Moevenpick Paris Neuilly will complete it’s bedroom development in June 2014 increasing it’s bed stock to 281 rooms. All 281 rooms will have a full refurbishment creating a more modern and contemporary look.
A recent opening for Moevenpick is the Jumeirah Lakes Towers which opened in Dubai during November 2013. This is a boutique hotel with just 144 beds.
Other upcoming new openings include… A brand new hotel in Istanbul which is due to open in the summer of 2014, it will be located on the Golden Horn and will be a boutique property but with meeting space for up to 200. The next to open will be in Marrakech during October 2014, this hotel will have over 400 bedrooms and meeting space for up to 600. And finally 2016 will see the opening of a hotel in Bangkok and two in Abu Dhabi.
The Rand has devalued by almost 25% since the same time last year, which makes it the perfect time to visit South Africa. See below for a snapshot of some amazing South African venues waiting to be discovered…
TANDA TULA SAFARI CAMP & TANDA TULA FIELD CAMP: GREATER KRUGER – A truly authentic under canvas safari experience with all the necessary luxuries. Remember Tanda Tula Field Camp is ideal for exclusive walking safaris. Best combined with White Pearl Resorts and Thanda Private Game Reserve.
KWANDWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE: EASTERN CAPE – One of the largest private game reserves in South Africa with 2 lodges, 2 safari villas and a wide diversity of wildlife. Kwandwe provides the perfect safari for all travellers and is best combined with Le Quartier Francais.
THANDA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE: KWA-ZULU NATAL – With the very exclusive Thanda Safari Lodge, private residence Villa iZulu and great value Thanda Tented Camp, you are spoilt for choice and guests enjoy Big 5 game viewing within 14 000 ha of Zululand wilderness. Best combined with White Pearl in our ‘Zulus and Pearls’ combo package.
LE QUARTIER FRANÇAIS: WINELANDS – Take full advantage of the Gourmet Capital and enjoy fine dining restaurants within the Valley at great rates. Do not forget that when you stay at LQF all transfer within the Valley are included in the nightly rate! Best combined with either Kwandwe or Tanda Tula.
ELLERMAN HOUSE & ELLERMAN HOUSE VILLAS: CAPE TOWN – Situated in the wind sheltered Bantry Bay, Ellerman House offers incredible views over the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy wine tastings in the new Wine Gallery and stay in the newly launched Ellerman House Villa Two. Best combined with Singita and Azura.
The Vienna Hilton Plaza is currently undergoing a refurbishment, due to re-open in May 2014, with renovated meeting space available from June 2014, and final completion in December 2014.
The Vienna Hilton Plaza is located on the famous Ringstrasse, a short walk from the historic city centre, as well as the Hofburg Convention Centre. The hotel will complement the Hilton Vienna, located on the Stadtpark, and the Hilton Vienna Danube.
Hilton Brighton Metropole benefited from a £350,000 investment in 2013 including a sun terrace which is available for private hire! The refurbishment of the large event spaces is now complete and ensures that the meeting spaces now look clean and fresh but still retain their original features and characteristics. 50% of the beds have been redone with the remainder due to be signed off this year.
Hilton London Heathrow T4 is attached to the terminal by a 6 minutes covered walkway. The hotel has 398 triple glazed bedrooms which are undergoing investment at the moment, 50% will be complete by June 2014 and the remainder will be started in Jan 2015. There are 22 meeting rooms and a small beach which can host cocktails for up to 200 guests!
Hilton Syon Park has recently become a four star property and has many quirky features including a games room! It has 137 beds and is 5 minutes walk from Syon Lane Station.
Hilton London Wembley opened in July 2012 and by the end of April 2014 will be complemented by the new shopping village opening next door. The venue has 361 beds and can accommodate up to 700 theatre style. It even has its own outdoor bar on the top floor which can be hired for BBQ’s for up to 150.
The Doubletree in Bristol had a £5m investment in 2013 including their beautiful restaurant which used to be a glass kiln so as you can imagine has many interesting features! The hotel has 201 beds and 150 parking spaces which can be included in the DDR, they have complimentary WiFi and are 5 minutes walk from Temple Meads.
