Hotel News in Brief

Sep 12, 12 | 12:09 am

Some current conversation starters...

The Peninsula Hotels revitalizes its brand with new global marketing campaign, flagship renovation and pioneering new guestroom technology.

The Peninsula Hotels, Asia's oldest hotel brand, today ushered in a new era with three landmark debuts, the launch of "Peninsula Moments," a new multi-million-dollar global brand campaign, the new PenCities online travel journal and a HK$450 million revitalization of its flagship hotel, The Peninsula Hong Kong, featuring advanced in-room technology that will set new standards of guest personalization.

Peninsula Moments

Conceived and developed in house, the global campaign showcases the magic that The Peninsula brings to its guests using photography, video and behind-the-scenes footage, with each image and scene telling a story. Moments and memories to remember, each reflecting an authentic sense of destination, are brought to life with images of stunning architecture, thoughtful service and the genuine desire of Peninsula staff to showcase the very best of their cities.  "As one of the world's oldest hotel groups, Peninsula icons throughout our hotels showcase the brand's heritage, personal service and continued commitment to inspire, surprise and delight, and these new images and videos capture this spirit perfectly," said Peter C. Borer, Chief Operating Officer. Audiences can see Peninsula Moments in print, online and tablet versions of top luxury, lifestyle, travel and business magazines worldwide beginning in September. The first in a series of 10 90-second films was unveiled today on YouTube showcasing the flagship Peninsula Hong Kong. Subsequent films to be released from September 2012 through March 2013 will transport  viewers to each of the nine cities where Peninsula has hotels. To capture "Peninsula Moments," Peninsula tapped Russel Wong, a Singapore-based photographer known for his celebrity portraits and his photography for major motion pictures such as Underworld, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and The House of Flying Daggers.  "I wanted it to appear very narrative, almost like scenes from a movie," said Wong. "I tried to inject a romantic notion into the overall campaign, and hopefully it's all uniquely Peninsula." Complementing the still photography are the films produced by Ridley Scott Associates and directed by Jean-Claude Thibaut and Antony Crook, whose previous work has included videos for Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Boss. Each film evokes a sense of destination and luxury, inspiring the viewer to see Peninsula destinations as never before through scenery and music. "My main objective was to amaze the audience with real stories and authentic moments to capture the overall magic of The Peninsula Hotels, fueled by the staff's genuine desire to inspire, with their unique approach to their work giving an original view on each city," said Thibaut.  Peninsula fans can go behind the scenes of each shoot by connecting with the brand at www.peninsula.com/moments, YouTube and on each hotel's Facebook page. "The Making of Peninsula Moments" tells the story of each scene through photos, videos and interviews that highlight what makes Peninsula unique. 

STR announces 2012 Best Performing Hotel Award winners

The 2012 STR Best Performing Hotel Awards were presented today during the 2012 Hotel Data Conference, hosted by STR and HotelNewsNow.com, and presented by the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. The conference and award ceremony were held at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. "We take great pleasure in recognizing these seven hotels as the best performing properties in the hotel industry during 2011," said Randy Smith, co-founder and chairman at STR. "These hotels and staff have gone above and beyond, demonstrating strong performance during 2011. We are proud to recognize their achievements." The award was given to one hotel in each of the seven Chain Scale segments. The 2012 STR Best Performing Award winners:

• Luxury Segment: Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole (Teton Village, Wyoming);
• Upper Upscale Segment: Joie De Vivre Ventana Inn & Spa (Big Sur, California);
• Upscale Segment: Crowne Plaza Z Ocean Hotel South Beach (Miami Beach, Florida);
• Upper Midscale Segment: Best Western Plus Beach Resort Hotel (Fort Myers Beach, Florida);
• Midscale: Best Western King Charles Inn (Charleston, South Carolina)
• Economy Segment: Super 8 Nacogdoches (Nacogdoches, Texas); and
• Independent Segment: San Ysidro Ranch (Santa Barbara, California).

Best Performing Hotel Award methodology

The winners were determined based on a number of criteria, including the following metrics: occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room, over the two-year period of 2010 and 2011. The 2011 performance was compared against each property's Market Scale performance as well as the 2010 performance. In order for a hotel to be considered for this award, the hotel was required to report data for the 24-month period, had to be open for those consecutive 24 months and reported no room-count changes during the 24-month period.

Best Western International has celebrated its 10th anniversary in Asia with a major event in Kuala Lumpur.

