Steinberger Hotels & Resorts: New management structure in Berlin

Peter B. Mikkelsen has been appointed Area General Manager Berlin for Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts as of 1 March. This move means that Mr. Mikkelsen, who has just finished a successful stint as Managing Director of the Steigenberger Hotel Cologne, will be responsible in future for the Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt, the Steigenberger Hotel Berlin at Los Angeles Platz and the Steigenberger Airport Hotel in Berlin.

He will also head up the Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt in the capacity of General Manager. Richard Engelmayer will continue as General Manager of the Steigenberger Hotel Berlin.

Steffi Wisotzky will take up the reins at the Steigenberger Airport Hotel in Berlin, which is scheduled to open in October 2020. Her appointment becomes effective on 1 April 2020.

The General Managers of the Steigenberger Hotels in Dresden, Leipzig and Jena will now all report to Denis Hüttig, Vice President Steigenberger Operations. Katrin Schissler is to become General Manager of the IntercityHotel Hauptbahnhof Berlin, also from 1 April 2020.

Management transition in Oetker Collection - Dr. Timo Gruenert appointed new CEO

Dr. Timo Gruenert will take up CEO position on 1 May 2020. Since July 2009, Dr. Gruenert has held the position of Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Oetker Collection. Based in Baden-Baden, he oversees the financial department and the business development of the company.

Before this , He spent four years in Dr. August Oetker KG, the holding company of the Oetker Collection.

In this function, he assisted the board of personally liable partners with a special focus on business development, the controlling of participating parties, internal consulting as well as mergers and acquisitions

Radisson Hotel Group Announces New Area Senior Vice President Appointments For Eastern Europe , Russia & Turkey AND UK, Ireland & Western Europe

 One of the most dynamic hotel groups in the world, is pleased to announce the new geographical responsibilities of Area Senior Vice President for Central & Southern Europe (CESE), Yilmaz Yildirimlar, and Area Senior Vice President for Northern Europe, Tom Flanagan Karttunen.

Further to their current roles, Yilmaz and Tom have now been appointed as Area Senior Vice Presidents for Eastern Europe, Russia & Turkey (EERUT) and UK, Ireland & Western Europe (UKIWE) respectively

Yilmaz started his career with the Group in Vienna in 1995 and has held several leadership positions at Radisson Blu Hotels in Amsterdam, Manchester and Bucharest. He has served as District Director for South Eastern Europe and Regional Director in Eastern Europe, based in Moscow, until his appointment in 2017 as Area Senior Vice President, Central & Southern Europe.

Originally from Turkey, Yilmaz Yildirimlar studied hotel management and holds an MBA in Finance. He has also achieved several degrees in the fields of leadership, real estate and asset management.

Tom joined Radisson Hotel Group more than 20 years ago and has grown within the company, holding different leadership positions in numerous business areas at Radisson Blu Hotels in Copenhagen, Beijing, Manama, Hamburg and Galway. He has served as District Director Turkey, Azerbaijan & China, based in Istanbul, before being appointed as Area Vice President Eastern Europe & Russia, based in Moscow in 2009, and then Area Senior Vice President, Northern Europe.He has a track record of success in leading Northern Europe, one of Radisson Hotel Group’s most mature markets, and is sure to have equal success in UKIWE

Born in Ireland, Tom holds a Diploma and B.A. Degree in Hotel Management.has played an integral role in ensuring the progression of business growth.

One&Only opens its first resort in Europe

One&Only’s hotly anticipated One & Only Portonovi in Montenegro will begin to welcome guests from 1 July 2020. The ultra-luxury resort will be One&Only’s first in Europe and is set to become the most fashionable destination on the Adriatic.

“The opening of One&Only Portonovi is a milestone in our history, as we continue to expand our ultra-luxury portfolio into new destinations around the world. We are thrilled to introduce the One&Only experience to Europe, in response to demand from our loyal guests,” commented Brett Armitage, Chief Commercial Officer, Kerzner International.

We are particularly excited about our exclusive partnership with Henri Chenot, which will revolutionise the resort wellbeing experience, offering 360-degree wellness programmes for our guests. And for those looking to be part of the One&Only lifestyle, we are thrilled to introduce Private Homes for guests who wish to make this stylish resort their home.

Crowne Plaza - New General Manager to take on hotel duo

M&L, a Singapore-based hotel real estate investor, has appointed Gordon Fraser as Cluster General Manager at the Crowne Plaza Aberdeen Airport and Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen Airport. Managed by Tower Hotel Management, part of the Peel Group, the newly built hotels are located within a short walk of Aberdeen Airport terminal and were recently acquired by the new owners.

