Milwaukee Hilton Expands; Adds Fun Center

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 1/1/2000

Milwaukee, Wisconsin--Called Paradise, the Hilton’s

water theme park and family fun center is part of a new

US$40 million expansion project to the Milwaukee Hilton Hotel, which

also includes a 14-story tower housing 200 guestrooms, 4,000 sq.ft.

(372 sq.m) of meeting and banquet space and a skywalk connecting the

hotel to Milwaukee’s

new Midwest Express Convention Center. Paradise will

be designed as a tropical oasis accented by a sandy beach,

brightly colored flowers and dozens of leafy palm trees.

Other Paradise features include a video game arcade, table games like

ping-pong and foosball, plus reggae and steel band music.

The architect is Kahler Slater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,

and the owning company is Marcus Hotels & Resorts, Milwaukee,

Wisconsin. Upon its completion in mid-2000, the Milwaukee Hilton will

have a total of 750 guestrooms and 30,000 sq.ft. (2,787 sq.m) of meeting

space.

Hilton Refurbishes;

Hotel Re-opens As Hilton Nottingham

Nottingham, England--A total of £16 million

is being invested to refurbish the 177-room Stakis

Nottingham Hotel (now part of Hilton International).

The hotel will be renamed the Hilton Nottingham and is due to open in

mid-2000 as a 4-star property.

The extensive refurbishment will include a new external entrance and

total transformation of the ground floor area. Guests will have access

to a new lounge and reception area, a 140-seat Bar Bacoa restaurant

and bar and three additional meeting rooms.

All 177 guestrooms will be completely refurbished adding new beds and

units, soft furnishings, fittings, carpets, televisions,

wall coverings and the provision of modem points for computers in all

rooms. There will also be a complete bathroom renovation and the corridors

will be redecorated.

The refurbishment project also includes renovating

the front of the building to preserve the attractive Edwardian

façade.The

hotel will also offer a 12,500 sq.ft. (1.115 sq.m) Living

Well, the largest hotel health and leisure club in the city.

JW Marriott Cancun

Joins Offshore Resorts

Cancun, Mexico--The new 450-room JW Marriott Cancun

Hotel which is scheduled to open in mid-2000 will officially

join Marriott’s Offshore Resorts,

Somerset, New Jersey.”We are delighted to announce that this impressive

property has elected to join Offshore Resorts,” says Gary Grove,

director of sales and marketing. “The hotel’s distinctive

European spa facilities will provide us with an exciting

new service to present to our clients, and will both

strengthen and diversify our current portfolio of beautiful Caribbean

properties,” adds

Grove.

Upon the hotel’s completion, guests will be invited to take advantage

of the property’s 20,000 sq.ft. (1,858 sq.m) European Spa, various

dining choices that include a full-service casual restaurant and an

upscale Italian restaurant as well as a poolside bar and grill serving

beverages and light fare. Guests can also relax by the large free-form

outdoor pool or watch colorful tropical fish swim in the hotel’s

own saltwater lagoon or lounge on the beautiful white

sand beach.

In addition, the JW Marriott will offer over 18,000 sq.ft. (1,672 sq.m)

of meeting space that will include a grand ballroom for hosting receptions

of up to 1,800 people, two executive boardrooms and five additional

meeting rooms.

Wyndham Palace Launches US$30 Million Renovation Of Meeting Space

Lake Buena Vista, Florida--One of the nation’s

leading convention hotels, the 1,014-room Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa

in the Walt Disney World Resort at Downtown Disney, announced plans

for a US$30 million renovation project to enhance the appearance and

functionality of the hotel’s expansive meeting space and guest

suites.

“These extensive renovations will guarantee that the Wyndham

Palace Resort & Spa can offer groups the finest and most sophisticated

meeting facilities in the country,” said Greg Hauenstein, general

manager. “Our plans call for a dramatically enhanced interior

design to create a crisp, light and elegant environment as wells as

advanced technology in the areas of lighting, sound, video and networking

capabilities, all easily customized whether our clients are planning

massive conferences or intimate dinners,” says Hauenstein. Wyndham

Hotels & Resorts, Dallas, has retained The Daiker Company, a hotel

design firm, to plan and execute the renovations.

Research for the project was conducted with meeting and convention

planners and their study showed that they want three features from meeting

space: flexibility, state-of-the-art technology and beautiful surroundings.

The renovation plans are scheduled to be completed in brief time spans

over the next 20 months.

Westin Kierland Hotel

Part Of Planned Community

Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona--As the centerpiece of the

730-acre (295 ha) Kierland community, the 750-room Westin

Kierland Resort will be situated on a 33-acre (13 ha) site surrounded

by the existing 27-hole Kierland Golf Club course, which will be integrated

into the resort operation. The hotel, which has been designed by Hill

Glazier Architects, Inc., Palo Alto, California, and interior designer

Barry Design Associates, Los Angeles, will feature first-class accommodations,

including 26 suites and 52 guest units in a casita village.

