Mandarin To Open $US90M Hotel

By Sally Wolchuk -- HOTELS Magazine, 4/1/2000

MIAMI, FLORIDA Miami-based Swire Properties and Mandarin Oriental

Hotel Group, Hong Kong, are jointly developing a new 5-star waterfront

resort, the third Mandarin Oriental Hotel to be built in the United

States, the 392-room The Mandarin Oriental, Miami.

The luxury hotel on Brickell Key is designed

by RTKL, an international architecture and planning firm, and

is slated for completion by October 2000. RTKL serves as lead

architect for the project with the firm’s Dallas and Washington

offices heading up the design effort. Atlanta-based Hirsch Bedner

Associates is interior architect and Tony Chi Associates, New

York, is the specialty restaurant designer.

The hotel, being promoted as a city resort,

is located on 44-acre (18 ha) Brickell Key, an island that connects

by bridge to Miami’s

downtown business district. Designed with spacious guestrooms

and suites, all with exceptional water views, the property

will feature a full-service Asian theme spa, health club and

resort-style pool. Other amenities include a signature destination

restaurant, 24-hour business center, as well as a grand ballroom

and conference and banquet facilities that can accommodate as

many as 650 people.

“The Mandarin Oriental, Miami, has been

designed to blend the energy of modern Miami and the famed Asian

hospitality that is the trademark of Mandarin Oriental,” said

Rod Henderer, RTKL vice president.

Sofitel Converts Historic Site

Into Luxury Hotel

LONDON Paris-based Accor has confirmed an

agreement with UK property group Marylebone Warwick Balfour

plc (MWB) to convert the former Lloyd’s Bank building

into a 187-room luxury hotel, the Hotel Sofitel Pall Mall, at

a cost of US$72 million.

The architects behind the plans for the

hotel are award-winning British firm, RHWL, known for their

expertise in redeveloping and refurbishing historic buildings.

French interior-designer Pierre-Yves Rochon has been appointed

to preserve the building’s

neo-classic style while highlighting and respecting the strong

roots of its British culture. Rochon’s interior design plans

concentrate on light colors with simplicity prevailing

throughout, creating a balance between modernism and old-world

elegance where traditional and contemporary elements intertwine

as one.

To meet the needs of business guests, the

property will offer “on-line” rooms

with Internet access via the television and extensive in-room

telephone services. The hotel’s 187 rooms will include 15

suites.

ACCOR UK Business & Leisure Hotels Ltd.

owns the hotel, and an opening date of June 2001 is planned.

Spice

Island Resort Plans US$4 Million Renovation

GRAND ANSE BEACH, ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA, WEST INDIES Granada

Spice Island Beach Resort, on Grand Anse Beach, is planning a

US$4 million expansion and refurbishment for 2000.

Expansion plans include adding 12 ocean front suites, bringing

the total room inventory to 68. The suites will have a sitting

room, double whirlpool, twin vanity units in the bathroom, mini-bar

and covered or open patios.

Additionally, the hotel is adding an attractively landscaped

swimming pool, fitness center and health spa offering a full range

of therapeutic beauty treatments. The hotel will also be adding

two boutiques and a new business center. The central facility

housing the dining room, bar, open-air terrace, reception area,

lounge and kitchen will be demolished and completely redesigned.

To complete the expansion, Spice Island

Beach Resort will close from May 15 to October 31,

2000. “We look forward to unveiling

the new, even more luxurious Spice Island Beach Resort

when we re-open November 1, and we anticipate much excitement

over the transformation,” says Royston O. Hopkin, CMG, chairman

and managing director of the resort.

Ritz-Carlton Opens Resort

in Doha

DOHA, QATAR A 374-room Ritz-Carlton resort

will open on the shores of the Arabian Gulf in Doha, Qatar,

in late 2000. “This

hotel will complement our growing presence in the Middle East,” says

Horst Schulze, president and COO of Ritz-Carlton. “This

resort will be ideal for both business and leisure travelers

with its unmatched location, spa, recreation and food and beverage

facilities.”

The property will offer views of the Arabian Gulf and downtown

Doha. Guests can also enjoy a seven-acre (3-ha) water park that

is adjacent to the resort, offering white sand beaches, tranquil

gardens, tennis courts and a variety of water-related activities.

Several dining facilities will be available

including The Rooftop Restaurant offering French cuisine

on top of the 22-story building; The Private Dining Room; The

Café and

The Terrace; and The Restaurant, with Italian fare.

Other amenities include 21,000 sq.ft. (2,000 sq.m) of meeting

and banquet facilities, including 12,421 sq.ft. (1,154 sq.m) of

ballroom and seven individual meeting rooms. The business center

will be located near the meeting space offering a wide range of

office services.

