Worldwide briefing
AmeriSuites sold to Hyatt
Hyatt has bought the US-only AmeriSuites hotel chain from venture capital group Blackstone for a sum reportedly in excess of $600m (£310m). The hotel management group plans to spend a further $150m (£77m) on "capital expenditures and related brand and marketing innovations." The 143-strong chain will be rebranded by Hyatt as "fully distinguishable from its existing portfolio."
Flagship Oriental hotel gets revamp
Mandarin Oriental International has announced the $110m (£57m) renovation of its flagship Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. The building work, which will begin in December 2005, will increase the size of guestrooms and bathrooms by enclosing the luxury hotel's balconies. As a result, the number of bedrooms will be reduced from 541 to 515 and the number of suites will increase from 55 to 75.
53 more members join Small Luxury Hotels consortium
The Small Luxury Hotels consortium has added 53 new members for 2005. Meanwhile nearly 30 existing members have been kicked out for failing to meet the required standards of excellence. Seven new countries are represented in the 2005 directory, including Cambodia, the Cook Islands, Vietnam and Slovakia. The new handbook features a total of 329 hotels.
Radisson SAS moves into Rome
Rezidor SAS has signed a management agreement with the five-star ES hotel in Rome, Italy. The Brussels-based group will convert the 235-bedroom property and brand it as Radisson SAS with immediate effect. The hotel is in the centre of the city and includes two restaurants, with 170 and 100 seats.
Shangri-La opens Chinese hotel academy
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has opened a training centre in Beijing for staff working at its Chinese hotels. It hopes the $1.2m (£622,000) Shangri-La Academy will maintain service levels as the group's workforce grows from 10,000 to 19,000 over the next three years. The company plans to increase its presence in China from 17 sites to 32 by 2007.
Hooters expands
Risqué restaurant chain Hooters has announced that it plans to open more than 80 new venues and expand into nine additional countries in 2005. The 380-strong chain, which currently has restaurants in 17 countries, will open in Trinidad, Germany, South Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, Ecuador, Peru and Greece next year.
Record tourist numbers in India
The number of foreign tourists visiting India reached an all-time high of 2,983,453 in 2004. The figure is up from 2,406,943 last year, which is good news for hoteliers in the country. The current occupancy rate for Delhi's 5,500 star-rated bedrooms is 80%. Gaurav Kant, sales director for Radisson Hotels, said: "Hotels are being swamped for business meetings, exhibitions, and marriage parties."
Cendant moves into Eastern Europe Cendant is to open 45 Days Inn hotels in former Soviet Union countries over the next five years. The US travel group has signed an agreement with Hermitage Hospitality to franchise the midmarket hotels in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Hermitage Hospitality president John Eaton said: "Demand is there, but no-one is filling the midscale market. There is no infrastructure in the mid-tier market in all cities apart from Soviet-era tourist hotels that haven't been updated in 25 years."
