Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is delighted to announce the opening of Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California, just north of San Diego. Park Hyatt now has 25 properties worldwide. A true California retreat, designed in the Spanish colonial style, Park Hyatt Aviara is set off by palm trees, expansive gardens, rolling hills, and views of the Pacific Coast. First opened in 1997, the resort spans 205 acres set on the northern shore of the Batiquitos Lagoon, which is one of California’s most precious, untouched wetlands with more than 130 species of birds and 24 varieties of flowering plants.
Four restaurants, ranging from a poolside café, an airy bistro, a contemporary steakhouse, and an elegant dining room serving a regional Italian menu offer guests exceptional cuisine. All guestrooms are beautifully appointed and feature a marble bathroom with a commodious bathtub. Of the 329 rooms, 44 are suites and all rooms have a private balcony or a landscaped terrace.
The resort is perfectly situated for active and leisurely retreats, as well as social mingling. A signature spa spans 15,000 square feet and includes 20 treatment rooms and fitness centre. A year-round destination for golf and tennis, the resort boasts an 18-hole championship golf course ranked as one of the top courses on the West Coast. The course, designed by Arnold Palmer, features exceptional practice facilities and a two-storey Spanish colonial clubhouse. Club-fitting and instruction are offered at the acclaimed Kip Puterbaugh Aviara Golf Academy and TaylorMade Performance Lab. The six tennis courts, managed by Peter Burwash International, include two clay courts and four hard courts. There are 78,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space.
The Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba will be adding an adult-only property at the end of the year, catering exclusively for couples looking for an upscale quiet retreat: starting 23rd December 2010, all guests at Bucuti Beach Resort must be at least 18 years old.Already popular with couples from the UK and recognised by TripAdvisor as one of the top 10 most romantic resorts in the world, Bucuti is perfectly located on 14 acres of pristine powder fine sand of the island’s famed Eagle Beach, one of the Caribbean’s top ten beaches as published by ‘Dream Beaches of the World’.
Refined, sophisticated and designed with romance in mind, Bucuti’s peaceful atmosphere and location set it apart from Aruba’s larger resorts, which are more family orientated.
The sought-after beachfront Tara Suites, featuring large oceanfront balconies or terraces and king-sized beds, are an oasis from the crowds. Couples can relax on the beach, under their own private palapa, or simply lounge around the infinity pool in a comfy chair for two.
Bucuti offers a selection of packages tailored specifically for couples and its expert concierge team can coordinate a selection of excursions and activities.
Currently Renaissance Marina Aruba is the only property on the island with an adults-only policy.
Work has started on site of the Aloft London ExCeL, a sleek new hotel at ExCeL in London’s Docklands. Designed by architects Jestico + Whiles,resposible for the interors of Andels Lodz the hotel is scheduled to open at the end of 2011, in readiness for the London Olympics. The project is being developed by ExCeL London’s parent company, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) in partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Created to shake up the staid, traditional select service segment of the hotel industry, Aloft delivers urban-influenced, open and vibrant design and a social guest experience at an affordable price. Aloft London ExCeL will mark the brand’s UK debut and will be the second Aloft property in Europe following the Aloft Brussels Schuman, scheduled to open this Autumn. Jestico + Whiles’ innovative design provides 252 guest bedrooms of different sizes, front of house areas including triple height entrance hall, bar, lounge, meeting rooms and fitness suite, back of house areas with offices, and a separate bar and restaurant which will spill out onto a new pedestrian piazza. The scheme is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and employs highly insulated façades, CHP and ground source heat pump technology.
Unfortunately the practice was unable to supply any images of the interiors so we can only show you the usual exterior rendering which tell us little about any of the qualities this may have as an hotel.
The building is formed of three elements: a central ‘spine’ contains bedrooms and vertical circulation and is flanked by two crescents which house further bedrooms and gently curving corridors. The ‘serpentine’ form of the building helps to define external spaces and is also driven by a number of restrictions on construction allied to the clients’ requirements in terms of guestroom types and mix. The primary constraints include a strategic services corridor running across the site and the flight operation demands of the nearby London City Airport.
The hotel will be clad in several thousand coloured, textured stainless-steel shingles. The glazed façades will feature a large-scale screen-printed pattern, inspired by the illusion of depth seen in some of Bridget Riley’s paintings. The material will reflect the sunshine, adding warmth and liveliness to the building’s exterior spaces.
The building’s form has generated varying facades, some concave, others convex. The elevational design represents a response against the ubiquitous ‘punched window’ aesthetic of the generic hotel façade. Flush windows on the convex central spine therefore disappear into the homogenous ‘wallpaper’ of the screen printed glazed façade. Windows in the stainless steel clad concave crescent wings are united into a series of vertical slots. This gives the building a rhythm which differentiates the elements and enhances the experience of passers by.
John Whiles, Director of Jestico + Whiles said: “The start on site of Aloft London ExCeL is an exciting moment for the practice. The Aloft hotel will enhance the visual identity of the area and importantly bring much needed additional visitor accommodation to Docklands.
“We are now working on two Starwood Hotels & Resorts branded properties in the capital, with the W London-Leicester Square also nearing completion.”
Located at ExCeL’s Eastern entrance at the Royal Victoria Dock the hotel will have a direct access to Prince Regent Station on the Docklands Light Railway and London’s first International Convention Centre.
El Taj Oceanfront, the five star luxury condo hotel that opened its doors this spring in Playa del Carmen, right on the stunning Mexican Caribbean coast, is known for its smooth, soft curves and natural materials. A month later, the hotel welcomed a new chic Indigo Beach Club and Restaurant that repeated the tradition of white curves and Bali-inspired details, and now competes with the Playa’s long time favorite, Mamita’s Beach Club. A well-known Mexican architect and a famous Italian restaurateur are behind the project.Sergio Segura (architect) designed the whole El Taj Oceanfront condo hotel, including the Beach Club and Andrea Bastogi (restaurateur) opened Indigo Beach Club and Restaurant. Renowned experts in their fields, the two men were able to create a visually pleasing, elegant Beach Club that blends with the style of the hotel and also with the natural beach setting, by utilizing tropical, Bali-inspired, light-colored décor that is playfully embellished with different-colored glasses and pillows.
While working on the project, Segura used an architectural style based on soft curves that give a feeling of smoothness and comfort. White curves of El Taj Oceanfront elegantly match with thatched natural rooftops, water fountains and lush vegetation. Bali-inspired exterior and interior elements add to the sense of a lush, comforting tropical paradise. His objective was to create a building that blends in with the pace, façade, culture and flavors of the Riviera Maya where it’s located by using local materials, such as wood, stone, palm tree roofs, and a lot of wild vegetation, by adjusting to the warm Caribbean climate and its beachfront location, and by taking into consideration the construction style that was always traditionally used in this town before it developed into a lively international beach community that sometimes is not shy to comply with the dictatorship of the international architectural fashion.
Bastogi, the Italian restaurateur, has a passion to be constantly on the move, creating innovative projects and watching Playa del Carmen develop into a fashionable, sophisticated destination, while still preserving its natural charm of a fishing village.
British Airways will start operating direct flights to Cancun staring on November 3, 2010, enabling easy access to this part of Mexico and Playa del Carmen, where the hotel is located, is 45 minutes down the Caribbean coast from Cancun.
Baulmann Leuchten, a market leader for bathroom lighting products, is now introducing the first illuminated bathroom mirror based only on LED-technology. The frame of this new mirror is made completely from polished stainless steel. As a standard in the Baulmann bathroom range, the product has a protection rating of IP44, which makes it suitable for the use in bathrooms and wet locations. The warm-white LED is integrated behind the opal diffusor to provide an all-over glare free illumination.
Besides the standard size of 840 x 1200 mm (with a height of only 30 mm!) this mirror can be produced to almost every individual size thanks to the flexibility of the integrated LED.
Contra Curtains Ltd successfully completed the manufacture and installation of soft furnishings to 172 guest bedrooms at Le Meridien Piccadilly Hotel, London.Contra supplied curtains, sheers, upholstered pelmets and cushions to all refurbished bedrooms.
The refurbishment began in January 2010 and involved highly intensive phases completed over a short timescale.
Liaising with project contractors GCM Ltd, project manager Chris Wicks ensured that Contra delivered a high quality product throughout the hotel.
Interior designer, Anita Rosato said: “Contra were highly organised in scheduling and delivering curtains for 172 rooms all of varying sizes and on a fast track rolling programme. They were keen to assist in every way possible to complete the job on time in budget and to a level of quality expected for a prestige hotel such as this. Thanks Chris for helping to make the job run smoothly!”
Choice Hotels International, Inc. has formally announced its plans for a future Comfort Suites hotel in downtown Atlanta with franchisee Atlanta Underground, LLC. — the first-ever Choice brand hotel for the city. The future hotel will be co-owned by management company Excel Hotel Group and restoration and renovation company S&A Industries. To be located at 54 Peachtree Street, the current building planned for the future home of the 156-suite hotel boasts an historic first five floors, having originally been constructed over 100 years ago, with an additional 11 floors added prior to the city’s 1996 Summer games, most recently serving as student housing facilities for nearby Georgia State University. Unique renovation plans for the property would also make the hotel the first-ever adaptive re-use project for the Comfort Suites brand.
The property is scheduled to begin its restoration and renovations process later this month and is tentatively scheduled to re-open as a Comfort Suites hotel in December 2010. The location’s multi-million dollar renovation process mainly calls for complete furniture, fixtures and equipment replacements, adding a more urban new design aesthetic throughout.
Current plans call for the addition of a lounge area, meeting facilities, business centre, fitness centre and guest laundry facilities as well as specific VIP floors with added amenities. The hotel also plans to provide complimentary shuttle service for its guests to local attractions and points of interest, such as the city’s convention centre, aquarium and nearby restaurants.
The much loved day spa exclusively for women, The Sanctuary, Covent Garden, has been treated to a sumptuous makeover by Charles Leon Associates. The interior design company has transformed the previously dated schemes by re-interpreting the extravagantly styled interiors for which The Sanctuary is famed in a series of concepts encompassing the spa’s reception, lounge and dressing room. The á la carte Restaurant and iconic Koi Carp Lounge have also been refreshed The design moves The Sanctuary away from its underlying oriental theme towards a more English and eclectic vernacular. In reception, beyond the street level retail area, visitors are now greeted by a joyful confection of boudoir-style elements, such as three extraordinary cabinets, upholstered in deeply buttoned mushroom satin vinyl with mirrored doors and crystal doorknobs. These act as gentle crowd control, filtering guests towards a long, open and rather surreal reception desk, constructed with heavy gilt Baroque framed mirrors that seem to float above a layer of filmy sheer. The oversized Baroque pattern behind the reception desk is a design feature that reappears throughout the spa in varying scales and treatments – from wallpapers and fabrics to tiling and fretwork screens – as do delicately feminine crystal lights.
It was key that the Lounge, located just above reception and adjacent to the internal retail area, remained clearly visible and welcoming to all visitors; however, it was also to serve a variety of needs from socialising to private relaxation and even sleeping. It has therefore been subtly ‘zoned’ into three areas, with screens and sheers building up gentle layers of privacy. While each area is distinct, they flow naturally into one another, creating a procession of subtle shifts in mood that become increasingly hushed and peaceful.
The first area, furnished with comfortable armchairs and coffee tables, offers something of a café experience. Two playful fretwork screens on each side of this space mark entry into the Lounge and the beginning of the second area, which is more subdued and sumptuous than the first, softened with walls of bronze sheers and low lighting, a deep pile carpet and velvet upholstery fabrics. A partition of bronze shear marks entry to the third space lined with deep day-bed sofas where guests can recline and sleep. Food and drinks is served throughout the Lounge.
The Cocon parasol is a new parasol design from Belgian manufacturer Sywawa and new to The Modern Garden Company. The asymmetric shape, designed to create shade and privacy for individual users, is the ideal choice for poolside loungers or on a beach. Available in a wide range of colours from neutral browns and grey to vibrant reds.The Cocon can be used with a variety of unique bases. Sywawa has used its extensive experience in this field to create bases that are stylish as well as functional. The unique design of Coupe – winner of the public design award at 100% Design in Rotterdam 2008 – incorporates a polyethylene bowl that can function as a planter, water feature or even as an ice bucket! The stylish Cube is filled with water to provide the weight and works as a practical side table when used with a parasol or doubles as a stool when not in use.
FW Lighting brings a new range of architectural and commercial lighting products to UK designers from its Polish manufacturing partner, Organic.
The first, Swanky, is one of 25 new creations to be launched for 2010 here in the UK. Designed initially for the hotel sector, Swanky is now finding new avenues of use in the restaurant, leisure and retail markets. These pictures are from the 121 roomed Monopol Hotel in Wroclaw, Poland. Swanky is a suspended light fixture manufactured from Fibreglass, Orgilex and Dibond and is available in red, blue or white finishes with personalised colour options available on request.
Organic are pioneers in the use of existing and new materials such as Orgilex. Conceptualized and put into production by Organic, Orgilex is first chemically treated and then hand finished creating this new and flexible light diffusing medium.
Swanky is a versatile suspended light fixture capable of accommodating 50w halogen AR111 lamps or CDM R111 metal halide lamps. Further illumination effects (as seen through the stylish Dibond supporting structure) are created by the introduction of six single coloured PowerLEDs available in red, green, blue, amber, warm white or neutral white.
Should you have a project that has “own design” light sources then Organic can realize these ideas and construct to your specification on time and on budget. So please, call or email us today.
