Hotel News in Brief

Dec 10, 07 | 8:46 am

Swiss-Belhotel International, the manager of hotels, resorts and serviced Residences in Asia, is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement with PT. Global Medan Town Square for the operation and management of the latter's new 5-Star, 245 guestroom hotel, now under construction in Medan, North Sumatera, Indonesia.  The agreement was signed earlier this year by Ir. Charles Sutantio, President Director of PT. Global Medan Town Square and Emmanuel Guillard, Vice President of Swiss-Belhotel International - Indonesia. The 24-story mixed-use edifice will include 11,000 square meters of entertainment and retail space and a contemporary, international luxury hotel in the Central Business District on Jalan Letnan Jenderal S. Parnam in Medan. The hotel, named Swiss-Belhotel Medan, is scheduled to open in March 2008.

Swiss-based recruitment firm Hospitality Graduate Recruitment has successfully proven the efficiency of its own product and service by recruiting 2 interns from its own talent pool. Managing Director Mr Jeff Ross comments "I am delighted to welcome Liubov and Leo into our multicultural team, and I am convinced they will have a busy and fun time within our company.  Their appointments simply prove that our product works, and that h-g-r is a superb vehicle for resourcing talented, well educated and motivated hospitality graduates and undergraduates.  Business is booming, and for this reason we decided to recruit two interns to help us here in our head office in Luzern". Liubov Bystrova, Russian national, is currently a student working towards Bachelor of Business Administration Degree with a dual major in Management and Hotel, Restaurant and Resort Management in Northwood University Campus located in Montreux. Being very interested in the Hospitality industry, she has graduated from the Swiss Hotel Management School with Honours Degree in International Hotel Management in the year 2007.  Liubov speaks fluent Russian, English and French, and is about to take on the German language challenge. Leo Lindell, Finnish national, recently graduated from Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) with a BSc. in International Hospitality Management. He made his debut in the industry through a practical internship at the Mecca Café Bar & Restaurant Chancery in Auckland, New Zealand. He then went on to work as Assistant Purchasing Manager at Baglioni Hotel London and Student Affairs Assistant at EHL. Raised in Switzerland and New Zealand, Leo has always felt most at ease in multicultural environments and has a thirst for exploration. His flare for languages has made him fluent in English, Finnish and German, with conversational French and Italian. Leo has always been fascinated with the hospitality and tourism industries and their dynamic nature.

The 600-room Holiday Inn SunSpree® Resort Aruba was honored recently with the "Show We Care" award, presented in recognition of the property's strong commitment to its surrounding community.  The award was presented at the 2007 InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Americas Investors & Leadership Conference held October 22-24 in Dallas, Texas.  Tom Murray, IHG Chief Operating Officer, The Americas, and Alvaro Diago, IHG Area President, Latin America, presented the award to Guillermo Valencia, general manager of the Holiday Inn SunSpree® Resort Aruba and Regional Director of Operations, Caribbean InterContinental Hotels Group. Valencia commented on the award, saying: "We firmly believe that any hotel is only as strong as its local community.  In Aruba, we back this up by supporting wonderful charities like SAMBA (Stichting Alcohol Misbruik Bestrijding Aruba) that has been helping people in need for more than 50 years.  We are truly proud of this honor."

Swiss-Belhotel International is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Devinder K. Sharma as the Regional Director of Engineering for Swiss-Belhotel International - Middle East. Holding a BBA in Project Management and BE in Electrical Engineering, Mr Sharma has worked with many international hotel brands during his 26 year career in the hospitality industry, most recently Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts in Dubai. Prior to joining Swiss-Belhotel International, Mr. Sharma was Senior Contracts Manager of Omega Engineering in Dubai. Commenting on Mr Sharma's appointment, Mr Edgar Solenthaler, Vice President Operations and Development, Swiss-Belhotel International - Middle East said, "...with his extensive background in facilities management at a senior level Mr Sharma adds strength to our growing team, particularly with his experience working on projects in the United Arab Emirates, Sub-Continent and Europe."

Select Hotels & Resorts International Management Pty Ltd (Select) has been appointed to manage an historic hotel in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria. The heritage-listed hotel, to be known as Select Burnham Beeches, Dandenong Ranges, has been closed since the mid 1990's and will undergo an extensive renovation and fit-out of all public areas, suites, restaurant and bar outlets - with an opening date scheduled for October 2008. The deal is a milestone in this exciting strategic direction for the Select brand which has plans to rapidly expand their management division and grow Membership to 100 hotels within eighteen months. Further management deals are pending in Australia, New Zealand and China on other unique properties in stand-out locations. Ralph Kelly, Select's Managing Director, says, "We are extremely pleased to announce this exciting deal for Select and to be working with owners and developers P'Leisure Resorts Management Burnham Beeches of Victoria.  Select will provide first-class industry expertise and innovative management programs to ensure Select Burnham Beeches, Dandenong Ranges successfully fulfils its potential as an historic and iconic property in one of Victoria's most beautiful and sought-after tourism destinations."

