Accor’s new Asian flagship hotel Conceived by GMP, the award-winning German architects whose portfolio includes the reconstruction of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, the Sofitel Wanda Beijing has an eye-catching, geometric character. A new landmark hotel has opened in the centre of Beijing, combining stunning German designed architecture and French style. The Sofitel Wanda, located on Jiango Road, becomes the Accor group's new flagship property in Asia. It has 417 rooms, including 43 suites, four restaurants, a 1,500m2 ballroom among 10 conference rooms, and a health club and spa. Conceived by GMP, the award-winning architects whose portfolio includes the reconstruction of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, the hotel has an eye-catching, geometric character. Inside, the peony, the national flower and a prevalent emblem of China, is central to the décor, with the lobby featuring three finely crafted Swarovski crystal peonies. A signature restaurant – Le Pre Lenôtre – offers a French country chateau ambience and cuisine. Rooms start from US$272/€184 per night based on two people sharing a deluxe king room on a bed and breakfast basis. Anything but a monastic life...
Guests staying at the Rocco Forte Collection's latest venture, due to open early next summer in Prague, will enjoy anything but a monastic lifestyle, despite the origins of the building. The St Augustine, named after the 13th century monastery which forms part of the 101-room hotel, will offer every conceivable comfort, along with the latest technology. There will, however, be reminders of its former existence. One of the two bars will occupy a barrel-vaulted, double-height hall, with views on to one of the formal garden squares and outside seating on the cloister terrace in the summer. And a 150m2 main function room will also be housed in a double-height vaulted hall. Other features include a purpose-designed conference facility with a business centre, two meeting rooms and two boardrooms, all with direct access to private garden areas. Additionally, there is a sizeable health and fitness centre with a gym, four treatment rooms, sauna, steam room and relaxation area. The hotel also has two restaurants. The Augustine, the 12th hotel to join The Collection, is located at the heart of the city in the Lesser Town, with spectacular views of Prague Castle and the Wallenstein Gardens. Budget chain moves into Spain
Travelodge, the UK budget chain, plans to open up to 100 hotels in Spain by 2020 in an ambitious €1 billion expansion programme. In it first major move into international markets, the group will initially target major cities, including Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, before rolling out to other large centres, suburban areas and airports. Each hotel will have approximately 80-100 rooms and will mirror the UK budget model, with online room prices starting from €20 a night. Travelodge's expansion in Spain follows a successful pilot of three hotels – two in Madrid and one in Barcelona.
Says Grant Hearn, Travelodge's CEO: "Spanish consumers' appetite for budget products, coupled with a surge in internet usage, complement our low-cost brand and online sales model." It plans to use the same leasehold method that is driving its €4.87 billion growth strategy in the UK. The chain plans to have five additional Spanish hotels open within the next three years, with a further 15 sites in the pipeline Travelodge will develop the remainder over a 10-year period. Utell’s Business Collection
A collection of independent hotels aimed at the business traveller is the latest portfolio of properties to be launched by hotel representation service Utell, part of US-based Pegasus Solutions. The Business Collection comprises around 70 hotels located in city centres or commercial districts, with facilities including broadband internet access, business centres and meeting areas. Among the hotels featured are Apex City Hotels in London, Edinburgh and Dundee; several Golden Leaf properties in Germany; and four hotels in Washington DC, including the Washington Plaza. Utell aims to launch a Meetings Collection in 2008, with other portfolios including an All-Suites Collection also planned.
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