Hotel News in Brief

Jan 29, 10 | 1:45 am

Resorts World Sentosa's (RWS) four newly opened hotels are booked solid till end of next month, according to the Singapore Business Times (SBT). The SBT report said the republic's first integrated resort (IR) revealed on its Facebook fan page last Friday that the four hotels "have reached maximum capacity" until the end of April. In an update post on Saturday, however, it said that it had "managed to free up some rooms" in March and April. Occupancy rates at RWS' four hotels soared to over 90% during this past weekend, assistant director for communications Robin Goh was quoted as saying. Both the Festive Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel Singapore recorded full houses. SBT said RWS expected to operate at full or near-full capacity during the weekends for the foreseeable future. "Already, every room during the nine-day period spanning the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday from Feb 13 to 21 has been snapped up by both Singaporeans and overseas guests eager to be among the first in the world to stay at the IR," the report said. Collectively, the four hotels - Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Hotel Michael and Crockfords Tower - offer 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurants. Two other hotels, Equariyus Hotel and Spa Villas, will be launched later this year and add 500 rooms. SBT reported that when the IR's call centre first opened its hotline on Jan 11, the first three days alone saw some 5,000 room nights booked.


Travel + Leisure has named The Lenox Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts to their World's Best Hotels Top 500 list, as reported in the January 2010 issue. The Lenox is one of only eight hotels in Massachusetts to be included in this elite list. While the Travel + Leisure 500 is currently in its eighth year, this is a first time nod for The Lenox. Travel + Leisure notes Lenox as an "Historic Back Bay hotel lauded for its numerous environmental initiatives (carbon offsetting; hybrid-car service; state-of-the-art insulated windows)." It even stresses Lenox's "cleaner indoor air quality" for its use of low-VOC paints and recent unveiling of its signature "Heaven on Eleven" all-hypo-allergenic floor. On making it onto the Travel + Leisure Top 500 list, Daniel Donahue, General Manager of The Lenox says, "On behalf of the entire Lenox team, I am delighted to receive this prestigious honor. We strive to preserve Lenox's legendary service for a genuine guest experience in our historic hotel, while continuing to blaze trails in green initiatives in the hospitality industry. Though we are humbled to be recognized for our efforts, we will work even harder to maintain Travel + Leisure's gold standard."


Rolling out the red carpet, worldwide lodging franchisor Choice Hotels International, Inc. would like to congratulate its winning franchised domestic hotels that have received a 2010 Platinum or Gold Hospitality Award-the company's most prestigious property-level awards. This year, Choice Hotels awarded a Platinum Hospitality designation to 126 of its properties, with 301 hotels going home with a Gold Hospitality Award. "These award-winning hotels are truly the properties that shine day in and day out, representing not only the best of the best from across the country, but also the tremendous value that a Choice brand hotel can offer to today's travelers," said Steve Joyce, president and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels. "We're very proud to have each and every one of these hotels as part of our Choice family and I congratulate them all on receiving these distinguished awards." With close to 5,000 Choice hotels across the United States, these 427 Hospitality Award-winning hotels represent the company's top performing properties, thanks to their consistent and on-going demonstration of exceptional focus and dedication to guest satisfaction. All Platinum Award-designated properties proudly represent the top three percent of all open hotels within their brand. Properties boasting a Gold Award status are selected among the top ten percent of hotels operating under their flag. Property rankings and performance are determined by official ranking reports from Choice Hotels.


IHG announced today that a new 134-room Staybridge Suites recently opened in the Seattle suburb of Mukilteo, Wash. The Staybridge Suites Seattle North-Everett is owned and managed by Mukilteo Hotel, LLC, an affiliate of the 360 Hotel Group, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group and is located at 9600 Harbour Place.  The property is a short drive from key businesses and attractions including the Boeing Company's, wide body aircraft final assembly plant in Everett, The Future of Flight Aviation Center/Boeing Tour, the Flying Heritage Collection, Fluke Corporation and Intermec Technologies.  Located adjacent to the Big Gulch Park, the Staybridge Suites provides convenient access to a two-mile nature trail leading guests to majestic views of the Puget Sound shore, and ending up at the Mukilteo Library.


