IHG to Open InterContinental Hayman Island Resort After AUD100 Million Renovation

UK-based hospitality company, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), will open InterContinental Hayman Island Resort on 1 July 2019. Hayman Island is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands, right on the Great Barrier Reef and part of the Cumberland Islands, which are located off the coast of Central Queensland, Australia. Located on a 988-acre private island, the 166-key luxury resort is the only property on the island and has undergone an AUD100 million-dollar refurbishment. Offering rooms, suites, and eight villas located right on the beach front, it also features five food and beverage outlets, a spa with 13 treatment rooms, a resort boutique, kids club, a fitness centre, meeting facilities for groups of up to 300, a variety of water sports, cruises to the Great Barrier Reef and a PADI SCUBA dive centre. The newly built Beach House, a new collection of luxury private residences, offers three more suites and multiple private pools. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 3,650 hotels and 543,775 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Hilton Hotels & Resorts  (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As of 2017, there were more than 570 Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties in 85 countries and territories across six continents. Properties are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is Hilton's flagship brand and one of the largest hotel brands in the world. The brand is targeted at both business and leisure travelers with locations in major city centers, near airports, convention centers, and popular vacation destinations around the world. Hilton Hotels & Resorts participates in Hilton Honors, Hilton's guest loyalty program. Members who book directly through Hilton-owned channels receive exclusive discounts and amenities such as free Wi-Fi, digital check-in, keyless entry, and the ability to use a mobile app to choose specific rooms. CONTACT  HiltonNewsRoom  HiltonNewsRoom  HiltonNewsRoom  Hilton.com

Introducing Marriott's new plan in hospitality

Booking Online Reservation

Booking.com was formed when bookings.nl, founded in 1996 by Geert-Jan Bruinsma, merged in 2000 with Bookings Online, founded by Sicco and Alec Behrens, Marijn Muyser and Bas Lemmens, which operated as Bookings.org. The name and URL were changed to Booking.com and Stef Noorden was appointed as its CEO. In 1997, Bruinsma wanted to post an ad in De Telegraaf, the Dutch newspaper with the highest circulation. The ad was rejected since De Telegraaf only accepted ads with the phone number, not with a website. In 2002, Expedia refused to buy bookings.nl. In July 2005, the company was acquired by Booking Holdings (or Priceline Group, as it was named at the time) for $133 million, and later it cooperated with ActiveHotels.com, a European online hotel reservation company, purchased by Booking Holdings/Priceline for $161 million. In 2006, Active Hotels Limited officially changed its name to Booking.com Limited.[7] The integration successfully helped its parent improve its financial position from a loss of $19 million in 2002 to $1.1 billion in profit in 2011. This acquisition was praised by some social media as “the best acquisition in Internet history” since no other acquisition in the digital travel market had been shown to be as profitable. Darren Huston was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Booking.com in September 2011 by its parent company, and also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Booking Holdings since 1 January 2014 until his resignation on 28 April 2016 after an at-work relationship was revealed. CONTACT  Bookingcom  Bookingcom  Bookingcom  Booking.com  Support@Booking.com

Booking.com ready to buy more companies

High-growth companies slow down as they expand. Booking.com is hoping to defy that by investing into new markets like alternative accommodations. But progress has been slow. During the first-quarter, Booking Holdings saw its total revenues decline 3 percent, year-over-year, to $2.8 billion. One path to new growth could be more acquisitions, CEO Glenn Fogel suggested on an earnings call last week. During the call, Fogel said three times that he was considering opportunistic mergers and acquisitions. It wasn’t clear what size company or sector he had in mind. The inferred context was that the conglomerate has several opportunities to knit together an interlocking set of travel services to do a better job of cross-selling and upselling customers on an array of products throughout the life of a trip.

