October 2008
Four Seasons to Manage "House With the Lions" in St Petersburg
A luxurious five-star hotel complex is due to open in downtown St. Petersburg next year aiming to accommodate VIP guests, host international summits and meet the growing demand for hotel facilities in the city, which continues to enjoy a boom in tourism.
A contract was signed on Wednesday between Mikhail Masalov, CEO of Tristar Investment Holdings Ltd. (TIH), and Isadore Sharp, director of the board of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, which will manage the five-star hotel, to be completed in 2009 and located on Voznesensky Prospekt.
The building, which was originally the palace of Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky and is also known as “The House with the Lions,” was designed in 1817 by Auguste Ricard de Montferrand, who is best known for designing the nearby St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The palace is under federal protection and in 2004 TIH was chosen as a contractor to manage the redevelopment of the building and handle investments.
“We were looking for a company that would meet the requirements and standards set for a first-class hotel facility,” said Viktoria Sobolevskaya, deputy CEO of TIH.
The renovation has seen a lot of criticism recently, after an extra attic level was added to the building and a wing in the courtyard was demolished. Concerned local residents applied to Rosokhrankultura, the supervisory body in charge of the protection of historical monuments and buildings, which initiated an investigation. Kirill Zaitsev of Rosokhrankultura told Fontanka.ru news agency that according to the project approved in Moscow, no changes to the attic level resulting in changes to the building’s external appearance are to be carried out.
Franka Holtmann, General Manager of Le Meurice, is elected "Best Hotelier of the Year"
Franka Holtmann, General Manager of Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, was elected "Best Hotelier of the Year" on 20 August 2008, at the prestigious Virtuoso Travel Mart Awards in Las Vegas. Virtuoso, the industry's leading luxury travel network, is a by-invitation-only organisation which encompasses over 6,000 elite travel specialists worldwide. The Best Hotelier award recognises an experienced hotel manager with an unrelenting passion for the industry, an astute appreciation for detail and a keen sense of how to lead and manage a dynamic team of professionals.
A former manager at the Crillon and the Plaza Athénée, and Director of Sales and Marketing at the Ritz, Mrs Holtmann joined Le Meurice in June 2006. She was the first woman to have been appointed General Manager in any luxury hotel. Her aim for Le Meurice was to carefully revive the palace hotel, while not rushing into hurried change. She managed initiatives while maintaining the hotel's profitability and emphasised Le Meurice's quality, service and luxury.
Mrs Holtmann was instrumental in commissioning Philippe Starck's redesign of the public spaces in the hotel, and is passionate about the artistic history and future of Le Meurice. The 2008 creation of Le Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art is her initiative to support a rising French artist to progress their career on an international level, and perfectly reflects the hotel's heritage.
Dorchester reveals plans for 45 Park Lane hotel at the former Playboy club
Luxury hotel group the Dorchester Collection has revealed further details of its new hotel, which will be housed at the former site of the Playboy Club in Park Lane.
The 50-bedroom hotel is to be called 45 Park Lane and will open in 2010, making it the eighth hotel in the Collection.
45 Park Lane will also have an all-day dining restaurant and will be more contemporary in style than its sister hotel the Dorchester, also located on Park Lane.
The building’s concrete-clad façade will be revamped to incorporate specialist eco-friendly fins, which will reduce the amount of heat from the sun onto the building meaning a reduction in the use of air-conditioning.
Westminster Council had granted planning permission to redevelop the London outpost of Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire, which operated as a club and casino between 1966 and 1982 in September.
Accor to expand its Sofitel hotel estate
French hotel operator Accor has unveiled plans to expand its Sofitel hotel estate to 165 properties in the next four years as it continues to consolidate its luxury brand.
The luxury hotel brand recently reduced its estate from 204 to 137 hotels, in a bid to ensure that all of its properties offered a consistent level of luxury.
Accor said its next step would be to continue to expand each of its three brands - Sofitel, Legend and new boutique style brand So - both in the UK and abroad.
