Hotel Designs

Exclusive New Club Floor Revealed: ‘Hotel Within a Hotel’ Concept

Edinburgh’s Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa has taken luxury to new heights with its new Club Floor ‘hotel within a hotel’ concept, which provides guests with an enhanced level of service and style.As part of the hotel’s 25th anniversary and multi-million pound refurbishment, the Sheraton Grand has created an exclusive Club Level on the top floor with stunning Club Lounge, Club Guestrooms and Club Castle Rooms, which offer spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle and the historic cityscape.

Refined, relaxed and restful, the new Club Rooms offer a tasteful blend of subtle Scottish hues with contemporary materials, enhanced mood lighting and beautiful furnishings to create a comfortable, welcoming environment.

The new rooms offer elegant bathrooms, all featuring walk-in showers, spacious bathtubs and enticing toiletries; as well as the blissfully comfortable Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds, which have been expertly developed with ultrasonically sealed springs for a restful sleep.

For guests who want to stay connected to the outside world, the new rooms offer a cutting-edge Bluetooth media hub, cable and wireless internet access and a 37-inch interactive television.

Club guests also receive exclusive access to the bright and spacious new Club Lounge, which provides views of the Pentland Hills. Guests can enjoy continental breakfast, with a different delicious cooked option every day, and help themselves to a drink or snack throughout the day and canapés in the evening. The new Club Lounge also includes two 42 inch LCD HD TVs, touch screen computers and free Wi-Fi. In addition Club guests can also relax with Escape at One – a series of heat and water experiences, including the unique Thermal Suite and iconic rooftop Hydropool, at the award-winning One Spa.

The design of the Sheraton Grand’s new rooms has been undertaken by MKV Design, a leading interior design company exclusively servicing the international hospitality sector. The company’s portfolio includes Luxury Collection properties The Romanos in Costa Navarino, Greece and the Blue Palace Resort & Spa, Crete.

The Sheraton Grand Hotel is refurbishing of all its bedrooms and suites, increasing the number of rooms to 269 and creating an opulent Grand Suite. The two-bedroom Grand Suite is the hotel’s most luxurious offering, combining contemporary design in a classic palette with tasteful references to traditional Scottish style and spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle. The full refurbishment is due to be completed by autumn 2010.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has recently announced the opening of the Crowne Plaza Syracuse Downtown that includes a $5 million renovation and upgrades to guest rooms in the 20-story hotel.

The hotel has 12,500 square feet of upscale meeting rooms, banquet halls and event space including a conference center able to accommodate events for up to 200 people. For special events, guests can enjoy panoramic views of downtown Syracuse from the 20th floor Horizons room. The Crowne Plaza Syracuse Downtown has 279 guestrooms, including three suites, all recently renovated. Guests have access to a variety of amenities, including HSIA, wi-fi throughout the property, a fitness center and a business center. The hotel includes a three-meal restaurant, Redfield’s, as well as the Library Lounge, which serves cocktails and light fare. Other amenities include covered parking, daily newspapers, in-room coffee and in-room safes.

Located at 701 E. Genesee St., the hotel is within seven miles of Syracuse Hancock International Airport and offers a free shuttle service. With convenient access to Highways I-81 and I-90, the Crowne Plaza Syracuse Downtown is within a half mile of the Syracuse University campus and less than three miles from Le Moyne College. It is also within a mile of the OnCenter Convention Center Complex and the Carrier Dome and a short ride to the New York State Fairgrounds and Armory Square, home to restaurants and entertainment venues.

In addition, the Crowne Plaza Syracuse Downtown is just a short distance from Upstate Medical University and University Hospital, as well as regional facilities for the Carrier Corp., Bristol-Myers Squibb and Lockheed Martin.

“The hotel’s location close to the region’s largest airport, a major university and the convention center complex makes it a leading attraction for meeting planners,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Delivery, the Americas, IHG. “With the conversion of this hotel to a Crowne Plaza, we can now offer our comprehensive meetings program, which meeting planners won’t find at any other hotel in the Syracuse market.”

The property is owned by Richfield Syracuse Hotel Partners, LLC and managed by Richfield Hospitality, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

Choice Hotels International, Inc. has announced the conversion of the Roberts Hotel Group’s 200-room hotel, located at 9027 Fairforest Road, to a Clarion Hotel & Suites. The Clarion property is a full-service hotel that provides a quality of service, amenities and inviting atmosphere associated with fine hotels, but at an affordable price. Roberts Hotel Group of St. Louis, Missouri is the largest African American-owned and -managed hotel group in the United States, and is Choice Hotels International’s largest African American franchisee with six properties representing 1,085 rooms currently open and under development.

The new Clarion Hotel & Suites is centrally located between Charlotte and Atlanta, and provides easy access to local points of interest including the Carolina’s beautiful beaches. The 200-room hotel includes 85 guest suites and offers spacious and comfortable accommodations for every event. Experienced catering professionals are available to host events in one of the 11 conference rooms featuring 13,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space that can accommodate up to 400 guests.

Oversized deluxe guestrooms feature two queen size beds, free high-speed Internet access, and complimentary coffee and tea. Suites contain a king size bed and sofa bed in a separate living area. The Clarion property includes a five-story atrium with heated indoor pool and a full bar and lounge, on-site fitness center, restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a complimentary shuttle to and from Greenville/Spartanburg International Airport.

The hotel will participate in Choice Privileges, the Choice Hotels rewards program where membership is free and offers points good towards free nights, airline miles, gift certificates and more while staying at Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn or Ascend Collection properties throughout the U.S. (including Hawaii), Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Mexico, Central America, Australasia and the Caribbean.*

SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.

*Excluding Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Liberia, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe. Excluding Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. Including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Pollack is one of America’s leading high end hospitality contract and residential lines and a firm favourite of hotel specifiers.

Their total number of offered designs stands at nearly 500; classics mingle with new designs that are brought to market in two original collections each year.

Complex weaves and a distinct colour palette have made Pollack one of the premier design led fabric houses and for the first time will be available in a showroom in the United Kingdom with the full range on display and with sampling readily available.

Altfield will also be showing the Pollack line on their stand at Decorex (E166) and at the Focus show at the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre at the end of September.

Dohaland and Premier Inn have recently announced that they have signed a Joint Venture Agreement to introduce Premier Inn’s “value hotel model” to Qatar.

The first project announced under the Joint Venture Agreement will be a 200 room hotel to be built at the Doha Education City, an area at the outskirts of Doha which is the home of some of the leading educational institutes in the world. The Joint Venture shall be administered by Dohaland Hospitality, mandated to introduce unique hotel brands to Qatar, contributing to the development of tourism and hospitality industry in the country and achieving the best in modern hospitality standards.

Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Emadi, CEO of Dohaland Hospitality said, “We are delighted to be bringing the Premier Inn brand to Qatar. We believe there is current need in the market for quality budget hotels in Doha, our partnership with a globally recognised brand such as Premier Inn will address this segment in the market. Our long term strategy at Dohaland Hospitality is to provide a diversified offering and cater to different segments without compromising the quality of the product or experience. We expect to be in a position to announce further additions to ever growing Dohaland Hospitality portfolio in the near future.”

Darroch Crawford, Managing Director of Premier Inn in the Middle East said, “We are delighted with the signing of this partnership and are looking forward to bringing the Premier Inn brand to Qatar. The offering we propose, with the price bracket it includes, allows us to be accessible to wider and largely unserviced segment of the market. We have three hotels already open in Dubai and two more under development in Abu Dhabi. This partnership lends further weight to our commitment to the region and our intention to be the largest and best provider of value for money hotels in the region.”

All Premier Inns in the region feature: en-suite bathrooms with shower and bath; really comfortable beds; family rooms that sleep up to two adults and two children aged 15 and under; 32in flat screen TV; Free Wifi: laptop safe; tea/coffee making facilities; spacious desk area and a contemporary restaurant Most hotels in the region also offer a swimming pool.
DOHALAND Hospitality previously announced the appointment of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to operate and manage a new luxury city centre hotel and serviced apartments to be built by 2014 as part of the Musheireb – Heart of Doha development.

As part of the new classification just applied to the hotel industry in Monaco, Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo has been awarded a fifth star.

This new distinction allows the palace to reinforce its position as a prestigious hotel, by finally offering an easier point of reference for its increasingly international clientele.“We are delighted that the 5-star classification is now applied in the Principality of Monaco. We are extremely proud to gain this recognition, and it is a particular accolade for the team who has contributed to the success of the hotel since its opening” comments Jean-Claude Messant, General Manager of Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo.

He adds: “As one of the world’s most prestigious destinations, Monaco has just caught up with the rest of the world in terms of hotel classification. We were looking forward to accessing this new 5-star ranking which confirms our status as a luxury palace hotel and above all highlights the quality of the service we offer. This is a confirmation of Hotel Métropole’s status in the international arena”.

Opened in August 2004 following a large-scale renovation programme by world renowned interior design Jacques Garcia, Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, an international network of over 450 prestigious hotels and resorts offering exceptional service. In November 2006, the hotel was named Best Hotel in Europe – hotel of over 100 rooms or more – during the 2007 annual convention held by The Leading Hotels of the World.

Images credit: Eric Cuvi

CHI Hotels & Resorts has announced that as from 1st October of this year it will be operating its second hotel in the highly popular Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt – The Ramada Plaza -Naama Bay – Sharm El Sheikh.CHI signed a 15-year technical services and management agreement with the owning El Salam Company for Tourism Development, led by its chairman Mr Salim Hamza El Nasharty, for the operation of the converted and partly refurbished 254 bedroom hotel.

Previously known as the Royal Plaza Hotel since its opening in 2004, the Ramada Plaza – Naama Bay – Sharm El Sheikh is located on a vast tract of land measuring some 11,000 square metres, just three minutes from the town centre and 300 metres from the seafront promenade. It also has its own private beach 500 metres away at Sharm El Maya, which can be reached by hotel minibus.

Facilities at the refurbished hotel include a restaurant, piano bar, two swimming pools, a rooftop Spa and gymnasium, pool and beach bars, a spacious meeting room, several retail shops, 24-hour room service and an in-house laundry. Most bedrooms have a balcony and are equipped with satellite TV, minibar, air conditioning, direct-dial phones and in-room safes. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combinations and hair dryers.

The Tiran Island Hotel and Residences and the Corinthia Resort Hotel are owned by Cyrene Tourism Investment Corporation of Egypt, headed by its owning chairman and CEO Mr H Mansouri.

Sharm El Sheikh is a city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and has become a leading tourist resort thanks to its dramatic landscape, year-round dry and temperate climate and long stretches of natural beaches. Its waters are clear and calm for most of the year and have become popular for various water sports, particularly scuba diving and snorkelling, which are considered to be among the best in the world. Coral reefs and marine life, unmatched anywhere in the world, offer a spectacular and dazzling time for divers. All around are Bedouins, colourful tents, mountains and sea.

Close to the hotel, Naama Bay is the heart of Sharm El Sheikh and features all the amenities one could expect of a top class tourist resort, including casinos, discos and nightclubs, golf courses, windsurfing and other water sports, horses and camel riding, desert safaris, and nearby ancient attractions. At night the pedestrian promenade is vibrant with life, there are street cafes, restaurants and many bazaars selling local products and souvenirs.

Great Hotels of the World is pleased to announce the re-opening of its member Saman Villas in Bentota, Sri Lanka, which opened on the 12 August 2010.As part of Saman Villas’ continued efforts to be one of the best boutique hotels in Asia as well as to cater to the growing demands of the top-end traveller, an extensive refurbishment project was commissioned in 2010. The hotel has undergone a major transformation after the £580,000 refurbishment programme and now boasts a brand new look and feel while keeping the distinct Sri Lankan concept for which it has become renowned.

Major modifications have taken place in all of the guest rooms focusing on luxurious comfort including soothing water features, a complete over-haul of fixtures and fittings, oversized terrazzo bath tubs and open-air showers. All public areas have been completely revamped with impressive use of carved teak wooden pillars and a fresh new roof design. The infinity poolside has also been given a facelift.

Pedersen Hotels plan a new hotel for Bristol airport as part of a £150 million redevelopment programme. North Somerset council have agreed to the proposition. The hotel will be 250 bedrooms, scheduled to open in the winter of 2012. It will be a four-storey building with facilities including a bar, restaurant and meeting rooms.Pederson hotels like Rezidor known that hotels on airport sites are the most profitable serving as they do not just passengers who need respite but also providing facilities for airline crews. The hotel is to be built very close to the airport terminal, a mere 100m away, which secures people with a convenient and easy stroll to the airport. Objections to the hotel related to the impact of additional traffic on the area, but this is balanced by the benefit of the 125 new jobs that will be created. Pricing will be set higher than the majority of its competitors due to the advantages of its location.

Demand for the hotel is high because of the shortage of hotel beds supplying the airport, regardless of the surrounding bed and breakfasts and guest houses offering accommodation. Bristol Airport is the single largest airport in the UK without an onsite hotel, and so the creation of the hotel will be a practical facility in enabling people in the South West to make full use of their regional airport. The development will also expect to see an increase in passenger numbers from 6 million to 10 million per year.

By Joanna Matwiejczyk

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has recently announced the debut of its Aloft brand in Oklahoma with the opening of Aloft Tulsa. Owned by Anish Hotels Group and managed by LodgeWorks, L.P., this brand-new destination sensation features 136 spacious, open rooms, a tech-forward sensibility and a vibrant, social atmosphere.Aloft Tulsa is ideally located in south Tulsa, home to the city’s best shops, restaurants, entertainment and commerce. The stylish, new hotel is just a few blocks from the 71st Street shopping and dining district, Woodland Hills Mall, historic downtown Tulsa, Oral Roberts
University and the concerts and sporting events at BOK Center. Also nearby are Hard Rock Casino, River Spirit Casino and Tulsa’s scenic RiverWalk. Offering more than 1,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, Aloft Tulsa is convenient to the offices of Cox Communications, Metlife Insurance and Hilti Corporation. Guests will enjoy fast and free hotel-wide WiFi and complimentary shuttle service within five miles of the hotel. Aloft Tulsa boasts atmospheric public spaces where guests can mix and mingle, read the paper, work on laptops, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mixSM communal lobby area and w xyzSM bar.

SOURCE: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

The Rezidor Hotel Group has opened its 101st Park Inn hotel and the 27th Park Inn in the UK – the 185-room Park Inn Aberdeen. Additional facilities at the new-build hotel include eight meeting rooms, a fitness room and a signature RBG restaurant. The hotel also offers complimentary wireless internet access throughout, to both residents and non-residents alike.Located in the centre of the ‘Granite City’ on Justice Mill Lane, which runs parallel to the city’s main thoroughfare of Union Street, the new Park Inn by Radisson hotel brings welcome additional room stock and facilities to the thriving business city on Scotland’s northeastern coast.

