Le M�ridien Art + Tech Comes To The States

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 5/1/2002

Le Méridien Art + Tech Comes To The States

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, London, and Graves Hospitality Corp., Minneapolis, will launch the first Le Méridien Art +Tech project on the new Block E development in downtown Minneapolis. The opening of the 255-room hotel is scheduled for this November.

Art +Tech by Le Méridien at Minneapolis will showcase all standard Art + Tech design concepts and amenities and feature 15,000 sq. ft. (1,394 sq. m) of meeting space, a restaurant offering contemporary cuisine, a street-level bar and comprehensive fitness center. Rising 22 stories above the city, the hotel’s guestrooms will offer luxury appointments such as 42-inch (107 cm) plasma television screens, freestanding shower towers with multiple body jets and 100-gram (3.5 oz.) bars of Hermès soap.

“We look forward to continuing to expand Art + Tech in other strategic markets as we move forward with our aggressive expansion plans for Le Méridien both here and abroad,” says Le Méridien CEO Juergen Bartels. In fact, Graves Hospitality, which has developed, constructed and provided management services to more than 85 hotels over the past 20 years, plans to partner with Le Méridien on future Art + Tech hotels in the United States.

Rocco Forte To Operate Luxe Hotel In Frankfurt

FRANKFURT, GERMANY After a US$55 million restoration, Rocco Forte Hotels will operate a new 166-room luxury hotel built on the grounds of the Villa Speyer on Kennedyallee in Frankfurt, Germany. Due for completion in 2005, the Villa Speyer, built in 1904, will be fully restored to become the centerpiece of the hotel.

Project architects Dr. Porphyrios & Associates, London, will lead the new construction of spacious bedrooms and suites; a restaurant and bar; a lounge within the building cloisters overlooking the gardens; a hydrotherapy spa and fitness center; high-tech conference and banqueting facilities for up to 250 delegates; seven meeting rooms; and underground parking.

Under the agreement, Rocco Forte Hotels will provide technical advice to the Fay Group, which will fund and manage the construction of the hotel and will grant Rocco Forte Hotels a 30-year lease as the operator.

New Hilton Garden Inn Coming To California

MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA Summit Builders, Phoenix, have broken ground on a new Hilton Garden Inn project located adjacent to the Montebello Country Club. The three-story, 121-room hotel is being constructed next to the first tee of the club’s golf course and is expected to be completed by late 2002.

The project will be owned by the City of Montebello and operated by Hotel Adventures, Tustin, California. Seavers Franks Architects, Tuscon, Arizona, serves as the project architect.

Hilton Americas—Houston Plans Fall 2003 Opening

HOUSTON In approximately 18 months and US$285 million from now, Houston will have a new, 1,200-room convention center hotel with the city’s largest ballroom and hotel meeting space. In fact, the Hilton Americas-Houston has already booked advance meetings and conventions for its 93,000 sq. ft. (8,640 sq. m) of high-tech meeting space. The Houston Convention Center Hotel Corp. has signed a 15-year agreement with Hilton Hotels Corp. to operate and manage the hotel.

The hotel’s 40,000-sq.-ft. (3,716 m) main ballroom, an additional 26,000-sq.-ft. (2,415 sq. m) junior ballroom and 30 meeting rooms will provide groups with a lot of flexibility. Ballrooms feature special event technology walls with built-in 9 ft. x 12 ft. (2.7 m x 3.7 m) presentation screens in each section and professional show power lighting and audio connections controlled by LCD panels. All meeting rooms will feature in-room Ethernet connections for high-speed Internet access and motorized 6’x8’ presentation screens.

The hotel’s portfolio of rooms will include two presidential suites, two executive suites and 62 one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites. Each guestroom will include a hair dryer, iron and ironing board, radio/alarm clock, in-room safe, coffee maker, mini bar, oversized desk, dual line telephone with data port and high-speed Internet connection.

When the hotel opens in the fall of 2003, there will be two restaurants on the lobby level and an express coffee bar/café for quick bites. To round out the offerings, the Hilton will feature a day spa, outdoor heated lap pool, a whirlpool and a full-service fitness center.