Bringing over 20 years of management experience, including eight years with Hilton Worldwide at the Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel, Gordon has immersed himself in multi-site management, mid-market and up-market properties, new builds, distressed properties, change programmes and capital project management throughout his career.

Tower Hotel Management currently operates award-winning hotels under various international brands including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton by Hilton and Ramada Encore by Wyndham. The latest venture, Courtyard by Marriott at Keele University will open in late Autumn 2020.

Peter de la Perrelle, Managing Director at Tower Hotel Management, said: “We’re extremely pleased to welcome Gordon on board. He brings a wealth of hotel operating experience and we look forward to seeing his presence make a difference at the two hotels

Radisson Hotel Group To Open The First Radisson-Branded Hotel, Radisson Hotel Gorizont Rostov-On-Don In Russia

Radisson Hotel Group is proud to announce a new 173-room hotel, the Radisson Hotel Gorizont Rostov-on-Don, set to open in 2020.

Radisson is an upscale hotel brand that delivers Scandinavian-inspired hospitality and enables guests to focus on a work/life balance and find more harmony in their travel experience. Based on building meaningful relationships with guests, it features the famous Yes I Can! service attitude designed to deliver satisfaction to every guest.

Rostov-on-Don is the 10th largest city in Russia with 1.2 million inhabitants. This will be the second hotel opening for Radisson Hotel Group in the city, in addition to the prestigious Radisson Blu that opened in 2017 on the river front.

The hotel, located in the north-west area of the city, will be part of a significant mixed-use development complex, including Gorizont Mall – the largest shopping mall in Rostov-On-Don that showcases more than 350 shops and a multiplex cinema center that can be accessed directly from the hotel.

Hyatt, Terra Group and Turnberry Announce Plans for the First Grand Hyatt Hotel in Miami Beach

Grand Hyatt Miami Beach set to open in 2023 and enhance Miami Beach’s Convention Center District with new public spaces, improved connectivity, and privately funded infrastructure and resiliency upgrades

The 17-story hotel will be situated at the intersection of 17th Street and Convention Center Drive, within walking distance of the Atlantic Ocean beachfront, Lincoln Road Mall, New World Symphony, The Bass Museum and The Fillmore Miami Beach. The hotel development is being led by David Martin of Terra and Jackie Soffer of Turnberry and will be a joint venture between the two development companies.

The new hotel will become only the second Grand Hyatt property in Florida, joining Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. Grand Hyatt hotels are designed to connect guests with iconic experiences, landmarks and cultural touchstones in captivating destinations around the world. Hallmarks of the brand include bold and vibrant design and architecture, elevated amenities and welcoming service that creates moments of more.

Hotel features are expected to include 12 floors of guest rooms offering expansive views of Miami Beach, two floors of meeting spaces and ballrooms that will complement the Convention Center, a resort-style pool deck with panoramic views, and limited retail space that will activate the district at street level. An elevated skybridge will enable event attendees to move freely between the hotel and Convention Center in a climate-controlled, art-filled corridor.

Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts in Berlin presents new Area General Manager

The former General Manager of the Hotel Steigenberger in Koln since 2016, Peter B. Mikkelsen, now holds the position of General Manager of the Berlin region

In his new role, He will be responsible for the Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt, the Steigenberger Hotel Berlin in Los Angeles Platz and the Steigenberger Airport Hotel in Berlin. He will also manage the Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt as General Manager. The new manager has training as a hotel specialist and holds a degree in hotel management. He also held the position of General Manager at the Radisson Blu in Warsaw and has gathered further experience at business hotels operated by Sheraton, Hilton and Rezidor

Two new appointments at Palladium Hotel Group

Gabriel Rodriguez takes on the position of Director of Sales in Canada and Hugh Goodwin is appointed Director of Sales - Strategic Accounts for the Spanish hotel chain.

In his new position, Gabriel Rodriguez will strengthen the group's relations with Canadian travel agencies. He is a sales and marketing professional with more than nineteen years of experience in the travel industry, particularly in North American markets

Hugh Goodwin will be responsible for relationships and overall account management for strategic clients. He is also an established professional in the travel, airline and hospitality industries.

L+R Hotels announces that Petra Deuter has been promoted to 2 newly-created senior management roles

Petra Joined L+R Hotels in 2017 as Director of Operations,now she has been promoted to Executive Director Iconic Luxury Hotels – International & Head of Talent Development L+R Hotels

She is now responsible for developing L+R Hotels' Iconic Luxury Hotels international brand positioning and operational and commercial structures, with a mission to growing its portfolio.

She will be driving the development and international expansion plans for Iconic Luxury Hotels, part of the L+R Hotels portfolio, in the coming years.

