Serving up a host of new properties

Hotel round-up

Serving up a host of new properties

Groups to update visitors on developments

Accor Leisure and Tourism

This year Accor will be highlighting a massive expansion programme predominantly targeting destinations in North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Some 59 hotels are to open by the end of next year, bringing the hotel group’s portfolio to 250 leisure properties.

This year the group opened the first thalassotherapy centres outside France in Portugal, Morocco and Sardinia. More are planned in Korea and Israel.

Seven all-inclusive properties under the Coralia brand will open next year.

Other developments include huge expansion in Tunisia from its current eight hotels to 30 by the end of next year.

Design Hotels

Design Hotels will announce new members of its global consortium at World Travel Market this year. The 80-strong marketing and representation company will reveal details of new hotels and resorts in Mexico, London, Singapore, Mauritius, Chile, Vietnam and Japan.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts is reinforcing brand awareness of the hotel group, part of which was previously known as Canadian Pacific Hotels.

The company has 36 city-centre and resort hotels in the US, Canada, Bermuda, Barbados and Mexico. This year Fairmont has spent millions upgrading its hotels, including its properties in San Francisco, Acapulco and New York.

Forte Hotels

After winning management contracts worth more than £1 million at last year’s WTM, Forte Hotels is gearing up to beat the figure.

It will be revealing developments at each of the group’s four brands: Le Meridien; Heritage Hotels; Posthouse; and Travelodge.

A Winter Extravaganza promotion for the group’s reward and recognition programme, moments.com, will also be unveiled.

Kempinski Hotels and Resorts

Kempinski Hotels and Resorts is launching a same-day newspaper service at this year’s show.

Guests will able to request the international or domestic newspaper of their choice which will be delivered to their room.

Kempinski has launched the initiative using a new product called NewspaperDirect. A machine will be on the stand to print out any newspaper the visitor would like to read.

Champagne will also be available on the stand.

Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts

Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts is opening its second-owned property in the US next April.

The 311-room Le Meridien Chicago on Michigan Avenue will have oversized guest rooms with a minimum of 418sq feet, multi-line telephones and high-speed Internet access. The hotel will also offer 11,000sq ft of meeting space. Other new properties planned to open by the end of next year include locations in Egypt, Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, Martinique and Cochin in India.

Park Plaza

Park Plaza Hotels Europe is unveiling expansion plans in the UK at WTM.

The hotel chain is in talks to develop two hotels in the Midlands after establishing a strong presence in London. It already operates the Shaw Park Plaza near King’s Cross Station and has taken over the Sherlock Holmes hotel near Baker Street. The group is also constructing another hotel in London’s Victoria, which will be a similar size to the Shaw Park Plaza when it opens next May.

Facilities at the King’s Cross hotel include a guest-only gym, executive lounge on the 15th floor with views over London and a 120-seat restaurant and bar. Weekend breaks and mid-week packages cost from £125 per room, per night.

Radisson SAS

Radisson SAS will be promoting the launch of high-speed Internet access in all its guest bedrooms. Announcements will also be made about the opening of more than 16 properties in the next five years. Eastern Europe will be a key focus for expansion. When the property its Tallin, Estonia opens in December, the hotel chain will be represented in all three Baltic states. Bulgaria and Poland are also earmarked for expansion.

Radisson SAS will be joined by Radisson Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and Radisson Edwardian Hotels, which will be announcing growth plans.

Ritz Carlton

Ritz Carlton is sending its largest-ever delegation to WTM to help publicise its massive expansion plans over the next two years. A team of six senior corporate managers will be attending, including vice-president Jim Veil, along with general managers from five of its 39 hotels worldwide.

Twelve new hotels are planned for next year, including one in Istanbul and a second property in both Boston and Washington.

A further five are planned for 2002 – one each in Mexico and Grand Cayman and the rest in the US.

Ritz Carlton manages hotels in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and the Caribbean.

Sofitel Hotels and Resorts

A host of new openings will be the main news from Sofitel at WTM. New properties include the Sofitel New York which opened on August 1 in Manhattan and the Sofitel Paris La Defense Grand Arche on September 18. October saw the opening of the Sofitel Royal Angkor Vat in Cambodia. This December sees the opening of properties in Brazil: Sofitel Costa do Sauipe Bahia and the Sofitel Costa do Sauipe Conventions and Resorts.

Sol Melia

European expansion and development of Sol Melia’s £18.5 million e-business strategy will be the key announcements made by the Spanish group at this year’s event. The group’s staff will be on hand to update visitors on portfolio additions, including the Melia Roma Aurelia Antica in Rome, opened in August.

Small Luxury Hotels

Pink Beach Club, Bermuda, will be among the properties represented at the Small Luxury Hotels stand at WTM.

Over the past two years, 50% of the resort’s accommodation has been refurbished or rebuilt.

During the summer the Pink Beach Club and Cottages in Tucker’s Town added four deluxe oceanfront suites with four-poster beds and outdoor patio or balcony with sea views.

Last July the resort opened Sea Rock Cottage with 17 junior suites. Further developments are also planned with the building of 19 luxury condominiums by the end of next July.

SRS WorldHotels

Sales and marketing hotel representation company SRS WorldHotels is using WTM to promote a new UK toll-free reservations number. With immediate effect, callers can contact SRS by dialling 0800 898852. SRS will announce a number of new members to its 400-strong portfolio.

More than 20 hotels have joined the consortium this year including the Furama in Hong Kong, Richmond Hotel in Miami and the Franklin Hotel in New York. Visitors to the stand who leave their business card could win one of 30 prizes forwarded by 30 member hotels to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary.

Starwood Hotels

Starwood Hotels and Resorts is opening its first hotel in Ireland with the launch of The Westin, in Dublin, next spring.

The 163-room upmarket hotel is situated in the heart of the city, adjacent to Trinity College. The former banking hall of the Allied Irish Bank is being converted into a conference and banqueting complex for the Westin. All Starwood’s five brands – Sheraton, Westin, St Regis, W Hotels and The Luxury Collection – will be represented.

Sun International

The South Africa-based hotel group Sun International will be promoting its new resort in Zambia, which opens next April. The hotel will have four and five-star rooms with balconies, swimming pool and alfresco dining.

Divisional director Philip Georgas will update visitors on developments at its other southern Africa properties, including flagship Sun City resort and the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town.

Taj Group of Hotels

Business and leisure travellers using Taj properties in India can now fly between the company’s hotels on a seven-seater Falcon 2000 jet, which is being promoted at this year’s WTM.

The Taj Air personal jet service will attend to airport formalities, such as baggage handling and transfers, and also offer fine dining in the air. The jet features personal videos, satellite phones and a fax machine. It will be available to go to any destination within a radius of five-and-a-half hour’s flying time within India and elsewhere.

Three new hotel openings in business destinations of Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune will also be promoted. The group already operates hotels in key business destinations including Mumbai and Delhi.

New look: Fairmont’s San Francisco property is one of several to have been renovated

Kempinski, Moscow: the first hotel to introduce the newspaper service

New developments: the Sofitel Royal Angkor Vat in Cambodia opened this year

E-business: Sol Melia staff will be on hand to update visitors on its e-commerce strategy. Pictured from left, are conference and incentive sales manager UK, Tanya Clifford; corporate sales manager UK Tony Dunleavy; and director of sales UK Marga de Luis