FARGO – A major player in the hospitality industry with headquarters in Fargo has changed its name and leadership makeup. TMI Hospitality Inc., formerly known as Tharaldson Motels Inc., adopted its new moniker this fall.

The change was a way to honor and recognize TMI’s past, while energizing the company as it embarks on plans to build or finish more than two dozen hotels in the coming years, said Lauris Molbert, who became the company’s CEO in August.

“We have aspirations to refocus and move forward, and there’s nothing like a name change to have a platform,” said Molbert, who came to TMI from Otter Tail Corp., where he was CEO and executive vice president.

(Pictured above: Rick Larson, President (left) and Lauris Molbert, CEO.)

Read the entire story here

  ]]> http://www.tmihospitality.com/6990/new-name/feed/ 0 http://www.tmihospitality.com/6984/tmi-assists-342-travelers-at-thanksgiving/ http://www.tmihospitality.com/6984/tmi-assists-342-travelers-at-thanksgiving/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:58:09 +0000 Mark Ferrell http://www.tmihospitality.com/?p=6984

The Thanksgiving Day Room in the Inn results are in!

The 23rd year of the TMI Hospitality Room in the Inn program was another success with a total of 342 free rooms that were donated to travelers on Thanksgiving Day as they visited friends and family in nursing homes, hospitals and treatment centers across the country.

This gesture of good will over the holidays leaves a warm and lasting impression our guests and in turn, creates loyalty, repeat business and is an example of TMI Hospitality mission of “Impressing Guests.” See how just a few of our hotels have impacted their local markets by clicking on the links below:

Sioux Falls Residence Inn & Fairfield Inn

Owatonna Country Inn & Suites

Since 1988, TMI Hospitality has offered free rooms at all of our locations nationwide through our industry ground breaking Room In The Inn Program. This program is available to people who have friends or family hospitalized over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Click here to see a list of our hotels where you can benefit from a Room In The Inn program on Christmas Eve, 2011.

Wishing You Peace During the Holidays…

Since 1988, TMI Hospitality has offered free rooms at all of our locations nationwide through our industry ground breaking Room In The Inn Program. This program is available to people who have friends or family hospitalized over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

During this special time of year, we focus on how we can help families who have a friend or loved one who is dealing with a difficult time. Every TMI Hotel offers free rooms to people visiting friends, family and loved ones who are in hospitals, nursing homes or treatment centers on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

We invite you to be our guest! This program is offered at all of the hotels listed in this brochure. If you know of anyone who would benefit from this program, please share this information with them. We can only get this message out with your help.

Click here to see a list of our hotels where you can benefit from a Room In The Inn program.

The El Paso Staybridge Suites hotels offer spacious suites, full kitchens and numerous upscale amenities allowing guests to make an extended stay an extended pleasure. Stretch out in  studio, 1 bedroom, or 2-bedroom / 2-bathroom suite with separate living and working areas.  Stay connected with free high-speed Internet access, both wired and wireless.

CLICK HERE to read more about this beautiful new hotel and make your reservation at the El Paso Airport Area Staybridge Suites.

TMI Hospitality is excited to announce the “Marriotts at Beaumont Centre,” located just minutes from the airport in Lexington, KY, and with easy access to downtown, UK and the New Circle Road business loop.

“Marriotts at Beaumont Centre” includes the newly-built The Residence Inn Lexington – Keeneland Airport, a 104-unit, all-suites hotel.

Coming in early 2012, it will also include a newly-built 103-unit Courtyard  and the completely re-imaged existing Fairfield Inn and Suites.

With 268 rooms under multiple Marriott flags, a Courtyard Bistro with a Starbucks, full menu and lounge, airport shuttle service and three tiers of lodging, this area of Lexington becomes the place to stay when traveling to Lexington for business, leisure or relocation. ]]> http://www.tmihospitality.com/5643/lexington/feed/ 0 http://www.tmihospitality.com/3732/houston-i-45-fairfield-inn-suites-now-open/ http://www.tmihospitality.com/3732/houston-i-45-fairfield-inn-suites-now-open/#comments Thu, 21 May 2009 13:07:59 +0000 Mark Ferrell http://www.tharaldson.com/?p=3732 On September, 12th, 2008, Hurricane Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast, shredding buildings, flooding streets, and knocking out power for millions of people.  With winds reaching 110 miles (177 kilometers) an hour, Ike came ashore over Galveston, Texas, as a strong Category 2 storm just after 3 a.m. EST.

The massive storm, nearly as big as Texas itself, moved over Houston before dawn, blowing out windows and scattering documents from skyscrapers such as the 75-story Chase Tower, the state’s tallest building.  According to the Associated Press, Ike was the first hurricane since Alicia in 1983 to land a direct hit on Houston and it resulted in the closings of three of our Texas hotels. The Houston I-45 Fairfield Inn, Houston I-10 Fairfield Inn and the Texas City Hampton Inn have been closed since the hurricane.

