InterContinental Hotels Group has announces it has agreed to sell InterContinental London Park Lane to Constellation Hotel UK, that is an affiliate of Constellation Hotels, a center Eastern private investment group. IHG’s leasehold interest inside the hotel was sold for gross cash proceeds of £301.5 million, 62 per cent above December 31st 2012 net book value. 
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IHG announces sale of InterContinental London Park Lane for £300m
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Saudi hotel brands to make ATM debut
Saudi Arabia’s Frontel for Hospitality is making its Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this week because the group looks to take its growing portfolio of properties beyond the Kingdom’s borders, with a strategic development plan for the center East.
Owner-operator of the recently renovated five-star Western Alharithia Hotel in Madina, the corporate is raring to become the “Operator of choice” for hotel owners and developers around the region, in step with Rushdi Sherwani, Director Brand Development, Frontel for Hospitality Inc. With three new group hotels set to open within the Kingdom within the next two years, we’re also accelerating our development agenda for the region, and also are seeing growing interest from established markets which includes the UAE, in addition from Iran and Yemen – either one of that are searching for professional operators to come back in and help grow their hospitality base.”
Frontel for Hospitality Inc. also is near to signing for 3 properties in Pakistan because the branded operator or on a franchise basis, having unfolded negotiations for 2 of most vital hospitality landmarks. The 1st is Karachi’s tallest tower, which currently combines a hotel with a shopping center. The second one is Karachi’s largest hotel when it comes to room inventory and the third property is within the industrial city Sialkot Pakistan.
“Showcasing our portfolio of properties at Arabian Travel Market presents us with a possibility to fulfill existing partners in addition to new potential partners. ATM will even provide a platform for us to create awareness of the Frontel brand and our deal with quality. Moving forward, our strategy is to become a prime hospitality player not just inside the Kingdom but in the course of the region,” said Sherwani.
Frontel for Hospitality Inc. is already actively growing brand presence on its home turf, where it could launch its first Frontel property, the 1,350-key Frontel Village Hotel, Madina, in 2014. Located only one kilometre from the city’s key religious sites, and offering a call of 5-star accommodation and facilities housed in five individual seven-storey towers, this may increasingly be followed in 2015 by the debut of a second Madina property.
The luxurious 650-room Frontel Hotel Al Baiya would be situated within the heart of town, and comprises two 10-storey towers, with a footprint of 6,500 square metres, but affording 65,000 square metres of hotel space.
Expansion into the burgeoning mid-market hotel sector could also be portion of the company’s development vision, and it’ll launch its first three-star property in Jeddah in 2016, with the outlet of the Frontel Business Hotel under the branding of ‘Frontel Eco’.
Infrastructure growth throughout the Kingdom has created a wave of interest and investment into new tourism and business travel facilities, and through the ATM week we’re going to be meeting with Hajj and Umrah travel companies and other tour operators from the UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to sow the seeds for future partnerships to support forecasted demand.
Sherwani noted that some 381,000 new hotels rooms are expected to be added to Saudi Arabia’s existing inventory by 2015, representing a 63% increase on 2010 figures. Inbound visitor arrivals also are forecast to grow from 13 million in 2010 to fifteen.8 million by 2014, with the dominion focusing its efforts on providing the mandatory travel infrastructure to spice up domestic, Hajj and Umrah, and the fledgling inbound tourism sector, because it allocates $500m to airport expansion and $7bn investment into the brand new Jeddah airport.
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News: The Park Hotels unveils new look
The Park Hotels, pioneers of design-led boutique hotels in India, introduces a refreshed brand experience, with a revived visual identity and promise. Commencing on 1st April 2013, the 1st phase of the re-brand may be unveiled around the Park Hotels’ 12 properties in 10 Indian cities.
Two years inside the making and costing the gang 2.25 million USD, there’ll be a brand new appear and feel around the hotels, in addition to new experiences rooted within the brand promise “Anything But Ordinary”. This alteration reflects the subsequent phase for The Park Hotels, because it continues to conform.
Priya Paul, Chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd says “The Park Hotels is where unusual experiences are possible. We’re known for creativity and innovation that may be ingrained in our collective DNA. As we keep growing, we realised the necessity to communicate boldly the strength of our brand. The fresh design language strongly reflects contemporary India and our ethos. It’s strikingly bold and captures our personality perfectly.”
“Generations of world travellers share a robust reference to our brand identity and our name and core assets are both recognisable and incredibly powerful,” said Mr Dewan, Managing Director, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd. “The Park Hotels’ way to luxury paves the style in New India and reflects the trendy style that defines our brand today.”
The new logo specializes in the ‘THE’ which both pays homage to The Park being an area to work out and be seen, in addition to a nod to its position because the original “Park Hotel” in India. The recent identity’s simple black and white logo helps to bring the colors and richness of The Park’s environments to the fore, and likewise further differentiates it from its competitors.
The new identity was dropped at life through a number of applications, including digital, collateral, signages and the creation of an impactful brand video. New experiences can also be offered to guests, with some of exciting collaborations within the pipeline, to be announced in a while within the year.
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News: Priceline inks take care of United Airlines
Priceline.com has signed a brand new long-term agreement with United Airlines, with plans to implement the United Technology Application, powered and supported by Farelogix, as the primary connectivity between the two parties.
Priceline.com customers will continue to have access to United fare content, and United and priceline.com will work together to develop innovative ancillary products and services to be delivered through the United Technology Application.
Booking of tickets using the United Technology Application began earlier this year.
“We are excited to roll out this new connectivity and strengthen our long run strategic relationship with United,” said Brigit Zimmerman, priceline.com Vice chairman, Air.
“We continue to develop our relations with efficient and innovative partners like priceline.com and Farelogix,” said Tom O’Toole, United Airlines Sr. Vp, Marketing and Loyalty.
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Dubai opens tourism office in South America
Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is planning to open an office in Brazil in a bid to draw visitors from the growing South American tourism market.
The announcement was made on the World Travel Market Latin America in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Hilal Saeed Al Merri, director general of the DTCM and CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “Brazil is Dubai’s primary business partner in Latin America. So, in delivering our approach to increase visitor numbers from the region, it was the natural location of choice for our first South American representative office.
“Trade between Brazil and the UAE is increasing exponentially and with the connectivity Emirates provides, there’s significant potential to grow this market. By opening this office, we are hoping to double the choice of visitors from Brazil from 40,000 in 2012 to 80,000 in 2014.” He added.
Dubai welcomed approximately 40,000 visitors from Brazil last year.
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