Hotels
Nighttime the Right Time at Hard Rock
Ash Tembe says those staying at a Hard Rock Hotel All Inclusive Collection resort will quickly learn that nighttime is the right time. Tembe, vice-president of global field sales for the brand – which has properties in Punta Cana, Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Puerto Vallarta – says night owls will be in their element in any of those resorts. “What we do better than anyone else is we come alive at night,” he told a lively gathering of travel agents in Toronto Thursday, adding many other all-inclusive brands are quiet after sunset. “Staying up all night at a Hard Rock is...
Group Germain Keeps Getting Better
Christiane Germain, co-founder of Group Germain Hotels, was in Toronto this week, leading a group of the company's top executives, in spreading the word about all the things going on at the hotel group these days. Topping the list was the fact that Le Germain Hotel Toronto is in the process of re-doing all of its rooms. About a third of them have already been completed, with the remainder to be finished by April of 2016. The group has two brands, Le Germain Hotels and ALT Hotels by Le Germain, spread across Canada in key markets that include Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Charlevoix,...
Starwood Going Big In Vegas
What happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily always stay in Vegas. In fact, the people at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide want to make sure that travel agents know exactly what's happening in Las Vegas these. That's because Starwood has unveiled the details of its single largest addition of hotel rooms in North America since pre-recession with the signing of SLS Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip and Sahara Boulevard. Owned by Las Vegas Resort Holdings, LLC, the three distinct hotel towers, encompassing more than 1,600 guestrooms and suites, will be branded by the end of this...
Sandals: Always Changing The Game
It was all things Sandals (and Beaches) in Toronto last night as the "luxury-included" chain rolled into the city for its annual travel agent extravaganza, this year under the theme "Changing the Game," reports Press Today's Michael Baginski. Preceded by a 200-guest party in Montreal two nights earlier, close to 500 agents and trade partners crammed the Sheraton Airport Hotel for dinner, trade show, a bit of stand-up comedy, and all-around Sandals revival that emphasized what the company has been and is doing to change the very nature of the all-inclusive experience throughout the...
Booking.com Hits The Billion Mark
Booking.com has revealed new data on the number and variety of bookable rooms available across the 820,000 properties on its site, along with the unique places guests have chosen to rest their heads over the last year. The company's 820,000 unique properties have 21 million bookable rooms worldwide and within the last year alone, 285 million guests - the population of the UK, Germany, France and Italy combined -- have stayed in these accommodations through Booking.com, and over 1 billion guests have stayed at a Booking.com property since the site was born. The site offers 30...
Caesars to Build New US$75 Million Julius Tower
As it approaches its 50th Golden Anniversary, the evolution of Caesars Palace Las Vegas continues to evolve with the re-imagining of the iconic hotel’s original tower, the Roman Tower, to be completely reborn as the new Julius Tower. The US$75 million tower renovation is part of an ongoing brand transformation of the Las Vegas resort that has welcomed millions of visitors from its centre Strip vantage since opening in August 1966. Expected to welcome its first guests on Jan. 1, 2016 with rates starting at US$149, the new 587-room Julius Tower will feature new “design-savvy,”...
Barbados Set for Food & Wine and Rum Festival
Mango Bay Hotel (pictured) and Island Inn Hotel invite visitors to stay and use their facilities as a home base for the upcoming Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival (Nov. 19-22). The festival features celebrity chefs, television personalities and award-winning authors including Carla Hall, co-host of ABC Daytime's lifestyle series, The Chew. These culinary superstars will offer attendees the opportunity to experience the island's very best food, wine, rum and culture. Mango Bay is located in the Holetown area on the famed gold coast of Barbados and is a short walk from the...
Wyndham Arrives In Vietnam
The Wyndham Hotel Group has signed a deal for its first property in Vietnam as it builds on it strategic efforts to grow its brands throughout key leisure markets in South East Asia. The 217-room Wyndham Legend Halong is owned by Ha Long Star Service & Tourist Joint Stock Company and will be located in Halong City. The USD$40 million development is now under construction and is scheduled to open under the upscale Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand flag in early 2016. It will include all-day dining, meeting rooms, a pool bar and an onsite gym. Barry Robinson, president and...