Hotel News In Brief

Mar 15, 13 | 12:00 am

Some current conversation starters…

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced on Tuesday the global rollout of Tangent, a new workspace concept for its Westin Hotels & Resorts brand, across 40 hotels worldwide this year.

Previously known as Project Hive, Tangent is currently available at The Westin Boston Waterfront, The Westin Arlington Gateway, located in Arlington, Virginia, and made its debut at The Westin Grand Munich this month. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Stamford, Connecticut, said by the end of the year it will be featured at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali and The Westin Copley Place, Boston, among other hotels. “In our efforts to meet the needs of today’s mobile traveler, we are changing the way we do business to better customize the guest experience. While a hotel room or lobby is a place where you can do work, Tangent was specifically designed as a smart room and personalized work space that enhances productivity and can be booked on demand,” said Brian Povinelli, global brand leader for Westin Hotels.

Bookings to hotel, resort and destination spas turned a meaningful corner in 2012, as more than two-thirds of travel agents surveyed by SpaFinder Wellness reported positive booking growth.

SpaFinder Wellness’ sixth-annual State of Spa Travel report, completed in the fourth quarter of 2012, surveyed more than 160 travel agents worldwide. Other findings included:

• In 2010 only 10% of bookings topped US$350/night, but last year that jumped to 29%. And the majority of bookings now fall above US$300/night, up significantly from 2009-2011, when only 25% to 40% percent fell in that range.
• 35% of travel agents surveyed said “stay spa” deals were actually more aggressive in 2012 over 2011, with 55% reporting they held firm.
• The Mexico/Caribbean region was the number one global spa travel destination in 2012, leapfrogging the 2010 and 2011 leader, North America.
• The baby boomer generation (ages 48-67) remains this travel sector’s core demographic, with 67% of agents reporting baby boomers were the age group most likely to book spa travel in 2012.

Fairmont Pittsburgh was named Fairmont Hotels & Resorts' 2012 Environmental Hotel of the Year.

The award recognizes Fairmont properties around the world for commitment to the Green Partnership Program, a company-wide environmental stewardship program. The announcement was made by Jennifer Fox, president of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. As Environmental Hotel of the Year, Fairmont Pittsburgh received $1,000 to donate to a local environmental organization of its choice. Friends of the Riverfront, a local organization working to protect and restore the region’s rivers and riverfronts, was selected as the recipient of the donation. Fairmont Pittsburgh colleagues will present a check to Friends of the Riverfront during a volunteer clean-up day along the Eliza Furnace Trail on April 14th. Fairmont Pittsburgh received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) shortly after opening in March 2010. Sustainable design and construction were utilized throughout the hotel, alongside waste management and energy saving practices. In addition, Fairmont Pittsburgh works closely with Grow Pittsburgh, a non-profit dedicated to demonstrating, teaching and promoting responsible urban food production. Since launching the partnership in 2011, Fairmont Pittsburgh donated over $15,000 to the organization and participated in ongoing volunteer outreach.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments…

Vail Resorts has announced the appointment of Michael Barkin to the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Company, effective April 8, 2013. Mr. Barkin joined the Company on July 30, 2012 as vice president of strategy and development. Mr. Barkin will lead the Company's finance and accounting organization, overseeing financial planning and analysis, financial reporting, treasury, tax, procurement, internal audit and investor relations. In addition, he will continue to lead the Company's strategic development efforts and will have oversight for the Company's real estate division. Prior to joining Vail Resorts, Mr. Barkin was a principal at KRG Capital Partners, where he was a member of the investment team since 2006. In that capacity he was responsible for managing new acquisitions and had portfolio company oversight across multiple sectors. Prior to KRG, he worked at Bain Capital Partners and Bain & Company. Mr. Barkin holds an economics degree from Williams College and a master of business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mr. Barkin is a Colorado native and lifelong skier.

Skamania Lodge, an all-season resort and conference center nestled in the Columbia River Gorge, today announced the hiring of Darrin Osborn as its new national sales manager. Osborn comes to Skamania Lodge with 10 years of experience at Marriott International hotel properties in St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., Fort Collins, Colo., and Portland, Ore., where he quickly rose through the ranks from assistant banquet manager to leading catering sales, exceeding revenue goals for four consecutive years as a senior catering sales executive. In his new role, Osborn will be responsible for generating corporate meetings and events to be held at Skamania Lodge. He will be working with many regional businesses, with special emphasis on the healthcare, pharmaceutical and manufacturing markets.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

Accor announced on Tuesday that it will open three hotels in Myanmar, all new-build developments. The hotels include an MGallery hotel in Naypyidaw, Novotel Yangon Max, and Novotel Mandalay Mingalar. "We are excited to announce the signing of three new hotels in Myanmar — the first of which will open this year — marking Accor's return to Myanmar," said Michael Issenberg, chairman and chief operating Officer for Accor Asia-Pacific. "Southeast Asia has long been a focus market for Accor, and as the country's tourism industry develops, we see significant growth potential for international hotel operators with long-term experience in the region. These three developments represent yet another step towards our goal of operating 700 hotels in Asia Pacific by 2015."

After much anticipation, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal has opened its doors today. The 532-room luxury resort is the first Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi and the ninth property in the Middle East for the luxury hotel operator. Inspired by 15th to early 17th century Renaissance architecture and the urban planning of the city of Venice, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal is located at the waterfront and consists of ten stately buildings arranged in a crescent formation. Overlooking the 1,600 square meter pool, the backdrop of the hotel is the majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The property features 447 luxurious guestrooms and suites, in addition to 85 private one- and two-bedroom villas.

Development company The Related Group and sbe announced on Wednesday that SLS Brickell, the first SLS Hotel & Residences, will debut in Miami’s Brickell district in 2015. SLS Brickell is slated to break ground mid-2013 on 133 SLS hotel rooms and suites, 450 SLS-branded condo residences, and a collection of sbe’s retail, spa and food and beverage concepts. The joint venture will own and operate the hotel and restaurants, and the Los Angeles-based sbe said it expects the property to bring a Lincoln Road style “ground floor” scene to the area. About US$300 million is being invested in the development.

Kerzner International is set to debut its One&Only brand in Europe with a new-build project in Montenegro. Kerzner International Holdings Ltd, Paradise Island, Bahamas, announced on Tuesday an agreement with Triangle Investment and Development Limited, to develop and operate the 150-room One&Only Montenegro resort in Kumbor, Montenegro, overlooking Tivat Bay. “With so many guests from Europe already experiencing One&Only resorts worldwide, it made perfect sense for our next resort to be in Europe,” says Alan Leibman, CEO, Kerzner International. “I am thrilled we were able to partner with Triangle to develop this amazing area and know our guests from all over the world will be anxious to discover it.”