Apex Temple Court hotel in London, which opened last week, has announced the appointed management team that will be responsible for the new property. Karl Mitchell, who has been with Apex Hotels for seven years, has been named general manager of the 184-bedroom hotel, having successfully launched both the Apex City of London hotel in 2005 and the Apex London Wall hotel in 2009.
In this role Jay will be responsible for overseeing the development and roll out of the Hotels.com product on a global basis including enhancements to the desktop website and the full suite of mobile touch points including apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Hotels.com currently operates over 85 local sites in more than 34 languages. Jay is based in the Hotels.com London office and reports directly to the Hotels.com President, Scott Booker.
Morten joins Grosvenor House from his position of General Manager at Marriott’s Marbella Beach Resort, Europe’s largest Marriott Vacation Club International. In his tenure the resort was recognised as the MVCI Resort of the Year and received high guest satisfaction scores.
InterContinental London Park Lane has announced the recent appointment of Fiona McGrory to the position of Business Development Manager specialising in MICE from USA. Fiona will be responsible for cultivating relationships with existing U.S. clients and developing new business within the MICE sector.
Mumbai: Stephen Alden tells an anecdote related to one of the hotels he administers. The chief executive officer of the Maybourne Hotel Group— which operates three of London’s most iconic hotels, the Claridges, the Connaught and the Berkeley—says the Claridges is often considered an extension of the Buckingham Palace. Therefore, not surprisingly, there was once a call to the hotel by someone who wanted to speak to the king. The hotel staff, who answered the call, asked which one. “There were three kings staying at the Claridges then,” explained Alden, while speaking at the Mint Luxury Conference at the Taj Land’s End Hotel in Mumbai on Friday, as a way of reiterating the significance of the property.
The boom in fine dining in London, which now boasts 55 Michelin starred restaurants, has helped push salaries for food and beverage professionals in city hotels up by 25% over the past year. According to a new survey by HVS Executive Search, the salary hike comes as the capital’s hotels place increasingly more emphasis on food and drink revenue, alongside that of rooms.
David Roche, president of Hotels.com which carried out the survey, told Reuters he would not be surprised if prices were pushed even higher, to a trebling of 2011 prices. "Hoteliers like to hold back inventory and drip-feed it in, testing price elasticity. It remains to be seen what fraction of inventory is available," he said. This can be a gamble -- at last year's royal wedding, says Roche, hotels got "caught red-handed" and ended up with lower occupancy.
David Taylor, currently general manager of the Hoxton hotel, has been appointed general manager of Edition, the new brand being developed by Marriott International together with hotel design icon Ian Schrager. The hotel, which will have around 200 bedrooms when it opens early in 2013, is being developed within the former Berners hotel in London.
Sabre Travel Network, a global travel technology company serving travel suppliers and agencies, has appointed Frank Bachér to lead its online business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with additional country responsibilities for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordic region. He starts with Sabre on June 1, 2012.
A high profile legal battle between the publicity shy Barclay brothers and Irish property magnate Patrick McKillen for control of a company that owns some of London’s most exclusive hotels is set to reach the High Court later this month. Mr McKillen, who is one of Ireland’s most prominent developers and co-owns Dublin’s Clarence Hotel with rock group U2’s Bono and The Edge, is suing the Barclay brothers, owners of the Ritz hotel and Telegraph newspaper group.
At Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, Ian Richardson has been named General Manager. He was appointed Acting General Manager at the property in November 2010. Ian joined Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts in June 2004 as Health Club Manager at The Peak Health Club & Spa. In 2010, he took on the role of Revenue Manager for both Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, before taking up the Acting General Manager role at Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in November 2010. Prior to joining Jumeirah, Ian worked in a variety of roles in the spa and leisure sector.