Dolce Skamania Lodge Expansion On Track

STEVENSON, WASHINGTON The US$15 million expansion and renovation of the conference center and public spaces at the Dolce Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington, is on track and scheduled for rollout this summer. When completed, the property will have 254 guestrooms and 35,000-sq.-ft. (3,252 sq. m) of meeting space featuring all branded Dolce International standards of service.

The additional 15,000 sq. ft. (1,394 sq. m) of conference space will consist largely of mid-size meeting rooms, breakout rooms and boardrooms—all with natural lighting and the latest in meeting and conference technology.

The expansions and renovations have been designed to keep the integrity of the Cascadian-style in which it was built and are appointed with fabrics, furnishings and art indigenous to the Pacific Northwest.

Walt Disney World Swan And Dolphin Plan Massive Expansion

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel has unveiled a US$75 million expansion and enhancement plan that includes new meetings and exhibition space; an all-new guestroom design by architect Michael Graves; and the introduction of a new, nationally recognized seafood restaurant to its existing lineup of dining venues.

Plans include the construction of a new 50,000 sq. ft. (4,645 sq. m) Pacific Hall with 26-foot (8 m) ceilings and open, pillarless space that divides into three sections. The hall will be complemented by a 14,000 sq. ft. (1,300 sq. m) pre-function area and an 18,000 sq. ft. (1,672 sq. m) outside pavilion deck. The existing Atlantic Hall also will be expanded by 10,000 sq. ft. (929 sq. m).

The new guestroom design will be characterized by such features as slate entryways, new carpeting and designer wall coverings, as well as custom-designed draperies. Existing armoires will be replaced by contemporary bureaus that hold 27-inch (69 cm) televisions and connects to a large desk and work area. The new guestrooms also will include Westin’s Heavenly Beds.

The hotel is also planning a redesign of two existing restaurants in the Dolphin—Tubbi’s 24-hour cafeteria and the Coral Café breakfast and lunch buffet.

St. Regis Fort Lauderdale Breaks Ground

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA Construction has started on the planned 197-room St. Regis Resort, Spa and Residences in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At an estimated cost of US$135 million, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide plans to open the hotel with 29 penthouse residences in a 23-story tiered tower by the fall of 2003.

The new hotel is located on the beachfront between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, uniquely set to allow guests access to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean and the many navigable waterways on the Intracoastal.

Developed by Castillo Grand, LLC, the hotel and residences will have 197 guestrooms and suites, and 24 private club units—each with its own balcony. In addition, there will be 29 penthouse residences in the top eight levels of the tower. The hotel is being designed by the architectural firm, Arquitectonica.

The resort will also feature a gourmet restaurant, outdoor oceanfront café, bar and lounges, a 20,000 sq. ft. (1,858 sq. m), two-story European-style spa with private outdoor treatment facilities and a grand ballroom overlooking the ocean with adjacent pre-function space.

Shangri-La Fuzhou, China, Debuts In 2004

FUZHOU, CHINA Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Hong Kong, will open a 416-room hotel in Fuzhou, the capital of China’s Fujian province, in early 2004. The hotel is being designed by Tokyo-based KKS Architects and Singapore-based Wilson Associates.

“With China entering the World Trade Organization, Fuzhou offers future growth opportunities,” says Shangri-La CEO and Managing Director Giovanni Angelini.

The Fuzhou hotel will feature a variety of restaurants including a rooftop bar and restaurant on the 26th floor, a Chinese restaurant, an international café, a lobby lounge and a deli. The hotel also will have a business center, shopping arcade, gift shop and beauty salon. Recreational facilities will include tennis courts and a health club with a gym, spa, sauna, Jacuzzi and swimming pool. Meeting facilities will include a 1,700-sq.-m (18,299 sq. ft) ballroom that will be complemented by a full range of meeting and function rooms.

The hotel’s guestrooms will offer the full array of Shangri-La amenities, including 24-hour room service, same-day laundry and valet service, coffee and tea making facilities, data ports and satellite television. There will be three floors of Horizon Club accommodations, which feature special amenities and privileges that cater to the needs of executive travelers.