Hotel Designs

Carlson Hotels has opened its 13th Park Inn property in North America and the first of two hotels joining the brand this month in Texas. The opening of the Park Inn Houston North Hotel & Conference Center and a second hotel in Dallas, are part of Carlson’s Ambition 2015 growth strategy.

The non-smoking hotel features two outdoor heated pools, a fitness center, complimentary breakfast, free Wi-Fi access and American and Tex-Mex dining at Sam Houston’s Grill. The 220-room hotel has 5,180sqm of meeting space, audio-visual equipment, catering, and a professional meetings and events team.

Park Inn, executive vice president, Steve Mogck said: “Park Inn, a leading, award-winning mid-scale brand in Europe and the Middle East, has great potential in North America. The strong visual identity and contemporary design of the brand provide a fresh approach to the mid-scale segment.”

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. The group has 107 hotels in operation globally and 59 hotels currently in development.

A £56m mixed-use development creating 250 jobs in Liverpool city centre has secured planning permission in the UK. The scheme, which comprises two hotels and post-graduate studio accommodation on Oldham Street, has been put together by Northern Ireland-based property company Tara House Ltd.

It represents an investment in the Liverpool economy and will help improve the city’s tourism offer with the addition of an extra 270 hotel bedrooms.

The developers have secured a major international hotel operator for both hotels and expect to be able to announce the identity of the operator later this month.

The key components of the scheme, which has been designed by Liverpool architects Falconer Chester Hall, will be a 140 bedroom three-star hotel and a 130 bedroom budget hotel, 113 post-graduate studio units and a basement car park of 247 spaces available on either a long or short stay basis.

Tara House Ltd, managing director, Murray Twinn said: ““We are very excited about our scheme which should help to promote further regeneration in this important and strategic city centre location. The mixed uses will bring vibrancy and life to the Oldham Street area whilst creating jobs and giving a boost to the local economy.”

Falconer Chester Hall, Mark Doohan said: “We are delighted to be part of this significant regeneration project. The design unifies the broad mix of uses and creates a family of buildings and a dynamic city, street and roof scape. A two tone mix of high quality cladding materials subtly subdivides the facades and gives the building a unique appearance which is striking in this context.”

Work is expected to start on site in the third quarter of 2010 with the first phase expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2011, and the rest of the development early in 2012.

Sahl Hasheesh International Resort is to become the biggest resort in Egypt when it is completed within the next 18 months, at a size of 10,000 acres.The resort is to feature 5,800 hotel rooms, as well as a gold course, convenience stalls, restaurants and apartment buildings. The location is situated 18 kilometres from Hurghada International Airport, adjacent to the Red Sea.

Hotels within the resort that have already opened include Pyramisa Hotel, Palm Beach, Premier Le Reve and Old Palace, which is currently being renovated and changed into a Marriott branded hotel. Hotels under development include Lana Hills, Little Buddha, Ocean Breeze and lots more.

Infrastructure and civil works in the resort are expected to cost EGP 220m. The development will be so large that it will even feature a university.

Land within Sahl Hasheesh is being developed by Egyptian Resorts Company, with each plot of a different size and configuration being offered to third party sub-developers. Numerous sub-developers are involved in the project, including El Sharkia for Hotels, Prime Estates International and Carols Bridge.

Sol Meliá hotel group is to add a new hotel in Lisbon, Portugal to its portfolio under a franchise agreement with the Tryp brand, and a second hotel in Frankfurt, Germany to be added to the Innside brand portfolio under a lease agreement. Both hotels will be newly built and will open in 2013 with a total of 330 rooms.

The four star Tryp Lisbon Airport Hotel will begin construction this year and will be located next to the arrivals terminal at the airport in the Portuguese capital.

The hotel will be perfectly adapted to the design standards of the Tryp city hotel brand and will provide 168 rooms, six flexible meeting rooms for events for up to 700 people, a gym, a restaurant and a cafeteria.

The four star Innside Frankfurt Hotel will be located opposite the future new headquarters of the Central European Bank, and will provide 162 rooms, 350sqm of meeting space, a restaurant, cafeteria, gym, spa and gardens.

This new hotel reaffirms the Sol Meliá commitment to Germany, the country with the second largest number of hotels in the company portfolio, now with 21 hotels.

There are currently nine Innside hotels in the most important German cities; the latest being the Innside Dresden Hotel, which opened in January.

The Rezidor Hotel Group is to open the Radisson Resort Rosa Khutor (180 rooms) and the Park Inn Resort Rosa Khutor (200 rooms) in Russia. Both properties are scheduled to welcome their first guests in Q4 2012. The Rosa Khutor development is within Russia’s most famous ski region of Krasnaya Polyana and 50 km east of the city of Sochi, where the XXII Olympic Winter Games will be held in 2014.

The two hotels will be located within the 537 hectare Rosa Khutor Alpine Ski Resort Development, which is nearing the completion of Phase One. Upon completion, the US$1.4b development will include 40 ski runs, 14 ski lifts and a capacity for 10,500 people.

Other facilities will include a ski school, multiple restaurants, a child care centre and retail outlets.

The development is in accordance with the Russian government’s grand scheme to make Sochi a world class winter and summer resort.

Besides 180 rooms, the Radisson Rosa Khutor will feature multiple restaurants, a spa and fitness centre and meeting space. Just 200m away, the Park Inn Rosa Khutor will offer 200 guest rooms and a restaurant. Guests will have access to the leisure and meeting facilities of the nearby Radisson.

Rezidor, president and CEO, Kurt Ritter said: “These hotels further underline our commitment to Russia where we now have 36 hotels in operation and under development with a total of over 9,000 rooms and which is one of our most important emerging markets for future business development. At the same time, these signings bring our portfolio of young and stylish resorts in operation and under development to almost 50 properties with more than 10,000 rooms across Europe, Middle East and Africa.”

The Trump Tower in Toronto, Canada, is making progress on its construction, with the hotel floors of the building nearing completion.The construction crews are currently working on level 27 and the granite and glass curtain wall is being installed. Work is also focusing on placing the exterior panels on the twelfth floor and installation is gathering pace. In addition, the interior dry walling of the eighth, ninth and tenth floors is now under way.

The hotel is set to be completed next year and is aiming to be the most luxurious residential building in Canada. The tower is to feature 118 luxury residences as well as 261 hotel guest rooms and suites. The hotel’s rooms will be situated on the lower floors of the building, on levels 11-29 and there will be more than 60 floors in total.

Deluxe studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, ranging from approximately 160sqm to over 600sqm, will offer guests the largest accommodations in the city. The top floor of the hotel, level 29, will offer five exclusive suites with additional services and amenities.

