Hotel News in Brief

Jun 10, 10 | 1:45 am

HOTEL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The opening of the St. Regis Bangkok has been pushed back a little over a month to December 1, from its initial mid-October schedule. Sales and marketing director, Christopher Chung, said: "If we could have gotten in (during the protests), we could have opened on time." The hotel is located on Rajdamri Road on Ratchaprasong Intersection, which was occupied for nearly two months between April and May by anti-government protestors. It will have 227 keys, comprising 176 guestrooms and 51 suites. Of the five F&B outlets, one will be conceptualised by a Western celebrity chef. Other facilities include the Elemis Spa, a health club, and various meeting and banquet spaces.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) and its new destination sensation brand, Aloft® Hotels, today announces the signing of Aloft London ExCeL. Scheduled to open in advance of the London Olympics in 2012, this 252 room hotel will be located at ExCeL London, the international exhibition & convention centre in the Docklands area of the city. Created to shake up the staid, traditional select service segment of the hotel industry, Aloft delivers urban-influenced, open and vibrant design and a social guest experience at an affordable price point. The sleek new Aloft London ExCeL is being developed by ExCeL London's parent company, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), also owners of Aloft Abu Dhabi, the Middle East's first Aloft hotel, which is located adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Aloft London ExCeL will mark the brand's UK debut and will be the second Aloft property in Europe following the Aloft Brussels Schuman, scheduled to open this Autumn.

Hotel investor buys Le Meridien out of foreclosure. HEI Hotels & Resorts of Connecticut has bought the 258-room Le Meridien Dallas North Hotel near the Galleria shopping mall. HEI gained title to the 9-year-old hotel at last week's foreclosure auction. Earlier, the investor had bought the debt on the property at 13402 Noel Road.The Far North Dallas hotel acquisition is HEI's fourth hotel purchase in 2010.

Thompson Hotels, which has five properties in Manhattan and just added a location in Toronto to its portfolio, is expanding to London.

Summer 2011 will bring the 85-room Belgraves, a joint venture with the Hong Kong-based Harilela Group, located in London's Belgravia neighborhood. Interiors will be done by British designer Tara Bernerd and the architectural design by EPR Architects. Jason Pomeranc, the New York based co-owner of Thompson Hotels, said that the project has been in the works for six months, although "we've been looking for property there on and off for years." As for whether it's the right time for European expansion, "I think we are part of a particular sector of the hotel industry which thankfully is on the road to recovery," Mr. Pomeranc said.

The UK division of Hilton Worldwide has won the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Hotel and Catering Sector Award, for the second consecutive year. The highly respected RoSPA awards have been running for over 50 years. The national scheme recognises excellence in work-related health and safety performance. Simon Vincent, Hilton Worldwide Area President, Europe said: "We place great importance on the safety and security of our guests and team members, so we are particularly delighted to have been recognised as a leader in our field with this award."

GLOBAL STAFF MOVEMENT:

von Essen hotels is pleased to announce the appointment of Calum Milne as General Manager of Lower Slaughter Manor in Gloucestershire.  Calum will replace Andrew Thomason who is now General Manager of Hotel Verta, von Essen's first new build and London based property opening this summer. Lower Slaughter Manor, a member of the Relais & Chateaux portfolio, is considered to be one of the finest 17th century country houses in England. Calum joins von Essen with more than 19 years experience in the hotel and hospitality industry. His most recent position was at the world famous Inverlochy Castle, which is also a Relais and Châteaux hotel, where he was General Manager for three years. Previously he was General Manager at Llangoed Hall in Wales.

Appointed as general manger for the City Seasons Hotel Dubai, Issam Nizam moves to Abu Dhabi to take up the challenge of running the City Seasons Al Hamra Hotel.

OTHER RELATED NEWS:

More than half of the hotels on the Gulf of Mexico coast have experienced group booking cancellations as a result of the BP oil spill, according to survey findings from meetings and conventions data firm, the Knowland Group. Of the 50 coastal hotels surveyed, 60 per cent reported group cancellations as a result of the oil spill, up 18 percentage points from the survey conducted two weeks prior. Hoteliers also reported difficulty booking future events. A whopping 62 per cent said the oil spill has negatively impacted their ability to book future events. The majority of those surveyed felt the blow to their business will be felt the most over the next three to six months. The survey was conducted from June 2 to June 3, 2010.

Hyatt Hotels Corp. unveiled plans to add three hotels in international markets to its growing Andaz lifestyle brand. The hotels will be located in Sanya Sunny Bay, China; Delhi, India; and Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. With the four Andaz properties already open and others previously announced, the brand will have 11 hotels open by 2014.

Hotel owners who are hesitant to purchase a new front desk telephone system due to a lack of capital or concerns about technological advances now have another option. PhoneSuite, a leading provider of telecom solutions designed exclusively for the hospitality industry, today announced a first-of-its-kind rental program. PhoneSuite is now offering new phone systems at a low, monthly rental fee with just a two-year commitment and no financing charges involved. After two years, hoteliers will have three options: continue renting, purchase the system they've been using at a prorated cost (80 percent of rent goes to purchase price), or simply return the system to PhoneSuite. "The PhoneSuite rental program will allow hotel owners who need a phone system now extra time before making a large capital investment. They can now bridge the gap and wait until cash is more readily available or until the latest changes in technology shake out. The rental program is less expensive than leasing, allows you to rent to own, and provides a virtual never-ending warranty on equipment during the course of your commitment. We are proud to be the first phone system provider to offer this kind of program as hoteliers try to operate soundly during these difficult economic times," said PhoneSuite President Frank Melville.