Hotel News in Brief

Aug 15, 12 | 12:09 am

Some current conversation starters...

Hilton Garden Inn and Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief organization, recently launched Breakfast with Heart, a campaign to help fight hunger in America.

Running through September 30, guests booking the Breakfast with Heart room rate at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 101 S Front Street in Albany will receive cooked-to-order breakfast included in the room rate. In support of Breakfast with Heart, Hilton Garden Inn will make a donation to Feeding America that will help provide one million meals to families that need it most. In the United States, one in five children is at risk of hunger. This summer, nearly 18 million children will be at greater risk of hunger while they are out of school and don't have access to free or reduced-priced lunches. Through Breakfast with Heart, Hilton Garden Inn is dedicating its summer promotion to help children and families have access to nourishing meals and help fill this nutrition gap. Breakfast with Heart is the first initiative of You Can Count on Us, Hilton Garden Inn's signature community relations program to nourish and nurture communities on their road to success. Through this commitment, Hilton Garden Inn of Albany aims to be part of the effort to help provide food, shelter and comfort to those in need locally and in surrounding communities.

Travelodge Hotels Ltd., Thame, England, is considering a company voluntary agreement that would see it exit up to 50 loss-making hotel leases to trim a £500 million (US$781 million) debt burden.

The proposed company voluntary agreement is part of a larger financial restructuring that Dubai International Capital is negotiating with New York City-based hedge funds Avenue Capital Group and GoldenTree Asset Management as well as investment bank Goldman Sachs. Dubai International Capital bought the British budget hotel company, known for its £10 (US$15.90) per night guestrooms, for US$1.3 billion in 2006 with credit from two hedge funds. Dubai International Capital could stand to lose up to £400 million (US$634 million) from the debt-for-equity deal because of the amount of debt it took on to purchase Travelodge. "As part of the ongoing restructuring process, a number of options are being considered. However, no decisions have been taken at this stage," Travelodge said in a statement to the press.

The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs has had an incredible year of awards and accolades.

In just over ten years since the Robertson family opened their first luxury lodge in New Zealand's Bay of Islands, The Lodge of Kauri Cliffs has had its best year yet for awards and accolades, taking three prestigious awards in the past several months alone. The first of the good news arrived in May when Travel + Leisure Magazine readers chose The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs as  No1 in the World in the World's Best Awards 2012 - World's Best Service.  For the first time in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards' history, Kauri Cliffs was one of only three resorts, all in far-flung destinations, to ever receive the unprecedented 100.00 point perfect service score.  The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, was the only New Zealand property to be honored in the World's Best Awards 2012 in any category. Hot on the heels of this came the news of Travel + Leisure Magazine's World's Best Awards - Top 100 Hotels, where the revered magazine's readers voted The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs #16 in the world.  Based on rankings for rooms/facilities, location, service, restaurants/food, and value, Travel + Leisure readers voted The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs higher than any other property in New Zealand. And most recently, The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs was short-listed for Virtuoso, a by-invitation-only organization comprising over 330 travel agencies with over 7200 elite agents in 20 countries worldwide, in its Best of the Best - 2012 Hotel of the Year.  Kauri Cliffs is one of just six prestige hotels worldwide to be nominated, the only hotel in the southern hemisphere with the winner being announced later this month at Virtuoso's worldwide conference in Las Vegas. Owned and developed by Julian Robertson and family and managed by Julian "Jay" Robertson III , The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs is sister property to The Farm at Cape Kidnappers (Hawke's Bay, New Zealand) and Matakauri Lodge (Queenstown, New Zealand). All are members of the exclusive Relais & Chateaux collection.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments...

Aqua Hotels & Resorts (www.aquaresorts.com) is pleased to announce the appointment of David Sosner as General Manager of the oceanfront Kaua'i Beach Resort. As general manager, Sosner is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the 350-room Kaua'i Beach Resort including the multiple food & beverage venues. He also performs site manager duties for the Association of Apartment Owners. Born and raised in Hawai'i, Sosner spent five years with the luxury Ritz Carlton brand as General Manager for properties in premier destinations such as Singapore, Egypt and Korea. He was also General Manager/Chief Operating Officer for Mid-Pacific Country Club Hawaii and Vice President for Kapalua Club & Villas on Maui.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the premier manager of ultra-luxury properties throughout the world, is delighted to announce the appointment of Christopher Olivera as Corporate Director of Communications for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, effective immediately. An accomplished communications professional within the hospitality and luxury goods industries, Olivera brings over 20 years of experience to Rosewood. Most recently, he was Managing Director of Marketing Communications and Vice President of Corporate Communications for Le Méridien Group.  Previously, he spent seven years as the Vice President of Communications for Smith & Hawken. He began his career with MWW Global as a branding communications strategist, managing a portfolio of clients including Neiman-Marcus Group, Tiffany & Company and Williams-Sonoma. In this role, Olivera will oversee all brand communications and corporate initiatives for Rosewood.  Additionally, he will be responsible for managing the brand's social media strategy, as well as all of Rosewood's public relations agencies worldwide. 

The Latest in Hotel Openings

Marti Group has opened its first urban property: Marti Istanbul Hotel. The 11-story building is located in the city's Taksim neighbourhood. All 270 guestrooms are now open; public spaces will follow suit next month. Turkish designer Zeynep Fadillioglu styled the property with a modern Ottoman style. Guestrooms have a palette of blues and purples. Most bathrooms have marble and glass enclosures with a separate rainforest shower, while suite bathrooms have hammam-style tubs surrounding by mosaics. The atrium lobby features natural light, chandeliers, a winding staircase, and a water-themed projection installation by Kutlug Ataman.

The Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Logan Airport/Chelsea has opened. The five-story hotel with 128 suites is located off of Route 1 in Chelsea. It offers eco-friendly suites that feature full kitchens, separate sleeping, living and work spaces, as well as an indoor heated saltwater pool and fitness center. High-speed wired and wireless Internet access, a no-smoking policy and a pets-allowed policy are in place. The property was designed and built with the goal of becoming the first LEED-certified Residence Inn in the greater Boston region. Regional and recycled materials were used in construction, and environmentally beneficial strategies, including the use of white roofing, water-efficient landscaping and promoting alternate transportation, are in effect.

Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation, today announced that extensive renovations of the lobby lounge in the historic, AAA Four Diamond Hilton Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wis. have been completed. The company restored the hotel's lobby lounge, which once housed one of the longest bars in Wisconsin - an ornate, 82-foot-long serpentine bar - to be reminiscent of the classic, old-school lobby cocktail lounge. Now open, the new Monarch Lounge, with its art deco-style bar design is spacious, welcoming and a place to connect socially within the community. In addition to the art deco lounge, the renovation covers 3,800 square feet and includes spacious seating areas, workstations and a media center. A stone and metal fireplace was added to the south wall, while an interactive media work area anchors the north end with touch-screens, iPads®, a magazine stand and printer. The Monarch Lounge provides guests with comfortable seating for work or relaxation, with furnishings that reflect the hotel's elegant history.