When it comes to classic style and cachet among hotels, there is none finer than London's Savoy. Today the famed five-star icon, known for its exceptional quality and impeccable service, relies on PSAV® Presentation Services to support the audiovisual and event technology needs of meeting planners and guests. Completing what is considered to be one of "the most ambitious hotel restorations in London's history," the luxury landmark property, now managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, boasts state-of-the-art meeting facilities all backed by the professional on-site service and support PSAV provides.
Rob Palleschi, global head, DoubleTree by Hilton, said, "DoubleTree by Hilton is delighted to further strengthen our network of fine UK hotels with another outstanding hotel location in this world gateway city. With the introduction of hotel products like the DoubleTree by Hilton London-Victoria, the DoubleTree by Hilton brand is quickly becoming recognised within the UK and around the world by travelling consumers seeking upscale hotel accommodation along with a personalised, welcoming level of service, style and hospitality."
The 2012 Olympic Games are giving London the impetus to complete a number of hotel projects – which in turn is giving interior designers the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity in some interesting new spaces. Dexter Moren, Director at London-based design practice Dexter Moren Associates, shares his expectations for the key design trends he sees for the year ahead in this dynamic hotel market.
eRevMax International has officially appointed Michael McCartan as CEO as it restructures for new growth targets. Sascha Hausmann and Lars Hahn of Stellant Partners are handing over their responsibilities having fulfilled expansion and development criteria set when they were engaged by eRevMax International in July 2007. Sascha Hausmann will remain as an advisor and colleague on the Board of Directors, the company will now focus on internal and organic growth initiatives to optimize on the expansion it has achieved over the past five years. Michael McCartan was hired as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in September 2010. Prior to joining eRevMax, Michael was VP Product Management at Pegasus Solutions where he was responsible for the development and management of all distribution services including UltraDirect, UltraSwitch and ODD.
Hilton Worldwide president for Europe Simon Vincent has been appointed the first chairman of the Hospitality Guild. The guild, established this year, brings together industry associations and professional bodies to boost skills development and streamline access to training information. Commenting on his appointment, Vincent said: "As a collective, we must make it easier for employers to develop their staff and ensure that many of the great independent initiatives in place can be resourced and promoted to benefit the entire sector. "The guild provides a new way of collaborative working that employers have been looking for and we must seize this opportunity to create a lasting hospitality skills legacy." At Hilton, Vincent is responsible for more than 225 hotels, employing more than 30,000 people. He is overseeing the opening of 115 hotels in Europe by 2014. Vincent is also chairman of the Hilton in the Community Foundation, on the executive committee of the British Hospitality Association and a trustee of Jigsaw School, an independent school for autistic children. Vincent was previously CEO of online travel agency Opodo and spent 13 years with Thomas Cook.
Over 600 of the world’s top concierges assembled in London, England, to honor London’s Olympic year and focus on the impact of social media, expanding global markets such as China and the escalating demand for personalized experiences as the concierge profession continues to evolve at the 59th annual Congress of Union Internationale des Concierges d ’Hotels (U.I.C.H.).
Visitors to London during this summer’s Olympic Games can expect to be charged up to three times the normal rate for accommodation, despite a sharp increase in the number of hotel rooms available.
Gallo has arrived at the 157-bedroom hotel from the Cadogan London, where he was general manager for five years. He has also worked as general manager at the Baglioni, director of sales and marketing at Grosvenor House and director of business development at the London Hilton on Park Lane. According to Caterer and Hotelkeeper, ME London will sit alongside the 581-bedroom Melia White House as the second hotel in London for the family-owned Spanish hotel group, Melia Hotels International. It is the fifth hotel to be launched worldwide to be branded under the contemporary, luxury ME banner. Situated on the Strand, the ME London has been designed by Foster + Partners and will feature two restaurants - including one to be run by a yet-to-be-announced outside operator, two bars, a 360-degree roof-top bar and a screening room.
Most recently, Walters was based in Hong Kong at the groups head office as Vice President – Brands, where since 2007 he was responsible for a portfolio of three brands – the luxury Langham brand, the contemporary five star Langham Place brand and the midscale Eaton brand.