News in Brief
Dec 01, 11 | 12:01 am
Hospitality Industry and Event Announcements
Marriott International announced Monday that in 2014, it will open its first-ever hotel in Haiti in Port-au-Prince. The announcement was made in Haiti during a ceremony with former President Bill Clinton, Marriott International president Arne Sorenson and other VIPs. "This hotel is one more signal that Haiti is open for business," Sorenson said in Marriott's just-issued press release. Hotel developer Digicel will commence construction on the 173-room, $45 million hotel next year, with an opening date expected in 2014. The hotel will rise in the capital's Haute Turgeau area.
The newest thing in the desert might be the Saguaro, a hotel brand based on - what else? - the colours and casual style of the Southwest. One opened this month in Scottsdale, Ariz., and a second is to open in Palm Springs in February as a redo of the former Holiday Inn at Sunrise Way and East Palm Canyon Drive. The concept was developed by Sydell Group, the creative force behind the distinctive and quirky Ace hotels in Palm Springs and New York City. Boutique hotel operator Joie de Vivre has been tapped to manage the new brand. So what does this new translation of the desert look like in a hotel motif? Forget cool beiges and browns; the Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale takes its cue from bright yellows, oranges and pinks derived from the flowers that bloom there.
Stamford doesn't have much in the way of tall buildings south of I-95 but that may soon change if Building and Land Technology gets approval to build a new hotel consisting of twin 22-story towers at the tip of Washington Boulevard and overlooking Stamford Harbor as part of the 80-acre Harbor Point redevelopment project. If approved the new hotel buildings would have between 130 and 140 rooms as well as 60 condominium units, according to a report in the Stamford Advocate. Planning for the massive, mixed-use redevelopment project began in 2008. The four-phase, 10-year project will include more than 4,000 new housing units, 400,000 square feet of retail space, offices and two hotels plus more than 11 acres of new parkland and waterfront trails, according to the developers' website. Building and Land Technology is reportedly in talks with "an operator of boutique hotels" which has reviewed the hotel design, according to the Advocate report. The hotel was originally approved to be 13 stories with 257,805 square feet of space but the developers have since revised the design to include two slender 22-story towers, in an effort to offer more units with waterfront views, according to the report.
Global Staff Movement
Mr. Jatuporn Sihanatkathakul, Managing Director of The Landmark Bangkok recently announced the appointment of Mr. Albert Cheong to the position of Area General Manager for Landmark Lancaster Hotel Group, Thailand. In Mr. Cheong's new role, he will be responsible for the Group's existing hotel, The Landmark Bangkok, as well as its upcoming sister hotel, Lancaster Bangkok which is slated to soft-open during the second-half of 2012. At each hotel, Mr. Cheong is supported by a Hotel Manager who oversees day-t-day operations. Mr. Cheong spent his entire hotel career with Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts for more than 28 years where he held various many management positions, including being General Manager of the company's hotels in Bali, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Singapore, Yangon and Beijing.
Mr. John Rolfs is making a return to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company with his new appointment as General Manager for the group's China flagship hotel, The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai. A graduate of Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Mr. Rolfs is no stranger to Ritz-Carlton as he spent more than 19 years with the group as a senior leader. Prior to Shanghai, Mr. Rolfs was the President and General Manager of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, a 1,500-room exotic resort with a 40,000-square-foot spa, 11 restaurants and lounges, and extensive meeting facilities. Mr. Rolfs started his Ritz-Carlton career in 1989 as Executive Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage at The Ritz-Carlton, Houston USA. In 1991 he was appointed General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, Arizona and took similar position with The Ritz-Carlton, Aspen in 1993. In 1996 Mr. Rolfs moved to Asia with his appointment as opening General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Osaka, Japan. After spending four successful years leading the team of The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka, Mr. Rolfs returned to the US in 2000 with his promotion to Area General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of Boston, where he successfully transformed the flagship Ritz-Carlton, Boston after a $40 million renovation while at the same time opened the second Ritz-Carlton property in the city, The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common. In 2003 he was the Area General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New Orleans, and two years later he was promoted to the Area Vice President and General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton South Florida Hotels including The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach - Miami, Florida.
Other Related News
Hilton is to create around 1,500 jobs by opening more than 20 new hotels in the UK as part of a big expansion over the next few years, it has been announced. The firm is planning over 110 new hotels by 2014 across Europe, leading to 8,500 new jobs. Simon Vincent, Hilton's area president, Europe, said: "While unemployment figures in Europe continue to rise, Hilton Worldwide is experiencing an exciting period of growth which will see us continue to offer a wealth of rewarding career options." The UK, Russia, Turkey, Germany and Poland were identified as key growth areas for new hotels and jobs, with new sites in areas including Lincoln and Burton on Trent.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched the Beautiful Thailand recovery campaign to accelerate efforts to encourage market confidence, as the flood situation in the country is now starting to stabilise. TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said that under the campaign, the NTO would focus on restoring tourist arrivals in the current high season - from November to March - and was confident that the Thai tourism industry would recover in the second half of the period from the year-end holiday to the third month of next year. Described as a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy, the Beautiful Thailand campaign involves mainly media activities like interviews and fam trips, including a mega fam-trip for 300 media in December. "The most effective strategy to restore tourist confidence and build lasting momentum for the Thai tourism sector is to focus on value-added services and warm Thai hospitality, not engage in price cutting," said Suraphon. According to the TAT's latest update, floodwaters have already receded in most of the affected areas of Thailand's central region. Cleanup and restoration is underway at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ayuthaya, the most notable tourist attraction to be flooded, which is now fully accessible and has already seen an increase in the number of foreign visitors.
According to new research, the most expensive travel destination in Europe is Switzerland where prices are twice higher than in the U.S. and 60 percent higher than in the UK. This includes spending on hotels, restaurants, groceries, transport, and entertainment. For example, hotels in Geneva average at 300 dollars per night and a relatively cheap lunch at a cafeteria starts at 15 dollars. However, not all European countries are that expensive. The Czech Republic and Hungary are cheaper than the U.S. Going further east to Turkey, prices are almost half of those in the U.S. In the most established European travel destinations such as France, Italy, and Spain U.S. travellers should be prepared to pay about 20-30 percent more for the same items they buy in the U.S. One item that makes Europe very expensive is gas prices. Looking across all European countries a gallon of unleaded gasoline is about $7.50 but there are even worse extremes. In the crisis-stricken Greece, a gallon of unleaded gas is almost $9. At these prices, the cost of a driving trip is more than double what one would pay in the U.S. How about the food? There is considerable variety in terms of restaurant prices. For example, a Big Mac meal cost about $10 in France but one can also eat a ham and cheese sandwich in Paris for $6. A three course dinner at a restaurant in Italy cost on average $40 but there are options for less than $20. Travellers can save quite a bit of money by choosing the cheaper alternatives. In fact there are additional ways to keep cost down. The website MyTravelCost.com that publishes the research, lists several more ideas: "time your trip to coincide with the free museum nights in all major European cities; register for the free volunteer-guided tours offered across Europe; plan a visit off season; use the flash sales options on various accommodation websites; consider staying in a city apartment booked directly from the owner; buy city passes for the public transportation; use travel sites that can save you money; and, of course, spend more time in the cheaper countries."
