Category Archives: Housekeeping

InterContinental Hotels Group has opened the doors to Holiday Inn Express Suwon Ingye, in the South Korean city of Suwon, 30 kilometres south of the capital, Seoul. Offering superior value through brilliants basics, IHG’s newest hotel is the second Holiday Inn Express to open in South Korea, joining Holiday Inn Express Seoul Euljiro The Holiday Inn Express brand is the smart choice for travellers, created with the philosophy of including everything a guest needs and nothing they don’t. The 14-storey newly-built hotel is home to 249 rooms and features extensive views overlooking greater Suwon. After a great night’s rest, guests can experience the brand’s signature dining area, Great Room, with a free Express Start breakfast. Alternatively, guests can take their breakfast on the move thanks to the hotel’s Grab & Go breakfast offering. Clarence Tan, Chief Operating Officer, South East Asia & Korea, IHG commented: “South Korea is a growing and important market for IHG and provides us with exciting development opportunities. The opening of our second Holiday Inn Express here reflects the strong domestic and international demand from global travellers.” “Holiday Inn Express is one of our fastest growing hotels – providing a smarter travel experience to those who rest-and-go. Today’s opening marks our first in Suwon and adds to our IHG portfolio of nine hotels in South Korea,” he added. With a business and leisure focus, the hotel fills a gap in the accommodation sector in the vibrant district of Ingye. With large conglomerates located close by, along with an array of tourist attractions just a short distance away, the hotel is centrally located and acts as the perfect base for guests. A 24-hour gymnasium allows guests to …

Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, announces the addition of 25 new member hotels and resorts across eight countries between August and October 2017. From the most iconic city beachfront in Hawaii to the majestic culture and traditions of Rajasthan, India, travelers can now enjoy experiencing #ThePreferredLife in even more destinations while staying at distinctive independent properties around the world. Highlights of the new hotel additions include: • Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach (Honolulu, Hawaii) – Scheduled to formally open in December 2017 after an extensive US$115 million transformation, this 839-room luxury resort will feature breathtaking oceanfront and Diamond Head views, a destination pool deck replete with a saltwater infinity pool and cabanas, and five exciting culinary concepts that includes a signature restaurant, Morimoto Asia, by Iron Chef Morimoto. Guests will be in awe the moment they walk into the hotel lobby and view its centerpiece – a 280,000-gallon saltwater Oceanarium that will be home to a multitude of indigenous marine life. • Le Bristol Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon) – This elegant award-winning hotel is located in the heart of this vibrant city, known as the “Paris of the Middle East,” and offers 157 themed guestrooms – from modern contemporary and 1960’s retro chic to rich Ottoman Empire-inspired designs that evoke the aura of Arabian nights. When they need to venture outside, travelers will enjoy close proximity to both Verdun Street, one of the city’s most popular shopping destinations, and Hamra Street, the hub of the Beirut’s club scene and vibrant nightlife. • H10 METROPOLITAN (Barcelona, Spain) – Located in the epicenter of Barcelona’s Eixample District, this beautifully restored 85-room historic hotel designed by Lazaro Rosa-Violan evokes the …

Holiday Inn has announced the signing of Holiday Inn Melbourne Werribee, in partnership with partner Pelligra Group and Citinova. Opening in 2020, the 150-room property will be the newest hotel in Western Melbourne, a rapidly growing region of Victoria, and will be part of a mixed-use development project which will include offices and retail space. The hotel itself will feature an all-day dining restaurant and bar, gym, parking and a 300m2 of meeting facilities including a function room for up to 400 people. Boasting a prime location on Synott Street in the heart of Werribee’s CBD, guests will have easy access to all the tourist attractions on offer, including Werribee Park, the Victoria State Rose Garden, the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, the Werribee Open Range Zoo and Pacific Werribee Shopping Centre. It will also be just a short drive from both Melbourne and Geelong CBDs, as well as the two major airports, Avalon International Airport and Melbourne International Airport. The news follows the announcement on 20 November that IHG will also open Holiday Inn and Suites Geelong in 2020, marking its second Holiday Inn signing in Victoria in November. Karin Sheppard, IHG’s Chief Operating Officer for Australasia & Japan, said: “Holiday Inn is one of the world’s most recognised and fastest growing hotel brand families, and we’re excited to be continuing that momentum here in Australasia. The signing of Holiday Inn Melbourne Werribee and Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong adds an important Western Melbourne presence to the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express portfolio, which today includes 20 open and additional 9 in the pipeline.”Ross Pelligra, Chairman of Pelligra Group, commented: “Werribee and the Wyndham region is set to …

