Openings

Hotel Indigo opens in heart of Madrid

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to open Hotel Indigo Madrid – Gran Via this month. Located in an area peppered with iconic buildings, fashion brands, film references and nightlife spots, the hotel will be the boutique brand's second property in Spain, alongside Hotel Indigo Barcelona which opened in 2012.

As IHG's boutique brand, every Hotel Indigo property is designed to reflect the local neighbourhood. Hotel Indigo Madrid – Gran Via's 85 individually-designed rooms take inspiration from the history of the local area with unique accents and design features. Murals are visible throughout the hotel, showcasing well-known sites on Gran Via that reflect its energy and vitality. Furniture and interiors draw on eclectic architectural influences, from Art Deco to Baroque.

Guests of the new hotel can sip a signature cocktail from the rooftop terrace. Moving downstairs to the Gastrobar & Restaurant, visitors can enjoy seasonal Mediterranean menus created by chef, Andrea Tumbarello, alongside a diverse wine and cocktail list. Guests can also expect features such as free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and Nespresso machines in every room.

Hotel Indigo Madrid – Gran Via will operate under a franchise agreement with Luis Alvarez Dominguez Angel Alvare.

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New Hilton Zhengzhou marks the brand's first hotel in Henan Province

Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Worldwide have announced the opening of Hilton Zhengzhou. The opening marks the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts property in Henan Province. Situated in the centre of Zhengzhou, the 39-story hotel features 448 guestrooms and suites and is operated by Hilton Worldwide and owned by Henan Sheng Long Real Estate Co. Ltd.

There are four themed restaurants that serve both Chinese and international flavours in the hotel. Guests can meet with friends over drinks and a light menu at the Lobby Lounge or enjoy an authentic taste of China, including the Cantonese, Sichuan and local Henan cuisines at the Yu Garden Chinese Restaurant. Open for all-day dining, family-friendly Eight Elements is a casual spot offering an international breakfast buffet. The more elegant Amici Restaurant offers the Italian pizzas and at Amici Bar, guests will be able to enjoy a selection of cocktails and spirits.

The hotel has Zhengzhou's largest pillar-less ballroom with more than 2,000 square meters of meeting and banquet space. A 24-hour business centre allows for guests to stay connected and productive throughout their visit.

Hilton Zhengzhou features a range of amenities, including generous work surfaces, an in-room iPod docking station and Wi-Fi access. In addition, Hilton Zhengzhou offers an indoor swimming pool and a spa centre allowing guests to indulge in a range of luxury treatments.

Hotel Indigo debuts in Rome

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), is set to debut its boutique brand, Hotel Indigo, in Italy this month with the opening of Hotel Indigo Rome – St. George.

Located on Via Giulia, Hotel Indigo Rome – St. George's 64 bedrooms combine Renaissance features with contemporary Italian design, while echoing the artistic charm of the neighbourhood. Existing architectural elements such as stone walls, Roman paving, arches and thick pillars sit alongside contemporary Italian art, modern mosaic design and custom-made furniture.

Guests can relax in the hotel's Spa which includes a Roman bath, enjoy Italian cuisine in the I Sofà di Via Giulia restaurant or, in the summer months, take in the spectacular views of St. Peter's Dome via the Roof Top Bar and Restaurant. All rooms, Standard, Executive and Executive Suites, are fully equipped with free Wi-Fi, docking stations, bathrobes and slippers, and 100% Egyptian cotton linen. 

Hotel Indigo Rome – St. George will operate under a franchise agreement with Hotel Invest Italiana SRL.

Historic Governor Hotel reopens as Sentinel in downtown Portland

In the heart of Portland's revitalized West End, the Governor Hotel is being reborn with a fresh new name, attitude and design. It's now been dubbed Sentinel, after the robotic architectural sculptures that look out across the city from the top of the historic building.

Provenance Hotels, the Portland-based hotel company that owns and operates the city's Hotel Lucia and Hotel deLuxe, purchased the Governor Hotel in April 2012 in partnership with Woodbine Development Corporation of Dallas, TX. Together, they have invested $6 million in an extensive renovation of the historic 100-room hotel. Aimed at reinventing the property for the future, it included the reinvigoration of all guest rooms, four floors of meeting space and the lobby. Jackknife, a new destination for craft cocktails, wine and beer, is slated to open in Sentinel's lobby in spring 2014.

Built as the Seward Hotel in 1909, Sentinel's East Wing was a favourite among the movers and shakers in the state's timber and mining industries. It was renamed the Governor Hotel in 1932 and served as the home of Atiyeh & Bros. carpet store after WWII when the building's fortunes fell into decline. The complex that houses Sentinel reopened in 1992 under the name Governor Hotel with the integration of the adjacent building. Sentinel's West Wing, built in 1923 as the Temple of Portland Elks Lodge No. 142, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and now serves as the gateway to the Sentinel experience.