The St Paul’s Grange Hotel is perfectly located in the heart of London, in the heart of the City and its businesses. The location seems to have been central to the idea behind the hotel, which is targeted at the corporate market whilst situated adjacent to St Paul’s cathedral.On entering the hotel guests are greeted with a large spiral screen that descends from the top floor. This visual element attracts the eye and shows that the hotel is equipped with the latest technology. For conferences in the hotel the screen can adapt any coporate logo or visuals that businesses working within the hotel would like during their conference.
There is a corporate feel to styling carried on throughout the reception area, where colours of brown and red are subtle yet sophisticated without being overly extravagant. The reception area has a large desk which allows a large number of staff members to check guests in and out at the same time.
Leading off the reception is the atrium, which has a ceiling that is the height of the entire hotel, some seven floors or so. The roof is made out of glass and the far wall is also glass panelling, allowing as much sunlight as possible to pour in through the windows, creating a light and airy dining and socialising area.
The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong, opened on June 21, is the luxury hotel brand’s second property in the city and its seventh in China. Located in Shanghai ifc, the prime real estate in Lujiazui financial trade zone, the hotel and development is the work of architect Cesar Pelli. The 285-room Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong is Shanghai’s ultimate destination for luxury and style, and occupies the top 18 floors of the Shanghai ifc South Tower. Opened in June during the World Expo, the design and style of the hotel is contemporary, with hints of new interpretations of 1930’s Shanghai Art Deco. This gives a great sense of place to the hotel as guest rooms and restaurants embrace magnificent sweeping views over The Bund – the most intact collection of Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world.
With interior designs by Richard Farnell, The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong guest rooms and suites range in size from 50 square meters (500 square feet) to 400 square meters (4,000 square feet), for the palatial Ritz-Carlton Suite and Chairman Suite. There are three floors of Club accommodation, and each club room enjoys access to the hotel’s stunning Club Lounge on the 49th level, which will be open 24 hours a day.
This new hotel will offer a host of exquisite luxury restaurants and a bar with unrivalled views over The Bund and the Shanghai skyline. Restaurants include Aura Lounge and Jazz Bar, Jin Xuan, the fine dining Chinese Restaurant designed by Steve Leung; Scena Italian Restaurant and Flair Rooftop Restaurant and Bar, both designed by the world famous Super Potato. Flair is Shanghai’s highest al fresco dining and wining venue and is destined to be the unique new social centre of Pudong and the city. Featuring more than 2,500 square meters (25,000 square feet) of meeting and conference space on the third level, including a 1,135-square-metre (11,350 square feet) Grand Ballroom, the second largest ballroom among the city’s luxury hotels, The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong can accommodate large and small meetings and gatherings in sumptuous environment with world-class technology and facilities underscored by The Ritz-Carlton legendary service. All meeting space offers floor-to-ceiling windows and natural daylight.
Located on the hotel’s 55th floor, and occupying an area of more than 1,500 square meters (15,000 square feet), The Ritz-Carlton Spa by ESPA features 10 treatment rooms, including nine multi-function treatment rooms and a Harmony Suite where two guests may relax and enjoy treatments together.
A diamond-like façade glittering with the vibrancy of the city, Shanghai ifc mall also boasts opulent interiors framing the most stylish shopping environment and housing hundreds of world-renowned international branded retails.
Interesting attempt by Frank Knight to define luxury hotels. The necessity of them doing it (and they are the guys who sell these properties) shows how out of line the star rating systme has become with the realities of proper 5 star luxury service.
Too many hotels are currently being awarded 5 star status that they deserve neither on facilities offered nor on the quality of service given.
Marriott will open its first branded hotel in Guyana in 2013. The 160-room Georgetown Marriott Hotel is on track to receive LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It is alsoon track to be Marriott’s first LEED hotel in the Caribbean & Latin America. It will operate under a management agreement with Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI). AHI is currently owned by the Government of Guyana (GoG) as part of a public-private partnership between the Government of Guyana and private sector investors. We are thrilled to partner with AHI and the Government of Guyana to open our first Marriott Hotel in the country, representing Marriott’s presence in another Capital city in South America,” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, chief development officer for Marriott International in the Caribbean & Latin America. “This will also be Marriott’s first LEED- hotel in the region, and we are confident that it will play an instrumental role in the continued economic and commercial development of Guyana.”
Speaking on behalf of the Government of Guyana, President Bharrat Jagdeo, said, “Guyana looks forward to a first class branded quality hotel operated by Marriott International. This public-private partnership project will transform the hospitality landscape and can be expected to encourage more travel and tourism development for our nation. The project will be more an integrated entertainment complex ideally located at the corner of the Atlantic Ocean and Demerara River with a casino, night club, restaurant, and boardwalk.”
The hotel’s state-of-the-art architectural and interior design concept will be created by the firm of Urbahn Architects (New York).
Twenty-year hospitality veteran Stephane C. Masson has been named vice president, global procurement for Marriott International, Inc. He will lead a team to manage and deploy, scalable and environmentally responsible procurement initiatives around the world, increase synergies between domestic and international contracts, and advance global supplier diversity. Marriott has a goal to spend 15 percent with minority-, veteran-, LGBT-, and woman-owned businesses. In the past five years, Marriott spent $2.3 billion with diverse suppliers in the U.S. and 14.8 percent ($372 million) last year alone.
“Stephane brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this position,” said John Adams, senior vice president, Global Operations Services, Marriott International, Inc. “We’re confident that he will mirror his international procurement success globally.”
French-born Stephane is expanding his most recent responsibilities as vice president of international procurement where he successfully managed supplier initiatives in the United Kingdom, Dubai, China, Australia and Germany to include Marriott’s global portfolio that spans 70 countries and territories.
The architectural metalwork department at Andy Thornton Ltd has recently completed the installation of a stunning new entrance canopy at The Rubens at the Palace, a Red Carnation Hotel in central London. Located on Buckingham Palace Road, only yards from the palace and just a short walk from Westminster Abbey, the majestic hotel, built in 1911, now has a grand entrance to match its four-star luxury status.The design brief from the hotel group’s Estates Manager Brian Brennan to Alan Soutar of LCE Architects, who worked closely with Andy Thornton on the project, was simply to replace the existing tired and rather incongruous 1960’s structure with a canopy more befitting the period of the building and its fine facade. Mr Brennan had seen a canopy he liked during a trip to Paris and was keen to commission something similar.
The resulting elliptical shaped canopy is manufactured in mild steel and aluminium and features laminated glass panels dropped into a convex metal frame, with a decorative crown and laser-cut gold-leafed name lettering. The structure has been finished in a weather-resistant epoxy powder-coat.
The complete structure was fabricated in the Andy Thornton workshops in West Yorkshire before being dismantled and transported to site for installation. The cantilevered canopy was secured to a concealed beam and hung from two wall-mounted tension rods.
Due to the hotel’s location, the canopy had to be installed with minimal disruption to guests, tourists and traffic. Despite having to work behind a restrictive wooden hoarding, the fixing team managed to install the complete structure within the two-week allocation.
Now that the canopy has been unveiled, the reaction has been incredible. The hotel finally has an entrance to match its aristocratic grandeur and one befitting its perfect location in the heart of London’s tourist attractions.
Exclusive to the RHA is the Bureau Laptop Easy Chair; perfect for a hotel business lounge.High quality easy chair with a built-in 360 degree SWIVEL writing tablet. Comfortable and ideal for working with a laptop or notebook.
(1) Designed to be strong and sturdy, perfect for use in a waiting room or business lounge where you don’t want the chairs to be moved out of position. (2) Feature stitching to sides, back & front seat cushion. (3) Brown leather cover or custom for quantity orders. (4) Walnut laminate tablet, birch ply with edges stained to match the walnut top. Fixed at two points for increased weight support. (5) Choice of tablet shape & finish for quantity orders. (6) Brushed metal base.
Designed & sold exclusively by RHA. Contact RHA for further details or a quote.
RHA have a skilled team of Furniture Designers that can develop your ideas from concept to final product. We have a wealth of manufacturing knowledge & over 18 years experience producing quality bespoke furniture.
More custom made items can be seen by visiting the Custom Furniture directory on RHA’s website.
Despite the volcanic ash cloud shutting down airports across Europe, the German hotel market experienced strong growth in April 2010 as the economy recovered from recession. Driven by a 6.4 percentage point increase in room occupancy and 43.3 per cent increase in average room rate, Dusseldorf experienced Revenue per Avaible Room (RevPAR) growth of 62.5 per cent with Gross Operating Profit per Available Room (GOPPAR) increasing by a staggering 249 per cent.
Similarly, Frankfurt experienced RevPAR growth of 69.2 per cent and GOPPAR increased by 236.7 per cent. According to David Bailey, deputy managing director, TRI Hospitality Consulting “The German hotel market was hit hard by the recession in 2009 and as the economy continues to grow gradually, we are likely to see continued year-on-year increases in performance levels. These increases are, however, from a very low base and it is important to see them in this context”.
The Vienna hotel market, which also experienced significant declines over the course of 2009, recorded a 2.7 percentage point increase in room occupancy and 32.1 per cent increase in average room rate, resulting in a 37.5 per cent increase in RevPAR. According to statistics compiled by the Vienna Tourist Board, the number of Russian and Italian visitors to the city in April increased by almost 40 per cent while there were declines in the number of British and American visitors. GOPPAR for the Vienna hotel market increased significantly by 114.7 per cent.
Whilst the travel disruption across Europe resulted in a decline in RevPAR in several European cities in April, nine out of the 10 markets in our sample experienced growth in the calendar year to April 2010. Zurich was the only market in our sample to experience a marginal decline in RevPAR levels in the calendar year to April 2010 led by a 4.6 per cent decline in the month of April.
However, tight control over costs meant that Zurich hotels experienced an increase of 5.7 per cent in GOPPAR over the period.
For the last four years it seems HotelDesigns has been tipping Poland to be the hot spot for hotel development in Europe. Polish hotel contract suppliers have told us they believe that Poland is still 50% ‘underhoteled’.
Rezidor identified Poland as a prime target for Radisson Blu and Park Inn,Starwood have been developing Polish Westin,Sheraton and W, whilst the announcement below shows that Hilton too are now in the game, along with Vienna International, operators of the Andels Hotel Lodz and many independantsHilton Worldwide has announced the signing of franchise agreements for Doubletree in Warsaw and Lodz, Poland. The announcement marks a significant entry for the Doubletree by Hilton brand into the Polish market and the future arrival of the country’s largest conference hotel in the heart of the capital city.
Modern met medieval with the opening of Hilton Gdansk, a new hotel designed by renowned Polish architect Prof. Stefan Kurlylowicz. The hotel is a striking addition to Gdansk’s old city area and is designed to complement the city’s wealth of historic buildings with its timeless features and use of traditional materials. Hilton Gdansk is the second Hilton hotel in Poland, where the brand has had a presence since 2007 with Hilton Warsaw Hotel and Convention Centre.
The two newly constructed Doubletree hotels hotels will provide business travellers with some of the most extensive hotel conference venues in Poland; with 1,000 square metres of dedicated meeting space at the Doubletree by Hilton, Lodz and more than 3,000 square metres of meeting space at the Doubletree by Hilton, Warsaw Conference Centre and Spa.
The Doubletree Warsaw Conference Centre and Spa will be operated by Polaris Hospitality Enterprises Sp.z.o.o and is expected to open in Q2 2012. The Doubletree by Hilton Lodz will be operated by Film Hotel Sp.z.o.o and is expected to open in Q4 2012.
Welcoming today’s announcement, Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president – development for Hilton Worldwide Europe and Africa, said: “Poland represents a substantial opportunity in the introduction of our portfolio of brands around the world. We have dedicated significant development resources to Poland and I am delighted that we are now introducing Doubletree by Hilton to the market, starting with these two excellent properties.”
Rob Palleschi, global head for Doubletree by Hilton hotels, commented: “Doubletree by Hilton has seen remarkable growth since its European introduction in 2008 and we are proud to continue our development success in Poland. With our current collection of Doubletree by Hilton hotels operating in Europe and 15 additional hotels now under development in the region, the potential for owners and developers of current and new-build hotels to become affiliated with Hilton Worldwide and the Doubletree by Hilton brand has never been greater.”
Doubletree by Hilton Warsaw Conference Centre and Spa will offer 347 bedrooms, two restaurants, two bars, a spa and more than 3,000 square metres of conference facilities. The hotel will be easily reached by both road and air, located just 16 kilometres from Warsaw airport and nearby to a new Warsaw orbital road, which has quick connections to Krakow, Wroclaw and Poznan.
Doubletree by Hilton Lodz will offer 200 bedrooms, a restaurant, two bars, a spa and more than 1,000 square metres of conference facilities. Located in the south western part of Lodz, renowned for being the centre of Poland’s film and media industries, the hotel is only five minutes from the city centre and five kilometres from the airport.
Doubletree by Hilton characteristic qualities include 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 travellers to stay. This can include sponsoring local schools and being active participants in the local community.
Hilton Worldwide has identified Poland as one of its key European growth markets for the rollout of its portfolio of hotel brands. The company currently operates one hotel in the country – the upscale Hilton Warsaw Hotel and Convention Centre – and has a further two full-service Hilton properties in the pipeline to open in Gdansk and Wroclaw, as well as Hilton Garden Inn properties in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Rzeszow and Krakow.
Panaz design studio is proud to introduce the new and exciting velvet flame-retardant upholstery collection “LEGEND”. The collection includes sumptuous, rich velvets in 3 elegant designs: Garland, an exotic palm leaf design, Hepburn, a classical vertical stripe and Monroe, a co-ordinating block design. Legend is a welcome addition to our current portfolio and as the name of the collection and its designs suggest, is evocative of a bygone era that is reinvented incorporating today’s colour and design trends. The colours and designs we have selected provide options for both a classic, more traditional look but at the same time would easily suit a more contemporary setting if desired.
