Industry News, March 2010

The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire has been awarded the highly coveted Meetings and Incentive Travel (M&IT) Gold Award for Top UK hotel. Gleneagles, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, saw off strong national competition from other top establishments shortlisted, which included The Dorchester, Chewton Glen and The Grove.

Opening in May 2010, after a 16 month closure and under new ownership, The Ellington, Leeds, a chic luxury 35 bedroom boutique hotel will become the latest addition to the Bespoke Hotels collection. With new owners and an entirely new team this stylish hotel is nestled in a row of Georgian buildings in the heart of the financial district minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the city, with bar and restaurant spearheaded by chef Nicholas Evans. The Ellington offers a choice of bedrooms, from contemporary to the more classical New Orleans style.

The name derived from a tribute to The Duke of Ellington who played at the citys’ 1958 music festival, culminates in an introductory opening rate which will run from 29th April 2010 for two months offering £111 B&B per room per night to celebrate The Duke of Ellington’s birthday who would be 111 on the opening day if still with us. After the two month introductory rate, rates start from £155 for a superior double and from £200 for a junior suite. Enjoying enormous beds, Egyptian cotton linen, fringed lampshades and glass-bead curtains, the jazzy bedroom style is off-set with plenty of 21st century technology – flat screens, Nespresso machines, squared off baths and Hansgrohe fittings all complete the luxury feel. Enjoying a peaceful location away from main roads and disturbance, the hotel is also close to a park, ideal for guests wanting an evening stroll.

The Ellington hotel welcomes guests and visitors who can enjoy morning coffee or afternoon tea in the light-filled open plan reception area – perfect also for an evening aperitif or light snack. The restaurant at The Ellington – situated in the basement – continues the jazz theme, with fabulous black and white images of music legends and a menu led by Nick Evans. There is free wired and wireless internet access throughout the hotel and iPods with pre-downloaded music are available to borrow. The Ellington has two meeting rooms, each with natural daylight, accommodating up to 30 people, with a separate entrance to the Boardroom, for private meetings.

The Royal Garden Hotel, London’s largest independent five star hotel is proud to announce the opening of the Park Terrace restaurant and bar, which will open at the beginning of May. The launch follows the success of the critically acclaimed restaurant Min Jiang on the tenth floor, opened in September 2008. The Park Terrace restaurant will be located on the ground floor of the hotel, offering stunning views of Kensington Palace Gardens. The restaurant will be divided into three areas: a restaurant serving à la carte British cuisine, with a strong focus on locally sourced ingredients; a lounge area offering a more informal dining option with all day dining and afternoon tea available; and a bar which will provide the focal point of the room, visible from the hotel lobby with an extensive selection of wines, beers, spirits and contemporary and classic cocktails. The executive chef of Park Terrace is Steve Munkley, whose ethos of sourcing as much of his produce as possible locally strongly underpins the restaurant menu. 

Munkley has worked closely with local suppliers including Ashlyns farm co-operative in Essex and Mrs Tee’s for wild mushrooms and New Forest venison. Steve’s culinary career spans 30 years, including executive chef positions at London Kensington Hilton, Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square and the Compleat Angler in Marlow. Steve was also chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs and an Honorary Fellow of Thames Valley University, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the hospitality industry. Park Terrace will also offer a traditional afternoon tea featuring sandwiches, cakes and scones from the award winning Park Terrace pastry chef. The bar, headed up by Vilmos Csehi will offer classic cocktails with contemporary British highlights such as the Kensington Martini.

The interior of Park Terrace will feature a stylish and warm colour palette of neutral tones, highlighted by light bronze accents and dark wood. The sleek quartzite stone bar, located in the centre of the room, will offer a backdrop against the floor to ceiling views of the neighbouring Kensington Palace Gardens. The restaurant will also offer a spacious private dining room, with space for up to 36 guests. Bespoke menus will be available in consultation with Steve Munkley, starting from £31.00 per person. Offering picturesque views over Kensington Gardens combined with excellent value British cuisine, Park Terrace looks set to be a great addition to the Kensington dining scene.

Plans have been unveiled for a new 20m boutique hotel in the heart of Newcastle city centre. The 148-bed, four-star Hotel Indigo is set to open in Fenkle Street, near to The Assembly Rooms, creating more than 80 full and part time jobs. The hotel, developed by Sanguine Hospitality, will open in February 2011 subject to approval by the city’s planners. Hotel Indigo Newcastle will be the developer’s first venture into the North East and only the fourth Hotel Indigo in the UK. Last year, Newcastle and Gateshead attracted 18.77 million visitors, maintaining hotel occupancy levels of 77% despite the recession.