Today, guests enter under a new glass and steel awning into a grand space with soaring ceilings decked out in original gilt plaster relief. A custom-designed check-in desk inspired by a vintage librarian's table evokes the many stories of Sentinel, while a Turkish-inspired rug, green leather armchairs and roughhewn wood tables provide an seating area and subtle reference to the building's retail history, Oregon's lush landscape, and the region's heritage as a timber capital.

Like all Provenance Hotels, Sentinel incorporates a signature art collection. In the guest room corridors, travelers will stroll past a collection of larger-than-life, black-and-white white photos of a young Muhammad Ali hamming it up for the camera, Vivienne Westwood chatting up the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious in a London Club, and Martin Luther King Jr., moments after delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech. In the guest rooms, guests will find pop art takes on visionaries from John Lennon to Steve Jobs to Jackie Robinson.

Working fireplaces incorporate a cozy element in select rooms and, on the sixth floor of the West Wing, six City Terrace Studio Suites feature outdoor rooftop balcony patios. All guest rooms at Sentinel feature Provenance Hotels' signature menus of amenities from which guests can order up their preferred book of faith, an iPod preloaded with Portland music or their preferred pillow. As a result of Provenance Hotels' ongoing partnership with Salt & Straw, Portland's famed artisan ice cream purveyor, Sentinel guests can have a pint of Salt & Straw delivered right to their guest room.

Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan welcomes its first guests with Adagio to follow in Q2

Located in the heart of the capital and just 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport, Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan opened its doors on 16 March 2014. The four-star, 361-room hotel has with six food and beverage outlets, seven meeting rooms, a ballroom, plus recreation and wellness facilities.

For longer stays Novetel's Adagio Al Bustan hotel apartments are set to open in the second quarter of 2014. They are connected to the Novotel through a series of enclosed footbridges.

The 361 guest rooms at Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan include superior rooms and executive suites. Each room features an LCD flat-screen TV, contemporary bathroom with walk-in shower and separate bathtub, individual climate control, mini-bar, complimentary tea and coffee facilities, and a comfortable sofa bed. In addition, an ergonomic work area, IDD telephone with voicemail, wired and wireless high speed internet access, laptop-sized safety box, and connectivity panel will arm business travellers with everything they need.

With seven meeting rooms – all featuring the latest audio-visual technology – a 1050 sqm ballroom, indoor parking, themed coffee breaks and a dedicated events team, the hotel is the perfect venue for a range of business-related gatherings.

The Meeting@Novotel promotion provides customised services and the option of a meeting room for 60 pax or ballroom with a capacity of 900 pax. In addition to complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, there is a dedicated MAC web corner and a virtual Novotel Concierge in the lobby.

There are six restaurants and bars:

  • Pepper – all day-dining with live cooking stations

  • Choice Cut – steak house with a vibrant atmosphere and an authentic charcoal grill

  • Amber – Bar and café offering signature beer dishes

  • Recharge – comfort food with a twist featuring French and other exotic cuisines

  • Caramel – coffee lounge to unwind

  • Waves – pool lounge to refresh after a strenuous workout

Open from 6am to 10pm, In Balance Fitness & Wellness Centre by Novotel has state-of-the-art equipment and personal training services, as well as a host of exotic rejuvenating treatments for both men and women. In all there are massage rooms, saunas, steam baths, an outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzis for guests to enjoy.

New Hampton Inn Hotel Opens in Temple, Texas

Hampton Hotels, has announced the opening of its newest property, the 83-room Hampton Inn Temple, located in Temple Texas. The hotel is owned by TMP Bell Drive.  It is the only Hampton property in the Temple area and the 75th in the state.

Guest rooms are equipped with amenities designed to help guests feel at home and stay productive, including a microwave, refrigerator and clean and fresh Hampton bed. Suites are also available, offering additional space and a comfortable sleeper sofa. The new hotel also features Hampton's Perfect Mix Lobby, designed with a variety of seating and lighting options for both leisure and business travellers as an extension of the guestroom.

New hotel planned for coastal Orange County, California

Pacific Hospitality Group and R.D. Olson Development recently unveiled their latest hotel project, the 250-room, Pacific Ocean-facing hotel that will be part of the Pacific City development in Huntington Beach, California. The eight-story hotel will be an upscale property affiliated with Pacific Hospitality Group's Meritage Collection. It is scheduled to commence construction in June 2014 with R.D. Olson Construction as general contractor.

The property will be designed by international hotel architect WATG with the guest rooms designed by Monogram by Carlson, interior public spaces by Kay Lang + Associates, and the restaurant and bar by Costa Mesa-based Hatch Design Group.

Pacific Hospitality Group (PHG) will manage the property as a part of its Meritage Collection. PHG owns and manages a portfolio of hotel properties throughout California, including Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, and Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa in San Diego, among others.

The 218,000-square-foot hotel will have a room mix that includes king rooms, double queen rooms, and numerous one- and two-bedroom suites. A sweeping events lawn overlooking the Pacific Ocean will be ideal for weddings, and special and corporate events. The hotel will be designed to offer 16,000 square feet of oceanfront meeting space, including an 8,500-square-foot ballroom.

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