Hotel News In Brief

Jan 14, 13 | 12:00 am

Some current conversation starters…

With the new series of the successful Channel 4 series, The Hotel, airing last week, and the latest episode broadcast last night, TripAdvisor can reveal that interest from UK TripAdvisor users in the star of the show — The Grosvenor Hotel in Torquay — increased by a staggering 6,280%.

The fly-on-the-wall series follows the peaks and pitfalls of running the hotel and the experiences of the guests who stay there. The increase in interest came in the two days immediately following the first broadcast of the show on 30th December, when the hotel’s listing on TripAdvisor saw over 60 times more views than in the previous week. “With The Hotel now in its third series and a firm favourite with viewers, fans of the show are clearly intrigued by the hotel. Given the calamities seen on screen, perhaps a visit to The Grosvenor is a step too far for many, so checking out the over 100 reviews written by TripAdvisor guests is the next best thing – explaining the huge rise in interest,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, Emma Shaw. The Grosvenor Hotel, Torquay is ranked number 64 of 103 Torquay hotels has an average rating of 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor.

Omni Hotels & Resorts, Irving, Texas, has introduced the Simply Street Food menu, which spotlights top street foods from around the world.

To create the menu, Omni teamed with chefs from partnering Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) properties for a competition to create a dish celebrating an authentic street food from their home region. More than 160 dishes were submitted by chefs from 56 countries. Ultimately, six dishes were selected for the Simply Street Food menu — three dishes from Omni chefs, and three from GHA member chefs. The featured dishes are:

• Famous Peddler’s Char Kway Teow Chef Andy Oh, Pan Pacific Orchard in Singapore
• Short Rib and Vermont Cheddar Sandwich Chef Gerard Tice, Omni Parker House
• Chicken Musakhan Sandwich Chef Moh’d Alla Alaham, Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi
• Citrus Ancho Braised Lamb Tostado Chef Scott Mole, Omni Bedford Springs
• Duck Empanada with Smoked Tomato Mayonnaise Chef Gene Moss, Omni La Mansion
• Acarajé de Orixá Chef Josemar Passos, Tivoli Ecoresort Praia do Forte in Bahia, Brazil

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments…

Diamond Resorts International® today announced that David Palmer, formerly President and Chief Financial Officer, has become President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Al Bentley, who had been serving as Executive Vice President – Europe, has assumed the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Founder and principal shareholder Stephen J. Cloobeck remains Chairman of the Company. These appointments were effective January 1, 2013.

Langham Hospitality Group has appointed Vivienne Gan to the newly created position of Vice President of Public Relations. In her role, Ms Gan is responsible for all public relations matters pertaining to the hotel group, including publicizing the corporate brand messages, handling crisis communications and media training, and enhancing the profiles of the group's portfolio of brands. Ms Gan has 20 years experience in the luxury hospitality and media industries; most recently, she headed the global public relations division at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, overseeing PR initiatives for the group’s hotels over three brands. Prior to that, she was with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company as the regional director of public relations, Middle East and Africa. She also served as the director of public relations with The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Bahrain and Singapore.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

Whoever said an old gal can’t learn new tricks has never met Badrutt’s Palace Hotel. The historic and renowned Grande Dame of St Moritz has completed $7.7 million US (CHF 7 million) in renovations on its seventh and eighth floors. Working exclusively with local companies, Badrutt’s Palace has updated each of the 28 rooms with contemporary interior design and the latest technology. The legendary hotel has invested some 145 million Swiss Francs over the last 10 years, reinforcing its guiding philosophy of “Reaching new heights."

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort has completed a seven-month, $25.5 million refurbishment project of its exclusive Ali’i Tower. The makeover included all 323 guest rooms, including new finishes and furnishings, new bathrooms and the reconfiguration of eight junior suites and four 2-bay suites. In addition, all guest room corridors were redone, as well as the lobby and reception desk. The final phase of the project, which will include upgrades to the tower’s second floor Ocean View Terrace, is scheduled for completion in May. Two Presidential suites were renovated previously as part of the same project.

Best Western has added an island resort off the coast of Vietnam to its rapidly growing portfolio. Set on the golden shores of Hon Tam Island, close to the resort town of Nha Trang, the new Best Western Premier Hon Tam Resort & Residences offers a private island sanctuary, lapped by the azure waters of the South China Sea.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will open Shangri-La Hotel, Qufu in the hometown of the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius in early 2013. To celebrate the hotel’s imminent launch, Shangri-La is leading a Qufu culinary expedition across Asia with a team of Lu cuisine chefs and service professionals from Shangri-La Hotel, Qufu bringing Kong family cuisine to six selected Shangri-La hotels in January and February.