Hotel News In Brief

Oct 05, 05 | 7:46 am

A new General Manager has been appointed at Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort and Dalit Bay Golf  Club & Spa .    Alain Borgers, 49, a Belgian national, joins the award-winning 5-star resort with over 25 years in the hospitality industry, 11 years of it with the Shangri-La Group of Hotels & Resorts. A graduate from the Lausanne School of Hotel Management, Switzerland, Alain Borgers began his career with the Hilton International and was based in Hilton hotels all over Europe culminating in a posting to Cairo, Egypt, in 1987 then to Osaka, Japan, the following year. A world traveller, Alain Borgers is not new to Malaysia, having being posted to Shangri-La’s Golden Sands Resort in the earlier part of his Shangri-La career. His career with the Shangri-La Group of Hotels & Resorts included postings to Makati Shangri-La, Manila as the Resident Manager, then the General Manager of the then Shangri-La Bali and Edsa Shangri-La, Manila. His most recent posting was as the General Manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Surabaya before being appointed to head the team at the 330-room, 5-star beachside Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort and Dalit Bay Golf Club & Spa. Alain Borgers feels fortunate to be in Kota Kinabalu in what he calls “exciting times for a growing destination”, going further to share his enthusiasm about being in the right place at the right time, envisioning a great future in tourism in Malaysia generally, and in Sabah specifically. “ There has been a lot of growth (in Sabah and Malaysia) and we have a very unique product here in the Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria. I am very passionate about the destination and am looking forward to sharing this passion with our staff and our guests. Definitely, the resort has so much to offer  - one of the best things being the people. The Sabahans are some of the most naturally friendly and hospital I’ve ever met”. Alain Borgers is joined in Kota Kinabalu by his wife, Carmela, and the younger 2 of his 3 children, the oldest being an undergraduate at the University of Durham, North England.

A New Build St. Regis Hotel Under Development in Mexico City; Architect Cesar Pelli Designing the 189 room and 100 Private Residence Building   Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced today plans to build the first St. Regis Hotel in Latin America. Scheduled to open in 2007, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City is owned by Grupo 1818, a group of several prominent Mexican real estate investors and developed by Ideurban Consultores, one of the largest real estate development companies in Mexico. When it debuts, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City will boast the city's most luxurious accommodations, targeting discriminating travelers and locals alike with 189 luxuriously appointed guest rooms and suites and approximately 100 stunning private residences.  Known for its signature butler service, exquisite design and indulgent spas, St. Regis is among the world's most revered luxury hotel brands with 10 award-winning properties around the globe. As with all St. Regis properties, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City will boast a second-to-none location, ideally situated on distinguished Reforma Avenue. Hotel guests and Residence owners will enjoy full access to the hotel's opulent services and amenities including its butler service, an exclusive Remede Spa, fine dining restaurants and wine cellar.  "We continue to aggressively yet very selectively grow the St. Regis brand, setting our sites on only the most desirable addresses, and we consider Mexico City to be among the world's most vibrant international destinations, and this particular location especially stellar," said Stephen Alden, Senior Vice President of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.  Reputed for working with the world's finest architects and designers, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City will unveil a landmark building designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli, recognized worldwide for such remarkable structures as the Torre de Cristal in Barcelona and the International Finance Center in Hong Kong. Toronto's Yabu Pushelberg will oversee the interior design of the building, masterfully utilizing design elements that reflect a contemporary style executed in the finest finishes. Yabu Pushelberg is also heading the interior design of the highly-anticipated St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco, which will open this November. 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced today plans to build the first St. Regis Hotel in Latin America. Scheduled to open in 2007, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City is owned by Grupo 1818, a group of several prominent Mexican real estate investors and developed by Ideurban Consultores, one of the largest real estate development companies in Mexico. When it debuts, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City will boast the city's most luxurious accommodations, targeting discriminating travelers and locals alike with 189 luxuriously appointed guest rooms and suites and approximately 100 stunning private residences.  Known for its signature butler service, exquisite design and indulgent spas, St. Regis is among the world's most revered luxury hotel brands with 10 award-winning properties around the globe. As with all St. Regis properties, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City will boast a second-to-none location, ideally situated on distinguished Reforma Avenue. Hotel guests and Residence owners will enjoy full access to the hotel's opulent services and amenities including its butler service, an exclusive Remede Spa, fine dining restaurants and wine cellar.  "We continue to aggressively yet very selectively grow the St. Regis brand, setting our sites on only the most desirable addresses, and we consider Mexico City to be among the world's most vibrant international destinations, and this particular location especially stellar," said Stephen Alden, Senior Vice President of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.  Reputed for working with the world's finest architects and designers, the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City will unveil a landmark building designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli, recognized worldwide for such remarkable structures as the Torre de Cristal in Barcelona and the International Finance Center in Hong Kong. Toronto's Yabu Pushelberg will oversee the interior design of the building, masterfully utilizing design elements that reflect a contemporary style executed in the finest finishes. Yabu Pushelberg is also heading the interior design of the highly-anticipated St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco, which will open this November. 

A First For Dolce In Belgium A building some 16 km from Brussels that was once used by IBM as a training centre has found a new life as Dolce International ’s first property in Belgium. The 264-room Dolce La Hulpe Brussels , which will open in January 2007, will be born of a renovation and expansion programme that is set to run for 12 to 15 months. And that rustling among the trees in the Forêt de Soignes was probably nothing more than the management agreement for Dolce borne by Banimmo Real Estate, the property’s owner.