Choice Hotels International has announced the promotion of Anna Scozzafava to vice president of strategy and planning. In this new role, Scozzafava will oversee Choice’s corporate strategy, business transformation and technology planning functions, ensuring the company’s continued alignment between business and technology objectives. Scozzafava has been an integral member of Choice’s corporate strategy team since 2011, most recently serving as senior director of corporate strategy and planning. During her tenure, she has helped to successfully outline Choice’s business objectives and technology blueprint as well as implement leading technology advancements to help maximize franchisee return on investment. Scozzafava has played a critical cross-enterprise role in several strategic areas, including the global growth of the company’s upscale brands and the execution of the Comfort brand transformation strategy. “Choice Hotels is uniquely positioned as both a leading hotel company and technology innovator in the hospitality industry. Our core business focus is to ensure the profitability of our franchisees and shareholders, and our technology and tools are a key component of their success,” said John Bonds, senior vice president, enterprise operations and technology. “Anna has a deep understanding of our overall corporate strategy, and extensive experience in leading the successful business integration of key technology initiatives, making this promotion well deserved. Her new role reinforces her critical role to continue the harmonization of these functions and teams for both short and long-term growth opportunities for the company and our franchisees.” Prior to joining Choice, Scozzafava worked at Corporate Executive Board (now Gartner), a leading technology advisory firm. Scozzafava earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington College.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has announced the opening of the 325-room Shangri-La Hotel, Xiamen. With its enviable setting and offerings, the urban resort is a lifestyle destination catering to both leisure and business travellers. Overlooking a long stretch of beach on one side and urban views on the other, Shangri-La Hotel, Xiamen is located within the city’s newly developed financial and IT zone, Guanyin Shan Business Centre. Just a 10-minute and 20-minute drive away respectively are the Conference and Exhibition Centre, and the Xiamen International Airport. Over 70 per cent of the hotel’s guestrooms and suites have commanding views of the Taiwan Straits – ranging from the 42-square-metre Deluxe Sea View Room to the elegantly styled Shangri-La Suite offering 168 square metres of luxurious living space. The Horizon Club showcases the hotel’s panoramic sea view to great advantage with a spacious open-air terrace that provides a tranquil retreat from the neighbourhood. Thoughtfully planned with ample indoor and outdoor spaces, Shangri-La Hotel, Xiamen honours local Minnan-style architecture which is often associated with the use of red bricks, and its public areas showcase local artists’ work and the community’s culture. Home to two restaurants and a lobby lounge, Shangri-La Hotel, Xiamen takes a fresh approach to dining experiences with the use of bold architectural details and colours. Café Amoy, an all-day dining restaurant serving Asian and international fare, celebrates playfulness in its show kitchens and interior clad in cubic shapes. Fu Gong – the Chinese restaurant specialising in Cantonese and Minnan cuisine, gives a nod to Xiamen’s significance as a major sea port by theming the decor around shipping containers. The Lobby Lounge, featuring a ten-metre ceiling, epitomises relaxed living with local …

Rising amid the leafy green spaces along the Pinheiros river in southern Sao Paulo is a new beacon of world class luxury and five star service: the all-new Four Seasons Hotel São Paulo at Nações Unidas. Part of Parque da Cidade, the largest master planned, mixed use complex currently under development in the city, Four Seasons will join Fortune 500 companies in creating a new centre of commerce and culture in “the Capital of South America.” The 29-storey Four Seasons tower will include 16 floors of hotel space encompassing more than 250 guest accommodations, two dining and drinking destinations, a luxurious spa, unique indoor-outdoor pool and flexible function spaces for hosting business meetings, weddings and social events. The building will also be home to 84 Four Seasons Private Residences. Located on the Avenida Nações Unidas (Avenue United Nations), Four Seasons places business travellers just steps from corporate offices, plus shopping, entertainment and South America’s best medical facilities. The domestic Congonhas-São Paulo Airport is just 15 minutes away, and São Paulo International Airport is about one hour by car. Four Seasons Hotel São Paulo at Nações Unidas is the first Four Seasons location in Brazil, joining sister properties in Bogota, Buenos Aires and Costa Rica as part of the company’s growing Central and South American portfolio.

