STR Reports US Hotel Performance for March 2011

According to data compiled by STR, the U.S. hotel industry posted increases in all three key performance measurements during March 2011.

In year-on-year measurements, the industry's occupancy was up 6.1 percent to 61.4 percent, the ADR ended the month with a 3.8 percent increase to reach USD101.72 while RevPAR for the month rose 10.1 percent to finish at USD62.47.

"The U.S. hotel industry recorded another demand increase during March 2011, which, when combined with room revenue and RevPAR increases of more than 10 percent, signals an ongoing recovery," said Amanda Hite, STR's president. "As in prior months, the highest ADR increases were recorded at the luxury end of the spectrum. Luxury segment RevPAR growth was almost equally made up of ADR and occupancy growth, sending a strong signal to lower-rated chain scales that pricing power is returning."

AirAsia Reschedules Charity Flight with Sir Richard Branson

The  AirAsia  X  D708  Charity  Flight  with  Sir  Richard  Branson,  which  was  scheduled  to  depart  London  Stansted  for  Kuala  Lumpur  on  1  May    2011,  has  been  rescheduled  to  4  July  2011.

The  airline  said  the  change  was  made  to  help  address  the  growing  difficulty  of  obtaining  accommodation  in  and  flights  into  London  brought  about  by  the  increase  in  the  number  of  people  visiting  London  over  the  long  bank  holiday  weekend  and  Royal  Wedding.

The  flight  has  now  been  rescheduled  to  depart  London  for  Kuala  Lumpur  on  4  July  2011.

Garuda Indonesia to Increase Bangkok Flights

Garuda  Indonesia  will  increase  flights  on  its  Bangkok-Jakarta  route  to  a  double  daily  service  from  17  June  2011.

The  new  flight  will  operate  using  the  airline’s  Boeing  737-800NG  aircraft  which  features  Garuda  Indonesia’s  ‘Nature’s  Wing’  livery,  signature  interior  and  upgraded  on-board  services  such  as  individual  touch-screen  LCD  TVs  with  Audio-Video  on  Demand  entertainment  systems.

Garuda  Indonesia  currently  operates  a  daily  service  from  Bangkok  to  Jakarta  which  departs  Bangkok’s  Suvarnabhumi  Airport  at  2.10pm,  arriving  in  Jakarta  at  5.35pm.  The  inbound  flight  departs  Jakarta’s  Soekarno-Hatta  Airport  at  9.45am  to  arrive  in  Bangkok  at  1.10pm.

Puro Hotels in Poland to Feature Self Service Check-In / Out Kiosks

Ariane  Systems,  a  leader  in  self-service  check-in/out  technology  for  the  hospitality  industry,  has  installed  its  interactive  check-in  kiosks  at  Poland’s  first  Puro  Hotel  in  Wroclaw.

This  installation  by  the  innovative  Wroclaw-based  Puro  hotel  chain,  marks  the  first  time  ever  that  self-service  check-in  kiosks  have  been  adopted  in  the  Polish  hotel  market.  The  new  Puro  Hotel  Wroclaw,  which  opened  1  April  2011,  features  a  centrally  located  self  check-in  desk  in  the  lobby  with  four  Ariane  terminals  to  provide  guests  with  quick  and  easy  access  to  their  guestrooms.

Swiss Hotel Schools Ranked Among World’s Best

The  world’s  top  hotel  companies  have  again  ranked  several  hospitality  management  schools  of  Switzerland  as  the  best  in  the  world.

In  a  recent  survey  conducted  by  Taylor  Nelson  Sofres  in  the  UK,  hoteliers  chose  three  Swiss  schools  among  the  top  four  hotel  management  schools  worldwide:  Ecole  Hôtelière  de  Lausanne,  Glion  Institute  of  Higher  Education  and  Les  Roches  International  School  of  Hotel  Management.  Also  ranked  among  the  top  four  was  Cornell  University  (USA).  These  schools  were  ranked  as  the  world’s  best  for  preparing  students  for  an  international  career  in  hospitality  management.