The six storey hotel has 185 fresh and contemporary guest rooms, including Business Friendly rooms, accessible rooms for disabled guests and interconnecting rooms for families. The rooms are designed to be functional and easy to use and all offer laptop-size safes, air conditioning and flat-screen TVs showing multiple channels. The room décor reflects the Park Inn brand with vibrant touches of colour. Many of the guest rooms offer fantastic views over the city and North Sea.

The hotel’s ground floor is home to the business and meeting facilities. There are a total of eight meeting rooms, including five boardrooms with natural daylight. The ballroom is divisible by three and will accommodate up to 200 delegates theatre style and 160 guests for a dinner. The ceiling height in the ballroom is an impressive five metres, giving a very capacious feel and making it viable to hold product launches and other such events within the space.

Also on the ground floor is RBG, the new restaurant concept recently launched for the Park Inn brand and already open in Park Inn hotels including Manchester, Belfast and Cardiff. RBG tempts guests with gourmet burgers, light bites and a choice of signature dishes from the grill. The adjoining bar is perfect for a coffee whilst catching up with emails during the day or for enjoying a beer or cocktail in the evening.

A galaxy of A-list stars also grace the opening of the hotel – on canvas if not in person. Local artist Bob Harper has spent the last year producing a unique collection of celebrity paintings for the hotel. One-off portraits of Sir Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, Rod Stewart and Aberdeen-born Annie Lennox, amongst others, are given pride of place throughout the public areas of the hotel.

Fairmont Pittsburgh is pleased to announce that it has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made by Leonard S. Czarnecki, general manager of the luxury hotel. Fairmont Pittsburgh which opened on March 29, 2010, is part of Three PNC Plaza, a 23-story high-rise owned by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Three PNC Plaza, which is one of the nation’s largest green, mixed-use buildings, expands upon PNC’s commitment to environmental responsibility and green building practices. PNC has more newly constructed LEED certified buildings – 80 – than any company on earth.

The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. In order to receive Gold certification, Fairmont Pittsburgh had to meet strict sustainable design and construction guidelines set by the USGBC. Some of the hotel’s most interesting features include:

• Recycled Construction Waste: about 99% of the waste accumulated during the construction process has been diverted from landfills.
• Energy Savings: By adopting innovative lighting and appliances, the hotel is highly energy efficient, which will significantly reduce its carbon footprint from operations.
• Lighting energy savings
• Equipment energy savings
• Water Use Reduction
• Improved Indoor Air Quality
• Green Materials
• Pittsburgh Focus: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and to support the local economy, the hotel selected many products from Pittsburgh and its surrounding area.
• Green Operations (Green Housekeeping, Recycling and Sustainable Dining)

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is recognized worldwide for its commitment to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. The Fairmont Green Partnership program was pioneered by Fairmont’s Canadian hotels in 1990 and has become a core value of the Fairmont brand. The program focuses on improvements in waste management, sustainability, and energy and water conservation at Fairmont properties, and innovative community outreach programs involving local groups and partnerships.

All photos credited to Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

The Rezidor Hotel Group has opened the Radisson Blu Resort Split in Croatia – a luxurious hotel right on the Adriatic coast with panoramic views over the Mediterranean Sea and the island Brač. After an extensive renovation and reconstruction, the former and legendary “Hotel Split” with a history of nearly 50 years offers 240 stylish guest rooms including 2 outstanding Presidential suites.The Radisson Blu Resort Split is located only 15 walking minutes away from the historic city centre and along a wonderful pristine beach along the Adriatic Sea – it is a unique combination of a city hotel and a sea resort and headed by General Manager Maik Schaefer, a German national. Whether guests choose the classical, yet modern Economy Rooms or the Standard- and Deluxe Rooms or the suites with their ultra-stylish, light and airy design: The majority of rooms offer breathtaking sea views. Higher room categories also feature extras such as balconies, Nespresso machines, bathrobes & -slippers. The Presidential suites comprise 260 m² each, 3 bedrooms, a private terrace with Jacuzzi and an outdoor sauna.

Two restaurants, a bar and a Lobby Lounge will pamper every palate: “The Fig Leaf” restaurant serves Radisson Blu’s signature “super breakfast” and international buffets with an abundant choice of Mediterranean and Continental specialties as well as live cooking stations and a wonderful terrace towards the sea. “The Caper”, the grill restaurant in a modern and sleek environment, combines equally stunning views, grilled cuts, delicious fish and selected wines from Croatia and all around the world. “The Door” bar adds a modern twist to a list of international and award-winning cocktails, and the Lobby Lounge with a cosy atmosphere is a perfect meeting place at the hotel’s lobby level.

Besides access to a private stunning beach with sunbeds, separate plateau and bar service, the hotel also comprises an indoor- and outdoor pool, a fitness centre and an exclusive Anne Sémonin-Spa with 8 treatment rooms, whirlpool, sauna and steam baths. Within the hotel grounds, an international casino will be housed, and for those you want to combine business and leisure, the hotel offers 7 meeting rooms and a banquet hall, all equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Barceló UK has invested over three quarters of a million pounds into the renovation of two of its most popular hotels.

The historic Barceló Combe Grove Manor Hotel in Bath and the Barceló Stirling Highland Hotel in Scotland recently underwent extensive makeovers to help restore the properties to their former glory. The Barceló Combe Grove Manor Hotel completed a half a million pound project to transform all of the bedrooms and public spaces in the Georgian Manor House, including the lounge, reception, meeting rooms and fantastic 2 AA Rosette awarded restaurant.

The Barceló Stirling Highland Hotel, located midway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, has also invested in brand new furniture, décor, upholstery, lights and even state-of-the-art flat screen LCD TV’s for over half of its 96 bedrooms. The remaining rooms have also had a light makeover following an upgrade three years earlier.

Located in the heart of Scotland and with its own fully working observatory, the former high school’s fabulous new look will only add to its star quality, making it the number one hotel in Stirling.

Regional Director of Barceló UK, Paul Harnedy, says: “ We are always investing money into our hotels to keep them to an exceptionally high standard. Guests will still receive the excellent level of service which we have worked hard to maintain, but they can enjoy two fabulous new settings.

Our passion for providing customers with the best accommodation possible, has and always will be one of Barceló UK’s top priorities. “

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announces their very first Park Inn in Bulgaria: The Park Inn Sofia featuring 113 rooms is scheduled to open in Q3 2010 – as a re-branding of the existing Greenville Hotel and Apartments, Sofia. “This new property will strengthen our presence in Sofia; it complements our successful Radisson Blu Grand Hotel which is located opposite the National Assembly”, says Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. Originally, the Greenville hotel opened in 2005. Besides 113 rooms, suites, studios and apartments, it comprises a restaurant with an outdoor terrace, two bars and two meeting rooms. A wellness and sports centre offers an indoor swimming pool, fitness area and treatment rooms. The hotel is located 3.5 km south of Sofia city centre and 7 km from the International Airport. It has excellent access to the numerous business parks which surround the city and are home to many international firms. Sofia’s two most important congress centres, the Inter Expo & Congress Centre and National Palace of Culture, are also in proximity.

Sofia is one of the oldest cities in Europe and has a unique, varied architectural style mixing east and west, with Orthodox churches, Ottoman mosques and even Red Army monuments punctuating the skyline. With the Communism era receding from memory, today the city offers the shopping malls, restaurants and bars one would expect from a European capital.

With Radisson Blu properties already established in most Eastern European capitals, Rezidor’s focus has expanded to the development of Park Inn hotels in strategically important markets. Today, further Park Inn hotels are in operation or under development in Krakow, Bratislava, Prague, Ostrava, Sárvár and Wroclaw.

Image copyright Rezidor

The 98-bedroom, six-storey hotel will be built at the bottom of Westgate Road, close to the city’s Central Station, with accommodation aimed at both the business and leisure traveller.
Working closely with Network Rail, Sleeperz will develop a highly visible and recognisable landmark hotel on the former Parcel Works site, alongside the car park of Newcastle Station.With the UK’s holiday trend of ‘staycations’ on the rise, and the latest Government proposals to encourage foreign visitors to boost the economy, the budget hotel market continues to grow. The Sleeperz proposition of compact lifestyle hotels in prime city centre locations offering great value for money sits perfectly in line with these proposals as the accommodation is aimed at both the business and leisure traveller.

Preparation work has already started on site with full construction expected to begin in October. Sleeperz is targeting an opening date of October next year (2011), with the new hotel creating around 25 full-time jobs in the city. Property and construction consultancy Robinson Low Francis (RLF) has been appointed as the employer’s agent and quantity surveyors.

The construction of the company’s second UK hotel follows the announcement of a major £7m investment in Sleeperz Hotels to fund future growth – with the target of achieving a portfolio of 10 hotels by 2015.

Just 18 months after opening the first in a new generation of compact lifestyle hotels – in the Welsh capital of Cardiff – Sleeperz is not only rolling out its plans to build in the capital of the North-East, but also earmarked five further sites for development next to mainline rail stations, including Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.

Sleeperz Hotels Chief Executive David Myers said the Newcastle development will mirror the same ethos of compact and comfortable rooms at an affordable price in a stylish environment that has proved to be such a success in Cardiff.

“As with Sleeperz hotel Cardiff, we will create quality high specification compact rooms with fresh, colourful and contemporary interiors. All of this will be available to the consumer at room rates, including free wi-fi, from £50,” he said.

“Newcastle is one of the leading UK hotel markets for RevPar room rate performance. The city boasts a very strong leisure and corporate market and there will be few hotels – if any – with the location that this site will give us. We are very excited about this development.”

Mr Myers described the £7m investment in the company that will help fund the building of the Newcastle project as “a major endorsement in the Sleeperz proposition of compact lifestyle hotels in prime city centre locations offering great value for money.”

The equity finance has been raised from the company’s current investors, including Andre Hoffmann, and a new investor, Connection Capital. The debt finance for the Newcastle development is being provided by The Co-operative bank.

Mr Myers said: “Raising finance is very tough in this market, and to secure £7m of investment via bank and equity finance is an exceptional achievement, particularly for a hotel business of our size.

“The finance we have secured will not only fund the Newcastle hotel development, but also provide working capital for the further expansion we have planned. The hotel market is littered with single-site niche businesses that have failed to expand and progress to develop a second hotel.

“There are so many positives in the Sleeperz brand. Not only have we managed to buck the trend in an increasingly challenging market – but in sticking to our ideals of convenience, value and style, are now driving on to growth and expansion.”

Lorraine Cunliffe

Benson Elliot Capital Management and Algonquin SA announce that they have completed the joint acquisition of the Novotel Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh. The hotel will be acquired from administrators KPMG.

The acquisition, the second for Benson Elliot in the UK following the purchase of CBXII in Milton Keynes in late March, was made on behalf of Benson Elliot Real Estate Partners II, L.P. The fund now holds a broad portfolio of investments in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, and Central Europe. Benson Elliot Real Estate Partners III, L.P., a €505 million equity fund closed last year, will begin investing in the second half of 2010.Following six acquisitions in the past 18 months, the Novotel Edinburgh Park will become the 23rd hotel in Algonquin’s portfolio and is its first investment in the United Kingdom.

Novotel Edinburgh Park opened in mid-2008, and was purpose built to meet the standards of the new generation 4-star Novotel brand. The hotel comprises 170 rooms, a restaurant, meeting rooms and a leisure facility (including a swimming pool). It is the only hotel situated within Edinburgh Park, one of the UK’s premier office business parks, which is located near Edinburgh Airport and the city bypass and provides office accommodation to over 9,000 employees and many of the UK’s leading companies. Accor will continue to manage the hotel under the Novotel brand. The acquisition was financed by Barclays Corporate.

Trish Barrigan, Senior Partner at Benson Elliot, commented: “The global recession and subsequent property market decline have created the opportunity to buy hotels at meaningful discounts to replacement cost and, we believe, at or near the bottom of the operational cycle. We’re actively looking at similar opportunities that represent good value today, but where there is also scope to add value through targeted capex spending and proactive management strategies.”

Jean-Philippe Chomette, CEO of Algonquin, added: “Novotel Edinburgh Park is a good quality hotel in a strong and resilient market. The asset will benefit from the already evident recovery of the hotel market in Scotland, and the arrival of the tramline next to it in the next few years as well as Algonquin’s track record in successfully managing hotel assets. We would be very pleased to contemplate other similar opportunities in conjunction with Benson Elliot across Europe in the future.”

Jonathan Wright, Relationship Director, Barclays Corporate, concluded: “This is an excellent example of a transformative acquisition, returning a well located property back to full operation.”

Mayer Brown, CMS and Brodies acted for Benson Elliot and Algonquin and Dundas & Wilson and Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels acted for KPMG.

Originally conceived by Italian manufacturer Paola Lenti as a series of interior cushions and poufs the Picot collection has been given an exterior makeover. Each piece is individually hand crocheted using the specially designed Rope cord available in vivid jewel colours or more muted earthy tones.

The Rope cord and interior fillings are specially designed to be used outdoors so that the Picot can be a fun addition to any garden or poolside space.

Image copyright Paola Lenti

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies has announced it has welcomed its first CLUB WYNDHAM® Plus owners to the long-anticipated, 19-story tower at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando, Fla. This latest expansion adds 300 units to the world-class property, which is situated immediately adjacent to the Walt Disney World Resort. The property now boasts approximately 1,150 units sprawled across 58 acres. “When we broke ground on this project in 2002 we knew we were taking a calculated risk since Orlando was one of the most heavily saturated timeshare markets in the country,” said Franz Hanning, president and chief executive officer, Wyndham Vacation Ownership. “The fact that we continued to expand this site in spite of the current marketplace is a testament to the popularity of both the resort and our points product. We originally intended to build 744 units, but we had to keep on building because we kept on selling.”

As one of six Mediterranean-style towers, which are centered around a 10-acre lake, this tower features a combination of 182 one-, two- and three-bedroom units as well as 118 luxurious one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom Presidential suites. The tower also boasts an expansive pool complete with a water slide, a pool bar, three outdoor spas as well as nine private cabanas, which will be available for owners to rent. Owners and guests will also enjoy convenient access to an activities center, state-of-the-art fitness center, computer library and arcade, all of which are located in the building.

BUILDING A SUCCESS

When the company began development on the first phase in December 2002, it partnered with Bonnet Creek Venture – the master developer on the project – to overcome several substantial construction challenges. In addition to creating an entire series of manmade lakes, they also had to connect to the Orange County, Fla. utility system, which meant installing multiple, 24-inch diameter steel casings under Interstate 4 without disrupting traffic flow.

