| Starwood in hotel management pact
Dubai: Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced a 30-year agreement with Al Fardan Group for the management of a luxury hotel in Doha, Qatar, which is expected to open on May 1, 2010. The St Regis Doha Hotel will be located on the beachfront in the West Bay area of Doha, which is emerging as the commercial heart of the city. The hotel will comprise two towers and 18 bungalows. The two "reflecting" towers, each consisting of 14 floors, will offer 328 guest rooms. "We are very excited about this opportunity to expand the St Regis brand, particularly in the Middle East where the bespoke service is an integral part of the culture," said Roeland Vos, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. .
Nation/World Briefs
MANUFACTURING Manufacturing growth reported by trade group WASHINGTON -- The nation's manufacturing sector shook off the housing slowdown in February, expanding faster than expected and reversing the prior month's contraction, a trade group said Thursday. The Institute for Supply Management, based in Tempe, Ariz., said its manufacturing index registered 52.3 in February, above the January reading of 49.3 and Wall Street's expectation of 50. RESORTS Disney World attracts hotel, retail development LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla . -- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will build a luxury hotel and 18-hole championship golf course along the northeast border of Walt Disney World, theme park officials said Thursday. The Toronto-based luxury hotel chain is part of two expansion plans that will take eight to 10 years to fully develop and will include single- and multifamily vacation homes, fractional ownership homes and a 450-acre retail, dining and lodging district.
Coastal Hotel Group's Salish Lodge & Spa Again Named Among the Best in the World
The jewel in Coastal Hotel Group's portfolio, Salish Lodge & Spa, has again been named to the Gold List of the world's best hotels by readers of Condé Nast Traveler, as well as the Travel + Leisure 500, an annual roundup of the best hotels in the world. Both lists appeared in the January 2007 publications. Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List ranks hotels on rooms, service, food, location, design, and activities. With an overall score of 89.2, Salish was the highest ranking of all hotels in the state of Washington. At Travel + Leisure, researchers rate hotels around the world to create the Travel + Leisure 500, what the magazine calls "the definitive guide to the greatest hotels worldwide." This year marks the seventh consecutive year for Salish Lodge & Spa to appear on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List and five consecutive years on the Travel + Leisure 500.
Luxury customised, at a price of course
With a 65 per cent increase in the number of luxury travellers coming to the city, hotels are making sure that they meet international standards. If that means flowers from the Netherlands, wines from France and personalised services... so be it!
Gone are the days when Delhi was known as a backpackers' hub where only the budget traveller will stop to spend a few days before heading to Varanasi or Rajasthan. The well-heeled ones chose to embark at Mumbai where the hotels were "up to scratch".
And then the situation changed: The capital, in the last three years, saw a 65 per cent increase in the high-end tourists who are staying in the city. And to retain this flow, the hotels are making sure that they offer what these tourists are used to – the best of the best!
So, from Japanese ShiHatsu massage to Corona beer specially flown from Mexico to Indonesian and Ayurvedic spa treatment to a BMW 749 Li to ferry you from the hotel to any destination of your choice, the city hotels are ensuring that tourists get the same treatment here as they will in Paris or New York.
Orient-Express Hotels: Announces Fourth Quarter and Year End Results
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. (NYSE: OEH, www.orient-express.com), owners or part-owners and managers of luxury hotels, restaurants, tourist trains and river cruise properties in 25 countries, today announced its results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2006. For the fourth quarter net earnings were US$6.7 million (US$0.16 per common share) on revenue of US$138.6 million compared with restated earnings of US$4.5 million (US$0.12 per common share) on revenue of US$102.5 million in the prior year period. Adjusted net earnings (before foreign exchange losses and refinancing costs) for the quarter were US$9.2 million (US$0.22 per common share), an increase of 138% over restated adjusted net earnings of US$3.8 million (US$0.10 per common share) the previous year.
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