Hotels & Resorts
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...
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...
Nifty Addition
Occidental Hotels & Resorts has acquired the management contract for the Hotel Allegro Club Cayo Guillermo, located in Cayo Guillermo on the northeast coast of Cuba. Hotel Allegro Club Cayo Guillermo is situated in an ideal location for kitesurfing. The all-inclusive resort recently completed a full renovation of its facilities since being managed by Occidental Hotels & Resorts. Allegro Club Cayo Guillermo boasts 280 guest rooms, featuring six different room styles that include single-storey bungalows, two-storey bungalows, wooden cabanas, Junior Suites and Sunrise Beach...
Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard To Open May 6
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has announced that the Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London will open May 6. Located on the South Bank of the River Thames in the 306-metre-high, glass-clad Shard, the hotel will be the Hong Kong-based luxury hotel group’s third in Europe, following debuts in Paris in 2010 and Istanbul in 2013. As the tallest hotel in Western Europe and the first high-rise hotel in London, the Shangri-La occupies levels 34 to 52 of the 72-storey Shard. Views unfold in all directions revealing iconic landmarks such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and...
Driving The Market
According to the latest survey of hotels by Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), hotel room rate rises around the world are being led by "supercities" rather than national trends. The survey notes that historically, where average room rates (ARR) have tended to be affected on a national basis, this is no longer the case, with individual "supercities" -- destinations popular for both business and leisure visitors -- becoming bigger players in a shrinking world. According to HRG, room rates in the top 55 global cities showed mixed results, with 26 moving up the rankings, 25 down and four remaining...