As construction surged forward, the company began sales in an unassuming off-site sales location in Kissimmee and soon welcomed more than 4,000 owners to Wyndham Bonnet Creek when it opened its doors in June 2004. Since opening, the property has received a variety of industry accolades from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), including three resort design awards as well as the prestigious ACE Project of Excellence Award. In addition to serving as the primary backdrop in Wyndham Worldwide’s first- ever television advertising campaign, which featured golf legend Arnold Palmer, the resort was also showcased to more than one million television viewers on The Martha Stewart Show as the grand prize destination for the winner of Martha Stewart’s “Dreamers into Doers” contest in 2008.

“This property has been an unprecedented success by every measure,” said Jeff Myers, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer. “Our owners and guests absolutely love the resort, the location and the service they receive while they’re vacationing. Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort isn’t just a crown jewel of our company – we believe it’s a crown jewel for our entire industry.”

With an average annual occupancy rate of over 87 percent, the property also boasts RCI Gold Crown status and has consistently ranked among the top ten most highly sought after Wyndham Vacation Resorts properties since 2005.

“We really enjoy vacationing at Wyndham Bonnet Creek,” said Robert Henzel of Enfield, Conn., CLUB WYNDHAM Plus owner since 2003. “Not only is the property absolutely gorgeous but the staff is really committed to ensuring that we always have a great time. And the fact that the resort is located so close to all of the theme parks really makes it an ideal place to stay when visiting Orlando.”

The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced their 8th property in Switzerland: The Radisson Blu Resort, Andermatt featuring 240 rooms is scheduled to open its doors in 2013. It will be part of the project “Andermatt Swiss Alps”, a master development overseen by Orascom Development Holding AG and including six new hotels in the 4- and 5-star sector, some 490 apartments in 42 buildings and 25-30 villas. An 18-hole championship golf course and sport & commercial areas will complement the project which will turn Andermatt in an exclusive year-round holiday destination. For Andermatt Swiss Alps, Radisson Blu is the second hotel cooperation. Andermatt lies at the foot of the Gotthard Massif in Switzerland. Its ski facilities, renowned for excellent snow falls, will be upgraded and modernized resulting in 130 km of varying ranges of ski slopes to suit all levels. When slopes, golf and recreation no longer beckon, Andermatt is the ideal starting point for a variety of excursions. Lucerne and the Lake of Lucerne; the elegant metropolis of Zurich; Berne and its historic old town (UNESCO World heritage site); and the neighbouring canton of Ticino with its Mediterranean flair are only some of the famous sights of Switzerland.

Radisson Blu (formerly: Radisson SAS) is Rezidor’s First Class- and full service core hotel brand. It has expanded naturally from its Scandinavian home base. Ranging from small boutique hotels to city landmark hotels, from ultra-modern “new breed” properties to great classics, you will find Radisson Blu hotels in world capitals, city centers, leisure resorts and airports too. They are designed to be different, consistent by standard, highly equipped and individual by choice.

Radisson Blu aims to be a market leader by combining its unique and stylish approach to hotel hardware with its “Yes I Can!” spirit of hospitality on the software side. It has a long history of industry leading, innovative thinking designed to meet the very specific needs of guests. These innovations include not only “Yes I Can!” but also concept rooms and design systems, its 100% Guest Satisfaction Guarantee, its One Touch Service, its Easy Connect approach to IT where broadband internet access is free in all areas of the hotel, its Super Breakfast with Grab & Run option, its partnership with Nespresso and its commitment to Meeting & Events service standards.

The councillors of Aberdeen City have established plans for a future four-star hotel next to Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in order to boost the city’s image. It will help attract investment high-profile events. The core idea is to create profit not just for this hotel, but for other hotels in the city, its restaurants and taxi services, which under the current plans the attraction of the new hotel will help increase. The initial financial scheme discussed at the Full Council meeting with AECC produced too much risk for the council due to the instability of the present economic climate. Therefore alternative financial schemes were considered, with the end result being that the City Councillors agreed a grant of £568,000 towards the with the AECC themselves contributing £2.3 million for architectural, legal and further professional fees for the scheme.

The internal auditors of the city’s council will continue their involvement in the hotel development plan in order to review and ensure that the venue continues to deliver maximum value for the public money invested in it. Not only could the creation of a new hotel benefit their image and city popularity, but also Offshore Europe. This can be done by expanding the AECC’s facilities in creating new parking space with distinctive foundations for temporary exhibition structures, which could be easily installed and disassembled when not in use. To fund this aspect of the development plan, Scottish Enterprise grant funding will be explored.

The professional advice suggested that by building an hotel that provides four-star accommodation, some of their economic losses could be reversed and boost the AECC’s business. The venue alone supplies approximately £80 million towards Aberdeen City and Shire, which is less than the investment of public funds. The figures show a good return on public money and create confidence in relation to the investing and building of the new hotel.

Benchmark Hospitality International has announced a comprehensive $20 million renovation program for Cheyenne Mountain Resort, the Four Diamond property located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This will be the first property-wide renovation for the award-winning resort, and will touch nearly all areas of the property. Ricca + Newmark Design, with headquarters in Denver, has been engaged to create the resort’s new interiors. Benchmark Hospitality opened Cheyenne Mountain Resort nearly 25 years ago. Completion is scheduled for spring 2011. Laura Neumann, Benchmark’s vice president and general manager at the resort, made the announcement.Ricca + Newmark Design has created interiors for Cheyenne Mountain Resort that are refreshing and crisp, and intended to carry the breathtaking views of Colorado’s Cheyenne Mountain — the resort’s namesake — from the outside in, engaging the guest in total immersion experience. Dramatic nature-inspired artwork, plush textiles, and a rich color palette will add visual interest and leave a lasting impression within the renovated spaces. Unique furniture design, fabricated with hand-finished precision, will create a refined and luxurious feeling to each room.

The renovation has already begun in the resort’s Mountain View Restaurant Terrace, in which a 15-foot fire pit has been installed for group and social gatherings. The Terrace, which features striking views of Cheyenne Mountain, has also received luxurious new teak lounge furnishings to enhance the guest experience and comfort. Included in this phase of the renovation are additional public areas of the resort: Pool, Sundance Terrace, Grand Rivers Terrace, Cheyenne Kids Club facilities, the Will Rogers Lounge and the resort’s Pineview Restaurant. Special care is being taken to ensure the renovation program is unobtrusive to guests of the resort.

Cheyenne’s conference center spaces will also be refurbished with new floor and wall treatments, in addition to specialized furnishings. Updated meeting support technology will be installed throughout the center.

Each of the property’s 316 guestrooms and suites will receive new interiors inspired by the vivid Colorado landscape surrounding Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Guestroom design is a fusion of warmth, texture, luxury, and rich color drawn from the natural Colorado landscape. Designers have purposely created elegant and functional spaces where guests feel a sense of tranquility and comfort … of being at home.

Upon completion, each guestroom will feature new drapery panels, accentuated with rich decorative trim intermixed with delicate nature inspired sheers, which will serve to frame the balcony and introduce it as another entity to the room. Scrolled iron lamps with fabric shades and decorative trim will add a simple elegance to the space reminiscent of the Colorado scenery. Each guestroom will receive new luxury furnishings and linens, as well as upgraded baths, and be equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, including flat screen televisions and iHome Mp3 clock radios.

Also included in the renovation will be new landscape architecture at Cheyenne Mountain Resort’s main entrance, highlighted by a refreshing water feature, as well as additional landscape enhancements and a waterfall feature at the entrance to the resort’s Dove Building.

Upon completion, the newly renovated Cheyenne Mountain Resort will engage guests in a total immersion of the Colorado Springs destination experience. The property will evoke an upscale mountain lodge with a casual, residential feel. Whether visiting the resort for a corporate or social gathering, a family vacation, a romantic weekend getaway or an exceptional dining experience, the newly renovated Cheyenne Mountain Resort will provide an environment to escape, relax and renew.

Park Plaza County Hall has switched the layout of 33 of its suites so the bedroom, rather than the lounge, can reap the benefit of the hotel’s fantastic views.The £90,000 project means that guests can now wake up to one of the best views in London, where the London Eye looks close enough to reach out and touch.

“Our views are one of the main reasons guests stay with us and why they come back time and again. After hearing feedback that most guests would like the view to be the last thing they saw at night and the first thing they saw in the morning, it made sense to switch the layout and make the most of the hotel’s aspect,” comments Simon Mahon, General Manager of Park Plaza County Hall.

The hotel has also recently opened The Urban Garden, a 2nd floor terrace where guests and non-residents can come for a drink and soak up the view.

Images copyright Carlson

Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez, a 37-room resort located on the glamorous Côte d`Azur, is now open. The resort’s complex of low buildings is grouped around a spacious central pool area at the heart of Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez. Architect Jean Jacques Ory and designer Christophe Pillet created a hotel with contemporary architecture and design throughout the rooms, the villas and the common areas. With its restaurant headed by Pierre Gagnaire, the Dom Pérignon champagne bar and the Spa Sezz by Payot, the hotel is set to bring new life to the regional tradition of luxury resorts.Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez is one of a kind. Owner Shahé Kalaidjian envisions the hotel as “a place full of grace and tranquillity where space and service are incomparable. A hideaway full of light, air and wind.” The property takes inspiration from the area’s most authentic riches: calm breezes, the quality of the Mediterranean light, the deep blue sea, lush green grass and fields of fragrant lavender.

Upon arrival guests immediately feel immersed in a relaxed haven. Instead of entering a standard lobby with a formal reception desk, guests are indulged in a spacious room full of light where a personal assistant welcomes them. The assistant will acquaint them with the hotel’s features and will also be on hand throughout their stay. A spacious open-air area with a large pool is the hub of the resort and is surrounded by lounge furniture and a poolside bar. While relaxing on Christophe Pillet’s specially designed lounge chairs, guests can choose from a range of cocktails and sink into holiday mode. For more indulgence guests can head to Spa Sezz which was created in an exclusive partnership with the French cosmetic brand Payot.

The architect has incorporated traditional and Mediterranean materials with a modern hotel that is in perfect harmony with the landscape of the Côte d`Azur. Light and air are omnipresent: huge walls made out of glass and oversized windows balance out the heavy material of the stone walls and roof tiles.

The resort offers five bungalows of 30m², 30 cocoons of 40m² and two villas of 90m² which come with a private pool. Each guestroom provides direct access to the terrace and the garden. The designer created the rooms to be open and spacious. The rooms are light and airy and let the indoor and outdoor merge into one. Interiors reflect the 1950s colour code with a mix of white, light grey, dark brown, light blue and saffron. All furniture and objects have been designed by the interior designer for various Italian and American furniture brands.

With the restaurant Colette, named after the famous French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, the Michelin-star chef Pierre Gagnaire goes back to his roots. The menu focuses on Mediterranean dishes with regional ingredients ranging from freshly caught fish to grilled steaks and barbecues. During the day Colette is quite casual, but at night it transforms into a glamorous restaurant. A glass of champagne at the Dom Pérignon bar is the perfect start to a sophisticated evening.

Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez is a member of Design Hotels™ and bookings can be made through www.designhotels.com. All images copyright design hotels™

The Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel has earned the AAA Four Diamond Rating for 2011, North America’s premier hotel rating system. This distinction, awarded to less than four percent of the 32,000 properties evaluated by AAA annually, recognizes the property’s stylish accommodations, extensive amenities and a high degree of hospitality, service and attention to detail. AAA awards the Four Diamond Rating level to hotels that consistently demonstrate high standards in the following areas:
• Cleanliness and Condition of Property
• Management and Staff
• Exterior, Grounds, and Public Areas
• Guestroom Décor, Ambiance and Amenities
• Bathrooms
• Guest Services

AAA diamond ratings represent a combination of the overall quality, the range of facilities, and the level of hospitality offered by a property. These widely recognized and trusted symbols help AAA members choose lodgings that will meet their needs and expectations. AAA inspectors are responsible for determining a property’s Diamond Rating based on established standards that are developed with input from our trained professionals, AAA members, and various lodging industry professionals.

AAA’s Diamond Rating Guidelines indicate what is typically found at each rating level. However, the size, age, and overall appeal of an establishment are also considered, as well as regional architectural style and design. Diamonds are assigned based on the average of all property characteristics, with a focus on overall guest impression rather than on individual elements. Therefore, not meeting a guideline (in one area) may not necessarily affect the overall Diamond Rating.

The AAA Four Diamond Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel features 471 guestrooms and 21 suites, a sleek, marine-inspired interior design, as well as full health club facilities and a sparkling lap pool. The hotel is within walking distance to many major attractions, including Faneuil Hall, the New England Aquarium, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the new Liberty Wharf center, opening in 2011. It is conveniently located near downtown Boston and Logan International Airport. Executive chef Gregory Griffie, together with the creative direction of acclaimed chef and restaurateur Michael Schlow, directs 606 Congress, which features modern, American food with regional influences.

Travelodge has taken another big step in cementing its place as the biggest hotel brand in Edinburgh with the opening of its 11th hotel in the capital.

The 96-bed hotel has opened its doors for the first time ready to serve the raft of customers attending the Edinburgh Festival, with the hotel on track to be fully booked on its opening weekend. The £7.9m hotel is located on Waterloo Place, Edinburgh.In the past 15 months Travelodge has opened five hotels in the Scottish capital, taking the total room stock to more than 1,000 rooms across 11 hotels. The budget hotel company has more than doubled its room stock in the past decade, adding seven city centre locations to its operation since 2000.

Edinburgh continues to be a key target location for Travelodge due to its strong tourism economy, with the Edinburgh Festival being the biggest revenue driver for the hotels every year. In addition, Edinburgh is already Travelodge’s busiest city throughout the whole of the UK for this year’s New Year celebrations.

The budget chain aims to grow its operation in the city by a further 75% by 2012 and smashed the thousand-room barrier with the opening of its Edinburgh Waterloo Place Travelodge this week. And the company says that it is determined to find even more sites in the coming months and years.

Travelodge’s Chief Executive Officer, Guy Parsons said: “Growth in Edinburgh has been one of our priorities as it is such an important tourism economy. We have committed around £50 million to new hotels in the city over the past three years, acquiring existing hotels that had fallen below the standards that the modern day consumer expects. We are very pleased to have secured this fantastic city centre location and are looking forward to adding more hotels in the city over the coming months and years.”

Visit Scotland’s Chairman Mike Cantlay said: “It is great to hear that big players like Travelodge are looking to grow further, adding more quality, low priced accommodation to the city. With some travellers’ budgets restricted due to the current economic situation, it is vital that we offer quality accommodation to suit a range of budgets in Edinburgh.”

In a new Edinburgh Hotel Supply report, released by Melvin Gold in 2009 it was stated that the Scottish capital’s budget hotel share was still someway behind some of Britain’s key tourism cities such as Glasgow (31.4%), Liverpool (36.5%) and Birmingham (28.9%). The report claimed that budget supply is still relatively low, allowing plenty of potential for growth.

Melvin Gold from Melvin Gold Consulting Ltd said: “The budget sector has been the key growth sector in the hotel industry over the last decade and it still has a considerable way to go. Despite the significant increase in budget accommodation in Edinburgh over the last decade, there is still plenty of opportunity for growth in the city.”

