Category: News

  • News: Hotel Indigo set to go into Brighton

    IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has signed its first Hotel Indigo in Brighton, Hotel Indigo Brighton – New England Quarter.

    The 94-room property, scheduled to open in early 2014, will operate under a franchise agreement with Fourshore Ltd.

    The new build hotel would be located practically the historic railway station and, like each Hotel Indigo property, would be uniquely designed to mirror the community, character and history of the encircling area. The hotel will take much of its influence from the arches and the artist community that now exhibit beneath them.

    IHG’s Chief Development Officer Europe, Robert Shepherd, said: “The signing of the Hotel Indigo Brighton – New England Quarter, highlights the logo’s continued strong growth in Europe following its introduction to the region in 2009.

    “It’s a testament to the strength of the brand, which mixes the distinctiveness of a boutique hotel with the peace of mind and reliability of a giant hotel company. Hotel Indigo is one in all our newest brands and was an excellent success. We opened our 50th hotel worldwide last year and feature another 47 inside the pipeline, 13 of that are in Europe.” Shepherd added.

    Every Hotel Indigo includes a positive bar and restaurant that’s open to both guests and locals. All Hotel Indigo properties in Europe offer free wi-fi within the hotel as a brand standard. Hotels also offer 24 hour room service and a fitness centre.

    The signing of Hotel Indigo Brighton – New England Quarter, is the newest development for the emblem which has seen the hole of 5 Hotel Indigo hotels in Europe in 2012. Pipeline cities, including St Petersburg, Cannes and Düsseldorf, will open within the following few years.

    There are currently 11 Hotel Indigo properties open in Europe with an extra 13 inside the pipeline.

  • News: Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner takes flight

    An Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner has taken off from Addis Ababa, marking the primary commercial flight by the Boeing aircraft since all 787s were
    grounded thanks to battery malfunctions.

    The 50 planes around the globe were grounded in January after two lithium-ion battery meltdowns that occurred on two jets within two weeks.

    The grounding of the Dreamliner fleet may have cost Boeing an $600 million, in accordance with reports, with deliveries being paused all over the world.

    Over the past few week Boeing engineers were fitting new batteries to the aircraft.

    The Ethiopian Airlines plane, which was bound for Nairobi, Kenya, landed safely at 11:45 local time.

  • UNITE HERE launches website for Hyatt Hotel owners

    UNITE HERE has launched a domain for owners of hotels managed by Hyatt Hotels Corporation. HyattMismanaged.org examines Hyatt’s performance as hotel manager for its owners and gives a database of management agreements, leases, and other public records.

    Hyatt plans to expand the variety of hotels under its brand “primarily by going in new management and franchising agreements,” and recently announced its intention to sell six full-service hotels but maintain long-term management agreements. However, Hyatt has recently lost management of high-profile properties in disputes with owners and will be poised to lose more as management agreements expire.

    HyattMismanaged.org investigates Hyatt’s record as a manager for third-party hotel owners, and raises questions that current and prospective owners of Hyatt hotels should consider, including:

    How do Hyatt’s management fees and operating expenses compare with its peers
    Why have owners recently dropped Hyatt as a manager
    How have the charges Hyatt charges owners impacted their ability to pay down debt
    The site also provides a library of Hyatt’s lease and management agreements, allowing owners to match deal terms across multiple properties.

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  • News: Denis Hennequin removed as Accor’s chairman and CEO

    Accor’s Board of Directors met today on the request of its Chairman, Denis Hennequin, with all Directors in attendance.

    During this meeting, the entire Directors came to the joint conclusion concerning the Group’s situation: that the tactic adopted is the best one and that it’ll remain unchanged. However, given current economic conditions and the rapid transformation of its competitive environment, Accor must accelerate the implementation of this strategy with a purpose to reinforce its positions. The Board therefore requested that the pinnacle priority receive to focusing energy and resources on transforming Accor’s business model. The Board took note of Denis Hennequin’s reservations and unanimously voted to terminate his mandate with immediate effect from April 23, 2013.

