Luxury Collection Hotel The Gritti Palace Reopens in Venice
After a 35 million euro restoration aimed to restore the hotel’s original grandeur, The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Venice reopens, the Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, announced today. This renovation is part of Starwood’s larger strategy that involves investing over 150 million Euros in the restoration of Luxury Collection hotels in Europe, such as Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville and Hotel Maria Cristina, and even San Sebastian – which re-opened last year, as well as Prince de Galles in Paris which will re-open later this month.
“There is a mystique about The Gritti Palace that has enchanted its guests for generations, so it was essential that we involved local artisans, architects, craftsmen and cultural institutions to preserve its authentic elegance and distinct personality, while bringing the landmark hotel into the 21st century,” said Paul James, Global Brand Leader, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis and W Hotels Worldwide. “The renaissance of this Venetian icon marks a momentous occasion for The Luxury Collection as the birthplace of the brand, now 85 hotels around the world, which has come full circle to restore its roots on the Grand Canal.” Read more…
Crowne Plaza Leeds Wants to Get School Children Acquainted to the Boardroom
Crowne Plaza Leeds might strongly believe that there’s no such thing as too early to start understanding the business world, as they intend to mix classic school education with boardroom experiences, getting pupils acquainted with presentations held in the hotel’s meeting rooms. To give school children a head start in business, the hotel plans to hold classroom meetings where they will prepare kind-friendly presentations for their classmates while receiving tips from hotel expert Matt Bryam in the popular style of the Apprentice TV show.
The program addresses local school children between the ages of 10 and 14. A training day will include presentation skills training from local businesses and members of the meeting and events team at Crowne Plaza. Read more…
Dukes London Finishes Renovation, Launches Women Only Luxury Suites
Dukes London targets women from the Gulf region who want to have a culturally acceptable stay in this city. Celebrating the renovation of the hotel, Dukes London invites leisure and business women travelers to choose the luxury suites created especially for them. These new hotel suites will be presented officially at the Arabian Travel Market.
“Arabian Travel Market is the perfect platform at which to introduce our restyled suites to an international audience, and we are specifically targeting female leisure and business travellers from the Gulf region as we look to build on the success of our existing women-only floor concept, which was launched last year,” said Debrah Dhugga, general manager, Dukes. Read more…
European Hotels Migrate to Offering Free Wi-Fi
67% of hotels in Europe are providing free Wi-Fi for their guests, an analysis of 125,000 properties on hotel site HRS reveals. The country with the most hotels providing Wi-Fi as a complimentary service is Turkey, with 84.70% of hotels offering free Wi-Fi, followed by Sweden (82.30% of the hotels), Poland (80.50%), The Netherlands (77.40%) and Norway (75.30%). Top ten is completed by countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Russia and Finland.
Portugal is the country with the fewest hotels providing free Wi-Fi (43.70%), followed by Italy (53%) and Greece (55.20%), the analysis presented by tnooz.com showed.
Paradise Island Resort & Spa to Host World Travel Awards Indian Ocean
One of the most well-known luxury resorts in the Maldives, Paradise Island Resort & Spa will host the World Travel Awards on May 12th 2013. The resort has the local name Lankanfinolhu and was opened in 1994. Located in North Male’ Atoll, at only 9.6km from the airport, Paradise Island is 1km long and 230 meters wide and offers visitors comfort, luxury, and a wide range of sports both on land and on the sea. Numerous restaurants that will accommodate various tastes can also be found here. Read more…
Hilton Worldwide Kicks off 50th Anniversary Campaign in Japan
The global hospitality company Hilton Worldwide celebrates 50 years of operations in Japan. To mark this half a century of successful operations in the country, the company launched a comprehensive campaign that includes a series of promotions and sweepstakes which will be rolled out over the next 12 months.
Mr. Junichi Ishida, a renowned Japanese celebrity, is Hilton Worldwide’s 50th Anniversary ambassador.
“Our long relationship with Japanbegan on June 20th, 1963 when our founder, Conrad Hilton, opened the Hilton Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo. As one of the first truly global hotel brands to commence trading in this country, we have been a leader in innovation and a pioneer in developing full service hospitality in Japan, and we have shared many ‘firsts’ with the Japanese people,” said Timothy Soper, vice president, Operations – Japan, Korea and Micronesia, Hilton Worldwide. “Today, we celebrate yet another milestone as we mark half a century of operations here.”
This anniversary campaign will run in all Hilton hotels inJapanand includes various marketing techniques and offers, such as 50 exclusive stay packages, social media campaigns and a major customer event in June.
“Japanis a very important market for Hilton Worldwide, both in terms of inbound and outbound travel and we are committed to expanding our presence in the country and contributing to the communities in which we operate. This has been the case throughout our 50 year history inJapan, and will remain so going forward,” added Soper.
Hilton Worldwide currently operates 10 hotels in Japan under the Conrad, Hilton, and DoubleTree by Hilton brands, all in important leisure and business locations like Tokyo, Odawara, Osaka, Nagoya, Niseko, Fukuoka and Okinawa. For 2014, the company plans to add the Hilton Okinawa Chatan to its portfolio.
True Valentine’s Romance at fusion Hotel Prague
Prague is one of the European cities you’d definitely think of when dreaming of a romantic getaway. The history-rich buildings, the sun shining over the Vltava river, the chariot rides through the city and the romantic cafes are perfect to please the eyes of loving couples. Right on time for Valentine’s Day, the fusion Hotel in Prague has redesigned three rooms into “special spaces for romance.’
Love fusion
The three themed room, Love fusion, Rock fusion and The Vintage Room, are actually the hotel’s gift to its guests and itself for its first year anniversary. But the 24 hours breakfast, the vintage décor, the suggestion of love and rock music, these romantic perks make the new rooms perfect for a memorable Valentine’s Day celebration in Prague. Read more…
