April 2007
Orient-Express Hotels, Trains Set for Sales
LONDON—Reports out of London indicate that the firm that owns the Orient-Express trains and some three dozen luxury hotels appears poised to be sold for in excess of $3 billion.
According to The Times, Orient-Express Hotels, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, reportedly has been approached by "a number of potential suitors," with Merrill Lynch reportedly appointed as an adviser.
The Times said analysts cited British luxury hotel operator Von Essen Hotels as a
possible buyer, with mention of U.S. private equity firms Blackstone Group and Starwood Capital as other potential contenders.
The Bermuda-based company, which is controlled by James Sherwood, who founded the firm in 1976, and his family, has been considered a target since Sherwood’s stepson, Simon, said last month he would step down as chief executive in August, the report said.
Orient-Express Hotels owns or operates 38 hotels,
including: Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire; Cipriani in Venice; Reid’s Palace in Madeira; the Windsor Court in New Orleans; and the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro.
It also runs New York City's 21 Club restaurant, as well as six tourist trains, including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and the Eastern and
Oriental Express in South East Asia. It also owns 50% of the Royal Scotsman.
Gary Rhodes to open new fine-dining restaurant in London
Celebrity chef Gary Rhodes is to open a new restaurant in London next month.
Rhodes W1 Restaurant, which is scheduled to open on 23 April, will be located at the Cumberland hotel at London’s Marble Arch, which also houses Rhodes W1 Brasserie, a joint venture with Compass division Restaurant Associates.
Gary Rhodes's latest venture is understood to be an extension of the existing arrangement at the Cumberland between Restaurant Associates and Rhodes
The 45-cover eatery will be a French fine-dining restaurant aimed at women serving a menu of individual priced tapas-sized dishes alongside the main menu.
The restaurant, which will be open Tuesday to Friday for lunch and dinner as well as Saturday dinner, will also pay particular attention to desserts, which will be listed on the main menu so that diners can take their pick before deciding how much to order.
Head chef is Brian Hughson, who was previously head chef at 30 St Mary Axe at London’s Gherkin, while restaurant manager is Sebastian Dupont, who formerly worked at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants in Tokyo and London’s Claridges.
Interiors at Rhodes W1 Restaurant have been developed by British interior designer Kelly Hoppen.
W Hotels Heads for the Southern Gateway of China
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc, today announced the continued expansion of W Hotels across the globe with plans for its third hotel in China. The W Guangzhou will make its debut in 2010, offering 320 guest rooms and 167 luxury residences, in addition to the innovative design and full-range of branded amenities guests have come to expect of W Hotels.
Ideally located in China's largest southern coastal city, Zhujiang New Town, the W Guangzhou will be the cornerstone of a new upscale, mixed-use complex which will feature luxury boutiques and shops. Developed as an extension of the existing central business district, Zhujiang New Town is anticipated to become the new recreation and entertainment center in Guangzhou with existing facilities such as the Warner Brothers Movie Theatre, retail malls, entertainment venues, a high-end residential development, and the Guangzhou Opera House and Museum.
"Following the announcements of the W Hong Kong and the W Shanghai, The W Guangzhou is a logical extension of W's dynamic growth in China," said Ross Klein, President of Starwood Luxury Brand Group. "We are excited about the tremendous opportunities and demand for the W brand in this booming gateway to southern China."
The renovated New York Palace in Budapest opens its doors in spring
The restoration of the New York Palace and its world-famous coffee house to their original condition began in February 2001, when the Boscolo family fell in love with this unique listed building. The building was renovated according to plans made in co-operation between the experts of the Boscolo group and the Hungarian renovation authorities to ensure that the finished product would be a worthy member of the Boscollo Group’s chain of luxury hotels, which can be found in major cities across Italy and now in Prague and Budapest.
The coffee house was built in the 1890s in an eclectic style that borrowed heavily from the Italian renaissance on commission from the New York Insurance Company to a design by Alajos Hauszmann. The building, which became known as the world’s most beautiful coffee house, now awaits guests in all its original glory, with modern design elements complimenting the style of the turn of the 20th century.
Boscolo hotels are ambassadors of Italian dolce vita the world over, with refined interiors, impeccable service and an unmistakable Italian atmosphere. The New York Palace, now re-opened as a hotel, perfectly blends elements of both the evocative Hungarian literary world’s coffee house atmosphere and Italian luxury.