Not only are the designs and colours appealing to the eye, the fabric itself is both functional and reliable and suitable for any contract Hospitality environment.
Despite global economic challenges, hotel developments continue to progress, with 432,000 new rooms injected into global supply by both independent hotels and groups.International hotel supply records a 2.7 per cent growth to reach almost 20m classified rooms.
Much of this growth is fuelled by hotel groups, alone recording an increase of 4.2 per cent. “Although much the world’s hotel growth is a result of projects already launched before the crisis, it is still a positive indication of the commitment, endurance and potential from developers, investors and of course hoteliers. It is also no doubt necessary in order to stimulate economic growth, and then, when recovery is well and truly upon us, sustain it,” states CEO, MKG Group, Georges Panayotis.
Renewed dynamism in mature market-continents is most apparent, with 170,000 new rooms in North America and 138,000 in Europe, an increase of 3.1 per cent and 2.2 per cent, respectively.
Asia-Pacific is somewhat subdued during this particular period, managing 98,000 rooms, a growth of only 1.9 per cent.
Other regions also show development resilience during the global economic challenge, with Latin America registering 63,600 new rooms (+4.8 per cent), Middle East and Africa 52,700 (+4.2 per cent).
“Moderate growth and reduced pipeline developments are anticipated for the coming years however, given the number of cancellations, postponements and of course the difficulties in obtaining financing,” continued Panayotis. “As a result, we can expect greater popularity in hotel franchising, widely considered to be the best way to expand internationally.”
2010’s World Hotel Ranking has remains largely unchanged. Only Hilton Worldwide manages to move into third position with an 8 per cent increase in room supply, pushing out Marriott international.
Hilton’s extensive franchise development programme in the US being the driving factor.
The year’s growth is also marked by consolidations, though more was actually expected. Most notable is Groupe du Louvre (+28.8 per cent) and NH Hoteles (+18.6 per cent), both taking over other groups and expanding their portfolio with Golden Tulip and Hesperia, respectively. Exceptional supply growth also came from Australian-based Mantra Group (+89.2 per cent), 7 Days Group Holdings Limited (+51.8 per cent), Barcelo Hotels (+33.8 per cent) and Merrylin Hotel Management (+23.8 per cent).
The recently opened, architecturally-stunning business, leisure and entertainment destination, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, has chosen Bartech to install automated Minibars in all of its 2,561 rooms and suites.Bartech was selected by Marina Bay Sands to allow operation of its mini-bar department in the most efficient way, ensuring the best service and quality for its guests, and make use of the unique energy saving system that is integrated in the Bartech Software. “Operating Minibars efficiently in 2,561 rooms spread over 3 towers and 55 stories requires the right tool, and Bartech offers that to Marina Bay Sands Management” said Jan Strijker, Managing Director of Bartech Asia Pacific. “We are also extremely proud to take part in this fantastic project in Singapore”.
With Bartech Automatic Mini-bars installed in hotels from 19 to 3,000 rooms in Asia Pacific, hotel operators increasingly recognize the many benefits Bartech has to offer.
The Bartech software automatically posts mini-bar charges to the room folio through an advanced interface with the hotel’s Property Management System resulting in loss reduction and accurate stock control. An automatic refill report provides in-room dining staff with the list of items to be refilled per mini-bar thus limiting the quantity of rooms to be controlled to those where products have been touched or consumed. This tremendously improves operating efficiency and leads to decreased labour costs.
Thanks to the automatic billing of charges, the hotel staff does not have to disturb guests to check whether they have had something from the mini-bar anymore. In case of a dispute, a short-cut further allows the Front desk staff to easily check the status of products inside the mini-bar in real-time resulting in optimal service quality and quicker check-outs.
Among other powerful features that assist in the reduction of operational costs and provides substantial energy savings, the C.E.S.S option (Computerized Energy Saving System) allows the hotel to set up cold production inside mini-bars according to room status (occupied, vacant, under maintenance) and time. All Bartech automatic mini-bars comply with WEEE, RoHS, ISO, CSA, FCC and UL certification requirements.
Already installed in some other large hotel casinos world-wide including Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s Venetian Resort Hotel Macau and the combined Venetian and Palazzo complex in Las Vegas, the Bartech system has a proven ability to manage sites with thousands of rooms with the greatest efficiency.
RJD Interiors Ltd are proud to advise all existing and prospective clients that we continue to be up-to-date with important health and safety regulations.
All staff have recently undertaken the CITB’s Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) as well as an asbestos awareness course and a manual handling course. Daran Jones, Director, said ‘It is extremely important for the safety of our staff and for the other trades we work alongside, that everyone is kept up-to-date with the latest health and safety regulations. You cannot afford to be complacent about health and safety on site, whether it is a new build or a refurbishment project.’RJD Interiors are fit-out specialists of contract bedroom furniture and we have many years experience of working with manufacturers of bedroom furniture of leading hotel brands including Hilton, Radisson, City Inn, Holiday Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Express by Holiday Inn, Ramada Encore and Travelodge. RJD Interiors offers a complete package which includes unload, distribution, fit out and handover of finished rooms.
We also manufacture bespoke joinery for and fit out shops and offices, reception counters and bars, retail premises, student accommodation, hospitals, schools and care homes.
Our professional team takes the headache out of major problems by project managing each contract to deliver quality installations that meet time and cost budgets every time. We keep you updated of progress and work to very high quality levels. Our main role is to uphold your brand values and quality by ensuring all works are high standard. We’re members of the British Contract Furniture Association (BCFA), you’ll find us on page 52 of the 2010 directory.
Cliq Designs is responding to increased demand for curtains with the launch of a comprehensive measure, manufacture and installation service for the hotels industry.The Preston based company has already successfully completed curtain projects for properties including the Scarlet Hotel at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall, the Park Inn Manchester and the Birmingham Marriott.
Cliq is now focusing this capability into a comprehensive offer that includes an on-site measuring service, support for design, fabric sourcing where required, sample and sample room production, manufacturing, and full installation including blinds, voiles and tracks where specified.
Commenting, Cliq managing director Adam Bolton said that the enhanced service was already proving popular with designers, contractors and property owners for both new build and refurbishment projects.
“Cliq Designs is well known for its soft and quilted furnishings for hotel guest rooms, but what’s probably less recognised is that we also possess expertise and experience in curtains for both bedrooms and public areas. We’ve reviewed what clients need in this area of the fit-out and brought together our manufacturing expertise, together with the key skills of measuring and fitting, so that we are now able to offer the market a truly comprehensive service.”
We now offer an affordable video production service through a UK network of over 400 experienced film makers. A professionally produced video of your hotel or company will be streamed directly into your website, or into your page in the Directory if you are registered with us.
Prices for production and promotion start at just £300 for a video montage produced using high resolution photography. Music and a professional voice over can be added too at no additional cost.
If you would prefer to have a video shot on location, we can arrange for a local film maker to visit your hotel or showroom; film products, rooms, customers or staff to showcase your products and services.
We cater for all budgets whether large or small. For full costs, please refer to the table below.
If you already have a video, let us know. A yearly cost of £250 is charged to stream existing video into our website.If you require assistance selecting images for the Showcase or to enquire about the services offered, please do not hesitate to contact Lorraine Cunliffe or Patrick Goff who will be happy to help.Lorraine Cunliffe – Lorraine.cunliffe@hoteldesigns.net Patrick Goff – Patrick.goff@hoteldesigns.net*A yearly renewal cost of £250 is charged for continued streaming into our website.
Slowly re-starting their refurbishment programme after the hardest recession in living memory, Hilton have turned to ODonnell Furniture Makers to provide high quality casegoods at their Bradford and Nottingham properties.ODonnell managing director, Aodh O’Donnell commented that he was especially pleased to renew the Hilton partnership after such a good working relationship at Hilton Metropole.
O’Donnell said: “We hope these projects will show our ability to provide the high quality products, timely professional installation and hassle free project management so important to high occupancy hotel groups such as Hilton.”
In other news, Crown Plaza Shoreditch Hotel in London has also chosen ODonnell to supply their bedroom casegoods.
University of Glamorgan students Aleksandra Rajska and Sara Foster have won recognition in the top three of a prestigious UK-wide design award.The students’ designs for cutting-edge bars were judged by a panel of 15 top Interior Designers and industry professionals against entries from across the UK, as part of the Satelliet-Browns Student Design Challenge. The awards were presented on Wednesday June 16 at an awards ceremony in the BarShow 2010, London.
Aleksandra, whose design for a “Laputa Graffiti Bar” won second place, said: “This competition was a valuable insight into the reality of designing for the commercial hospitality industry, and we were delighted to reach the top three.”
Sara Foster’s “Jonnie’s Bar” design was also placed in the top three, and she added: “I was really overwhelmed that my design was chosen: it has given me more confidence that I can achieve in this profession.”
Course leader Dr Erica Liu said, “Design competition is part of the curriculum of our course BA (Hons) Interior Design, it gives our students opportunity to compete on a national level and gain recognition from the industry. We are thrilled to receive this high profile award and be part of the exciting show in London this year.”
South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, which means its seasons are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere – as upside down as the constellations at night. Thus June, July and August are winter months – and of course the time when many visitors from the Northern Hemisphere arrive. It can be very cold in the Cape – indeed the 2010 World Cup has been described as one of the coldest ever, with snow fall on Table Mountain.
For 12 Apostles the variability of the Cape weather and location on the Atlantic (colder) side of the Cape Peninsula ensures that they are frequently inside a cloud mix of salt spray off the sea and mist off the mountains behind the hotel. The hotel is in a narrow band of fynbos (aromatic herbal scrub) between the 12 Apostle mountain range, after which the hotel is named, and the main coast road around the Cape. Whilst it photographs beautifully from around the bay the hotel is isolated by the main road from the shore line which at this point is high surf and large boulders – indeed the hotel carries relics on its terrace from shipwrecks on the point below the hotel.
The hotel is part of Red Carnation group who also operate the wonderful Bushmans Kloof, and whilst the service and staff are excellent (and probably the reason for those awards) the location here is not a patch on Bushmans, despite being in a reserve. Here Cape wildlife may be caught on hotel CCTV cameras at night but there are no conducted forays into the finebos, the emphasis being on the sybaritic, the quality of the bars and restaurant and an award winning Spa. During the day the proximity of the road means wildlife is rarely seen, so this is an urban hotel in a park setting.
During my visit the hotel was undergoing a refurbishment. I had resisted the temptation of visiting the hotel in previous trips to Cape Town so perhaps I have only myself to blame for such a poor sense of timing which meant they had a temporary kitchen, the bistro was out of action and the builders, whilst well managed and discreet, were still evident. So, rain and builders, not a good combination for any hotel wishing to show off its fine qualities. For 12A, as it is known locally, this was not a problem as staff obviously went out of their way to make sure all guests were as unaware as possible of the changes going on. Only because I am a nosy designer was I able to poke my way into the refurbishment and get a sight of the new rooms as they developed.
The weather? Well this is Cape Town, and there are only supposed to be 60 days a year here when there is no mist or cloud because of the two oceans, Atlantic and Indian, that meet just a few miles away.
So what was the refurbishment like? If the old schemes were voluptuous ‘old English’ style of somewhat decadent luxury,belonging to another age the new are a very contemporary reinterpretation of the seaside hotel, bringing a life and vitality into the buildings the old scheme did not quite achieve. The layout of the hotel helps with refurbishment as it is a collection of connected but independent blocks, allowing refurbishment to be phased a block at a time so guests are not involved. The new schemes bring primary colour stripes to the carpets in the public areas, with signage mixing images of the sea with a tactile quality, a kind of flotsam and jetsam feel, to the images and graphics.
There is a delightful freshness about the corridor schemes that is carried through in the freshness of the bedrooms, with good use of mirror and a baseline green that pulls in the landscape. The whole has a youthful vitality but still has the luxury finishes to be expected. Sophisticated use of upholstered walls carries through into huge upholstered bedheads. The wall coverings are of fabric so there may be a question mark over their longevity, but they bring a sense of luxury sophistication to the rooms. Whilst very different to the same designer’s schemes at Bushmans Kloof, there is a sense of humour at work in both that enlivens the design. The feel that this is a tongue in cheek rework of a seaside hotel, the stripe in the carpet so obviously visually referencing deck chair canvas (consciously or unconsciouly)makes me smile with pleasure.
Lighting is well handled and whilst most of the guests are leisure, there is a substantial desk for those who need to work, as well a comprehensively equipped business centre for those who need printers, fax machines etc.
The bar also carries through the sense of fun seen in the corridors, with its focus on Africa rather than seaside. In common with the Restaurant that sits on a floor below, it has ocean views and a terrace for smokers, although smoking is not yet outlawed in internal spaces in South Africa in the way it is now in Europe.
There is a successful mix of comfort and design, with the sense of humour engaging though the banana leaf wallpaper that works here very successfully. Images are of Africa with an exceptional collection of original drawings and prints of big cats. The bar is large and comfortable as is the rest of the room, and it is here that the likeness comes closest to Bushmans Kloof, the handwriting of the designer being the same.
The whole is almost from another era in the way the barman remembers names, the easy informality yet superb service in a room that is clubbish homely and stylish all at the same time. This is the same successful blend of Africa and Europe, or modern and traditional that makes the other hotels operated by the group so successful. The restaurant is stylish and very popular. Design again is modern and comfortable, considerably expanded in warmer months by the use of the large terrace. Despite being full the area worked well and the room had the bustle and smiles, chatter and absorption in the food that characterises most succesful restaurants.
In the absence of the bistro, food service from a temporary kitchen into the restaurant and the bar areas was terrific,and the food quality excellent, approved of by another SA hotel manager with whom we dined.