The commercial areas of the building will serve both hotel guests and residents. A sushi and martini bar will welcome guests as they enter the first floor lobby. An exclusive dining establishment on the 30th floor will offer patrons gourmet food and wine, as well as views of Lake Ontario and the CN Tower. A private dining room will also be available.

Construction work will soon be focused on completion of the hotel floors and starting the development of the mechanical floors on levels 30, 31 and 32.

Yesterday HotelDesigns reported that Les Suites Orient had opened in Shanghai and now we can report that another luxury hotel has opened in the same city – The Guoman Shanghai hotel.The five star hotel is the first of two new properties to launch under the Guoman brand in Asia, the second venture being a hotel in Beijing.

Following a substantial investment, the launch of the 442 room property sees the Guoman group spreading its wings overseas, transferring the group’s ethos within the Asian market.

Positioned within the business-hub of the Putuo district, Guoman Shanghai is close to the city’s major commercial districts.

Headed up by Michael Parker, formerly the general manager of one of the group’s London properties, Guoman Shanghai is inspired by London’s style and elegance blended with a contemporary Asian twist.

Two floors of the hotel will be dedicated to Eastern-inspired restaurants and bars, with the touches of British indulgence seen in the fleet of luxurious Guoman-operated black cabs on hand to transport guests round the city; complete with DVD players, minibar fridges and upgraded soft, hand-stitched leather seats, as well as traditional English food and beverage menu options.

From its inception in 2004, the Guoman brand has grown to a portfolio of four unique properties.

Speaking of the group’s first international development, Guoman Hotels, chief international operating officer, Sanjay Nijhawan, said: “The opening of Guoman Shanghai is the crucial first phase in our ongoing strategic growth across Asia in the coming years. We’re very confident in the strength of the group and its focus on a stylish, unique guest experience – we’re positive that the Asian market will respond extremely well to the Guoman offering.”

Guoman Shanghai will also feature a glass walkway, a ballroom with seating capacity for 500 delegates, 11 conference rooms, a spa and fitness centre with sun terrace.

The accommodation offering includes 125 suites each with a minimum size of 60sqm and one Presidential Suite.

The Rezidor Hotel Group has opened the Radisson Blu Majestic Resort, Calzignano Terme in Italy.The first 97 rooms of the existing hotel will be rebranded in the second quarter of this year.

An additional 120 rooms in a separate building will be rebranded upon completion of the full renovation which is expected to finish in the first quarter of next year.

The Radisson Blu Majestic Resort, Calzignano Terme is located in the Colli Euganei – 15km south of the city of Padua, 50km from Venice and 40km from the Adriatic Sea.

The hotel’s spa features indoor and outdoor pools which are naturally heated by thermal water that comes out of the ground at 80 degrees Celsius. The thermal waters and mud are said to have excellent therapeutic properties.

Further services of the resort comprise a restaurant and a bar, a 300sqm ballroom and four meeting rooms.

Venice’s Marco Polo Airport is located 60km away. Travellers can also take a boat, via canal, to Venice in about 90 minutes.

Rezidor, president and CEO, Kurt Ritter said: “This resort is a perfect addition to our existing portfolio in Italy – the Radisson Blu es. Hotel in Rome and the Radisson Blu Hotel Milan which we opened just a few days ago. It also makes our young and stylish resort portfolio grow further. We now have 47 resorts in operation and under development across Europe, Middle East and Africa with a total or more than 10,000 rooms.”

Les Suites Orient, a member of Epoque Hotels, is set to soft-opening this month in China. The hotel will offer its guests new luxury accommodation in Shanghai.Centrally located on the Bund, Les Suites Orient offers a view of the Huangpu River, Pudong and the Yu Garden.

At twenty-three stories, the Les Suites Orient is situated within an original Bund Heritage building, blending art deco design with Oriental flair.

The hotel is close to the Yu Garden and 10 minutes from the city center and Pudong Lujiazhui Finance District and 15 minutes from the Shanghai World Expo Center.

The hotel offers 168 guest rooms, including 43 suites and rooms for disabled guests, all decorated in a neat and elegant tone reflecting the signature Les Suites luxury.

There are a host of customized amenities available, including Les Suites Mobile Life, a 24-hour multilingual Concierge service and complimentary breakfast.

Les Suites also offers unlimited wireless internet connection throughout the entire hotel.

A fitness center with a Zen platform, business center, and multifunctional meeting rooms are just some of the additional facilities guests can enjoy.

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek has debuted a dramatically redesigned property in celebration of its 30th anniversairy.The hotel’s 143 newly appointed rooms and suites and restyled lobby have been unveiled this month and feature a collaborative effort of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and San Francisco-based design firm BAMO.

Rosewood Mansion, managing director, Duncan Graham said: “As the only Five Star, Five Diamond hotel in Texas, it’s important for Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek to be the most timeless, refined property in the industry. Maintaining our tradition of awards and recognition is critical, and this stunning redesign sets the tone for the next three decades.”

The new design begins with the lobby, as guests are greeted with custom, limed oak reception and concierge desks.

Expanding on a concept cantered on soft tones and cool colours, BAMO designer Michael Booth was careful to keep the space refined, not too casual, and never trendy.

The lobby furnishings and textiles are a juxtaposition of shapes, materials and colour, and a layering of detail and styles reinforces the residential quality.

The lobby is anchored by a pair of neutral-coloured Michael Taylor sofas and the look is punctuated by highly detailed chairs by John Boone of New York, and four elegant, art-modern club chairs with coral and white Fortuny fabric are the work of William Switzer. Also by Switzer, two exaggerated wing chairs in embossed yellow leather frame the original fireplace.

Paying homage to The Mansion’s history, antique, stone-topped consoles original to the hotel were artfully restored and they take centre stage in the new lobby design.

The new colour scheme is a soothing and warm palate that mixes buttery off-whites with light greys and sand colours, then adds The Mansion’s iconic peach colour and coral, red, brown and black for furnishings and accents. Additional ranges of colour are in the artwork, which contrast everything else in the spaces.

The guest rooms are an extension of the lobby and dining spaces in both style and mood. Paint colours provide subtle continuity from the original home to the hotel rooms, and the look is pulled together with accessories, art and attention to detail.

The hotel redesign comes on the heels of the restoration of the historic Mansion Restaurant. In 2008, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek introduced the renovated Mansion Restaurant, which featured a mix of historic architectural details and modern art and lighting.

The Park Hyatt in Milan, which overlooks the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, has opened a new spa designed for guests to relax and rejuvenate.A space with two treatment rooms, the spa has clean lines and subdued lighting and is decorated with travertine marble and a pastel Venetian stucco.

