Posts Tagged Resort News

Four Points by Sheraton Debuts Flagship Vacation Resort Property

May 27, 2009 at 4:46 am · Filed under Properties ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Four Points by Sheraton today announces the grand opening of its flagship vacation resort property Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside and the unveiling of the brand’s new Getaway Lifestyle Design Package. Owned by a partnership lead by Interdevco & Christopher Companies, LLC (aka I & C Development), the newly constructed, 106-room resort is ideally located on the Charlotte Harbor waterfront in Punta Gorda, Florida.
The debut of the first Four Points by Sheraton vacation resort is another important step in the brand’s comprehensive, global rejuvenation campaign. In the past five years, Starwood and its partners have invested more than $1 billion to reinvent Four Points by Sheraton resulting in a 70 percent turnover of the portfolio driven by major property renovations, conversions and new-build hotels.

Guest rooms at Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside will also introduce travelers to the brand’s new Getaway Design. Reminiscent of a lake house or breezy beach cottage, the new design features crisp white and honey-colored woods with blue and green accents, and joins the brand’s existing City View and New Homestead interior design packages. The hotel’s spacious and comfortable guest rooms are also equipped with a 32-inch flat screen television, free bottled water, complimentary high-speed Internet and the signature Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort BedB..

Punta Gorda is a great choice for our first vacation resort, and will provide guests with the sun-filled, relaxing setting they need to unwind, plus our fresh and inspiring new room design, said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty Select Brands, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Worldwide, Inc. We pride ourselves on providing travelers with just what they want and need a welcoming atmosphere, spacious rooms and little indulgences to help them unwind at the end of the day.

Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside is a short stroll to the cobblestone streets of the recently revitalized downtown Punta Gorda. Rich in marine history and ecological treasures, Punta Gorda boasts a variety of waterfront parks, piers and unspoiled waterways for canoeing, fishing and sailing. Guests will enjoy easy access to Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center, Fisherman’s Village, Cape Haze, the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico and several golf courses.

After taking in the sights and sounds of Punta Gorda, guests will be invited to kick back and relax in the hotel’s family room while enjoying a fresh cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee. Domestic and international brews will be served in the hotel lounge, courtesy of the popular Four Points by Sheraton Best BrewsB. program. Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside will also offer a full-service restaurant, fitness facility and heated outdoor pool, as well as complimentary high-speed Internet access throughout the resort.

source : http://www.hotelinteractive.com

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Hotel Equities Names Jeff Shockley the Director of Financial Analysis and Owner Relations

May 12, 2009 at 4:48 am · Filed under General ·Tagged , , , ,

Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) recently named Jeff Shockley to the position of Director of Financial Analysis and Owner Relations.

His responsibilities include monthly financial reviews as needed and annual budgeting and forecasting for the company’s portfolio of hotels. He will also serve as a liaison between Hotel Equities and the owners of the hotels in the HE portfolio. Mr. Shockley reports to Alan Bennett, Senior Vice President and CFO.

“Jeff has worked for our company for more than 14 years and has a depth of experience in operations as well as the financial part of the business,” said Fred Cerrone, President and CEO of Hotel Equities. “He is an outstanding asset to our management team.”

Beginning as an Assistant General Manager at the Fairfield Inn-Alpharetta, Mr. Shockley moved up quickly to General Manager, Team Leader and later to Financial Analyst for Hotel Equities. Marriott named him GM of the Year for the Fairfield Inn brand in 1997 and again in 2006 from a field of more than 550 hotels nationwide. .

Mr. Shockley holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Georgia. Married with two children, he enjoys golf, tennis and coaching Little League baseball.

Hotel Equities (HE) is an Atlanta-based full-scale hotel management, development and consulting firm. Frederick W. Cerrone, CHA, serves as President and CEO. HE presently manages 42 properties in the Southeast.

source : http://www.hotelinteractive.com

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Another luxury hotel for Sandton

May 8, 2009 at 4:41 am · Filed under hotel ·Tagged , , , , ,

Southern Sun’s Pivot brings its investment at Montecasino to R3bn.

Never mind global depression, Southern Sun Thursday announced it is to spend R700m on a new hotel at Montecasino, Sandton.

The new hotel will be a four star unit with 194 rooms, 98 of them “double-doubles”. There will be a casino, in-room gaming, a 350 seat conference centre and a 14 000 square metre office block adjacent to the hotel. It will have, not a Tuscan but a Florentine style.

Southern Sun and Tsogo Sun, its parent, have already spent R2,5bn in the Montecasino area, which attracts 9m visitors a year (up to 80 000 a day).

Southern Sun is putting the finishing touches to a four star unit at Hyde Park and the Radison group is building a new hotel in Maude St. with the Sandton Sun, the Towers, the Garden Court and the Grayston.Southern Sun is well represented

Chairman Jabu Mabuza said Southern Sun has to look eight years into the future. Today’s dire straits are no deterrent.