EgyptAir Launches Daily Bangkok Flights

EgyptAir  has  launched  daily  flights  between  Cairo  and  Bangkok,  Thailand,  using  Boeing  777-300ER  aircraft  that  feature  346  seats  divided  into  49  in  Business  and  279  in  economy

“Based  on  our  excellent  experience  with  the  B777-300ER,  we  are  keen  to  provide  our  customers  in  the  Far  East  with  luxurious  travel  experience  by  operating  the  newest  B777-300ER  between  Cairo  and  Bangkok,  as  the  aircraft  provides  many  onboard  facilities,”  said  Capt  Ayman  Nasr,  EgyptAir  Chairman  &  CEO.

Universal Studios Singapore to Grand Open 28 May 2011

Universal  Studios  Singapore  has  announced  that  it  will  celebrate  its  Grand  Opening  on  Saturday,  28  May  2011.

The  activities  launch  with  a  movie-themed  Grand  Opening  ceremony  at  the  signature  21-metre  tall  arch  entrance  of  Universal  Studios  Singapore.  An  action-packed  stunt  show  will  aim  to  thrill  the  crowd  and  set  the  stage  for  a  grand  procession  of  the  park’s  biggest  resident  stars  -  Marilyn  Monroe,  Charlie  Chaplin,  Betty  Boop,  Woody  Woodpecker,  The  Scorpion  King,  Shrek,  Princess  Fiona  and  the  heroes  from  Madagascar  –  with  many  more  surprises  and  happenings  yet  to  be  announced.

Interview with Executive Chef and Director F&B

Being  the  Executive  Chef  at  any  Mandarin  Oriental  hotel  in  the  world  must  be  a  daunting  task.  An  hotel  group  that  prides  itself  in  culinary  excellence,  and  which  has  even  started  opening  celebrity  restaurants  such  as  Dinner  by  Heston  Blumenthal  that  opened  in  London  earlier  this  year,  demands  only  the  very  best  -  as  do  its  guests.

Being  an  Executive  Chef,  and  the  Director  of  F&B,  could  be  regarded  as  a  doubly  challenging  task,  but  take  that  position  in  one  of  the  group's  few  resorts,  where  guests  are  far  more  likely  to  dine  within  the  property  rather  than  venture  out,  and  you  have  a  very  serious  challenge  on  your  hands.

Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez to Reopen 15 April 2011

On 15 April 2011 Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez, a glamorous resort on the French Riviera, reopens its doors for the summer season.

Created by hotelier Shahé Kalaidjian and designer Christophe Pillet, the resort comprises 35 guestrooms and two villas surrounding a spacious central pool area, all with an outdoor shower, private terrace and garden.

As well as showing off a dazzling completed spa, the hotel will open two new luxury private villas in June.

Rezidor Signs Park Inn London Wembley

Rezidor has expanded its Park Inn portfolio with the signing of the Park Inn London Wembley. The 235-room hotel is scheduled to welcome its first guests in Q2 2012.

Park Inn London Wembley will be a mid-market hotel located 6 km away from central London on Olympic Way, a pedestrian zone leading to the main entrance of Wembley Stadium (300m).

IHG and Duet India Hotels to Develop 19 Holiday Inn Express Hotels

InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a joint venture partnership with Duet India Hotels Group (DIHL), the hotel investment arm of global asset manager Duet Group, to develop 19 new Holiday Inn Express hotels across India.

IHG will invest through a 24% equity stake, making a multi-year investment of US$30 million into the partnership. This investment will go into a fund to support the building of the 19 hotels over the next five years.

These 19 Holiday Inn Express hotels will add approximately 3,300 rooms to IHG’s current India development pipeline of over 10,000 rooms (46 hotels) and are expected to be operational by 2016.

Alila Villas Hadahaa Rebrands as Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Thanks to an agreement between an Hyatt affiliate and Driftwood Maldives Private Ltd., Hyatt opened its first hotel in the Maldives on 1 April 2011.

The Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, one of the first resorts in the Maldives to follow Earth Check certification standards for construction and operations, is located in the Indian Ocean’s largest and deepest atoll, Huvadhoo.

ADR Increasing in New Zealand

Data from STR Global show a 15.3% occupancy decrease for hotels in Christchurch, New Zealand, for the first two months of 2011, a decrease that was strongly influenced by a 25.2% drop reported in February. The deadly earthquake hit the city on 22 February 2011.

Though Christchurch has suffered in the aftermath of the earthquake, hoteliers in other major cities throughout New Zealand are pushing rates after posting occupancy and demand increases during 2010.