The spa’s two treatment rooms each have private shower facilities, where guests can enjoy a massage, facial and body treatments, as well as all the services found in a beauty salon.

There are also men’s and women’s steam rooms, aromatherapy showers, a relaxation area and a whirlpool adorned with gold mosaic tiles.

Created using Italian artistry, the whirlpool has been decorated with 250,000 tiny pieces of hand-cut mosaic, each with 24 carat gold leaf, creating a dazzling effect when illuminated by underwater spotlights. Surrounded by smoky glass to guarantee total privacy, the whirlpool can accommodate up to four people.

The Spa’s holistic treatments are unique to the hotel, and will all be created specifically for each individual guest, using Dr Murad and Dermo28 products.

The private spa room was created for those who want to experience spa treatments in total privacy. The private spa room offers a steam room and two treatment beds for massages, as well as a variety of beauty and holistic treatments.

Starwood Hotels has opened the doors of their newest hotel, Le Méridien Philadelphia in the US. The hotel is in a former YMCA building that was originally designed by American architect Horace Trumbauer, who also designed Philadelphia’s Union League and Museum of
Art.
The historic adaptive reuse property was developed for HEI Hotels & Resorts, who will
be the owner and operator of the hotel.

Le Méridien Philadelphia joins Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis, which recently was added to the brand’s portfolio in February.

The new Méridien features 202 guestrooms and suites; a signature restaurant,a French brasserie Amuse; a lobby bar; and 1,500m of flexible meeting space, including a 200-seat Ballroom and the Abele Library, a 400sqm reception space overlooking City Hall.

The hotel is adjacent to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and one block from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Le Méridien and W Hotels Worldwide, global brand leader, Eva Ziegler said: “We are excited about our debut in Philadelphia, a city that shares Le Méridien’s passion for art, culture and creativity. With its vibrant arts scene, rich history and modern sophistication, Philadelphia is an ideal fit for Le Méridien as we continue to strategically open new hotels in primary, urban markets, cultural capitals and resort destinations across North America and globally.”

After numerous renovation projects, the Doubletree hotel in Chester, UK is anticipating a double in its turnover this year.Last May saw the massive overhaul, rebranding and reopening of the former Hoole Hall hotel to the Doubletree, which is owned by Hilton. Over the past year the hotel has constructed a luxury club and spa facility in the Victorian walled garden, as well as opened a new restaurant.

The Doubletree has also recently opened a new alfresco lounge bar and has plans to extend the fitness gym with new services.

There are other plans for the hotel’s development, but they have not yet been released.

Doubletree Chester, manager, Tony Wright said: “The luxury Club and Spa at Hoole Hall, which opened in November 2009, has been an excellent addition to the hotel and has really brought something new and exciting to Chester. Our most recent addition is The MPW Steakhouse, Bar & Grill at Doubletree Chester which opened last month and is already proving to be very popular with locals and guests.”

Birmingham, UK is to feature the country’s biggest tower outside of London, after a new development was approved by the council last week. The building will feature a hotel, serviced apartments and street level shops.The tower is anticipated to be built over three years and will be 56 storeys high. The Regal Tower will be 192 metres tall, taller than Birmingham’s current tallest building, the BT Tower. The new tower will be situated at the corner of Broad Street and Sheepcote Street.

The project is expected to cost £125m and will be developed by the Regal Property Group, with the architecture undertaken by Aedas architect Steve Hayward.

The building will feature 289 hotel rooms, 256 serviced apartments including three floors of penthouses at the top of the tower, as well as basement parking and shops along the bottom floor. There will also be a spa, fitness centre and a double height sky bar on the 30th floor.

It is not the only tower in the city to be given council approval recently, a 51-storey V Building is to be constructed further along Broad Street at the Arena Central site.

Crowne Plaza Cleveland South, Independence, US has opened following an US$4m renovation that included adding a new fitness center, new board room and upgrades throughout the hotel. Located at 5300 Rockside Road, at the Intersection of I-480 and I-77, the hotel and meeting center is 15 minutes from Hopkins International Airport and seven miles south of downtown Cleveland.

It is close to the renovated Cleveland Clinic and attractions, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Zoo and the Football Hall of Fame.

The hotel has more than 3,000sqm of flexible, upscale meeting space.

The Crowne Plaza Cleveland South has 179 guestrooms, each with LCD flat screen televisions and upgraded bathroom facilities.

Guests have access to a variety of amenities including complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the property, a renovated indoor pool area, new fitness center, business center and in-room dining services.

The hotel includes a three-meal restaurant, the Aura Bistro, as well as the Aura Lounge. There is also complimentary valet parking, concierge and bellman service, and a club level with upgraded amenities including a continental breakfast Monday through Friday.

The property is owned by Rockside Hospitality, LLC., and managed by American Resort Management LLC., under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.

InterContinental Hotels Group has opened a 167 room Holiday Inn in Richmond, Virginia, US.The re-launch of the hotel was part of the Holiday Inn brand makeover and saw an upgrade of the lobby areas and new bedding, lighting, landscaping and signage.

The Holiday Inn South – Bells Road offers a variety of amenities such over 1,000sqm of banquet and catering space, onsite business center, free wired and wireless Internet, onsite fitness center, outdoor swimming pool, onsite guest laundry, and gift shop.

The full-service hotel includes a Sporting News Grill restaurant, featuring breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that reflect the tastes of sports fans, with specialty burgers.

The restaurant’s design includes touches like hardwood-style flooring, solid wood tables and unique circular booth seating. The division between the bar and seated dining area make the restaurant an equally suitable option for social events or a business dinner. Unique ‘plasma trees’ constructed using plasma screen televisions are surrounded by a perimeter of tables and chairs, providing guests with an unobstructed view.

The Nolitan hotel, boutique accommodation in New York City, is scheduled to open its doors sometime during the middle of this year, after a delay of a few months.The hotel is to feature 55 luxury rooms, as well as a restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Nolitan will also have a rooftop lounge, private terraces and decks and a sidewalk restaurant service. Inside the rooms there will be 37-inch flatscreen televisions and complimentary WiFi access.

The Nolitan was designed by the architectural team Grzywinski+Pons, a LEED accredited firm that has made sure sustainability was a key aspect to the design.

The Nolitan interiors are the work of interior design firm Meyer Davis, a New York company that has previously designed well-known restaurants and retail outlets.

A staff member is missing and a body has been found following a fire that broke out in the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, UK earlier this week. Emergency services were called to the scene early on Wednesday morning to put out the blaze and 130 guests and 25 staff were evacuated from the building.

As of yet it is unknown what sparked the fire but it is believed to have begun in an upstairs bedroom. The body was found on the fifth floor.

