Hotel News in Brief

Mar 20, 13 | 12:00 am

Some current conversation starters...

Gadgets are must-pack items, says trend tracker.

The average holidaymaker now takes five gadgets with them on holiday, and 24% of them use their devices to monitor Facebook and Twitter. The findings come from TravelSupermarket, which polled more than 2,000 British holidaymakers. The research showed that 65% of those who will go on holiday this year will take smartphones, laptops and tablets with them to stay in touch. Over half (53%) of those who have a work smartphone take it away with them and 62% don't leave home without their beauty gadgets such as hair straighteners, trimmers and electric toothbrushes. Just 2% think having a smartphone on holiday is a hindrance, with almost half (42%) admitting they rely on their smartphone to find things to do and avoid getting lost on holiday. The most popular gadget is the digital camera, and devices such as e-readers and tablets are also finding their way into more suitcases. Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket, advised: ‘When travelling abroad ensure you know any charges you will incur for data from your service provider. ‘There are always great ways to get online for free using wi-fi options in cafes and hotels where offered.' The top gadgets people that take with them (as a % of those who own one):

1. Digital camera (88%)

2. Smartphone (86%)

3. Mobile (81%)

4. Kindle/e-reader (77%)

5. iPod/MP3 player (65%)

6. iPad/tablet (64%)

7. Electric shaver (55%)

8. Work smartphone (53%)

9. Electric toothbrush (53%)

10. Hair straighteners (52%)

The number of international brand hotel rooms in Russia is expected to more than double by 2018, according to a report issued this week by KPMG.

From 21,885 rooms in late-2012, the count is expected to grow to 47,534 rooms over the next five years. Last year, eight new international brand hotels opened in Russia with an additional 27 in the pipeline. Moscow and St. Petersburg continue to offer the most hotels in Russia, though Sochi, site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, is expected to contribute significantly to future supply.

'Beautiful China', a rather uninspired tagline for China tourism.

It is true that China is beautiful with its wealth of cultural sites, its well preserved heritage or its stunning landscapes. Food, handicraft, performing arts, all these elements are part of the Chinese experience for travellers. China is beautiful but was it necessary to turn it into a global brand? The logo is elegant with its Chinese calligraphy but the slogan sounds anything but catchy. If China is beautiful what can be said also about other countries? At some point Myanmar used also to be "Beautiful Myanmar"... Meanwhile, the Chinese tourism industry's new tag line and global brand logo made its overseas debut last week in Berlin at the ITB. It was an opportunity for China tourism authorities to provide an explanation. Wu Wenxue, head of ITB, said the launching of the new logo represented China's new efforts to promote the country's tourism, as the tourist industry would provide new products with the theme of "Beautiful China." According to xinhua.net, with an overall look similar to a stamp, the new logo integrates modern messaging with the ancient Chinese art form of calligraphy. The hieroglyph in the background means "travel" in ancient Chinese language, which shows a flag guiding a couple around. Illustrating an international vision, the "Beautiful China" logo represented China's promising and welcoming tourism industry, said Wu, a senior official at China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). "We'll provide better services and more colourful choices for overseas tourists to attract more people to visit China. For instance, we expect a steady growth of visitors from Germany, where at present about 500,000 to 600,000 people travel to China annually," Wu added.

Key Appointments in the Industry

Congratulations to these new appointments...

The multipurpose business development, Park Rotana Complex Abu Dhabi has appointed Mr. Francisco Giles as its new General Manager. British national, Francisco Giles holds hospitality degrees from Hotel School Les Roches in Switzerland, and Cornell University.  A highly driven and passionate individual, he has over 23 years of experience in the hotel industry spanning 5 continents in his various roles with such reputed international chains as Radisson Hotels and Marriott Hotels International.

Hilton has appointed Dominic Sherry as Head of Sales for Asia Pacific. In this capacity, Sherry will lead the sales force, manage key partnerships with third-party intermediaries and drive initiatives to increase the corporate, MICE and leisure business at Hilton's hotels in Asia Pacific.  Sherry will be based in the company's Asia Pacific office in Singapore. A New Zealander by nationality, Sherry joins Hilton Worldwide from Marriott International, where he served in key leadership positions since 1992. He began his 21-year career with the company as the Director of Sales for United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavia and was subsequently appointed Director of Marketing at Sydney Marriott Hotel in 1997. From 1999 to 2008, Sherry held a number of senior sales and marketing roles and was responsible for driving revenue, corporate HQ initiatives, brand awareness and managing relationships with corporate & third-party intermediaries first for Australasia, then Asia & the South Pacific and ultimately the Caribbean and Latin America based in Florida, USA.

The Latest in Hotel Openings

The Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace is set to reopen in St. Petersburg, Russia, this summer. The 177-room hotel will also house four restaurants and bars, an exclusive spa, and meeting spaces with high tech amenities for business and glorious decor for weddings and other social functions. Immortalized in Alexander Pushkin's 1833 poem The Bronze Horseman, the Lion Palace is coming to life once again as a gathering place for travelers and the city's social and cultural trendsetters after a meticulous restoration. The triangular building, guarded for nearly two centuries by the pair of stone lions featured in the poem, began like many other St. Petersburg palaces, as an apartment house for the city's elite.

Passionate global nomads with taste and assets will soon have a new landmark address to congregate in a communal space in the South Seas. Introducing The Stairs Villa Hotel, envisioned by Philippe Starck, set for the exclusive Petitenget neighborhood of Seminyak, Bali. Taking direction from the vision of vibrant streets across the world coming together in a monolithic 65-foot-wide stairway, The Stairs is the first-ever, Starck fully-envisioned villa hotel property in Indonesia. The project features 12 privatesignature villas with floor-to-roof signature glass facades by internationally-acclaimed artists JonOne; and public areas with a cafe patisserie, restaurant, bar lounge, boutique, mezzanine bibliotheque, signature spa, and workout facilities.