Worldwide briefing
VVFs to be privatised
New Hotel in honour of Marlon Brando
The Tahiti tourism authority has given permission for a new hotel to be built on a small island in the Tetiaroa Atoll, in honour of its former owner, film star Marlon Brando. The Brando hotel will consist of 30 luxury bungalows, each costing $1.23m (£677,000) and is scheduled for completion in 2008. It will be the most expensive hotel in French Polynesia.
Renaissance Hotel for Thailand
Marriott International is to open a Renaissance hotel in Koh Samui. The company has entered a management agreement with the Erawan Group to convert the Buriraya Resort and Spa to the Renaissance Koh Samui Resort and Spa. The hotel has 45 guest rooms and 33 villas and lies 20km from the airport. There will be two restaurants, a deli/ pastry shop, two lounges and a poolside bar. The conversion is expected to be completed by the end of 2005.
Seventh Radisson SAS for France
Rezidor SAS Hospitality has opened a 170-bedroom hotel, 10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower. The Radisson SAS Boulogne-Paris also has five conference rooms, a restaurant and lounge, a gym and its own vineyard.
Conrad hotel for Jakarta
Hilton Hotels signed an agreement with Indonesian company PT Majumakmur Arthasentosa to manage the new Conrad Jakarta. The 320-room hotel will include 50 serviced apartments and be part of the city's Sudirman Plaza. It will have six restaurants, a health club, a spa and extensive banquet and meeting facilities. It is scheduled to open in 2008.
Kimpton to open boutique hotel in Washington D.C.
Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants has opened its seventh Kimpton hotel in Washington D.C. The 335-room boutique hotel will offer complimentary morning tea and coffee, a 24-hour business centre, gym and lap pool. A 173-seat restaurant and bar, Urbana, will be built next door.
W Hotels move into fashion
Style icon Diane von Furstenberg has joined forces with Starwood's W Hotels to make travelling fashion emergencies a thing of the past. Starting in September, W hotel rooms and retail stores will stock "emergency kits" containing, among other things, a classic wrap dress with matching thong. Starwood is also to open its first West Coast spa, Bliss San Francisco at the W San Francisco hotel. It features a hi-tech manicure lounge, each station containing its own flat screen TV, DVD player and a conveyor belt transporting sterilised nail tools.
Millennium and Copthorne sign in Qatar
Hotel group Millennium and Copthorne are to manage the Millennium Hotel in Doha, Qatar. It already manages hotels in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Millenium Hotel Doha has 250 rooms. It will open in September 2006 and will include a rooftop pool and health club.
Luxury Destination Club from the Leading Hotels of the World The Leading Hotels of the World has launched a luxury destination club, the Leading Residences of the World (LRW). Members will have access to a collection of fully serviced accommodation from around the world at a lower price than purchasing a single resort home. Participants will be able to choose between residences in beach, golf and ski resorts as well as cities worldwide.
