Hotel achieves Four Diamond rating months after opening
The Brice, a Kimpton hotel at 601 E. Bay St, recently attained a Four Diamond Rating from AAA, less than six months after it opened. The Brice is one of 10 hotels in Savannah to receive the Four Diamond Rating.
Inspectors for AAA use published guidelines to conduct unannounced hotel evaluations, assigning approved establishments a rating of one to five AAA Diamonds. They use criteria weighted by priorities collected from more than 54 million AAA members.
The Brice was awarded Four Diamonds due to what AAA described as their “refined and stylish furnishings with upscale physical attributes that reflect enhanced quality throughout the establishment.”
“This recognition is a testimonial to the dedication our team has in caring for each guest and reflects genuine pride in our hotel,” manager Mitch Linder said.
TV station sale completed
Hearst Corporation today announced it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Savannah ABC affiliate WJCL-TV, from LIN Media LLC. The announcement was made by Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO, Hearst Corporation and Jordan Wertlieb, president, Hearst Television Inc. Terms were not disclosed. The transactions were subject to requisite regulatory approvals and the completion of the Media General/LIN Media merger.
The acquisition increases Hearst Television’s audience reach of U.S. TV households to nearly 19 percent, and the reach of its NBC-affiliated stations to nearly 8 percent, across 11 markets.
Timothy J. Morrissey, most recently president and general manager of WCNC-TV, the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate in Charlotte, N.C., will become president and general manager of WJCL..
Before becoming president and general manager at WCNC in 2007, Morrissey was divisional vice president of The New York Times Company Broadcast Group, after having served as its corporate vice president of news. Previously, he was president and general manager at television stations in Oklahoma City (KFOR-TV) and Ft. Smith, Ark. (KFSM-TV) and served in news management roles at stations in Baltimore (WJZ-TV), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa. (WNEP) and New Orleans (WWL-TV).
Morrissey has served as a member of the NBC network affiliate board, the NBC NewsChannel board, the ABC News advisory board and the FCC’s Media Security and Reliability Council. He currently serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Central Carolinas.
Stratford Land announces proposed industrial spec building
HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — Stratford Land has announced plans for Panattoni Development Company to be a preferred development partner at the RiverPort Business Park just east of the Savannah River on Hwy. 17.
Panattoni has proposed a range of buildings from 50,000 to 1.1 million square feet in the 172-acre, initial phase of the park. The first building is proposed to be 151,200 square feet and designed to suit one to three tenants.
“This new business park is the start of something big in the Lowcountry region, and we are excited to have Panattoni in this project,” said David Moore, Stratford’s senior director of investments for the southeastern U.S.
In March, Stratford Land celebrated the start of construction on phase one of RiverPort Parkway, which is completed and serves as the entrance to the industrial section of the development.
The industrial development is planned to have more than 1.8 million square feet.
