Category: International

We all agree that it’s getting harder to stand out from the crowd when it comes to providing five-star amenities for guests who now expect that luxury toiletries, flat screen TVs, Wi-Fi and iPod docking stations are de rigueur at five-star properties. What’s a hotel to do to up the ante?

Well, if you’re the newly-opened Palais Namaskar in Marrakech, Morocco you house a private jet to shuttle your guests to and fro – from the Marrakech airport, from airports around the world or to other Oetker Collection hotels, such as Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, Le Bristol Paris, Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc located on the Mediterranean at the tip of the Cap d’Antibes, and Château Saint-Martin & Spa in Provence. This means that you can zip over to Paris to shop for the day and then be back in Marrakech in time for a sunset swim in your private pool at the Palais Namaskar.

The new terminal “Check-in 3“ at Vienna Airport opened for full operations on 5 June 2012. With this expansion, the airport now offers travellers even more service and higher travel quality

 The Moroccan city of Marrakech has recently welcomed a cavalcade of resorts, from the reinvigorated La Mamounia to King Mohammed VI’s own Royal Mansour. The latest is Selman Marrakech, a sprawling Moorish-style hotel just minutes by car from the medina. Developers Saida and Abdeslam Bennani Smires tapped decorator Jacques Garcia to mastermind the project, which encompasses 56 guest rooms and five riads.

Did You Know … The green-roofed pavilion at the heart of the Menara Gardens – just across from Four Seasons Resort Marrakech – was built in the 16th century, then later renovated by a 19th century sultan. The surrounding reservoir is much older, built by the region’s ruler in the 12th century as a gateway to the Atlas Mountains.

 Marrakech has been having a moment (in the travel press, at least) since the famousLa Mamounia reopened to much fanfare in 2009.

Since then, Marrakech has been joined by a panoply of mostly luxurious options. It’s a simple case of supply and demand: Marrakech is the most popular destination in Morocco, tourism officials say. And while, in 2010, the city already had one third of all hotel beds in the country, the boom isn’t done yet. In addition to newly opened properties, more new hotels are scheduled to welcome guests this fall and in 2013.

Morocco as a whole plans to double the number of hotel rooms in the country by 2020, officials promise. Interestingly, more than half of all properties open now fall into the four- or five-star categories.

La Pedrera is one of Gaudí’s undisputed masterpieces, and now, this UNESCO listed building is opening its doors for night-time visits. Discover the building’s hidden secrets as darkness falls. These exclusive visits provide a unique insight into the lives, customs, and stories of how people lived in this unique residence 100 years ago. What a great addition to an incentive or conference!

The hotels and congress locations in Rotterdam are increasingly showing commitment to sustainable enterprise. For instance, they are contributing to the targets set by the Rotterdam Climate Initiative to lower CO2 by 50% and achieve a 100% climate-proof city in 2025. Some thirty parties signed an agreement in June 2010 stating that they would attain Green Key certification before the end of 2011. The Green Key is an international eco-label for the tourism and recreation sector that shows the certified organisation is very serious about its commitment to caring for the environment.

Starting from the 1st of October Lufthansa will have a daily connection twice from Munich to Rotterdam The Hague Airport. The flights will be operated with a modern jet aircraft, a Bombardier Canadair CRJ 900. Besides Munich, Rotterdam The Hague Airport is accessible from more than 30 destinations.

Rotterdam The Hague Airport was recently elected as the most popular airport in The Netherlands by the many visitors of the authoritative consumer website Zoover.nl for the second time in a row. The by Rotterdam The Hague Airport passengers beloved quick check-in, the clarity and excellent service are the reason for business travelers and city trippers, skiers and holiday passengers to each increasingly fly via Rotterdam The Hague Airport. In the past year, the number of travelers grew with more than fifteen percent and in the first quarter of 2012 again the number of travelers increased further.

With 197 elegant guest rooms and suites, the Four Seasons Hotel Dublin offers the city’s most extensive selection of guest rooms. The six-storey red brick building is situated on the showground’s of the historic Royal Dublin Society, in the quiet residential community of Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 – one of the safest and most prestigious areas in Dublin.   
 
Enjoy 5-star luxury in close proximity to Dublin’s city centre at a fantastic price.
 
The Four Seasons offers special rates from €179 per night per room incl. breakfast for all bookings between October 24th and April 22nd, 2013! Subject to availability.

London-based fund managers Metric Capital Partners and Hutton Collins Partners have invested in Dutch hotel developer and operator TVHG via a credit instrument with equity participation. The total investment was not disclosed, but the firms said it will secure over €120m of hotel developments in the Netherlands.


Focused on the development of branded budget hotels, TVHG has a contracted pipeline of 19 Dutch hotels in prime locations in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Eindhoven, Metric said in a release. The fresh capital will also support further expansion of its developments and operations, which are managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, a minority shareholder in TVHG.


Metric Partner John Sinik commented: “The TVHG opportunity is attractive to us given the strength of the team. This includes not only the TVHG management team, but also Interstate as a world-class operator.” TVHG CEO Bart van de Kamp added that said the firm is not only looking to expand domestically but also in Belgium, Luxembourg and France. The hotels currently in development are to be operated by Holiday Inn Express, Hampton by Hilton, IBIS, Aloft and Courtyard by Marriott.


Metric provides capital solutions to mid-sized companies in Europe, taking a long-term partnership approach. Hutton Collins Partners manages long-term capital on behalf of blue chip investors from around the world. It invests across western Europe through mezzanine capital, preferred and minority equity capital. pie