Well Met Conferencing scooped the ‘New Venue’ award for their flagship venue, the Rose Bowl, which has already achieved a ‘Best Development’ and a ‘Design Excellence’ gong from the Yorkshire Property Industry Awards. The Rose Bowl, which has a dedicated conferencing and events space, succeeded strong competition at the event from The Copthorne Hotel, Sheffield and the Aagrah, Leeds/Bradford. Yorkshire Business Insider said: ‘In an industry re-inventing and refreshing itself throughout 2009, nowhere was this more apparent than with the new venues springing up across the region. Judges described the Rose Bowl, Leeds, as a fantastic addition to the city’s venue stock, performing excellently in a short period of time and displaying real versatility.’

The state-of-the-art signature glass building offers dedicated space to conferences and events with capacities that make Well Met one of the largest conference venues in the city. The Rose Bowl’s unique structure is the home for Leeds Business School and provides organisers with a choice of 7 lecture theatres which can accommodate for up to 256 delegates as well as breakout facilities for larger conferences. The Rose Bowl also incorporates a number of key environmental features which contributed to the ‘Rose Bowl’ gaining BREEAM excellence, the world’s longest standing and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. Now in their third year, Insider’s Yorkshire Business Tourism Awards recognise those organisations and venues that really go that extra mile to bring more business into Yorkshire, celebrating the very best of Yorkshire’s business tourism industry.

The second studio which is due to open on 20th April is located in Manchester’s vibrant northern quarter. Featuring nine bright, airy and individual event spaces accommodating from 2 to 180 guests, each with the innovative style and cutting edge technology. Located in the Hive (one of Manchester’s first BREEAM excellent rated buildings) the studio benefits from natural ventilation, individually controlled air-conditioning, sensor lighting and water saving features. There’s even a sedum roof terrace with direct access from the main event suite. In addition to a further 2 outdoor terraces dedicated for the use of studio guests. The proximity to public transport networks including rail and tram services means that you can easily travel to thestudio without it costing the earth, in either sense! thestudio can be found just 6-10 minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly station and a short distance from the bus and tram terminus at Piccadilly gardens.

Redevelopment of the Brighton Centre will not start for at least another 3 years. Work on the convention centre was dues to commence in 2008 but was then postponed until 2010. Now it has been pushed back again. The £400m redevelopment is expected to take 2 years, meaning the new centre will not be ready until 2015. Having the venue empty is predicted to cost hotels, shops and restaurants £4m per year.

Jury’s Inn is set to invest £9m in 2010 on updating and expanding existing properties in support of the groups new brand classification – Exceptional Everyday City Hotels.

London’s Strand Palace Hotel, has added a new Westminster Suite. Located on the ground floor and featuring contemporary decor, the suite is ideal for private dining up to 40 guests.

Rockcliffe Hall, a 19th century mansion in County Durham, has been transformed into a 61 room, 5* hotel. The Hall, has been restored and modernised to include 8 air conditioned meeting rooms with views overlooking the 375-acre estate, and a banqueting suite for up to 250 guests. The development also includes an 18 hole championship golf course and one of the largest spas in the country.

Von Essen have launched the 5* ‘Forbury Hotel’ in Reading. Meetings and event spaces include a 30 seat cinema, the Cellar Dining Room for boardroom meetings and private dinners for up to 14 people. The Cerise brasserie, which has a garden and can seat up to 100, and the Library which can be hired as a private meeting room or as a lounge for a drinks reception. The 23 bedroom hotel can also be hired exclusively.

Three new contemporary meeting spaces have opened at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre on London’s South Bank. The flexible rooms can accommodate from 15-150 people. The new rooms all have high ceilings, integrated AV and original artwork and have been constructed with the environment in mind incorporating solar ventilating chimneys, solar panels to heat water and recycled rain water to flush the toilets.

International

The Leading Hotels of the World is pleased to announce that it has recently added the following new member hotels:

Scheduled to open early this summer, the Lotte Hotel Moscow is located in the heart of the financial and shopping districts of the city, to the west of the Kremlin and Red Square, and approximately 45 minutes from Sheremetyevo Airport. The newly built hotel will feature 304 guest rooms and suites, with clean-lined contemporary styling, spacious seating areas and generously sized marble bathrooms. Guests of the Club Floor are entitled to additional privileges, such as express check-in and check-out; access to the Club Lounge where they can enjoy buffet breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea; use of a small office with computer stations, free Internet, a scanner and printer; two meeting rooms; and a library. Renowned French chef Pierre Gagnaire oversees the gourmet restaurant Les Menus. The serene Mandara Spa is complemented by an indoor pool, fitness centre and health club. The hotel also has six rooms for conferences and banquets.