Many Cape-tonians know 12A well, using its very popular Spa, but it also has a small cinema which is used for previews and small business presentations. In addition there is a marquee style funtion suite. Twelve Apostles is one of the pre-eminent Spas in Cape Town, winning many awards. The spa is almost carved out of the living rock under the hotel itself. There is an external pool with ocean views but there are also pools within the spa itself.
Treatment rooms are neatly designed and there are also treatment rooms in the fynbos outside, mimicking the installations at Busmans Kloof. In the summer these could be opened up to the sound of the surf beyond the road. Excavating the living rock must have been an enormous challenge. There are two entrances to the Spa, one from the hotel and the other from adjacent to the Reception entrance, with its own reception desk and lounge area. The route into the Spa from its own front reception is over an underlit glass bridge, a device that is used elsewhere to introduce more light into the grotto of the interior.
This leaves a guest coming through from the hotel slightly undecided as to where to go on arrival although staff are usually on hand to greet new arrivals. Carving out the spaces has obviously resulted in some compromises as space is very limited. The spa is stylish and the treatments are expert, but there are areas of constriction. The relaxation zone is small and the male changing facilities are almost a vestigial afterthought.
The popularity of spa treatments with men (apparently more men then women use them in many countries now) may well have changed the user profile for many spa operators. Here male changing would struggle with more than two guests at a time. Visiting during refurbishment showed how well the hotel is being updated with a fresh stylish contemporary interior. The corridors are hugely improved, whilst the styling of the bar and restaurant is timeless. The new bedrooms will be welcomed as a change from the somewhat old fashioned, stuffy, schemes that they replace.
On a future visit of Cape Town I will have a look at their new bistro. The award winning Chef (his underchef is now chef at the Cape Grace in Cape Town)proudly showed me his new kitchens, not quite ready to be brought into service on my visit but no doubt being worked hard by the time you read this. With a refurbished Cape Grace, the new One & Only Cape Town, and other new Cape Town hotels under way including a Missoni, competition for the 12A is increasing. Its popularity with local clientele and its views along the coast will give it an edge.
Its biggest asset though is its operator, Red Carnation. With Bushmans Kloof its country cousin now recognised globally as one of the world’s great hotels,and the reopening of the refurbished Oyster Box in Umhlanga the ability to offer the leisure traveller a number and choice of destinations will continue to help this hotel remain full.
Thompson Hotels has announced its transatlantic expansion with the planned addition of a London hotel, Belgraves, to its portfolio.In a joint venture with The Harilela Group, Belgraves is scheduled to open in summer 2011 in London’s Belgravia featuring interior architecture and design by British designer Tara Bernerd and architectural design by EPR Architects.
The 85-room hotel will include an 80-seat signature restaurant, an intimate library bar and a fitness center, offering a seductive oasis in the heart of Central London.
The chic and eclectic lobby is hoped to become a second home for both hotel guests and London’s glitterati alike.
Blending traditional British hospitality with an American bohemian attitude, Belgraves will interpret the Thompson luxury experience in London. Thompson see a revival of ‘cool Brittania’ in an on-going creative movement in design, dining and art that is currently enhancing London’s status as a leading destination and resort city.
Belgraves will focus on privacy, personalized amenities and thoughtful design. Working closely with Tara Bernerd, Thompson Hotels has set out to create a luxurious home away from home in Belgravia, just minutes from London’s renowned shops, sights and the bustle of Sloane Square and the Kings Road.
Fabric house JAB International Furnishings Ltd is delighted to announce the take-over of the exclusive distribution of Alcantara® branded materials in the UK and Ireland from May 2010.Since 1972 the Alcantara® brand has stood for unique and easycare material; synonymous with timeless elegance and beauty with a fascinating sensory appeal and recognised brand values. The particularly smooth and soft touch of this unique material means its appeal is far reaching and includes the most distinguished furnishing fields, such as the car industry and fashion.
The collaboration between these two renowned brands will see a new and fascinating Alcantara® collection offering 73 modern colours. The new collection book will also include a flame retardant offering and upon request, this is also available in all 73 colours. All Alcantara® collection books available on the market continue for the time being.
JAB is one of the world’s leading fabric houses offering stylish, premium fabrics for discerning clients. The innovative company is renowned for providing the very best furnishing and decoration fabrics, wall coverings, curtain rails and carpets and has representation in over 80 countries across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australasia.
Travelodge has announced recently it is resigning from the British Hospitality Association (BHA). In preparation of his new role as Chief Executive, on the 1st July 2010, Guy Parsons, Travelodge’s current MD, has undertaken a company review and has decided to resign from the BHA. Guy Parsons said: “The BHA is a traditional body which represents the full hospitality sector from B&B’s to large corporate organisations. We see an opportunity to transform the hotel industry in the UK, and believe that we can do this best by representing ourselves rather than lobbying via the BHA.”
“We have a strong in-house PR team and over the last couple of years we have championed a number of successful campaigns as diverse as ‘Say no to Bed Tax’ to the ’Save our Seaside’ campaign (which focussed on the need to revitalise costal economies). More recently we organised an industry wide coalition that called on the Mayor of London not to introduce his proposed hotel development tax.
“We have an aggressive growth plan in place, which will more than double the size of Travelodge hotels over the next ten years. We plan to do this by building new hotels and purchase existing struggling hotels and turning them into Travelodge properties. I think it’s entirely inappropriate that we should be part of the BHA at a time when we could be acquiring other members’ businesses.”
“The BHA has a role to play in representing the hospitality sector but we believe that our interests are now better served outside the organisation. We are an industry that punches below our weight. Therefore we will continue to work with other leading businesses within the industry, to ensure that the Government truly understands the tax and regulation barriers our sector faces.
The new Marriott Hotel Lingfield Park sits within Lingfield Park Racecourse in 450 acres of beautiful Surrey countryside.
The hotel provides 116 luxurious bedrooms, which have been designed to take advantage of the stunning views across Lingfield Park Racecourse and Golf course. Other facilities available to guests include an 18 hole golf course, health and leisure club, the Cyprium Bar and Grill and a selection of conference and banqueting suites.
The hotel has been integrated with the existing racecourse amenities which includes function rooms for hire with separate tote facilities, grandstand extension and external terraces. The built form addresses the key views and relationship with the adjoining racecourse and golf course and offers an attractive mix and proportion of glass, brick, feature concrete and copper. Balconies and terraces to key areas enable a flexible use of spaces as well as encourage activity to inner and outer environments.
The interior design of the hotel follows a Marriott driven theme but compliments with ancillary areas outside the brand such as leisure and health club and golfing lounge.
CHI Hotels and Resorts (CHI) announced the signing of a 20-year management agreement with Italian companies ‘Off Side srl’ and ‘Sicilia Golf Resort srl’ (both acting on the advice of CBRE Hotels Italy), for the operation of two upscale golf resort hotels in Taormina and Catania on the Island of Sicily, Italy. The two resorts, currently under construction and scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2012, are the Corinthia Taormina Golf Resort and the Wyndham Catania Golf Resort. Situated on a 616,000 sq meter tract of land in the picturesque Alcantara national park and canyon, within the popular Giardini Naxos area of Taormina, the five-star Corinthia Taormina Golf Resort will feature 130 bedrooms and suites and 158 fully serviced residential units on four floors, overlooking an international 18-hole golf course and club house. The hotel is ideal for both leisure and corporate travellers and will feature two restaurants, three bars including a juice bar, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a health club and spa and six meeting rooms. The hotel also has parking for 350 cars and is located 1.5 km from the popular Taormina beaches, 35 km from Catania international airport and about the same distance to the city of Messina.
The Sicilia Golf Resort srl owned five-star Wyndham Catania Golf Resort, with a massive footprint of over 879,000 sq meters, is in the municipality of Carlentini, between the city of Catania and the UNESCO designated World Heritage city of Syracuse. The hotel will have 192 bedrooms and suites and 224 fully serviced residential units on three floors overlooking an international 18-hole golf course. This hotel also is ideal for business and leisure travellers and its facilities include two restaurants, three bars, a health club and spa, sauna, Jacuzzi and exercise room, indoor and outdoor pools, gift shop, a golf club house and pro shop, a ballroom and two meeting rooms. It is only 8 km away from Catania international airport and 40 km from the city of Syracuse.
Kurt Ritter and I are about the same age. In 1980, when I became head of Art & Design at a London College, he was appointed the general manager of at the SAS Kuwait hotel, the first overseas property of SAS International Hotels. SAS International was formed by the then Scandinavian Airline System backed by the governments of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In 1984 Kurt Ritter became the Vice President Middle East for SIH in Singapore as I left teaching to become a hotel designer. As we aged our paths remained parallel, but they were eventually to cross, and I have come to admire and rate him, with Olga Polizzi and Barry Sternlicht, as one of the most important and influential industry figures. In 1989, when I was part of a team designing new hotels for Shire Hotels, Kurt Ritter was being appointed the President and CEO of SAS. The group was then not really on my radar, but Ritter was going to change all that.
In 1994, as Britain struggled with the aftermath of the stupidity of the Major government’s failed attempts to link sterling value to the new Euro, Ritter took the significant step of signing SIH’s then 20 hotels into a Master Franchise with Carlson, creating Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, adding the EMEA rights to Park Inn, Country Inn and Regent in 2002. In 2002 HotelDesigns was born as I left the practice of design to write about hotels full time, and to follow Ritter’s career with increasing interest and admiration.
I first met Mr. Ritter at the opening of the Radisson SAS (now Radisson Blu) in Krakow, Poland, in late 2003. The hotel was one of the first new builds in Krakow, and one of the first four star hotels too. At that time travel in Central Europe just over ten years after the collapse of the ‘Evil Empire’, as Ronald Regan called the communist system, was still a little bit of an adventure. However Ritter very early on saw the potential in Central Europe. Countries including the old East Germany (reunification in 1990) Poland (Third Polish Republic 1989) Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and recently Russia and Romania have become the focus of the expansion of the hotels.
A One and Only resort is set to open in the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai in October.The hotel is to feature 47 premiere rooms, 18 doubles, one handicapped, 18 junior suites, eight executive suites and a grand palm suite.
The Grand Palm Suite is the largest room at 270sqm. There will also be 11 suites with pools and four beach villas that have two to three bedrooms.
The hotel will feature three restaurants as well as a lobby bar and lounge. The meeting and events facilities include a multi-function meeting room with an open air terrace that can cater for 50 to 100 guests.
The spa at the One and Only will include six treatment rooms, two couple suites and a lap pool. The hotel will also have a gym, juice bar, tennis court, one large pool, day beds and six private fully air conditioned cabanas.
Allen Pavitt Contracts, manufacturers of high quality banqueting furniture since 1987 has recently introduced a new range of outdoor furniture for cafés, bars and restaurants.All products can be made to order with a choice of frame finish and a vast selection of fabrics.
Please visit Allen Pavitt Contracts in the Directory to request information on how they can use your selected fabric to upholster furniture of your choice.
CS Contract Furniture supplied a selection of design-led furniture products for the refurbished hospitality suites at Worcester Warriors Rugby Club. CS products were specified to provide comfortable and smart seating for the hospitality areas. The Bremen chair was upholstered with a navy faux leather to complement the Worcester Warriors logo. A range of table designs were supplied with some bespoke elements to meet the specific needs of the club.
Neville Thomas, Hospitality Manager at Worcester Warriors commented: “The team at CS Contract Furniture offered first class service from the beginning and the after sales service has been outstanding. The quality of furniture provided has been exceptional and I would not hesitate in using CS Contract Furniture for future projects.”
Worcester Warriors provided permission to CS Contract Furniture to use images in Marketing communications.
The EVOline® range from Schulte & Loughborough now includes in addition to some well established mountings the secure stainless steel supports that also enable the integration of an iPod connection.The picture (right) shows the Schulte EVOline® Dock mounted within an international hotel where visitors and guests from around the world need easily accessible European, USA and Far East sockets, and multimedia connections, in one place.
The 230 v~ supply passes through the stainless supports with a copper transformer supplying the protected USA 110 v~ socket, with data cables routed neatly too.
The EVOline® Dock enables easy access to all connections in one place without having cables snaking over the table.
At the same time iPod charging and playing is possible through the room or in-built speakers.
The finish can be varied to suit the décor with silver, all black, polished chrome or stainless steel finish.
Whitbread PLC, a UK hotel and restaurant company, has announced that it is going to roll out an innovative food waste recycling scheme to over 300 of its hotels and restaurants during 2010 – saving over 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions this year alone. Whitbread will be using anaerobic digestion, a method which sees waste materials broken down by microorganisms, which is then transformed into green electricity and biofertiliser for local crops. This is widely recognised as one of the best methods for the sustainable management of food waste and has a dramatic impact in reducing greenhouse gases and carbon emissions.
The waste from Premier Inn, Beefeater Grill, Brewers Fayre, Table Table and Taybarns sites will be picked up, processed and then used to create renewable energy instead of going to landfill, preventing over 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions entering the atmosphere every year – equivalent to taking 750 cars off the road.
Alexandra Glenn, Waste & Recycling Procurement Manager for Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants said: ‘Whitbread are leading the hospitality industry’s drive towards improving sustainable performance. One of our key targets is to achieve 80% of waste diverted from landfill from our hotels and restaurants by February 2012 and this will help us achieve that target with ease.’
Carlson, and its European management company Rezidor Hotel Group AB confirmed that the acquisition of the Regent luxury hotel business by Formosa International Hotels Corporation (FIHC) has been completed. The companies announced on April 16 that they had signed a Master Purchase AgreementFormosa International Hotels were the original developers of the Regent brand. Compared to the development of other brands by Rezidor, this 5 star brand has failed to be developed under the ownership of Rezidor and Carlson, with roughly one opening every two years – compared to the European growth in the Park Inn brand, a snails pace.
