Hotel Industry News In Brief

Apr 16, 12 | 12:09 am

Some current conversation starters…

Pegasus Capital is the suitor of Six Senses by Raini Hamdi.

AS tipped by TTG Asia e-Daily on February 15, US-based private equity fund manager, Pegasus Capital Advisors, through one or more of its affiliates, has entered into a binding agreement to buy Bangkok-based Six Senses Resorts & Spas for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the deal, Pegasus will acquire all of the Six Senses and Evason branded resort and spa management contracts and related intellectual property rights and operate them under a new company managed by Pegasus and its affiliates. Bernhard Bohnenberger, currently the president of Six Senses, will be continuing in that role and heading the Six Senses’ Bangkok office. In a statement, Craig Cogut, founder, Pegasus Capital Advisors, said: "Going forward, the new Six Senses will be a debt-free company with committed capital for expansion into new and within existing international markets. We are confident that our president Bernhard Bohnenberger and our strong management team will continue to build on its legacy as a recognised leader in luxury hospitality." Source to read complete article: TTGAsia.

Amadeus and Accor Extend 10-year Partnership by George Dooley.

After more than 10 years of collaboration, Amadeus and Accor have announced an extension of their revenue management partnership. Under this new agreement, both companies will work on achieving higher adoption of the Amadeus Revenue Management system that will permit Accor - a leading hotel operator - to make more informed decisions, optimize room capacity and drive revenue growth. Both companies will work jointly to identify ways to optimize the use of the Amadeus Revenue Management system across Accor’s properties, which will include the rollout of a training campaign for revenue managers to increase the knowledge and adoption of the solution. “Over these 10 years of cooperation, Amadeus has proved to be a key partner and supported us in the deployment of the revenue management solution across our organization. For this reason, we are pleased to extend our long-standing relationship with Amadeus to keep collaborating in a closer way to provide our hotel revenue managers with a sophisticated solution to increase the profitability of our hotels,” said Jean-Luc Chrétien, executive VP sales, distribution & loyalty at Accor Hospitality. Source: Travel Agent Central.

Locals come out swinging over nude resort.

Locals are furious about a swingers getaway called Desire Resort and Spa which has opened in a small town in Mexico. Clothing will be optional at the couples-only resort at Puerto Morelos, near Cancun on the Riviera Maya. But residents are upset that their small fishing village will become a drawcard for people who want to swap partners, Fox News reports. Puerto Morelos is a popular tourist destination thanks to its secluded beaches, world-class scuba diving and water sports. But news broke that Ceiba del Mar Resort and Spa would be transformed into Desire Resort and Spa last year. Desire has another resort in a more secluded area nearly 10km out of town but the new resort is on a strip of beach between the town centre and a hotel zone. Local restaurant owners and tour operators say they're not interested in getting the type of tourist Desire is expected to attract and don't want their businesses exposed to the potentially tawdry goings-on at the resort. Jose Jiminez, who takes tourists out on snorkeling and dive trips complained that the changing of the guards at the resort will be bad for business. "Those people don't want to snorkel,'' he said. "They're busy doing other things.'' Security guards will be posted at each end of the beach to keep people moving along, but because the beach is public there is no way to keep anyone off it. At the moment there is nothing shielding pedestrians from viewing the activities in the resort. Lifestyle is the buzz word that describes visitors to resorts like Desire. The demographic has morphed into sexy couples looking to revive the fun in their marriage explore their sexuality with like-minded couples. "You can touch and be sexy and affectionate and do body shots off the bar naked - things that if you did it at the Hilton you would be kicked out,'' Don Hughes from Desire said. Tourists are flocking to Mexico this year in the lead-up to December 21 - the date that marks the end of the Mayan calendar and some refer to as "the end of the world''. Source: news.com.au.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments…

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts are happy to announce that Malene Rydahl has expanded her responsibilities and have been appointed in the leadership role in EAME for their corporate responsibility program Hyatt Thrive. Her new position as Director of Corporate Communications includes the responsibilities of developing and implementing public relations, corporate communications and media relation’s initiatives for Hyatt in EAME. She also manages crisis communications and reputation management for the area. Malene Rydahl, trilingual, a native of Denmark, has spent the past 12 years living in Paris where she most recently served as director of communication for Relais & Chateaux.  She joined Hyatt in 2006 in the position as Director of Public Relations for EAME.

Dusit International announces the appointment of seasoned hotelier, Mr. David Shackleton, as Chief Operating Officer.  In this newly created role, Mr. Schackleton will drive the operational performance and maximization of profitability for all hotels within the group.   With three decades of senior experience in the hotel industry, including VP level positions with Starwood and InterContinental, Mr. Schackleton is well poised to lead the hotels during a period of rapid growth for Dusit International.

King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre managed by Hilton has recently appointed Mr. Jan Heesbeen as a Director of Sales and Marketing. Heesbeen is an accomplished tourism and hospitality marketing and development professional with extensive experience in destination and product marketing and sales.

The Hilton Guam Resort & Spa announced yesterday it is welcoming a new general manager, Makoto "Earnie" Yasuhara, who moved to Guam after managing a hotel property in Vietnam. Yasuhara officially begins his job at the Hilton Guam on Sunday, the hotel's management announced. He held the same title with the Hotel Nikko in Hanoi, one of Vietnam's top hotels. Source: Guampdm.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

London cinema becomes lux hotel by Jane E Fraser.

The Odeon Leicester Square cinema will become a Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel after being purchased by the privately owned hotel group for an undisclosed sum. Work on the development is likely to commence early next year with planning permission now in place. The hotel group says it will appoint a team of architects over the coming months and the site will be "treated with the utmost respect", to create something the city can be proud of. The Odeon Leicester Square is known for its glamorous movie premieres, with countless international movie stars having walked its red carpet. It has been there since 1937 and various restoration projects have helped retain much of the building's original grandeur. Planning permission for the site allows for a 245-room hotel, 33 residential properties, a two-screen cinema and five restaurants on Leicester Square. A director of the Edwardian Group, Robert Morley, says the hotel will be a landmark development for London and will be a "jewel in the crown" of the hotel group. The Radisson Edwardian group now has 14 hotels in London, after going on a £200 million (NZ$388 million) spending spree in recent months. Source: Stuff.co.nz.