Katara Hospitality has officially opened the Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a luxury hotel in Milan owned and restored by the Qatar-based global hotel developer, owner and operator. Formerly known as 'Palace Gallia', the hotel was unveiled by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc as part of a multi-million euro investment with its owner partners to restore Europe's most iconic hotels under The Luxury Collection brand.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that it has closed on the sale of The Gritti Palace, Venice to Nozul Hotels & Resorts, the owner of W Doha Hotel, and a wholly owned subsidiary of "Jaidah Holdings" for €105 million (approximately $117 million USD). Starwood will continue to operate the hotel under The Luxury Collection brand flag under a new long-term management agreement.
The driving force of Il Palagio Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, three years ago Vito earned his first Michelin star and now, after a career of 19 years with the company, becomes the Executive Chef of the two Four Seasons hotels in Italy.
This article provides an overview of Italy's Hotel Thermal Baths/Spa industry and analyses recent trends in the sector.
JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, the distinctive sophisticated brand of Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR), announces today that its new hotel, JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa has soft opened ahead of its grand opening celebration on 24 June 2015. The 250-room property was designed in collaboration with award-winning Italian architectural firm Matteo Thun & Partners and combines the very best in contemporary hotel design with the heritage and elegance of its premiere location on its own private island, Isola delle Rose (Rose Island).
'Why should luxury travellers pay less for a hotel in Rome than in London, Paris or New York? We have the same guests here...,' a General Manager of a luxury hotel in Rome asked me recently during an interview. His remark poses an interesting question: why are luxury hotels in Rome not able to charge similar rates as those in London or Paris, when they supposedly attract a similar clientele?
One of the world’s biggest hospitality companies is trying to win new business with small hotel rooms. Marriott International Inc. is preparing in the U.S. to launch its 18th brand: Moxy, a lifestyle hotel with 183-square-foot standard rooms–compared with the industry’s typical 250 to 300—and spare design that features concrete floors, exposed columns and “industrial-chic” furniture.
Timbers Resorts, the independent developer and operator of private boutique resorts and residence clubs, has named Federico Galligani as the new general manager of Hotel Castello di Casole – A Timbers Resort, the collection’s luxury resort here.
Every year, the hotel experts and analysts at Horwath HTL worldwide produce a series of mini-country reports exclusively for The Hotel Yearbook. Each report focuses on just two things: first, a quick snapshot of the country’s current economic and hotel market situation, and second, the outlook for the year ahead, highlighting specific events that are anticipated to have an impact on the health of the country’s hotel business.
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® has been appointed to manage Castiglion del Bosco, the bucolic Italian resort located in Montalcino, Tuscany. Founded by Massimo Ferragamo, the resort is set within one of the oldest and best-preserved estates in Italy and is located in the heart of Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The resort now bears the name Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco.
Pascal DEYROLLE ESSEC IMHI 1998 is the new general manager of the Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) a privately-run train of beautifully-restored 1920s, 30s & 50s coaches, providing a 5-star luxury train experience between London, Paris, Innsbruck, Verona & Venice. Prior to that Pascal was General Manager of the hotel Belmond La Samanna in St martin for more than 4 years.
Hilton Worldwide's DoubleTree by Hilton brand has today expanded its presence in Italy with the opening of the DoubleTree by Hilton Venice North. The 203 guest room hotel is the latest addition to the upscale brand's rapidly expanding portfolio and joins recent DoubleTree by Hilton key European openings in London, Moscow and Warsaw. The hotel operates under a franchise agreement with owner DHotels srl.
Both Milan and Prague achieved impressive year-on-year surges in gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) by 37.5% and 22.6% respectively, according to the latest data from HotStats.
JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, the distinctive sophisticated brand of Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR), plans to open its first Italian hotel in Venice and first resort in Europe in March 2015. The 266-room property, created in collaboration with award-winning Italian architect firm Matteo Thun & Partners, has an exceptional lagoon location on its own island, with stunning views of St Mark's Square and La Serenissima.
Chef Guida joins from award winning restaurant Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole in the Monte Argentario area of Tuscany, and will be responsible for all of the culinary operations of the hotel. His appointment is effective from 10 November 2014.
Moxy Milan, the new economy design hotel in Milan, Italy, announced Nune D'Amico Kerobyan as the winner of its artist-in-residence competition - Blank Canvas #atthemoxy - which was held at a spectacular opening party that brought together media, hotel guests, art enthusiasts and the Milanese social scene on 30 October.
Meliá Hotels International continues to grow in Italy. The Meliá Campione will open later this year in the Italian "enclave" of Campione d'Italia in the province of Como in Lombardy, an tax-free zone surrounded on all sides by Switzerland and which uses the Swiss franc. Its close proximity to Lugano, the city where Mediterranean culture meets French and German traditions in the form of Switzerland, guarantees the singularity of this territory.
Contrary to the sceptical forecasts for the global economy in 2015, Germany's travel industry will still be able to rely on private consumers next year. "We see no danger of people saving money 'due to anxiety' or even of a recession", said Dr. Gernot Nerb, an economic expert at the Munich-based ifo Institute for Economic Research. Speaking in Pisa last Tuesday at the start of the 22nd World Travel Monitor® Forum Gernot Nerb said: "Next year, wages and salaries will rise more rapidly than in 2014 and will give consumer confidence an even stronger boost than in previous years. Furthermore, the introduction of a nationwide minimum wage will have a positive effect on income trends and thus indirectly on the travel industry too."
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that it has sold The St. Regis, Rome to subsidiaries of Constellation Hotels Holding Limited ("Constellation") for €110 million (approximately $150.7 million USD). Starwood will continue to operate the hotel under the St. Regis brand flag as part of a new long-term management agreement.
Italy based business travel agency Seneca Travel Affair has partnered with eRevMax to deliver advanced channel management solutions to its hotel customers. eRevMax has signed an agreement with Seneca making them an official provider of RateTiger Suite, the industry leading integrated channel manager for rate and availability updates, rate shopping and reservation delivery.