w hotels

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) has announced that it has received a binding offer from Constellation Hotels Holding Limited (“Constellation”) to acquire InterContinental Paris – Le Grand (the “Hotel”). The proposed purchase price is €330 million ($442 million1), payable in cash at completion. Constellation has made a further commitment to invest over time an estimated €60 million in future hotel…

Solís by Capella Hotel Group recently announced the development and opening of the Solís Ubud Resort & Spa in 2017. Fresh from the debut of its first hotel in China in March (the Han Yue Lou Hotel Nanjing), this latest announcement signifies the exciting expansion of the Solís brand with further luxury hotels scheduled to open in Guangzhou, China, and…

Claridge’s is recognised as the finest art deco hotel in London. Having started life as a magnificent private house, it was established as a hotel in 1898 and quickly became a favourite of European royalty and heads of state. Much of the art deco design and features added through the 1920’s and 1930’s remains in place and has been enhanced…

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has announced it has expanded its resorts portfolio with the opening of Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island, Fiji. Owned by local Fijian proprietary company, Ritam Investments Ltd, part of the P Meghji Group, the previously independent resort underwent an extensive $18.5 million renovation and conversion project prior to raising the Sheraton flag. The…

BAGNODESIGN, the home of creative bathroom solutions, will soon complete supply on a one-of-a-kind project located in Cultural Village, Dubai Creek. Palazzo Versace, one of Dubai’s fashion-branded hotels, reflects the vision and creativity of Gianni Versace S.p.A. along with a commitment to excellence in design and fine workmanship – a commitment that is shared by BAGNODESIGN. Situated in a spectacular…

Protea have long had an hotel in a converted prison in the heart of Cape Town’s waterfront. Sharing it in part with Cape Town’s internationally reputable Business School has given a steady flow of business customers, but the recent refurbishment has seen this hotel redeveloped into a stunning destination hotel for families, with some sensitive additions that are already showing…

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that its trailblazing Element brand is headed to Syracuse, New York. Element Syracuse Inner Harbor will open in early 2018 as part of a massive waterfront redevelopment project along the former Barge Canal. Element Syracuse Inner Harbor will be located adjacent to Aloft Syracuse Inner Harbor, which is set to open…

Kempinski began its management contract for Kempinski Hotel Fleuve Congo on August 1, 2014 following the signing of an eleven-year management agreement in Geneva in January. Named after Africa’s largest river, the hotel is located near its banks in the heart of the embassy district in the Commune of Gombe. The hotel’s 22 floors offer elevated views over the Congo…

The brand is rolling out a large-scale international communication campaign with an all-new angle on the hospitality experience.As you will probably remember, Pullman announced its global repositioning strategy a year ago, and one of the big breakthroughs back then was an advertising campaign featuring the brand hotel and resort spirit and design, which we created with the DDB Group. Then,…

Leading UK shower designer and manufacturer, Roman has launched hotel inspired Concealed Fix Bath Screens into their new Showroom Guide brochure. Roman has introduced some new designs to their already extensive collection of Bath Screens. These new Bath Screens have been inspired by hotel design with their practicality and style. Bath Screens used in hotels must feature intelligent opening panels…

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has announced the completion of an extensive multi-million dollar renovation of the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The hotel now showcases a transformed 450 deluxe guest rooms in addition to enhancements to the public areas of the hotel, most notably a new look for the hotel restaurant – Café Apropos and a new spa Green Tangerine.Located in the…

Accelerating growth in markets worldwide, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has announced plans for a dual-branded hotel development in Columbus, Ohio, featuring its popular Aloft and Element brands. Owned by Indus Hotels, the 136-room Aloft Columbus and 123-room Element Columbus will be ideally located adjacent to The Ohio State University, just minutes from downtown Columbus. Marking the début of…

At times playful and mischievous, at others dark and rocky. Brintons Skulduggery is a melting pot of graphical styles screaming with metallic, edgy, hedonistic designs each telling its own story. Drawing inspirations from music these concepts evoke graffiti and rap, heavy metal and electronica layered across in an urban, man-made theme. Binary collides with circuit boards. Geometrics meet sharp anatomical…

Accor and the Hotel Convención property have signed an agreement and plan to open the new establishment in 2016. It will be operated under a franchise contract under the Novotel brand. The hotel, which will be completely redesigned and refurbished, will be transformed into a preferred benchmark destination for international congresses. The 790-room establishment is Madrid’s third largest hotel and…