After many months of hard work and dedication by employees and management, we are pleased to announce that the first of these properties just re-opened for business on Tuesday, May 18 with a complete renovation inside and out and now proudly displays the all new Fairfield Inn & Suites flag!

CLICK HERE FOR RESERVATIONS….

Around March 15th, news came that the worst flooding was expected to arrive April 8-22. The city was geared up to be ahead of the flood with many preparations starting for the city and individual property owners. By March 19th, the tone of preparations changed from “ahead of the game” to “all hands on deck”. Levees in downtown Fargo immediately started rising and it was estimated 1.3-1.5 million sandbags were needed. The local FargoDome parking lot became the staging area for volunteers along with other locations in Moorhead, MN. The crest prediction of the Red River was 37-40 feet; flood stage is 18 feet with major flooding at 30 feet.

On Monday the 23rd, Tharaldson Companies corporate office made the decision to put the employees out in the city where they were needed for the entire week. Employees worked on personal homes, served food to the flood fighters, helped friends build up flood protection around their homes, moved furniture out of basements and so much more. The FM Area (Fargo/Moorhead) had neighborhood meetings to plan levee construction. Dirt and clay was brought in from many areas around the town (including digging up soccer fields) to build up the levees. Monday brought street closures to help with flood operation and emergency vehicles traveling around the city with ease.

By Tuesday the fight was in full gear, however city leaders kept the town in a very calm but ready state. The need for sandbags went up by over a half million to almost two million.  Businesses throughout the community closed, schools from elementary up to university levels called off classes to allow people to help the protection efforts. Parts of the FM area and outlying areas were evacuated as precautionary steps to ensure safety.  On Tuesday the river topped 29 feet with a forecast to reach 40 feet by Friday.

Support poured in from all over the United States. National Guard troops (as many as 800 on Tuesday) and Coastguard personnel blanketed the town to make the levees, help with evacuations and patrol dikes. Volunteers from west central Minnesota to Wisconsin to the western part of North Dakota showed up by bus and car. Food was plentiful in the sandbag central locations, thanks to the help of the community. All of this help was needed as the crest forecast rose to 39-41 feet. With the crest rising to possibly 41 feet, all the dikes and levees that were built needed to be topped off with another foot of protection.

The Red River had taken over smaller communities south of Fargo. The Coastguard was assisting in evacuations along with state officials using airboats to patrol the river for possible water rescues. Makeshift shelters were utilized in local schools and community buildings. During the sandbagging and flood fight efforts, volunteers faced many different climate challenges. There was sunshine, rain and even snow.

The National Weather Service said on Wednesday the crest prediction was at a record-setting 41 feet on Saturday with the crest lasting two to three days. This new crest prediction lead to more cancellations from mail delivery, garbage pick up and even more business closures for the week. The city kicked into high gear of sandbag making and building the dikes up higher to protect against the new crest prediction. More evacuations were implemented as cities looked at relocating senior living communities out of harms way. Hardware stores were staying open 24 hours to provide pumps, generators and sewer drain plugs.

A second crest loomed ahead as the Red River was currently at 38.83 feet on Thursday morning. The American Red Cross began setting up locations for flood relief efforts. They were looking at having 1,850 North Dakota National Guard members help out with traffic control and monitoring the emergency sandbag dams.

Saturday morning, the Red River was at 40.79 feet according to the National Weather Service. Throughout the weekend, non essential businesses were told to continue to remain closed. News from the National Weather Service came out that the river could possibly reach 43 feet.

Somehow over the weekend, the water started to reach 40.82 then lowered. City officials were hesitant to call it a crest, but called it more of a “peak” with a snow storm on the way late Monday and into Tuesday. Approximately 10 inches of snow dumped on the FM area over the next couple of days which put even more stress on city workers who moved their efforts from flood fighting back to snow removal. The falling temperatures were good news in our area as it kept the water snow from melting and entering the Red River. By late afternoon Tuesday the Red River was at 37.86 feet. The Weather Service reported that the river could begin dropping about one foot per day over the next three or four days and then move slowly through the middle of next week.

At that time, the Red River was still above flood stage and expected to drop down to around 32 feet. Then along comes the seasonal temperatures that could possible raise the river creating a second crest of 37 feet. With the river dropping, some of the state/government help headed to other areas that were experiencing flooding as well.
An amazing 3.5 million sandbags were filled to hold the Red River back.  The Corps of Engineers also provided 9.5 million sandbags to communities throughout Minnesota/North Dakota.

From day one around the city, when a call was put out for help, people were there within minutes. No matter what time of day, people would show up to sandbag, man pumps, bring food or provide a shoulder for support. People were helping others even when their own home needed attention.  Many were working at homes where they didn’t know the owner and possibly will never meet them again.

Thank you to all those that helped in so many ways to keep our community alive, you should be proud…it’s an amazing thing we have done.