The two new Gauteng hotels bring its portfolio of hotels to 58.

CEO Graham Wood said Southern Sun received a major bonus recently, when the IPL Cricket tournament was moved to SA. This lifted flagging occupancies dramatically. He says the Confederation Cup, the Lions rugby tour, the Fifa World Cup and the England cricket tour to SA should keep the tills ringing while the new hotel is built.

Mabuza told Moneyweb that Tsogo turns over some R6bn in its hotels and casinos but no consideration has been given to listing it.

source : http://www.moneyweb.co.za

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Quinlan’s luxury hotels in London lose €10m

May 8, 2009 at 4:39 am · Filed under hotel ·Tagged , , ,

DEREK QUINLAN’S luxury hotels in London slipped into the red last year, reporting an after-tax loss of £9.3 million (€10.4 million) in the year to the end of June 2008.

This compares with a profit of just under £8 million recorded in 2007 by the five-star Connaught, Claridge’s and Berkeley hotels.

Accounts for Coroin Ltd, just filed with the Companies Office in the UK, indicate that the turnaround was due to a drop in turnover, increased sales and administration costs, a hike in interest payments and a large tax charge.

“The group’s focus in 2009 is on the continual enhancement of its property portfolio,” the directors’ report states, adding that planning approval was received in late 2007 to increase the size of both Claridge’s and the Berkeley. “The directors believe that the worldwide economic conditions will impact trading . . . but that the hotels are well placed to address the situation,” the directors added.

Coroin’s turnover fell by 0.3 per cent to £93.9 million. Its room occupancy rate was 83.8 per cent, down from 84.9 per cent in 2007. Revenue per available room rose by 11.1 per cent to £361.

The hotel group spent £2 million retaining a significant majority of key operating staff in the Connaught Hotel.

“Key performance indicators experienced by the Connaught since reopening support the view that the newly refurbished hotel will trade in the future at levels above that previously experienced,” the accounts state.

Coroin’s interest bill weighed on its bottom line. Interest payments rose to £38.7 million last year from £34.1 million in the previous 12-month period. Net debt increased to £572.3 million from £486.9 million. The debt is due to be repaid on December 31st, 2010.

Coroin took a £1.4 million tax charge during the financial year, compared with a tax credit of £7 million in the previous period.

Coroins directors include Mr Quinlan, Davy boss Kyran McLaughlin and Irish property developer Paddy McKillen. Riverdance promoters Moya Doherty and John McColgan stepped down in July 2008 after selling out to other shareholders in the group.

source : http://www.irishtimes.com

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Nick Seewer Celebrates 20th Anny As Managing Director Of Mount Nelson Hotel And Orient-Express Hotels Africa

April 22, 2009 at 5:36 am · Filed under hotel ·Tagged , , , ,

Mount Nelson Hotel, which is celebrating its 110th birthday this year, is known for its high number of long-serving staff. At least 20 permanent staff members have been with the hotel for over 15 years. Nick Seewer, who celebrates his 20th anniversary as Managing Director of Mount Nelson Hotel and Orient-Express Hotels Africa, is no exception.

Nick Seewer’s globe-trotting youth inspired him to follow a career in the travel and hospitality business. A Swiss national, his early years were spent in India. He studied in England, attended the Lausanne hotel school in Switzerland, and trained at top Swiss hotels, before relocating to South Africa to work at some of the country’s best hotels finally landing at Mount Nelson Hotel in 1989.

“I distinctly remember arriving at the hotel at six in the morning on April 1, 1989. Excited as I was to be running one of the country’s best known hotels, I approached my new role with trepidation as she was in need of a lot of care and attention”, says Mr. Seewer.

Over the years, Seewer has been influential in implementing changes to reclaim Mount Nelson Hotel’s timeless elegance and flawless reputation.

“My biggest and most rewarding challenge was to make the hotel more accessible to the local market. We managed to accomplish this through an extensive refurbishment and by introducing what has become our world famous Afternoon Tea buffet, restructuring our restaurants and their food concepts and opening the Planet Champagne and Cocktail Bar, which has become the city’s celebrity hotspot” adds Seewer.

Other highlights include playing host to some of the world’s most colorful characters, opening the Orient-Express Safari Camps in Botswana in 1992, and launching Mount Nelson Hotel’s sister property, The Westcliff, in Johannesburg in 1998. However, it was one distinct moment in 1993 that truly illustrates Nick Seewer’s overall experience at Mount Nelson.

“The hotel closed for six months to undergo repairs to damages incurred by an electrical fire. When it reopened, the entire staff contingent lined up along Palm Avenue and gave me a surprise welcome when I arrived. It was such a touching gesture symbolic of the hotel’s warmth and hospitality – something which inspires many of our guests to remark that coming back to the hotel is like coming home”.

Source: hotelinteractive

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