She continues to lead the career development approaches for L+R Hotels and is ambassador for all L+R Hotels' programmes, overseeing their creation and implementation, fostering employer branding, development opportunities and succession planning.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Announces First Project in Fort Worth

Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants will open a boutique hotel in downtown Fort Worth, an adaptive reuse of the historic XTO Energy Headquarters building and it is set to open in the spring of 2021 and will mark the third property for the boutique hotel company in Texas, joining Kimpton hotels in Austin and a Dallas project slated to open this summer.

Fort Worth’s Bennet Benner Partners Architects and Los Angeles based Forcheilli Glynn interior designers will oversee the project, alongside Kimpton’s Global Senior Vice President of Design Ave Bradley. 

Mike DeFrino, Chief Executive Officer, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, said: “Texas is a natural place to expand our brand. Adding Fort Worth to our portfolio, alongside Austin and Dallas is vital to our growth in the Southwest. Development Services Group is the ideal partner to help bring Kimpton to this part of the state and to the historically rich, energetic and exciting community of Fort Worth.”

BWH Hotel Group starts 2020 with 15 new hotels and projects in Central Europe

BWH Hotel Group Central Europe, is now present in ten countries in the region: Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Hungary. The forthcoming properties will target different groups and will operate under one of the BWH Hotel Group's brands: four city hotels in Cottbus, Essen, Frankfurt and Prague, two hotels with a more leisure-oriented profile in Ottobeuren in the German Allgaeu region and Zell am See in Austria, a design hotel in Einbeck in Germany and a 351-room hotel in Hanover.

 The Group also highlighted the potential of soft brands such as BW Signature Collection, BW Premier Collection and Sure Hotel Collection, as well as the new lifestyle brand Aiden by Best Western, which debuted on the German market in January 2020 with the opening of a 109-room hotel.

Best Western Hotels & Resorts added 3 midscale brands from the WorldHotels Group to its portfolio and recently opened Fleming's Express Hotel Wuppertal was welcomed as a new member of the brand.

In 2020, Best Western Hotels & Resorts is consolidating its position as the 5th largest hotel group in Europe and France with 85,435 and 14,826 rooms respectively. More recently, Best Western France announced a positive balance sheet of activities in 2019, particularly in terms of development and growth in turnover volume.

IHG opens second Indigo Hotel in Madrid

The brand's third address in Spain and second in Madrid is located in Calle Princesa, one of the capital's most dynamic shopping districts.

After Barcelona and then Madrid in 2014, IHG's lifestyle brand is moving to the Spanish capital with the Hotel Indigo Madrid Princesa. The hotel has 101 rooms that stand out for their design based on the nature and vegetation of the Parque del Oeste. The design of the rooms is inspired by the seasons: gold and red for autumn, green and blue for spring. The property also has a fitness area and a meeting room for up to 80 people. The Best Kitchen and Bar focuses on traditional Spanish cuisine with a modern twist. The hotel's location is ideal for exploring the area and the famous Parque del Oeste.

Radisson Hotel Group Expands Further In Riyadh

Radisson Hotel Group is proud to announce the signing of Radisson Riyadh Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As one of the fastest growing companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the newest addition brings the group’s portfolio to over 45 hotels, resorts and serviced apartments in operation and under development, accelerating Radisson Hotel Group’s expansion across the country.

Riyadh is the largest city and capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. King Khalid International Aiport is about 35 kilometers to the north of Riyadh city and home to Radisson’s newest hotel. As the economic and commercial capital of Saudi Arabia, the total number of passengers departing and arriving at King Khalid International Airport exceeded 26 million passengers in 2019. Located within close proximity, the hotel will be conveniently accessible from the airport and the city center can be reached via Riyadh’s new metro system, making it an ideal location for both business and leisure travellers

. The hotel will consist of 471 keys across various room types including serviced apartments and villas to be able to cater to guests that require larger units or long stay units. The property will feature an all-day dining restaurant and two specialty restaurants

Marriott International grows footprint in Bali

Aloft Hotels, Marriott International’s very trendy hotel brand, announced the opening of Aloft Bali Seminyak. Located in the heart of vibrant Seminyak, the brand-new, urban-inspired hotel features interactive social spaces and modern style, along with a fresh new social scene to Bali as the first Aloft hotel to open on the island.

It is set to own the stage as the hottest gathering hub for travelers visiting the well-known social scene of Seminyak.

Wynn Resorts to Temporarily Close Wynn Las Vegas

Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq: WYNN) has decided to temporarily close Wynn Las Vegas and Encore as part of its continuing effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

The Company has committed to pay all full-time Wynn and Encore employees during the closure.