Defined by its attitude rather than its affordability, Moxy Hotels will redesign the traditional economy hotel experience, allowing guests to work, play, connect and enjoy – all in contemporary and comfortable style. With its tech-enabled rooms, buzzy lobby and friendly price point, Moxy aims to surprise budget-conscious travellers with a thoughtful, spirited and fun guest experience. Opening on 1 September…

Miami Beach’s newest Hilton Hotels & Resorts property, Hilton Cabana Miami Beach will proudly début in the heart of Miami Beach in Summer 2014. Located at 6261 Collins Avenue at 62nd Street, this contemporary, full-service hotel will feature 231 all-new guest rooms and is set within the quickly emerging sub-market known as “Millionaire’s Row,” that is filled with restaurants, nightlife,…

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has announced the opening of Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park in the city’s hot new hi tech hub. Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park marks the second Aloft Hotel in Bengaluru. Managed by Starwood, the hotel is owned by the Prestige Group, a leading real estate developer in India with a diversified portfolio of hospitality,…

In May 2014, when I prepared for a city trip to Copenhagen two things drew my eyes to the new Wakeup Copenhagen Borgergade: 1. It is very well located in the city center near Kongen Nytorv, Nyhavn, the Danish Royal Palace Amalien Borg, the Danish Design Museum and the city’s main shopping walk Oestergade. Actually its location is better than…

Staff at a leading Birmingham-based silversmith are celebrating after delivering a tableware order for a new London restaurant in record time.Heritage Collection designed, manufactured and delivered a complex order of bespoke silverware, cutlery and glassware to the newly opened Palomar restaurant in Soho in just three weeks. The order consisted of more than 2,500 items to be used in the…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announces the opening of the 103-room Holiday Inn Express Yorkton hotel in Saskatchewan. Located at 63 7th Avenue North, the hotel features 21 suites, including four family suites. Prominently situated close to Highway 16, the hotel is within walking distance to Yorkton City Hall and several corporate and government offices. ) . Located one kilometer from…

Naturalmat has been appointed as the official bed supplier for Qbic London City.Qbic, who are pioneers of sustainability in the hotel arena were impressed by Naturalmat’s eco credentials and loved the idea of their guests sleeping on a sustainably sumptuous bed! Naturalmat has been hand crafting natural and organic mattresses from their premises on the banks of the River Exe…

Opening this August, one of the most delightful aspects of the new Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort is its breathtaking location in the Walt Disney World® Resort. The Resort is set amid the palm-tree lined, gated Golden Oak community, a Disney-developed residential enclave of custom single family homes. Located in a lushly landscaped area with many…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the opening of a new Holiday Inn Express® Hotel & Suites in Calgary, Alberta following a $25 million investment by 722413 Alberta Ltd. The six-story, 113-room hotel also includes 49 suites, a business center, indoor swimming pool with waterslide, and a large meeting space for up to 160 people appropriate for both weddings and…

Travelodge, the UK’s biggest independent hotel chain, has today announced that it is continuing to expand in Scotland and is looking for ten new hotel sites across the country. This represents an investment of £75 million and means the creation of 200 new jobs. Positions will include the following: Hotel Manager, Assistant Hotel Manager, Receptionists, Housekeeper and Guest Room Cleaners.…

Courtyard by Marriott plans to open its first hotel in Bosnia and Herzegovina next year. The 130-room Courtyard by Marriott Sarajevo is expected to open in mid-2015 and will operate under a franchise agreement with Lake d.o.o. and Interstate Hotels & Resorts. The hotel will be the second Marriott International property in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Residence Inn Sarajevo,…

Kempinski Hotels officially took over the management of the famous Hôtel Des Milles Collines in Rwanda’s capital Kigali at the beginning of the month. Hôtel Des Milles Collines by Kempinski will be the European luxury hotel company’s ninth hotel operating on the continent, with three more hotels in Africa scheduled to open in the next six months. The hotel, which…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announces the opening of the new 99-room Holiday Inn Express® Fort St. John hotel. Located just off the Alaska Highway in the heart of Fort St. John, the hotel is in close proximity to a variety of recreational facilities and activities including the Pomeroy Sports Centre, which houses two-NHL sized ice rinks and a speed skating…

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has recently unveiled designs for Le Méridien New Orleans, a milestone as the French-born brand prepares to return to the Crescent City by end of year. As part of the strategic conversion plan of the former W New Orleans, the property has now transitioned to the Hotel New Orleans Downtown for the remainder of…

The colours of the Mediterranean glow in the mid-summer sunlight – yes I was reminded today that we are past the longest day and the nights are drawing in again. It didn’t feel like that as I walked to the beach or leaped off the launch into the ocean, and the bougainvillea was full of bees and butterflies enjoying the…

