Hotel News in Brief

Mar 13, 13 | 12:00 am

Some current conversation starters...

Winnie Chiu, President and Executive Director of Dorsett Hospitality International received the coveted Best Small Cap Company award by Asiamoney under the Best Managed Company Awards-Hong Kong from Richard Morrow, Editor of Asiamoney recently.

Each year Asiamoney awards the standout companies and executive in each major regional country for strong management.  The judging panel of the Award was made up of global professional investors, financial analysts, brokers and other investment communities. Dorsett Hospitality International was accorded the prestigious award based on the group's ‘Chinese Wallet' strategy in achieving a healthy return of investment.  Headquartered in Hong Kong, Dorsett Hospitality International focuses on meeting the needs of Chinese visitors, and reported a 9.5% year-on-year increase in gross profit to HKD316.9 million (US$40.89 million) for the six months to September 30 on the back of a 11.1% rise in revenues to HKD554.4 million. Dorsett Hospitality International also scores highly on occupancy rate, one of the main benchmarks for measuring hotel success, with a 93% rate in Hong Kong which accounts for two thirds of its revenues. The group's focus is not limited to Hong Kong.  Recently rebranded from Kosmopolito Hotels International, the group is also actively pursuing the Chinese wallet strategy abroad.  Its first venture beyond Asia is the Dorsett London which is scheduled to open in 2014; to be followed by a second London property in Aldgate which will be converted into a hotel. 

The Spanish hotel market has proven to be resilient when compared to other economic sectors, despite the country falling into a double dip recession.

Interest for well-located properties in Spain is still high, with international investors keeping their eyes on the country's main cities and waiting for distressed opportunities  that offer high-performing assets at affordable prices. However, the two city markets of Barcelona and Madrid are performing differently. In Madrid economic difficulties have negatively impacted hotel performance in 2012 as weakening corporate demand has led to drop in occupancy across the market causing a RevPAR decrease of 3.7%.  In Barcelona, despite the Eurozone crisis that started mid-2011, the city managed to obtain good operating results for the whole 2011 and trading performance results for 2012 resulted in RevPAR improvement of 7.6%, when compared to 2011. The resilience of Barcelona's hotel industry is a result of the growing popularity of the city among international tourists who accounted for 84% of total bed nights in 2012, cementing Barcelona's strong position as a leading tourist destination.

With two years of consecutive RevPAR increase, Barcelona remains at the forefront of the Spanish hotel industry and together with Madrid, the main target for any international investor. Madrid continues to be a top priority for international operators and investors within Spain where there remains significant interest from international brands to enter a market which is still dominated by national players. Luis Arsuaga, National Director for Spain & Portugal for the Hotels & Hospitality Group at Jones Lang LaSalle said: "In Spain transaction activity will likely remain weak as investors face higher risks as the recession in Spain continues in 2013, with investment volumes likely to be similar to 2012 at circa €400 million. We expect many international investors to follow a "wait and see" approach and focus on key tourist destinations with strong trading fundamentals such as Barcelona and Madrid.  Activity in 2013 can be expected from Spanish banks which are under growing scrutiny from the EU to start deleveraging, which could therefore result in an acceleration of their plans to sell hotel loans and assets. Confidence persists that many of these investment opportunities will offer attractive returns and upside potential, therefore capturing the interest of more opportunistic investors."

Readers of the leading German magazine Golf Journal have voted Club de Golf Alcanada, in the north of Mallorca, their favourite course in Europe for an unprecedented fifth successive year.

 The magazine, one of the most widely read newsstand golf publications in Europe, celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and its annual travel awards are regarded as the German ‘golf Oscars'. The stunning Robert Trent Jones Jnr-designed layout, located in the north of the island, came top of the poll to find the favourite European course outside of Germany, and beat another Mallorcan course, Son Gual, into second place. Mallorca itself came second in the poll to find the most popular golfing destination, just behind the Turkish resort of Belek. Kristoff Both, director of golf at Club de Golf Alcanada, said: "To win any award is an honour, but for the readers of such a major publication to bestow this accolade on us for the fifth successive year is beyond our expectations.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments...