The Victorian building is operated by Barceló Hotels UK and features 170 bedrooms. An investigation is underway.

The InterContinental Chicago has completed some major renovations at the Michigan Avenue-based property including a refresh of all of its guest rooms and main corridor areas in its Historic Tower this month.The multi-million dollar refurbishment includes 328 guest rooms and suites, along with the corridors on floors 9-41 inside the Historic Tower of the hotel.

For the guest rooms, new carpeting, curtains, valances and shades were added to freshen up the space and bring a more contemporary feel to the rooms. In addition, new lamps, office chairs, armoires, arm chairs and a patterned throw pillow and blanket were added.

The corridors also received a facelift with new maroon colored carpeting, floral patterned textured wallpaper and new contemporary lighting fixtures and wall sconces, all intended to brighten up the overall public spaces.

The InterContinental Chicago is the only hotel with a front entrance on the prestigious Magnificent Mile. The building was originally built in 1929 as the Medinah Athletic Club, an exclusive luxury men’s club.

The hotel features 792 guest rooms, including 73 lavishly decorated suites. The hotel’s historic, junior Olympic size pool is recognized as one of the best indoor pools in the U.S. and is included in Chicago’s major architectural tours.

Dining and entertainment options in the hotel include Zest, a contemporary, American fare restaurant with Mediterranean influences; the Lobby Bar featuring classic cocktails and ENO, an upscale wine lounge that features cheese and chocolate pairings.

InterContinental Chicago, general manager, Edward Andrews said: “We wanted to ensure that we properly melded a contemporary aesthetic, including modern amenities, with the historical significance and grandeur that epitomizes the InterContinental Chicago. It was important to us that we maintained the historic and architectural significance of the property which takes extra thought and attention to detail when considering any new refurbishment.”

An iconic Southend building, formerly called The Palace Hotel whose history extends back to 1904 and was used as a hospital during the First World War, has been converted to the new Park Inn Palace Hotel.Overlooking the mouth of the River Thames in the heart of the city’s tourist area, this hotel provides excellent modern amenities and welcomes both leisure and business travellers.

Park Inn Southend is part of the Rezidor Group of Luxury Hotels that also incorporates the Radisson BLU and Missoni brands.SBL supports the
telephone systems at all Rezidor properties in the UK and has installed the vast majority of new systems over the past 3 years.

SBL has designed and implemented a unique single network at Southend Park Inn that supports all voice and data communication applications including telephony (fixed and mobile); IP-TV; WiFi and wired Internet access; and all administration requirements securely separated from guest traffic.

This approach led to a capital expenditure saving of over 25 per cent on the traditional (separate networks per application) approach and is anticipated to generate significant operational savings and a reduced management overhead.

Steve Jameson, principal engineer said: “ The network at Southend is based upon a cabling infrastructure that has been designed to accommodate the requirements of today and makes
provision for the future. The network is highly resilient and offers maximum performance per application to each guest room—e.g. for streaming video. By utilising VLANs we are able to offer equivalent security to separate physical networks.”

Quite a few hotels have changed hands in recent weeks as hotels are put up for sale.A notable hotel was the Sheraton Universal Hotel which is now officially on the market after facing financial troubles. The 20-floor Californian hotel tower was bought by real-estate developer and landlord Lowe Enterprises in 2007 for US$122m. A further US$25m was then spent on the hotel in order to renovate the guest rooms and public spaces.

Unfortunately the recession meant that the hotel’s price fell and in February Sheraton Universal Hotel was only worth an estimated US$75m. Not only this, but the falling occupancy inflated the hotel’s costs further.

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, who is marketing the property declined to reveal how much the 41-year-old hotel is on the market for, but it is estimated that it’s to be sold for around US$90m if a buyer can be found.

The Sheraton Universal Hotel is not the only hotel on the market. The Hampton Inn and Suites in Miami West has been sold to Apple Real Estate Investment Trust for an undisclosed sum. The property was previously owned by GFII DVI Cardel Doral and is a hotel that featured 121 rooms as well as an outdoor pool, fitness room and business centre.

Another hotel to sell for an undisclosed sum was the Limelight lodge in Aspen, Canada, which sold to Aspen Skiing Company.

Carmen Allan

Editor’s Note

A number of so-called ‘vulture funds’ are hovering around the industry seeking to buy properties at a discount to the market price. Many hotels are not solvent but are being kept in business by banks that are reluctant to increase the bad debts they have on their books.

However, as banks become profitable this reluctance will start to disappear and even though we are entering the recovery phase, expect to see increasing numbers of properties offered on the market. This is not just an US phenomenon, and is particularly marked in Ireland where there are estimated to be 40 per cent of hotels that cannot trade profitably.

Patrick Goff
Editor

Sandiway Golf Club, set in the heart of Cheshire, has just completed an exciting and challenging refurbishment of its bar, lounge and reception facilities. Initially the project was slow to get off the ground due to the nervousness of the members to commit the club to significant borrowing during the recession. The committe came up with alternative schemes that practical, affordable and deliverable from within existing club funds and could be completed within in a relatively short window of opportunity between January–March 2010.

The best way forward in the current climate was to split the project into two phases, downstairs bar and lounges and upstairs kitchen and dining areas. The first phase was to concentrate on the ground floor area to get things moving.

From January the project picked up at a frantic pace with final tender specifications being completed. The club were fortunate in finding a design architect, principal contractor and interior design and refurbishment specialist locally. The contract start date was agreed for 1st February with implementation scheduled before Easter – just eight weeks from start to finish.

The project team, appointed from within the club, worked extremely hard with all the contractors and suppliers used in the delivery of the planned scheme to ensure that the project was completed on time and reopened to members on 1st April as intended.

The interior furnishings and fitting were commissioned and supplied by a local firm Stylematters Ltd whose chief executive Jim Barton provided valuable input in helping to get the project off the ground.

Barton said: “I was delighted to be involved and of assistance to the club in upgrading the clubhouse facilities to complement and match the wonderful golf course enjoyed at Sandiway. This project will now move the club on leaps and bounds in retaining its prestigious status in the region and justify a true golfing experience for all those golfers who enjoy a quality day out”.

The project was completed on time and within budget and the club chairman, Graham Sayers said: “It has been a hectic and challenging journey to get the project delivered in such a short timescale. We are proud of what has been achieved and the initial reaction from members has been extremely positive. They are thrilled at the outcomes we have delivered and appreciate the new design and decor. The committee are very grateful to all who have been involved and the club will now be looking forward to enjoying the benefits of the new clubhouse facilities before considering phase 2, to upgrade the kitchen and dining areas”.