Hotel and leisure entrepreneurs in Scotland who want to capitalise on the growth generated by the XXth Commonwealth Games and other events taking place in Scotland have received a boost from Santander Corporate & Commercial, which is making £100m of funding available to these sectors this year. As Scotland prepares to host the Games, the Ryder Cup and to support…

Sleep, Europe’s leading hotel architecture, design and development event, returns to the Business Design Centre in London on 26-27 November with exciting new features and exhibitors to ensure it stays ahead in today’s fast-evolving hospitality landscape. With details about the line-up for 2014 just released, here’s a quick snapshot of what’s in store so far…The Sleep Set This year’s challenge…

Joining the Hilton Hotels & Resorts portfolio in September 2014, the Concorde Opera Paris hotel has begun a significant $50 million restoration and enhancement programme ahead of its much anticipated re-launch as Hilton Paris Opera. Providing a sneak preview of new designs and interiors, the hotel will offer travellers a modern blend of history and glamour, with sleek styling in…

Celebrity chef and hotelier Raymond Blanc has backed the campaign to reduce the rate of VAT on accommodation and attractions in the UK.The Cut Tourism VAT wants the UK Government to slash VAT on accommodation and attractions from 20% to 5%. New independent research has shown that a cut to the rate of VAT on hotels will not only boost…

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has announced the opening of Sheraton Reserva do Paiva Hotel and Convention Center, near Brazil’s northeast region of Recife. Sheraton Reserva do Paiva was developed by the Portuguese group Promovalor and Brazilian group Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias under a long-term management contract with Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. It is the first international upper-upscale hotel in…

The Grand Hyatt Taipei completed work on the first phase of a landmark renovation this month, unveiling 853 new rooms and suites in a design that pays homage to Eastern and Western cultural influences.After a re-imagination of space that stripped the hotel to its concrete bones, the hotel redeveloped 14 categories of rooms and suites in its most significant overhaul…

A Birmingham-based luxury silver and tableware manufacturer has signed a lucrative partnership deal with legendary china manufacturer Wedgwood. The deal will secure jobs and is expected to be worth at least a million pounds to Heritage Collection, a fast-growing family business based in Small Heath. The partnership means that Heritage will produce a new range of exclusive silverware for Wedgwood’s…

Rocco Forte’s Hotel Savoy in Florence has just announced the completion of its Repubblica Suite.Hotel Savoy has expanded the original room into a presidential sized suite, while maintaining the stylish charm of a Rocco Forte Hotel. The 110 sq metre two-bedroom suite is located on the second floor and boasts high ceilings, full height balcony doors and spectacular views from…

European market leader, Aparthotels Adagio, has announced the development of two new aparthotel properties in London, marking the arrival of Aparthotels Adagio in the Capital.Both developments are in partnership with Union Hanover and EquityBridge Asset Management. The new developments will open two years apart, the first expected to open its doors in 2016. Commenting on the UK expansion, Martine Balouka-Vallette,…

Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is pleased to announce it will open a 216 room hotel under its Pullman brand at the Kings Dock, on Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront during the summer of 2015.The second Pullman brand hotel in the UK, the upscale hotel will be operated by Branded Hotel Management (“BHM”), under a franchise…

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. and Verny Capital, a leading Kazakhstan private investment group, have signed an agreement for the development of The Ritz-Carlton, Astana. The luxury hotel is due to open in 2017 as the portfolio’s second hotel in Kazakhstan, with The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty previously opening its doors in 2013. The Ritz-Carlton, Astana will be the first international luxury…

Leading hotel bed manufacturer, Hypnos, has welcomed the announcement of the ‘first standard’ for contract beds, which has been developed by the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA).FIRA developed the new test following requests from manufacturers, who believed that contract beds – those used in the non-domestic applications like the hotel industry – needed to adhere to more stringent performance guidelines…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently announced the opening of its second property in Cabo San Lucas – the Holiday Inn Express® Cabo San Lucas hotel, a beautiful property with 94 rooms. Convenient for both business and leisure travel, this addition to IHG’s Cabo San Lucas hotels is in the heart of the commercial and tourist areas, less than five minutes…

Rocco Forte Hotels recognises the increasing demand for larger, more luxurious accommodation. As part of an on-going series of developments, Hotel de Rome has expanded its Bebel Suite to 200 sq metres, twice as large as the original, with the option of adding three bedrooms and a junior suite to create a 5 bedroom apartment of 450 sq metres. Olga…

