Hotel News in Brief

Jul 24, 12 | 12:09 am

Some current conversation starters...

The Miami Herald reports that a stolen $3 million painting by Henri Matisse was found this week in a high-end Miami Beach hotel room.

Nearly a decade ago, brazen art thieves had stolen the 1925 masterpiece "Odalisque in Red Pants" and replaced it with a forgery from a Venezuelan museum, the article says. On Tuesday, FBI agents recovered it at the Loews Miami Beach when two people tried to sell the painting to undercover agents at the hotel. They arrested two people - a 46-year-old man from Miami and a 50-year-old woman from Mexico City. They're accused of possessing and transporting the stolen art and trying to sell it for $740,000, the Herald reports. They face a sentence of 10 years if convicted. Loews Hotel spokeswoman Sarah Murov told the Herald that the hotel was "not involved" in the case but is cooperating with the investigation. "It's an FBI matter," she told the Herald.

David Sammut, Hotel Controller at Le Méridien St Julians Hotel and Spa in Malta, has been awarded the prestigious President's Award by Starwood Hotels & Resorts for his outstanding performance during 2011.

Mr. Sammut has received this award from the General Manager, Mr. Franco Vella. To be eligible for this award a member of staff has to satisfy a specific criteria based on guest experience, employee satisfaction, moral and development, control on departmental costs, market contribution or other hotel contribution and staff activities. Mr. Sammut joined Le Méridien St Julians Hotel and Spa in January 2006 in the capacity of Assistant Controller, and has since taken onboard the duty of Hotel Controller. During his time at the hotel, Mr. Sammut always showed personal commitment and support. With his determination and hard work, David helped decrease annual costs for the hotel, resulting in a top-position ranking for cost controlled hotels on the island. Mr. Franco Vella congratulated him on the award, which is received from Le Méridien's mother company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. An internal reception was held at Le Méridien St Julians for the occasion during which, Mr. Vella and the Managerial Team complimented Mr. Sammut on his valid contribution in this key position.

John Pritzker, son of the late Hyatt Hotels Corp. (H) (H) founder Jay Pritzker, and investment company AJ Capital Partners agreed to buy the Chicago Athletic Association building and convert it to a luxury boutique hotel.

The partners will pay $13 million for the historic South Michigan Avenue property, formerly home to a private club, and spend $20 million on the conversion, John Pritzker said in a telephone interview. The purchase from Dallas-based Lone Star Funds is scheduled for completion by the end of the day on July 20, said Ben Weprin, founder of Chicago-based AJ Capital. The hotel, which will have 240 to 260 rooms when it opens in early 2014, will be operated as a Thompson Hotels property, Pritzker said. Thompson, whose other locations include the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel in Los Angeles, is one of the brands owned by closely held Commune Hotels & Resorts. Pritzker is co- chairman of the New York-based company. Commune has two other hotels in Chicago.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments...

Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific has appointed Mr Chris Adams as General Manager of the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas, effective immediately. Before joining Outrigger, Adams was General Manager of the Anantara Golden Triangle in northern Thailand. Prior to that, he held senior managerial positions at international brand hotels in Koh Samui, Thailand, the Philippines and China. Adams, a New Zealander, has strong food and beverage experience. He has been an award winning executive chef or food and beverage manager at hotels in Vietnam, Vanuatu, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.

Amy Commans joins Luxe Hotels today as the new General Manager of the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, bringing with her over 26 years of hospitality industry experience. Commans has received multiple awards and accolades for her leadership roles in the hospitality industry. She was voted "Manager of the Year" by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal in and "Woman of the Year" by the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2003. Among, Commans' many professional alliances, she is an active member of the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH) and sits on the Boards of Support for the Kids, Pepperdine University and Los Robles Hospital. Commans' formerly served a 22-year tenure as the General Manager of the Westlake Village Inn in California, where she oversaw major renovations and expansion projects. She has also held leadership roles at Marriott Hotels in Century City and Woodland Hills, California.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

John Pritzker, son of the late Hyatt Hotels Corp. (H) founder Jay Pritzker, and investment company AJ Capital Partners agreed to buy the Chicago Athletic Association building and convert it to a luxury boutique hotel.  The partners will pay $13 million for the historic South Michigan Avenue property, formerly home to a private club, and spend $20 million on the conversion, John Pritzker said in a telephone interview. The purchase from Dallas-based Lone Star Funds is scheduled for completion by the end of the day on July 20, said Ben Weprin, founder of Chicago-based AJ Capital.  The hotel, which will have 240 to 260 rooms when it opens in early 2014, will be operated as a Thompson Hotels property, Pritzker said. Thompson, whose other locations include the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel in Los Angeles, is one of the brands owned by closely held Commune Hotels & Resorts. Pritzker is co- chairman of the New York-based company.  Commune has two other hotels in Chicago.

Sam Nazarian, the Los Angeles restaurant and nightclub owner, plans to open an $85 million SLS Hotel in New York, the first in the city for the luxury brand. His company, SBE Entertainment Group LLC, is teaming with New York-based Moin Development Corp. on the 190-room project at 444 Park Ave. South, at 30th Street. They will gut and add on to an existing office building to construct a 20-story hotel with a rooftop bar, according to Nazarian, chairman and chief executive officer of SBE. It would be the third SLS Hotel in the U.S. and is slated to open by mid-2013, SBE said today in a statement.

Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa has opened two new accommodations perched in the trees located 10 minutes outside the city. Angsana and Tembusu, the two new Tree Top Lofts, are one-bedroom suites with a large living room, bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and more than 960 sq ft (90 sq m) of timber terraces. The lofts sit atop columns that resemble a large tree. Angsana is 23 feet (7 meters) off the ground, while Tembusu is 39 feet (12 meters) off the ground. They are accessible via elevator. The lofts were built to harmonize with the natural flow of the existing trees. A secondary timber roof keeps the lofts cool throughout the day.