Hotel News in Brief

Nov 19, 07 | 8:46 am

Indochina's Victoria Hotels & Resorts has appointed Swiss hotelier Raymond Marcel Zuest as General Manager of Victoria Can Tho Resort, the first luxury resort in the Mekong Delta. Mr. Raymond Marcel Zuest has been promoted to General Manager after holding the position of Executive Assistant Manager at Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa for 2½ years. Prior to his move to Vietnam, Mr. Zuest had worked in Thailand at the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa and the Rembrandt Hotel & Tower in Bangkok, as well as at the Amari Airport Hotel next to Bangkok's former international airport Don Muang. Mr. Zuest graduated from the Swiss Hotel Management School Lucerne in Switzerland. His hospitality career began in 1998 as a Hotel Assistant Manager in Hotel Mittenza, Muttenz near Basel, Switzerland; while his first overseas appointment was in 1999, as Assistant Manager at Stratford Victoria Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Marriott International, Inc. will open its first upper moderately-priced, European-designed Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Scotland in 2009 on Argyle Road, adjacent to Aberdeen Airport. While this will be the second Marriott branded hotel in Aberdeen (Marriott International currently manages the Aberdeen Marriott Hotel), the hotel will, upon opening, be the first Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Scotland and only the second in the United Kingdom. Forming part of a high quality, mixed-use commercial development, the hotel will be located within easy walking distance of the airport's main passenger terminal and within a short drive of Aberdeen city centre. Also nearby are the United Kingdom headquarters of various large companies including British Petroleum and Halliburton.

Sofitel Mansion & Spa has just been named Best Boutique Accommodation Hotel at the 2007 Australian Hotels Association's State Awards for Excellence. These prestigious Awards salute the hotel industry's leading operators, businesses and individuals. They give the industry an essential boost, reinforcing the enormous value of hotels to the community, highlighting the great facilities on offer across the state and recognizing the hard work of hotel operators. Sofitel Mansion & Spa's General Manager, John Dickson accepted the award on Monday 12 November at the Crown Palladium Ballroom and was delighted with the hotel's win. "This Award is a great honour and a true reflection of the hard work and dedication provided by our valuable staff. "Our recent name change to Sofitel Mansion & Spa and an extensive upgrade of our accommodation and spa facilities have consolidated our position at the forefront of luxury boutique hotels in Victoria," said John.

SynXis, the Sabre Holdings business that provides hotel distribution and Internet marketing services globally, announced today that Sandman Hotels, Canada's fastest-growing, privately-owned hospitality company with over 35 properties, has selected SynXis as its distribution marketing partner and is using the RedX® Distribution Management System as its single distribution platform.  Sandman Hotels now connects to all distribution channels using RedX including Global Distribution Systems (GDS), third party travel sites.  Sandman Hotels will also use the RedX Booking Engine with multiple property search features to power its own website (www.sandmanhotels.com).  Sandman Hotels will continue to be represented on the GDSs under the PS chain code and selected SynXis, in part because of their success switching and managing medium-sized chains.  The SynXis team has implemented and now manages over 30 private label chain codes and recent switches have experienced increases in booking volumes between 11% and 23% in the first six months after the switch to RedX.

French Veteran hotelier in Asia, Patrick Sibourg, Director of Sales and Marketing for Accor Hotels in Indonesia has been appointed General Manager in charge of  the Opening of the Grand Mercure Putrajaya. After some 13 years in Indonesia, with Hilton International  and Accor group, Mr Sibourg has accepted challenges to open a large convention hotel in Putrajaya, the new administrative city in Malaysia. Grand Mercure Lakeside Putrajaya will be the newest five star hotel in South Kuala Lumpur with more than 350 rooms including superiors bedrooms, spa bedrooms, apartments, suites. Located right on the Putrajaya lake, the hotel is planned to open in August 2008.

Magnuson Hotels, the world's largest independent hotel group, now offers complete brand representation in all major US and Canadian markets and market segments without the costs & requirements of franchise brand affiliation. Fee structure is based upon reservations delivered, with no long term agreement and cash brand rebates to hotel owners. For more information visit www.MagnusonHotels.com.
 

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced the opening of the Crowne Plaza Somerset-Bridgewater in New Jersey on Oct. 9.  The hotel was converted from a Marriott hotel. "Somerset County is home to leading pharmaceutical and financial corporations, making it a strong fit for an upscale, meetings-focused brand like Crowne Plaza," said Gina LaBarre, VP, Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, the Americas.  "The hotel is conveniently situated near major highways and Fortune 500 companies, providing our guests with easy access to nearby business and leisure destinations."

On behalf of Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI), Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels is pleased to announce the sale of the Aberdeen Woods Conference Center to Crow Holdings for $30 million. Dolce International will manage the property. The conference center is located in Peachtree City, 25 miles south of Atlanta and conveniently accessible to numerous major metropolitan areas in the Southeast. Nestled in the natural beauty of the surrounding forests, the conference center features 233 spacious guest rooms in residential style lodges. An International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) designated facility, the property boasts 54,000 square feet of meeting space including 64 meeting rooms, an auditorium and two amphitheatres.

Kate Young has been appointed as Regional Director UK & Europe for Tourism New South Wales. Kate, who will be based at Tourism New South Wales's offices within Australia House, London, replaces Russell Mills, who is relocating back to Australia after three years in the role. Kate brings with her extensive experience in the UK and European markets, having been based in London for the past six years working with a variety of Australian tourism boards. Most recently, she held the position of Marketing Executive UK, Ireland, Nordic & Benelux Countries for Tourism Victoria. Previous to that, Kate was Partnership Development Specialist for UK & Nordic markets for Tourism Australia and Marketing Assistant UK/Europe for Tourism Western Australia.