Orco Property Group has completed the purchase of a €70 million portfolio of five buildings in the Hungarian capital Budapest. One building of the five sold by the Ofer Brothers Group is home to the 54-suite, four-star Starlight Suiten Hotel. Over the border in Austria, meanwhile, the western town of Dornbirn has given an official welcome to the 106-room Four Points by Sheraton Panoramahaus Dornbirn . The hotel, Starwood’s seventh in Austria, occupies the upper floors of the Panoramahaus, which is the tallest building in the province of Vorarlberg.

Swedish hotel property company Pandox has made an addition to its portfolio with the acquisition of a hotel in the Danish capital Copenhagen. The 200-room, three-star Mermaid Hotel , on which Pandox gains operational rights as a result of the deal, will undergo a two-year renovation. When the hotel reopens it will come under Pandox’s managership.

NH Hoteles Arrives In Santiago De Compostela   The city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain had never experienced the touch of NH Hoteles. All that changed this month when the company arrived to open the 159-room, five-star NH Obradoiro, a hotel that NH Hoteles will operate under lease and one that has absorbed €2.5 million of the company's money. In contrast, few are the locations in Portugal that have not enjoyed the caress of Amorim Turismo. Vilamoura on the Algarve is the latest location to be embraced; it has welcomed The Lake Resort, which includes a 192-room, five-star hotel and 95 luxury serviced apartments.

Starwood Hotels Continues the Expansion of the Westin Brand in Spain with the Signing of the Westin Alameda Valencia    Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc announced the signing of an agreement with Grupo Bancaja of Valencia and Greco Inmobiliaria of Barcelona for the management of a re-developed historical landmark hotel in Valencia, Spain as the Westin Alameda Valencia, setting the entry of the Westin brand to this rising Spanish destination. Scheduled to open in July 2006 – just in time for Valencia’s hosting of the America’s Cup --, the 136-room hotel is already under construction. The building, developed in 1917 as a wool factory, will maintain the original art nouveau façade while its interior will be completely redeveloped in a tasteful, classic style. The Westin Alameda Valencia will have two restaurants, approximately 810 m2 of meeting space, a 1,000 m2 health club & spa and a landscaped interior courtyard of 1,800 m2. Envisaged to become Valencia’s top luxury hotel, the Westin Alameda Valencia will be located in the protected Art Nouveau district of Meslalla, an historical sector of the city characterized as a government and business neighborhood and within walking distance of the traditional business area of the city and Valencia’s “central park”.  ‘We are delighted to announce the entry of the Westin brand in Valencia, one of the most important Spanish cities, with such a superb project.” said Roeland Vos, President of Europe, Africa and Middle East Division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “The Westin Alameda Valencia is another sign of Starwood’s commitment to develop all its brands in a fabulous destination like Spain, where we already operate 4 Westin hotels and we have already announced the development of 2 others including the Westin Alameda Valencia. “ We are very proud of this unique project in the city of Valencia, and we are pleased to have Starwood as operator of this five star plus luxury hotel. We are also delighted that Starwood chose BANCAJA and our project as their first undertaking in this region”, said Arturo Alario, Investment Director of Group Bancaja.

Radisson SAS Media Harbour Hotel Düsseldorf: A new star is born   A new star is born – Boutique hotel in the harbour. Düsseldorf, 3rd October 2005 – The names of the architects with buildings in Düsseldorf’s media harbour reads like a who’s who of the international architectural scene. An “architectural zoo,” as Hartmut Miksch calls the collection. The president of the regional chamber of architects lives in a dynamically contoured triangular building just a stone’s throw from the famous Gehry buildings.But this area, which just decades ago was dominated by dreary empty warehouses, is now not only an acclaimed architectural site – the harbour is trendy and modern, and it is thriving. The interplay between old and new, the combination of high-tech media and listed warehouses, the juxtaposition of quay walls and wrought-iron railings from 1896 with cutting-edge constructions – that is what makes the area attractive. Almost half of the companies located here belong to the media, IT and communication sectors or the advertising industry. Harbours extend the horizon and open your eyes. They are trading posts with huge symbolic power; they stand for freedom and vision.But creatives aren’t the only ones to fill the Media Harbour restaurants at lunchtime and in the evenings. The harbour has developed into a gastronomic magnet, the place to be in Düsseldorf. The number of restaurants and bars is growing all the time. There are more than 30 restaurants, bars, clubs and discos to choose from – Meerbar or Harpune, Kölner Eigelstein or Riva. From the roof terrace of the sixth floor spa and gym of the new hip, ultra modern Radisson SAS Media Harbour Hotel on Hammer Strasse, you can see them all: the creatives and the fashionistas, the accomplished businessmen and the hipsters. The Colorium to your left, the Rheinturm to your right, and the heart of the stylish harbour right in the middle – design on the banks of the Rhine. New design on the banks of the Rhine

Central Hotels & Resorts appoints Group Spa Operations Manager Ms. Kerri Lynn Smith has been appointed as Group Spa Operations Manager of Central Hotels & Resorts. Ms. Smith graduated from North Idaho Collage – Coeur d’Alene, Idaho majoring in Business Administration. She went on to develop her professional qualification with Massage and Body Therapy from Seattle Massage School and Esthetics from Swiss Skin Care Institute, Washington D.C. She also has Technical expertise such as a Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP), Licensed Esthetician, Certified in: Aroma Therapy, Botanicals, Ayervedic Treatments, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Thalassotherapy, Naturopathic Remedies and Herbal Supplementation. Ms. Smith has more than 11 years experience in the Spa and Beauty business in the U.S.A. In 1995, she started her career at The Salish Lodge & Bel Visa Day Salon, Washington as a Massage Therapist, Body Technician, Esthetician. Prior to joining Central Hotels & Resorts as Group Spa Operations Manager, she was Owner & General Manager – Full Service Day Spa at Pure Essence, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho - Seattle, Washington for a total of 6 years.