Hotel News In Brief

Nov 11, 05 | 8:46 am

The Highly-Anticipated St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco Opens Its Doors Starwood announces the opening of the St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco, a 40-story landmark comprising a 260-room luxury hotel and 102 private residences, and will also house the new Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD). Design elements reflect a contemporary style and the finest interior finishes. In addition to a private resident concierge, owners of the St. Regis Residences have access to the services and amenities of the hotel, including fine dining restaurant Ame - a 95-seat signature destination restaurant, 24-hour room service, St. Regis’ famed butler service, hotel business centre, the 9,000 sq ft Remède Spa, and 3,700 sq ft private fitness centre, complete with a 50-foot lap pool.  www.stregis.com/sanfrancisco  

St. Regis to Debut in French Polynesia with the new St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora Currently under construction and scheduled to open in April 2006, St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora will feature 101 over-water and beach villas, including the opulent Royal Suite – at more than 8,000 sq ft it will debut as the largest suite in French Polynesia.  At a cost of more than $1m (approx. £565,500) per bungalow to develop and construct, this resort will introduce unmatched luxury in South Pacific.  www.stregis.com

Westin New York unveils new renewal suite   The Westin New York at Times Square has created a Renewal Suite to reflect the brand’s new positioning around personal regeneration.  Designed to provide an environment where guests can rebound from travel-related stress and perform at their very best, the Renewal Suite features a decompression chamber, spa bath, Zen-like home gym, chromo therapy and tranquil water, light and music features throughout.  The 1,200 sq ft Renewal Suite at the Westin New York starts at $2,000/night (approx. £1,130). www.westin.com/timessquare.com

Sheraton Resorts Denarau Island, Fiji’s only 5 star integrated resort complex has launched a US$22m (approx. £13m) refurbishment program to further upgrade the Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort, Sheraton Fiji Resort and Sheraton Denarau Villas. The refurbishment program includes a major renovation starting Mar ‘05 at the Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort to convert the resort into The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa in Apr ‘06. The refurbishment will further enhance the resort’s traditional and artistic elements and unique character, redesigning its 274-rooms by Jul ‘06, pool, arrival area, restaurants, bars and adding 2 Presidential suites by Nov ’05 and a Westin spa by Apr ’06. Sheraton Fiji Resort will have a complete makeover of it 292 guestrooms commencing in Jan ‘06 and aimed to complete in Sept ‘06. The Sheraton Denarau Villas enhancement program includes the addition of a 600 m2 fresh water lagoon and Sheraton Sweet SleeperSM Beds in all 164 guestrooms and villas, set for completion in Mar ’06. www.sheraton.com

Starwood To Operate Four-Hotel Complex In Bahamas   Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has provided details on the scope of the multi-hotel project it is undertaking in the larger, 1,000-acre, $1.6 billion Baha Mar development on Cable Beach, Nassau, here. Starwood will operate a 300-room W Hotel, including 100 condo hotel units; a 300-room St. Regis, including another 100 condo units; a 700-room Westin Hotel; and a 700-room Sheraton. The project is the first time Starwood will manage four of its brands in a single resort. The W, St. Regis, and Westin will be new construction, while the Sheraton will be a conversion of an existing Radisson Hotel. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2007 with a projected opening in 2010. Timing for the conversion of the Radisson to the Sheraton flag has not been finalized. Starwood's partners in the project are Harrah's, which will construct a 1,000-room Caesar's hotel, including a 95,000-square foot casino, and Baha Mar Resorts, Ltd., which will create the golf, retail, dining and entertainment components of the development.

Top-end hotel fills gap in Kabul The Afghan capital, Kabul, has a new, international standard five-star hotel, the first to be built since the fall of the Taleban four years ago.

Gary K.Rosenberg, former president and CEO of the Homestead Resort, joins EMCO Hospitality Inc. Elmer Coppoolse, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EMCO Hospitality, Inc., is pleased to announce that Gary K. Rosenberg has joined the company.  In his role as President and Chief Operating Officer, Rosenberg will provide strategic oversight and leadership as EMCO seeks to expand its efforts in acquisition, hotel management and development. Rosenberg will also be a partner and an officer of EMCO Hospitality, Inc. Rosenberg was most recently with The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia where he was President & CEO of the historic full service resort for eleven years.  In his position as President & CEO at The Homestead, Rosenberg oversaw a multi million dollar renovation and repositioning of the historic property.  Prior to that Rosenberg was with the Arvida Corporation based in Boca Raton, Florida and served as Vice President of Arvida Hospitality Management, Inc.“Gary joining EMCO is very timely as we introduce The Resort at Glade Springs as a new full service destination resort in the Mid-Atlantic region”, says Elmer Coppoolse, “his background and experience will be a great asset to our company not only as we position the new Glade Springs, but also going forward with other projects in the US market.”