The five star hotel, The Savoy in London, has delayed its reopening yet again, after falling more than 11 months behind schedule.It was scheduled to open after its extensive renovations in June last year but that date has now been pushed to either late August or early September. Not only has the opening date been postponed, but costs have apparently soared higher than expected on the project.

The Savoy’s renovation was reportedly to cost £100m when it shut its doors in December 2007. Now, however, costs are expected to be as high as £200m, making the renovation the most expensive in London’s hotel history.

If you look at the costs closely, including the purchase price the hotel was sold at to Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding Company and HBOS back in 2005, it amounts to £1.6m per room – one of the world’s most expensive hotels.

The delays and soaring costs are reportedly due to the damage that needed repairing in the 121-year-old hotel. The building has had poor refurbishments in the past, tainting the building’s structure. The amount of damage to the hotel was only discovered after work began.

Once the hotel reopens it will only have five more rooms than before, bringing the number to a total of 268, including 62 suites. Prices will start at £350 a night, rising to £7,500 for the Royal Suite.

The interior design of the hotel will stay as an Art Deco and Edwardian style but will be mixed with contemporary luxury tastes. Pierre-Yves Rochon was in charge of the interior design. He is well known for projects including the George V in Paris and the Four Seasons in Florence.

Carmen Allan

Premier Inn has signed a deal with international property company Grosvenor to build a new 186-room hotel in Liverpool, UK.The hotel will be situated in the new Liverpool One Hanover Street development and will cost £12m to complete. The total size of the site will measure more than 30,000sqm and is expected to take 15 months to build with an opening in autumn 2012.

Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants, Head of Acquisitions, John Bates said: “Premier Inn is the most successful budget hotel operator in the UK today and we want to ensure that ongoing success by investing in key locations – Liverpool is one of these. By adding a new hotel at Liverpool One, we can be part of this exciting regeneration story and ensure that, as well as having hotels in the business centre (Vernon Street) and entertainment centre (Albert Dock), we will now also have one in the heart of the city’s retail centre.”

In addition to its city centre trio of hotels, Premier Inn also has hotels at John Lennon Airport and at city fringe locations including Liverpool North (Bootle), Rainhill, Roby, Tarbock and West Derby.

The Rezidor Hotel Group has opened the Radisson Blu Hotel, Milan in Italy.Formerly known as the Chedi Milan, this contemporary and stylish hotel is situated in Milan’s Bovisa district and has been designed by Jaya Ibrahim who has created a blend of Italian sophistication and Indonesian elegance.

Understated elegance characterises the hotel’s 250 guest rooms and suites with a spacious average size of 37sqm.

The rooms feature subtle earth tones and strong white accents, offset by wood, bronze, stone, mosaic and textured ceramic, along with limestone bathrooms. Each guest room boasts hi-tech amenities such as satellite TV with LCD screen, individual climate control and Radisson’s signature free high-speed internet access.

The hotel is also home to Rezidor’s Italian restaurant, Filini. At Filini, contemporary design, lightening and music create an Italian atmosphere. Filini opens out onto a garden courtyard for al fresco dining.

The hotel also offers a lounge bar which is situated between the restaurant, main lobby and meeting rooms, and features a marble spiral staircase.

The hotel also features meeting rooms, a health and fitness club and an indoor swimming pool.

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Milan is located 6.5 km northeast from the historic city centre and a 30 minutes drive from the airport Milan Malpensa.

The Chamberlian hotel in West Hollywood has reopened following an extensive renovation.Interior designer Leslie Barrett was in charge of the hotel’s spring 2010 renovation, its first since it opened its doors in 2005.

The improvements included an extensive remodel of all the guestrooms, suites, bathrooms and the roof-top outdoor pool deck, which now offers view of the Hollywood Hills and the Pacific Ocean.

According to the hotel, the new aesthetic is a modern-day interpretation of 1970s and 1980s-era contemporary glamour, inspired by urban capitals like Milan and New York – unique and eclectic, yet comfortable and soothing. The decor incorporates a palette of cool hues including periwinkle and cream, with rich accents of gold, dark chocolate and bronze.

Cream and espresso gridlined carpeting anchors rich stone veneer, brassy metal and chrome detailing, and layers of graphic patterns inspired by the pivotal decades, such as grids, checkerboards and chevrons.

The hotel features 114 guest suites that have contemporary amenities and were designed to evoke the feeling of a home. Guest rooms feature a loft-like, open-concept layout, some with vaulted ceilings, and use an Asian-inspired screen to separate the living quarters from the bedrooms.

All-new bathrooms have a blend of Negro Marquina, St. Laurent and Carerra marble throughout, as well as curbless showers, frameless glass shower doors, and custom-designed chrome frame vanities with marble tops.

The hotel features a lounge and bistro that serves European and Californian cuisines. The dining room is coloured in watery blues and teals and looks out through a 20-foot wall of floor-to-ceiling windows onto a garden patio of tropical palms and native foliage. An exotic lattice-pattern of turquoise and green tile lines the floor, highlighting the turquoise strié wallpaper, while lantern-shaped pendant lights in white gold illume above.

The new 193-room Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square has opened, offering guests a combination of heritage, contemporary design and local art. The Novotel is located in the centre of the city on Cathedral Square and has incorporated the heritage-listed Warner’s Hotel, originally built in 1863, into the complex.

As part of the development, the Warner’s Hotel was fully restored to its former grandeur, with specialist tradesmen using tools over 100 years old to repair the building’s architraves and re-lay tiles in the foyer.

A new building has been constructed behind the existing hotel, adding 170 rooms to the existing 23 heritage rooms and suites.

General Manager of the Novotel, Zayne Boon, said guests could choose between rooms that had their origins almost 150 years apart.

Boon said that the challenge posed to Christchurch-based architect Richard Dalman, of Dalman Architecture Limited, was to offer a first-rate modern hotel while protecting and celebrating the historical value of the iconic Warner’s Hotel.

Dalman said: “The design features incorporated in the new Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square have been chosen to ensure the contrasts between old and new seem natural, yet appreciated. Modern décor has been mixed with some historic features to provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere while ensuring the functional requirements of a modern central city hotel are met.”

Rather than theme the design to any specific historic period, Richard Dalman says they chose to create a stylish interior that focused on the location – on the edge of Cathedral Square in the Garden City.

Dalan said: “Polished porcelain floor tiles, complemented by timber veneer walls, textured wallpaper and a feature wall, instantly create the feeling of luxury. Behind the reception area is a wall of curving stainless steel over carved flowing panels depicting the Avon River and the braided rivers of the Canterbury Plains.”

A feature of the interior design is the use of local artists to ensure the hotel lives up to its identity as a Canterbury icon.

