CBRE HOTELS ANNOUNCE THE SALE OF THE COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT

CBRE Hotels have been instructed by Kew Green Hotels to market the 218 bedroom purpose built Courtyard by Marriott London Gatwick Airport.  The hotel opened in April 2009 and is the flagship Courtyard by Marriott hotel in the UK.

This property provides an excellent opportunity to acquire a new build hotel asset at the UK’s second busiest airport at a time when there are few other quality assets on the market.  The hotel has been developed in line with Courtyard by Marriott standards and includes 218 bedrooms, a fitness centre, restaurant, bar, business centre and parking for circa 150 cars.

Paul Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Kew Green commented “The Courtyard by Marriott London Gatwick Airport is a high quality branded hotel in an unrivalled location at the South Terminal of the airport.  Since we opened last year demand has boomed and the hotel now achieves about 90% occupancy year round.  Demand for high quality assets like this is very strong and following expressions of interest from a number of parties, we have decided to market the hotel through CBRE Hotels.”  

Craig Millward, Director of CBRE Hotels commented “This hotel has opened into a difficult market and quickly established itself and secured excellent market share due to its outstanding location and product quality.  As the trading and economic environment continues to recover in and around London combined with the expected growth in passenger numbers at Gatwick there is excellent potential for a purchaser to realise a strong return on their investment.”

The sale of the hotel will be subject to the franchise and related agreements with Marriott International, Inc. and its affiliates.  Courtyard by Marriott is a registered trademark of Marriott International, Inc.

KFC, Taco Bell owner Priszm Income Fund withholds $2 million franchise fee

Image via WikipediaTORONTO - Priszm Income Fund (TSX:QSR.UN), has withheld another payment while the owner of several Canadian KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut locations continues to restructure.
The company said Friday it has not paid a $2-million franchise fee to Yum! Restaurants International, which was due Wednesday.
Last month, Priszm also withheld a $975,000 interest payment on its $30-million convertible debenture, and said it was not in the position to repay a $65.6-million senior debt facility which was due at the end of the year.

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Accor sells 49 Europe hotels for €378.4m

Accor has sold 49 hotels in France, Belgium and Germany in a leaseback agreement valued at €378.4 million.
The buyer is a joint venture between a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole Assurances and Foncière des Murs. (20%).
Accor will continue to manage the hotels through a variable lease agreement, with the rent averaging 19% of the hotels’ annual revenue, without any guaranteed minimum. Under the terms of the lease, structural maintenance costs, insurance and property taxes will be paid by the new owner.
The agreement includes a €47.6 million renovation program, of which €33 million will be financed by the buyer. The deal will help Accor speed introduction of its new-generation Etap Hotel and Ibis guestroom concepts.
The transaction is in line with Accor’s 2010 goal of selling €600 million to €650 million worth of hotel property assets as part of a broader objective of divesting €2 billion worth of assets by 2013. Accor is moving toward the asset-light strategy now preferred by most of the world’s most prominent hotel companies.

Accor signs 10 hotels in UK under Mercure flag

Accor has signed a franchise agreement with Focus Hotels Ltd. to add 10 properties and 763 guestrooms to its UK network, with all 10 properties joining the Mercure brand.
The deal grows the Mercure network to 43 properties across the UK. The midscale brand has a global portfolio of more than 700 properties.

“We have ambitious plans for the UK and we are totally committed to extending our Accor network and bringing our expertise in all segments, from economy, midscale, upscale and luxury, to the UK market,” says Jean-Jacques Dessors, chief operating officer of Accor in the UK and Ireland.

The deal with Focus is part of Accor’s goal of increasing its UK network to 300 hotels by 2015. Focus has a portfolio of 13 independent midscale hotels across England.

“Our strategy in taking on these hotels—many of which were in administration—was to bring them up to a high standard and make them profitable, with a view to finding the right home for them ,” says Focus CEO Peter Cashman. “I am a passionate believer in matching the brand to the property, and we identified Mercure as the perfect partner for these 10 hotels. Mercure will allow them to maintain their individuality and character whilst offering the credibility of one of the most respected international hotel brands.”

Hey, what the check?!

Eating in a restaurant and leaving without paying the tab — known in police parlance as “theft of service” — rose almost 20 percent in the city last year, up from 315 arrests in 2009 to 376 in 2010, according to the NYPD. Of course, those numbers don’t include the many scofflaws who successfully “lick and split.”
Even celebs have been busted. Last week, actor Gary Collins was arrested for allegedly skipping out on a $59.35 bill in a Biloxi, Miss., restaurant. The 72-year-old TV personality spent the night in jail before being released on $5,000 bail.

