Hilton Kiev Targets Business Guests

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 8/1/1999

KIEV, UKRAINE Hilton International,

Watford, England, will to be the first Western hotel

company to operate in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine.

The 288-room Hilton Kiev is scheduled to open in late

2000. The hotel is owned by Joint Stock Company Teatralney,

Kiev, and will be managed and operated by Hilton International,

a subsidiary of Hilton Group Plc. Located in the heart

of the city, the hotel will retain a traditional early

20th Century façade. The interior of the hotel will be completely

rebuilt in the "Grand Hotel" style.

Targeted primarily at the business guest,

the hotel will offer its Meeting 2000, which has a choice

of tailor-made meeting rooms and services. Other amenities

include a ballroom and leisure suite as well as a fine-dining

room and a 24-hour

restaurant.

"This is a good deal for Hilton supporting our

strategy of extending our portfolio into key Central

and Eastern cities," says David Michels, chief executive

of Hilton International. "Hilton already operates

hotels in Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic and

we have projects underway for a second hotel in Budapest,

and hotels in the gateway cities of Sofia in Bulgaria

and Moscow in Russia. We look forward to working with

the hotel's owners to move this exciting project forward."

Radisson SAS Opens 1st Hotel In Istanbul

ISTANBUL, TURKEY Radisson SAS Hotels

Worldwide, Brussels, Belgium, announced the management

of its first hotel in Istanbul. The hotel, currently

known as the Park Hotel, will be re-branded Radisson

SAS Conference & Airport

Hotel Istanbul and opens in late 1999, after the completion

of substantial renovations.

The 246-room hotel is located in the heart of the business

and commercial district, and will offer guests two restaurants,

one bar, a patisserie and cafeteria, a fitness center,

indoor swimming pool, and covered parking facilities.

Meeting facilities include a conference center with a

large ballroom and 13 medium sized state-of-the-art-meeting

rooms.

Kurt Ritter, president and CEO

of Radisson SAS says, "Istanbul,

the city where East meets West, is the commercial center

of Turkey and I am convinced that Radisson SAS will respond

to the needs of local and international business travelers.

By investing in this hotel we confirm our confidence

in the future of the Turkish tourism industry."

Accor Opens 5th U.S. Hotel

WASHINGTON, D.C. Accor North America,

a division of Accor SA, Evry, France, announced plans

to build a luxury Sofitel hotel in Washington D.C.

This latest development project is a conversion, transforming

a currently vacant office building (Shoreham Building).

However, the beautiful limestone façade of the

Shoreham Building will be preserved, as the building

is located within a historic district and only two

blocks from the White House.

When the 225-room Sofitel Hotel

opens in approximately 18 months, it will offer guests

53 suites (from the total of 225 rooms), a traditional

Provençal restaurant,

12,000 sq.ft. (1,114 sq.m) of meeting space and a fitness

center.

Accor North America currently manages seven Sofitel

hotels in the United States and will be opening two new

Sofitels in 2000, one in Philadelphia and one in New

York City. Another two hotels are in development in downtown

Chicago and Dallas. In addition to its Sofitel hotels,

Accor North America manages nine Novotel hotels in the

U.S. and Canada.

The Peninsula Chicago Opens In 2001

CHICAGO Negotiations have been concluded and contracts

signed to develop The Peninsula Chicago. The joint venture

partners in the project are The HongKong and Shanghai

Hotels Limited, Hong Kong, which owns and manages The

Peninsula hotels; a partnership of Thomas J. Klutznick

Company with offices in Chicago and Denver; and Himmel

and Company, Boston.

The 336-room, 18-story tower, Peninsula Chicago is expected

to be completed in early 2001. It will be built above

an existing retail complex on Michigan Avenue. The entrance

to the hotel will be located on Superior Street and will

be connected by elevators to the fourth-floor lobby level.

The hotel will incorporate elements

unique to the Chicago market, including a glass-enclosed

ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and seating

for 380; an open-air terrace above Michigan Avenue

for private functions and in-season public dining;

a roof-top spa and a health club with an indoor pool.

Interior designer of the project is Babey Moulton Jue & Booth,

San Francisco and the architect is Bilkus/Manfredi

Architects Ltd., Boston. The general contractor is

Morse Diesel International Inc., Chicago.

SYDNEY The 120-room Travelodge Manly Warringah, located

on Sydney's northern beaches, is being constructed for

about A$10 million and opens in February 2000. The Travelodge

concept includes a breakfast room for guests and also

one meeting room within the hotel. Also, adjacent to

the hotel is the Manly Warringah Leagues Club where guests

will have access to the Club's three restaurants, five

bars, function and meeting rooms, pool, gymnasium and

gaming areas. The hotel is owned and managed by Australia-based

SPHC Group and the interior designer is Woods Bagot of

Sydney.

PHILADELPHIA The uniquely located

279-room Hilton Garden Inn will be situated atop a

six-story parking garage and is directly across from

the Pennsylvania Convention Center. All guestrooms

and suites will feature a refrigerator, microwave,

coffee maker, iron/ironing board and desk with data

port. Other amenities include a fitness center, indoor

swimming pool, restaurant, four meeting rooms, business

center and convenience mart, "Pavilion

Pantry." The developer is Switzenbaum Realty Capital,

Philadelphia, in partnership with Pace Management Service

Corporation, New York. GF Management, Philadelphia, will

manage the hotel. The hotel opens in July 2000, in time

for the Republican National Convention.

