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| Switzerland’s recently refurbished Hotel Eden Roc now offers guests a selection of redesigned lakeside rooms. |
In our search of the latest development on the accommodations front we’ve found a flurry of activity in Asia and Australia as well as some intriguing news from Europe, with a nod to Travel Agent’s home base in New York City.
Switzerland’s Eden Roc Shows Off Its New Look
Just in time to welcome summer guests, Hotel Eden Roc on Lago Maggiore offers 30 redesigned lakeside rooms, as the first step in its new 2015 look. Adding a touch of style to each room, guests are now given a selection from colorful and contemporary to classic and elegant.
When planning the revamp, interior designer Carlo Rampazzi attached particular importance in existing furniture as to create a harmonious existence between Eden Roc’s history and the hotel’s new era to come. He also used floral motifs to transform the spa’s seven treatment rooms into spring oases where guests can enjoy an extensive choice of massages, soothing baths and beauty applications. The Eden Roc’s new Marina Restaurant, perched by the lakeshore, serves a wide choice of pasta dishes, meat and fish delicacies from the grill, as well as an extensive selection of cocktails and drinks.
Design Hotels Adds Six New Members
The newest members of the Design Hotels collection include four boutique properties (two of them new) in Europe, a soon-to-open hotel in Moscow and one in New York City.
Opened in April 2015, Filario Hotel & Residences occupies a private beach on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, in the relatively undiscovered town of Lezzeno. All 21 rooms and apartments have private balconies that afford views of the lake.
The seven-suite Hotel d’Almeran in Saint-Remy-De-Provence, France — set in a 17th-century palace in the center of the town — opened in May. Christine and Alexander Perper dreamed up this property in hospitality school as a “castle in the clouds” more than half a mile above sea level in the Pays d’Enhaut region.
In Switzerland, the ski-in/ski-out Chetzeron, 6,800 feet above sea level in Crans Montana, has 16 rooms and suites which have panoramic views of the Rhone Valley and the Alps, while Hotel de Rougemont comprises a series of interconnected chalets housing 19 rooms and 14 suites, surrounded by pine trees, Alps and views of the Gstaad Dolomites.
Set for a soft opening in June, the StandArt Hotel Moscow on Pushkin Square has 105 suites, a spa with a traditional Russian steam room, and a Michelin-starred chef.
On Manhattan’s Lower East Side, The Ludlow opened just one year ago with 184 rooms, including classic industrial loft suites complete with large casement windows, gleaming white tile and copper-fitted bathrooms, as well as Manhattan skyline views.
Outrigger Taking Bookings For Resort in Maldives
The Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort, which is set to open on August 1, is now available for bookings. The property includes 24 Beach Pool Villas, seven Two-Bedroom Pool Villas, 21 Ocean Pool Villas and the Presidential Villa. Recreational facilities include an 82-foot pool, the Outrigger Navasana Spa, a fitness center, reef adventure and dive centers, relaxation zone, kids club and boutique shop.
All meals at the Outrigger Maldives will be full service a la carte. Dining will be offered at Blue Salt (all-day brasserie-style dining), Nala Rah (exclusive interactive teppan grill and raw bar with ocean views), Poolside (creative cuisine and comfort foods with a view), and The Deck (chill out bar). The property will also have a private beach and in-villa dining and theme nights.
Crowne Plaza Raises Flag In Chennai, India
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has entered into an agreement with Adyar Gate Hotels to launch its Crowne Plaza imprint in Chennai, India. The 286-room Sheraton Park Chennai in the city’s central business district will be rebranded as the Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park. The hotel was originally the site of IHG’s first Holiday Inn launched in the 1970s. There are currently eight Crowne Plaza hotels and resorts across India, and five new hotels are due to open in the next three-five years.
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| Garden Terrace Suite “Gyokuto” at Suiran, Starwood’s first Luxury Collection Hotel in Japan. |
Langham Place, Bali Set for 2017
In Indonesia, Langham Hospitality Group has announced an agreement with PJM Group & Partners to manage the Langham Place, Bali, scheduled to open in 2017. Perched atop a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean on the island’s famed Ungasan-Uluwatu area on the southern peninsula, the resort marks the Hong Kong-based hotel company’s first luxury resort in Asia under its Langham Hotels & Resorts collection. All 173 units, nearly a thrid of which are suites and villas, will have outdoor terraces where guests can take advantage of Bali’s year-round tropical climate and enjoy the panoramic ocean views. The villas and suites will each have their own private plunge pool as well. A seven-minute walk away from the resort is the pristine Pandawa beach that is accessible to guests.
Starwood Adds Kyoto Hotel To Luxury Collection
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has opened Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto, bringing the brand’s signature Luxury Collection Concierge service to Japan for the first time. From its riverside site in the Arashiyama district of western Kyoto, Suiran affords sweeping views of the Arashiyama hills, home to the famed Bamboo Grove. The residential hotel occupies part of the grounds of Tenryuji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Suiran has 39 luxuriously appointed guest rooms, inspired by traditional ryokan-style accommodations, ranging from 500 to 1,000 square feet. Each is designed with traditional motifs and culturally significant hues.
There are two private spa treatment rooms equipped with a Japanese-style open-air bath as well as the option for in-room treatments. Guests can enjoy traditional treatments such as Seiran, a body massage with tea seed oil, scrub with green tea and facial treatment with jade stones and collagen mask.
Suiran has preserved elements of its past, including two original structures, Enmei-kaku, built in 1899, and Hasshoken, from 1910, which have undergone extensive restoration and now house the hotel’s restaurant, Kyo Suiran, and café, Saryo Hassui.
Sydney to Get Its First Aloft Hotel in 2016
Starwood’s Aloft hotel brand will make its debut in Sydney in 2016 occupying the current site of the Druids House building. Starwood plans to renovate the building under the direction of local designer Carmen Glenister of Opera Studio Design and Sydney-based architect Scott Carver. The 136-room Aloft Sydney Pitt Street will be set in the heart of Sydney’s vibrant “Koreatown” district, close to the city’s business center and transportation network and close to Hyde Park, Pitt Street Mall (Australia’s busiest shopping district) and George Street’s Event Cinema, home to Sydney’s red carpet premieres and film events.
Retaining various elements of the historic 1909 building, the new Aloft hotel will have spacious loft-like guest rooms with many of Aloft’s signature amenities: platform beds with plush bedding, walk-in showers with custom amenities by Bliss Spa, complimentary bottled water, and coffee. As with all Aloft hotels, there is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.
On the hotel’s ground floor will be Re:fuel, the Aloft brand’s signature 24-hour gourmet grab-and-go food and beverage area. After hours, the brand’s Live At Aloft Hotels music series will play in the w xyz bar, which extends into an outdoor “backyard.”