Second London hotel for Malaysia's YTL Hotels
A second London hotel for Malaysia's YTL HotelsMalaysia's YTL Hotels is on track to open the Academy Hotel in August in London's Bloomsbury district.
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HotStats UK Chain Hotels Market Review for June 2018
June 2018: UK Hotels Record First Profit Growth in a Challenging Year Hotels in the UK recorded a 3.0% increase in profit per room in June, which was the first monthly year-on-year growth in this measure since the beginning of 2018 and was thanks to an uplift in revenue which outpaced the ongoing increase in costs, according to the latest worldwide poll of full-service hotels from HotStats.
IHG® Becomes UK’s Leading Luxury Hotel Operator
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group®) has today confirmed the UK debut locations for its boutique brand Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants and its recently launched upscale brand, voco™ Hotels. This move follows the announcement made in May of an agreement with Covivio (formerly Foncière des Régions), to rebrand and operate 12 high-quality open hotels in the UK and one pipeline hotel. Nine of the hotels join IHG's brand portfolio today, making IHG the UK's leading luxury hotel operator. The remaining three open hotels are anticipated to be added in the coming weeks.
The Serviced Apartment Sector in Europe: Alive and Kicking
The last year marked a true consolidation of the serviced apartment industry, which has now found its place within the accommodation sector and in the investor community. This year's article includes the latest announcements in the sector, analyses the different operating models used within the industry through the review of the 2018 survey results, and looks at the future pipeline as well as the latest investment transactions in the market. HVS has conducted a survey to observe and understand the shift in trends in terms of the different operating structures and models used within the sector. The results show a real strengthening of the use of management agreements and the rise of franchises, providing operators with more flexible structures that enable the current expansion needs of brands and reduce the operator's risks. The results also give us no doubt that serviced apartment operating models and structures are increasingly moving towards the hotel sector. Hotel operators are keeping an eye on the rising competition and the serviced apartment sector is getting more and more crowded. Brands are benefiting from complete makeovers, being repositioned and new trendy concepts are emerging, such as Cuckooz Nest with its fusion of coworking spaces with childcare, and Cotels 7Zero1 fitness-focused serviced apartments.In terms of branded extended-stay product, yet another hotel group is jumping on the serviced apartments bandwagon, demonstrating the growing interest of hotel groups in this product type. Yotel has announced the arrival of Yotelpad, compact homes with clever design and smart technology, with already five deals signed. Others are adding new brands to their serviced apartment portfolio: Staycity has announced a premium brand, Wilde Aparthotels.The European serviced apartment pipeline has boomed compared to last year, approaching 20,000 units over the next five years. This is nearly double compared to last year's article, and thus it is safe to say that investors and developers see true potential in the sector. Brands are looking into consolidating their presence in those markets where they are already present, as well as expanding into new locations. The focus is not only on Western Europe; interest is starting to be shown in Central and Eastern Europe, in countries such as Austria and Poland, where further potential in the market can be found.There have been a limited number of serviced apartment transactions and there is relatively little transparency in terms of sales prices. However, recent transactions such as the acquisition of SACO by Brookfield are thought to result in an increase in awareness, security and transparency for the sector, as serviced apartments are starting to be perceived as an investor-friendly asset class.We would like to thank all of the survey participants for their generous input into the study. Your opinions and experiences are crucial in facilitating understanding of this thriving sector. We urge more operators in the sector to recognise the value of sharing data to enable serviced apartments to gain more attention from potential investors.Much has been announced in terms of product and brand expansion in the past year; we take a look at what has actually materialised.
By Arlett Hoff and Magalí Castell
Geoffrey Gelardi Honored for Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality Industry
Veteran hotelier Geoffrey Gelardi was awarded with the Cateys 2018: Special Award, one of the most prestigious accolades in the hospitality industry, presented by UK-based publication The Caterer. The honor recognizes Mr. Gelardi's achievement as the longest tenured managing director of a luxury property in London and his enduring commitment to the guests and staff at The Lanesborough.
Europe’s Largest Residence Inn By Marriott Opens In London
Marriott International, Inc. has announced the opening of Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, the largest property in the extended-stay brand's European portfolio.
Marco Novella has been appointed as General Manager at The Lanesborough
A key figure in the profession, Marco Novella succeeds Managing Director Geoffrey Gelardi and joins Oetker Collection after a successful career in prestigious hotel groups across Europe. He started as General Manager of the St. Regis Hotel in Rome in 1999 and became General Manager of Gritti Palace in Venice, another property of the Starwood Group. In 2010 he took the head of the renowned and highly confidential Villa San Michele in Florence. Most recently he became General Manager of Brown's London in 2016.
Kristen Richter has been appointed as Vice President of Revenue Optimization at Radisson Hotel Group
Radisson Hotel Group today announced the appointment of Kristen Richter as Vice President of Revenue Optimization in the Americas. In this role, Richter will drive the overall Revenue Optimization vision and strategies in the Americas, working closely with global partners to define new best practices. She will lead the Americas Revenue Optimization team, which includes Strategy, Revenue Optimization Services and Revenue Generation Systems Support. These teams play a critical role in driving and maximizing revenue through defining strategic initiatives, executing programs to increase market share performance and implementing Revenue Generation systems for franchised and managed hotels in the Americas.
