Gostelow Report, February 2007

By Mary Gostelow, Contributing Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 2/1/2007

Send your news via e-mail to Mary Gostelow, Contributing Editor

Eco-tourism is one of the biggest growth areas in leisure travel. Will what the Ponçon family is doing in Nicaragua spread further afield? Clément-Marie and Claire Ponçon already own and run Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge in Playa Ocotal, southern Nicaragua. Since their son Eric is living in Mexico City, will they develop eco-lodges in Mexico, too?

Koos Klein, Singapore-based president Middle East and Asia Pacific, Hilton Hotels Corp., looks forward to expanding his top-end brands. Conrad came from Asia and is well established there, he says. On Waldorf=Astoria, expect both owner-managed and memberships in the Waldorf=Astoria Collection. For his basic Hilton brand, Klein wants Manila, and a return to Hong Kong, Jakarta and Taipei. He also would like a presence in Cambodia, Laos and the Sultanate of Oman.

Doubletree by Hilton could well end up being Hilton’s most prolific brand in Asia Pacific. Klein is looking for existing properties with at least 150 keys for conversion possibilities. He also will be introducing Hampton Inn, especially in Australia and Thailand, and Hilton Garden Inn, concentrating on China, India and the UAE. Hilton is partnering in China with Deutsche Bank and Palo Alto, California-based H&Q Asia Pacific, launched in 1986 by Taipei-born Dr. Ta-lin Hsu as a division of the U.S. giant Hambrecht & Quist. In India, Hsu’s partner in this co-owned venture is Delhi Land & Finance, founded by former army officer Kushal Pal (KP) Singh.

More and more companies are interested in India. Innova Hotels & Resorts is a joint venture between the Gupta Group, which runs the Hyatts in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, and Hillwood (which has 24.9% of the joint venture). Innova now plans to spread the Clarion and Sleep Inn brands in India with Innova Executive Director Sandeep Gupta saying he already has three developments—Bangalore, the Delhi area and Pune. Now he is looking for Chennai, Jaipur and Mumbai.

It is interesting to note that Hillwood, led by Plano, Texas-based Chairman Ross Perot Jr., is spreading its hotel investments. Hillwood also is behind the US$3 billion Victory Park development in Dallas, which includes the Mandarin Oriental, Dallas, and the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences.

Rattawadee Bualert, president of Lebua Hotels & Resorts, Bangkok, is determined to be Thailand’s most successful female hotelier. In February 2005 she took back management of the 198-key Lebua Hotel at State Tower in Bangkok from Meritus Hotels & Resorts, Singapore, and runs it herself. She has just relaunched a boutique lodge in Rotorua in New Zealand, and she plans a series of lodges throughout that country. In the UK she is partnering with Kleinwort Benson and may be near a deal for her first conversion. Khun Bualert believes that today’s successful hoteliers must, however, diversify. She plans an ultra-concierge membership concept, and she is not averse to the idea of going into the burgeoning private jet market.

The airline industry may return Penang to the forefront of Malaysia and Asia, in general. It is thought that Tony Fernandes, CEO of the tremendously successful Kuala Lumpur-based, low-cost carrier Air Asia, may make Penang his second hub, with a dedicated terminal to introduce long-haul flights. Once the go-ahead is given it could launch in as short a time as six months. HE Teng Chang Yeow, minister for tourism development and environment, state government of Penang, says the island needs more iconic hotels and brands, particularly at 3- to 4-star level. The government will give fast-track support to developers, and planning permission applications will be answered within three months of posting. He also is looking at ways to help with taxation waivers on hotel projects.