With recession over and travellers back on the trail, hotels are happily singing their way to the banks with the increased profits… New projects are being announced every second day across the world… Here is the list of some top notch upcoming hotel projects for 2010….
1. Starwood Hotels
Starwood Hotels and Resorts is planning to open seven new hotels in New York in 2010, bringing the total number of hotels it operates in New York to 18. These seven hotels will add 1,712 new rooms in the city, which is a fourth of the total supply for this year.
The total investment in these properties is $780 million. Starwood will be opening an Aloft hotel in Harlem in August, which will be Harlem’s first hotel in 40 years. For the full story, go to Wall Street Journal.
Starwood currently operates 12 hotels in the city, including the Brooklyn Sheraton which opened in May.
In recent months, NYC occupancy has continued to surpass 2009 levels, with June occupancy averaging 86.4%, up 5% over last year at the same time. More than 45 million tourists came to the city in 2009, exceeding expectations by 7%. By 2012, NYC anticipates attracting 50 million visitors annually – a driver for new hotels to meet demand. For the first time in nearly three decades, NY emerged as the top choice for domestic travelers.
By 2011, Starwood plans to have 75 percent of its NY portfolio freshly renovated or new construction.
tarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1000 properties in nearly 100 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.
2. Clarion Group
Clarion, the mid-segment brand of Choice Hospitality is on a major expansion drive in India.
The hotel is developed and promoted by Inovoa Hotels & Resorts which is a joint venture between Asian Hotels (West) and US-based real estate company Hillwood.
Currently operating a 150-room property in Whitefield, Bengaluru, Clarion will soon set up properties in Pune, Lonavala in Maharashtra and Greater NCR region of Delhi.
The property in Pune will be ready by early next year with 100+ rooms. The brand is considering cities like Nagpur, Kolkata, Goa and Chennai for further expansion.
3. Accor Hotels
Accor and InterGlobe have announced the establishment of an investment fund for a portfolio of India hotel assets in which an affiliate of Pacifica Partners (Pacifica) will take a significant stake of up to 36% equity in the fund, subject to requisite regulatory approvals.
Accor and InterGlobe will each hold 32% equity in the fund. Pacifica Partners is the asset manager for the joint venture hotel investment company established between an affiliate of GIC Real Estate Pte- the real estate arm of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, and Host Hotels and Resorts, a premier lodging and real estate company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the largest lodging real estate investment trust in the world.
The fund will initially hold the assets for seven hotels in India which are currently jointly owned by Accor and InterGlobe, representing 1,750 rooms with a value of approximately $325 million on the completion of the hotels.
The hotel developments are all in key gateway cities of India with prime locations within these markets, including at the recently opened Delhi International Airport, one of Asia’s newest and largest airports. All seven hotels will open between 2011 and 2013.
The fund provides a new growth platform with investment focused predominantly in the upper midscale and upscale segments. New assets may be acquired into the fund in the future.
In the five years since entering India with a joint venture arrangement with InterGlobe Enterprises, Accor has opened eight hotels. In India, Accor is deploying hotel brands ranging from luxury through to budget offering the most comprehensive portfolio of any international hotel operator in the country today.
4. Carlson Hotels
Carlson- the global hospitality company has announced further expansion of its Indian portfolio with the opening of its 30th hotel.
The 201-room Radisson Hotel at Indore is situated 20-minutes away from the airport and 25 kilometres from Dewas and Pithampur, one of Asia’s largest industrial areas.
“The hotel opening marks Carlson’s accelerated growth in India as part of our Ambition 2015 global growth strategy to expand our portfolio by at least 50% by 2015 to more than 1,500 hotels in operation,” said KB Kachru, executive vice president, Carlson, Hotels, South Asia.
“This is also the 12th Radisson hotel operating in India. With over 40 Radisson hotels under development throughout Asia Pacific, Radisson is the number one, fastest growing upscale brand in the region,” added Kachru.
Owned by strategic partner Bestech Hospitalities Private Limited in India, the Radisson Hotel Indore is one of four projects Carlson is partnering on with the group in the country. Carlson currently manages the Radisson Suites Gurgaon and Park Plaza Noida, and will also manage the Radisson Hotel Nagpur scheduled to open in the first half of 2011.
Featuring 18 suites and 183 stylish and spacious rooms, the Radisson Hotel Indore offers a contemporary setting for the modern day business or leisure traveller.
The hotel features several distinctive dining options, including The Creative Kitchen, an all-day restaurant serving global cuisine; The Great Kabab Factory, an Indian specialty restaurant offering a unique dining experience; The Lobby Bar, an ideal venue to unwind, offering an array of international spirits and wines; and The Cakewalk, presenting the finest cakes and pastries.
5. Swissotel Hotels and Resorts
Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts added another property to their expanding global portfolio with the Swissôtel Kolkata.
The hotel is the group’s first in India, is located in New Town, a few minutes from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
The five-star Swissôtel Kolkata offers 147 guestrooms and suites, four restaurants and bars, and 1,561 square metres of meeting and banquet space.
To commemorate the opening, Swissôtel Kolkata offers guests a welcome introductory package until the 15th of September 2010.
Swissôtel has a portfolio of 28 hotels in 25 destinations around the world.
