Hotels & Resorts
Sheraton Set For Record-Breaking Growth
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. reports that its largest and most global brand -- Sheraton -- is poised for record-breaking growth over the next 12 months with 35 new hotels expected to open. Nearly half of the new Sheraton hotels will open in China. Enhancing its reputation as a global powerhouse, Sheraton will also enter numerous new markets including Samoa, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, and return to Iraq. “Sheraton continues to grow at a phenomenal pace by leveraging its first-mover advantage in markets across the globe,” said Hoyt Harper (pictured), Global Brand...
Homewood In Hamilton
Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hilton Worldwide’s international brand of upscale, all-suite, extended-stay hotels, has opened the Homewood Suites Hamilton, Ont. The 16-storey hotel has 182 guest units. There are studio and one- and two-bedroom suites. Guest amenities include a full evening meal with drinks Monday to Thursday in the hotel’s hospitality centre – the “Lodge;” 24-hour on-site pantry; complimentary grocery shopping service; indoor pool; fitness centre; meeting space; and 24-hour executive business centre. The hotel is in downtown Hamilton near corporate and...
AMResorts In Panama
AMResorts has signed its 40th contract, extending the company’s reach to Panama and securing its sixth property in a year. CEO of Apple Leisure Group Alejandro Zozaya announced that its subsidiary, AMResorts, signed contracts for two properties: Zoëtry Villa Rolandi Isla Mujeres Cancun – a 35-room property in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, and Dreams Buenaventura Panama Resort & Spa – a 450-room resort under development just outside Panama City, Panama. Dreams Buenaventura Panama Resort & Spa is in an exclusive community of luxury villas and high-end resorts minutes away from...
Your Actions Count
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are joining forces to promote a global campaign urging travellers to support the fight against a number of forms of trafficking. Plans for the campaign were announced during this year's International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin and saw both Sabre and Marriott International joining the effort as launch partners in the travel industry -- supporting the campaign by leveraging on their reach to millions of...
Grand Case Ups The Ante
St. Maarten’s Grand Case Beach Club is making its guests’ experience even more special with the addition of airport transfers by boat and a special taxi service between the resort and restaurants in Grand Case Village. Guests can now opt to travel by boat to and from the airport. “It’s an opportunity to view the beautiful coastline and to combine a brief sightseeing trip as part of the arrival or departure experience,” said general manager Steve Wright. In the event of inclement weather, taxis are a backup. Cost by boat is $35 p.p. one way. For guests who prefer to...
Global Hotel Prices On The Rise
The average price of a hotel room around the world rose 3% during 2013, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI). This means there have now been four years of steady rises in hotel prices since the substantial falls during the financial collapse of 2008/9. Set at 100 in 2004, the HPI tracks real prices that hotel guests actually paid for their accommodation around the world. The HPI for 2013 stands at 110, seven points lower than its peak in 2007 despite the recent growth, and just 10 points higher than at its launch. Latin America registered its strongest...
Toronto Just Gets Better
Tourism Toronto reports that the city hit record level arrival numbers in 2013, welcoming its highest number of international visitors and selling the most hotel room nights ever. And for the third year in a row Toronto saw an increase in overnight visitors from the US. Tourism Toronto's estimates for 2013 show that Toronto welcomed a total of 13.69 million overnight visitors led by growth in international visitor arrivals. The 1.42 million visitors who arrived from overseas markets (all countries other than Canada and the U.S.) was the highest figure ever. A further 2.18 million...
Sandals Debuts New Swim-Up Suites
Sandals Resorts has completed a multi-million dollar renovation of Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island’s Windsor building that includes new swim-up river suites. Each of the building’s 174 suites has received a complete refurbishment, including the installation of new bathrooms that feature Carrera marble and glass mosaics, as well as new showers or deep tubs. Fourteen swim-up suites have also been created, with the addition of a river pool on the ground floor. A Zen Garden, complete with peaceful water features and serene statuary, has also been added to the...