The closure will be effective Tuesday, March 17 at 6 pm and is expected to be in effect for two weeks, after which time the Company will evaluate the situation. A limited number of employees and management will remain at the resort to secure and maintain the facility

For additional information and updates, please visit www.wynninfo.com.

Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji Opens in Japan

On March 16th, 2020, Royal Park Hotels and Resorts Company, Ltd.  opened The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji, its second hotel in Osaka. Over the next 5 years, RPHS plans to open six more hotels in Kyoto, Kobe, Nagoya, and Tokyo.

The new hotel forms part of the ICONIC brand, the flagship line of RPHS’ “THE” series for premium limited service hotels. It is located in the brand-new OBIC Midosuji building in the city’s business district alongside the busy Midosuji street, one of Osaka’s main streets.

It is a city full of life and in 2019 Rough Guides named it one of the eight best places to visit. It is also known as the gourmet city of Japan, often sparking new trends.

It is one of Japan’s most vibrant cities with a unique mix of business and tourism and in 2025 will host the World Expo for the second time. It is the fastest-growing inbound tourism destination in Japan with more than 11 million foreign visitors in 2017, a five-fold increase from 2012

Radisson Red Brand Expands Into The Middle East At Dubai Digital Park

A hotel that hates the ordinary and loves the different. Welcome to Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis, the latest property in the Radisson Group’s rapidly expanding portfolio across the Middle East.

Located at Dubai Digital Park, Dubai’s first ever smart city project built with the latest AI and IOT technologies, It brings RED’s forward-thinking style to the desert. The brand presents a playful twist on conventional hotel stays with a culinary hangout with a casual feel and a buzzing social scene. Using integrated technology and bold design personality,Hotel comprises of 104 contemporary designed rooms, eight suites and 59 apartments made created with millennials in mind.

Signature dining outlets Foodtruck Lobby and DELI double up as social hubs and on the ground floor OUIBar + Terrace delivers a casual chic dining space with live sports screens plus and an alfresco area. Additionally, the RED Roof bar offers guests a day to night hang out – from evening sundowners to morning stretching for sunrise yoga. The hotel also hosts 10 state-of-the-art conference rooms and a multi event space of 600sqm, to cater for up to 600 guests. With all these amenities, guests have endless opportunities for switching effortlessly between business and pleasure.

Radisson Hotel Group Announces Global Plan For A Future With Reduced Single-Use Plastics

Radisson Hotel Group will implement bulk amenity dispensers across all brands by the beginning of 2022, replacing small bottles for common bathroom products. This action will remove 57 million miniature amenities from circulation, avoiding the use of almost 500 tons of plastic annually and has a global commitment to #refusethestraw, ensuring plastic straws and plastic stirrers are no longer used in its hotels by 2021 and eco-friendly alternatives will be offered to guests upon request.

Radisson Hotel Group’s initiatives demonstrate the commitment and solidify its participation in the International Tourism Plastic Pledge

The Group is also running a series of innovative pilot projects in various locations, with the aim of finding new ways to drive plastic reduction globally. These include:

• In all the Group’s properties in India, a roll out of Commercial Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration systems to provide in-house bottled water and avoid the use of PET water bottles.  

• In Bangladesh, Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View is piloting a similar installation and is replacing PET water bottles by in-house filtered and bottled quality water.

• To cut down on the use of 39,000 plastic water bottles in the average hotel each year the Group offers unlimited filtered water to guests. This is already in place in selected hotels such at the Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport, UK, and the Radisson RED hotel Brussels and Belgium, additionally, guests are offered reusable Radisson Rewards water bottles

• In addition to making Radisson Meetings 100% carbon neutral, the Group is constantly striving to phase out single-use plastics in meetings and events across its portfolio and has already achieved this in over 200 of its hotels, with the aim to roll-out this initiative to other properties.

Stéphane Gras Appointed General Manager at Four Seasons Megéve & Les Chalets du Mont D'Arbois

Stéphane began his career at the Waldorf Astoria in New York before joining Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in 1999 as Assistant Room Service Manager at Four Seasons Hotel New York.

He hold a Bachelor's degree in International Hotel Management from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland.

His career in the Group has taken him to the four corners of the world: the United States, Egypt, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, and more. After 20 years abroad and a series of extremely enriching experiences on a professional, human and cultural level, He took up his position in Megève on February 3, 2020. He now manages the destination's two hotels (Four Seasons Hotel Megève and Les Chalets du Mont d'Arbois, Megève, A Four Seasons Hotel) as well as the Golf du Mont d'Arbois and the mountain restaurants in the Edmond de Rothschild Heritage Group (Le Club du Mont d'Arbois, La Taverne du Mont d'Arbois, La Pizzeria de la Taverne, L'Idéal 1850, L'Auberge de la Côte 2000).