A grand sweeping staircase leads up to the first floor bar and restaurant, where the area has been divided into a number of spaces by golden sheer drapes, a curving wine display wall, and pivoting timber fin screens. The restaurant has views overlooking Cathedral Square.

The Square restaurant debuts ‘personal dining pods’, which provide solo diners with a discretely designed television screen as well as internet access.

Conferences will be a key focus of the Novotel, with five meeting rooms and a capacity for up to 200 delegates. Recreation facilities include a gym.

A new Premier Inn hotel has opened in York, UK. The hotel is located on Blossom Street in the city centre and has a restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.York is a great place to visit for a weekend away, and Premier Inn already has a few hotels in the town, including the York City Blossom Street North, York North, York North West and York South West.

The new York City Blossom Street South hotel is close to York Minster, which had its first building erected in 627. The hotel is also near the historic city walls, which will take the better part of a morning to stroll around. However, this is thoroughly recommended as the walk gives a good vantage point over the city.

Whilst in York it is also vital to stop by The Shambles, voted the more picturesque street by Google, and take a look at the old shoppes. The street is very charming and is one of the most famous in the UK.

A hotel in Cambridgeshire, UK, was demolished this week following a fire.The Phoenix hotel in North Brink, Wisbech, a historic part of Cambridgeshire town, caught fire during the early hours of Thursday morning. After the fire was put out it was decided to demolish the remaining building as it was deemed structurally unsafe.

The building had not been used since last August but previously featured 16 en-suite bedrooms. Neighbouring residents were evacuated during the blaze as 56 fire fighters were called to the scene to put out the flames.

One person suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital and no one else was harmed.

The building was built in the 17th century and was well-known for its Chinese restaurant when it was in operation.

It is not yet known what caused the fire but an investigation is being carried out.

Accor is planning on doubling the number of rooms under management in Vietnam by 2012. This plan includes additional hotels within the Novotel, Mercure hotel brand, as well as the launching of the ibis brand and MGallery label.

Accor considers Vietnam as an appropriate location for hotel expansion. With signs of both economic recovery and a re-strengthening of tourism arrivals, the group is thus confident to expand its presence throughout the country.

Accor plans to expand the number of brands on offer in Vietnam to include upscale products through to more economical hotel brands.

In late 2010, Accor anticipates the opening of the first Pullman hotel in Vietnam – Pullman Vung Tao and the second hotel of the MGallery collection for Vietnam in the country’s capital – Hotel De L’Opera Hanoi.

Beyond this additional developments include three Novotels – Novotel Imperial Hoi An, Novotel Resort Phu Quoc and Novotel Saigon Centre. Mercure Hanoi Hado with its central location in the city will be the third Mercure for Vietnam.

The first two ibis hotels for the country are also announced for Ho Chi Minh City – ibis Saigon and ibis Saigon South. These hotels represent the first two international economy hotels for Vietnam.

The hotel group currently has 13 hotels and 2,147 rooms in operation throughout Vietnam and more than 2,000 additional rooms committed through the above mentioned developments.

The launch of Mercure hotel brand has already begun in Vietnam with Mercure Hanoi La Gare opening in mid 2009, the introduction of Mercure Dalat Hotel Du Parc to the network, and the recent opening of Mercure Hue Gerbera.

Accor has also opened Le Belhamy Hoi An Resort and Spa, a 131-room resort hotel located on Ha My Beach and near the Unesco World Heritage site.

Opening in Spring 2010, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is situated in London’s South Bank, within walking distance of the city’s most iconic
attractions, including Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and the London Aquarium.
The contemporary, design-led hotel in London features 1,021 spacious guest rooms, including 54 suites and penthouses, as well as six distinctive dining and entertainment experiences.

SBL is the telephony systems partner for Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts and we have installed and support several other PBX solutions at their other properties throughout the UK.

Steve Shute, principal engineer said: “The sheer scale of this project presented unique obstacles that needed to be managed carefully – there are 1,700 guest bedroom handsets, 270 administration handsets and 135 base stations for DECT coverage throughout the building.

“We faced challenges with the design of the public areas – no false ceilings, a solid plasterboard covering to the limited roof space that meant limited sized access holes had been cut to allow fitting of base stations. Other issues included the labelling of several thousand cables for WiFi, Telephony, Mini-Bar, Data, DECT etc. Overall a huge logistical exercise that required close co-operation between all contractors on-site.”

After a vast renovation, the Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses has reopened. The hotel was renovated by the designer Didier Gomez for all the interior decoration and the architect Karim Chakor for the façade and exterior. This Sofitel becomes the sixth Sofitel hotel in Morocco Rabat and is situated in the middle of an eight hectare (20-acre) Andalusian park, a rose garden and a eucalyptus forest, close to the Oudaïas, Rabat’s little known Kasbah.

Located in the heart of the Moroccan capital, one quarter hour from the airport and just a few
minutes from the Royal Palace, the Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses offers 229 rooms, including 37 suites, several of which have more than305sqm of floor space. There is also a spa measuring nearly 4,000sqm in size.

The interior décor draws its inspiration from three recurrent elements in the hotel – water,
roses and amber. At the entrance, the Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses opens onto a lobby where water is omnipresent in pools of black marble.

The furniture is quite eclectic, imparting a sense of life and modernity: black for the occidental sobriety and notion of luxury, golden for the Moroccan splendour.

On the floor, a moucharabieh (decorative lattice pattern) detail is outlined in the marble. In addition to the hotel’s boutiques, the lobby is home to the Le Café Lenôtre tearoom as well as the Fish restaurant located close to the pool, which enjoys direct access for the local Rabat clientele.

From the monochrome lobby, the colourful living spaces stand out in contrast. Red and black
dominate in the El Patio restaurant, which opens onto the park like a winter garden. The play of mirrors accentuates the restaurant’s luminosity and openness. On the floor, the Agadir marble offsets a red and black Moroccan carpet designed by Didier Gomez.

In this geometric setting inspired by the 1930-40s, one of the walls is decorated with a
traditional design reproducing a work of the customs officer Rousseau: a simple outline
drawn on a sheet that the Moroccan craft workers only took a day to sculpt the plaster on an entire wall.

The Moroccan restaurant Al Warda asserts warm colours in a highly matted ambience, with
reinterpreted Moroccan type lights and ceilings made according to Fassi art. The 1960s style
furniture gives it a chick and contemporary look.

The Amber Bar displays magnificent alabaster walls, gold painted moucharabiehs and a copper ceiling in tribute to Moroccan copper work.

The rooms’ decoration continues the project’s theme of moucharabiehs, which are still
presented as panels – black this time – that slide so you can see the gardens and the city
from your bathroom.