Hilton Worldwide announces the appointment of Don Willingham as vice president, brand performance support and sales, for the Hilton Garden Inn brand. Willingham joins the Hilton Garden Inn team most recently as senior director, brand sales, Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites by Hilton. He has more than twenty years of hospitality experience, ranging from brand sales support, training and operations. Willingham graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a bachelor of science in Business Administration and a major in marketing. After graduating college, he worked for several hotels in the Atlanta area and went on to become the general manager at two Atlanta Hampton Inn hotels. He joined Promus Hotels in 1994 as a training manager, where he was responsible for sales, pre-opening, and leadership development training. He later moved on to regional operations and development training for the Hampton, Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites and Doubletree brands. Since 2000, Willingham has played a vital role in the Homewood Suites brand serving as a regional brand performance support director with responsibility for more than 30 hotels, as well as facilitating the brand's extended stay sales training. He moved into the senior director, brand sales role in 2003 and was integral in the launch of the Home2 Suites by Hilton brand, as well as creating and leading the Homewood Suites sales strategies and programs.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation today announced the appointment of Alex Zoghlin as the company's first global head of technology. In this role, Zoghlin will be responsible for all aspects of Hyatt's technology platform and systems. He will lead the team charged with rapidly deploying innovative technology solutions to enable superior guest experiences and will be responsible for optimizing the company's technology resources. He reports to Chuck Floyd, group president, global operations center for Hyatt. Zoghlin joins Hyatt with more than 20 years of technology experience, including over 10 years in the travel and real estate industries. Most recently he was chief executive officer at VHT, a provider of innovative technology and visual marketing solutions for the real estate industry. Zoghlin was founder and chief executive officer for G2Switchworks, an airline global distribution system that automated ticket exchanges, ticket refunds and ticket price changes. In 2000, Zoghlin was a founder, and first employee of Orbitz, an online travel agency built to revolutionize the way consumers buy and plan travel. There, he oversaw all aspects of the company and served as chief technology officer, overseeing strategy, design development and operations. Earlier, Zoghlin founded and served as chief executive officer and chief technology officer for SportsGear.com, a business-to-business sporting goods distribution company as well as Neoglyphics Media Corporation. In the early 1990s, he was a senior research programmer at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and started his career in active duty for the U.S. Navy Submarine Force.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

Centara Hotels & Resorts will open its third resort in the Maldives next year, following the signing of a new management contract. Centara Hudhufushi Resort & Spa is currently under design and planning, and is set to launch as an international four-star hotel in the second half of 2014. The resort, which will have approximately 110 rooms, will be located on the east side of Lhaviyani Atoll, 25 minutes from Male International Airport by seaplane. The resort is being developed at cost of US$36 million.

The Taj Group, India's largest hospitality group, today announced the launch of its 100th hotel in India with Vivanta by Taj, in the Millennium City of Gurgaon. The Group has 117 hotels globally. This takes the overall portfolio of Vivanta by Taj - Hotels & Resorts to 26 hotels. Keeping in mind Gurgaon's ‘bustling' lifestyle, the Taj presents a metropolitan marvel that stands tall as an ode to the Millennium City. Avante garde in design, imaginative by nature and possessing vibrant bursts of surprises like the iconic Thai Pavilion offering the best of Siam on a plate, the expansive Latitude, the energetic Tease bar, the hotel offers stylized accommodations with high business efficiencies, a work and play ‘Rhythm' lounge, large and versatile banquet spaces, an energizing Jiva Spa and unique Vivanta Motifs which showcase an alternative life.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has opened Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou-its first city hotel in China. The property, which sits above a mixed-use development with luxury shopping, office space and a cultural center, has 233 guestrooms, 30 suites and 24 serviced apartments. Interior designer Tony Chi incorporated both modern and traditional elements. Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou offers Cantonese fare at Jiang by Chef Fei, classic grill items at Ebony, tea at The Taikoo Lounge, cocktails at The Loft and sweets at The Mandarin Cake Shop.

Marriott International's evolving portfolio of independent hotels, announced today it will debut in Germany later this year with the opening of the 87-room Hotel am Steinplatz in Berlin.  Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the historic icon will re-open following an extensive renovation after first opening as a hotel in 1913.  Hotel am Steinplatz joins a number of Autograph Collection properties currently scheduled to open in Europe this year, helping expand the collection's current portfolio to fifteen hotels in Europe and more than 40 hotels worldwide.