The brand development may receive new impetus from the original developers of the brand, but the existing management remains in place as Rezidor retains management contracts for the European properties.
Stylematters has launched a new area on its website, called Hotel Elements, which allows visitors to showcase its hotel fit out design and furniture service across all the ranges of hotels.Web users can browse through the company’s hotel furniture and products, which are design led and manufactured to a high quality for the contract market.
Stylematters’ furniture is also divided up into four sections, to give examples of ways in which the company’s designs have been used in hotels around the world. These sections include lodge, three and four star, five star and boutique, allowing the visitor to really get a feel for the products.
Stylematters has a wide range of furniture that is perfect for any setting within a hotel. Some of the areas Stylematters specialises in include bar and restaurant, bedrooms and receptions, to name but a few.
Guests to the website are able to click on an image of an item of furniture which appeals to them. They will then be taken to another page where the item’s details are listed. These details include an overview of the design and materials used, as well as the dimensions of the item.
With the images to show the examples of Stylematters’ furniture used in hotels around the world, it is easy to picture what your favourite item of Stylematters’ furniture might look like in a hotel environment.
The convenience of having Stylematters’ furniture at your fingertips is enhanced with the sub-lists provided under the hotel products section. This section divides the Stylematters’ range into different areas including arm chairs, bar stools, bathrooms, lighting, lounge chairs, mirrors and accessories, pouffes and footstools, shelves, side chairs, sofas, tables and tub chairs.
Whatever hotel furniture you need, you are sure to find it on the new Stylematters’ Hotel Elements page!
Hilton Worldwide has revealed that it has signed management agreement with Jenan Real Estate Company to introduce the first Hilton branded property in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The 400-room Hilton Al Khobar Hotel & Residence, scheduled to open in Q4 2013.Hilton Worldwide is partnering with Jenan Real Estate Company, experts in real estate and community development in the Eastern Province, on the new-build 400-room hotel and residence.
The new property will be part of an upscale mixed-use development with a range of facilities including a hotel, residential towers, a retail mall and an office building. Construction is scheduled to start in March 2011.
The Hilton Al Khobar Hotel & Residence high rise complex is composed of 250 guest rooms and suites, together with 150 serviced apartments.
The property will feature two speciality restaurants and one all-day dining outlet, in addition to an executive lounge and a pool outlet.
Meetings facilities will include nine meeting rooms, a function room and a ballroom. The hotel and residence will also be equipped with a business centre, health club, spa and an outdoor pool.
Al Khobar is located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the heart of the Kingdom’s petro-chemical industry and consequently, one of the largest markets for hotel and serviced apartment units.
Its large resident expatriate population has transformed the city into a commercial hub. In addition to corporate business, Al Khobar’s waterfront location also attracts a large number of domestic tourists who consider the city’s family beaches an ideal vacation spot.
Hilton Worldwide has an existing footprint of six properties in Saudi Arabia – Jeddah Hilton, Makkah Hilton & Towers, Madinah Hilton, Qasr Al Sharq Waldorf Astoria Collection and Hilton Garden Inn Riyadh Olaya.
A further three properties are under development; Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residence (Q4 2013), Doubletree by Hilton, Al Khobar (Q4 2012) and Hilton Garden Inn Riyadh Al Muroj (Q3 2011).
Located in the heart of Stockholm’s central business district, the 465 room Sheraton Stockholm Hotel is surrounded by stunning views of Lake Mälaren, the City Hall where the annual Nobel Prize ceremony is held, and the Old Town. The Sheraton Stockholm Hotel boasts a lavish Scandinavian design with warm, neutral colours and wooden accents. Baulmann Leuchten provided luminaires simple in design to complement the style of the interiors whilst providing a functional and mood enhancing ambiance using the latest LED lighting technology.
ODonnell Furniture Makers is proud to introduce Eddie McMillan and Chris Rogers to their team.Both Eddie and Chris have extensive experience in UK, Europe and worldwide so will be able to assist in putting together packages that meet all aspects of quality, design and budget.
Commenting on their addition to the sales team, Aodh O’Donnell said: “Having experienced people working at a local level is essential to us providing the best possible service. Eddie and Chris have been involved in some of the most prestigious hotel projects worldwide so we hope their experience is called on and used as a resource by designers and hotel operators alike.”
TeleAdapt, the global supplier of connectivity products to the hotel industry, is delighted to announce that their MediaHub HD guest connectivity panel is now a part of iBAHN’s iSUITE, a new product demonstration facility located at their EMEA headquarters in Reading, United Kingdom. Hoteliers can now visit iSUITE to personally experience the easy-to-use plug & play personalized media options and wireless music streaming that MediaHub HD adds to guest in-room entertainment.
TeleAdapt’s MediaHub HD gives hotel guests a means to enjoy their personal music playlists, movie rentals and downloads, video games and photo slideshows on the in-room flat panel TV.
iBAHN decided to integrate MediaHub HD’s plug & play connectivity into their interactive TV programming to make it intuitive for the guest to use, with easy to follow on-screen guest instructions for plugging their portable electronics in to the panel.
EMEA, iBAHN, managing director, Graeme Powell said: “iSUITE has been designed to allow our customers to experience at first hand the best possible in-room sensation based on our implementation of IP technologies, applications and services.”
“We included the TeleAdapt MediaHub HD to add the flexibility for guests to enjoy their own content as well as the digital entertainment provided by the hotel.”
iBAHN has engineered the back-end functionality of their digital content system to communicate with MediaHub HD, resulting in a dummy-proof experience for the guest – simply plug in an iPod, laptop or other portable device and the iBAHN system will automatically switch the TV display from the interactive system to the personal device content; unplug to return to TV mode. This auto-switching plug & play feature is also on display in iSUITE.
Furthermore, iBAHN simplified MediaHub HD’s Bluetooth® wireless music streaming amenity. Simple on-screen step-by-step pairing instructions make it easy for guests to play music playlists from their iPods, iPhones or other MP3-playing smartphones without using a cable or dock.
Hoteliers visiting iSUITE can experience wireless music streaming, and the freedom of controlling their playlists from anywhere in the guestroom.
IHG has opened a new Staybridge Suites in Oklahoma City, located on the Meridian Avenue corridor just a short distance from Will Rogers International Airport, downtown Oklahoma City and Dell’s Oklahoma City Campus. The Staybridge Suites Oklahoma City Airport features more than 500sqm of meeting space that can seat 60 people, as well as access to a public walkway along the Oklahoma River.
The hotel is two miles from the White Water Bay Water Park and six miles from the Bricktown Entertainment District, which features many restaurants, nightclubs, sporting facilities, shops and other attractions.
The four-story property features three suite options (deluxe studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom/two-bath). All suites include in-room DVD/CD players; work stations with ergonomic seating; speaker phones, personal voice mail and complimentary local phone calls; and fully equipped kitchens.
Consistent with the Staybridge Suites brand, the new property offers exceptional guest amenities including a deluxe complimentary daily breakfast buffet featuring Wolfgang Puck coffee; complimentary guest laundry and workout facilities; a complimentary 24-hour business services center; a guest library with books and games; and BridgeMart, the hotel’s 24-hour convenience store stocked with snacks, sundries, beverages and easy-to-prepare meals.
Guests can enjoy the hotel’s indoor pool, sport court, complimentary parking, and the brand’s new Outdoor Living Room, featuring a place where guests can relax and interact in comfortable outdoor courtyard surroundings.
Hillswood Furniture knows that research and innovation becomes a strategic factor.The very latest Charme reinterprets traditional style with fresh design.
This stunning additions to Hillswood’s collection was launched at the Milan International Furniture Fair and has already attracted keen interest from some of industry’s top designers and hoteliers.
Baulmann Leuchten, as a trendsetter in the market of LED lighting products, has recently introduced a new family of LED reading lights on the exhibition “Light & Building 2010” in Frankfurt, Germany. This new family comes up in two different designs with a “horizontal version” and a “vertical version”. Each version has a floorlamp and a tablelamp in a brushed stainless steel finish.
These floor- and tablelamps are acompanied by an adjustable wall-mounted version. For the future a pendant-luminaire in the same design is already under development.
These LED reading lights are equipped with the latest LED technology, using a special “flood-light LED” with an excellent colour rendering and a warmwhite colour temperature.
The floorlamp is using 1 x 3W LED while the table-lamp has 2 x 3W LED to provide a sufficient illumination for a writing desk.
Celtic Haven in Lydstep, Wales, owned by the former chairman of the Welsh Tourist Board, is for sale through Knight Frank’s hotels and leisure team. The resort, located on the 12th century cliff top estate of Lord St. David, comprises 26 cottages of varying sizes set in a village style layout. The cottages, which range from one to six bedrooms, can accommodate 145 adult guests and 26 junior guests and all benefit from unrestricted residential use.
The resort has a 60 cover cliff top restaurant bar, a beautifully refurbished state of the art ‘Premier’ spa with seven treatment rooms and a leisure club with a nine hole golf course, tennis courts, a fitness suite and an indoor pool. The property is set in 30 acres with private beach access and each cottage has a garden, outdoor seating and parking space.
Located in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, only three miles from the popular holiday destination of Tenby and overlooking Caldey Island, the resort has been developed to the highest standard by the current owners, creating a superb business. The cliff top position is ideally located to provide easy access to much of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
The current owner of the property, Mr Philip Evans CBE, is selling due to his imminent retirement from the tourism industry, where he has been an influential figure, particularly within the Welsh Tourist Board, where he acted as chairman for six years and also as a board member of Visit Britain.
Andrew Theobold, partner, hotels and leisure – Winchester, Knight Frank, said: “The sale of Celtic Haven offers an investor or operator a unique opportunity to acquire one of the leading holiday cottage resorts in the UK. No expense has been spared in developing the resort to such high standards and the owners have sensibly left plenty of future scope for developing and enhancing the prospects for a further substantial additional return on capital.”
Philip Evans CBE, said: “After 35 years in the tourism business we decided to create a truly iconic cottage resort. We were so lucky to have found the cliff top location within the National Park and the tradesmen capable of working with historic buildings. The venture was a great ambition which took nearly ten years of constant innovation and development to create a really unique resort. ”
The Coronation Hotel, 59 Nevern Square, London SW5, has been bought from a private vendor by Richard Breen for £2.45m through Knight Frank hotels team.The Coronation hotel is a freehold property which borders the communal gardens of Nevern Square and comprises 23 bedrooms.
The purchaser, Richard Breen of Benit Hotels and also Chairman of 11 London Jackson-Stops & Staff residential offices, has bought his fourth hotel in three years as he grows his London portfolio. Richard’s expansion plans are ongoing and his focus is to continue to grow his portfolio of central London hotels.
Despite uncertain political and economic conditions Richard Breen has moved quickly to acquire his fourth London townhouse hotel which completes in May of this year.
The Coronation hotel on Nevern Square in Earl’s Court was the latest addition to his existing group which includes the Castelton hotel in Paddington, the Avalon hotel in Bloomsbury and the Trebovir hotel in Earls Court. In each instance the properties have been extensively refurbished after purchase and significant additional expenditure has been made to reinstate these period properties into desirable and modernised boutique hotels.
Knight Frank, Alex Sturges said: ”We have had the good fortune of working with Richard on two of his latest hotel purchases. In each instance Richard has performed quickly and despite a difficult lending environment has put his financial package together comprehensively. His refurbishments are impressive, the operations are efficiently run and we hope be there on his next acquisition.”
IHG has opened Candlewood Suites San Antonio Northwest, the first midscale extended-stay property in the growing Northwest San Antonio area.The opening of the new property, located at Braun Road and Texas Highway 1604, midway between SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, reflects Candlewood Suites’ commitment to growing its Texas portfolio to 50 properties, with more than 30 expected to open in the next two years.
In addition to being close to major tourist attractions, the new four-story, 81-room Candlewood Suites San Antonio Northwest is conveniently located near Lackland Air Force Base and the South Texas Medical Center.
It is also close to several corporate offices and new Kohl’s call center.
The new Candlewood Suites features an outdoor pool, a business center, a pet-walking trail, and a gazebo with a barbecue grill.
Guests can take advantage of the just-like-home amenities available at all Candlewood Suites hotels, including complimentary high-speed Internet access, free local phone calls, free on-site guest laundry and a 24-hour fitness center. Guests can also enjoy the convenience of the Candlewood Cupboard®, where a variety of beverages, breakfast items, snacks, frozen entrees and sundries are available for purchase on the honor system at any time along with complimentary Juan Valdez freshly brewed coffee.
Additionally, guests can visit the free Lending Library, where movies and music are available for use in guestrooms, which all feature a DVD and CD player.
All Candlewood Suites hotels feature a combination of studio or one-bedroom suite floor plans with a full kitchen, comfortable recliner, large workspace with desk chair and overhead lighting.
The Candlewood Suites San Antonio Northwest is owned by NJS Properties, LLC, and managed by Jaysons LTD under a licensing agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.
Carlson Hotels has announced its first Radisson Blu hotel in Asia Pacific. Located in the Philippines, Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu is estimated to open in September 2010. Carlson Hotels plans to grow the global Radisson brand portfolio from 422 hotels at the end of 2009 to at least 600 hotels by 2015.
Radisson’s growth plans follow a tiered strategy with a combination of its upscale Radisson and upper-upscale Radisson Blu brands. Both share the same contemporary brand essence, style and many of the service concepts. Radisson Blu features flagship properties in prime locations and in major cities, airport gateways and leisure destinations around the world.
Located in Cebu’s premier information technology hub, the 400-room Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, owned by SM Investments Corporation, will be positioned as the city’s leading international upper upscale hotel designed to will be targeted towards both the business and leisure traveller.