Life Resort Da Nang has opened in Vietnam this month after numerous delays due to the global recession.The resort features 187 rooms and is situated on Bac My An Beach.

The opening marks a resurgence of development momentum on this storied stretch of coast between Da Nang and Hoi An.

Life Resort Danang‘s 187 rooms will include nine categories of accommodation, from 67 superior rooms and 91 deluxe rooms to suites and villas and one grand presidential suite.

The resort will also feature the 420sqm Nang Spa, with 10 treatment rooms, a fitness center, tennis courts, a resort pool, conference facilities, and several food and beverage outlets, including the 300-seat Senses restaurant.

Life Resorts, general director, Chris Duffy said: “Although we‘re opening a resort on the beach, this region‘s appeal extends far beyond the strand to the new golf courses, to the Marble Mountains just a few kilometers up the road, to the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Sites at Hoi An, Hue and My Son.”

Cour du Corbeau, one of Europe’s oldest hotels, situated in France, has joined the MGallery collection.Fully renovated by architects Benoït Peaucelle from Levy-Peaucelle et Associes, the establishment in Strasbourg was originally built in 1528.

Cour du Corbeau – the crow’s courtyard in French – is an important part of Strasbourg’s cultural heritage. Located down the street from Notre-Dame Cathedral, the half-timbered structure is considered to be an example of Renaissance architecture.

Illustrious guests who are known to have sojourned there include Frederick II, King of Prussia; Joseph II, Emperor of Austria; Voltaire; and Alexandre Dumas père.

Comprised of ten buildings organized around pathways, recesses and staircases, Cour du Corbeau has several ornamental features, including an enigmatic coat of arms, an angel on one of the façades and a crow on a turret.

In 2009, the hotel was completely renovated leaving the traditional style intact. Every detail of the building has been restored – the coat of arms, the rafters, the balustrades, the stained glass windows and even the frescoes.

The interior has also been thoroughly redesigned. Along with a new line of neo-baroque furniture, a wide range of materials comprising Vosges sandstone, cobblestone, terra cotta tiles, ceramic tiles, copper, glass, slate, granite and pebbles have been deployed to create a contemporary atmosphere.

Alternating beige and brownish-gray tones with splashes of aubergine, raspberry and violet adds warmth and ambience. Sculpted crystals in the wall lights and multifaceted lamps create dramatic lighting and private spaces.

Each of the 57 rooms has a distinctive style thanks to its specific architecture, decoration or history. Some feature large bay windows, mansard roofs or private yards but all provide exceptional comfort and space.

The hotel features 19 suites and all the rooms offer restyled Louis XV furniture, refined oak parquet floors and LCD flat screen TVs and Wi-Fi.

The hotel’s anemities include a bar, a tea room, a laundry and a porter.

RockResort is to open a hotel, Tempo Miami, next month on the corner of Biscayne Boulevard and 11th Street.The luxury building is being designed by renowned architectural firm Arquitectonica and will be located at The Marquis Residences, a 67-story luxury resort and residential development that combines elegant design with comfort.

A signature design element will be the soaring structure’s blue tinted glass through which guests can take in views of Biscayne Bay and city lights.

The resort will also feature a 2,500sqm RockResorts Spa and fitness center, as well as a cocktail bar on the 14th floor sky pool deck.

Tempo Miami will offer 56 resort guest rooms, including seven junior suites and seven full suites, a three-meal restaurant and a third floor lounge overlooking Biscayne Bay.

Guest will also have services including personal concierge, shopping assistants, butlers and personal administrative assistants.

Hyatt has opened its first hotel in Madison, Wisconsin, US, featuring 151 guestrooms.All the rooms feature a 42 inch HDTV and an eight foot sectional sofa-sleeper.

Complimentary wi-fi is offered throughout the hotel, along with a continental breakfast each morning.

The hotel is situated in the Madison downtown area and has 760sqm of meeting space. Hyatt Madison also features a fitness centre and a coffee and wine bar.

Madison is home to one of the country’s largest universities and Hyatt Hotels, global head, Gary Dollens said the company took this into consideration when building the hotel: “The Hyatt Place brand is a perfect fit for a campus environment because it was designed for
people living a multitasking lifestyle, not just a business traveler or a leisure traveler.”

The Siegel Hotel Group has plans to open a boutique chain of Las Vegas hotels, starting with the Rumour Hotel which is to debut in June.

The 150-suite Rumour Hotel is to open on the former site of the St Tropez, across the road from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Harmon Avenue in Las Vegas.

The hotel will feature a pool that will have private cabanas, landscaped grounds and hammocks, as well as a DJ mixing decks in the evenings.

The Siegel Group said it wants its new brand of hotels to be intimate and especially tailored to the customers’ touch.

CEO, Stephen Siegel said: “Las Vegas is not thought of as a boutique hotel city like New York, Miami or San Francisco. For years, the only idea is Las Vegas was to build bigger, but The Siegel Group philosophy is to offer something entirely innovative: something smaller with the personal customer touch.

“We want to create an experience that feel exclusive, comfortable, relaxed and has great value. Each of our five boutique hotels provides a reprieve from the grind and grandiose normally associated with Las Vegas.”

The other hotels Siegel has planned for the new boutique chain includes The Artisan, Gold Spike Hotel and Casino, Oasis at Gold Spike and The Resort on Mount Charleston. The design for the chain is expected to be contemporary and stylish with the ‘culturally creative in mind’.

Steve Wynn has unveiled Encore this week, which is his all-suite boutique hotel, adjacent to sister resort Wynn Macau.According to the company, the resort hotel will feature ‘approximately’ 410 luxury suites and four villas.

Encore will also include two new restaurants and a spa which will boast eight private therapy suites, each with its own steam room, sauna and aroma-hydrotherapy bath and shower.

The resort will also house three signature stores; Cartier, Chanel and Piaget.

The InterContinental Hotels Group has opened its first new build Holiday Inn branded hotel in Mumbai, India. The hotel features 225 rooms and is situated at the Saki Naka junction in Andheri at the Mumbai airport.The hotel features an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby bar and a deli. There is also a spa and a roof-top infinity pool for guests to enjoy.

The business centre within the Holiday Inn has both conference and banquet facilities and is one of the new-look hotels that the brand has planned.

Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, general manager, Harry Thaliwal said: “Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport is the first new-built Holiday Inn in India, which is an important milestone for IHG. We are offering a business class product and a variety of services to our customers.”

The Crown Metropol has opened in Australia. The hotel has 658 rooms and cost A$300m to build. The Crown Metropol has an urban and metropolitan design, which was influenced by the hotel’s location in the centre of Melbourne.

