Hotel News In Brief

Jan 16, 13 | 12:00 am

Some current conversation starters…

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) has issued an alert to members that the deadline for making swimming pools and spas accessible is Jan. 31.

The AH&LA was successful in obtaining a one-year extension for compliance with regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the extension expires at the end of this month. According to current Department of Justice guidelines, all existing swimming pools and spas at lodging facilities must have a pool lift or sloped entry by that date to be in compliance or face penalties. AH&LA members are encouraged to contact the Association with any questions.

More than 2,500 luxury hotels with up to 540,000 rooms will open across the world during 2013, according to hotel data company Top Hotel Projects.

China is set to experience the most openings with 270 planned new hotels this year. Asia will see the opening of 1,058 luxury hotels, while Europe has 848 new hotels launching. North America will also see a host of first-class hotels pop-up with 451 new openings, featuring more than 114,000 guestrooms. The largest resorts are being developed in the US with the opening of Palazzo del Lago, a 2,200-room resort operated by InterContinental, opening in Orlando, Florida in next month. Hilton hotels will also open a 2,900-room resort in Hawaii.

Europe’s hotels should see growth slow in 2013 due to the prolonged economic downturn, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Paris tops the fullest ranking with occupancy predicted at 79.1%, the most expensive with a forecast ADR of €267 (US$356) and the city with the highest projected RevPAR at €211 (US$281) for 2013. London will see negative growth but will still enjoy high absolute trading and profitability levels. Some cities are however expected to show robust RevPAR growth. These include Paris, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Edinburgh and more modest increases should be seen in Frankfurt, Berlin, Moscow and Dublin. The forecast leaders in terms of euro currency include: St. Petersburg with expected 7.3% RevPAR growth over 2013, followed by Moscow at 5.2%, Paris at 5%, Frankfurt at 3.5%, Berlin at 3.2% and Dublin at 3.1%. In local currency terms, Paris is the frontrunner with predicted 5.0% RevPAR growth, followed by St. Petersburg, at 4.8%, Edinburgh at 4%, Frankfurt, Germany, at 3.5%, Berlin at 3.2% and Dublin at 3.1%. “2013 will see St. Petersburg, Moscow, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin and Dublin clear winners in terms of RevPAR growth. For others we expect little or no RevPAR growth and some, most notably London, will see negative growth. For London coming off an Olympic high, this is perhaps expected and the city will still enjoy very high absolute trading and profitability levels,” said Liz Hall, head of hospitality and leisure research at PwC.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments…

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Calame as General Manager. In this position, Calame will oversee all aspects of the hotel operations, as well as the maximization of guest satisfaction, financial performance and staff development. Tom Calame’s impressive hospitality career spans almost 25 years and numerous continents. Calame comes to the Aruba Marriott most recently by way of the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel, where he held the position of General Manager. Calame’s work with the Marriott brand began in 1988 as an AIPT trainee at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel. After completing his training, he returned to his native Amsterdam where he held various positions at the Amsterdam Marriott. Quickly climbing the ranks, Calame set the pre-opening strategy for the JW Marriott Mexico City and in 1999, accepted the position of Director of Operations at the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort in St. Thomas. Subsequently, Calame was promoted to Resident Manager to open JW Marriott Cancun Resort. In 2002, Calame went on to become the Hotel Manager at the Casa Magna Marriott Cancun Resort before accepting his first General Manager position at the JW Marriott Lima in 2004, where he received the General Manager of the Year Award.

Ayana Resort and Spa Bali has announced the appointment of Vineet Mahajan as Director of Sales & Marketing, to strengthen the brand and develop new markets as the resort enhances its meeting and conference facilities. Vineet will also be part of the pre-opening team for a separately-branded resort scheduled to open in late 2013 adjacent to AYANA, within the 77-hectare Karang Mas Estate. Having more than 16 years’ experience in the Hospitality, Telecom and Investment Banking industries, Vineet was most recently Complex Director of Sales & Marketing for Westin Gurgaon and Westin Sohna Resorts and Spa. Prior to that, he launched The Leela Palace New Delhi and The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon from pre-opening to the first year of operations as Director of Sales and Marketing.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

Viceroy Hotel Group announces the launch of Hotel Zetta San Francisco, a dynamic hub where work and relaxation co-exist. The 116 room hotel is positioned in the iconic convergence of SoMa, Mid-Market, and Union Square. An extensive transformation is underway, with Hotel Zetta’s opening scheduled for February 2013 marking the first significant new opening in the San Francisco hotel landscape since 2008.

Wyndham Hotel Group introduced its select-service TRYP by WyndhamSM hotel brand in Turkey with the opening of the 108-room TRYP by Wyndham Istanbul Taksim. The 10-story hotel is located in Taksim, Istanbul, and joins TRYP by Wyndham’s 73 hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). It also adds to Wyndham Hotel Group’s collection of properties in Turkey, which consists of 12 Ramada hotels and the newly-opened Wyndham Istanbul Kalamis Marina. The second Wyndham hotel in the country, the 306-room Wyndham Istanbul Petek, is scheduled to open in summer 2013.

Loews Hotels & Resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Loews Corporation, based here, in conjunction with Universal Parks & Resorts, has broken ground on Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort. The property will be owned in a joint venture with affiliates of Universal Parks & Resorts and Loews Hotels & Resorts. It is scheduled to open in 2014.

Orient-Express is pleased to announce that it has completed a substantial $20 million refurbishment of the main building of the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in time to see the New Year in with style. This phased program commenced in 2011 and has seen meticulous enhancements made to the lobby, all 145 rooms and suites in the main building, and the Cipriani restaurant in preparation for what is set to be a very exciting few years for Rio. Careful attention was paid to maintain the hotel’s 90 year heritage and history, whilst infusing the décor with a contemporary style and design.