Four Pillars Hotels are a UK based brand with 6 hotels under their portfolio which received a £11.5m development spend across 2012/2013.
The Cotswold Water Park extended its kitchen and restaurant so that it can now accommodate two large groups at a time, the bedrooms stock has increased to 328 (98 of which are self service apartments) and they now have 9 treatment rooms instead of 6.
The Oxford Thames property has just opened 20 bedrooms bringing the total bedroom stock to 84 with planning permission for a further 24 rooms. The venue is great for confidential meetings as it is so peaceful. There is a moored boat at the back of the hotel which is stationary but is a great venue for drinks receptions up to 45 people. They have also spend £600,000 on a new conservatory!
Tortworth Court is 17 miles from the centre of Bristol located within 30 acres of land. £5m has just been spent on the grade II listed property including investment on substantial equipment in to the main meeting room. By the end of March 2014 all but 50 of the bedrooms will have been refurbished. The have closed their a la carte restaurant which is now available for private hire, this would be complemented very nicely with drinks in their beautiful atrium.
Oxford Spires is 1 mile from Oxford with free parking! In 2013 they converted a house within the grounds that now forms part of the hotel offering 10 top end bedrooms which can be taken over by 1 group.
The Witney Four Pillars was refurbished in 2008 and is described as a ‘home from home’, just 10 minutes from the centre of Oxford and 40 minutes from the midlands. Abingdon is the only 3 star hotel in the group and is located on the business park, they have put in a planning application for more bedrooms which is yet to be approved so watch this space…
There are ten new hotels about to open or start of construction in 2014 in Lisbon. Almost all are located in the city centre and are restorations of existing buildings. Although most are luxury accommodation with four and five star hotels there are also some more economic categories. The hotels are a combination of Portuguese and international investment.
The Baixa district as far as Santa Apolonia is experiencing the greatest demand for buildings to convert. Hotel Portugal is in this area and launched at the end of January. It is a 4* boutique property and this was one of the most anticipated projects in 2014.
Avenida da Liberdade will also have a new hotel this summer, called the Bessa Hotel Lisbon. The owners of the four star Bessa Hotel Porto are expanding the brand to the Portuguese capital with the opening of a hotel with 113 bedrooms.
For the first time in the history of Turismo de Lisboa, the hotel sector in the capital’s region has exceeded the threshold of 10 million overnight stays in a single year, according to 2013 data from INE – National Statistics Institute. This performance of 10.067 million overnights represents an increase of 6.6% over the previous year.
Nave da Estufa Fria – new blank canvass space in Lisbon
The city of Lisbon has added a new venue for events with the opening of the Nave da Estufa Fria (Cold Greenhouse Nave) with more than 600m² multi-use space for any type of conference or event. The capacity for a banquet is 800 people or 1500 for a drinks reception.
The 1950s building is located next to Parque Eduardo VII on the Avenida da Liberdade and is surrounded by ponds, waterfalls, streams, statues and specimens of plants from all over the world. It is a semi buried building, made of reinforced concrete, with ten arched vaults that are built into the slope of a hill. The interior is lined with small pebbles.
Hyatt Hotels has announced it will launch its first hotel in Austria in 2014 with the opening of the Park Hyatt Vienna on 1 June.
Situated in Vienna’s new pedestrian Goldenes Quartier and on the Am Hof square, the 143-room Park Hyatt Vienna will occupy a 100-year-old building that formerly served as the headquarters of an Austrian Hungarian Monarcy Bank and forms part of Vienna’s First District, which is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It will offer more than 800sqm of meeting space aimed at small meetings, cocktail receptions and dinners and five boardrooms.
Other facilities will include the Arany Spa with fitness centre, swimming pool and six treatment rooms, and a range of food and beverage options. These include The Bank, an all-day dining restaurant located in the former cashier hall, Pearl bar, the Living Room cigar and whisky lounge, and the Lounge, which will serve afternoon tea and light meals.
The Park Hyatt Vienna will be just a short walk from the city’s top sights including St. Stephan Cathedral, the Hofburg Palace and many historic monuments and museums.
