Industry News, December 2009

The Holiday Inn Kings Cross/Bloomsbury will soon have a new name, Crowne Plaza London Kings Cross/St Pancras along with a full refurbishment programme.  The new facilities will include 405 luxury bedrooms, 6 meeting rooms and a conference room to seat 220, 4 syndicate rooms, restaurant and lounge bar.

Heythrop Park Resort announces the new development of Oxfordshire’s only Crowne Plaza Hotel and the first to be built outside of a city centre or airport location.  The hotel will sit alongside the existing 17th Century Heythrop Park Hotel.

The Vineyard Group announce the new management of 7 UK hotels:
The Barns Hotel, Bedford, Etrop Grange, Manchester, Hall Garth Hotel, Golf & Country Club, Darlington, Harpenden House, Brownsover Hall Hotel, Rugby, The Maids Head, Norwich, The Charlecote Pheasant Hotel, Stratford Upon Avon. Until 2nd December the hotels were managed by Mulbourn Ltd (trading as Folia Hotels) but Sonoma Ltd have decided to take advantage of the expertise & financial footing of the Vineyard Group by installing them as Managers.

Conference & Event group Imago has won gold, silver & bronze awards at the 2009 East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards. The agency won gold in the Access for All, silver in the Large Hotel and bronze in the Sustainable Tourism categories.

The University of Leeds has renamed its on-campus 459-room accommodation, which opens to delegates in June 2011, the Storm Jameson Court after the former student and author of more than 50 literary works, Margaret Storm Jameson.

The Felbridge Hotel in East Grinstead has been given a quality rating of 86% in the 2010 AA Hotel Guide, making it the highest rating 4 star hotel in the South East of England. 

Elite Hotels are offering 1 in 5 complimentary delegates on day delegate and residential packages until December 2010.

Harrogate International Centre has received £13m in funding to construct two new exhibition and event halls totalling 3,400m2 and due for completion in 2011.

Regus has reopened the former Lehman Brothers conference centre. It has invested £100k in revamping the London venue which now includes a 200 seat conference room and seven meeting rooms.

Aberdeen has a new 203 guestroom Jurys Inn. The £175m hotel is integrated within Hammerson’s £275m Union Square Development, the newest and largest retail and leisure complex in Scotland.

The University of Edinburgh has spent £9m on its John McIntyre Centre. New amenities include a 350 seat conference suite, two boardrooms, lounge area and four breakout areas for up to 250. A stylish new restaurant that can seat up to 650, with an adjoining bar and lounge. An open air terrace offers dramatic views of the natural landmark Arthur’s Seat.

‘Dynamic Earth’ and ‘Winton House’ in Edinburgh have both joined the Green Tourism Business Scheme to help develop their environmental practices.

Audleys Wood Hotel in Basingstoke, Hampshire has completed a multi-million pound makeover. It now offers 72 refurbished bedrooms and suites. A new garden pavilion, with capacity for 200 people for a dinner and five meeting rooms accommodating up to 50 people.

London’s largest independently owned hotel, the Royal Garden, has opened its new Palace Suite. The space is 4,935 sq feet and has capacity for 550 people, is divisible in two areas and has a dedicated pre-function area and breakout rooms close by.

Kilworth House has received the top prize in the East Midlands Annual Regional Awards for the third time in five years. The Hotel will now go forward to the National finals held in London in the Spring, to compete with all the other regional winners in the same category.

New Openings

Hilton Liverpool – situated in the heart of the newly remodelled city centre, Liverpool One. The hotel has 215 guestrooms with views over the city or the Albert Docks, 8 meeting rooms and a ballroom (Grace Suite) with a pre-function area and bar, catering for up to 400 guests.

Doubletree by Hilton Milton Keynes (Dons Football Club stadium) – There are 127 guestrooms, a Ballroom (Clydesdale Bank) for up to 1,200 for a reception and 800 for a banquet and offers complimentary parking.

In the historic Syon Park there is a new development for the Waldorf Astoria Collection. Located across the River Thames from Kew Gardens, this 200 acre park is the official home of the Duke of Northumberland and has been for the last 400 years. There are 170 guestrooms, conference suite and spa.

Doubletree by Hilton Bristol – located minutes from the M5 motorway, Bristol Airport and City Centre. There are 72 bedrooms, 12 meeting rooms, 3 restaurants and 3 bars and a spa.

Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro – set within 10 acres of private landscaped grounds, this Victorian style hotel offers breathtaking views of the Trossachs and Campsie Falls. There are 200 guestrooms, 8 meeting rooms, Restaurant and swimming pool, sauna and steam room.

The Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel is due to open in March 2010, situated along the River Thames, Chelsea Bridge, opposite Battersea Park.  The hotel will have 217 rooms and 1,500 m2 of banqueting and meeting room space.

International

The Hilton Giardini Di Naxos, on the east coast of the Island of Sicily is due to open early 2010. They have 11 meeting rooms, event capacity for up to 960 guests and 296 bedrooms.

The Hilton Garden Inn in Krakow will be opening in June 2010. The hotel is the first Hilton garden Inn in Poland. It will be located in the heart of Krakow, the oldest city in Poland. There will be 4 meeting rooms and 154 guest rooms.

The Hilton Garden Inn Kutahya in Turkey will also open in June 2010. The hotel is located in the heart of the business district. Facilities include 7 meeting rooms ands 121 guest rooms.

The Hilton at Frankfurt Airport will be opening in June 2010. The hotel is directly connected to the airport terminals. Facilities include a ballroom for up to 320 guests, 8 Hilton meeting rooms and 249 guest rooms and 15 suites.  The Hilton Garden Inn at Frankfurt Airport is also opening during the same time. This hotel has smaller meeting facilities for up to 25 guests and 334 guest rooms.

The Radisson Blu in Hamburg has re-opened after a 48m euro renovation. It is the largest and highest hotel in the city and has 556 guestrooms, an extensive conference area with a new ballroom and two additional new event spaces –one of which is located on the top floor of the hotel with spectacular views over Hamburg. There are 4 new boardrooms with exclusive furnishings. A 2,122m2 conference floor with 12 multi functional rooms as well as a divisible ballroom and foyer area.

Hilton Worldwide has signed a franchise agreement with Venezia Capitol to open a Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Venice, scheduled for summer 2010.

The RAI, Amsterdam’s conference complex, has grown even bigger with the addition of the new Elicium facility. This will be a 6 year, 110m euro investment programme. The building also embodies the most modern environment technology. It has a climate facade and thermal storage 187 metres below ground.