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Lord Forte, the first hospitality tycoon in England, died at his home in London at the age of 98. He began his career as the owner of a London milk bar and went on to become the head of a worldwide empire of hotels and restaurants that included Travelodge and roadside restaurants Little Chef and Happy Eater. Recently Rocco Forte Hotels announced that its Munich property, which is due to open this summer, which will be called the Charles Hotel, in honor of Sir Rocco Forte ís father. |
Job Of The Month
(small selection)
all jobs available here
Human Resources Manager, Spain
Financial Controller, Qatar
Head Chef, London
Resident Manager, Bahamas
Director of Food & Beverage, France
Revenue Manager, Italy
Director of Finance, London
Reservations Manager, Spain
Director of Development & Franchise Sales, UK
Director of Fodd & Beverage, Romania
Financial Controller, Scotland
Boutique Hotel GM, Thailand
Director of Sales, Moscow
Purchasing Manager, Spain
Front office Manager, London
Staff Movements
Christopher Nortonhas transferred to the Four Seasons George Cinq in Paris as General Manager and Regional Vice President, taking over from Didier Le Calvez, who has joined Shangri-La. Norton, a Lausanne graduate, has been with Four Seasons since 1989. Since May 2003, he was a Regional Vice President and General Manager at the Four Seasons Singapore.
Ruth Boston has been appointed Director of Communications at the Langham Place Hotel in Hong Kong. She has previously held various senior positions with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific.
Wibo Wilmink has been appointed General Manager of the Hilton Curaçao replacing Peter Webster, who is now the General Manager of the British Colonial Hilton Nassau. Mr Wilmink most recently served as the General Manager of the Hilton Colombo in Sri Lanka
Christophe Thomas has been named General Manager at the Shoreham in New York. He was most recently part of the pre-opening team as Hotel Manager at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Previously, he served as the Director of Rooms at the Windsor Court in New Orleans and the Rooms Division Manager at the Drake in Chicago.
Alain Richard has been appointed Resident Manager at the Bahia Principe Rio San Juan in the Dominican Republic. He was previously the General Manager at the former Barçelo Punta Goleta.
Alexandre Gaudelet has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. He most recently served as General Manager at Tom Collichio’s Craftsteak in the hotel. He was previously at Paris Hotel Meurice as its Restaurant Director. The restaurant of the Hotel Meurice was awarded its third Michelin star this year.
Marie-Laure Akdag has been appointed Director of Business Development and Marketing at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Previously, she held the Director of Sales and Marketing position at the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam, the Hotel de Crillon in Paris and the Grand Sofitel Demeure in Amsterdam.
Graham Ablett has been named Food and Beverage Director for Sunswept Resorts at Jalousie Plantation in St Lucia, until recently, known as the Jalousie Hilton. He comes the Airways Hotel Papua New Guinea.
Didier Obeuf has joined the Evian Royal Resort in France as Managing Director. Since 1997, he had been the Vice President for Accor Canada after serving for ten years as the General Manager at the Sofitel Houston
Laurent Chaudet is the new General Manager of the Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing. He joined Accor in Paris in 1983 before later moving on to work in Asia. Following several assignments in both Europe and Asia Laurent relocated to China in 2005 where he was the pre-opening General Manager for the Sofitel Suzhou.
Vito Romero has joined the Hotel Metropole in Monte Carlo as Assistant General Manager. He comes from Brussels where he was the Executive Assistant Manager at the Conrad Brussels. Previously, he had served as Food and Beverage Director at the Hotel Principe di Savoia and as Director of Operations and Development for the Alain Ducasse Group in New York.
Bruno Grand has been promoted to Hotel Auditor Manager forEurope, Middle East and Africa atthe InterContinental head office in Windsor. He most recently served as the Assistant Financial Controller and Acting Financial Controller at the Crowne Plaza Estepona in Spain, having worked for the group for the past six years.
Patrice Larroque is now General Manager, Novotel Atlantis Shanghai. Patrice joined Accor in 1997 from the former Century International Hotels. Following several assignments in The Philippines, Patrice relocated to China in 2004 where he has been General Manger of Sofitel Westlake Hangzhou.
Roman Kofler will be joining the Hyatt Regency Almaty in Kazakhstan as Executive Assistant Manager in charge of Food and Beverage. He comes from his position as General Manager at the Siva Grand Beach Resort in Egypt.
Franck Broc, an alumnus of the nearby Chateau de La Messardière, is the new Executive Chef at La Bastide de St. Tropez. He takes over from Olivier Streiff.
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