Tag Archives: hotel

City’s tourism taxes on upward roll

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Good news from the city of Duluth suggests the local economic recovery is, indeed, underway.

The March totals for tourism taxes are in. And they show an uptick seen earlier this year is continuing.

March hotel/motel and food/beverage tax collections were up 4.7 percent over the same month a year ago, according to city data. The increase in collections in the first three months also was up 4.7 percent compared to a year ago, for a total increase of nearly $69,000.

But the really good news is collections are continuing to come in over budget, bringing in a total of $77,317 more than the city expected for the year’s first quarter.

Call it an unexpected bonus.

City Treasurer Brian Hansen kept any excitement in check, however. He described the increases as “moderate” and indicative of some stabilization after the recession’s impact.
 

ZMC Hotels revamps management team

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ZMC Hotels Inc., the Duluth-based operator of a chain of 30 hotel properties, has restructured its management team.

“We’ve been going through a reorganization to better position the company,” said Bill DeSanto, who was recently appointed ZMC’s new chief operating officer.

DeSanto fills a position left vacant as a result of Todd Torvinen’s promotion to the post of president and chief financial officer. Having Torvinen serve in two capacities is part of an effort to streamline ZMC’s operations, according to DeSanto.

John Goldfine, who had been ZMC’s president, now will serve as vice chairman, overseeing ZMC’s attractions and marine operations, including Duluth’s Vista Fleet and the Chattanooga Riverboat Co. in Tennessee. Goldfine also will continue to provide a public face for the company, pursuing a wide variety of civic duties and working to support “just about anything that promotes Duluth,” DeSanto said.

Jo Haubrich, who had served as a regional supervisor for ZMC, also has been thrust into a new role, becoming vice president of operations and regional supervisor. With Haubrich’s promotion, the company reduced its stable of regional supervisors to three people.

Meanwhile, Ellen Goldfine Troeltzsch, formerly a regional supervisor for ZMC, is now a project specialist.

Kenneth Goldfine will continue to serve as ZMC’s CEO and chairman.

DeSanto said the reassignment of duties at ZMC was amicable and took effect a couple weeks ago.

Here in Duluth, ZMC operates the Inn on Lake Superior, the Edgewater Express, the Edgewater Resort & Waterpark and the downtown Best Western. The company also operates the Best Western Bridgeview in Superior.

Besides doing business in Wisconsin and Minnesota, ZMC also runs hotels in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

"It’s a very tough business right now, but I’m happy and proud to say that we’re holding more than our own in all our markets," DeSanto said.

However, DeSanto said the company has put the brakes on expansion plans for the moment, as it waits for the economy to stabilize a bit.