Hotel News in Brief

Nov 09, 09 | 1:45 am

Langham Place unveiled its latest art exhibition profiling the objects of inspiration behind Asia's leading film directors. The exhibition was part of the hotel's Artists in Residence programme and was developed in co-operation with the 6th annual Hong Kong Asian Film Festival. Artists in Residence also enabled many of the directors to take up residence at Langham Place throughout the Festival. The exhibition profiled personal items belonging to top directors from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Iran, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. The purpose of the exhibition was to provide guests with insider knowledge on the background motivation behind each director's creative work.


Accor is to debut its All Seasons brand in the UK following the addition of the Southwark Rose hotel near London Bridge. The hotel will be rebranded to All Seasons London Southwark Rose. The All Seasons brand, which originated in Australia, has now expanded to over 70 hotels. The UK will be the seventh country for All Seasons, joining Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Thailand and Indonesia. All Seasons hotels are medium sized properties in city and regional locations, each offering a different style and guest experience, but with a consistent approach to service and value. All Seasons hotels offer continental breakfast in their tariffs, along with complimentary WIFI access in all public areas. The All Seasons London Southwark Rose hotel was originally opened in 2003 as an independent hotel with 84 contemporary-styled rooms. The hotel also offers meeting facilities and a stylish restaurant and bar.


Life Heritage Resort Hoi An has won one of the travel industry's most pretigious travel awards, placing 12th on a short list of Asia's 25 ‘Top Resorts' in Conde Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Awards. Six of the top 10 resorts on the list are managed by Four Seasons in Bali, Thailand and India. One other notable Vietnam inclusion is the Evason Ana Mandara Six Senses Spa, which placed 21st on the list. The Readers Choice Awards polled 25,008 responses from readers who rated the resort across six categories: activities/faciltiies, food/dining, location, overall design, rooms and service. Only candidates that received a required minimum number of responses were deemed eligible for an award, according to Conde Nast. While many, if not most, of the awards conferred in the travel industry are pay-for-play propositions, the Conde Nast Traveler awards enjoy an uncompromised reputation. "The Readers Choice Awards are among the few awards we look out for every year," said Chris Duffy, general director of the Life Resorts. "To be on the list, and to be recognized as the top resort in Vietnam by readers of one of the world's most prestigious travel magazines, is an inestimable honor." Indeed Life Heritage Resort Hoi An was placed higher on the list than Amanpuri (Phuket) and the Datai (Langkawi). All of the resorts above Life Heritage Resort Hoi An on the list operate in the $$$$ price category ($400 per night). The Life Heritage Resort, remarkably enough, ranks in the $ category ($199 or less per night). Conde Nast, in its description of the Life Heritage Resort at Concierge.com says this: "The colonial-style Life Heritage Resort is Hoi An's best in-town hotel option."


Cusco's Economic Development Manager (DD.EE) in Cuzco, Jean Paul Benavente, said that the investments in the construction of hotels is increasing every year by 13%. But it's not only about building new hotels; this is also related to the remodeling and expansion of micro and small hotels that many Cuzco families run in Cusco region. According to El Sol, a local newspaper, the Imperial City is concentrating the most of these investments, which will allow the Asian tourist market to enter and meet their demands. This would also boost related business such as tourist agencies, restaurants, hotels and others. According to statistics, Cusco hotel industry has mostly European investors, along with Chilean and others.


Hotel Marcel, a boutique hotel near New York City's Gramercy Park and Murray Hill neighborhoods, has announced an ongoing art series, M.O.A.R. - Marcel Original Art on Rotation. M.O.A.R. will bring progressive, burgeoning artists into the spotlight at Hotel Marcel on a recurring basis throughout the year. The first artist in the series, Los Angeles based artist Mister Cartoon, will debut the premier art installation in February 2010. Mister Cartoon will also act as Hotel Marcel's "Tattoo Artist in Residence", offering an exclusive experience to guests of the hotel. During Mister Cartoon's time on property, not only will he create the first piece of M.O.A.R art, he will act as Hotel Marcel's "Tattoo Artist in Residence." Famous for tattooing celebrities such as Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Mena Suvari and Ryan Phillippe - Mister Cartoon will set up his very own Ink Suite at Hotel Marcel, where he will see his regular clientele as well as hotel guests while working on his masterpiece for the outside wall.  Guests of the hotel will have the unique privilege of skipping the one-year waiting list to get "inked" by Mister Cartoon.  His residency will run in two parts:  his first stay will take place from November 15th - 24th 2009, with a two-week return visit at the beginning of February 2010, culminating with the unveiling of his exterior M.O.A.R installation.


Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.®  and its new destination sensation brand, AloftSM Hotels, today announce the opening of Aloft Abu Dhabi, the first Aloft to open in the Middle East and the second Aloft to open outside of North America. Ten years after Starwood Hotels & Resorts shook up the hotel industry with the launch of W Hotels, the innovative hotel giant has again reinvented hotel design with the debut of its newest brand, Aloft Hotels. Featuring loft-like guest rooms, a buzzing bar scene in the open lobby, an urban-inspired grab-and go café and industrial design elements throughout, Aloft delivers urban-influenced, modern and vibrant design and an energetic guest experience at an affordable price point. The debut of Aloft Abu Dhabi highlights the strategic international expansion of the Aloft brand.  After opening its first hotel in June 2008 in Canada, Aloft has since grown to nearly 40 hotels strong in three countries - the United States, China and Canada - with the United Arab Emirates marking its fourth.  And looking ahead to 2010, Aloft will continue its global growth with slated debut openings in Belgium, India and Thailand.  Aloft Abu Dhabi is also the first of two Aloft hotels coming to the Middle East in the next two years, with the Aloft Riyadh scheduled for a 2011 opening.


RELAIS & Chateaux (R&C) announced healthy results for the first quarter of its 2009/2010 fiscal year, with positive movement in key performance indicators. For the July to September period, R&C enjoyed a 39 per cent surge in the number of bed nights, a 35 per cent jump in reservations and a three per cent rise in the average length of stay compared to the same period last year. The group also revealed its new central reservations system had boosted the number of reservations for its properties by 24 per cent since its launch in March this year. R&C expanded its reach in Asia over the last year, launching a Chinese language website in May as well as the second edition of its Asia-Pacific guide, and adding two new call centres in the region for customers from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. R&C international president Jaume Tapies said, according to an internal survey, most of its members had forecast "positive or stable hotel business activities up to the end of this year".


The Walt Disney Company's project application report for a theme park in Shanghai has been approved by the Chinese government. The decision will enable Disney and its local partners to move toward a final agreement to begin preliminary development work on the park, in the Pudong district of Shanghai. ‘China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for The Walt Disney Company in mainland China,' said Robert Iger, president and chief executive. The project's initial phase foresees a Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region, and ‘other amenities consistent with Disney's destination resorts worldwide'. Disney already operates a theme park on Lantau Island in Hong Kong, and employs over 600 people at offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.