Chris Meehan has been appointed as Director of Sales & Marketing at Hard Rock Hotel London
Hard Rock Hotel London has announced the appointment of Chris Meehan as Director of Sales & Marketing at the soon-to-open 1000-bedroom hotel. Joining General Manager, Oliver Kahf, Meehan is the latest addition to the new senior management team, as the hotel gears up to launch in spring 2019.
LRC Group acquires Amaris Hospitality and adds seven new hotels to its growing hotel platform
LRC Group ("LRC"), the fast-growing pan-European property investor and manager, today announced it has acquired Amaris Hospitality and has agreed to add seven Hilton-branded hotels from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. ("Oaktree") to the Amaris Hospitality portfolio for an undisclosed consideration.
innform.io, a new hassle-free eLearning tool for hospitality companies, announces a free July beta release
innform.io, the new hassle-free eLearning tool for hospitality companies announces a free July beta release. The SaaS tool comes with monthly multilingual readymade courses and a simple user experience.
Hotel Indigo Dundee opens in Scotland’s first UNESCO City of Design
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) one of the world's leading hotel companies, has opened Hotel Indigo® Dundee, in one of Europe's rising design destinations - Dundee, Scotland. Once famous for its textiles, the city's industrial spaces are now filled with artists and collectives, including a thriving gaming community who have helped turn Dundee into the creative heart of the world's computer games industry.
BLLA Abroad - The world’s leading boutique association launches exclusive Boutique Social Club dinner series in London
Since the beginning, the Boutique and Lifestyle Leaders Association's (rebranded from Boutique and Lifestyle Lodging Association) presence has been global. From our international members and early conferences in Paris and London, we have garnered support and cultivated communities all around the globe. Two recent excursions over the pond have solidified our foothold on the boutique community and will foster boutique developments in tomorrow's most sought-after vacation destinations.
STR: Preliminary June data for London hotels
STR's preliminary June 2018 data for London, England, indicates higher occupancy but lower rates. Based on daily data from June, London reported the following in year-over-year comparisons:
Whitbread pulls into Marylebone with planning permission for latest hub by Premier Inn
Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, has secured planning permission for a 294-bedroomhub by Premier Inn hotel at 191 Old Marylebone Road in Marylebone, London NW1.
Joanne Taylor-Stagg has been appointed as General Manager at The Capital London
Joanne Taylor-Stagg is the new general manager at The Capital Hotel and Apartments in Knightsbridge and is also responsible for The Levin Hotel and The London Bakery. Joanne joined from her 2-year role as general manager at The Trafalgar St James where she successfully repositioned the hotel from a 4-star to 5-star luxury. She started her 25-year career in South Africa and has spent 5 years in senior roles with ReDefineBDL (London and Birmingham), and 12 years with Marriott Hotels in the UK. Joanne's extensive experience in all key aspects of hospitality puts her in the perfect position to drive The Capital forward as a part of the prestigious Warwick Hotels & Resorts portfolio. She is a passionate hotelier and leading light among today's dynamic female general managers.
Mark Gallagher has been appointed as General Manager at Crowne Plaza Glasgow
Gallagher, a former head of the Glasgow Hotelier's Association, brings almost 25-years' experience to the InterContinental Hotels Group venue, which is operated by Valor Hospitality Europe.
Javier Beneyto has been appointed as General Manager at COMO Metropolitan London
Beneyto joins the team after successfully launching COMO's newest addition to the collection, COMO Uma Canggu in Bali. Born in Madrid, Javier Beneyto began his career at the Arabella Sheraton Hotel in Palma de Mallorca, while studying hotel management at universities in Spain and Germany. Since graduating he has held managerial positions at hotels across the Caribbean, North America and Europe. At the beginning of 2009, Beneyto became the Hotel Manager of the award-winning Villa Magna Hotel - a five-star Grand Luxe member of Leading Hotels of the World. Beneyto joined COMO Hotels and Resorts in 2012 as acting General Manager of COMO Cocoa Island in the Maldives before filling the same role in London at COMO The Halkin. He then moved to the United States as the opening General Manager of COMO's Metropolitan Miami Beach, before relocating to Bali.
Mark Robson has joined SICO Europe as Sales Director
SICO Incorporated is proud to announce and welcome Mark Robson to the newly created role of Sales Director for SICO® Europe. Mark will be responsible for leading the sales teams across all market segments in all countries managed from SICO's European Business Unit. Mark reports to Mike Bundock, Managing Director SICO Europe. In addition to Mark's leadership experience both domestically and internationally across a variety of industries with major companies such as Sony® and Snap-on® Industrial, Mark brings a wealth of experience in the education sector. Most recently, Mark was sales director at CES Holdings, the largest consolidator of educational furniture, books and equipment to international schools.
Hotel booking websites told to stop 'one room left' warnings - telegraph.co.uk
Hotel booking websites have been told to stop "one room left" warnings designed to pressure holidaymakers into booking, under a crackdown by competition watchdogs. Such warnings are currently used by the UK's most popular booking sites including Expedia and Booking.com to encourage customers to book sooner rather than later. Following an investigation into holiday booking sites the Competition and Markets Authority said it would take firms to court if they did not end unfair and misleading practices.