ASIA/AUSTRALIA

Mandarin Oriental,Macau; Renovating existing 435-room

hotel into a resort at a cost of US$16 million; Completion

is late 1999; Contact Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 514 rooms open

late 1999; Management and contact: Hyatt Hotels International.

Hyatt Regency, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China;

392 rooms open 2001; Management and contact: Hyatt Hotels

International.

Hilton Dalian,Dalian, People's Republic of China; 380-rooms

open late 1999; Owner is Dalian Chang Jian Plaza Co.,

Ltd., China; Management and contact: Hilton International.

Travelodge Phillip Street, Sydney, Australia; 86 rooms

open early 2000 at a cost of A$10 million; Interior designer

is Woods Bagot, Sydney; Owner, management and contact:

SPHC Group.

Travelodge Mt. Gravatt, Mt. Gravatt (near Brisbane and

Archerfield Airports) Australia; 120 rooms open early

2000; Interior designer is Woods Bagot, Sydney; Owner,

management and contact: SPHC Group.

CARIBBEAN

Club Viva Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; 400-rooms

open late 1999 at a cost of US$20 million; Inteior designer

is Elisa Camacho and architect is Fernando Sanchez, Mexico;

Contact Viva Resorts, Dominican Republic.

Cobblers Cove, St. Peter, Barbados, West

Indies; 40 suites; Renovation of 10

guestrooms, public areas, restaurants, addition of fitness

center and boutique to be completed late 1999; Contact

Cobblers Cove.

Hotel Tryp Suites Cayo Santa Maria, Santa Maria Island,

Cuba 300 rooms to open mid-2000 at a cost of US$21.4

million; Management and contact: Hoteles Tryp.

Sandals St. Lucia Golf Resort & Spa,

Castries, St. Lucia; An expansion of existing hotel

at a cost of US$15 million includes the addition of

56 suites and will be completed late 2000; Contact

Sandals Resorts.

SOUTH

AMERICA

Club Viva Dominicus Palace, Bayahibe, La Romana, Dominican

Republic; 330-rooms open late 1999 at a cost of US$15

million; Interior designer is Angela Birardi and architect

is Hector Sanchez, Dominican Republic; Contact Viva Resorts.

EUROPE

Tryp El Prat Barcelona, Spain (near airport); 220-rooms

at a cost of US$12.5 million; Architect and interior

designer is Hoteles Tryp; Developer/owner is Vallehermoso

SA; Management and contact: Hoteles Tryp.

The Old Bank Hotel, Oxford, England; 44 rooms to open

late 1999 at a cost of US$4.6 million; Interior designer

is Wagner Designs, Paris, and Architect is Berman Gnedes

Stretton, Oxford; Owner and contact is Jeremy Mogford,

Oxford.

Mövenpick Hotel Paris, France; 200 rooms open 2001;

Contact Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.

Merchant Court Hotel,Berlin, Germany;

300 rooms to open in 2002; Developer is cpb Cooperative

fur Planen und Bauen; Management and contact: Raffles

International Hotels & Resorts.

MIDDLE EAST

Holiday Inn,Dubai, United Arab

Emirates; 250 rooms to open in mid-2000; Interior designer

is Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates, Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania; Contact Bass Hotels & Resorts.

Renaissance Nazareth Hotel, Israel; 245 rooms to open

late 1999; Interior designer is Buki Zuker; Owner and

management: HEI Hotels Ltd.; Contact Marriott International.

Mövenpick Resort Quseir, Red Sea, south of Quseir,

240 rooms open 2001; Contact Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.

NORTH

AMERICA

The Westin Beechwood, Fort Worth,

Texas; 300-rooms open early 2001; Owner and developer

is the Beechwood Company, Fort Worth; Management and

contact: Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Worldwide.

The Ritz-Carlton, Houston, Texas; 325-rooms open early

2001 (formerly the historic Texas Company Building);

Owner is Rusk Development, L.P.; Management and contact:

Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

Hilton Garden Inn, Danbury, Connecticut; 160 rooms open

early 2000; Architect is Joseph E. Rabun, Atlanta; Construction

manager is BBL-Construction Services, Albany, New York;

Jointly owned and built by Fairchild Properties and Feinberg

Properties LLC, New York; Management: Fairchild Properties

Management Group; Contact Hilton Hotels Corp.

Legacy Golf Resort, Phoenix, Arizona; 328 rooms to open

late 1999; Developers are Sunbelt Holdings, Carefree

Partners and Chicago-based Shell Vacations; Contact Legacy

Golf Resort.

Disney Vacation Club at Wilderness Lodge, Orlando, Florida;

136-units adjoining the 728-room Disney's Wilderness

Lodge; Completion late 2000; Contact Disney Vacation

Club.

Sheraton Boca Raton Hotel, Florida;

189 rooms; Completion of the second phase of renovations

is scheduled for late 1999; Architect: RKB Architects,

Boca Raton; Owner is Trident/Allied, L.L.C., Operator:

Allied Hospitality; Contact Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Sonoma Mission Inn Spa & Country

Club, Sonoma, California; 198 rooms; Renovation/expansion

at a cost of US$20 million includes the addition of

30 suites; Owned and managed: Crescent Real Estate

Equities, Texas; Contact Sonoma Mission Inn.