History fairly breathes in the walls of the Hotel Monasterio in Cusco, Peru. Created from what a 16th-century monastery was built on ancient Incan foundations, it is today a sophisticated, intimate hotel where guests will find the finest in 21st-century comfort. Set in the main archaeological area of the city, it is just two blocks from the Plaza de Armas, the central square. Guest accommodations are in 126 rooms and suites, with unique architectural features, and period pieces of furniture and artwork. Dining venues include Illariy Restaurant, serving Peruvian and international cuisine; El Tupay, the former refectory, serving buffet breakfast; and the Lobby Bar, for tea cocktails and canapés by the fire. Among the nearby recreation options are horseback riding, paragliding, hang gliding, mountain biking and whitewater rafting.

Located in the residential Malecon de la Reserva section of Lima, Peru, the Miraflores Park Hotel, with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, is distinguished by its subtle elegance and excellent service. Guest accommodations are in 82 rooms and suites, with either city or ocean views. Leisure and business travellers alike will find state-of-the-art facilities that create the perfect environment to serve as a base for exploring the capital city. Dining choices include Mesa 18, offering modern cuisine and Peruvian specialties; The Observatory for buffet breakfast; and Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde Bar. There is a rooftop swimming pool, as well as the Zest Spa, and a gym. Six banquet rooms are available for conferences and social events.

Set in one of the deepest canyon in the world, Las Casitas del Colca is a hidden gem – a luxury hotel and spa, set in the visually stunning Andes Mountains in southern Peru. It comprises 20 private casitas offering supreme luxury and exclusivity. Each casita features a luxurious bedroom, spacious lounge and a large bathroom, a private terrace and a heated plunge pool. The Curina Restaurant serves Andean à la carte cuisine, using fresh herbs and vegetables from the hotel’s farm; while the Curina Bar is the perfect place to relax over wine or cocktails. Situated adjacent to the free-form swimming pool, the Spa Samay offers a unique menu of revitalizing body treatments inspired by herbs and organic products indigenous to the Andes. It also has a sauna, two single treatment rooms, one double treatment room and a treatment suite complete with a soaking tub.

Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge is located within the walls of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. As the only hotel located next to the ancient Citadel, it offers the best location for exploring this remarkable city and the surrounding area. Given the ecological and historic sensitivity of its location, the hotel has implemented numerous green practices to protect its local environment. There are two suites and 29 rooms, with amazing views of the mountains, or the interior gardens boasting a variety of local flowers and orchids. Tampu Restaurant serves international and Peruvian cuisines, in warm surroundings of stone and wood; and Tinkuy Restaurant is open for buffet lunch for visitors to Machu Picchu as well as to hotel guests.

Jurys Cork Hotel has been officially be renamed The River Lee Hotel, as part of the new brand identity of The Doyle Collection. Rebuilt in 2006, the hotel was designed to take full advantage of its location on the River Lee and its proximity to the city centre so it was obvious that the hotel’s relationship with the river and the city would play an integral role in the choosing of the new name. Each of the 11 properties within The Doyle Collection has been given a name that clearly identifies the hotel and its excellent location. The Group’s design-led properties provide chic boltholes for modern day travellers, as well as stylish bars and restaurants for local consumers and this is no more evident than at The River Lee Hotel. The hotel enjoys spectacular views from both the ground floor bistro and bar as well as upper levels. All aspects of the hotel are tailored to suit the needs of both business and leisure guests.

The Doyle Collection has created bedrooms to accommodate every need – all 182 air-conditioned bedrooms feature pillow top beds with duckdownduvets, 4-piece suites and under floor heating in all bathrooms. In–room entertainment is cutting edge – 25 inch LCD TV’s with movies on demand, Sky Sports, hi-fi’s and complimentary hi speed internet access. Business guests can avail of a dedicated meeting room floor with eight meeting rooms all equipped with fully integrated audiovisual technology. The first floor also houses a 24-hour business centre with a dedicated co-ordinator available to assist. The Executive Floor offers more exclusivity with stunning penthouse views and a private lounge providing light refreshments throughout the day. The hotels magnificent leisure centre includes a 20m pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi as well as gym and has played host to many top teams visiting Cork including London Irish and Sale Sharks, and most recently the Irish Senior Rugby squad. While more laid back guests can completely unwind and indulge themselves with a range of pampering treatments in the delightful surroundings of The Urban Spa.

Opening in the Spring, Rimini’s Palacongressi, is set to become the largest convention centre in Italy, featuring 42 rooms with a total of 9.300 seats and a 4,700 seat auditorium plus 11,000 sqm of exhibition space.

Palma will have a new convention centre, due to open in Autumn 2011. The centre will have a 1,978 seat auditorium, another seating 462 and at least 10 other flexible rooms, plus exhibition halls. It will also have a 4*, 268 bedroom hotel on site.