Other guest amenities include multiple food and beverage venues, a

full-service spa and fitness facility, more than 50,000 sq.ft. (4,645

sq.m) of indoor function space and extensive outdoor function space

in distinctive courtyards with fountains, pools and lush landscape.

Equity investors include Cook Inlet Region Inc.,

Anchorage, Alaska; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., White

Plains, New York; Woodbine Development Corporation, Dallas and the

Herberger Interests, Phoenix. The resort will be managed by Starwood

when it opens in 2002.

Nevada Pacific Monarch Resorts Develops 557-Unit Resort Property

Las Vegas, Nevada--Pacific Monarch Resorts Inc.,

Laguna Hills, California, is developing a 557-unit

vacation resort property, the Cancun Resort Las Vegas.

Six acres (2.4 ha) of the 16.8 acre (6.7 ha) will be

devoted to a “play-ground” element,

according to Kevin Eszlinger, vice president of construction

for Pacific Monarch Resorts. The Las Vegas resorts will

feature a Mayan pyramid with a 40-ft. (12m) observation deck that launches

into waterslides and includes a ground-level restaurant. Other features

will include an adult lounge, children’s game room,

and a variety of sports options, outdoor barbecue and

15 slot machines.

T.S. Voelker Architecture, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the

designer of the project, said the entire eight-phase project is valued

at about US$80 million. Estimated completion date of phase 1 (66 units)

is mid-2000.

ASIA

Hilton Chongqing, Chongqing, China; 420 rooms open mid-2000; Contact

Hilton International Hotels.

Sleep Inn, Fukuyama, Japan; 100 rooms open 2000; Contact Choice Hotels

International.

Central Krabi Resort, Krabi, Thailand; 250 rooms

open mid-2002 at a cost of US$30 million; Interior designer is Stephen

Kitching, Bangkok, and architect is Khun Khunchorn Chulasai, Bangkok;

Developer, management and contact: Central Hotels & Resorts.

Central Pattaya Village, Pattaya, Thailand; 120

rooms open late 2000 at a cost of US$8 million; Interior designer

is Stephen Kitching, Bangkok, and architect is Khun Khunchorn Chulasai,

Bangkok; Developer, management and contact: Central Hotels & Resorts.

EUROPE

Hotel de la Tremoille, Paris; Renovation to be

completed in 2000 at a cost of US$9-12 million; Original 107 rooms

will be reduced to 90 rooms; Interior designer: Duncan & Miller,

Dallas. Contact: Hotel de la Tremoille.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Milan-Cernusco, Italy; 429

rooms open mid-2000; Contact Bass Hotels & Resorts.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Rome; 90 rooms open mid-2000;

Contact Bass Hotels & Resorts.

Holiday Inn Express, Valencia, Spain; 125 room

open mid-2000; Contact Bass Hotels & Resorts.

MIDDLE EAST

Holiday Inn Resort, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, 360

rooms open mid-2000; Contact Bass Hotels & Resorts.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Medinah, Saudi Arabia; 606

rooms open mid-2000; Contact Bass Hotels & Resorts.

Four Seasons Hotel Doha, Doha, Qatar; 235 rooms

open mid-2000; Interior designer is Frank Nicholson Inc., and architect

is Smallwood Reynolds Stewart & Stewart, Atlanta; Project manager:

HQ Associates, Amman, Jordan; Management and contact: Four Seasons

Hotels Ltd.

THE AMERICAS

Microtel Inn & Suites, Campeche, Mexico; 67

rooms open 2000; Siframex S.A. de C.V., Chihuahua, Mexico is the master

franchisor in Mexico; Contact U.S. Franchise Systems.

The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek, Colorado; 240 rooms

open late 2001; Developer is Vestar-Athens, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

and Vail Resorts; Management and contact: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

L.L.C.

Microtel Inn & Suites, Ciudad del Carmen,

Mexico; 102 rooms open 2000; Siframex S.A. de C.V., Chihuahua, Mexico

is the master franchisor in Mexico; Contact U.S. Franchise Systems.

Westin Poinsett, Greenville, South Carolina; A

US$20 million restoration of the former 200-room Poinsett Hotel to

be completed late 2000; Architect is W.L. Stoddard; Management: MeriStar

Hotels & Resorts; Contact

Westin Hotels & Resorts.

Marriott Hotel at Crown Colony, Quincy, Massachusetts; 462 rooms open

mid-2001; Architect is JSA Inc., Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Contact

Marriott International Hotels.

Quality Hotel, Bahia Blanca, Argentina ; 142 rooms open early 2001;

Contact Choice Hotels International.

Clarion Hotel, Alphaville (São Paulo) Brazil;

200 rooms open mid-2002; Contact Choice Hotels International.