Hotel News In Brief

Jul 14, 06 | 7:46 am

Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur has appointed Mr Jarlath Lynch as its new area general manager. He replaces Mr Richard Riley who held the post for the last three years.

Domina Hotel Group appoints Izabela Sikora Area Director of Sales & Marketing Baltic States and Poland.   In her new role she will coordinate the commercial strategies of the area for Domina Inn City  and Domina Inn Ilmarine in Tallinn (Estonia), for Domina Inn Riga in Riga (Latvia) and for Domina Poznan Residence & Suites in Poznan (Poland). Ms. Sikora will be based at the Domina Inn Ilmarine and will report directly to Fabio Gallo, Vice President Director of Marketing, Sales and Brand Image based in the Milan Headquarters and to Guy Simmons , Regional Leader Baltic States and Poland, always following the Group’s belief in strategic centralization and operative decentralization. “Ms. Sikora’s experience in the hotel industry and her fluency in English, German and Russian, will surely add and contribute to the International culture the Group believes in.” says Fabio Gallo, Vice President Director of Marketing, Sales and Brand Image whom Ms. Sikora reports to. Before joining the Group, Ms. Sikora had an outstanding career in the hotel industry including being Director of Sales Poland for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Director of Sales and Marketing for Le Meridien Moscow County Club and Conference & Banqueting Manager for Le Royal Meridien Bristol. She graduated at the School of Tourism & Hotelier and has a masters degree in Hotel Management and Marketing.

Doubletree(R) Hotels proudly announces the opening of the Doubletree Hotel JFK Airport, representing the newest airport hotel addition to join the brand's portfolio of more than 160 fine properties across North America. To celebrate the hotel's new affiliation, finishing touches are being completed on the hotel's first major hotel-wide renewal project in more than eight years. Approximately $10 million has been invested by the owners of the 386-room, full-service hotel to bring an entirely new level of contemporary style, comfort and service to travelers at one of the world's most renowned international gateway airports.  Formerly a Radisson(R) hotel, the Doubletree Hotel JFK Airport is owned by French Quarter Hospitality; operated under a franchise agreement with Doubletree Hotel Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilton Hotels Corporation; and managed by Innovative Hospitality Management, Inc. "Our development and brand teams have worked diligently to develop a growing collection of 25 Doubletree hotels located in and around North America's most frequented airports. The end result is the great example that, within the past six months, Doubletree has now introduced visitors and residents of the New York/New Jersey metro area to two great, new airport hotel offerings," said Dave Horton, senior vice president - brand management for Doubletree Hotels. "Our newest Doubletree hotel at JFK Airport underscores the momentum and interest in the brand from hotel owners, developers and management companies across the country."

Barceló Back In Bulgaria - The Spanish chain Barceló Hotels and Resorts got its first taste of Bulgaria last autumn when it opened the 120-room Barceló Festa Sofia. The company has chosen for its second sample the resort of Slŭnchev Bryag on the Black Sea where Bulgarian firm Galaxy Property Group is building the Royal Garden hotel complex. The work will be finished next year and Barceló will be invited in to manage the five-star hotel that forms part of the mixed-use development. A five-star hotel will be one feature of a mixed-use scheme to be executed over the next three years by a group featuring Globe Trade Centre, the real estate subsidiary of investment firm Kardan. The €80 million project will cover 130 hectares of land in an unspecified beachfront location in southern Croatia.

New Westin Flag on Langkawi Island, Malaysia  Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Langkawi Island Resort Sdn Bhd, an affiliate of PT Rajawali Corporation, announced that Sheraton Perdana Resort will be rebranded as The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa as of January 2007. The resort is undergoing a significant upgrade and will feature Westin signature amenities and services, 30 hotel villas, a luxury destination spa and an additional 11,000 square feet of meeting space.

Ascott Expands in Singapore  The Ascott Group has signed conditional sale and purchase agreements to acquire the landmark Asia Insurance Building and Hotel Asia in view of expanding its portfolio of serviced residences in Singapore. The 20-storey Asia Insurance Building, located near Collyer Quay in the Central Business District, was the tallest office building in South-east Asia when it was built in the 1950s. Asia Hotel, located along Scotts Road, is near Singapore's shopping and entertainment belt. The group, which currently owns 800 units in six properties, plans to double its portfolio by 2010. Its worldwide plan is to achieve 25,000 units by the same year.

Surge in Thailand Arrivals  The Association of Thai Travel Agents has reported that arrivals at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport surged by 42% in the first five months of 2006. A total of 1,223,546 million passengers passed through the airport between January and May 2006, compared to 860,844 in the same period last year. China led the way, with 216,919 arrivals - a 102% increase over the same period last year, followed by Korea with 101,383 arrivals - up 68%. Japan came in third with 155,537 arrivals - a 34% increase. The UK was the biggest European market, generating 60,654 visitors - up 73% on last year's figures. Germany, with 42,583 visitors (a 21% increase on 2005), was the second biggest European market. The Tourism Authority of Thailand targets 13.8 million foreign tourists and US20 billion receipts in 2006.

Indian Hotels Company Ltd. Partners With Eurocape in South Africa  Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (ICHL) has announced a partnership with Eurocape, the developers of the US$137.9 million Mandela Rhodes Place, to develop Cape Town's newest addition in luxury hotel rooms and residences. The first phase of Mandela Rhodes Place is due for completion by the end of 2006. It will include an array of restaurants, bars, winery, wellness centre, offices, gymnasium, swimming pool and a rooftop garden. The second phase of construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008 and will feature a 174-room five-star hotel and 20 private residences. The US$41.3 million hotel and residences development at Mandela Rhodes Place marks the company's first major investment in South Africa, with two other hotels planned in Johannesburg and Durban as part of their Indian Ocean expansion plan. IHCL owns and operates 75 Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces worldwide.
 
Victoria Room Rates Top New South Wales  Hotel room rates in Victoria, Australia have overtaken those in New South Wales (NSW) for the first time, mainly as a result of Melbourne's hosting of the Commonwealth Games in March. Victoria's revenue per available room has also overtaken NSW, and while every other state recorded increased occupancy levels during the March quarter compared with the same period last year, the NSW figure fell by two per cent. Prompting claims that the poor NSW performance was the result of lack of investment in tourism funding, Tourism and Transport Forum deputy CEO Owen Johnstone-Donnet warned that without appropriate investment, the job security of NSW's 182,000 tourism workers was at risk. He said March-quarter survey figures showed NSW's neglect in tourism funding had a direct monetary impact through falling room rates.