Leading business-technology solutions provider to the mid-market, Brennan, today announced it had secured a multi-million dollar, three-year outsourcing contract with Rendezvous Hospitality Group (RHG) to upgrade the hotels group's legacy systems and transition to a best in breed networking, data hosting and servicing platform. Brennan will install a private IP WAN for 15 of the hotels, migrate 17 disparate domains to a centralised management environment and host and manage all servers as part of a fully managed Infrastructure-as-a-Service offering. They are also engaged to provide managed onsite support, hardware/software procurement and voice and data connectivity. "This is one of the most comprehensive deals we have seen, with the final contract encompassing all aspects of our business," said Dave Stevens, managing director, Brennan. "We are able to offer RHG the convenience and accountability of dealing with one provider for all their technology needs." According to Stevens the migration of the hotels group's diverse range of legacy systems onto new software is a three-month project and moving to a new standard of software and property management system will take about six months to execute. For Brennan the RHG project has extended the company's already strong foothold in the Australian hotels and hospitality industry to Asia Pacific. Iqbal Jumabhoy, chief executive officer at RHG said Brennan was "walking the talk", when it came to getting the job done and demonstrated a strong understanding of the hotels industry and vision for their IT systems. "The project was more than a systems upgrade, we wanted an IT partner that could provide a fresh perspective on how we could run our business better," said Jumabhoy.

CapitaLand's wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has opened its eighth property in Bangkok, Thailand. The 262-unit Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor is the largest serviced residence in Bangkok's prime Soi Thonglor district which is well-known amongst expatriates and travelers for the convenience and vibrant international lifestyle it offers. Mr Alfred Ong, Managing Director for Southeast Asia and Australia, said: "Ascott has built a strong presence in Thailand over the last decade with our three distinct brands - Ascott, Somerset and Citadines - which cater to travellers' different lifestyles. Our properties in Thailand have been performing well with an average occupancy of above 80%. Ascott's latest serviced residence, Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor, will offer travelers another international-class accommodation which they can call home. It also reinforces Ascott's position as the market leader in Thailand with over 1,700 apartments in nine properties." The Brennan contract replaces an existing relationship RHG had with a small IT provider, which Jumabhoy says, "could no longer support the needs of the expanded hotels group." Brennan's established reputation within the mid-market hospitality industry, ability to provide a fully integrated and managed solution for the business and commitment to ensuring business continuity, while transitioning to the new platform where other factors influencing RHG's decision to appoint Brennan.

Dusit International, one of Asia's leading luxury hotel groups, marks another major milestone in its expansion plan with the announcement of its seventh property in the Middle East, and the first hotel in Saudi Arabia - Dusit Thani Jeddah. The contract signing ceremony recently took place at Dusit Thani Bangkok, with the United Company for Hotels & Tourism Regions. Dusit Thani Jeddah is designed as an urban resort situated in Abhor close to the centre of Jeddah city.  All 278 rooms will overlook Obhur Creek, flowing through the city to the Red Sea, a perfect vista to enjoy the delightful scenes of new and old Jeddah, with luxury yachts and traditional fishing vessels. With proximity to the King Abdulaziz International Airport, this location is considered as one of the most sought-after locations in Jeddah. "The Middle East is a priority target market for Dusit International. Having our first property opening in Saudi Arabia, the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula, is a notable step forward. Jeddah is the most dynamic industrial and commercial city of the country. We are proud to bring our unique Thai hospitality and become one of the most successful hotels in this city," said Mr. Sam-Erik Ruttmann, Regional Vice President - Middle East, Dusit International. "The partnership with Dusit International, known for its distinctive Thai hospitality, allows us to bring a new dimension of service quality to Saudi Arabia. We look forward to the successful development of Dusit Thani Jeddah as well as future properties in this region," said Sheikh Mohammed Bin Mutlaq Al-Qahtani, Owner and President, United Company for Hotels & Tourism Regions.

Now Resorts & Spas, a new brand of luxury lifestyle resorts, has been launched to provide guests the ideal vacation environment to relax and reconnect in a spectacular setting. The announcement was made by Alex Zozaya, president of AMResorts, provider of sales, marketing and resort brand management services. Set to open January 25, 2010 in Mexico's famed Riviera Maya, the first property, Now Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa, is the latest addition to AMResorts family of upscale resort brands, which also include Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, The Zoetry Collection, Secrets Resorts & Spas and Dreams Resorts & Spas. Now Resorts & Spas will treat every guest to Unlimited-Luxury(R), where everything is included. The signature vacation concept caters to couples, friends and families with desirable locations, elegant accommodations with stunning ocean views and first-class amenities and services.