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announces the opening of Hotel Indigo East End in Riverhead, New York. Conveniently situated near the Hamptons and vineyards of Eastern Long Island, the 100-room conversion property is located on eight private acres and is close to dining, entertainment and shopping venues.Owned and operated by Jaral East End Hotel Corp, the two-story property preserves the architecture of the original 1970s building. Morris Nathanson Design created a sophisticated, residential feel with contemporary accents and oversized furnishings for comfort and lushness. The overall colour palette is neutralized with pops of warm oranges, sea powder and indigo blues, greens and gold. Oversized graphics highlighting Wine Country and the beach bring the surroundings inside. The finishes, materials and fabrics have an organic, natural texture, and the wood is inspired by beach driftwood.

The hotel includes Bistro 72 that features locally grown, organic ingredients and regional wines, along with a fitness centre, business centre and two meeting rooms totalling 8,000 square feet. The property also features signature Hotel Indigo standards including inviting guestrooms with oversized beds and hard-surface flooring for a fresh, residential feel, spa-inspired showers with Aveda products, and free wired or wireless high-speed internet access.

“Hotel Indigo is committed to creating and delivering a refreshing and inviting guest experience that is truly reflective of the local neighbourhood,” said Mary Dogan, Director, Brand Delivery, Hotel Indigo, the Americas, IHG. “Large photographic murals of the nearby shoreline and wine caskets from the vineyards are featured in public spaces and guestrooms as a way to bring the local neighbourhood to life within the hotel.”

Each Hotel Indigo property is uniquely designed to reflect the culture, character and history of the surrounding neighbourhood. No two hotels are the same. Brand standards don’t dictate the number or size or rooms, making it ideally suited to conversion properties or independent boutique hotels. Conversions are attractive to developers because they require less financing than new builds and can be up and running in a shorter period of time.

Images: © All rights reserved by IHG Americas New Hotels

Best Western will be celebrating with a ‘wee dram’ this month as its latest Scottish hotel is welcomed into the group.

The Balgeddie House on the outskirts of Fife is the latest hotel with personality to join the UK’s largest group of independently owned hotels. The grade C listed, three star hotel is bursting with charm like the rest of its Best Western peers. Boasting 18 quaint bedrooms, with a stylish mix of modern facilities and traditional hospitality, the hotel offers the warmest of welcomes, two lounge bars and a relaxing atmosphere within its own landscaped gardens.

This family run hotel also offers a large conference and banqueting suite, a perfect choice for corporate occasions. In 2011, the hotel will be expanding and to accommodate 10 extra bedrooms plus its very own leisure centre and swimming pool.

Located within the hotel grounds, the Brasserie Restaurant and Spencer’s Bar offer delicious local fare, ideal for all occasions.

Alan Solley, General Manager of the Best Western Balgeddie House Hotel says, “We are very pleased to be part of the Best Western group. We have the best of both worlds as we maintain full ownership and management of the hotel but are helped with the additional benefits a global brand brings for our guests and staff.”

Best Western is the largest group of independently owned and managed hotels, with over 270 across Great Britain. Members are required to meet strict criteria and are regularly inspected to ensure consistent quality and service.

Keith Pope, Director of Best Western added: “The Balgeddie House Hotel is a fantastic addition to our portfolio. The hotel is in a brilliant location and will appeal to a wide range of guests so we expect this to be a very popular destination.”

“Please come in, let Magic, Pleasure and Dreams greet you. The SEVEN HOTEL welcomes you to a totally innovative concept where emotions and delight will turn your nights with us into a fabulous story to tell…”

The Seven Hotel (or Hotel Le Seven) in Paris (now open) is something straight from the imagination, a dream-like mixture of fantasy and the theatrical which will undoubtedly become a must-see attraction. The hotel entrance boasts a large video screen with 3D images of bubbles and lobby with a versatile bar changing setting, atmosphere and sound throughout the day. The lounge offers a comfortable breakfast/ dining area which has been designed with flexibility in mind to alter the furniture layout to reflect a more cozy atmosphere in the evening. There are 28 Levitation rooms, named so due to the raised bed and bathtub within, and seven individually designed suites which include:
Nature, Cuddles and Nurture (designed by Virginie Cauet)
Suite Sublime and Suite 007 (designed by Agence Bastie)
Suite Marie-Antoinette and Suite Black Diamond (designed by Sylvia Corrette)
And Suite Alice and Suite ON/OFF (designed by Les Ailes Du Design).

All rooms are equipped with a Nespresso machine, iPod dock, large flat TV screen (complete with four different channels diffusing the perfume of your choice at the touch of a button), high quality bedding, extra large illuminated shower, separate toilet, air-conditioning, comfortable desk, electronic safe and bath robes at hand.

Nature, Cuddles and Nurture
This suite offers a true welcome-back to nature: an earthly setting made of rocks, slate, wood, fur and leather. Complete with a large, round bed, cozy fireplace, two wide TV screens, comfortable living room, double bathrooms (one with a very wide shower, one with a cow-skin tub) and a garden terrace with a private Jacuzzi.

Suite Sublime
Designed around the theme of a white fluffy cloud, this room contains a large round bed with a ceiling decorated in crystals and twinkling lighting and a huge love-seat intended for couples ‘snuggling up on cloud nine’. The bathroom is complete with a futuristic cocoon-shaped bathtub.

Suite 007
Labelled the most ‘masculine’ of their suites, the design is a mixture of retro and futurism, harmonizing the quintessential ‘gentlemanliness’ and gadgetry which has become so synonymous with Bond. A key luxury feature of the bathroom is the Turkish steam shower and of course, no 007 Suite would be complete without the availability of James’s movies on a huge flat screen.

The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced the signing and opening of Park Inn Veliky Novgorod. The former Beresta Palace Hotel featuring 225 rooms has been re-branded and is operating as a Park Inn with immediate effect. “The property brings our portfolio of Park Inns in Russia/CIS to 25 hotels in operation and under development – a clear sign for our commitment to this emerging region”, comments Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. Besides 225 rooms, the Park Inn Veliky Novgorod offers an all day restaurant and bar, 3 meeting rooms and a wellness area including a swimming pool, saunas and a gym. It was originally built in 1991 as one of the first international-standard hotels which opened after the fall of the Soviet Union and renovated in 2006.

Veliky Novgorod, which in Russia means “The Great New City” or “The Big New City” is recognized as a major tourism destination both domestically and, increasingly, internationally. The city is strategically located along the main highway linking Moscow and St. Petersburg, making it a popular escape for residents of both cities. It is also a key stopover for tour groups visiting the “Golden Ring” cities which encircle Moscow.

Few Russian cities can compete with Veliky Novgorod in the variety and age of its medieval monuments. The foremost among these is the St Sophia Cathedral in the Kremlin, built between 1045 and 1050. It is the best preserved 11th century church and the first one to represent original features of Russian architecture. Among many historical sights, the Kremlin contains the Hall of Facets, which was built in the thirties of 15th century and served as a hall for ceremonies; and Chasozvonya (1673) – one of the oldest Russian clock towers.

Besides being a regional tourism hub, Veliky Novgorod attracts corporate visitors due to its status as a centre of education (home of Yaroslav the Wise University), an administrative centre for the Novgorod Region and its large industrial base focused around the chemical industry.

Outrigger Enterprises Group, Hawaii’s largest locally owned hotel operator, and IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has announced the signing of a license agreement to rebrand the OHANA Waikiki Beachcomber hotel as the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Resort. The agreement is a testament to the strength of the $1 billion Holiday Inn® relaunch, which was established to create a more contemporary brand image, improving quality and driving consistency across the global portfolio. Outrigger will continue to own and manage the rebranded resort, bringing its unparalleled reputation for delivering a high-quality guest experience coupled with distinctive “Hawaiian” hospitality to the power and global appeal of the Holiday Inn brand. All employees will keep their jobs and will remain employees of Outrigger Hotels Hawaii. The rebranding is expected to be complete in November 2010.

This agreement implements Outrigger’s “many brands, one `ohana (family)” strategy that leverages the company’s ability to manage multiple brands, while maintaining the acclaimed Outrigger collection of upscale, luxury leisure hotels and resort condominiums located in some of the most desirable destinations throughout Hawaii and the Pacific.

Close to all the action, this resort is located in the fast-paced heart of Waikiki. The property offers guests comfortable accommodations designed to reflect the unique environment and culture of the area, with modern, revitalized guest rooms, as well as a newly revamped pool, lobby, fitness room, and port cochere. It is home to Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber, a fun, family-friendly lifestyle restaurant and bar that features the new Honolulu Surfing Museum, showcasing collectibles and memorabilia. On the resort’s lobby level, Illusionist John Hirokawa presents the dazzling Magic of Polynesia show in a 700-seat theater specifically designed for his electrifying displays.

The resort’s convenient location is just steps from the beach and surrounded by shopping, dining and entertainment. Nearby attractions include Royal Hawaiian Center, International Market Place, DFS (Duty Free Shop), Macy’s, Duke’s and Waikiki Beach Walk®. Guests staying at the resort also have complimentary access to the Waikiki Trolley’s Pink Line, which provides transportation throughout Waikiki, including Waikiki Beach Walk® and Ala Moana Center.

The five star Hilton Cardiff is to undergo a £750,000 refurbishment programme to position the hotel as Cardiff’s premier meeting venue and attract new visitors to the city.

Currently in its 11th year of trading, the hotel’s investment will include a new lounge bar and lobby area with ground floor toilets and establish Hilton Cardiff as the place to meet at any time of day. The wall between the lobby and the existing Piano Bar will be removed to create an open plan lounge area with feature chairs, bespoke chandeliers, slate flooring and a hardwood panelled ceiling above a corner bar. Banquette seating will overlook both the lounge area and reception, while the existing concierge desk will be moved to make way for new ground floor toilets. White ceramic flooring will be laid in the reception area and there will also be a new exterior door. The reception desk will be refreshed with new material cladding, with other decorative features in the lounge including designer rugs, curtains, throw cushions, mood lighting and a projected television for sports events.

The refurbishment has now begun and will be complete in September before the start of the Ryder Cup. The Hilton Cardiff is also replacing all of the hotel’s beds and transforming 20 of its 197 rooms into family bedrooms with two double Serenity Beds.

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announces the Park Inn Lagos, Ikeja in Nigeria. The 135-rooms property is scheduled to open in 2013. “We are establishing a true Park Inn network in Nigeria – after contracts in Lagos, Abuja and Abeokuta this agreement is our third one and further underlines the importance of Nigeria as a high potential emerging market for Rezidor”, says Kurt Ritter, President & CEO. Besides 135 modern guest rooms, the Park Inn Lagos, Ikeja will feature 4 food and beverage outlets (including a rooftop restaurant and bar) and 240 square meters of meeting space. A swimming pool, gym, sauna and a Zen Garden will complete the service offer.

Ikeja is an outer suburb of Lagos, known for its upscale residential neighbourhoods, government buildings, shopping malls and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the busiest in Nigeria. The hotel is located only 6 km away from the airport. Due to this proximity, Ikeja has a high concentration of aviation-related businesses, including several of Nigeria’s domestic airline companies.

Lagos is one of the most dynamic hotel markets on the African continent where Rezidor is one of the leading international hotel operators and currently has 36 hotels in operation or under development, accounting for over 8,200 rooms. An independent study in 2010 proclaimed Rezidor’s pipeline to be the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Launched at the Milan fair, the Mellow modular sofa system from Italian manufacturer Paola Lenti is a vibrant and fun solution for exterior seating that goes into production in September. Supported by a cataphoresis treated steel frame the soft moulded cushions are water repellent with removable covers in elegant textured fabrics in vibrant greens and subtle greys.

The sofa components can be easily separated and moved enabling you to vary the configuration to suit your needs.

Image copyright Paola Lenti

Marriott International, Inc. celebrated the opening of the 403-room Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway earlier this month, a newly constructed hotel adjacent to the Georgia International Convention Center and connected to Atlanta’s Hartsfield -Jackson International Airport. Contemporary in feel and filled with natural light and vibrant colors, the hotel’s facilities for business and relaxation represent the latest design and innovation of Marriott Hotels & Resorts. The Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway is on track to earn LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification silver from the U.S. Green Building Council. The hotel will be operated under a management agreement with Grove Street Partners. (PHOTO: R to L – Erika Alexander, Area VP Marriott; Robert Woolridge, GM Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway; James M. Stormont, Jr., Partner, Grove Street Partners, LLC)Just two minutes from the airport via the ATL SkyTrain and part of the vibrant Atlanta Gateway complex, this eco and tech savvy meeting destination features more than 21,000 square feet of flexible meeting space which includes the 12,000 square ft Gateway Ballroom, the largest hotel ballroom in the Airport area. The hotel is connected by a covered walkway to the adjacent Georgia International Convention Center. Together, both venues provide 321,000 square feet of meeting space.

The stylish hotel lobby is a social hub showcasing a Media Zone with complimentary Wi-Fi to work alone, catch up with clients, friends or co-workers. Relaxing spaces provide the ideal place to dine or to enjoy the day-to-night bar which transitions from coffee and pastries in the morning to cocktails and appetizers in the evening.

Following are some of the hotel’s outstanding amenities:
• 403-sound proof guest rooms including 18 suites are designed for relaxing work and restful sleep, all equipped with high definition LCD televisions, Plug-In panel, wired and wireless DS3 fast internet, swivel desks, iHome docking station, refrigerators, laptop safes, individual reading lights on the headboards and Marriott’s signature bedding.
• Champions Restaurant – offers free Wi Fi and numerous high definition televisions.
• Concierge level and concierge lounge located on the top floor overlooking the beautifully landscaped Gateway complex and the ATL SkyTrain is designed for optimum relaxation and work.
• 24-hour spacious fitness center overlooking the SkyTrain and adjacent indoor swimming pool offers an abundance of natural light and features more than 20 state-of-the-art Life Fitness strength and cardio equipment.
• The self–service Business center open 24 hours a day is equipped with work stations, copier and fax.

Hilton Worldwide has recently announced the opening of its first Hilton Garden Inn (HGI) hotel in Scotland, which will be the second HGI to open in the UK. This opening follows the signing of a management agreement with the St. Andrew Street Hotel Company. The hotel is the third Hilton Worldwide hotel in Aberdeen, joining the Doubletree by Hilton Aberdeen City Centre and Hilton Aberdeen Treetops. The new build Hilton Garden Inn Aberdeen City Centre offers 100 stylish bedrooms, all featuring the brand’s signature Garden Sleep System bed, as well as the ergonomic Mirra chair by Herman Miller. HGI Aberdeen City Centre features a contemporary designed lobby, restaurant and bar, 24-hour business centre, complimentary Wi-Fi internet access throughout the hotel, as well as the Hilton Garden Inn 24-hour Pavilion Pantry which provides a selection of food and beverage options.

