JW Marriott proposed near Disneyland: Prospera Hotels and O’Connell Hotels & Hospitality have proposed a 466-room JW Marriott at the Anaheim GardenWalk near Disneyland in California.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times
Destination expands urban footprint: Destination Hotels has added The Marker – Union Square in San Francisco to its portfolio. Formerly known as the Hotel Monaco, the 208-room property is being repositioned under Destination management.
Read more at Destination’s website
Tribute kicks off global expansion: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced the debut of Tribute Portfolio in Europe with the signing of the Great Northern Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, in London.
Read more at Starwood’s website
Luxury Collection debuts in Chicago: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has completed the conversion of the former Conrad Chicago to The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chicago. Owned by DiamondRock Hospitality and managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts, The Gwen marks the first hotel in Chicago part of The Luxury Collection brand.
Aloft grows in Florida: Integra Investments announced that Aloft Hotel will be the signature component at Aventura ParkSquare in Miami. The 207-room hotel is being developed by an affiliate of Norwich Partners and designed by Zyscovich Architects. Aloft at Aventura Parksquare is scheduled to open in 2017.
Read more at South Florida Business Journal
Tata exits Taj Palace: Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, part of the Tata Group, has exited the management of Taj Palace Hotel, Dubai, after 14 years. Taj Palace has been handed back to the Juma Al Majid Group.
Read more at the Times of India
The Palms returns to Turks and Caicos: After eight years of operating at The Regent Palms Turks and Caicos, the 72-suite resort and spa will return to The Palms Turks and Caicos. The transition back to The Palms coincides with a US$3.5 million renovation and refresh.
WaterWalk expands to North Carolina: – WaterWalk Hotel Apartments signed an agreement to construct and open a new WaterWalk franchise location in Raleigh, North Carolina. The new property will break ground on March 15, 2016.
RCI adds five Japanese properties: RCI recently welcomed five new properties in Japan to its exchange network through an affiliation with developer Tokyu Corp. The properties include: Big Week Hakone Gora, Big Week Karuizawa, Big Week Izukogen, Big Week Kyoto and Big Week Tateshina.
RevPAR growth expected through 2018: US hotels will continue to enjoy anove long-run average RevPAR growth through 2018, according to research from PKF Hospitality Research.
Engaged hotels perform better on TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor partnered with Atmosphere Research Group to analyze data from over 12,000 properties located in the top 25 traffic markets on TripAdvisor, and interview senior hotel executives to determine the impact of hotelier engagement on property performance on the site. Results showed that highly engaged hotels perform better on TripAdvisor, successful hotels employ a “virtuous circle” of guest engagement, systematically encouraging fresh reviews drives results and incorporating reviews in the booking process improves competitive effectiveness.