Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, has signed an agreement with China Huaming International Investment Corporation (CHMIIC) to manage a hotel in Moscow, marking the group’s first property in Russia.
International hotel companies are salivating at the prospect of growing their portfolios in Russia, but opening a hotel in the country is not an easy task. One of Russia’s biggest attractions is the fact that it faces a serious undersupply of quality hotel rooms. Moscow, a city of 12 million people, has only about 6,000 Western-standard beds, compared with Paris, which has 100,000 beds, and London with 90,000, according to Scott Antel, a partner in the Russia office of DLA Piper, a legal-services firm with offices located throughout the world. There are 14 cities in Russia with more than 1 million people, and most have no Western hotels, he said.
The 250-room hospitality development is located in a historic 19th Century house and features a unique interior mimicking a Faberge egg. The 250-room ‘upside-down’ hotel invites customers to check-in at the sky lobby level, giving visitors incredible views over Red Square and the Kremlin. HOK’s design combines the old and the new and is located on a compact, central site on Tverskaya Road - Moscow’s equivalent to London’s Oxford Street.
Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) today announced that it has entered into a management agreement with ZAO Pansionat Solnechy Lutch to open its third upscale Doubletree by Hilton hotel in Russia. Occupying a prime location overlooking the Black Sea and Mzimta River, the Doubletree by Hilton, Sochi Adler plans to have a total of 200 rooms including 15 detached villas.
In today’s ambiguity, how do Russian hoteliers cope with a need to run leaner businesses, and how do these actions compare with international landscape? Inspired by 2009 Russia HCE compensation survey results, and speaking with market participants. I promise not to use the 6-letter "C"-word in this article, which already fills everyone's communication channels. I just want to talk about how Russian hoteliers are coping with the changing economic climate these days, and what they are doing on the staff compensation front to keep their hotels profitable. I also want to compare what's happening in our market with the practices in other parts of the world.
Asaad’s most recent appointment was that of general manager of the 770-room IHG Hotel in Times Square, New York where he successfully managed a multi-million renovation and re-branding project. Prior to that, Asaad was the general manager of the Conrad Hotel & Conference Centre in Istanbul, Turkey. He also managed the Regent Hotel & Spa – Wall Street New York, operated by Carlson Hospitality, The Turnberry Place Resort – Las Vegas, and The St. Regis Hotel – Los Angeles, California. In his earlier career Asaad was a vice president at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, director of food and beverage at the Beverly Hills Hotel California, and executive director of food and beverage at the Plaza Hotel New York. In addition, he held various senior management positions with Ritz Carlton and Walt Disney Groups. Asaad M. Farag is a trustee of the Five Star Diamond American Hospitality of Science and a member of the esteemed Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. He is a graduate of the Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts announced its Hyatt Regency brand debuted in Russia today with the opening of the 296-room Hyatt Regency Ekaterinburg. Situated in Russia’s fourth largest city and the capital of the Ural region, the hotel is the second Hyatt property in the country following Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow. Additional Hyatt development plans in Russia include Grand Hyatt Moscow Residences & Spa, the first phase of which will open this year with 18 exclusive residences for long term rental, a Hyatt Pure spa and a signature restaurant.