Marriott Hotels recently announced the opening of the 175-room Novosibirsk Marriott Hotel in Western Siberia, the company’s second hotel in Siberia and its fifteenth in Russia. The hotel is positioned in a prime location on Lenin Square opposite the iconic Opera House and offers Novosibirsk’s largest conference facilities on hotel grounds.The 175 spacious and thoughtfully designed guestrooms feature large flat…

Artisan Real Estate Investors has unveiled an exciting new vision to drive forward the transformation of the former Caltongate area at the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town.The £150 million development is to create a brand new city centre district for Edinburgh called New Waverley – a name reflecting both the area’s rich cultural heritage and its proximity to the…

Marriott International, Inc. has announced that the iconic Atlantis, Paradise Island resort will become part of its Autograph Collection, a rapidly growing exclusive portfolio of over 60 independent hotels in key locations across the globe. Regarded as the premier destination resort in The Bahamas and Caribbean, the 3,400 room Atlantis, Paradise Island will operate under a franchise agreement with Marriott…

Contra Curtains are delighted to announce the completion of their soft furnishing installation at The Charing Cross Guoman Hotel.Working closely with the design team, Contra provided various window treatments to the hotel’s brand new state of the art conference facilities. These treatments included electrically operated roller blinds and hand embroidered upholstered pelmets. The intricate detail of the embroidery and decorative…

Edwardian Group London has announced the appointment of design firm Yabu Pushelberg for its new hotel development in London’s Leicester Square.The design firm will work with the hospitality group to develop a unique ‘Luxury Lifestyle’ concept for the recently consented scheme in the heart of London’s West End. “Over many years we have built up our business, with a focus…

The official opening of Thomson’s sixth five star Sensatori Resort in Jamaica took place in April with a spectacular opening event. Located in one of the Caribbean’s most sought after postcodes and set on the beautiful seven mile beach in Negril, the luxurious hotel offers swim-up rooms, fine dining and tranquil massage huts on the beach.Sensatori Resort Jamaica, a property…

Hilton Southampton has recently refurbished their lounge bar areas with bespoke tables and stylish seating.RHA Furniture made the beautiful solid wood coffee and dining tables from their UK factory. All in solid wood with high quality Walnut laminate tops and solid wood lipping. Custom made high back chairs and chesterfield sofas sit elegantly alongside a selection of popular Italian designs,…

Accor has announced it will open a 78 room hotel under its Mercure brand in Talbot Square, London. The hotel is situated in a prime location close to Hyde Park and Paddington Station (the main central London terminus for express trains to Heathrow Airport). Mercure London Hyde Park hotel will be operated under a franchise agreement with the property owner,…

The Four Points by Sheraton Ljubljana Mons, the first globally branded hotel in more than a decade to enter Ljubljana, is officially open as of the 18th June. Following an extensive renovation, the hotel features refreshed guest rooms, a new lobby/bar area and updated fitness centre. Four Points by Sheraton Ljubljana Mons is conveniently located 20 minutes from the national…

The four-star Cedar Court Hotel, Wakefield is celebrating the completion of a major re-development plan which has seen its facilities modernised, with increased comfort and style for guests. In the latest stage of the £500,000 investment, which has previously seen the refurbishment and upgrading of 66 bedrooms and two of the hotel’s conference rooms, the lounge area has been extensively…

As the Moroccan city of Casablanca gears up for growth in tourism, its midscale and budget hotel segments remain undersupplied with demand continuing to exceed supply. A new report from global hotel consultancy HVS outlines the fact that from 2006-2013 hotel supply in Casablanca grew at a compound rate of 6.6%, with both room and bed capacity expanding at a…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) has announced the signing of the first internationally branded hotel in Borjomi, Georgia: Crowne Plaza® Borjomi. The hotel will operate under a franchise agreement with Park Hotel LLC and will be managed by T&T Consulting. Set to open in 2015, the property will be converted from an existing building into an 84-room hotel featuring 16 club…

Lampshades come in all shapes, sizes and varieties, with sometimes exotic names, sometimes finished in exotic materials. They can be plain ‘drum’ or ‘coolie’ or perhaps drip with embroidered beads. They can be strictly functional or match the designers’ wildest dreams (and possible the housekeepers worst nightmares…). Whatever it is then the workshops of A Shade Above in Portslade in…

Global operator, Aparthotel Adagio, the European leader in aparthotels, has announced the signing of a new property in Edinburgh. The 146-apartment property is due to open early 2017 as part of New Waverly the former Caltongate area at the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town.With frontages onto both the Royal Mile and the Canongate, the design of the four-storey aparthotel…