The World's Largest Hotel ChainR, which opened its Asia & Middle East regional headquarters in Bangkok in 2001, marked a decade of rapid growth by holding its 8th Asian & Middle Eastern Members' Meeting under the theme 'The Great Golden 10', at its brand new luxury hotel, BEST WESTERN PREMIER Dua Sentral in Kuala Lumpur.  Since arriving in Asia 10 years ago, Best Western has expanded from a handful of midscale hotels to an expansive portfolio of 205 properties across 24 countries in three unique types of hotel currently in operation, rebranding, and under construction. The 8th Asian & Middle Eastern Members' Meeting, which took place from August 27-30, brought together leaders from Best Western International in Asia Pacific, hotel owners, executives from the company's global head office in the US and an exciting line-up of guest speakers. For delegates, the event offered an opportunity to celebrate a decade of success, to discover Best Western's latest strategy updates and development plans, and to explore the luxurious surroundings of the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Dua Sentral - the company's new flagship hotel in Malaysia. "The Asian & Middle Eastern Members' Meeting is always an exciting event for Best Western, as it provides a rare opportunity to gather our esteemed hotel owners and members under one roof, to share industry insights and best practices. Interaction like this is invaluable as it helps us develop new concepts, drive thought processes and ultimately shape our business for years to come," said Glenn de Souza, Best Western International's Vice President International Operations - Asia & the Middle East. "This year was extra special as it brought our incredible team together to celebrate our 10th anniversary in Asia. Having seen our team work together and share ideas, it is clear to me that we have all the right ingredients to drive the company forward. The next 10 years will be an incredibly exciting period in Best Western's history," Mr. de Souza added.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments...

Karen Merrick has been appointed as General Manager of Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives. Ms. Merrick, a British national from Scotland, has almost 25 years' experience in the hospitality industry throughout the UK. For the last 7 years she has been working overseas in resort operations within Maldives, Indonesia and Malaysia. Prior to joining Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa, Ms. Merrick was General Manager of The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort, Redang Island, Malaysia. Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa set on Giraavaru Island in North Male Atoll is just 15 minutes by speedboat from Male International Airport.

The Grand Hotel Parker's, five star luxury hotel with a long tradition, has a new General Manager. Mr. Giampaolo Padula, a prominent figure for the top luxury hôtellerie, with an extensive international experience. Padula is responsible for the historic hotel in Naples, founded in 1870, with the primary role of supervision, in order to ensure at every level the quality and excellence of a "Small Luxury Hotels of The World" hotel. The CV of Mr. Padula is already long and prestigious, despite being only 38 years old. In the past he was General Manager of the Hotel d'Inghilterra in Rome for two years and for three years at the Relais & Chateaux Hotel Caesar Augustus, of Capri, with the same role. The new manager of the Grand Hotel Parker's has previous experiences in leading European and overseas, with positions of responsibility in different properties such as the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans and the Lodge at Vail in the United States, the Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds and the De Vere Hotel in Swindon in Great Britain, the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. He also worked, in Italy, in Rome, at the 'Hotel Lord Byron, the St. Regis and the Hotel Eden.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

Pullman confirms success in China. The 14th Pullman hotel in China shows that this brand is thriving in that country. Pullman Anshan Time Square, Accor's second hotel in that city, has 331 fully equipped rooms and is strategically located in Lishan District. It is near the city's airports, downtown area and business centres, and is the perfect starting point to visit a number of tourist attractions (the Jade Buddha Garden, Tanggangzi hot spring, etc.). This move confirms the momentum underlying "Accor's overall expansion strategy and is opening up opportunities in first to third tier cities around the country," explains Accor Greater China Chief Operating Officer Paul Richardson. Especially, as Pullman Global Marketing SVP Xavier Louyot adds, "This new Pullman destination, which joins the network's 66 others hotels and resorts around the globe, is perfectly in tune with our brand: vibrant, cosmopolitan and in-style. And it shows that business and pleasure are no longer contradictory terms."

Tune Hotels has opened its third hotel in Indonesia. The Tune Hotel Pasar Baru, Jakarta, has 168 rooms in total, 125 Doubles, 42 Twin-sharing and a special needs room. Mark Lankester, Group CEO of Tune Hotels, said, "Jakarta represents a gateway for leisure travellers more often as a stop-over before continuing their journey to other popular destinations such as Bali, Medan, Yogyakarta and Surabaya. Nevertheless Jakarta also serves as a central business destination drawing frequent business travellers from the South East Asian region and domestically within Indonesia as well. Hence, the opening of Tune Hotel Pasar Baru would cater to the needs of leisure and business travellers looking for convenient, comfortable and value-for-money accommodation."  The two other Tune Hotels' in Indonesia are located in Kuta and Legian, Bali.