Recently dubbed “Europe’s Energy Capital,” Aberdeen is well known for its North Sea oil and gas companies and is a thriving business centre. The area has been a favourite Royal destination for over 150 years, with stunning scenery and a vibrant mix of wildlife – it is billed as “Scotland’s Larder.” A wealth of golf courses and areas of natural beauty, combined with a lively social scene of restaurants, shopping malls and boutique shops in the city centre, make this the ideal destination for a short break or extended vacation.

Hilton Worldwide has selected the UK as one of its key European growth markets for establishing its portfolio of hotel brands. The company currently manages and franchises 89 hotels in the UK, across the Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Hotels, Doubletree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton brands.

Whitbread PLC is set to invest approximately £4.5 million to develop a new Premier Inn and Table Table restaurant at Towers Business Park, Rugeley. A deal was completed earlier this year and construction is now set to start in mid-July.The investment will see a 50-bedroom hotel built side by side with the Table Table restaurant. Together, the scheme is set to create approximately 65 jobs and is scheduled to open in early 2011.

The deal involved significant support from Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and Cannock Chase District Council who had cleaned and prepared the site for redevelopment, prior to securing the deal with Premier Inn.

The new Premier Inn in Rugeley will add to the hotel brand’s already strong presence across Staffordshire and is part of the firm’s ambition to provide customers with more choice and more locations nationwide. Premier Inn, which currently has 593 UK hotels and 42,500 rooms, is pursuing a strategy to grow to 55,000 rooms by 2014.

John Bates, Head of Acquisitions for Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants, said: “Premier Inn is the most successful budget hotel operator in the UK today and we want to ensure that ongoing success by investing in key network gap locations – Rugeley is one of these. This deal enables us to bring Premier Inn to Towers Business Park which is a great opportunity for us and a superb scheme to be involved in. The support from Advantage West Midlands has been invaluable and we have been delighted by the partnership approach on this project. Now, we’re looking forward to getting started on construction within the next few weeks, recruiting for new roles and opening for our customers in early 2011.”

Steve Holland, AWM Head of Asset Management, said: “This is one of the last pieces of the jigsaw slotting into place. We have worked with partners to invest more than £10 million on making this former colliery site ready for high quality office, industrial and warehouse space. The site is substantially occupied and those businesses and others in the region will now have quality hotel and restaurant facilities close at hand.”

The new Rugeley hotel will bolster Premier Inn’s presence in the region, adding to existing hotels in Stafford (three locations), Cannock (two sites), Uttoxeter, Burton-on-Trent and Lichfield. Premier Inn’s first ‘green hotel’ is also close by at Tamworth.

Towers Business Park is a 40.5 hectare (100 acre) former colliery site on the outskirts of Rugeley being developed by Advantage West Midlands, Cannock Chase Council and Gazeley to create high-quality office, industrial and warehouse space.

Continent Hotels & Resorts ® Brand Management and Franchise Systems – World Wide and AVRORA Hospitality Group, Inc., Russian Management Company, have signed a Master License Agreement for the development of Continent Hotels, Resorts and Inns across Russia. The Continent brand and franchise membership system is owned and operated by Continent Hotels and Resorts (Continent Otelcilik ve Turizm Ltd.), a Turkish hospitality services company based in Istanbul, Turkey. This agreement establishes a development program for the conversion of existing hotels as well as the building of new hotels across Russia.

Dmitry Ivanov, Chairman of the Board of Directors at AVRORA Hospitality Group, said, “We have found an excellent fit with our Continent Hotels partnership, a mid and upper scale market limited and full service chain that fits the strategic needs of Russia.”

“All Continent brands, Hotel, Resort and Inns, concentration on guest service, suitable market locations, comfortable room size and the value for the guest’s demands, form the cornerstone for our development initiative. These are important ingredients for our franchise success. The personal support given from the Continent’s corporate staff combined with the implementation of AVRORA’s experience is a winning formula for growth and success.”

Ethem Zagikyan, Managing Director of Continent said, “We are excited about our partnership with AVRORA Hospitality Group and look forward to the growth of our brands within Russian markets. Our further expansion into Russia will open new markets and strengthen the marketing reach of all existing Continent franchisees.”

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announces the opening of a new 87-room Holiday Inn Express in Houston, Texas. The Holiday Inn Express-Houston NW Beltway 8 – West Road offers multiple access routes and proximity to a host of conference centers as well as corporate offices and leisure activities. The property will showcase the brand’s new sign, which is the seal of approval that this hotel exemplifies the standards of the $1 billion Holiday Inn brand relaunch program.

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express Houston NW Beltway 8 – West Road will experience a comfortable and smart environment with innovative preferred guest upgrades to ensure a productive stay while traveling for business or leisure.

The new 34,000 square foot property offers a variety of amenities such as state-of-the-art fitness center, outdoor pool, outdoor Jacuzzi and 24-hour business center. Business travelers will find large desks with ergonomic chairs, free high-speed internet access and free local phone and toll free (U.S. and Canada only), phones with private voicemail and complimentary USA TODAY® newspapers.

The property is just minutes from Sam Houston Race Park and Traders Village. Willowbrook Mall, Aerodrome Ice Skating Complex, Hewlett Packard, Chevron Gas, Women’s Hospital of Texas, Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, and University of Texas Houston campus are also a short drive from the hotel.

Image: All rights reserved by IHG Americas New Hotels.

The iconic Park Hyatt Sydney has announced its plans for a dramatic transformation, which is expected to be the largest renovation in the hotel’s 20 year history. The revitalization of the hotel is expected to include the addition of three luxury rooftop suites and significant changes to all areas of the hotel – refreshing the property while maintaining the contemporary luxury for which Park Hyatt Sydney is known. Positioned between the world-famous Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, Park Hyatt Sydney offers guests an intimate, residential-style hotel with architecture, design and art that reflects the Australian landscape.

The broad scope of the multi-million dollar project will involve a complete redesign of the hotel’s guest rooms, including architectural fixtures and finishes, custom designed contemporary lighting, new furniture and unique artwork by renowned Australian artists. The hotel’s new interiors will offer a natural feel with rich layers of chocolate, cream and beige hues. Designed to celebrate the indoor-outdoor experience, all guest rooms will feature floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto spacious private balconies that honour Park Hyatt Sydney’s exclusive harbourfront location.

In addition to the complete makeover of accommodation, the hotel’s restaurants and bars, private dining rooms, day spa and recreational facilities will also be enhanced to reinforce Park Hyatt Sydney’s position as one of Australia’s premier hotels.

The proposed renovation programme will present Park Hyatt Sydney with the opportunity to extend its environmental initiatives. Energy-efficient lighting and water-saving devices are expected to be added throughout the hotel.

Park Hyatt Sydney’s proposed renovation plan is subject to government approval and has been scheduled to coincide with the hotel’s winter period to minimise disruption to guests. The new design will be spearheaded by leading interior designers BARstudio.

The Courtyard Charleston/Summerville in South Carolina will be the first hotel built using Marriott International’s green hotel prototype, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council. This will dramatically accelerate the company’s goal to have 300 LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) hotels by 2015. Marriott is the first in the hospitality industry to launch a green hotel prototype that has been pre-approved by USGBC as part of its LEED Volume program, meaning that any Marriott hotel that follows these plans will earn basic LEED certification, or possibly higher, upon USGBC final approval. The new Courtyard hotel will open in early 2012 as a part of a joint venture between Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial of Augusta, Ga., and MeadWestvaco of Summerville, S.C. The hotel will introduce the first phase of The Parks of Berkley, a community consisting of 5,000 acres and one of the largest planned developments in the Southeastern United States.

Last fall, Marriott announced plans to develop a green hotel prototype for its Courtyard brand that will save roughly $100,000, six months in design time, and up to 25 percent energy and water savings for its owners. To develop the green hotel prototype, Marriott was guided by the Courtyard Pittsburgh Settlers Ridge in Pennsylvania, which will open this fall and is registered for LEED certification. The company partnered with the USGBC and Marriott suppliers — Kohler Company and Philips Lighting – to test fixtures that save energy and water and measure results.

Based on the results of the Courtyard brand, Marriott has plans to create similar green hotel prototypes for Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott and Fairfield Inn by Marriott.

Additionally, Marriott International, Inc. headquarters in Bethesda, Md., achieved LEED for Existing Buildings Gold certification earlier this year.

USGBC’s LEED rating system is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Image copyright Marriott

One lucky individual has, this week, packed their case ready to embark on a business trip with a difference, as they head off around the globe in their new role as the ebookers.com Hotel Inspector. Farrah Chaudhry from Birmingham was selected out of over 100 applicants, after successfully completing a three stage interview process which included a written application, a short telephone interview and a face-to-face interview which tested her written and presentation skills. She has been tasked with travelling around the world on a three week 35,000 mile business trip, taking in four continents, 11 countries and a variety of hotels to review different lodgings in her quest to find the World’s best hotel.

When many Brits will be setting off for a week-long holiday in the sun, twenty nine year old Farrah, a Trainer with a passion for writing, will be departing the UK on the 16th August for her three week assignment on behalf of one of Europe’s leading online travel agents, ebookers.com.

Last month, hundreds of people cast their votes on the ebookers.com website to determine which worldwide destinations had the best hotels and would make it onto Farrah’s review itinerary.

On her trip, Farrah will be rating beach huts in Penang, luxury lodgings in Dubai and business bases in Paris. Working with Fiona Duncan of HotelGuru.com to ensure each hotel is reviewed fairly and correctly, Farrah will be meticulously investigating each and every element of the hotels that she visits, rating them on:

• Overall experience e.g. location, cleanliness, value for money
• Service e.g. friendliness of staff, languages spoken, swiftness of service
• Room e.g. crispness of sheets, ventilation, comfort of bed
• Bathroom e.g. fluffiness of travels, effectiveness of hairdryer, quality of toilet paper
• Restaurant/bar/room service e.g. comfort of seating, use of organic ingredients, decor

Along the way, Farrah will be blogging and tweeting about her experiences, providing photography, hotel reviews and video footage to include interviews with hotel staff and customers. The public will be able to follow her business trip via the Hotel Inspector blog http://www.ebookers.com/travel-blog/.

Comments Steven Rice, Head off Offline Marketing for ebookers UK, France and Ireland: “Choosing the right hotel, be it for business or pleasure, can be a difficult and stressful job. So with this in mind we wanted to employ someone to determine objectively and frankly which one truly is the World’s ultimate hotel, based on a strict set of criteria. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it and unfortunately we can’t all go so we’ll have to let Farrah do it for us. We’re all looking forward to reading her reviews along the way and uncovering the quirks and qualities of different hotels around the globe.”

Farrah Chaudhry, the ebookers.com Hotel Inspector comments: “When I saw the job advertised I just knew that I had to apply as it really is a dream position for me. I have a real passion for both hotels and writing and to combine them both in a professional role is really exciting for me.”

“I know that it is going to be a testing few weeks as I am visiting a number of hotels and countries in a relatively short period of time, but I can’t wait to start reviewing the hotels. It doesn’t matter whether it is a three star or a five star accommodation, I will be weighing up the pros and cons and going the extra mile to give ebookers customers an unbiased and informed review of each and every lodging. Be sure to follow me on the blog and of course, if you have any suggestions for where I can visit on the trip, send me a tweet!”

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a franchise agreement to open a Hotel Indigo in Madrid – the first Hotel Indigo signing in Continental Europe.

Hotel Indigo Madrid is set to open in spring 2012. The 89-bedroom hotel, owned by Orion, will be situated in the centre of Madrid, close to the Opera House, the Almudena Cathedral and the main museums in the area. It also has easy access to the main conference centres and train stations, making it ideal for both business and leisure guests.Hotel Indigo is IHG’s newest hotel brand and offers guests boutique hotel design as well as the peace of mind they get from staying with a large hotel group. There are currently 34 hotels open and a further 52 are in the global pipeline. The brand began its global roll out in January 2009 in the UK with the opening of Hotel Indigo London Paddington.

The Hotel Indigo brand standards don’t dictate the number or size of rooms in a property, making it ideally suited to conversion properties. In the current economic environment, conversions are attractive to developers because they require less financing than new builds and can be up and running in a shorter period of time.

There are 30 IHG-branded hotels in Spain with three InterContinental hotels, one Crowne Plaza, four Holiday Inn and 22 Holiday Inn Express hotels. The Spanish capital of Madrid has 11 IHG-branded hotels. The introduction of Hotel Indigo Madrid and Crowne Plaza Madrid Airport will mean five of IHG’s brands are represented there.

IHG plans to open its first Hotel Indigo in Asia later this year. Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund is expected to open to guests in autumn. IHG has also signed the first Hotel Indigo in Southeast Asia. Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road is expected to open by the end of 2012.

Great Hotels of the World and Special Hotels of the World are pleased to welcome a number of impressive new members into their hotel alliances.THE FOLLOWING HOTELS JOIN GREAT HOTELS OF THE WORLD AS NEW MEMBERS

Vogue Hotel Avantgarde, Antalya, Turkey
One of Antalya’s newest and most elegant resorts, Vogue Hotel Avantgarde is situated in the Kemer region, 30 km from Antalya city centre and 45 km from Antalya Airport. The five star deluxe property boasts 366 rooms ranging from suites to penthouses and 40 luxury villas as well as a spa centre including a snow room, steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi and Turkish bath.

Vale d’Oliveiras Quinta Resort & Spa, Lagao, Portugal
Located near Carvoeiro and 45 minutes from Faro International Airport, Vale d’Oliveiras Quinta Resort & Spa is a 5-star resort set in nine acres of beautiful and tranquil gardens offering contemporary accommodation, a restaurant, two bars, tennis courts and a fully equipped spa and health club and spa. The hotel’s spacious accommodation consists of 80 luxurious one and two bedroom family suites, two suites and 22 hotel rooms, all equipped to the highest standards of luxury.

Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens, Greece
This family-run five star property is ideally located in the centre of Athens, situated just in front of the Temple of Zeus and the National Gardens and close to the Acropolis. The 264 rooms include executive rooms, Athenia panorama rooms and suites and all are spacious and elegantly decorated and all with beautiful views.

Sandton Sun, Johannesburg, South Africa
Situated in Sandton, the heart of Johannesburg’s new central business district, the 334-room Sandton Sun offers superior service, world-class facilities and central location for business travellers and meeting and incentive groups. One of only two 5* hotels in the city, Sandton Sun is recognised as Africa’s leading business hotel and South Africa’s leading business hotel at the World Travel Awards 2009 and in addition to having direct access to one of the largest convention centres in the country, the hotel also boasts 11 on-site meeting and events facilities catering for over 1000 delegates.