Global Hotel Alliance (“GHA”) has announced California-based Meritage Collection as its latest member brand, bringing its presence in the United States to 60 hotels, making it GHA’s largest single market, both in terms of hotel coverage and its significant customer base.Meritage Collection is a life and style collection from Pacific Hospitality Group and includes four distinctive properties in legendary California…

There’s a series of famous scenes in the iconic Sofia Coppola movie Lost in Translation where Bill Murray – playing a sell-out actor Bob Harris – and Scarlett Johansson – playing young philosophy graduate Charlotte – bump into each other in various parts of a large, luxury Tokyo hotel. Suffering from acute jetlag, the characters meet by chance in the…

The Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel and Residences, the newest member of The Regent Hotels & Resorts collection, will be welcoming guests for the first time on the coast of the Adriatic Sea this summer. With rooms starting from €250 (aprox. £200) per night, the highly anticipated hotel will feature 35 hotel rooms and 51 one to three-bedroom residences as well…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) has announced the signing of Holiday Inn Express Istanbul – Airport. The hotel, due to open in 2014, will be the first internationally branded limited service hotel near Istanbul International Airport. The 110-room hotel will operate under a franchise agreement with Liv Yapi Gayrimenkul Yatirim. The property, overlooking the main street on the Basin Express Highway,…

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announces the completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation and redesign of Donovan House, a Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants’ property. The renovation of the stylish downtown Washington, D.C. hotel encompasses all 193 guestrooms and suites, lifts and corridors and features a cosmopolitan look and new business-friendly amenities.CBT, a Boston-based multidisciplinary interior, architecture and urban design firm specialising in…

Budget design hotel chain Motel One has rolled out yet another turquoise carpet for the opening of their first hotel in Brussels. The new Motel One Brussels is situated alongside the picture-perfect Rue Royale in the city centre and delivers stylish accommodation from as little as €79 per night, in the city known for its historic heritage, chocolate and lace.As…

Centara Hotels & Resorts of Thailand staged the grand opening of Centara Ceysands Resort & Spa Sri Lanka on 29 May 2014, with the ceremony presided over by His Excellency Mr Mahinda Rajapksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.The resort is located on the Bentota Peninsula, at the southwest of the island, with the Bentota River on…

Marking a milestone in the city where it all began, Marriott Hotels, the flagship brand of Marriott International, Inc. officially celebrated the highly anticipated grand opening of the company’s 4,000th hotel – the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC.The day kicked off with the official dedication led by J.W. Marriott, Jr., executive chairman, along with city officials and other dignitaries who helped…

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world’s largest hotel companies, has announced the signing of the first Holiday Inn® hotel in Belarus: Holiday Inn® Minsk. Due to open in 2016, the new build property will operate under a franchise agreement with Hospitality Group LLC.Holiday Inn Minsk will also feature the brand’s signature Open Lobby. The Holiday Inn Open Lobby…

Hotel Okura Co., Ltd. will reconstruct the Main Building of its flagship, Hotel Okura Tokyo. The reconstruction, to be finished by spring 2019, before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will add cutting-edge facilities while maintaining Hotel Okura Tokyo’s famous traditional Japanese architectural style. It will cost more than ¥100 billion ($980 million).The new high-rise complex will feature the latest technologies for…

The latest major Hotel refurbishment project by The Contract Chair Company has been the result of their long standing relationship with Helen Hooper Design and Jupiter Hotels. Mercure Newbury Elcot Park Hotel is a country retreat developed in a Georgian Manor house. Surrounded by 16 acres of landscaped garden, this property was once owned by the family of Percy Shelley,…

Hilton Worldwide today announced the launch of Curio – A Collection by Hilton, including plans for the first hotels to join the new brand.Created for travelers who seek local discovery and authentic experiences, Curio will be a carefully selected, global collection of distinctive four to five star hotels. Just as the word “curio” can refer to something of interest, unique…

A selection of opulent suites will occupy the entire sixth floor of the Hotel Royal at Evian Resort when it re-opens its doors following a major multi-million Euro refurbishment in July 2014. Seven suites in total, ranging in size from the Junior Suite Rotonde which is 58 m2 up to the magnificent, Suite Royale which is an impressively spacious 207…

One of Birmingham’s most iconic landmarks, the Hyatt Regency Hotel, has received a £6m investment for its refurbishment to include a brand new bar and restaurant concept.The luxury 319 room hotel located on Bridge Street opposite the International Convention Centre (ICC) first opened in 1990. Refurbishment of the guest rooms, suites and the hotel’s eight conference rooms and ballroom has…