6. Asian hotels (W)
Asian Hotels (West), has announced its expansion plans in the hospitality business. The company which owns the 400+ room hotel- Hyatt Regency in Mumbai will be developing a 500+ room hotel through its subsidiary, Aria hotels and Consultancy Services (Aria hotels) at a total project cost of INR700 crores.
The company has entered into a 30 year management contract with Marriott International to develop the first JW Marriott hotel in Delhi with 500+ guestrooms, various dining, conference and banquet facilities.
The company is also developing a multi-level commercial and retail complex on the same site. This development is taking place within the hospitality district of Delhi International Airport’s ‘Aerocity’ close to the recently launched T3 terminal at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Sushil Gupta Managing Director of Aria Hotels and Chairman and Managing Director of Asian Hotels (West) said “We are delighted to partner with IL&FS Investment Managers, one of the largest private equity investors in the country. Their interest in sharing knowledge with the management and their relationship with the investment community will add value to us in several ways and benefit the shareholders”.
The entire loan of the JW Marriott Delhi project has been tied up with the consortium of public sector banks led by Union Bank of India.
Asian Hotels (West) will continue to undertake developments in the five star deluxe hospitality market as well as in the mid-market segment.
In the mid-market segment, it has plans to develop a Clarion Hotel in Pune with an inventory of 100 rooms and will continue to expand its portfolio of Clarion-branded hotels through its association with a group company ‘Inovoa Hotels & Resorts Ltd.’ (IHPL), which has an exclusive Master Franchise Agreement for the Clarion brand.
IHPL has recently opened its first 130 room hotel property under its upscale “Clarion Century” Brand at Whitefield, Bengaluru. Hillwood Corporation USA, a Ross Perot Jr. company, is an investor in Inovoa Hotels & Resorts.
7. Alliance Global Group
Investment firm Alliance Global Group has announced that it will soon start building a fourth hotel at its Newport City development, located near the Philippines’s main international airport.
Alliance Global President Kingson Sian has said in a statement that construction of the 540-room Hamilton Hotel “clearly demonstrates both our strong commitment and our confidence in the potential of the tourism industry in the Philippines.”
The hotel is expected to be completed in 2012.
Together with the Hamilton, Newport City will offer about 1,900 hotel rooms.
Sian said Alliance Global Group plans to build two more hotels in Newport City in the next five years to increase total hotel rooms to 2,500.
8. InterContinental Hotel Group
InterContinental Hotel Group have opened their first new hotel in Manhattan after eight years.
The grand opening ceremony of the 607-room InterContinental New York at the Times Square is slated for July 29.
The 36-story hotel also holds the distinction of being the largest one in New York to earn LEED certification. The hotel is located along 44th Street in the heart of the Broadway Theatre district and within blocks of Fifth Avenue’s shopping and world-class museums.
Wrapped with floor-to-ceiling windows, the InterContinental New York Times Square’s guestrooms average 350 square feet and include an oversized, spa-inspired bathroom complete with walk-in rain showers.
The hotel boasts 25 Panoramic Avenue Suites and a three-bedroom, 2,700-square foot bi-level Penthouse Suite with panoramic views of Times Square, Broadway, the New York City skyline and the Hudson River.
Gensler designed the hotel and the interiors were designed by Jeffery Beers International.
The InterContinental New York Times Square was developed, and is owned by a partnership led by affiliates of Tishman Hotel & Realty LP, and is managed by IHG Management of Maryland LLC, a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group, on behalf of West 44th Street Hotel, LLC.
The hotel group, with its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, has a portfolio of 164 properties in 60 countries.
9. Alila Hotels & Resorts
Asia’s leading luxury boutique hotels and resorts operator, Alila Hotels & Resorts, will expand its presence in Laos and India with the opening of two distinctive properties this October. These include the Alila Luang Prabang and Alila Bangalore.
These two openings come after Alila’s four successful openings last year and will bring Alila’s portfolio of hotels and resorts to a total of 12 properties.
Luang Prabang is the cultural and spiritual heart of Laos. It is an ancient town that was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Town in 1995.
All suites open onto a private garden with either a pool or an outdoor pavilion. Also the resort’s Spa Alila and Cooking School will offer guests natural spa therapies and gourmet experiences.
In contrast, Alila Bengaluru will be a business resort hotel. Set in White Field, Bangalore’s IT hub, it will cater to the needs of the business traveller.
In South Asia, Alila already has property in India, China, Oman and Vietnam.
10. Kempinski Hotels
Luxury hotel chain Kempinski has opened the first five-star boutique hotel in Egyptian capital Cairo, the Kempinski Nile.
Offering 137 rooms and 54 suites, the Kempinski Nile overlooks the banks of the famous river and is the latest hotel to open in the city undergoing a tourism boom.
The hotel is designed by French architect Pierre Yves Rochon, who is responsible for parts of the famed George V in Paris and the newly renovated The Savoy hotel in London.
Guests can choose from four restaurants, one of which has no menu – chefs are on hand to cook all dishes to order on request – and four bars, including a rooftop bar and shisha bar.
The hotel also offers a spa and health club, private balconies, marble bathrooms, a pillow concierge and a butler service for residents.
