Not bad for a 19th century bathtub: Furniture auctioned off by the iconic Ritz hotel in Paris sold for €7.3 million (US$9 million), a world record in the industry, auction house Artcurial said Saturday. The Paris hotel, home for a while to Ernest Hemingway, Marcel Proust and Coco Chanel, sold off all 10,000 pieces of furniture and decor. They included stools from the Hemingway Bar, a 19th-century bathtub, and sofas and a harp from the Proust Lounge.
Butterfly sells for US$104 million: The Hong Kong-based Butterfly on Waterfront Sheung Wan hotel has sold for HK$819.5 million (US$104 million) to Tai Hung Fai Enterprise: a sale that represents a 60% premium over the property’s market value as of March 31. Best known for steel manufacturing, the seller Kai Yuan Holdings, which also bought the Paris Marriott hotel in 2014, said it expects to earn a pre-tax gain of approximately HK$336.7 (US$42 million) from the disposal.
More from Asia-focused Mingtiandi
Rotana managing in New Cairo: Rotana is set to sign a new management agreement in the capital of Egypt at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018. The agreement for a new 200-room five-star in New Cairo City will bring the company’s total inventory in the country to 726 keys.
More from Hotelier Middle East
Dusit in Bahrain: Thailand’s Dusit International signed a management agreement with Dar Al-Huda Hotel Apartments to operate Dusit Resort and Spa Lagoona Beach in Bahrain, according to Arabian Business. There are 174 apartments; a villa complex with water park is planned. It will be the company’s second property in that country, and the COO says he wants at least 25 in the Middle East by 2020.
Oxford rebrands Chicago hotel: Oxford Hotels & Resorts is spending US$9 million to redevelop and rebrand the Hotel Indigo in Chicago to the Claridge House this spring. The property was built in 1923.
Santa Barbara rebrand: The Fess Parker Doubletree hotel in Santa Barbara has been rebranded as the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront, according to KEYT television station.
Scandic in Sweden: Scandic signed a long-term lease agreement with Midroc for a new 180-room hotel in the new development in the harbor of Helsingborg, Sweden, expected to open in 2021, part of the H+ urban development project.
Addition to Anantara: Elewana Collection, an Anantara brand in Africa, added the Elewana Kifaru House in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. The property, with five rooms, was previously only available for group bookings.
Middle East, Africa, South America stats: STR has released Q1 results for a couple of regions – mixed results in the Middle East, with occupancy up 0.9% to 70.6%; ADR down 4.5% to US$163.76; and RevPAR down 3.7% to US$115.62. In Africa, occupancy was up 5.2% to 58.9%; ADR rose 6.6% to US$125.18; and RevPAR up 12.1% to US$73.73. In Central and South America, occupancy rose 4.5% to 57.6%; ADR rose 7.9% to US$108.70; and RevPAR rose 12.8% to US$62.60.