Hotel Industry News In Brief

May 31, 12 | 12:09 am

Some current conversation starters…

Corporate travellers who book in advance do not always get the best hotel deal, according to new statistics.

Research by online hotel inventory provider Hotelzon shows many people believe they can get the most favourable rates with the longest lead-in time but that is not always the case. Hotelzon’s aggregated statistics of data from travel management companies and corporate travellers show that the average room rates for bookings made one day prior to arrival are €119.04 (£95.20), while accommodation booked 16-24 days out is €121.71 (£97.32).

HeBS Digital, the industry leader in hotel digital marketing services, website design and direct online channel strategies, today announces it has received the ‘Best of Show’ award from the Web Marketing Association’s 2012 MobileWebAwards for the Loews Hotels & Resorts mobile website.

The mobile site, viewable at www.loewshotels.com/m, also won for ‘Best Hotel and Lodging Mobile Website’. Of all the entrants in the Hotel and Lodging Mobile Website category, the Loews Hotels mobile website was deemed the most exemplary of these seven criteria. Furthermore, of all category winners, the site was selected as the top overall mobile website. HeBS Digital and Loews Hotels worked together closely to match the brand identity and functionality of the full Loews Hotels website as well as to create a remarkable user-friendly interface that employs smartphone technologies, location-aware capabilities, and a mobile booking engine.

Beijing Tourism Group, Great Ocean Group and GHM are partnering to launch Ahn Luh, a luxury resort brand for the Chinese market.

The principals said the first Ahn Luh properties will debut in the next two to three years. This was announced in March at the signing ceremony for the new hotel group’s first project, the Ahn Luh Dujiangyan in Chengdu and reported in the May issue of HOTELS Magazine. “Resorts in the new Ahn Luh brand aim to promote and practice what we have termed the ‘China services’ concept. In essence, this concept marries internationally accepted standards of quality with distinct, local features,” said Duan Qiang, chairman of the state-owned Beijing Tourism Group. Ahn Luh is charting future developments in major cities and tourism destinations throughout China. Akira Moreno, vice president of development and preopening services for GHM estimates that Ahn Luh will have five properties open within the next five years. In the pipeline are three memorandums of understanding for three hotels in Beijing, the Pearl River Delta and southwest China. Ahn Luh’s hotels will come to market with 50 to 100 guestroom properties, featuring 60 sq m (645 sq ft) rooms and 120 sq m (1,291 sq ft) suites and villas. As a complement to each hotel’s spa, a resident Tai Chi master will manage an on-site Tai Chi Centre. The design at each Ahn Luh property will differ, with each resort incorporating elements reflective of the arts and culture of its locale. Other distinguishing features include dian xin breakfast, an all-day Chinese-style tapas bar, indoor and outdoor pools, a library and cigar lounge, airport concierges and a fleet of Wi-Fi enabled cars. Each hotel will also house a retail shop selling regional goods as well as traditional Chinese medicine. Some Ahn Luh properties will include private villas and residences. All will feature meetings facilities for executive retreats.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments…

Dolce Hotels and Resorts announces the appointments of Michael Moros to General Manager of The Alexander Hotel, in Indianapolis, IN. The Alexander Hotel is Dolce's newest property and will open its doors in late 2012 as the company's 18th North American hotel. General Manager Michael Moros is responsible for all operations of The Alexander Hotel. With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Moros arrived at The Alexander Hotel from Michael's Southshore Restaurant, an Indianapolis dining spot where he remains owner. Previously, he held top management positions at hotels and restaurants in Indianapolis and beyond, including General Manager of White Lodging Services, Merrillville, Indiana; General Manager of Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel, Erie, Pennsylvania; and several positions over a nine-year run at The Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, including Director of Operations and Interim General Manager. A native of Sterling Heights, Michigan, Moros earned a degree in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Buffalo Lodging Associates is proud to announce that Daniella Reategui has been brought on as Area Sales Manager for Hilton Garden Inn Orlando and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Nearest Universal. Hilton Garden Inn located at 5877 American Way in Orlando, Florida. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Nearest Universal located at 5605 Major Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. Reategui joins Buffalo Lodging with more than 10 years of hospitality experience. Most recently, Daniella was working as a sales manager for Sheraton Orlando North hotel in Maitland, Florida. Her prior experience includes director of first impressions for Homewood Suites in Maitland, Florida.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa has just opened, perched on a cliff on the Amalfi Coast. The building was originally a 17th-century monastery. To honor that heritage, the exterior and interior balance asceticism with warm and inviting contemporary design. Monastero Santa Rosa offers 20 sea-view guestrooms and suites, as well as a full-service spa, a heated infinity pool, and gardens. The guestrooms are named for herbs that are still grown on property. The hotel is built into the side of a mountain. A glass-fronted elevator connects the floors and offers panoramic views. The spa’s designer kept the original vaulted ceilings and many of the walls of the 17th-century building. Visits to the spa include a visit to the thermal suite, which includes a double-height vaulted tepidarium with heated benches and whirlpool footbaths, a domed herbal steam room, a crushed ice fountain, a wood sauna, a hydrotherapy pool and an experience shower. Monastero Santa Rosa’s Ristorante offers regional specialties under an original vaulted ceiling. Light meals are also available by the heated infinity pool or on the terrace outside the bar. The property includes a 12th-century chapel suitable for weddings.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts announces it has signed two agreements with Asian Resorts Holding Limited to manage hotels in Cox’s Bazar and in the capital, Dhaka, marking the first foray into Bangladesh for the upscale international hotel company. The Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Cox’s Bazar is due to open in 2015 and has a prime location on the longest beach in the world. The site also takes advantage of the close proximity to Cox’s Bazar Airport (10 km) and is just one hour’s flying time to Dhaka. The hotel will incorporate modern architectural elements in its towering 18 floors with sea-facing rooms and bathrooms. The 280 rooms and suites will range from 36 square metres up to 70 square metres. Catering to the anticipated high demand of leisure guests, mainly from Bangladesh, India and other South Asian countries, a selection of restaurants, bars, meeting rooms and leisure facilities will be available. The Movenpick Hotel Dhaka will offer 275 guestrooms and the property is expected to open in 2015, too. Dhaka is well connected to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia and the project will include facilities to suit both the business and leisure traveller, including a state-of-the-art fitness centre, a spa, and five restaurants and bars, one of which will be a specialized art lounge cafe, displaying local creative talent.

The Westin Xian has opened in China’s Shaanxi province. In addition to 329 rooms and 32 one- to two-bedroom apartments, the hotel includes a museum with more than 2,000 artifacts. Neri & Hu Design gave the property a Tang dynasty architectural style. The property spans nearly 60 acres (24 hectares), including the hotel, museum, and a shopping centre. The 80,000-sq-ft (7,432-sq-m) main building includes a covered porch and a garden courtyard.