‘Non-standard’, ‘trendy’ and ‘unique’. Just three of the words used to describe a boutique hotel at yesterday’s Boutique Hotel Summit in London. But with larger chains beginning to take a grip of the sector with the emergence of so-called lifestyle brands, how can independent boutiques stand out in an increasingly crowded segment?
It has been announced today that initial discussions are underway between HOSPA (Hospitality Professionals Association for Finance, Revenue Management and IT) and its strategic partner US- based HFTP (Hospitality Finance and Technology Professionals) for expanding HOSPACE – Europe's leading annual Conference, Exhibition and Networking event for hospitality finance, revenue management, IT and commercial professionals.
After three months of consecutive profit decreases London saw the first month of Gross Operating Profit (GOP) growth in April, according to the latest HotStats survey of approximately 625 full-service hotels across the UK.
Stuart brings over 20 years' industry experience, and was previously Vice President of Technology at Hotels.com, where he headed up the technology team in London. Since joining the company three years ago, Stuart has successfully implemented an Agile approach to product development which has improved working processes, development timelines and productivity within the business. Stuart has built a first class technology team whilst increasing efficiency at the company. Prior to his current role at Hotels.com, Stuart has held key technology leadership positions at Move.com, Kaiser Permanente, and K-Mart. The appointment emphasises the importance of technology within the business and highlights its unique approach to development and innovation within the technology space. The position of Chief Technology Officer was created following the formation of Hotels.com's technology team which was set up by Silberg. The company has since put technology at the forefront of its operations and is constantly striving to develop cutting edge products and services for its customers.
Brownsword Hotels has announce a series of General Manager appointments across The Gidleigh Collection. Andrew Foulkes is to move across to the new role of General Manager at The Bath Priory following 18 months of success at Gidleigh Park. Andrew will start his new role at The Bath Priory on 3rd June.
It has been announced that initial discussions are underway between HOSPA(Hospitality Professionals Association for Finance, Revenue Management and IT)and its strategic partner U.S.–based HFTP(Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals)for expanding HOSPACE – Europe's leading annual conference, exhibition and networking event for hospitality finance, revenue management, IT and commercial professionals.?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /
Jane O’Shea, who is located in central London, will be setting up a dedicated UK Regional Sales office for the group and oversee the management of sales and marketing, predominantly in the UK, but also within Ireland and Scandinavia.
The move away from desktops towards smartphones and tablets is changing how the travel industry uses technology to connect with today's multi-device consumer, concluded board-level travel industry participants at the recent World Travel Market Round Table into the Future of Mobile. A dozen senior executives spent more than three hours discussing mobile at an invitation-only dinner in central London, chaired by On Holiday Group CEO Steve Endacott. The event was a preview to the new Travel Tech Show at WTM, which will take place alongside World Travel Market at ExCeL 4- 7 November 2013.
Mark Scholfield has been appointed as Director of Event Management and Operations and joins Rosewood London from RBS where he was Group General Manager of Hospitality. He held a similar position with Coutts Bank and was part of the closing, transition and opening team at The Savoy in his capacity as Director of Events & Event Sales and brings with him over 20 years of experience. The much anticipated opening of Rosewood London later this year follows a more than USD130 million (GBP85 million) renovation.
Julian Haddon has been appointed as Director of Sales & Marketing for Rosewood London, scheduled to open and join the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® collection of ultra-luxury hotels in October 2013. Julian, who has already taken up his position, is working closely with Matthias Roeke, Managing Director of Rosewood London, overseeing the launch of the hotel and heading up the sales, marketing and communication teams as well as being directly involved in recruiting key talent before the hotel opens its doors in October 2013.
Brad Simmons has recently been appointed as Director of Sales, and joins Rosewood London from the Maybourne Group where he was Assistant Director of Sales for The Connaught, Claridges, and The Berkeley. With over 11 years in the luxury hospitality industry, Brad brings with a broad base of experience having also worked at One & Only and Gleneagles.
Accor Hotels announced today that its Plant for the Planet programme will fund 200,000 trees in the UK in a pioneering project designed to promote sustainable food production and nurture links between hotels, guests and farms.
Tristan joins the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa from the Sheraton Park Tower, a Luxury Collection hotel, where he was Hotel Manager. He began his career at Starwood Hotels & Resorts over 13 years ago as a graduate trainee at the Sheraton Park Tower. Previous Starwood roles include Assistant Director of Sales for the Central London hotels and Complex Director of Sales & Marketing at The Westin Palace Madrid.
Sue Finlay joins the Sheraton Park Tower from the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh where she worked for 22 years, most recently as the Director of Sales & Marketing, a role she held for the past 12 years. Sue played a key role in the re-launch and repositioning of the hotel in 2012 following its multi-million pound refurbishment.
Sergio joins Le Méridien Piccadilly from the Sheraton Algarve, a Luxury Collection hotel in Portugal. He started at the resort as a Sales and Marketing intern in 1999, working his way up to the role of Complex Director of Operations for the entire resort, including the Sheraton Algarve, a Luxury Collection Hotel, and the Pine Cliffs Luxury Collection Residencies. In his new role Sergio is responsible for the operations of the 280-room Le Méridien Piccadilly, including the hotel’s destination bar Longitude 0°8’, the Terrace Grill & Bar and the conference and event suites.
Dorchester Collection recently announced the appointment of Christophe Hilty as hotel manager for its contemporary Mayfair hotel, 45 Park Lane . Reporting to Roland Fasel, general manager of The Dorchester and UK regional director, Hilty brings with him a wealth of experience at luxury hotel properties across both Europe and America. Spanning a 13-year career, Hilty's previous luxury hotel positions have included director of rooms in both the Seychelles and Park Lane, London; assistant director of rooms in Los Angeles; and front office manager in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fluent in French, German, English and Italian, Christophe is a native of France, and attended the European University in Brussels where he attained a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. Commenting on his appointment, Christophe said: "45 Park Lane has made a huge impact on London's hospitality market since it opened in 2011.I am delighted to be joining such a state-of-the-art property, and a company with the reputation of Dorchester Collection."
Great Hotels of the World (http://www.ghotw.com) is pleased to announce the opening of a brand new hotel in London. Hotel Xenia will open today following a two-year development and a cost of approximately £9 million. Hotel Xenia (http://www.ghotw.com/xenia-hotel) is the latest addition to Great Hotels of the World’s Premium Collection.
Grange Hotels, winner of ‘Best Small Hotel Company’ at the Business Traveller Awards 2013 have announced they are now offering Day-Use rooms with same day check in and check out. Following an increase in customer demand Grange Hotels will be catering for those looking for a comfortable and quiet room to drop their suitcases, freshen up after a long-haul flight, use as a focal hub, or rest and unwind for a few hours.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (“IHG”) today announces that Ms Jill McDonald is to be appointed as an independent Non-Executive Director of IHG. She will join the IHG Board with effect from 1 June 2013.
London is outpacing New York in the real estate market - especially with wealthy buyers from overseas, analysts say. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is still waiting to sell the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel, one of its limited number of trophy properties, but it had no problem marketing another of its key assets in London recently.