Intrawest Mammoth Corp. Selects Callison to Design

New Project

MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA Intrawest Mammoth

Corporation, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, an owner, developer and

manager of all-season resort properties, has selected Callison

Architecture Inc., Seattle, Washington, to provide architectural

and interior design services for its newest project, The Village

of Mammoth. The complex will include three multiple-story lodges

with 265 residential units surrounding several pedestrian plazas

and a gondola lift to the mountain mid-station. More than 60,000

sq. ft. (5,574 sq m) of retail will front the new plazas and

existing arterial, creating a “main street” for

the town.

“The Village will function as a town center

for residents and visitors alike, while providing skiers with

easy access to the mountain,” says Bill Gatz, Callison’s

project manager. Construction is expected to begin in May 2000

with completion scheduled for November 2001. In addition

to the Village, Callison, Intrawest and Mammoth Mountain have

collaborated to create Juniper Springs Lodge, Eagle Lodge Base

Camp and Sunstone Lodge in Mammoth Lakes.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

Hotel Ibis Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand; 100 rooms open late

2000; Architect is Group CDA Limited, Sydney, and interior designer

is Forbes and Harris, Sydney; Owner, management and contact: Accor

Asia Pacific.

Novotel Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand; 150 rooms open late

2000; Architect is Group CDA Limited, Sydney, and interior designer

is Forbes and Harris, Sydney; Owner, management and contact: Accor

Asia Pacific.

Hotel Ibis Sydney Airport, Australia; 200 rooms open late 2000;

Architect is Austin, Australia, and interior designer is Forbes

and Harris, Sydney; Owner, management and contact: Accor Asia

Pacific.

Armada Hotel, Dili, East Timor; 260 rooms

open mid-2001; Contact The Armada’s Group of Companies.

CARIBBEAN

Tryp Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba; 1,200 rooms; 300

open; additional 900 rooms opening in mid to late 2000; Contact

Tryp Hoteles.

Breezes Costa Verde, Holguin (Playa Pesquero) Cuba; 480 rooms

open mid-2000; Contact SuperClubs Resorts.

Tryp Varadero, Varadero, Cuba; 600 rooms open mid-2000;

Contact Tryp Hoteles.

Breezes Negril, Jamaica; 225 rooms open 2001; Architect is Jeremy

Millengen, and interior designer is Island Town Design; Developer:

Negril Harbour Development; Contact SuperClubs Resorts.

CENTRAL/S. AMERICA

Quality Suites, Alphaville Brazil, 212 rooms open mid-2000 at

a cost of US$14 million; Architect is Koeingsberger Vanucchi,

Alphaville, and the interior designer is Renata Amaral, Alphaville;

Developer: FAL 2, Alphaville; Contact Choice Atlantica Hotels.

Meliá Confort (South Tower) Brasilia, Brazil; 260 rooms

open early 2001; Contact Sol Meliá.

Comfort Suites, Campinas, Brazil; 115 rooms

open mid-2001 at a cost of US$5.7 million; Architect is Pratec,

Campinas, and interior designer is Renata Amaral, Saõ Paulo;

Developer: FAL2, Alphaville, Brazil; Contact Choice Atlantica

Hotels.

Comfort Suites, Saõ Paulo, Brazil; 205 rooms open late

2000 at a cost of US$9.5 million; Architect and interior designer

is Cyrela, Saõ Paulo, and developer is Brasil Realty, Saõ Paulo;

Contact Choice Atlantica Hotels.

EUROPE

Paradisus Tenerife, Tenerife, Spain; 308

rooms open 2001; Contact Sol Meliá.

Starhotel Monginevro, Florence, Italy; 127 rooms; Adding 55 guestrooms

at a cost of US$1.3 million to be completed by 2002; Contact Starhotels

SpA.

Starhotel Anderson, Milan, Italy; 108 rooms; Renovating hotel

at a cost of US$3 million to be completed by 2002; Contact Starhotels

SpA.

Scandic Hotel, Cologne, Germany; 292 rooms open late 2001; Management

and contact: Scandic Hotels AB.

NORTH AMERICA

Country Suites by Ayres, Seal Beach, California;

100 rooms open late 2000; Archictect is Robert Tuttle; Developer

and contact: Country Inn & Suites by Ayres.

Executive Plaza Hotel Calgary West, Calgary, Canada; 200 rooms

open early 2001; Owner is PR Development Ltd., Saskatoon, Canada;

Contact Executive Inn Group.

Executive Inn Edmonton Airport/Nisku, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada;

189 rooms open late 2000; Owner is PR Development Ltd., Saskatoon,

Canada; Contact Executive Inn Group.

The Westin Charlotte, North Carolina; 700

rooms open 2002; Architect is John Portman & Associates; Owners are Portman Holdings,

Atlanta, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Contractor is Metric

Constructors, a J.A. Jones Company; Contact Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

The Miami Beach Marriott at South Beach, Florida; 236 rooms open

mid-2000; Contact Marriott International Inc.

Aladdin Resort & Casino Complex, Las

Vegas; 2,600 rooms open late 2000 at a cost of US$1.3 billion;

Developers are Aladdin Gaming LLC and TrizecHahn Development

Corp.; Contact Aladdin Gaming LLC.