Courtyard honored

Courtyard honored

CANFIELD

The Courtyard by Marriott Youngstown-Canfield, 4173 Westford Place, was honored by Marriott International with three awards for superior performance during the Courtyard Brand Awards Ceremony on April 3 in Chicago.

The awards were accepted by general manager, Cody Wyatt, on behalf of the hotel, which is owned by CTW Development Corp. and managed by Radius Hospitality.

Of 1,071 Courtyard properties in the world, Courtyard Canfield was one of seven hotels to receive the company’s Diamond Circle Award, one of Marriott International’s highest property-level awards.

Godiva to open 2,000 cafes

NEW YORK

Godiva is looking beyond its iconic gold gift box of chocolates.

The Belgium confectioner is rolling out 2,000 cafes over the next six years that will serve a complete menu of items such as the croiffle, a croissant and waffle hybrid that’s stuffed with fillings such as cheese or chocolate and pressed on a waffle iron. Other items include an expanded list of coffees and a new collection of teas as well as grab-and-go items such as sandwiches and yogurt parfaits.

The cafes mark Godiva’s foray into prepared meals. The first one officially opened in Manhattan last week and is part of an ambitious growth plan spearheaded by CEO Annie Young-Scrivner, who took over Godiva’s helm in 2017 after serving as a top executive at Starbucks. Her goal: to increase its revenue fivefold by 2025.

Netflix adds 9.6M subscribers in 1Q

SAN FRANCISCO

Netflix kicked off the year with the biggest subscriber gains in the history of its video-streaming service, but it still managed to disappoint investors by forecasting a springtime slowdown.

The strong first-quarter performance coincided with Netflix’s biggest U.S. price increases and emerging streaming challenges from Walt Disney and Apple, two of the world’s most popular brands.

The video service added 9.6 million subscribers worldwide during the first quarter of 2019, topping the projections of both Netflix’s own management and Wall Street analysts. It’s the most subscribers that Netflix has gained during any three-month stretch since the Los Gatos, Calif., company unveiled its streaming service 12 years ago.

The surge announced last week left Netflix with nearly 149 million subscribers through March.

Walmart partners with Kidbox styling service for kids

NEW YORK

Walmart is teaming up with Kidbox, the 3-year-old online styling service for children, to offer its customers an exclusive, curated style box.

Walmart customers will get access to more than 120 premium children’s brands. The style box will include about five fashion items for $48, about 50 percent off the suggested retail price of the bundled items. Walmart customers complete a short style quiz for their child on Walmart.com Kidbox styles tailor each child’s style preferences, season and where the child lives.

The partnership is the latest by Walmart to establish itself as a fashion destination and better play in the increasingly crowded subscription arena. In 2014, Walmart launched a quarterly subscription of beauty samples and products. Walmart had tested a short-lived subscription snack service called Goodies.

Staff/wire report