Premier Inn has begun building its first hotel in Abu Dhabi – its fourth hotel in the United Arab Emirates. This expansion comes as research suggests that three in five business travellers in the UAE expect their travel budgets to increase this year.
The new hotel is being developed at a location within ADNEC’s Capital Centre – a mixed-use development of 23 residential, commercial and mixed-use towers adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre – with an investment of AED120m.
It will open in September 2011 with 242 rooms.
Premier Inn Middle East, managing director, Darroch Crawford said: “We are delighted to be expanding into Abu Dhabi and have secured a prime plot in Capital Centre. Capital Centre’s excellent infrastructure and proximity to Abu Dhabi’s superb new events facility makes it an ideal location for Premier Inn.”
All rooms in the new hotel feature en-suite bathroom and can accommodate a family of four.
The hotel will also offer a contemporary restaurant (Bedouinns), a bar (The Retreat), and a Costa Coffee outlet. A sundeck will feature a swimming pool and whirlpool spa.
Premier Inn already has three other hotels in the UAE, at Dubai Investments Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai International Airport.
Palmerston Hotels and Resorts has confirmed their latest long term Management Contract for their first project in Sardinia, Italy.The Palmerston Santa Teresa Golf Resort & Spa, neighbouring the world famous Emerald Coast and close to the beautiful Maddalena islands, is a 45 minutes drive from Olbia international airport or a six minutes helicopter ride to the resort’s private helipad.
Set among 220 hectares of landscape, this deluxe secluded resort comprises a five star boutique hotel, an exclusive 18 hole golf course, a deluxe Spa, leisure facilities and luxury villas and residences.
Palmerston, chairman, Dieter Klostermann said: “The ambiance of the resort will authentically reflect the local architecture which will be sympathetic to the typography of the landscape and genuinely reflect the Sardinian lifestyle where outdoor living is as important as the indoors.”
The planning phase has been completed and outline construction permits obtained. The first construction phase, including the Hotel, golf course and villas is due to begin in late 2010. The Resort is due for completion in 2013.
In addition Palmerston have recently launched its new prestigious mixed use development concept – Palmerston Club & Residences.
Palmerston are currently in advanced negotiations for suitable sites in London, Hamburg, Geneva, Moscow and Seoul, Korea.
Monk Furniture has launched Oxford, adding new material to its portfolio, which is part of the Egger MFC range.Following considerable investment in new technology and equipment Monk now has the ideal facilities to bring this material fully into the portfolio.
Designed and created specifically with the hotel and accommodation sector in mind, Oxford offers total flexibility and choice for any scheme with a variety of options for every piece in the range, yet offers sensitive pricing for these budget conscious times.
The range offers durability, along with easy care and maintenance, yet continues to offer the high standard of manufacturing and detail associated with Monk Furniture UK Ltd. Available in two standard colours Walnut and Oak, Oxford is the first range from Monk to have a banded pricing structure to provide for every quantity option.
For schemes of 30 or more individual products customers can choose their own colour from the huge selection in the Egger MFC range.
The leader of the Council, Councillor Simon Tagg and the Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Councillor Ann Heames officially opened Travelodge’s first hotel in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre yesterday.The £3 million, 82-room budget hotel which is located on Lower Street has created 20 new jobs within the community.
To mark the opening of Newcastle-under-Lyme first Travelodge, the hotel chain commissioned 15 budding artists from Wolstaton High School to design and create artwork to highlight the town’s famous landmarks.
At the hotel’s official opening, the Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Councillor Ann Heames and Patrick Gossage, Newcastle-under-Lyme Central Travelodge Hotel Manager judged the 15 entries and selected their top five wining designs.
Hotel manager, Patrick Gossage said: “I am very proud to be given the opportunity to manage Travelodge’s first hotel in Newcastle-under-Lyme. There has been a desperate need for branded budget accommodation in the town centre for a while.”
The Travelodge features the contemporary room design from the budget chain. To aide a good nights sleep, each room offers a luxury king size bed, with mood lighting. The room also has en-suite facilities, a flat screen TV with 18 free digital channels, Wifi and free tea / coffee making facilities.
Holiday Inn Palm Springs has become one of seven lodging properties in Palm Springs, California to receive the Green Eco-Leaf Rating.Currently seven hotels in Palm Springs have been rated environmentally friendly, and Holiday Inn Palm Springs is one of seven lodging properties to complete the comprehensive environmental audit administered by iStayGreen.org. The property earned two Green Eco-Leafs, which is a ‘Good’ rating.
All Green Eco-Leaf Rated properties are committed to environmentally friendly initiatives. iStayGreen.org, founder Richard Varner said: “Simple changes helped Holiday Inn Palm Springs earn their 2 Green Eco-Leaf Rating and become one of 7 lodging properties rated. It’s great to see they’re intent on insuring a more sustainable future in travel.”
To insure a more sustainable future some of the eco-initiatives put in-place at the property include low energy lighting initiatives are in-place, sheets reuse option for multiple night stays, towels reuse option for multiple night stays, eco-initiatives are actively promoted to the public, water conservation initiatives are in-place, water conserving devices are installed when replacing old fixtures, reusable food and beverage service is used in lieu of disposable service items, and more.
Hotels in Palm Springs are becoming progressively greener. In addition to the Holiday Inn Palm Springs, the other seven lodging properties awarded are Holiday Inn Palm Springs, Renaissance Palm Springs, Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs, 7 Springs Inn and Suites, Best Western Inn at Palm Springs, Travelodge Palm Springs E Palm and Desert Vacation Villas.
Frank Hudson, the furniture maker, has opened a brand new store in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK.The new showroom has a wide range of furniture including items suited to both small projects and one off rooms.
The shop has end of line or returns of exclusive ranges for major high street retailers.
There are major savings to be had at the store, with up to 70 per cent off bedroom, dining and occasional pieces.
The stock moves very quickly and is continually replenished.
Frank Hudson invites everyone to visit to see how the company can help with projects.
The showroom was completely refurbished and extended. It features 13 different collections, which are on display and fully dressed with fabrics.
Indigo Art are now on Facebook and Twitter and would like fans to follow them.On Facebook, Indigo Art would like customers to share opinions, have conversations and build relationships.
On Twitter, the company is keen to gather followers who will discuss art. It also hopes to spread the word about talented artists.
To follow Indigo Art, click here or click here for Twitter.
The new Wow range from Stylematters can be used as either a stool to sit on or as a storage space, or both.The Wow 470 & 472 can be used as a table, low stool and once turned upside down a storage unit.
The Wow full range comes in different sizes and modern funky colours and some of the stools are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
The Wow 486 is also available illuminated, using LED plug in lights.
The Rezidor Hotel Groupis to open another hotel in Russia, the Park Inn Voronezh.The property featuring 164 rooms is scheduled to open its doors in 2013.
Rezidor, president and CEO, Kurt Ritter saidL “With this signing, we have reached the impressive number of 15,000 rooms in operation and under development in Russia/CIS and the Baltics, and are able to strengthen our pole position.”
Ritter continued: “I’m also delighted to see our young and dynamic mid-market brand Park Inn growing further. The brand’s pipeline now comprises 93 hotels with more than 17,200 rooms in operation – and further 51 hotels with a total of 9,000 rooms under development.”
Besides 164 modern guest rooms, the Park Inn Voronezh will offer an all-day-dining restaurant, a lobby lounge, a fitness room, meeting rooms and private parking.
The location of the building is within the city centre, and near the sports stadium and the main train station.
The hotel forms part of the strategic development agreement between Rezidor and the Russia-based Regional Hotel Chain LLC (RHC).
The agreement comprises 20 future Park Inn properties spread across major cities in Russia. The firm list of development includes 10 confirmed locations, and another 10 sites have been earmarked as potential future locations.
Wyndham Worldwide has announced that its Wyndham Hotel Group business unit has agreed to acquire the Tryp hotel brand from Sol Meliá Hotels and Resorts. In addition, Wyndham will enter into a license agreement with the current 91 Tryp hotels located throughout Europe and South America that will continue to be owned, operated, managed or licensed by Sol Meliá.
Wyndham Hotel Group and Sol Meliá will form a strategic alliance to work together to develop the Tryp brand globally and market the hotels cooperatively through their central reservations systems and loyalty programs.
The brand, expected to be renamed Tryp by Wyndham, is a select-service, midmarket brand representing approximately 13,000 rooms and caters to business and leisure travelers in cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Montevideo.
The acquisition price is approximately US$43m, subject to adjustments. The all-cash transaction is anticipated to close by the end of the second quarter, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Sol Meliá will continue to operate hotels, resorts and vacation clubs under its seven other owned brands.
The Tryp by Wyndham brand would join Wyndham Hotel Group and its 11 other hotel brands, which encompass nearly 7,100 hotels and 593,300 rooms in 65 countries.
Churston Court Hotel is in Churston Ferrers, part of Saxon Wessex, which has long been regarded as the heart of England. Here Saxons fought Viking invaders and forced Celts back into their Cornish and Welsh heartlands. Saxon Kings Æthelred and Alfred fought to establish a unified England before Harold lost their kingdom to Norman William the Conqueror in 1066. In 1087 William drew up the Doomsday Book to list all that was his, including the buildings that now form the heart of Churston Court Hotel.
Churston Court Hotel, where room names such as the Walter Raleigh room are redolent of England’s past and a reminder that from here Englishmen saw the Spanish Armada torn to shreds by the nascent English navy in an England that showed a piratical dash and vigour. This is now alas seemingly lacking from our featherbedded England today.Suits of armour line corridors that are nowhere flat or level, where walls alarmingly reverse their angles as the oak bows with the load of time. Having stood for over a thousand years their new use helps to ensure that maybe another thousand can be envisaged. Here history is still being written – Agatha Christie worked here and donated a stained glass window to the 11th century church next door, a Great Train Robber hid from the law in the hotel. Open fires still crackle with burning logs in the evenings and candles still add the scent of hot wax to the smell of burning wood. Alongside cask conditioned English ales there are French wines and brandies still for sale, although probably no longer smuggled over Devon or Cornish beaches in defiance of ‘the Revenuers’.
Here people speak with a soft Devon burr and sit beside items once owned by men who claimed Newfoundland for the Crown in the sixteenth century, their accent one of the building blocks of the American accent, for it was from neighbouring Brixham that many of the founders of the English colonies in the Americas came. In this hotel are encapsulated age and inheritance problems that are faced by many English hotels in continuing to attain standards appropriate to the 21st century.
ODonnell Furniture Makers said it takes its commitment to the environment and the health of its employees very seriously, when unveiling new plans.As part of an ongoing process the company has made a commitment to being Carbon Neutral by 2012.
Managing director, Aodh O’Donnell is leading the effort and said: “With the introduction of state of the art machinery, highly efficient dust extraction, solvent free lacquers and renewable energy sources we are well on the way to our goal. The impact on the environment is at the heart of everything we do and strengthens our ability to meet the increasingly stringent environmental demands and aspirations of the hotel industry.”
Photographed on a beautiful island paradise, this new outdoor furniture collection looks truly stunning.RHA has added items from the Costa Rey outdoor collection to their online furniture directory.
Ideal for luxury spa, hotel and residential exteriors. Items in this collection delivers style alongside impressive quality and comfort.
Stunning photos show off items such as the Caprera chair, Alghero table and Amalfi armchair. Feature pieces such as the Marrakesh lamp, Mawi chandelier and Cashpot really add visual strength and a unique style to the overall look.
Items from this collection and many others can be seen by visiting the furniture directory on RHA’s website.
Scheduled to open in September 2010, Hotel Missoni Kuwait is the second property to be launched by the new hotel brand by Rezidor.Combining the style of the fashion interiors house, with the expertise of the Rezidor Hotel Group, Hotel Missoni will be a luxury lifestyle hotel.
Designed to give guests a taste of the Missoni way of life, Hotel Missoni Kuwait is aiming to be one of Kuwait’s leading hotels.
Hotel Missoni Kuwait is part of the Symphony Centre, an adjacent luxury boutique shopping mall.
Arranged over the eighteen floors of the property, guests will discover pieces of design, some of which Rosita Missoni has in her home, such as Hans J Wegner’s Wishbone Chair. The oversize trademark Hotel Missoni urns adorn the entrance and is decorated in the colour scheme of gold, turquoise and beige of the individual property.
Hotel Missoni Kuwait will also offer guests The Six Senses Spa, located adjacent to the hotel’s outdoor pool, tiled in the signature Missoni stripe and will have views overlooking the Arabian Gulf.
There will be a Hotel Missoni ‘Dry Bar,’ where an expert mixologist will create aperitifs. The hotel will also feature Cucina Restaurant, with an authentic menu.
Seltex is proud to introduce Wavelengths. Inspired by flowing rivers, windswept sand dunes and undulating ocean waves, Wavelengths brings to the wall the sculpted ebb and flow of these natural vistas.
The Hyatt Regency Hotel Cologne, located directly at the Rhine-river with a beautiful view of the historic centre and the Dome, has now been fully refurbished with help from Baulmann Leuchten.After extensive renovations of the 288 rooms and the four Regency View Suites, the hotel proudly presents their new design, developed by the famous interior designers of Hirsch Bedner Associates.
Besides the fresh colour scheme of the rooms the interior designers have been paying special attention to high-quality materials, useful details and technical innovations.
These features have also been considered regarding the 2.000 pcs of bespoke luminaires, delivered by Baulmann Leuchten.
The rooms have been fitted out with dimmable Ceramic lamps with shades made of light-coloured Chintz, high-quality desk-lamps and special-made LED readings-lights with a 3W warm-white floodlight LED.
In the bathrooms two wall-mounted fittings have been installed to provide a soft and glare-free illumination all around the mirror.