It took more than 5,000 people 27 months to complete the build and will feature Australia’s first two Gordon Ramsay restaurants.

The hotel also features a spa on its 27th floor, a sky bar and terrace on level 28, four meeting rooms and a retail precinct. The shopping area is to showcase brands that were previously unavailable in Australia.

Local businesses and artists, such as Melbourne-based artist David Band and lighting designer, Steven Hennessy, were commissioned to create unique, custom-made elements throughout the hotel. Specially commissioned Australian artwork and Victorian materials feature prominently throughout Crown Metropol.

The hotel’s 658 rooms is inclusive of 579 hotel rooms, 34 studios, 12 spa accommodation rooms, 32 lofts and one apartment-style residence. Lofts boast city views while studios feature views of Port Phillip Bay.

In the lobby, a mirrored space encloses the extensive storage area while a specially commissioned light fitting, sculpture and large-scale painting completes the expansive, modern lobby.

Overall, the hotel’s rooms, studios and lofts have a dramatic, Manhattan, boutique-style feel teamed with all of the service and amenities expected of a Crown hotel.

Crown, CEO, David Courtney said: “The new hotel is a demonstration of the confidence Crown has in the future of Melbourne as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. When the Bates Smart-designed hotel opens, it will employ 500 people and provide accommodation for approximately 250 000 guests in its first year of operation including 100 000 visitors from overseas.”

The Burj Khalifa, the new tallest tower in the world which is to house the Armani Hotel, has delayed its opening once again, this time because of the volcanic ash.It is the second opening cancellation in the Dubai tower. The first delay was for two months because there was an elevator malfunction in the 828m-tall building.

The current delay, due to the volcanic ash from an eruption in Iceland delaying flights around Europe, means the hotel will now only open on April 27, instead of the expected date of April 22.

The Armani Hotel is the first from fashion designer Giorgio Armani and will include eight restaurants, an upscale lounge, a spa with thermal suites, a fitness centre and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel will also house an Armani/Dolci chocolates store, a florist and a galleria, which is to show select couture accessories.

Marriott will open Courtyard by Marriott Ham Tan in Vietnam. The hotel will feature 200 rooms, and will consists of mix of standard guestrooms as well as semi-detached bungalows. Each of the rooms will boast views of the ocean as well as modern connectivity. Bungalow guests will also be able to enjoy ‘generous’ bathrooms with a separate tub and shower.

Marriott International, president and managing director, Ed Fuller said: “We’re thrilled by the continued expansion of our presence in Vietnam and to be introducing our Courtyard brand in Vietnam. With the opening of this hotel, we’ll be able to offer travelers in Vietnam a choice of four hotel brands from luxury to mid-priced. The World Travel & Tourism Council forecasts that Vietnam tourism over the next 10 years will grow to more than 7 million visitors annually, twice what it was in 2007, and we are positioning ourselves to be able to offer these visitors a hotel stay no matter what their travel budget dictates.”

With the opening of the Marriott Ham Tan, travelers will now have a choice of four hotel brands from luxury to mid-priced.

There will be a variety of dining spaces as well as a lobby lounge, and there will be over 500sqm of flexible meeting space.

The hotel will also house a pool and spa area with six treatment rooms.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has signed an agreement with Tanriverdi Holding Company to manage the Shangri-La Hotel, Istanbul, opening in April 2012. The hotel will be the group’s first in Turkey.Shangri-La Hotel, Istanbul will be located between the Dolmabahce and the Maritime Museum on the European coast of the Bosphorus Straits, the 30km stretch of water separating Europe and Asia.

Built on the site of a former tobacco factory and warehouse from the 1930s, the Shangri-La Hotel, Istanbul will recreate the exterior facades of the old building, which are protected by the city’s Cultural and Natural Assets Committee.

From the hotel’s prime coastline location, guests will enjoy views across to the Asian coast of Istanbul, the Bosphorus Bridge and the city’s historic peninsula. The hotel will be designed by Istanbul-based architect Piramit with 14 storeys, seven of which will be underground to protect the historic facade. The building will be the second tallest on the coast after the Dolmabahce Palace.

The hotel’s 200 guestrooms, some of which will have private terraces, will reflect the city’s proud heritage while also including the Asian design touches and modern travel technologies. The hotel will offer several restaurants and bars including a rooftop restaurant with views of the city’s historic skyline and coastline. Additional facilities will include a health club, spa, swimming pool, business centre, ballroom, and conference and meeting room facilities.

Shangri-La Asia, chairman, Kuok Khoon Ean, said: “We are proud to work with the Tanriverdi Group on their first hotel project to make their dream of a world class luxury hotel a reality,” said Kuok Khoon Ean, chairman of Shangri-La Asia Limited. “We are honored to have the opportunity to create a Shangri-La in Istanbul, a city that has welcomed distinguished guests since the Roman and Byzantine empires, and look forward to becoming a part of the city’s future.”

After HotelDesigns recently reported that Hyatt Hotels was expanding into India, it has been revealed that Starwood Hotels has similar plans.Starwood has announced it is to expand its Aloft hotel into India with a bigger presence of new build hotels. Starwood president and CEO, Frits van Paasschen has embarked on a two week trip to India to meet hotel owners, developers and team members and to conduct more research into the market.

By 2012, Aloft expects to be operating six hotels in India, with Aloft Chennai-OMR-IT Expressway, Aloft Bengaluru-Whitefield and Aloft Coimbatore Singanallur all scheduled to open later this year. next year the Aloft Ahmedabad, SG Road, Aloft Chandigarh Zirakpur and Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park are also expected to debut.

Marriott Hotels also recently announced that it would be improving its presence in India as well. The company plans to open three JW Marriott luxury branded hotels in India in Bengeluru, Chandigarh and Chennai this year.

So why are so many hotel groups viewing India as a developer’s hot spot? In recent years the Indian government has taken major steps to improve tourism in the country, by abolishing inland air travel tax, reducing tax on aviation fuel and removing restrictions on outbound chartered flights. The government has also changed its attitude when building infrastructure, seeing convention centres as a core part of a city’s life.

All of these steps relating to tourism have meant that there is a higher demand for hotel rooms. Because of the high demand, there is a shortage of hotel rooms in the country. According to the I Love India website, there is a shortage of 150,000 hotel rooms in the nation, making it a prime candidate for development.

Not only is it tourists that are in need of hotel rooms, but business in India is booming, creating the need for hotels for business travellers. Over the past decade, business in India has intensified, creating such a need for hotel rooms that even budget hotels are charging up to US$250 a night. India currently has only 110,000 hotel rooms to accommodate 350m domestic travellers and 10m foreign tourists.

Carmen Allan