Hotel News in Brief

Jun 10, 11 | 12:01 am

Hotel Announcements

Officials of HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the nation's fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, today announced that the company has sold the 174-room Algonquin Hotel in New York City, for an undisclosed price. Under the terms of the deal, HEI will continue to operate the hotel on behalf of its new owner. "We purchased the hotel through our initial fund (Fund I, raised in 2004) and have since then completed a renovation and affiliation with Marriott's Autograph Collection brand" said Steve Mendell, president-acquisitions and development. "This transaction enabled us to cycle out of the investment, yet continue to maintain our presence in the attractive Manhattan marketplace." Located off of Times Square at 59 West 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, the property arguably is the most "literary" hotel in the world. Home of The Algonquin Roundtable in the 1920s, the property has played host to many of the world's most illustrious writers and personalities, including Dorothy Parker, H.L. Mencken, Gertrude Stein, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., John Barrymore and Helen Hays. William Faulkner drafted his Nobel Prize acceptance speech at the hotel, and Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe wrote "My Fair Lady" in Lerner's suite. "HEI continues to build relationships with an ever expanding group of hotel owners," said Anthony Rutledge, HEI chief financial officer. "We look forward to working with the new owner and will through HEI's unique operating platform continue to add value to this iconic asset as a third-party operator."

Orient-Express today announced that the brand's latest and most ambitious project to date, Palacio Nazarenas, a 55-suite hotel in a former palace and convent in Cuzco, Peru, will open in early summer 2012. The inauguration of Orient-Express' sixth hotel in Peru will be the culmination of a three year restoration project carried out under the guidance of eight full-time archaeologists and the supervision of Peru's National Institute of Culture (INC). Palacio Nazarenas will become the sister property to the much awarded and lauded Hotel Monasterio, a 126-room former 16th century monastery owned and operated by Orient-Express since March 1999. These two siblings reside on Nazarenas Square, just a few minutes by foot from both the Plaza de Armas, where Cuzco's Cathedral and most important museums are located, and the bohemian San Blas quarter.

All 12 of the JW Marriott luxury hotels that Marriott International plans to open before year-end 2012 are located in emerging global markets. Topping the list of locations is India with five hotels planned, including a 175-room property in Chandigarh, opening this month. Other destinations include Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Maldives, Peru, UAE, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Global Staff Movement

Greystone Hotels and OSM Investment Company have hired Greg Rizzi, as General Manager for their soon to debut exciting and contemporary hotel, The Hotel Wilshire launching on August 1st in Los Angeles. OSM Investment Company along with Greystone Hotels is adding to its collection with the launch of a dynamic 74-room boutique hotel property, which will breathe new life into LA's famed Wilshire Blvd. With over 40 years of experience to his name, Gregory Rizzi is a seasoned veteran in the hospitality industry and the new General Manager of Hotel Wilshire. A native to New York City, Rizzi joined the Loews Hotel Corporation fresh from college, working as an Operations Manager at several of their properties before being promoted to Director of Reservations. After working with Americana Hotels, a division of American Airlines, and Realty Hotels, a subsidiary of Penn Central Railroad, Rizzi decided it was time to head West. He served as General Manager for several properties along the California coast, from The Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco to La Jolla Shores Hotel near San Diego, before moving to Los Angeles to assume his current post at The Hotel Wilshire.

Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort has named Martein van Wagenberg,  a highly accomplished hotelier with worldwide experience in operating leading luxury properties, managing director of the Five Diamond resort. Mr. van Wagenberg, who comes to Las Ventanas with more than 26 years of hospitality experience, has been part of the Rosewood family since October 2004 as managing director of Rosewood Little Dix Bay in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.

Other Related News

The Ascend Collection program from Choice Hotels International, Inc., (NYSE:CHH) is proud to announce one of its member properties, The Golden Hotel, has received the 2011 City of Golden Sustainability Award. The unique Golden, Colo., property was recognized in the Business Category for its many earth-friendly improvements. The lodging recently installed solar panels, which are expected to save 43,647 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually for the next 30-plus years. Among its other green initiatives, The Golden Hotel completed an energy audit, installed motion-sensor lighting and a guestroom occupancy monitoring system, instituted a property-wide recycling program and retrofitted the building to accommodate energy-efficient light bulbs. The City of Golden and its Community Sustainability Advisory Board presented the award earlier this spring during a City Council Meeting. Burt Lewis, the hotel's owner, and Tom Sprankle, general manager, accepted the honour on behalf of the property. Lewis stated he is honoured to receive the recognition and is proud to be a part of a community that holds sustainability as one of its top efforts.

Sol Melia has changed its name to Melia Hotels International in an effort to better reflect the company's globalization goals. Melia Hotels International's new strategic plan includes the development of its management capacity, a reinforced commitment to sustainability and a greater focus on worldwide expansion. The company has also adapted its internal structure by creating two new business areas: Asia Pacific and Real Estate. The new sectors will lead growth in Asia Pacific and maximize returns on company assets.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has entered a partnership with STR Global, as part of PATA's new strategic direction to "Build the Business" for members. PATA members will benefit by receiving access to accommodation sector indicators that will enable better decision making. STR Global is the recognized leader in providing accurate, actionable information and analysis to the lodging industry. PATA members will now have access to key business indicators including room supply, the development pipeline, occupancy rates, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR) right across Asia Pacific. PATA Interim CEO Mr Bill Calderwood and STR Global Managing Director Ms Elizabeth Randall signed the agreement in April at the PATA 60th Anniversary and Conference in Beijing. The partnership officially starts this month. Calderwood said that the partnership would be extremely significant in the development of PATA's TIGA (tourism intelligence graphic architecture) platform that provides on-demand business information to PATA members. Randall said: "With the increasing importance of Asia Pacific for the hospitality industry, we are partnering with PATA to share our expertise on hotel performance and hotel supply with PATA members. Our data puts a clear spotlight on the hotel industry and provides the basis for informed decision-making." By using STR Global data, PATA members using the TIGA platform will get a comprehensive picture of the hotel and lodging sector in Asia Pacific.