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Wyndham’s Impressive China Growth Continues in 2011

PARSIPPANY, N.J. 01-11-2011 —

After last year’s successful growth in China, Wyndham Hotel Group, part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), is off to a strong start in 2011. The hotel company today announced the signing of a management agreement to open a Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® property in the major municipality city of Chongqing.
The 48-story, 350-room Wyndham Chongqing North Hotel, owned by Chongqing Bei Cheng Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., will be one of the tallest buildings in the Yubei district.
The announcement strengthens Wyndham Hotel Group’s position as the largest U.S.-based hotel company in China with 270 hotels representing over 42,000 rooms under the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Ramada®, Howard Johnson®, Days Inn® and Super 8® brands. With the addition of this new signing, there are now 13 Wyndham branded properties currently open or under development in China.
“China continues to be a key strategic focus for development in 2011,” said Eric Danziger, Wyndham Hotel Group President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are delighted to be working with one of the major real estate companies in the area, Chongqing Bei Cheng Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., for the first time on this exciting project in one of China’s thriving industrial centers.”
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Wyndham Brand Continues Global Expansion with First Property in India

PARSIPPANY, N.J. 01-12-2011 —

Following a year of rapid growth in Asia with six Wyndham branded hotel openings in China and another seven under construction, Wyndham Hotel Group, part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced the signing of a franchise agreement to open its first Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® property in India.

Located in India’s capital city of New Delhi, the 394-room Wyndham New Delhi Dwarka Hotel is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in April 2011. The property, owned by Tirupati Buildings & Offices Pvt. Ltd., will feature the upscale amenities and personalized services that have become hallmarks of the Wyndham brand.

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Prankster's call to cost Omaha hotel thousands

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Managers of an Omaha hotel are not amused by a prankster whose call led to thousands of dollars in damage.
Downtown Holiday Inn officials told Omaha television station WOWT that the call came into the guest's room a little before 11 p.m. Sunday.
The guest was convinced that the call came from Omaha fire officials. The caller said the guest was in danger from a gas leak and should follow instructions. The guest did what he was told: He wet some towels, stuffed them against the door, broke the fire sprinkler head.

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Complaining about loud, neighboring hotel guests can be a safety issue

Readers: Recent events in the news have shown that complaining (or not complaining) about noise levels from a neighboring hotel room can present safety issues, whether for you - or for a person standing on the other side of a wall.
On Monday night, a heated argument between Ted Williams - the now-famous Ohio homeless radio man - and his daughter grew so loud at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel that police were called in to respond. No violence was involved in this case.

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Barrack's Colony Capital Invests $35 Million in Hotelier, Club Owner SBE

Billionaire investor Thomas J. Barrack Jr. said his Colony Capital LLC is investing $35 million in luxury hotel, nightclub and restaurant owner SBE to fuel an expansion of the company.

The equity infusion by closely held Colony, which manages $30 billion, may help lead to an initial stock sale by SBE in three to four years, said Sam Nazarian, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles-based hotelier.

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China hotel fire kills 10

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A fire broke out early Thursday in a hotel in China's Hunan province, killing at least 10 people, officials said.
The blaze was reported about 1 a.m. in the small Xinawan Hotel in the Yuelu district of the province's capital of Changsha, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Six of the victims died at the scene and four of the eight injured later died in a hospital, the report said, quoting a statement from the local government. The other four injured were reported in stable condition.

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Mauritius honeymoon murder: hotel worker 'confessed' to Michaela McAreavey killing

Avinash Treebhoowoon, 29, allegedly admitted to officers that he killed the daughter of one of Ireland's best-known sporting figures in a panic after she caught him rummaging through her belongings.

The cleaner, from Plaine des Roches, had allegedly entered her luxury hotel room to steal jewellery and money after claiming to have found the door to room 1025 ajar.

Hotel records, however, are said to show that someone gained access using a false electronic key card at 3.42pm on Monday, two minutes before she then entered the room.

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Starwood brings back Coca-Cola as exclusive soda partner

Sheraton, Westin, W and other Starwood-brand hotels will again start pouring Coca-Cola products, Hotel Check-In has learned. Starwood has signed an exclusive partnership deal with Coca-Cola, according to an internal article on Coca-Cola's employee website.


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World's Strangest Hotel Amenities

Dog surfing school? Yeah dude. We're totally stoked.
More hotels than ever are offering unique courses for guests (even the furry ones). Why? Steven Lance, a marketing guru and coauthor of "Breakthrough!: A 7-Step System for Developing Unexpected and Profitable Ideas" explains that hotels need to outdo each other with exceptional (and sometimes wacky) programs to stand out from the pack.

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