VacantReady

Today I stumbled upon a terrific hotel blog from a luxury property in Tanzania called Onsea House Arusha. This is one of the best examples of a hotel blog I have seen in a long time and Dirk, the author from Onsea House Country Inn & Guest Cottage does a wonderful job offering interesting, supportive and engaging information about Tanzania as a destination.

In a recent post, Onsea House revealed some interesting information about expansion plans from German-born Kempinski Hotels, which will include such locations as Comores Islands, Egypt, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Madagascar, Sudan, Nigeria, Mauritius, Mauritania, Burundi and many more.

Just before Africa’s largest travel show Indaba in Durban, South Africa, Kempinski top management revealed ambitious plans for the group during the 2008 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) which took place at the Dubai International Conference and Exhibition Centre from May 6 to 9.

“Kempinski Hotels has announced its intention to become a clear market leader in Africa, leading global tourism’s foray into the rapidly evolving continent with an unrivalled portfolio of diverse luxury properties - from spectacular city hotels and beach resorts to exotic eco forest retreats and game park lodges.’

>> Check out the entire article on the Onsea House blog...

0 comments | Permalink | Middle East & Africa • Bloggers • Development

Andrew Morrison over at UrbanDiner.ca covers Vancouver’s restaurant food scene, but he has a pretty good eye on the hotel trade as well. Thanks to Urban Diner, I discovered that yet another hotel property will open its doors to guests in the downtown core.

Construction on the ParaYso Hotel (para-Why-so?) is expected to kick-off in the summer of 2009. Local hospitality entrepreneur Graham Alexander has finalized a land deal at 620 Seymore street for $5.5M, and he plans to develop a small hotel property at the downtown location.

“The Company plans to build a Hotel with a roof top bar lounge, of up to 91 nicely designed interior suites, and energy efficient Hotel. The interiors will be exquisite but will be for the 20th century where beauty, green and energy are of high concerns. The development is lead by Graham Alexander, a developer of hotels in Mayan Riviera Mexico and Chilliwack, B.C., Canada.”

[via Yahoo! - & no doubt the PR writer meant 21st century]

The ParaYso Hotel will be located near the financial district, within one block of the new Canada Line shuttle from the Vancouver International Airport and a few blocks from the new convention centre. The hotel lies adjacent to the Steve Nash Sports Gym, Gotham Restaurant, and the Shore Club restaurant.

The 600 block of Seymore Street in Vancouver is not exactly the most upscale strip downtown, and incidentally, the hotel’s location sits almost exactly on the spot where two men were gunned down in a targeted gangland shooting in January of this year.

I’m sure developments like the ParaYso Hotel are exactly what Seymore needs as part of a long-term strategy to rejuvenate the area. The newly renovated Moda Hotel to the South on Seymore, and the Delta Suites to the North of the ParaYso will certainly benefit from more hotel critical mass.

And hey, who doesn’t love roof-top lounges? Watch out Loden—yours isn’t going to be the only one in town.

0 comments | Permalink | Canada • Vancouver • Development

Middle East business magazine AME Info recently announced five G.M. appointments for Ritz-Carlton hotels in Dubai, Bahrain and Sharm el Sheikh—with two appointments in Doha. Click over to the article for an insider peek at the hoteliers taking the helm in these hotels.

Not yet named is the G.M. for Cairo’s upcoming Ritz-Carlton property. The current Hilton Nile will be completely renovated and re-developed to become the Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo, expected to open in 2011.

“We are honored to have been selected by Misr Hotels to assume management of this iconic property. Our plans for The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo are extensive, and will include conversion to restore the hotel to its status as the leading property in the region,” commented Simon F. Cooper, president and chief operating officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The Hilton Nile website reveals that operations at the 413 room hotel will cease January 1, 2009—to the delight of the Hilton’s local competitors, I’m sure.

The Ritz-Carlton brand joins other strong luxury brands also moving into the area, with Fairmont’s Nile City hotel currently under construction, and the new St. Regis, Cairo also opening in 2011.

Hotel mavens and the local jet set will have plenty of swank opening parties to attend. BTW - here’s how you can contact me!

Hilton Nile -> Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo

Check out an original rendition of the property before Hilton took over:

And here is a photo taken last month, thanks to flickr member keatl:

Finally...the souped-up version of the hotel after Ritz-Carlton completes the transition:

Interesting that the colourful murals (or mosaic?) surrounding the property are shown in all three images. Classy enough for Ritz-Carlton?

0 comments | Permalink | Middle East & Africa • Cairo • Development • Renovations

A number of my hotelier colleagues in Cairo are heading out to the ATM next week in Dubai. Since I had no idea what this was, I did a little research:

“The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the industry’s leading travel and tourism exhibition dedicated to unlocking business potential within the Middle East and pan-Arab regions. ”

This year marks the fifteenth annual ATM, which is expected to attract over 23 thousand industry players from over 100 countries to the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre on May 6th, 2008.

Check out some pics from last year’s event:

I just read on Marriott Corporate PR’s Twitter feed that they will be attending this year’s event. Bill Marriott himself mentioned on a recent blog post that his company is branding 35 more hotels in the Middle Eastern region, increasing their portfolio to 64 properties in the next three years.

Sheraton has embarked on its largest growth initiative in the brand’s history, with half of these developments launching outside of North America. Ten new properties are currently in Starwood’s pipeline in the Middle East:

“Europe, the Middle East and Africa will continue to experience significant growth with over ten new hotels expected to open this year and close to 50 scheduled to open by 2012.  More specifically, Starwood is expanding in key Middle Eastern markets such as UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, where currently there are 20 operating hotels and another ten in the pipeline. ”

Looks like Dubai won’t be the only “place to be” before long!

0 comments | Permalink | Development • Dubai

ASAP News in the U.K. reports that a new boutique hotel is set to open in Vancouver at a yet-to-be named location.. The recently formed Boutique Hotels & Resorts of British Columbia (BHRBC) is the management company behind the project—I wonder of they are the developers too?

The new 60 room property will be called “L’Hermitage” (not to be confused with the new residential development on Richards Street), and will be located somewhere in Vancouver’s downtown core. The hotel was designed by Canadian firm Lawrence Doyle Architects in the style of Chicago Modernism. Since I have no idea what that means, I look forward to seeing some design mock-ups. I can’t find any other mention of this project online, and the BHRBC corporate website has no information either. April fool’s day leftovers perhaps?

From the Press Release:

HRBC president Mike Duggan comments, “L’Hermitage Hotel is a perfect fit for Boutique Hotels & Resorts of British Columbia’s portfolio and a welcome addition to the city of Vancouver. The distinctive hotel will be positioned as the leading boutique property in the city appealing to the discerning business and leisure traveler.”

If this new property is anticipating being THE leading boutique hotel in Vancouver, they’ll have to out-perform some pretty tough competition from the Opus, the Wedgewood and the upcoming Loden Vancouver (if it ever opens!), and the Hotel Georgia.

In each of the 60 suites, the most advanced technology will be avaialbe, like plasma televisions, kitchenettes, 4-piece bathrooms, wireless internet access and designer furniture. Facilities include a health club, a library and a full-time concierge .

If four piece bathrooms and designer furniture are the “innovations” L’Hermitage is positioning around...I assume their service delivery will be out of this world!

Update: Thanks to Jay, one of our savvy readers, we’ve learned that L’Hermitage actually is part of the Richard’s street residential project (not surprisingly). The property is anticipating a May opening, so we’ll be watching for more info in the near future.

3 comments | Permalink | Canada • Vancouver • Development