Accor has added the Grand Mercure Park Avenue to the brand’s fast growing network in Asia, with a prime location on Bangkok’s vibrant Sukhumvit Road.  The 221-room hotel is near the city centre on Sukhumvit Soi 22, close to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and within walking distance to the Phrom Phong Skytrain station. Grand Mercure Park Avenue is also near the popular Emporium Shopping Centre and adjacent to the Benjasiri Park, one of Bangkok’s largest green areas. The hotel’s flagship VivaVino Restaurant is renowned for wood fired pizzas in addition to a full range of authentic pastas and deserts. The Poolside Cafe also serves daily buffet breakfast and popular dishes throughout the day. Both restaurants offer indoor seating or poolside dinning weather permitting. Guests can relax and unwind poolside or work out in the hotel’s new fitness centre.  Two meeting rooms cater to the corporate meetings market, and all public areas feature WiFi coverage in addition to fast internet connections in all guest rooms. According to Accor Asia Pacific Managing Director Michael Issenberg, the expanding Grand Mercure network around Asia gives the hotel an added market advantage in Bangkok’s competitive hotel sector. “Grand Mercure Park Avenue is strategic addition that will help raise the brand profile in Thailand and around the region.“Sukhumvit Road is a hub of Thailand’s resident foreign community and is popular with both leisure and corporate travellers. Grand Mercure Park Avenue will be well positioned near fashionable shopping centres and popular tourist attractions, in addition offices of major multi-national companies doing business in Thailand.”Grand Mercure Park Avenue joins a vast network of over 750 Mercure hotels in 45 countries. Mercure hotels are renowned for being the 'keys to the city' and provide a true taste of the region and country in which they are based.

InterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Georgina Torrington as Business & Development Manager – Meetings & Conferences covering the New Zealand market.  Based at the Group’s national sales office in Auckland, Georgina is responsible for corporate meetings and conferences at InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels across the country. Georgina will also look after New Zealand-based clients looking to hold meetings in Australia and within the South Pacific region.  With over a dozen years of experience in the industry, Georgina has joined InterContinental Hotels Group from two years at Hilton Auckland where she was Conference and Incentive Sales Manager. IMAGE: a head shot of Georgina is attached…let me know if you’d like a larger version sent.

InterContinental Hotels will open its seventh Hotel Indigo in fall 2006 in Nashville, Tenn. This former eleven-story office tower will be owned by Wesley Hotel Group, LLC and managed by Wesley Hotels & Resorts, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.  The 120,000 sq.-ft. property will be conveniently located just one mile from downtown Nashville and a few blocks from popular Music Row. A brand developed primarily for conversions, Hotel Indigo is designed to rejuvenate properties that aren’t reaching their full potential, but are poised for success post conversion.   “We’re pleased to announce that work has begun to convert this former office tower into a Hotel Indigo, in one of the nation’s most popular tourist and business destinations,” said Jim Anhut, senior vice president, Brand Development, the Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group. “The Wesley Hotel Group’s ‘service first’ approach to business will help to create a superior hospitality experience for travelers seeking a unique hotel stay in Nashville,” said Anhut. As a lifestyle boutique hotel, Hotel Indigo is designed to deliver superb service in a unique and intimate atmosphere.  The staff is trained to provide personalized service and anticipate guests' needs rather than simply responding.  “We believe Nashville is a good fit for a lifestyle boutique hotel as unique as Hotel Indigo," said Wayne W. McAteer, Chairman and CEO for Wesley Hotel Group. As key developers of Hotel Indigo hotels, we are proud to introduce this exciting concept to Nashville and believe once completed it will quickly become a centerpiece of the community," he said. Hotel Indigo addresses the desires of style-conscious guests who are seeking experience and quality over pure mundane functionality when traveling for business or pleasure.  The soul of the retail-inspired hotel concept is renewal – thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays. Hotel Indigo Nashville will house 146 guestrooms which will feature renewable elements such as vivid murals, area rugs, plush duvets and slip covers that will change periodically.  Public spaces will be transformed seasonally through changing artwork, music, flora, murals and directional signage.  The hotel will also feature an extraordinary 3,000 sq.-ft. penthouse suite. The suite will boast a balcony, fully equipped kitchen, great room, two bedrooms and two and a half bath. 

Hot New Resort in Canmore   Canmore continues to establish itself as one of Alberta's fastest growing resort destinations, supported by the announcement of new luxury condo-resort.  Fire Mountain Lodge is scheduled to welcome its first guests in July 2006, with 24 luxury condos.  Fire Mountain Lodge will be managed by Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, adding this resort to their collection of popular condo-resorts in Canmore and in the Okanagan.  Fire Mountain Lodge is singular because of its very rich interiors explains Marketing Manager January Kohli.  This resort is smaller than its sister Bellstar properties.  Unlike the typical family resort, Fire Mountain Lodge's atmosphere is very exclusive and ideally suited for couples, empty-nesters and romantic getaways. Condo-resort accommodation has become the standard in Canmore.  The two- and three-bedroom condos at the new resort boast over 1,000 sq feet of space, with private entrances, full kitchens, living rooms, and balconies.  Fire Mountain Lodge adds to this with very stylish interiors:  custom-designed furniture, dark woods, leather accents, and stylish extras that make the property more alluring and mature than a traditional resort.    The benefit of condo-resort accommodation is that it is self-contained and provide better value than a hotel room explains Ms. Kohli.  A kitchen to make breakfast, a living room to relax in, and private entrances means you feel at home.  The multi-bedroom / bathroom combination means that a group of friends or couples can share a condo for a great rate, without feeling crowded. Fire Mountain Lodge is scheduled to open in time for Canmore's busy summer season, with nightly rentals for two and three bedroom condos ranging from $179 to $309.  The resort is managed by Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, and will offer concierge services and space for board-meetings.  Several condo units are still available for sale.