THE FOLLOWING HOTELS JOIN SPECIAL HOTELS OF THE WORLD AS NEW MEMBERS

Hotel Calipolis, Sitges, Spain
Situated on the seafront of Sitges on the Catalan coast and just 38km from Barcelona, the Hotel Calipolis enjoys a truly exceptional coastal location. The hotel offers a range of 170 spacious rooms and suites and two restaurants both with stunning sea views. Sea view rooms offer a private terrace with spectacular views of the Mediterranean sea while suites offer the best panoramic view in Sitges.

Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen Vienna, Austria
The design of the Hotel Savoyen is reflected in an impressive blend of tradition and modernity. Housed in the former building of the Austrian State Print, the hotel represents an architectural bridge from the past to the future. The hotel’s atrium, with its lounge and bar, is the focal point of the hotel. From this point, guests access the hotel’s 309 comfortably appointed rooms and suites, as well as the Fitness & Vitality Area.

Continental Hotel Zara ****Superior, Budapest, Hungary
This brand new four star superior design hotel is located in central Budapest and offers 272 rooms inspired by art deco design. Ideal for business travellers and meeting and incentive groups, the hotel features five well equipped conference rooms and high-end business services all featuring state-of-the-art facilities.

After two years of renovation, the Novotel Amsterdam City officially opened on May 27th. The hotel, the largest in the capital of the Netherlands, has 600 rooms and more than 1,300 m² of space in its Conference Centre.Numerous areas for relaxation are available to guests, offering a warm, colourful, modern touch in two completely refurbished restaurants, the coffee corner and the bar. Visitors can choose from snacks served at the bar, Asian dishes prepared in the open kitchen of the “Shoyu” or world cuisine at the brand new Restaurant @ Novotel concept.

The hotel also features meeting facilities with an unusually large capacity. The Conference Centre, which extends over 1,385 m², can be adapted to suit every requirement: it can be used as a large conference hall or several smaller rooms, for a total capacity of 1,000 people. The first floor also contains ten small meeting rooms.

Situated in the heart of Amsterdam’s business district, not far from the RAI and WTC convention centres, the hotel is equipped with all the latest Novotel facilities including the “Web Corner on a Mac”and free Internet access as well as a new “In Balance Fitness by Novotel” centre.

PROOF Consultancy are proud to have recently completed the Novotel Amsterdam City Hotel with the Accor Netherlands team and Boparai architects. PROOF, who have worked with Accor since 2004, liaised closely with Accor HQ Paris when developing this new look for Novotel. Recent Novotel’s in Rotterdam and Eindhoven saw PROOF trial some of these ideas before implementation on a much larger scale at Amsterdam City.

The resulting interiors now embody the continued thrust by Accor to reaffirm Novotel’s position as an innovative and modern offer and an ‘early adopter’ of new technologies.

Preliminary master-planning took place throughout 2006, with Concept Design commencing 2007. As the plan was well resolved operationally it allowed the Concept to stay largely intact throughout.

The scope covered 4000+ sq metres of public space including an all new conferencing wing, 2 receptions, cafe, 16 metre long bar, Asian grill, 2 restaurants, Wellness facility, crew lounge, and meeting suites.

PROOF Consultancy are currently working on the phased upgrade of all public spaces at Accor’s UK Novotel flagship – London West.

Images © Copyright 2010 Novotel Amsterdam City

Horizon Properties Group, LLC, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Horizon Hospitality, LLC and Choice Hotels International, Inc. has recently celebrated the “topping off” milestone of the new Cambria Suites Pittsburgh hotel. The 142-suite hotel is located on Centre Avenue adjacent to the new Consol Energy Center and is expected to open in December of this year. “Now that we’re nearing completion, we can feel the rising excitement and interest in the area,” said Rodney Piatt, CEO of Horizon Properties Group. “This Cambria Suites hotel has become a catalyst for revitalizing the Uptown section of Pittsburgh.”

The Cambria Suites hotel brings the latest in hotel innovation to the Pittsburgh area. Each room is larger than most standard hotel rooms, with separate work and living areas with ergonomic chairs, movable desks, luxury linens, and Bath & Body Works(R) products. In addition, the property will feature an 1800 square foot, three bedroom and three bathroom presidential suites with one of a kind skyline views of downtown Pittsburgh – a first for the brand. A 7th floor concierge lounge will offer a wet bar, flat screen LCD televisions and lounge space for guests to use and enjoy. The hotel will also have an exclusive 143 space onsite parking garage with access to the Consol Energy Center for event patrons staying at the property.

“This hotel represents the growing momentum of the Cambria Suites brand,” said Kevin J. Lewis, president, Cambria Suites. “We’re particularly excited about this amazing downtown property and the opportunity to work with such well-respected local businesses.”

Like all Cambria Suites hotels, the Pittsburgh property will feature: Reflect, a contemporary bistro-style restaurant that features a full barista coffee bar and serves breakfast and dinner; Refresh, a state-of-the-art fitness center with an indoor pool and spa; and Refill, a 24-hour sundry shop that stocks freshly prepared “grab ‘n’ go” gourmet salads and sandwiches, as well as typical convenience items and healthy and organic foods.

‘Somnus’, the Roman God of sleep, Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr Neil Ritchie and MP for Chester, Stephen Mosley officially opened Travelodge’s fourth hotel in Chester on the 11th August. The 160-room hotel, located on Delamere Street, Chester; represents an £8.1m investment for the city and has created 20 new jobs.To celebrate the opening of its fourth Travelodge hotel in Chester, the retailer of sleep invited Chester’s Roman God of Sleep, Somnus and his colleague the Roman Goddess of Night, Nyx to host a traditional Latin ‘Sleep Blessing Ceremony’ – to ensure all customers get a good night’s sleep whilst staying at the hotel. The ceremony service included a bespoke sleep poem, tips on how to get a good night’s sleep and sleep inducing music was provided by the God’s Horn Player. (The God’s soldiers also attended the event).

To meet the high demand for budget accommodation from Chester’s strong tourist and business economy, Travelodge has doubled its sites within the city in less than 12 months. As well as the opening of Chester Central Delamere Street, the hotel chain has acquired the Innkeeper’s Lodge on Warrington Road, Chester which will be transformed into a Travelodge hotel in the next couple of months.

Chester’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Neil Ritchie commented: “I’m delighted to formally open the fourth Travelodge in Chester and I am pleased to see that despite the current economic difficulties we face, businesses are still willing to invest within the city. The hotel will also provide much needed employment opportunities in the local area as well as attracting more visitors to Chester.”

Sara Evans, Chester Central Delamere Street’s Hotel Manager, commented: “I am really excited about opening our fourth hotel in Chester. We have seen a high demand for low cost accommodation within the area, which is why we have doubled our hotel sites in less than 12 months. We offer rooms from £19 which make is more affordable for business and leisure travellers visiting the city.”

Travelodge, the UK’s fastest growing budget hotel chain, today announced the biggest transaction in the hotel sector since 2008, by acquiring the leases of 52 Innkeeper’s Lodges (1,994 rooms) from restaurant and pub operator Mitchells & Butlers. This deal will boost Travelodge’s estate to 452 hotels and increase its room stock to 30,504 across the UK, Ireland and Spain. The 52 UK hotels, which include a number of grade ll listed buildings, range from 21 to 85 rooms and are adjacent to a Mitchells & Butlers restaurant and pub.

Travelodge will seek to retain all 430 staff from Mitchells & Butlers and will look to recruit a further 115 positions, which include 25 hotel manager roles and 90 hotel staff.

Travelodge has signed a 25 year lease on the properties and will embark on a £10 million investment programme to convert the hotels to bring them in line with the Travelodge brand.
This investment will include: building new reception areas, replacing all the beds and decorating the hotels.

It is anticipated that the hotels will be fully operational under the Travelodge brand within four months and rooms will be available from £19 in line with Travelodge’s pricing policy.

Travelodge’s Executive Chairman, Grant Hearn said: “This innovative deal represents the whole of last year’s growth in one move and highlights Travelodge’s excellent position coming out of the recession. I believe this deal also signifies a great move for Mitchells & Butlers as they refocus on value and growth from their core pub brands. We are very excited to be part of such a ground breaking deal.”

“We have an aggressive growth plan in place and with this acquisition we are on track to more than double the size of Travelodge hotels over the next ten years. We hope to explore further opportunities like this deal with other similar businesses.”

“All 52 properties are great additions to the Travelodge brand and each location will draw on both the business and leisure markets. We look forward to working alongside Mitchells & Butlers in driving new customers to our hotels and their restaurants and pubs.”

The list below illustrates the locations of the 52 Innkeeper’s Lodges Travelodge is acquiring.

Arundel, Castle Bromwich, Glasgow (2), Nottingham, Walton on Thames, Basildon, Chester, Helensburgh, Oldham, Warrington, Beaconsfield, Chigwell, Keighley, Perth (2), York, Bedford, Coventry, Leeds, Plymouth (2), Birmingham (2), Derby, Leicester, Portsmouth (2), Borehamwood, Dudley, Liverpool (2), Slough, Bournemouth, Durham, Milton Keynes, Snaresbrook, Bromsgrove, Eastbourne, Newcastle (2), South Croydon, Camberley, Fleet, Northampton (2), Southgate, Cardiff (2), Gatwick, Northholt, Stoke on Trent.

Carlson has recently announced the further expansion of its India portfolio with the opening of its 30th hotel, the 201-room Radisson Hotel Indore. Situated in the business hub of Indore, the hotel is a 20-minute drive from the Devi Ahilyabai airport and 25 kilometres from the industrial centres of Dewas and Pithampur, one of Asia’s largest industrial areas.“The Radisson brand is famous for its vibrant, contemporary and engaging hospitality characterised by the Yes I Can! service philosophy. This hotel opening marks Carlson’s accelerated growth in India as part of our Ambition 2015 global growth strategy to expand our portfolio by at least 50 percent by 2015 to more than 1,500 hotels in operation,” said K.B. Kachru, executive vice president, Carlson, Hotels, South Asia.

Owned by strategic partner Bestech Hospitalities Private Limited in India, the Radisson Hotel Indore is one of four projects Carlson is partnering on with the group in the country. Carlson currently manages the Radisson Suites Gurgaon and Park Plaza Noida, and will also manage the Radisson Hotel Nagpur scheduled to open in the first half of 2011.

“We are very proud of our strategic alliance with Carlson. With its exceptional hospitality experience, the Radisson Hotel Indore will bring value to the overall development of Indore and add a new dimension to the already established hospitality culture of the city,” said Dharmendra Bhandari, managing director, Bestech Hospitalities Private Limited.

“The hotel has been designed by Singapore headquartered design firm DBTA International Pte Ltd and will be the pride and benchmark of true hospitality in Indore,” said Sunil Satija, managing director, The Bestech Group.

Featuring 18 suites and 183 stylish and spacious rooms, the Radisson Hotel Indore offers a contemporary setting for the modern day business or leisure traveller. The hotel features several distinctive dining options, including The Creative Kitchen, an all-day restaurant serving global cuisine; The Great Kabab Factory, an Indian specialty restaurant offering a unique dining experience; The Lobby Bar, an ideal venue to unwind, offering an array of international spirits and wines; and The Cakewalk, presenting the finest cakes and pastries.

The Radisson Hotel Indore features a 38,000 square feet area for conferences, meetings and social gatherings, and can accommodate up to 1,000 people. Another key highlight is the extensive wellness facilities located on the hotel’s landscaped roof top, offering a breathtaking view of the city and comprising a swimming pool, gym with yoga room and a world class spa offering a range of therapies.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is growing its boutique hotel portfolio, opening a new Hotel Indigo in London situated moments from the city’s iconic Tower Bridge. Located on Minories in the City of London, between Aldgate and the Tower of London, Hotel Indigo London Tower Hill has 44 bedrooms and two suites. The converted office building will offer guests easy access to the city’s most famous sights, with excellent transport links to London’s airports and train stations. Owned by the Thai Square Group, the hotel has eight floors with a bar, two restaurants and views over Tower Bridge from the top floors.

Hotel Indigo is IHG’s newest hotel brand and offers guests boutique hotel design with the peace of mind they get from staying with a large hotel group. There are 34 hotels open worldwide and 53 more planned including four new hotels in the UK. The brand began its global roll out last year with the opening of Hotel Indigo London Paddington in January 2009.

All Hotel Indigo properties have a unique character. Brand standards don’t dictate the number or size of rooms, making it ideally suited to conversion properties. Conversions are attractive to developers because they require less financing than new builds and can be up and running in a shorter period of time.

In October last year, IHG signed two new Hotel Indigo properties in Glasgow and Liverpool. Hotel Indigo Glasgow with 96 bedrooms and the 151-room Hotel Indigo Liverpool are both scheduled to open in spring 2011.

Hotel Indigo first launched in Atlanta in 2004. IHG plans to open its first Hotel Indigo in Asia later this year. Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund is expected to open to guests in autumn. IHG has also signed the first Hotel Indigo in Southeast Asia. Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road is expected to open by the end of 2012.

Images credit: VisMedia

Langham Hotels International has recently announced plans to open The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai, in October, marking the debut of its second property in the city.Located in the elegant and lively Xintiandi district, with its glamorous designer boutiques, art galleries, eclectic restaurants and bars, The Langham will occupy an outstanding new landmark building with interiors by leading hospitality designer, Peter Remedios. The property features panoramic views over the renowned Shikumen storefronts of Old Shanghai that are literally across the road. The 24-storey luxury hotel pays tribute to the city’s heritage and traditions while embracing the best in today’s luxury comforts and attractions.

The Langham’s 357 elegant rooms including 23 suites will feature charming yet practical luxurious touches that have been a hallmark of The Langham since it was founded in 1865.

Three new restaurants and bars designed to indulge every desire for the finer things in life will also open. These include a lifestyle bar – XTD Elevated – set on a terrace overlooking Xintiandi complete with cabanas and day beds for lounging and Ming Court – serving a gourmet’s choice of Cantonese and Shanghainese specialities. Meanwhile, Cachet – an innovative concept introducing five stylish experiences in one distinctive space will touch the senses from dawn until the early hours. These include a lounge for the perfect signature Langham afternoon tea, a Café for international culinary dining, a Juice Bar for a refreshing pick-me-up, a Martini Bar for an evening tonic and Alfresco – an outdoor terrace to see and be seen.

To relax, guests can also experience pampering treatments in Chuan Spa – the world’s only global luxury spa operation based on the healing philosophies of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Alternatively, guests can work out in the modern gym that’s open conveniently 24 hours or dip in the 25-metre indoor pool.

The Langham, Xintiandi features one of the most modern high-ceiling grand ballrooms in the city and an additional 8 large meeting spaces which can be tailored to ensure every event captivates the senses. At the heart of this enchanting facility lies the interactive event centre and sales suite which sees every event custom-made with elegant precision and stylishly served by our meeting concierges.