    The Board paid tribute to the measures initiated by Denis Hennequin over greater than two years to refocus Accor’s business, expand the crowd internationally and reinforce its brands. These results will allow the gang to commence a brand new stage of its development with confidence.

    The Board decided to put in a transition executive team: Philippe Citerne, previously ViceChairman of Accor’s Board, is appointed Non-Executive Chairman of Accor, and Sébastien Bazin becomes Vice-Chairman of the Board. Yann Caillère, previously President and Chief Operating Off icer is appointed as Chief Executive Officer.

    Lastly, the AGM held this Thursday April 25, was chaired by Philippe Citerne.

    Philippe Citerne, Non-Executive Chairman of Accor’s Board of Directors declared: “On behalf of the Board, i need to pay tribute to Denis Hennequin’s new and inventive perspective at the hospitality business and for the standard of our exchanges during his mandate as Chairman and CEO, and in addition on the time of his departure. i’m confident at some point development of the crowd.”

    Denis Hennequin declared: “I am particularly pleased with the work achieved by our team s, franchisees and partners under my guidance. Together, we’ve got successfully expanded Accor enabling record growth during the last two years and making a new, dynamic brand-based approach. i’m confident that everybody will continue to uphold the values that drive the group’s success: a spirit of con quest, imagination, performance, trust and respect.”

    Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is found in 92 countries with greater than 3,500 hotels and 450,000 rooms. Accor’s broad portfolio of hotel brands – Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and hotelF1 – provide an in depth offer from luxury to budget. With greater than 160,000 employees in Accor brand hotels worldwide, the crowd offers its clients and partners 45 years of know-how and expertise.

  • News: The 506-key Crowne Plaza Madinah opens in Saudi Arabia

    InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the biggest international hotel group in Saudi Arabia both by choice of rooms and collection of hotels, has opened Crowne Plaza Madinah today. The hole marks the primary Crowne Plaza hotel inside the Holy City.

    Crowne Plaza Madinah is found within the centre of Madinah with 506 stylish rooms and suites on offer to guests, including 259 twin standard rooms and 49 king standard rooms. Just steps away is Masjid Nabawi, the second one holiest site in Islam and one of many largest mosques on the planet, making the hotel ideal for religious travellers.

    The hotel is determined to become a hub for events, meetings and conferences with state-of-the-art facilities on the disposal of corporate travellers. The hotel incorporates a multi-functional business centre, five fully-equipped meeting rooms and free internet access in the course of the hotel.

    Crowne Plaza Madinah also presents a number of cuisines to fit every palate. Al Rawdha, the hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant, will feature delicacies from the center East, Indonesia and India, while Orchid Café will present a mixture of traditional and international specialities. Gastronomic delights await diners at Fish Market, which treats guests to a spectacular seafood dining experience.

    Mostafa Blanco, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Madinah, commented: “With the only of the correct locations within the Holy City of Madinah, we’re confident that Crowne Plaza Madinah is the best destination, not just for religious travellers, but in addition for business and leisure guests. Our ideal location, combined with fantastic facilities and the ideal service that the hospitality industry has to provide, signifies that we’re offering guests the suitable package. We glance forward to a hectic opening.”

    Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East and Africa for IHG, added: “We have a protracted history within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, having opened our first hotel inside the country in 1975, and we’re happy with our commitment to the rustic. This can be our fourth Crowne Plaza in Saudi Arabia and we’re confident that, like its sister hotels, it’ll enjoy resounding success.”

    IHG is currently the most important international hotel company in Saudi Arabia, both by selection of hotels (23) and by variety of rooms (5,600). Crowne Plaza Madinah is the fourth IHG hotel inside the Holy Cities of Madinah and Makkah, alongside three InterContinental hotels: InterContinental Dar Al Iman, InterContinental Dar Al Hijra and InterContinental Dar Al Tawhid.

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