Robert Gaymer-Jones, chief operating officer of Sofitel Worldwide, said the company would focus on Asia Pacific and the Middle East, as well as traditional markets such as London, Milan and New York.
He added that the group was looking to expand in destinations such as Kazakhstan and Cambodia in a bid to attract customers who are “increasingly more adventurous in their choices”.
Regent Hotels & Resorts Announces Expansion in Puerto Rico with New Luxury Resort the Regent Palmas Del Mar Puerto Rico
Ground was broken today in Puerto Rico as Regent Hotels & Resorts (www.regenthotels.com) announced its newest luxury development, The Regent Palmas del Mar Puerto Rico. Joining in the ceremonies were top government officials, property developers and executives of Regent Hotels & Resorts, including the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Anibal Acevedo Vila, Luis F. Muniz, Chairman and CEO of RPR Development, LLC, and Bjorn Gullaksen, President, the Regent Luxury Group. Officials gathered at the ocean-front site of the resort, approximately 30 minutes southeast of San Juan, to ceremoniously commence construction on this comprehensive new luxury development, which will be anchored by a showcase new Regent resort.
Scheduled to open December 2011, The Regent Puerto Rico will be the focal point for one of the premier integrated luxury resort communities in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The new Regent will join the existing portfolio of luxury resorts in the Americas, including The Regent Palms Turks and Caicos and The Regent Bal Harbour, Florida. Additional Regent Hotels & Resorts are located in Europe and Asia, with eight properties under construction globally
World's Tallest Building To Include Hotel
At the core of the Nakheel Harbour & Tower development is a tower more than a kilometre high and the world's only inner city harbour. The development will cover an area of more than 270 hectares and become home to more than 55,000 people, a workplace for 45,000 more and attract millions of visitors each year.
"There is nothing like it in Dubai", His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said at the launch. "Nakheel Harbour & Tower is located in the heart of 'new Dubai', where we have focused on creating a true community, a location for living, working, relaxing and entertaining, for art and culture. All of this is concentrated in one area."
|
|
Stevan Porter, President of the Americas for InterContinental Hotels Group, has stepped down for medical reasons. Richard Solomon, the company's Finance Director, will take over as Interim President.
Ted Teng has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of The Leading Hotels of the World. He will succeed Paul McManus who will transition into the new role of Vice Chairman of Leading Ventures. Teng, a Cornell graduate, previously served as President, Chief Operating Officer of Wyndham International and as President of Asia-Pacific for Westin Hotels before moving into the same role for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
Fergus Stewart has joined the Tokyo ANA InterContinental as General Manager. He was previously at the Hyatt Regency Phuket as General Manager. In the past, he has managed the Hyatt Regency Sharm El Sheikh, the Hyatt Regency La Manga, and the Landmark Hotel London.
Christophe Mousset has been named Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage, at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. He joins from the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai where he spent five years, most recently as Director of Food and Beverage.
The InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort Hotel has named Andreas Christodoulides General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager at the Palm Beach Hotel and Bungalows.
Darrell Sheaffer has transferred to the Fairmont Palm Island Resort in Dubai as General Manager. For the past two years he held the title of General Manager for the Fairmont Turnberry Isle. He previously served as the General Manager with the Mandarin Oriental Washington D.C., the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, and the Ritz-Carlton Doha.
Andreas Müeller has joined the Taj Exotica Hotel in Mauritius as General Manager. Müeller has previously served as General Manager at the Amari Trang Beach Resort and Resident Manager for the Amari Atrium Hotel Bangkok.
Robert Zogbi has been appointed General Manager of the Grand Millennium Dubai Hotel Media City . Zogbi was most recently the General Manager for the InterContinental Mzaar Resort and Spa.
Philippe Torrelli has relocated to Marrakech as Director of Rooms for ES Saadi Gardens and Resort. For the past two years, he had been with GLA Hotels, most recently at the Hotel Beauchamps in Paris, as Rooms Division Manager after overseeing rooms for Discovery at Marigot Bay.