This new flagship will be the 21st property in the rapidly expanding Langham Hotels International global portfolio. Brett Butcher, Chief Executive Officer for Langham Hotels International said: “We’re delighted to be expanding The Langham brand in China with an iconic new property marking the start of a journey that will see the group become recognised as a leader in luxury hospitality in China.”

Photo credits: Langham Hotels International

Opening in August 2010, on West 44th Street in the heart of New York City’s theatre district, The Chatwal salutes the New York City “baby grand” hotels of a bygone era, with unparalleled accommodations and a fresh perspective. The landmark Stanford White-designed building was home to the famous Lambs Club, America’s first professional theatre club.Beautifully restored and modernized by Master Architect and Designer Thierry Despont, The Chatwal’s guest rooms have custom-designed contemporary luxuries and ultra-modern technology while meticulously recreating 1930’s Deco design. This is the first ever hotel in New York to be designed from top-to-bottom by Despont.

Everything about The Chatwal evokes the glamour of early 20th century travel and New York Empire Art Deco. Original features have been brilliantly incorporated into the new design; from the restored façade and striking floor-to-ceiling fireplace located in the restaurant, to the use of chrome metal details, original oak panelled walls and beams; to leather detailing inspired by the craftsmanship of 20th century malletier travel trunk designers, suede walls and exquisitely furnished private outdoor terraces accessed by Fench doors, with radiant heat and private awnings for ultimate privacy.

The first member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World in Manhattan’s theatre district, the opening of The Chatwal New York also marks the launch of Sant Chatwal’s new luxury hotel brand, The Chatwal – with plans in the works for additional luxury properties in the UK and India.

All images Copyright © 2010 The Chatwal Hotel

Hilton Worldwide has signed a Management Agreement with Dead Sea Resorts PSC for the new-build Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa in Jordan, scheduled to open in Q4 2013, as well as the existing King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre.The 285-room new-build waterfront resort is located on the east coast of Jordan overlooking the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth. The property is adjacent and linked to the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, a state-of-the-art meetings facility famed for hosting the 2009 World Economic Forum on the Middle East. Hilton Worldwide will start operating the convention centre soon.

The Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa is part of Emaar International Jordan’s Samarah Dead Sea Resort, an integrated community which, aside from the hotel, will house 1,000 residences, retail and leisure facilities. The hotel’s location within this development is the North Rift, adjacent to a Wadi (a valley) on the Dead Sea waterfront.

Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa will feature seven food and beverage outlets including three restaurants (all-day dining, and two specialty outlets) and four bars. Leisure facilities include a health club, spa, outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and a kids club.

In tandem with the company’s renowned Hilton Meetings product, the hotel will house two meeting rooms of 100 sq.m each, a business centre and Hilton Executive Lounge. With almost 5,000 m2 of meeting space and 23,000 m2 of built-up area spread over three stories comprising 27 meeting rooms, the Convention Centre is one of the largest in the region.

Tourism is a vital sector of Jordan’s economy, with tourism related revenues representing approximately 14% of the country’s GDP. International arrivals have been growing steadily, to over seven million tourists in 2008.

Images © 2009 Hilton Worldwide

Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport opens on August 16, 2010 with a bold new mission: to revolutionize the way we see airport hotels.Featuring DJs in the lobby, loft-style apartments and a stimulating 24-hour high-tech environment for work and play, Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport will be the first airport hotel in the world to make downtown guests green with envy.

“We are not just creating a convenient stopover hotel but one of the most fun places to be in the capital of the world’s largest nation.” said General Manager Mark Francis. “We aim to make staying at the airport in Beijing an exciting thing to do!”

Cutting edge design, state-of-the-art technology and heaps of attitude are the hallmarks of this up-to-the-minute five-star lifestyle hotel that is situated right next to Beijing Capital International Airport’s iconic Sir Norman Foster-designed Terminal 3, just 10 minutes to the New China International Exhibition Centre and a mere 15-minute ride to the city on the Airport Express Railway.

The hotel also embraces the culture of Beijing with an art gallery showcasing unique contemporary Chinese artwork and a LIFE! boutique selling a selection of quirky and cool local designer and Langham Place branded gifts.

All 372 stylish guest rooms and suites (45 sq m – 300 sq m) are luxuriously appointed with signature Dream Big Beds, marble bathrooms with oversized baths and separate walk-in rain showers and gadgets galore like internet protocol phones, iPod docs, large flat-panel TVs, DVD / CD players, and WiFi.

Club perks are taken to new heights with the massive and exclusive two-level Club L lounge open around the clock and serving complimentary breakfast, all-day snacks, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and canapés, and providing useful and entertaining extras such as a boardroom, internet pods, a pool table and game stations.

Bars and restaurants include the 24-hour bar and internet hub Portal – Work & Play which allows guest to blur the boundaries between business and pleasure by accessing WiFi on big screens in a relaxed and fun setting. A more elegant Chinese dining experience is on offer at Ming Court, while The Place serves favourites from around the world. Guests can also rock into the night at Fuel which features hot bands and DJs and big screens for sporting events. And there’s more to come next March when interactive Japanese Robatayaki & Bar, Tokoro, opens.

There’s no excuse for not keeping fit either with the jetlag and stress-busting 24-hour Cardio Studio, equipped with the latest in revival technology, the greatest personal trainers and the loveliest lakeside views.

The hotel is perfect for meetings and events with over 2,700 sq m of gorgeous natural-light-filled function space ranging from 40 sq m to 800 sq m for anything from high-powered corporate meetings to the most glamorous of weddings, gala dinners and cocktail receptions.

Travellers can take advantage of the complimentary airport shuttle bus service. Painted from top to bottom in the trademark Langham pink, even the hotel’s buses have attitude!

The Courtyard by Marriott Bremen has opened under a franchise agreement with Baum Hotelbetrieb Bremen GmbH. The 155-room hotel is centrally located steps from the Bremen Main Station the beautiful Bürgerpark, making it an ideal location to explore the sights of the Hanseatic city. The Courtyard Bremen was built within the renovated walls of the historic Lloyd Building, which dates back to 1913 and was formerly used as a railway building for emigrants beginning their journey to the United States. 70 guestrooms are located in the historical building and a newly constructed wing houses the additional 85 guestrooms and 380 square meters of meeting space boasting natural daylight. The hotel’s modern lobby extends to a glass enclosed “boulevard” connecting the historical and conference buildings. Opening rates at the Courtyard Bremen begin from 99 euro (USD $129) per night.

With more than 40 properties and over 7,000 rooms throughout Europe, the Courtyard by Marriott brand is positioned for major development as Marriott works towards its goal of doubling its presence in Europe by 2015. “We are excited to add the Courtyard Bremen to our growing portfolio in Germany and to be represented in this dynamic and historic city,” said Amy McPherson, president and managing director for Marriott International in Europe.
The hotel’s stylish guestrooms feature plush bedding, large desks, ergonomic chairs, refrigerators, and flat-screen televisions. For dining, the Courtyard Bremen boasts Lloyd’s, a modern bar and restaurant serving up international cocktails and cuisine. In addition, the hotel’s 24/7 market is open around the clock and offers drinks, sandwiches and snacks. Additional on-site amenities include a fitness center and business center.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. introduces style at a steal by announcing the opening of Aloft Chennai OMR-IT Expressway, the first Aloft hotel to open in India and the 42nd Aloft hotel globally. A second Aloft hotel opened on 1st August 2010 in Bangalore. Urbanedge Hotels, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Auromatrix Hotels Private Limited, plans to set up several properties of Aloft hotels in the country over the next few years.Starwood has reinvented hotel design with the debut of its newest brand, Aloft Hotels. With more than 40 hotels open since its June 2008 debut, the Aloft brand became the talk of the hospitality industry by going global while in launch mode, opening China’s Aloft Beijing Haidian and Aloft Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in the brand’s first 15 months. Featuring large guest rooms, a buzzing bar scene, an urban-inspired grab-and go café and industrial design elements throughout, Aloft delivers urban-influenced, modern and vibrant design and an energetic guest experience at an affordable price point.

Aloft is Starwood’s design-led, social-experience brand that has enjoyed the fastest ramp-up of any brand in hotel history. As a young, tech-driven society, India will become a key market for the Aloft brand’s development outside of the United States.

Aloft Chennai OMR-IT Expressway features 130 spacious, loft-like rooms, accessible technology and a vibrant, social atmosphere. The hotel is located on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), the hub for IT development in Chennai. The hotel is also adjacent to over 5,000 square feet of meeting space and a restaurant.

Aloft Bengaluru Whitefield will include 170 rooms, and access to a large restaurant as well as more than 8,500 square feet of meeting space. The hotel will be located in Whitefield, Bangalore, one of the city’s two major clusters of IT industries, home to several IT parks and an export promotion zone.

Building on the recent success of Melbourne’s six star Green Star Convention and Exhibition Centre in Australia, Woods Bagot is poised to reach new heights in Convention Centre design by creating a dynamic and highly artistic solution for Shijiazhuang City’s new cultural landmark.The culturally-focused mixed use precinct will serve to showcase Shijiazhuang as a global destination for conference delegates and tourists by re-activating the City’s underdeveloped coastal region. Whilst convention precincts in surrounding cities remain under utilized, the design is expected to maximize the Chinese government’s generous investment with its emphasis on stimulating and revitalizing 190, 000m2 of the local urban fabric. Moreover, the architects will deliver a level of sustainability and design excellence in built form that will be fundamental to strengthening Shijiazhuang’s international profile.

Employing a filed pattern reminiscent of traditional Chinese ‘broken ice’ screens, the design language developed by Woods Bagot has been applied to the whole site – working across the grounds, moving outward to the tip’s river surrounds to create a randomly split, abstract appearance when viewed aerially.

Tied together by a fully enclosed and air-conditioned concourse spine, the precinct facilities will comprise 100,000m2 of premium grade international standard exhibition space, 60,000m2 of high quality convention facilities (including a state-of-the-art plenary), and 30,000m2 auxiliary spaces.

A landmark tower reaching upwards of 330m is conveniently located adjacent to the central Exhibition and Convention Centre on an independent 4ha of land. The tower will house a 5-star hotel, serviced apartments and premium grade office space.

ABode, the four star boutique hotel group member of Epoque Hotels opens its doors to Chester this Summer 2010 with a new site offering a selection of luxury rooms and suites along with choice of fine food venues, created by Michelin-starred chef, Michael Caines. The 85 room hotel, conveniently situated adjacent to Chester’s popular ‘Roodee’ racecourse offers a stylish and contemporary base for visitors to explore the city’s unique mix of Roman ruins, gothic grandeur of Chester Cathedral as well as fabulous boutiques nested amongst The Rows, the historic two-tier shopping galleries. Located in the centre of the city, ABode Chester also makes an ideal location for trips venturing into the Welsh countryside or nearby cities, Liverpool and Manchester.

ABode Chester is the sixth venue from the ABode stable which provides customers with a choice of accommodation suites from Comfortable through to Fabulous and dining options from Tavern through to Restaurant with price points to suit every budget. Featuring bespoke art collections created by celebrity photographer, Brian Aris, the venue captures modern style with an eclectic mixture of art pieces to make each room unique.

The multi million pound hotel development is located in Chester’s new HQ complex overlooking the River Dee and now offers visitors to Chester a first class eating and drinking establishment in the heart of the city. Featuring floor to ceiling windows, the fifth floor Michael Caines Champagne Bar and Restaurant at ABode Chester captures breath taking views from the city as far as the Welsh Hills. The 76 seat restaurant offers private dining facilities as well as the opportunity to dine an al fresco on the outside terrace. With a commitment to sourcing local produce guests can choose from à la carte, tasting and ‘grazing’ menus to sample Michael’s award winning British cuisine.

The hotel is ABode’s first new build yet fuses the unique heritage of the Chester site within a modern setting with original Roman remains dating back to 79AD which were discovered on site being showcased at the entrance to HQ. Three sixth floor Fabulous suites are spaciously fitted to offer exceptional comfort with state of the art hand-built beds and oversized baths along with private balconies to give views of the racecourse, piazza and Chester city.

Chef Michael Caines says, “We are delighted to open ABode’s doors to Chester. The city has something for everyone in terms of historical and cultural interest as well as a thriving business community. We hope that ABode’s offering of contemporary accommodation and fine food venues will give visitors luxury that every budget can afford without compromise on quality.”

The design of a 142 bed boutique hotel on a prominent corner site opposite the Old Vic Theatre and within the Lower Marsh Conservation area has proved an interesting design challenge. The new hotel has had to incorporate a Grade II former fire station and re-establish a coherent corner on Waterloo Road blighted by insensitive post war office development. The challenge has been to design a new building without pretension or self effacement that is sensitive to its context in scale and materials and respectful to the scale of the Old Fire Station.In addition, Lambeth Planners required the retention of Pear Place as a memory of a former historic street, which has effectively divided the hotel into two parts. This has necessitated the hotel being linked by glass bridges across Pear Place at upper levels. The Old Fire Station remains substantially unaltered at ground floor level with the retention of bar / restaurant uses, with the upper floors converted to bedrooms.

The new build part of the hotel incorporates the majority of the bedrooms with meeting rooms on the top floor to take advantage of the views across to the city. At ground floor is the new hotel entrance with a corner retail unit that ensures continuity of retail frontages linking Waterloo Road to the Lower Marsh shopping area. Pear Place, currently gated, will be re-landscaped and opened up for public use.

The new brick façade on Waterloo Road makes reference to the elevational subdivision of the Old Fire Station façade without the need for architectural pastiche. The façade composition risers in height to the Baylis Road corner to provide a strong termination to this section of buildings along Waterloo Road and surrounding vista’s such as from The Cut.

The project is seen as part of a much needed up-grade for the Waterloo area south of the station and there have been extensive community consultations over the proposals.
The accommodation comprises; 142 Bedrooms; 6 Meeting rooms; Restaurant / bar; Basement and gym.

Designers: Project Orange, Suzy Hoodless and Adrian Kilby.

base2stay Liverpool is located in the city centre’s historic and bohemian RopeWalks design quarter, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. With some of Liverpool’s best restaurants, bars and clubs on our doorstep and attractions such as the Albert Dock, Liverpool One, Tate Liverpool and The Beatles Story a short walk away, we’re in the heart of the city. Liverpool’s Lime Street Station, just two hours from London Euston, is less than 10 minutes stroll from our front door.Tipped to be the hottest hotel opening in the North West in 2010, base2stay Liverpool’s 106 air-conditioned rooms have been created out of an 1850s industrial building, retaining many original heritage features, which have been incorporated into the cool, contemporary interior design. From Super Singles to double height Gallery Studios and our fabulous Secret Garden Suite, we have something for everyone.