IHG Group New Technology

Canopy by Hilton Venice City Centre Announced for 2021

Hilton is set to introduce its upscale lifestyle brand, Canopy by Hilton, to Italy with the arrival of a new hotel planned in Venice. The news follows a management agreement between Hilton and Marseglia Group, owners of Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. Patrick Fitzgibbon, Senior Vice President, Development, EMEA, Hilton, said, "Hilton has enjoyed a presence in Venice for more than a decade with Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. During that time, we have been focused on delivering exceptional guest experiences, creating meaningful employment and making a sustainable contribution to the local economy - a legacy that is set to continue with the arrival of Canopy by Hilton. The new hotel will contribute to the ongoing urban regeneration of the local neighbourhood of Cannaregio and create a vibrant meeting place for guests and local residents alike." Gary Steffen, Global Head, Canopy by Hilton, Hilton, said, "Canopy by Hilton is rooted in the local neighbourhood, and we're particularly excited to incorporate and celebrate the unique cultural, culinary and artistic influences of Cannaregio area in Venice. Canopy by Hilton Venice City Centre will be a stunning addition to our growing lifestyle portfolio in Europe, which already includes trading hotels in Reykjavik and Zagreb." Leonardo Marseglia, President of Marseglia Group said, "This is an important project for the relaunch of the historical city centre of Venice, revitalising a part of the city currently in a state of neglect and degradation and unlocking a new and vibrant neighbourhood where local residents and visitors can enjoy the best of Venetian hospitality in the new Botanical Gardens. We are proud to be continuing our partnership with Hilton on this spectacular new project." Canopy by Hilton Venice City Centre will join more than 30 Hilton hotels trading or under development across Italy when it opens in 2021. The hotel will be incorporated within the redevelopment of the existing buildings of the Venetian Botanical Gardens which date back to the 19th century. Canopy by Hilton hotels are thoughtfully curated to appeal to travellers seeking a locally inspired experience, with unique interiors that are influenced by the culture and history of the neighbourhood. Guests are welcomed by friendly Enthusiasts with expert local knowledge and recommendations and are invited to immerse themselves with local food and drink tastings and use of the complimentary Canopy by Hilton bicycles to explore the city. The introduction of Canopy by Hilton in Italy follows plans announced earlier this year to welcome guests at two new hotels in France, in Bordeaux and Paris. The new Canopy hotels join spectacular European properties in Reykjavik and Zagreb, with a further hotel under construction in London.

New DACH-focused conglomerate makes maiden hotel purchase in Hamburg

In a bid to create solid long-term investments, the Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK) has partnered with GBI AG, a German project development company, to invest in and manage hotel properties in Europe’s Germany (D), Austria (A), and Switzerland (CH) — or DACH — region via a fund created by Frankfurt-based Universal-Investment. The new fund’s strategy is to build a high-value, long-term portfolio. An initial investment of €500 million ($560 million) will go towards this goal. With about €77 billion ($98 billion) of managed funds, the BVK is one of Germany’s most important institutional investors. BUILDING A NEW PORTFOLIO The collaboration between GBI and BVK officially began in early 2019 when the purchase of the fund’s first hotel property, the Lindner Hotel Am Michel in Hamburg, was decided. “Set in a perfect downtown location in one of Germany’s most dynamic hospitality markets, this 4-star hotel is a fitting first step for the fund,” says Simon Behr, Director of Fund Management & Transaction at GBI AG. Opened in 2008, the 4-star hotel set in Neanderstreet has 259 modern rooms and comes with a large events and conference space with seven meeting rooms. After being run by Lloyd Fonds AG for over 10 years, it has now been sold to BVK’s new fund.

Five-star luxury hotel Lucknam Park invests £250k in six-week spa refresh

Luxury five-star country house hotel Lucknam Park has recently invested £250k into refreshing its spa facilities as part of a six-week project. The hotel has given its ESPA spa a facelift, relining and refurbishing the main pool and hydro pools, as well as introducing a new sauna featuring a Himalayan salt feature. The sauna and steam rooms within the changing rooms have been revamped and a new ice feature installed. The gym now boasts a new mural wall with an image of Lucknam Park’s driveway, to ‘bring the outdoors in’. In December, it was revealed that managing director Claire Randall was to leave her position as managing director to take up a role at The Idle Rocks and St Mawes Hotel in Truro in March. During her time at Lucknam Park, she was been an integral part of the property’s development and evolution, overseeing a £20m investment project and the launch of the spa in 2008. The 42-bedroom hotel is set in 500 acres of grounds and is home to the Michelin-star Restaurant Hywel Jones, the luxury ESPA spa and cookery school.

AB Hotels reclaims Crowne Plaza Colchester Hotel back as independent

AB Hotels, headed up the Bejerano family, has moved its Essex hotel back to independent status after seven years operating under the Crowne Plaza brand. The four-star Crowne Plaza Colchester Five Lakes hotel, which was acquired by AB Hotels in 1994, has also reclaimed its original name and will now be known as Five Lakes Resort. AB Hotels director, Rafi Bejerano said that the decision was made to ‘move away from the corporate approach of a branded hotel’ and restore the ‘personal touch and family feel’ associated with AB Hotels. “Being independent again gives us the opportunity to be more flexible, dynamic and respond quickly to the needs of the market,” he said. “The response has been tremendous so far and we are looking forward to re-establishing direct personal relationships with our agents, suppliers and loyal customers.” The news comes just a few months after the family decided to sell their London property, The Arch, to StayWell Holdings, a hotel and leisure company in Japan. AB Hotels also owns Sopwell House in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Cristiano Ronaldo visits the construction process of his new hotel in Morocco

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

At Four Seasons , we believe in recognizing a familiar face, welcoming a new one and treating everyone we meet the way we would want to be treated ourselves. Whether you work with us, stay with us, live with us or discover with us, we believe our purpose is to create impressions that will stay with you for a lifetime. It comes from our belief that life is richer when we truly connect to the people and the world around us. CONTACT  FourSeasons  FourSeasons  FourSeasons  FourSeasons.com