The Southampton hotel where Jane Austen danced the night away for her 18th birthday has been re-launched as the Mercure Southampton Centre after the completion of a major refurbishment and upgrade.It was in 1793 that Jane, her family and friends took over the ‘Assembly Room’ at the then Dolphin Hotel to celebrate her birthday.
Jane subsequently lived in Southampton between 1805-09, and visitors today can retrace her connection with the city and the surrounding Hampshire countryside through organised tours.
The Mercure is housed in a Grade II listed heritage building that has stood in the heart of Southampton since 1423, and the High Street hotel has survived Nazi bombers and architectural scars of modern development to be one of the city centre’s most cherished landmarks.
Jane Austen’s legacy lives on in the hotel with the Jane Austen function suite, where she held her 18th birthday.
The function space contains two bay windows, reported to be the largest in Britain, as well as two stone carved fireplaces, facing one another across the length of the room. The venue is capable of hosting dinners for up to 100, as well as for weddings.
The atmospheric 90-bedroom hotel is a significant addition to the Mercure network in the UK.
Mercure Southampton Centre is the 33rd hotel to join the Mercure UK network.
The hotel group said the extensive refurbishment undertaken by Mercure has been sensitive to the historical qualities of the building, ensuring the hotel offers a modern and contemporary feel, whilst retaining its historic charm.
Mercure Southampton Centre Hotel also features a contemporary restaurant. Using locally sourced produce for its menu, the menu is has a selection of wines specially selected for Mercure hotels.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has opened Fairmont Zimbali Resort, an exclusive 154-room property, located along the eastern coast of South Africa. Fairmont Zimbali Resort joins the Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, a 76-room property set nearby along the beach.
’Zimbali’ is the Zulu word for ‘Valley of Flowers’. The hotel is located between a 700-hectare forest reserve and the beaches of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Dolphin Coast on the Indian Ocean.
The resort is 15 minutes from the new King Shaka International Airport (KSIA). Soccer fans will appreciate being just a short drive away from Durban, one of the nine host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup that kicks off in mid-June.
The hotel features a lounge, steakhouse, beach club, tapas bar, pool and cocktail bar. There is also a ballroom that can hold 180 guests, as well as a chapel for weddings.
Starwood has opened the Sheraton Batumi Hotel, a Black Sea Resort, in Georgia. The 203-room Sheraton Hotel is the first internationally branded hotel in the emerging Black Sea destination of Batumi and is part of the brand’s strategic expansion that will add approximately 50 new hotels and over 20,000 rooms to the Sheraton portfolio over the next three years.
The Sheraton Batumi was designed to appeal to both business and leisure travelers and features 43 suites including one penthouse with views of the Black Sea.
The property is the second Sheraton hotel in the Republic of Georgia, joining its sister property the Sheraton Metechi Palace in Tblisi.
Located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, close to the centre of Batumi and near the international airport has a the white lighthouse tower, designed in the style of the Batumi lighthouse of Alexandria built by Alexander the Great in 290 B.C.
The property offers one all-day dining restaurant on the ground floor and a lounge restaurant and bar with views of the Batumi skyline.
The hotel’s ballroom is the largest in Batumi at over 3,000sqm and is to be used for weddings or corporate events.
For smaller meetings and conferences the hotel has six other state-of-the-art meeting rooms and a fully equipped business center.
Leisure amenities include an 2,500sqm Shine Spa for Sheraton as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a fitness centre.
Nestled in the heart of one of China’s last ancient cities with its maze of canals, is the Hotel Soul, a member of Epoque Hotels. Its thematic décor makes this 225 room hip hotel a place where little miracles happen. Hotel Soul opened in April 2010.Future and history meet at the Soul: the modernist exterior and interior design of the Hotel Soul blends effortlessly into the traditional neighbourhood of Ping Jiang. Guest rooms are warmly lit and offer a full set of in-room designer amenities to refresh both body and mind. All rooms include high speed Internet connection, LCD flat TV, Electronic Room Safe with Power Socket, Stylish Bathroom Amenities, Designer Tea & Coffee Set with Mini Bar facilities.
Hotel Soul meets business guests’ needs: three well designed meeting rooms are equipped with the latest in AV technology to aid seamless presentations and forums, while providing reliable in-meeting support. The Hotel also offers expert advice and service for weddings and other banquet requests. Both business and leisure guests will find services for their desires: Wi-Fi throughout the Hotel, concierge, limousine & shuttle bus, car rental & ticketing, laundry & valet, foreign exchange, child care service, facilities for disabled, gym, juice bar, a French brasserie offering healthy yet gourmet cuisine and a charming Suzhou-style rooftop garden.
The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced a new name for their mid market brand Park Inn, to change to Park Inn by Radisson.The hotel group said Park Inn has been developed as a fresh and dynamic mid market winner – bringing colour to life and priding itself on mastering the essentials better than the competition.
In 2009, Park Inn won the prestigious J. D. Power and Associates for the highest guest satisfaction in Europe in its category. Also Rezidor’s design- and service concept conscious First Class- and Full Service brand Radisson has been awarded recently: In spring 2010, it overtook Hilton as Europe’s largest upper upscale brand.
The re-naming process will start in the United Kingdom, a key home market for Park Inn, and be a gentle evolutionary process across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
CEO, Kurt Ritter said:“We will implement Park Inn by Radisson on a gradual basis, avoiding unnecessary waste of signage and collateral, and will make sure that any disruption of the operational business will be minimal.”
A dedicated marketing and sales campaign will support the transition of all Park Inn hotels to Park Inn by Radisson which will be completed by the end of 2011.
Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake, China scheduled to open in late summer 2010.The hotel group said that the hotel may be mistaken for a traditional Chinese village at first glance, with its series of pagoda-like buildings that edge out onto lagoons among nine acres of meandering walkways and bamboo groves.
Inside, the centuries-old Jiang Nan aesthetic inspires modern interiors created from sleek woods, fine silks and polished stone.
The hotel will offer 81 guest rooms, including seven suites and three residential-style villas.
Serving Shanghainese and Cantonese cuisine presented by Four Seasons staff, Jin Sha will be a bar for pre-dinner drinks, a restaurant suitable for business meetings and social occasions and an opportunity to entertain discreetly in one of eleven private dining pavilions.
Terraces afford lagoon views and willow-veiled glimpses of West Lake.
In addition to the private dining rooms, the hotel will have several meeting spaces, including a ballroom with separate entrance and outdoor reception lawn.
Natural Therapies Meet Therapeutic Science Inside the Four Seasons Spa, each of nine couples-size suites have massage tables and showers for steam and aromatherapy.
An infinity-edge pool that appears to float above the lagoon will feature within the hotel, while a second swimming pool, a fully-equipped fitness centre and private pathways for walking will also feature.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in China Four Seasons Hotel West Lake at Hangzhou will join three existing sister properties in China, as well as the soon-to-be opened Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou, and seven additional properties in development.
IDP Design has a design studio like no other. Nestled in the country in Surrey, UK, the employees work inside a converted barn. I visit managing director, Malcolm King, on a sunny day and as I sit down at the conference table I hear nothing but birds chirping outside. It’s all very relaxing and I ponder how it is possible to get any work done when it would be so easy to pass the days staring out at the green plains outside.However, Malcolm soon proves that he is dedicated to his work as he produces a long list of projects and talks about his latest in Barbados. IDP Design is currently fitting out the rooms for the Island Inn Hotel in Bidgetown, having previously completed the Mango Bay Hotel and Resort, an independent hotel on the island that has chosen to use the company’s room sets.
IDP Design specialises in room sets which can be bought by hotel groups as an easy solution to fitting out bedrooms. The benefits are that there are no design or procurement fees and there is a cost benefit from volume purchasing. At the moment there are two room sets available, one priced at £2,600 and the other at £3,650.
Considering that the sets include case goods, soft goods, carpet, decorative lighting and even artwork, these prices seem exceptionally reasonable. There is also no need for hotel groups to worry about another 100 hotels having the exact same room as them, as once 500 of the room sets are sold, IDP Design change the layout so that the design remains rare throughout the world.
All the room sets are bespoke and the mirrors, lighting, chairs and other items are custom designed. Fabrics used come from companies such as Sekers and Panaz. The target market for the rooms includes Holiday Inn at the lower end and InterContinental at the high end. All the sets apply with hotel standards and the designs are often popular with independent hotels as well.
Energy saving lamps from Megaman (UK) Limited has been used at The Holiday Inn Hotel in Newport, South Wales, in order to significantly reduce energy consumption and minimise maintenance costs.The modern three-storey hotel offers 119 bedrooms and also includes an indoor pool and fitness facility.
With lighting in the main public areas constantly in use and with running costs at an all time high, Holiday Inn management were aware there could be significant reductions in energy saving and contacted local carbon footprint management specialists Footprintmatters2u for advice.
Following an initial survey, it was suggested that a simple change over of lamps into the existing fittings would be the easiest and quickest solution with no change in light output.
Survey calculations showed that savings of 10,000 per annum would be achieved by changing the lamps in the corridor, bar, lounge and reception areas which would equate to 15.74 carbon tonnes.
Footprintmatters2u then supplied and fitted a selection of Megaman’s lamps which include energy saving R50 and R63 spotlights which provide a direct replacement for halogen lamps.
With minimum heat output compared to halogen lamps, the lamps provide optimum lumen efficacy and can save over 80 per cent of energy. For other areas of the hotel with more decorative fittings, Megaman’s candle lamps were installed.
All the Megaman lamps used incorporate the company’s unique Ingenium technology which provides 15,000 hours lifetime and shorter pre-heating time.
Following the installation, hotel manager Paul Ferguson said: “We are delighted with the savings achieved so far and are now in the process of replacing further lamps within our facility.”
Carlson Hotels has expanded the Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in Virginia. The opening of Country Inn & Suites, Virginia Beach, US marks the brand’s accelerated expansion in the region as part of its Ambition 2015 growth strategy.The hotel will be managed by Landmark Hotel Group, LLC. Landmark is a leading hotel management and ownership group based in Virginia Beach.
The non-smoking hotel features an indoor pool, fitness center and meeting space for up to 110 guests.
The 114-room hotel offers studio suites, one-bedroom suites, extended stay suites, executive king rooms and guest rooms featuring complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, microwave, refrigerator and flat screen televisions.
The boutique Brickell Bay Beach Club on Aruba’s Palm Beach recently completed a major renovation, which saw the upgrade of the hotel’s 100 rooms and suites, the Intermezzo Spa, as well as its fitness and business centres. The 100 Superior Rooms and Suites, all either with two double beds or with one king size bed, were specially designed, from the choice of carpeting or tiles to the curtains and furniture, blending harmoniously contemporary style with a tranquil ambiance.
Allgood’s Signature collection has been created from selecting the very best of Allgood’s core products and enhanced to enable designers to create individual styles to complement their design.The signature collection is available in Satin Stainless Steel, Polished Stainless Steel, PVD Gold, PVD Bronze and Anodised Aluminum and features the Sembla range of handles.
The main design principle of Sembla is the central node; the component which makes the physical connection to the door.
There is a range of bespoke Grip and Tip finishes that you can add to the node, providing a whole host of permutations in aesthetic design which include:
–Knurled – with a series of fine ridges, Knurled Sembla has an industrial character matched by a superbly tactile and balanced touch.
–Light Wood – made from beech timber
–Dark Wood – made from beech timber with a rich mahogany stain
–Soft Touch – polyurethane based black coating with excellent durability. The finish gives the visual effect of low gloss with a soft feel, providing a tactile gripping experience
–Leather – can provide an interior with a continuation of a soft furnishing theme and provide a warm and luxurious grip.
Forbes Group Limited has linked up with Forbes Industries in the United States, enabling it to bring to Europe Forbes Industries’ highly-regarded range of products, including the familiar Birdcage Luggage Cart.To Forbes Group’s existing portfolio of products, including banqueting tables and chairs, table skirting, chair covers, conference cloth and restaurant skirting, is now added the well-known Forbes Industries range of trolleys including those for luggage, room service and house-keeping, as well as other equipment including mobile bars, podiums, and rope and post public guidance systems.
In addition, the link-up enables Forbes to offer a full spares and accessories service to existing Forbes Industries customers. So, if a client needs a replacement part for their Birdcage Luggage Cart, they can just ring Forbes Group.
Despite the similarity of name, the two companies remain entirely independent of one another.
They have though, said Forbes Group’s managing director Peter Graville, many things in common: “We were drawn to working with Forbes Industries because of our shared commitment to meeting our customers’ requirements. They, like us, are willing to pull out all the stops to find just the right product for their clients, and where nothing exists in the range, to adapt an existing product to meet that need. They also share our standards on quality.”
The Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino has now finished the last phase of its US$50 million (£33 million) renovation. The Resort’s fully renovated rooms are the most spacious (400sq feet) on the island, each offering Marriott’s Revive bedding, contemporary bathrooms, 37’’ LCD flat-panel TVs and large private balconies.
Occupying the entire 8th floor of Marriott’s Aruba hotel, the exclusive Tradewinds Club is an upscale hotel-within-a-hotel concept: designed to indulge discerning guests with upgraded amenities, it offers five daily dining presentations in the private lounge, a member-only beach area and full access to the Tradewinds Concierge Service.
As part of the hotel’s extensive refurbishment, the newly reopened 180,000-gallon free-form pool has been resurfaced, with its rock formations restored, new LED energy-efficient lighting installed and the pool bar upgraded.
The new Tetris bar counter from Stylematters is suitable for both indoor and outdoor areas, caterings and informal events.Tetris is modular and is available also in a luminous version.
Thanks to the neutral colour of the polyethylene, the new bar range becomes one of the leading elements of the space that is installed in.