DCP International (DCP) is pleased to announce that Borgo di Vagli, a DCP Equity Residence ClubSM development in Italy, was named Best International Redevelopment (Multiple Units) by the prestigious International Property Awards 2007 held last month in Las Vegas. DCP has been the consultant to Borgo di Vagli since the club's inception in 2006, providing the developer with specialized expertise in design, marketing and sales. Now in its 13th year, the International Property Awards in association with CNBC attracted entries from a record 56 different countries. Up to five nominees were selected from the highest scoring winners at the country level across 20 different categories that encompass architecture, property development, interior design, estate agents, and more. The judging panel consists of distinguished professionals in the fields of property, design and construction, property writers and fellow sponsors. "We're truly honored to have this historic property recognized by a highly respected group of industry experts," says Steve Dering, founder of DCP International. "And the timing is auspicious given our current expansion into other European markets." Situated in the heart of Tuscany, 30 minutes from Cortona, Borgo di Vagli is a 14th century medieval hamlet set on 32 acres of olive groves and gardens. Italian civil engineer and restoration architect Fulvio Di Rosa spent a decade restoring the ten previously dilapidated, stone cottages. The rustic one and two-bedroom residences are sold fractionally. Ownership for a one-bedroom residence starts at 60,000 and two-bedroom residences start at 92,500.

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels has named Mark Lukens and Jason Jones senior vice presidents of their select service division.  Based in Seattle, Mr. Lukens will focus on hotel capital advisory services and the disposition of select service hotel assets in the northwestern U.S. Mr. Jones, based in the Los Angeles office, will focus on hotel dispositions throughout the southwestern U.S. Mark Lukens has over 20 years of hospitality industry experience ranging from acquisitions, dispositions, strategic planning, financial analysis, consulting, and valuation. Most recently he served as vice president of acquisitions for Wyndham Worldwide, overseeing acquisitions for their timeshare group in the western U.S., Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Prior to that, he served as a director of development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Mr. Lukens has an MBA from the University of San Diego, a BA in Hotel Administration from Washington State University and holds an MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. Jason Jones brings 10 years of hotel brokerage, franchising, and development experience to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. He recently held the position of vice president of real estate for Hansji Hotels. Mr. Jones' responsibilities included overseeing the acquisition and disposition of company-owned lodging properties, and handling land entitlement and development of new construction projects throughout the West. Prior to that, Mr. Jones served as a vice president with Swoboda Hospitality Brokerage.

Francesco Borrello, General Manager of Grand Formosa Regent Taipei, achieved a finals placing in the 8^th annual Hospitality Awards ceremony held at the Hilton Arc de Triomphe in Paris on November 22 - winning one of the top three nominations as Best Hotel General Manager. The 8th annual ceremony of the Hospitality Awards, created by MKG Group, the European leader in consulting for the hotel and tourism industry directed by Georges Panayotis has become the reference for rewarding innovation and excellence in the industry. In the context of the current global explosion of development of the hotel industry the Hospitality Awards serve to recognize the great ideas, innovations, and talents of the sector. As a result, the Awards provide a catalyst to push the development of the hotel industry to be more innovative, more dynamic and more responsible.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is gaining another foothold in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It has just signed a management contract for a first-class city resort in the heart of the city of Al Ain with the owning company Sorouh Real Estate PJSC. The Mövenpick Resort Al Ain is scheduled to open at the end of 2010. "The city of Al Ain is an important part of our expansion plans in the United Arab Emirates, where our intention is to complete a number of projects also outside Dubai," explains Andreas Mattmüller, Senior Vice President Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Middle East & Asia. "And we're delighted to have found such a strong partner in Sorouh Real Estate PJSC for this exceptional hotel." "Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has acquired an outstanding reputation as a leading hotel chain with high service and quality standards in the Middle East. We're very pleased to have the opportunity of partnering with the international Swiss premium hotel group and to add a hotel development to our extensive portfolio", says Saeed Eid Al Ghafli, Chairman of Sorouh Real Estate PJSC. The Mövenpick Resort Al Ain is located next to the mountain Jebel Hafeet. 230 modern and spaciously appointed rooms, suites and villas offer first-class comfort. A total of eight restaurants and bars will ensure that guests enjoy the very best culinary choice.

Budget hotel booms for Olympics. There are only 9 months left before the upcoming Beijing Olympics. But the budget hotel industry in China's capital city is already feeling the heat. Most of Beijing's budget hotels have been getting ready for next summer since November. Operators say the peak will probably come in March and April. But groups of fans, friends and families have already begun calling for reservations. One hotel manager said "Nearly 10 percent of our rooms have been filled for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games next year. Most of them are group reservations." Source: CHINAdaily

Hotel management company Interstate Hotels & Resorts Inc. said Tuesday it formed a joint venture with Ireland-based Harte Holdings that signed a deal to buy four hotels from Blackstone Group affiliates for $207.8 million. Interstate will invest about $11 million for a 20 percent stake in the properties. It will fund the acquisition with cash on hand and debt under its senior revolving credit agreement. The hotels include the 198-room Sheraton Frazer Great Valley in Frazer, Pa.; the 225-room Sheraton Mahwah in Mahwah, N.J.; the 142-room Latham Hotel Georgetown in Washington, D.C.; and the 327-room Hilton Lafayette in Lafayette, La. Interstate Chief Executive Thomas Hewitt said in the statement that the hotels were attractively priced and fit well with its holdings. Interstate said it will manage all four properties under new management agreements when the transaction closes. The joint venture plans to invest more than $30 million for hotel renovations over two years after the deal is complete, with Interstate expected to provide about $2 million toward the projects. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter. The hotel joint venture is the first in the U.S. for investment and development company Harte Holdings. Interstate owned seven hotels and had a minority stake through separate joint ventures in 22 hotels and resorts as of Nov. 30. Source: BusinessWeek