. “With her energy, enthusiasm and communication skills, Lauren should prove to be a huge asset to the company.”
About Mattamy Homes
Mattamy Homes expanded into the U.S. in 2003 and has divisions in Jacksonville, Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix and Minneapolis. The homebuilder is the largest and most active in Canada with annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion.
Rue & Ziffra Partner Receives Highest Ranking from Prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings
PORT ORANGE – Thomas E. Caldwell, a partner in the Port Orange-based law firm of Rue & Ziffra, recently was ranked AV® Preeminent in the Martindale-Hubbell Directory’s Peer Review Ratings.
The AV® ranking – the highest of three ratings – attests to a lawyer's legal ability and adherence to professional standards of ethics, according to John Rue, senior partner at the firm. The rating reflects the opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary with opinions gathered from questionnaires and interviews conducted by Martindale-Hubbell representatives.
Caldwell, a member of the Rue & Ziffra personal-injury firm for 16 years, handles a wide range of personal injury and negligence matters, including car accidents, nursing home abuses and medical malpractice.
“The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are very important in the legal field,” Rue said. “We congratulate Tom for his impressive accomplishment and we’re proud to have him as a partner in our firm.”
Prior to joining Rue & Ziffra, Caldwell practiced at an insurance defense law firm, a position that gave him insight into the strategy behind the defendant’s case.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School Of Law, Caldwell is a member of the Florida Bar, Volusia County Bar Association, Florida Justice Association, American Association for Justice, and the American Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in all Florida Courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Caldwell also volunteers for numerous charitable events throughout the year in Volusia County.
The Port Orange-based law firm of Rue & Ziffra also has offices at 389 Palm Coast Parkway in Palm Coast. and 101 N. Woodland Blvd. in downtown DeLand
About Rue & Ziffra: Founded by John D. Rue and Allan L. Ziffra, the personal-injury law firm of Rue & Ziffra has served the Central Florida community for more than 25 years. The firm’s commitment to its profession and its clients has earned it a reputation as one of the top personal-injury law firms in Central Florida. Known for handling everything from automobile and motorcycle accidents to medical malpractice, wrongful death, and social security and disability cases, Rue & Ziffra has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients and their families. With a staff of nine attorneys, the firm maintains offices in Port Orange and Orange City. For more information, visit www.rueziffra.com.
The AV® ranking – the highest of three ratings – attests to a lawyer's legal ability and adherence to professional standards of ethics, according to John Rue, senior partner at the firm. The rating reflects the opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary with opinions gathered from questionnaires and interviews conducted by Martindale-Hubbell representatives.
Caldwell, a member of the Rue & Ziffra personal-injury firm for 16 years, handles a wide range of personal injury and negligence matters, including car accidents, nursing home abuses and medical malpractice.
“The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are very important in the legal field,” Rue said. “We congratulate Tom for his impressive accomplishment and we’re proud to have him as a partner in our firm.”
Prior to joining Rue & Ziffra, Caldwell practiced at an insurance defense law firm, a position that gave him insight into the strategy behind the defendant’s case.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School Of Law, Caldwell is a member of the Florida Bar, Volusia County Bar Association, Florida Justice Association, American Association for Justice, and the American Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in all Florida Courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Caldwell also volunteers for numerous charitable events throughout the year in Volusia County.
The Port Orange-based law firm of Rue & Ziffra also has offices at 389 Palm Coast Parkway in Palm Coast. and 101 N. Woodland Blvd. in downtown DeLand
About Rue & Ziffra: Founded by John D. Rue and Allan L. Ziffra, the personal-injury law firm of Rue & Ziffra has served the Central Florida community for more than 25 years. The firm’s commitment to its profession and its clients has earned it a reputation as one of the top personal-injury law firms in Central Florida. Known for handling everything from automobile and motorcycle accidents to medical malpractice, wrongful death, and social security and disability cases, Rue & Ziffra has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients and their families. With a staff of nine attorneys, the firm maintains offices in Port Orange and Orange City. For more information, visit www.rueziffra.com.
First Green Bank is First Bank to make a 100 Percent Commitment to Install Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at All of its Locations
EUSTIS, Fla. – First Green Bank in Lake County is the first bank in the region to install electric vehicle charging stations for customers who want to recharge their automobiles while they do their banking.
Kenneth LaRoe, chairman and chief executive officer, said he believes that First Green Bank is also the first bank in Florida to make a 100 percent commitment to install electric vehicle charging stations at all of its locations. First Green Bank’s Clermont facility was the area’s first to install an electric vehicle charging station.
When First Green Bank opens its new headquarters in Mount Dora in the fall it will also provide this complimentary service to its customers, and it will be completely powered by the solar panels at that location, LaRoe said.
Kenneth LaRoe, chairman and chief executive officer, said he believes that First Green Bank is also the first bank in Florida to make a 100 percent commitment to install electric vehicle charging stations at all of its locations. First Green Bank’s Clermont facility was the area’s first to install an electric vehicle charging station.
When First Green Bank opens its new headquarters in Mount Dora in the fall it will also provide this complimentary service to its customers, and it will be completely powered by the solar panels at that location, LaRoe said.
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