All the usual base2stay features (and a few new ones) are there – mini-kitchens, free Wi-Fi, HDTVs with free internet, music and games – so base2stay value doesn’t stop at our fantastic room rates. With 30 minutes of free local and national calls per day, accessing all those exclusive discounts at the many restaurants, cafes and bars in the city will be even easier, and our “base2stay on-screen directory” will point you in the way of a multitude of activities that the Liverpool city region has to offer. Come and visit us to see the fantastic Picasso exhibition at Tate Liverpool or to enjoy Beatles Week. With special opening room rates throughout August starting at only £49 inc. VAT, there’s never been a better time to view Liverpool’s renaissance and to see why the city centre has just been awarded Purple Flag Status as one of the safest and best value destinations in the UK.

With sophisticated and avant-garde interiors by MKV Design, the Radisson Blu Gautrain opened just in time to host Johannesburg’s visitors for the World Cup. Constructed in a contemporary building that overlooks the city’s new Gautrain railway station, this is a hotel for modern international business people. The hotel’s scheme includes subtle references to train design and a flow of public spaces that picks up on the movement of the station below. The primarily monochromatic colour palette of this property could not be more different from the design practice’s first Radisson Blu in Johannesburg, and blends modern classic furniture with an edgier, yet elegant, vibe that relates to the excitement of its urban locale.The interiors of the bold street-side lobby command attention with a faceted wall sculpture in a vibrant, cherry red lacquer. Dramatically stretching for five metres from floor-to-ceiling, the monolith houses a lift that whisks guests to the main reception and public areas on the fourth level. Complementing this vivid focal point, a polished steel concierge desk is accented by an artistically styled atlas of the world’s capitals. Laser-cut out of stainless steel, it is a reference to the international values of the brand and the hotel’s globe-trotting business travellers. As a counterpoint to the angular surfaces, warmth is added to the space through contemporary wingback chairs upholstered in supple scarlet leather and rosy-toned African teak cladding on the floor and walls.

The hotel’s location above a mixed-use development of retail boutiques rewards guests with panoramic views of the city from each of its 12 levels. All the public areas are located on the fourth floor and benefit from a terrace that wraps around the building, overlooking the station and city panorama beyond. The main reception, bar, restaurant, and terrace flow together to form fluid zones through which guests migrate.

Neutral colour blocks in white, black and grey create a fresh, airy palette that is punctuated by touches of persimmon. Behind the reception desk and the bar seating, the sculpted wall element reappears and brings drama and depth as it displays African artefacts under focused spotlights. Following the silhouette of the faceted structure is a soffit inset with LED strips that shift from amber to red depending on the time of day and desired mood. These lights also trace the bottom edge and black granite top of the double-sided bar, providing an ethereal glow that reflects off the polished steel façade and shines through the floor-to-ceiling windows to the station below.

As part of a global reorganization aimed at accelerating worldwide growth, Marriott International, Inc. plans to double its portfolio in Europe by 2015. Amy McPherson, president and managing director of Marriott International Europe, made the announcement today at the International Hotel Investment Forum.Celebrating 35 years in Europe this year, Marriott International is represented with 174 hotels in Europe, and envisions increasing its portfolio from 40,000 rooms to 80,000 rooms by 2015. Seven of Marriott’s 18 brands are represented currently in Europe: Ritz-Carlton, Bvlgari, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments. In addition, the first European Residence Inn, an extended-stay brand, will open in Munich in 2012.

The development pipeline in Europe includes nearly 30 projects including the Renaissance Moscow Monarch Center Hotel (2010), the Courtyard by Marriott Budapest (2010) and the JW Marriott Hotel Ankara (2010).

“We see strong opportunity throughout Europe to grow our portfolio,” said Arne Sorenson, president and chief operating officer of Marriott International. “Our new operating structure, comprised of four continental divisions including Europe, will help facilitate global growth and bring our teams closer to markets and to our customers. We have tremendous opportunities to grow, with over a third of our current pipeline and about half of our full-service openings this year located in markets outside North America.”

Said McPherson, “Europe is the largest lodging market in the world and holds enormous potential for Marriott. Our talented new team here is aggressively accelerating our focus on growth.”

“With a footing in most of Europe’s gateway cities, we are thrilled to see our expansion continue into secondary cities and emerging markets. We are confident we are well- positioned to achieve this ambitious expansion goal,” she said.

Named the head of Marriott’s European operating division in July 2009, McPherson is responsible for almost $3 billion in revenue across 24 countries and 23 languages and the performance and growth of this new division that combines the former United Kingdom & Ireland and Continental Europe regions. McPherson joined Marriott in 1986 and most recently served as Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing.

Expansion plans for Europe also include two new brands: Edition, a boutique-lifestyle collaboration between Ian Schrager and Marriott; and the Autograph Collection, comprised of independent hotels and resorts from around the world representing upper-upscale and luxury properties with distinctive personalities.

Epoque Hotels and Genre Hotels have agreed on a strategic alliance in which member hotels of both collections will benefit from their mutual marketing efforts.Boutique, or “genre”, hotels are enjoying popularity among travellers because they often provide quirky details and smaller prices without sacrificing plush amenities and world-class service. Genre Hotels strive to meet these expectations with stellar design, green practices and affordability for both business and leisure travellers. The same drive fuels Epoque Hotels, thus the alliance emerged naturally.

“We are very happy to be collaborating with Kerry Flowers and the team of Genre Hotels,” says Juan Palmada Vice President of Epoque Hotels. “We love their work ethics and attitude and I am sure that both parties will benefit from this alliance.”

Marriott International, Inc. has recently hosted grand openings for its first two hotels in Sweden – the Courtyard Stockholm Kungsholmen and the Renaissance Malmo. “This is a very exciting time for Marriott in Europe – we recently announced our goal to double our portfolio in Europe by 2015 and are thrilled to now be expanding into Sweden with our partners on these beautiful new hotels Scandinavian Hospitality Group (SHG) and Scandinavian Hospitality Management (SHM),” said Arne Sorenson, president and chief operations officer of Marriott International. “We expect this to result in the opening of many more hotels in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.”

Amy McPherson, president and managing director of Marriott International in Europe added, “We see strong opportunity throughout Scandinavia to grow our portfolio. These first hotels in Sweden are spectacular examples of our Renaissance and Courtyard by Marriott brands and we hope to bring more of our portfolio of brands to this incredible region. Scandinavia has always been known for warm hospitality and cutting-edge design, and we are excited to be able to welcome guests to our new hotels here in Sweden.”

Marriott opened its first hotel in Scandinavia, the Copenhagen Marriott Hotel in 2001. A market leader in Denmark’s capital city, the Copenhagen Marriott recently completed a renovation of its lobby space to introduce Marriott Hotels & Resorts innovative “great room” concept that creates multiple zones for work and relaxation. The Copenhagen Marriott recently welcomed a new restaurant, Mid Town Grill, a New York style steakhouse and will complete a total renovation of its 401 guest rooms next year.

Located in Sweden’s stylish capital city, the 278-room Courtyard Stockholm Kungsholmen is the largest Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Europe. Guestrooms offer large, panoramic windows with views over the lake Mälaren and the Rålambshovs Park. The public space at the Courtyard Stockholm Kungsholmen evokes a contemporary feel and gives guests the space and functionality to both work and socialize with flexible seating options. For meetings and events, the hotel offers 12 meeting rooms with a total of 1,000 square meters of meeting space.
The Courtyard Stockholm Kungsholmen features Bjork Bar & Grill, an urban, loft-style restaurant for dining and lounging. Taking its name for the Swedish word for “birch tree,” renowned designer Henry Chebaane designed the restaurant to represent a virtual forest filled with the colours and textures of the local trees, moss, lichen, granite and berries. Bjork Bar & Grill features both dishes and cocktails made with regional Swedish produce, including sparkling wine made of birch sap from the trees in the local forest.

The Renaissance Malmo Hotel brings together the best of the Renaissance brand experience as it blends history with ultra-modern design in the hotel’s three preserved historical buildings. The stunning hotel features the latest innovations in design and décor, technology and culinary art. The 128 contemporary guestrooms offer an expressive style with warm and vibrant colours. Amenities include luxurious bedding, 37-inch flat-screen televisions, and complimentary wireless high-speed internet.

The Renaissance Malmo’s Rosen Bar & Dining offers a new spin on local cuisine blending contemporary Swedish cuisine with Spanish flavours. The innovative restaurant design was created by renowned designer Henry Chebaane, mixing a sense of high style and relaxation within a chic colour palate.

All images © 1996-2010 Marriott International, Inc.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has recently confirmed plans to double its presence in Greater China to over 250 hotels over the next five years. This follows the recent opening of two InterContinental hotels in Nanjing and Shanghai and the signing of a deal with HNA Hotels and Resorts last month for five hotels. InterContinental Hotels Group CEO, Andy Cosslett, said: “This year we are opening over 30 hotels in Greater China. This includes seven InterContinental, seven Crowne Plaza and the debut of Hotel Indigo in an outstanding location on the Bund in the centre of Shanghai, following our strategy to develop an upscale presence in key locations. Our upscale hotels in Greater China have an average room count of 350, significantly larger than our other markets, with the vast majority being managed by IHG. This gives us a highly profitable and significant business in China with annual gross hotel revenues in excess of US$1 billion.”

Greater China has rebounded quickly from the industry downturn. At its first quarter trading update in May, IHG reported RevPAR growth for Greater China of 22.2% and 27.1% in April.

A recent guideline issued by China’s State Council confirmed the Chinese Government has established tourism as a key economic pillar, with a total of 25 national and regional development plans in place with tourism as a strategic focus. The Government is also investing US$120 billion in its railway network, laying over 85,000 kilometres of freeway and constructing 97 new airports to upgrade the transport infrastructure across the country.

The World Expo 2010 Shanghai China has generated interest and opportunity for the tourism and hotel industry. The international event is estimated to attract a total of 70 million visitors in six months. Since the opening on 1 May this year, 20 million domestic and international visitors have contributed to the demand for hotels in the city. The new InterContinental Shanghai Expo is the only hotel on the Expo Park site.

HNA hoptels include:
InterContinental Haikou: 200 rooms, opens 1st quarter, 2014

InterContinental Changchun: 300 rooms, opens 4th quarter, 2015

Crowne Plaza Changchun Noble: 290 rooms, opens 4th quarter, 2012

Crowne Plaza Kunming West: 300 rooms, opens 1st quarter, 2014

Marriott International, Inc. has officially opened the company’s first JW Marriott luxury hotel in Bogota, Colombia. On-hand for the celebration were President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, Rob Steigerwald, chief operations officer for the Southern region of the Americas for Marriott International and Ricardo Poma, president of Real Hotels & Resorts and Grupo Poma. The 264-room JW Marriott Bogota is operated under a franchise agreement with Real Hotels & Resorts of El Salvador. The JW Marriott Bogota is perfectly located in the financial district of the city, approximately 30 minutes from Bogota International Airport. For dining and entertainment the hotel offers distinct options including Monet Brasserie, and La Mina Steak & Lobster, which presents guests with a wide selection of prime cuts of beef and fresh seafood. The lobby lounge offers handcrafted cocktails and provides ambience where guests can relax while overlooking the hotel lobby area. Recreational amenities include a swimming pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center. For conferences and social events, the hotel offers 550 square meters of flexible function space.

Marriott International and Real Hotels & Resorts celebrated the opening of the first Marriott International-flagged hotel in the country last fall, the 239-room Bogota Marriott Hotel. Both hotels, along with over 3,000 Marriott-affiliated hotels worldwide, participate in Marriott Rewards, the guest reward program that allows members to earn their choice of points or airline miles for each dollar spent during each stay.

Travelodge has today referred Premier Inn to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) over its misleading claim that it is the ‘largest hotel operator in London”.

In recent adverts featured in both Property Week and Estates Gazette, Premier Inn claimed to have 5,500 rooms in London, making it the largest operator in London. The company also asked developers and landowners to help them “…extend our lead, up to the 2012 Olympics and beyond…”.Travelodge believes that the stated room number of 5,500 significantly overstates the true status of Premier Inn in the capital, miss-leading developers and landowners into believing the company is bigger than it is.

Consequently, Travelodge has made three specific complaints to the ASA concerning the advert:

1. “Premier Inn already has around 5,500 rooms in London…”

Travelodge strongly believes that this claim is inaccurate.

Its research indicates that Premier Inn has 4,853 rooms within London, some way short of the 5,500 claim in the advert[1].

2. “…we’re the largest hotel operator in London.”

Given that Travelodge believes Premier Inn to have 4,763 rooms in the capital, this statement is again deliberately misleading. Travelodge has 5,092 rooms open at present in London and it is the company’s understanding that the Thistle brand presently has 5,422.

3. “…we need your help to identify even more site to help us extend our lead, up to the 2012 Olympics and beyond…”

Travelodge has legally exchanged contracts on a further 22 hotels set to open by the 2012 Olympics, giving it a total of 7,302 rooms. Given this, there appears no way that Premier Inn can meet their claim of being the largest hotel operator in London at the time of the Olympics.

Paul Harvey, Managing Director for Development at Travelodge, said:

“I was rather surprised when I saw the Premier Inn advert claiming that they are the biggest hotel operator in London when, simply put, they are not.

“This advert has misled developers into believing that Premier Inn is bigger than it actually is and has growth prospects which again, are not based in reality.

“Travelodge has exchanged on a further 22 properties in London that are set to open by the time of the Olympics, giving us 7,302 rooms.

“Unless Premier Inn can publicly prove otherwise, we trust they will now stop both running adverts and claiming in interviews that they are the biggest hotel operator in London, both now and in 2012.”

Hilton Worldwide has signed a management agreement with Jordan Maritime Complex for Real Estate Investments Co. for the Doubletree by Hilton, Aqaba, marking the brand’s entry into Jordan with a stylish, upscale, full-service hotel product in Q3 2010. The 181-room, new-build property will be located in the popular resort destination of Aqaba on Jordan’s southern coast. In the centre of the business district, and less than a kilometre from the beach and the city’s marina, the site for the new Doubletree by Hilton, Aqaba is ten kilometres from King Hussein International Airport.Doubletree by Hilton, Aqaba will feature five food and beverage outlets including an all-day dining outlet, poolside restaurant, coffee shop, wine bar and club. Leisure facilities include a health club and spa with sauna, steam room, gymnasium, two treatment rooms, as well as semi-outdoor swimming pools. The hotel will house one multi-purpose meeting room with pre-function area.

Tourism is a vital sector of Jordan’s economy, with tourism related revenues representing approximately 14% of the country’s GDP. International arrivals have been growing steadily, to over seven million tourists in 2008.

Doubletree by Hilton characteristic qualities include the warm worldwide welcome of the brand’s legendary chocolate chip cookie presented to every guest at check-in; comfortable, stylish accommodations and full-service amenities; along with a unique and caring commitment to the communities in which they operate. Doubletree by Hilton believes in a set of business values that make their hotels a desirable place for employees to work and a satisfying place for travelers to stay.

Images © 2009 Hilton Worldwide