Aiming to introduce the brand to new customers, AVANI Hotels & Resorts adopted an outreach marketing strategy to engage with travellers, instead of marketing at them. The campaign, named AVANIme, is a wired-in experience for modern explorers, giving insight into local culture, cool hotspots and travel tips about urban cities and in some cases, off-the-beaten track destinations. Alejandro Bernabe, Vice President AVANI Hotels & Resorts said: “We understand that travel isn’t only about where you stay. It’s also about experiencing the destination and AVANI aims to help travellers navigate cities like the locals and who better to show them the inside scoop than a hometown celebrity.” A series of #24HRSWITHME Youtube videos are being filmed with local well known personalities. The first video featuring Thai-American model, actress and entertainer, Cindy Bishop, best known for hosting Asia’s Next Top Model, was shot at AVANI Riverside Bangkok Hotel and in and around Bangkok. The video features Siam Discovery – a lifestyle concept mall, the avant garde Erawan Museum, the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho and an insider’s peak of Chinatown’s gin bars, hole-in-the-wall speakeasies and fantastic street food. AVANI has also invited other celebrities such as Lisbon Fado Singer, Cuca Roseta to share her favourite city hangouts on #24HRSWITHME. Other cities to be featured will be Auckland, New Zealand and Gold Coast, Australia. “Social media plays an integral role in the travel process. From reading blog reviews of where to stay, to checking in on Facebook and posting envy inducing images on Instagram – our guests are wired in before, during and after their vacation. We hope that AVANIme brings us closer to travellers, allowing us to serve their needs better and …

IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, the joint venture between InterContinental Hotels Group and ANA, signed an agreement with GHS K.K. and Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. to launch IHG’s popular boutique brand Hotel Indigo in Japan. The first property Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora is scheduled to open in 2019, and will be a place where guests and locals alike can gather and enjoy the rich culture and history of Gora, with its famous, pastel coloured hot springs surrounded by majestic, green mountains and the charms of nature that change with the seasons. The Hotel Indigo brand is built around the authentic local neighbourhood story concept, so Gora is the ideal location for the first Hotel Indigo in Japan. The hot springs of Hakone first opened in the Nara period, approximately 1,200 years ago, and has been frequented by countless travellers and prominent figures from around the world who come to relax and treat themselves in its soothing waters. Hans Heijligers, Chief Executive Officer, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan comments: “We are very excited to bring Hotel Indigo to Japan. One of Japan’s leading hot spring destinations, Hakone really is the perfect first location: with its stunning beauty around scenic Lake Ashi and its captivating history and museums, it exudes a local story which is what Hotel Indigo is all about. Just 90 minutes from the heart of Tokyo, Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora will add a new dimension to the neighbourhood that will resonate with Japanese and international travellers alike.” As the world’s first branded boutique hotel, every Hotel Indigo property is unique, and the local neighbourhood is reflected in the architecture and design, choice of artwork and the restaurant menus, …

Four Points By Sheraton Sonmarg Resort will open on August 1, 2019. The two stylish meeting rooms and majestic mountain surroundings will provide the ideal setting. The retreat’s spacious accommodations are surrounded by mountain views and manicured grounds in the heart of Sonmarg’s city centre. The hotel will open with 53 room. The Resort will inspire the best with everything you need, just the way you like.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the most dynamic hotel groups in the world, today announced the appointment of Adrian Oyekanmi as Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Sourcing. Adrian will report to Iñigo Capell, Executive Vice President & Global Chief Resources Officer. Adrian joined Carlson in April 2017 as Vice President, Global Strategic Sourcing. Since then, he has worked to develop and implement a comprehensive strategic sourcing strategy build to improve value proposition for the entire hotel portfolio and its owners, focusing on cost reductions and promoting the company’s responsible business practices. Effective November 13, 2017, Adrian’s role becomes global and includes The Rezidor Hotel Group’s portfolio across Europe, the Middle East & Africa, in addition to Carlson’s portfolio in the USA and Asia Pacific. He will be responsible for building and developing relationships with key strategic vendors, oversee contract negotiation, vendor compliance and accountability across Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group globally. Adrian and his international sourcing and procurement team will support the varied needs of Carlson Rezidor’s hotels, owners and corporate offices. “I am very pleased with the appointment of Adrian Oyekanmi as Carlson Rezidor’s new Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Sourcing. Adrian’s extensive experience in the hospitality industry and within Carlson Hotels will be invaluable on our mission to continually improve the guest experience and bring value to our owners and investors globally,” said Iñigo Capell, Carlson Rezidor’s Executive Vice President & Global Chief Resources Officer. Bringing vast experience of the hospitality industry, Adrian initially joined Carlson Hotels from Starwood Hotels & Resorts. His last role there was as Vice President of Supply Chain, which saw him drive $100m in annual savings and implement an award-winning procure-to-pay platform across …