Marriott, Dusit on the move
WASHINGTON, DC: Marriott is investing US$1.2bn to renovate key hotels across the world.
In the Asia/Pacific region, the selected hotels are the 602-room JW Marriott Hong Kong, the JW Marriott Bangkok and in Australia the Brisbane Marriott.
“We want our guests to enjoy a lodging experience that reflects the heritage of the hotel and its locale while incorporating the most current technology and amenities,” said president and managing director of international lodging, Ed Fuller.
In London, Marriott s to bring its first JW Marriott hotel to the UK when renovations to London’s Grosvenor House on Park Lane are completed in mid-2008.
Marriott acquired the hotel, built in 1927, in February 2004 from Starwood’s Le Meridien and began a US$199 million restoration project to bring the property back to its former glory.
Meanwhile, Dusit International’s mid scale brand, Royal Princess Hotels & Resorts, will manage its first resort property, Princess Resort, Koh Chang, Thailand, opening in August this year.
Dusit recently entered into a joint venture agreement with Bird Hospitality Services (BHS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bird Group – one of India’s largest diversified groups in the aviation, travel and information technology arena.
Under this agreement, Bird will develop six 4 and 5-star hotels and resorts in New Delhi, Goa, Rishikesh, Pune, Amritsar and Jaipur.
In Dubai, The Dusit Palm Island project will comprise two hotels, the 6-star Dusit Devarana and the Dusit Thani, plus the exclusive Dusit Residence.
In other hotel news, Langham Hotels International is to open in Beijing in time for next year’s Olympics.
Langham Place Hotel, Beijing, is located in the city’s prime business district, Chao Yang District, and forms part of the Chao Yang Plaza – a 400,000sqm complex currently under construction.
“This is the first step for Langham Hotels International in creating a presence in China,” said chairman, Dr. KS Lo, adding, “We aim to increase our investments in the mainland through building our own hotels, joint venture partnerships and acquiring further management contracts.”
Ian Jarrett
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