Corininthia Transforms Old Grand Royal

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 8/1/2001

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY Corinthia Hotels International, Malta, is renovating the old Grand Hotel Royal into the modern Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal. With its wealth of interior architectural detailing carefully restored and incorporated, the hotel is set to become a new and elegant landmark when it opens in late 2002.

The hotel will offer 350 guestrooms, 70 luxurious suites and an executive floor with its own services. Food and beverage outlets include two fine restaurants, one Hungarian and one that will serve international cuisine, plus a brasserie, lobby bar and patisserie. Other amenities include a health center with an indoor pool, a business center, conference facilities for 500, syndicate rooms for 10 to 200 people and banquet facilities for up to 1,000 people.

Asia / Pacific

Four Seasons Hotels, Hong Kong, 400 rooms to open in 2004; contact Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.

The Park Plaza International, Jaipur, India; 125 rooms to open in 2002; contact Park Plaza Worldwide LLC.

Caribbean

The Tamarind Club, St. Phillip, Barbados; 120 rooms to open late 2003; contact Forest Hill Hotels & Resorts.

Central/S. America

Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, Asunción, Paraguay; 125 rooms to open early 2003 at a cost of US$12 million; owner is Emprendimientos Hoteleros S.A.; management and contact: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Blue Tree Caesar Towers Busca Vida, Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil; 200 rooms to open 2002; contact Blue Tree Hotels.

Europe

Park Plaza Hotel Vieux Port, Marseilles, France; 162 rooms to open 2003; contact Park Plaza Worldwide LLC.

Ritz-Carlton, Berlin; 302 rooms to open 2004; contact Marriott International.

Tryp Hotel, Ovideo, Spain; 115 rooms to open mid-2003; owner is Constructora Covadonga SA; management and contact: Sol Meliá.

Meliá Avenida de America, Madrid (near Barajas Airport), Spain; 878 rooms to open late 2002; owner is Palomo Family; management and contact: Sol Meliá.

Middle East

Hilton Beirut Barrage Residence, Lebanon; 70 rooms to open mid-2002; contact Hilton International.

Sheraton Plaza Hotel & Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 510 rooms to open late 2001; contact Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Novotel (at Dubai World Trade Centre Complex); Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 400 rooms to open 2003; contact Accor SA.

Ibis (at Dubai World Trade Centre Complex), Dubai, 200 rooms to open 2003; contact Accor SA.

Shangri-La Hotel Dubai, 410 rooms to open in 2002; architect is Norr Group Consultants Ltd., Dubai, and the interior designer is Wilson & Associates, Singapore; developer is Al Jaber Investments, Abu Dhabi; management and contact Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts.

North America

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, San Luis Potosi, Mexico; 120 rooms to open in 2002; contact Carlson Hospitality Worldwide.

Hilton Grand Vacation Club, Las Vegas, Nevada; 1,500 rooms to open early 2003; contact Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Sheraton Overland Park, Overland Park, Kansas; 412 rooms to open late 2002; a partnership with Starwood and Turner Companies; developer is Overland Park Development Company; management and contact: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; 121 rooms; renovation completed in three phases by 2003 at a cost of US$45 million; contact Ponte Vedra Inn & Club.

Courtyard by Marriott, Somerset, New Jersey; 162 rooms to open late 2002; partnership between New Castle Hotels, Shelton, Connecticut and Widewaters Group, DeWitt, New York; management and contact: New Castle Hotels.

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort; Hawaii; 1,308 rooms; renovation to be completed early 2002 at a cost of US$60 million; contact Marriott International.

JW Marriott Hotel and Ritz-Carlton Hotel (part of the Grande Lakes Resort), Orlando, Florida; 1,000 and 584 rooms respectively to open mid-2003; development and construction cost of project is US$547 million; owner is Thayer Hotel Investors, Annapolis, Maryland; management and contact is Marriott International.

Esperanza Resort, Punta Ballena, Los Cabos, Mexico; 50-room/6-villa hotel to open early 2002; owner, management and contact: Auberge Resorts.

Accor To Manage Second Hotel In Bangkok

BANGKOK Accor SA, Evry, France, will manage the 454-room Monarch Lee Gardens Hotel and will rebrand the property Sofitel Silom Bangkok after a total refurbishment at a cost of US$6.5 million. When the hotel opens in early 2002, it will open as a 5-star property, according to Accor.

Twelve floors, with a total of 250 guestrooms, will be converted into exclusive Sofitel executive floors catering to the corporate traveler. Each room will be equipped with efficient workstations, inclusive of dedicated phone, fax and Internet lines.

Existing food and beverage outlets will be completely renovated. Conference and meeting facilities will be added and the pool, fitness center, pool bar and drugstore will be redesigned.

According to Jochen Dobel, Accor deputy chairman, Asia Pacific, "The two Sofitels in Bangkok will each have unique positioning that will appeal to different market segments. Sofitel Central Plaza Bangkok is extremely strong with domestic corporate and government accounts in the surrounding area, and benefits from its excellent conference, exhibition and meeting facilities. Together the two properties will further extend and grow our corporate client base."

Kimpton Group Plans Boutique Hotel

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group, LLC, San Francisco, plans to open the 224-room Cypress Hotel, a boutique hotel, in Cupertino, California, in mid-2002. Total development costs for the project will be US$41 million.

Designed by Susan Caruso of Intraspec Design, Los Angeles, the hotel's interior will transport guests to a world inspired by Italian renaissance. The 224-room hotel, including 21 suites, will be decorated in rich, rust claret and gold tones with accents of jade green.

The hotel will offer approximately 4,000 sq. ft. (372 sq.m) of meeting space, including a 3,000 sq.-ft. (279 sq.-m) ballroom and a 660 sq.-ft. (61sq.-m) boardroom. Guests will have access to a 150-seat restaurant and bar that will offer a casual, yet elegant ambiance and exceptional cuisine.