IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading global hotel companies, is proud to announce the signing of a management agreement with Société Foncière Lyonnaise (SFL) for the development of Hotel Indigo Paris – Opera, France. Located just a few steps from Opera Garnier and the InterContinental Paris Le Grand, this addition follows the recent signings of the Hotel Indigo boutique brand in Rome and Brighton.
Hotel Le Meurice, the first palace hotel in Paris, has invited Alain Ducasse to take over the management of its kitchens. He will bring to this landmark his innovative vision, ethos and distinctive take on contemporary French haute cuisine.
S ince 2010, Ramadan has been encroaching on the summer season and disrupting the habits of the Middle-Eastern clientele of French palaces who are traditionally fond of Paris and the French Riviera in the summer, especially in August. The figures reported by MKG clearly show the effects of this departure of customers on the upscale hotel segment in France.
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), today reopens the doors to the legendary Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris, following a meticulous two-year restoration. The restoration, which has brought the hotel back to its original Art Deco splendour, is part of a larger strategy to invest more than $200 million in some of Starwood’s most celebrated Luxury Collection hotels throughout Europe: Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville and Hotel Maria Cristina in San Sebastian, which reopened in 2012, and most recently, The Gritti Palace in Venice, which was unveiled in February 2013.
The Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe Hotel is giving Parisians and hotel guests the opportunity to discover spring/summer 2014 fashion trends though a series of unique RLife LIVE events inspired by fashion. On Friday night, the hotel was transformed into a catwalk as guests were treated to an intimate fashion show curated by model and J Model Management founder, Jessica Minh Anh. Now through 19 June, the Renaissance Arc de Triomphe is showcasing some of the most unique pieces from the catwalk in an exclusive exhibition open to the public.
Directly dependent on the economic context, the hotel industry saw a further drop in rooms revenue in April. Even Paris and the Côte d'Azur – who have up till now managed to resist – experienced a decline in revenues. Occupancy continues to suffer as a result of the gloomy economic environment, but more worryingly, average rates are now starting to fall, which does not herald good news for the industry.
Consumption may be reduced by excessive precautionary savings and productive investments waiting for better days. The national priority begins foremost with collective economic mobilization and not by rearguard battles on the evolution of society, regardless of respectable opinion. Besides the fact that the recent protests against marriage for all show the face of a blocked society, they show a strange behavior with respect to the republican law.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the rebranding of four hotels in France, creating Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez, Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Mediterranée and Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile. The fourth hotel, now branded as Hotel du Louvre, a Hyatt Hotel, will become an Andaz following a renovation. These new Hyatt hotels join the three Hyatt properties already in Paris: Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, Hyatt Paris Madeleine and Hyatt Regency Paris Charles de Gaulle.
The governance crisis that is affecting the Accor group would have at least had the merit of stimulating a little bit of awareness of turbulent circumstances. The group changed its status, passing from the target of criticism to an object of appeals. It is when the boat reels that one remembers that it is the flagship of a whole fleet that is quite happy to profit from its wake.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Michel Morauw as General Manager of Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile, formerly known as the Concorde Lafayette located in Paris, France. Hyatt will take over the management of Hotel Concorde Lafayette in April, as part of recently announced deal including four iconic hotels.
February's timid upswing was short lived, as rooms revenue fell in March both in Paris and throughout France. The shift in the school holiday period had inflated performances in business destinations in February, temporarily erasing the difficult economic context. In March, the decline was even steeper, with regional France in particular feeling the pinch. The Luxury segment – less dependent on the national market – was the only category to extricate itself.
The ESSEC MBA in Hospitality Management (IMHI) celebrated its 30th anniversary on 25 April 2013. The event took place at ESSEC with a full programme including conferences, lunch and campus visit. ESSEC's MBA IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT (IMHI) program is firmly positioned as a leader in graduate hospitality education in Europe and in the world. It is consistently ranked first among tourism/hospitality postgraduate degrees in France. It is taught in English. The training is given to a limited number of highly motivated candidates who wish to continue their studies to an MBA level and to focus on the international side of the hospitality industry. The programme can last 11 or 23 months, based on age and experience.
Accor's Board of Directors met April 23rd at the request of its Chairman, Denis Hennequin, with all Directors in attendance. During this meeting, all the Directors came to the joint conclusion regarding the Group's situation: that the strategy adopted is the right one and that it will remain unchanged. However, given current economic conditions and the rapid transformation of its competitive environment, Accor must accelerate the implementation of this strategy in order to reinforce its positions. The Board therefore requested that the top priority be given to focusing energy and resources on transforming Accor's business model. The Board took note of Denis Hennequin's reservations and unanimously voted to terminate his mandate with immediate effect on April 23, 2013.
Since it opened to the public in 1909, the majestic Hôtel de Crillon has been an icon of French refinement. On Sunday, this iconic hotel, now owned by a senior Saudi prince, will close its doors for two years to undergo a major renovation intended to restore some of its former splendor. The facelift will be directed by the Lebanese architect and designer, Aline d’Amman. Ms. d’Amman, whose agency, Culture in Architecture, has collaborated on various design and decoration projects in the Middle East, has hired three interior decorators based in Paris, Cyril Vergniol, Chahan Minassian and Tristan Auer.
Diplômé en gestion hôtelière à l’Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Gérald officiait précédemment au poste de Directeur des Opérations au Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris. Fort d’une solide expérience dans le domaine de la restauration, acquise notamment grâce à un poste de Directeur de la Restauration au sein d’un grand hôtel bruxellois, Gérald est un passionné de gastronomie et de spiritueux.
The 17th session of the Global Lodging Forum was concluded by a strategic round table, during which international hotel group leaders clearly demonstrated their will to be on the offensive to regain control in areas where other actors have begun to dictate their own laws as well. The priorities are clearly for a new organization of the teams; tighter control over the distribution; a global presence without engaging capital; and to challenge brand marketing.
The annual Global Lodging Forum (GLF) will take place this Monday and Tuesday (25 & 26 February) bringing together over 500 key decision-makers from the hotel and hospitality industry to converse on key industry trends.
Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris is set to re-open in May 2013 following an extensive two-year restoration. This is part of a larger project undertaken by Starwood Hotels & Resorts and its owners to invest $200 million to renovate and restore some of its most emblematic European hotels under the Luxury Collection brand: Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville and Hotel Maria Cristina in San Sebastian re-opened in 2012, and most recently, the Gritti Palace in Venice opened its doors on February 1st.
Christian Clerc (EHL 1992) has become General Manager of the Parisian palace, the George V ( Four Seasons group) and replaces Christopher Norton (EHL 1980) who has been promoted within the group. Mr. Clerc, who was previously general manager of the Four Seasons hotel in Washington, will also become the area vice-president in charge of the group’s hotels in Milan, Florence, Geneva and Marrakech.
Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, announces today the appointment of Simon Rusconi as General Manager. After an extensive and meticulous two year renovation, this emblematic address of Parisian hospitality will reopen its doors in May 2013, returning the hotel to its original grandeur in complete Art Deco splendour. An insatiable globetrotter, Simon Rusconi has travelled the world for more than twenty years. Born in Switzerland and educated at the Ecole Hôtelière in Lausanne, where he received his degree in 1990, Simon began his career across the Atlantic in 1996 by leading the department of Food & Beverage of e Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki. A¬fter over 20 years of working in Hawaii, Indonesia, Tahiti, San Francisco, and most recently, Atlanta, he returned to Europe with the desire to marry his international experience with the ways of Parisian luxury hospitality.