Nathalie Cockayne has joined the Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong as Director of Rooms. She was most recently with the Fairmont Beijing as Director of Rooms. She has previously served as Director of Rooms with the Savoy in London and as Front Office Manager at the Setai in Miami.
Marriott International has promoted David Marriott, the youngest son of Chief Executive Bill Marriott, to Regional Vice President of Hotel Operations. Marriott, 34, was most recently serving the company as Senior Vice President of Global Sales.
Denys Courtier is moving to Marrakech as Executive Director of La Mamounia, reporting to General Manager Didier Picquot. Courtier has previously managed the Gran Hotel La Florida in Barcelona, the Hotel Lancaster, and the Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme.
Christoph Ganster has been promoted to Hotel Manager at Raffles Dubai. He joined the pre-opening team of the hotel in 2007 as Executive Assistant Manager in charge of Food and Beverage. Previously, Ganster has overseen food and beverage for the Raffles Resort Canouan Island.
Christian Westbeld has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage for Raffles Dubai. He joined the hotel in 2007, during the pre-opening period, as Assistant Director of Food and Beverage. He previously served as Assistant Food and Beverage Director, Banquets, at the Fairmont Dubai and the Peninsula Manila.
Alessandro Redaelli has been appointed General Manager at the Hôtel de La Paix in Geneva. Redaelli was most recently the General Manager at Rome's Exedra Hotel.
Marco Ciraulo has transferred to the Four Seasons Dublin as Director of Food and Beverage. He previously played a similar role at the Four Seasons Vancouver. Ciraulo also held food and beverage management positions at the Four Seasons Hualalai and the Four Seasons Hampshire.
Christel Dreyfuss is the new Director of Sales for the Hôtel de La Paix in Geneva. Dreyfuss was most recently the Assistant Director of Sales at the Ramada Encore Geneva.
Dominique Galperti has been appointed General Manager of the soon-to-open Wyndham Xiamen. He previously served as General Manager at the Plaza Hotel Beijing.
Andrew Rogers has been named Hotel Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. He joined the company in 1999 as Director of Golf Operations at the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall. Most recently, he served as Resort Manager at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas.
Alain Piraux has been promoted to Hotel Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. He joined the company in 1997 as Executive Chef at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. He has previously overseen food and beverage at the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn and, most recently, the Ritz-Carlton Tyson’s Corner.
Giorgio Olivotti has joined the Shangri-La Ningbo in China as Resident Manager. He had previously served as Resident Manager at the One&Only Le Saint Géran and Executive Assistant Manager Food and Beverage at the Hotel Mulia in Jakarta and the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong.
Jumeirah has named Frank van der Post Chief Operating Officer. He was previously Jumeirah's Senior Vice President for the Americas. He is also a former long-time General Manager with Inter-Continental.
At Jumeirah, Marco Nijhof has been promoted to Senior Vice President for the Middle East, Africa, India, Seychelles and the Maldives. He was previously Jumeirah's Senior Vice President for the Gulf, based in Dubai. Nijhof also served as Director of Operations for the Aga Khan’s Serena Hotels
Richard Mignault has been promoted with Hilton Hotels to the position of Senior Vice President Human Resources and Administration from his most recent position of Vice President of Human Resources and Administration. He had previously overseen Human Resources for the Eastern Region and Northeast Region for Hilton. In addition, he has held various senior Human Resources Management positions with Windsor Casino Limited in Canada and SAS International Hotels in Brussels.
The Geneva Kempinski Hotel has named Michael Henssler Managing Director, replacing Patrick Mossu , who has moved to Le Richemond in Geneva. Hessler, a Lausanne graduate, has been with Kempinski since 1997, most recently with the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, which he has managed since it opened in 2004
Pierre Berthier has joined the Hotel InterContinental Guatemala City as General Manager. The Lausanne grad was most recently the General Manager of the hotel chain Las Americas in Peru, following eleven years in a similar role with Libertador Hoteles.
|
|