The bar counter can also be equipped with a working top in brushed stainless steel which is resistant and easy to clean.
True to Stylematters’ ethos, Tetris is eco-friendly and 100 per cent recyclable.
Chelsom has designed a unique light for lap top use, the SLIM desk lamp, after a hotel group voiced the need to a specific light for portable computers.Chelsom understands that creating the most welcoming ambience largely depends on good lighting and so they worked with Hilton to give the right light levels to the new lap top design.
The creation of Chelsom’s new SLIM desk lamp began with the client’s ask for help and went from concept sketches to engineering designs. It then came in-house and prototypes were manufactured before the iconic desk lamp was released to the hotel industry.
The lamps can now be found in the Hilton The Hague and there are plans to use it in further hotels around the world.
Luxury hotel brand Ritz-Carlton has announced plans to open an exclusive 320-room oceanfront resort situated on Aruba’s famed Palm Beach. The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba will bring a new level of elegance in accommodation and amenities to the island. It will offer several restaurants, a luxurious spa, two swimming pools and a 24-hour casino. In addition to spacious rooms and suites, the hotel will include The Ritz-Carlton Club Level, a private floor accessible only by elevator key.
The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba is projected to open in late 2012 and will be the seventh property in The Ritz-Carlton portfolio in the Caribbean.
A new Giulio Marelli binder is now available from RHA Furniture.A new binder of this comprehensive contract range is now available from RHA. Suitable for all corporate and leisure interiors plus residential use.
Some of RHA´s favourites include:
Ribot Chair Design utilises cosy, soft lines. The armchair can be customised by matching leathers and fabrics in an infinite number of possibilities.
Stripes visitor seating system We are told that the Stripes collection was inspired by public garden seats, where the intuitive use of horizontal stripes are the main design element. The collection is ideal for use in public waiting areas and is based on 2 person modules that combine to form multiple configurations.
Cubic Mini Chair This collection has a clean line design and comfortable seating.
Monk Furniture is currently in the final stages of preparation for phase one installation of furniture at the new holiday Inn Express at Heathrow.After a lengthy qualification process and against some strong competition Monk Furniture successfully won the contract for furniture at this new site ahead of the previous well established supplier.
Starting work back in October 2009 the order was awarded in March this year, with a successful sample room installed in April and phase one due to be installed in the second half of June.
Once completed this will be the largest Holiday Inn Express in Europe with 300 rooms, all of which are having furniture supplied by Monk.
Phase one involves 124 rooms with the remaining 176 scheduled for September.
From designs and briefs received from the Contractor Monk Furniture translated all the information into practical, workable and impactful product.
All the furniture items for this contract are being produced in Egger MFC, including Eurolight, are being manufactured on our premises in Macclesfield and will be installed by our own fully qualified team.
Venaesthetic Creations has released a new natural stone vanity ensemble set design.The set comprises of six products, including a tissue box holder, a cotton jar, a soap dish, a tumbler, an amenity tray and a liquid soap dispenser.
The set is ideal for a guest bathroom counter as the accessories require virtually no maintenance and give a serence feel to the bathroom counter.
Allgood has developed a unique solution that enables their lever handles to be compatible with many of the World’s leading Hotel locking systems including VingCard.Handles from Allgood’s Signature and Classic collections are available to substitute the generic lever which is supplied with the hotel locking systems.
This enhances the look of the guestroom entry door and provides design continuity throughout the room and public areas.
Business travelers and conference participants can now convene in style at the new conference centre of the five-star Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy. The Moscow hotel is located in one of the business and most upscale areas of the Russian capital.The new convention centre is one of the most modern in the region and matches the hotel’s seven multi-functional meeting rooms and two banquet halls.
The deluxe contemporary meeting facility incorporates the Grand Ballroom (557sqm) and a range of five flexible breakout spaces, including a spacious balcony just near the main entrance and a garden nearby.
The meeting and banquet rooms were designed without pillars for unobstructed viewing and provide therefore flexibility to the format of each event.
In addition, the Swissôtel conference centre offers technological advanced meeting and conference facilities for small, medium and large meetings, seminars, conferences, weddings, receptions and cocktails.
The Grand Ballroom with its modern and elegant décor can accommodate up to 500 people in reception style. A car or bulky equipment can be lifted up right to the ballroom by an elevator creating a perfect opportunity for product launches and gala events in distinctive contemporary surroundings.
Three of the seven meeting rooms can be divided into functional areas, and the pre-function area (all together 583sqm) has natural daylight.
Centara Hotels & Resorts is to open the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket in October 2010, a newly-built resort property at Karon Beach on the island of Phuket, Thailand.Designed in a colonial style with Sino-Portuguese architecture, the five-star resort is Centara’s fourth property in Phuket.
Centara has taken key elements of its resort properties at Krabi and Pattaya to create the new resort.
Accommodation will consist of 262 guestrooms and villas, with 108 Deluxe rooms, 81 Deluxe Spa rooms, 45 Pool Premium rooms, 18 Pool Suites, six One-Bed Pool Villas and four Two-Bed Pool Villas.
All guestrooms have a balcony with sea view and Deluxe Spa rooms have a Jacuzzi on the balcony.
Guests staying in the Villas, Pool Suites and Pool Premium rooms are entitled to Club privileges, which include the Club Lounge with 200sqm of indoor and outdoor terrace space and five complementary meals a day.
Leisure facilities include a tennis court, a fitness centre with 144sqm of space, and a spa offering Vichy treatments, steam rooms, relaxation lounges, manicure and pedicure rooms and 10 single and double treatment rooms.
Children’s facilities include two playrooms, one for ages four to 10 years and one for 10 to 16 years and a playground.
The Cove is the all-day dining restaurant, located on the beachfront and featuring open kitchens that serve international and Asian melting-pot cuisines. Seating is for 250, with indoor space and an outdoor covered terrace.
Mare Italian restaurant and bar overlooks the beach and serves pasta and pizza during the day with classical Italian cuisine in the evenings. The restaurant has its own bar and wine room. Seating is for 262 guests.
The Luna Chill-Out Bar and Lounge is located above Mare and features a large outdoor terrace with lounge-style seating and an indoor bar and lounge. Light meals including Mediterranean and Asian tapas are served. Seating is for 50 indoors, 60 outdoors and 19 at the bar.
The Beachcomber Beach Bar is situated on the beach, while the Splash Pool Bar is a swim-up bar at the edge of the main pool. The Lobby Lounge & Bar has ocean views, with live piano music in the evenings.
Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket is fully equipped for meetings. The Phuket Grand Ballroom has a capacity of 820 persons seated theatre-style, with 576sqm of space that is divisible into two equal parts. There is a pre-function area of 240sqm. Two breakout rooms can accommodate 50 persons each, seated classroom style.
Carlson Hotels has opened its 14th Park Inn property in North America and the second of two hotels joining the brand in Texas. The opening of the Park Inn Dallas Fort Worth South, Texas, and a second hotel which opened recently in Houston, are part of Carlson’s Ambition 2015 growth strategy.
Internationally the brand has achieved major milestone recognition. In 2009, J.D. Power and Associates rated Park Inn number one in Europe for guest satisfaction in the mid-scale segment.
With 110 hotels in operation globally and 60 hotels currently in development, Park Inn provides affordable accommodations.
The non-smoking hotel features an indoor pool, a fitness center, business center, free Wi-Fi access and all-day dining at the Atrium Café.
The 200-room hotel has over 3,600sqm of meeting space, audio-visual equipment, catering, and a professional meetings and events team.
The good weather arrives and the Grand Hotel Central Barcelona welcomes the reopening of the Sky Bar, as every summer, with its magnificent viewpoint-terrace.This year it has been expanded with new lounging area and a renewed illumination. Its spectacular panoramic views, stylish and cosmopolitan atmosphere and good chill-out music makes this pool bar one of the most amazing places in the world.
The terrace, of more than 350 m2, offers a stunning panoramic view of Barcelona and will be open from June 1st to September 30th 2010, from 11:30 am to 11:30 pm.
Grand Hotel Central Barcelona is located next door to El Born, Barcelona’s most fashionable area with its boutique shops, designer bars and restaurants scattered throughout its narrow streets. Las Ramblas, Plaza Cataluña, the museums and the sea front are just minutes walk away.
Starwood Hotels has opened the Sheraton Brooklyn New York hotel. The 25-story contemporary, full-service hotel is owned by The Lam Group and features 321 guest rooms offering modern design and a 360 degree view from the rooftop lounge. The Sheraton Brooklyn marks the first full-service hotel to open in Brooklyn in more than 12 years and is part of the brand’s strategic expansion that will add approximately 50 new hotels and over 20,000 rooms to the Sheraton portfolio over the next three years.
The hotel also marks the first of two Sheraton hotels that will make their New York debut this year — The Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel will open in the autumn.
The hotel’s 21 suites include a choice of one or two bedrooms or hospitality suites equipped with wet bar and refrigerator. Select suites feature over-sized private terraces.
Special Club rooms are also available on private key-access floors giving guests access to the Club Lounge, which offers daily complimentary continental breakfast, afternoon hors d’ oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages.
Grubstake, a full-service restaurant with bar combined with a separate Lobby Lounge, provides a martini and cocktail hangout with a strong focus on seasonal drink lists.
ODonnell Furniture Makers is proud to have achieved ISO Certification 9001: 2008. As part of an ongoing process to improve quality and efficiency, the company has worked hard to achieve internationally recognised industry approval.
Reinforcing their commitment to good working practices, ODonnell Furniture was recently awarded the HSE & Welfare Key Trade Contractor Accreditation by Laing O’Rourke.
ODonnell believes that it is the first casegoods manufacturer to obtain this recognition.
JAB was formed by Josef Anstoetz back in 1946 after he had an idea to start up a wholesale company for decoration and upholstery fabrics in Bielefeld, Germany. Fast forward nearly 65 years and JAB is still going strong as one of the leading up-market fabric and soft furnishings companies in the world.The company is still run as a family business, with Josef’s nephews, Ralph, Stephan and Claus as the owners. With distributors from Latvia to Panama and showrooms in Switzerland, Chicago, New York and many more, it is easy to see why JAB is used as a preferred fabric company in hotels worldwide.
In the UK the JAB showroom is based in brand new premises in Chelsea Harbour where the high ceilings and tall windows allow the company’s products to be shown in their best light. JAB showroom manager, Angela Whittaker said moving to the new showroom, which the company relocated to from the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre just two months ago, had been one of the highlights of her career.
Whittaker said: “The only downside is that we don’t get as many visitors from the public who would just pop in when they walked past us at the Design Centre.” She went on to say that everyone who had visited the new showroom was impressed: “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback. It’s a fabulous location.”
JAB managing director, Michael Constable said: “The spectacular showroom, which features 4.5m high ceilings, meeting spaces for designers and their clients, light boxes for testing and viewing fabrics, Wi-Fi connectivity and beautiful design features to showcase our vast range of fabrics.”
As I walk around snapping photographs it is evident the employees are proud of their new space as an assistant rushes to straighten a piece of fabric that had been knocked out of place by a customer.
Carlson Hotels has announced the further expansion of Country Inns & Suites by opening a new hotel in Alabama, US.The opening of Country Inn & Suites, Montgomery at Chantilly Parkway marks the brand’s expansion in the region as part of its Ambition 2015 growth strategy.
The non-smoking hotel features an indoor pool, whirlpool and fitness center and meeting space for up to 40 guests. The 82 room hotel offers studio suites, one bedroom suites and guest rooms featuring complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, microwave, refrigerator and flat screen televisions.
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Steve Mogck said: “With 10 Country Inns & Suites hotels in the state and more than 150 locations in the Southeastern United States, the brand has established a strong footprint in the region. We are focused on building momentum in North America and India as we increase our portfolio of hotels over the next five years.”
You are invited to attend a seminar entitled ‘Future entertainment technology for hotel guests’, hosted by Directory company Armour Hotel.
Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, 16th June 2010
Dakota Hotel Glasgow, 1st July 2010The day includes: 1.) Audio Visual solutions for Bars, Restaurant, In-room & Leisure facilities by Armour Hotel 2.) Lutron, lights and blinds control designed to integrate with other control systems. 3.) Exterity, providing the most up-to-date information and solutions for IPTV 4.) Aquavision the ultimate in luxury waterproof and in-wall televisions
With events taking place in Bishop’s Stortford & Glasgow 10am – 4pm on the following dates:
Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, 16th June 2010 Glasgow, Dekota Hotel, 1st July 2010
This event is being organised through Armour Hotel.
Panaz is proud to present Alcazar, the company’s new upholstery collection for the hospitality industry, comprising of two chenille designs, Shiraz and Merlot. Shiraz is an attractive mid-scale check design with a prominent horizontal and carefully selected chenille stripe feature, giving the look a modern twist.
Merlot is a co-ordinating textured semi-plain design.
These perfectly partnered designs are available in both classic and contemporary colours creating 13 colour palettes which will easily sit alongside Panaz’s other collections.
Not only does Alcazar offer the market a new design dimension in both style and colour but also provides the performance and quality you would come to expect from Panaz.
Bespoke moisture resistant table tops have been produced for the new P & O Cruises ship, Azura by CS Contract Furniture. This collection of table tops is currently being completed by the Fincanteri shipyard in Italy.
The tops will help the ship to meet strict hygiene standards and will enhance the durability of the products.
This technology represents investment in new machinery and skills that has been made by CS Contract Furniture over the past year.
CS is able to produce bespoke table tops in standard and real wood veneer laminates with a variety of hardwood edges provides protection from harsh impact.
CS, project manager, Simon Carter said: “I have enjoyed working alongside a number of interior designers interpreting their specifications to produce some great looking table tops that meet their customers needs and add to the locations”.
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