Edition Hotels or Royal Hawaiian? Where does President Obama get his tan?

 

Ilikai Hotel soon-to-be Edition Waikiki

Well . . . Edition Hotels isn’t quite ready yet, but a recent posting by Hotel Business informs us that the first Edition Hotel will open in Waikiki, Hawaii in 2010.  In case you haven’t heard yet, Marriott and Ian Schrager (the guy who made boutique hotels what it is today) are co-developing Edition Hotels, which is billed as a luxury lifestyle brand with premium services.

This Edition Waikiki is taking over the existing Ilikai hotel, a high-rise that’s a few decades old but sure to go under an extensive renovation as part of the re-brand.  Opened in 1964, this hotel was bestowed the title of the first luxury hotel in Hawaii.  Now it will be the first Edition Hotel in the world.

But Starwood’s Royal Hawaiian (the pink hotel), which just finished extensive renovations of its own, is down the street and among the many luxury hotels that have invaded Waikiki over the years.  $85 million later, the Royal Hawaiian reopened its doors this past March and even hosted an Aloha Inaugural Ball to mark the inauguration of Hawaii-born President Barack Obama.  

In fact, here is President Obama serving his country as a lifeguard at the Royal Hawaiian . . .

 

Lifeguard Obama at the Royal Hawaiian

 

Source: Fox St. Louis

Starwood adds a St. Regis resort to China’s Hainan Island

 

The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing

Back in 1985, the Great Wall Sheraton Beijing hit a milestone when it became the first international hotel chain to operate a hotel in China.  These days, it’s clear that Starwood wants to maintain a dominant position in this vast nation of over a billion people.  The company has its own Destination China website (www.chinadestinationsite.com) and has lofty goals of hitting 200 hotels in greater China by the end of 2011.

As part of Starwood’s journey to being a major player in China, the senior leadership team recently paid a little visit to Sanya (think the Honolulu of Oahu, but in China . . . and not quite there yet in my opinion) to participate in the ceremonial signing of China’s first St. Regis resort, the St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort.  

From the official press release, “The new-build St. Regis resort will welcome travelers to Sanya of Hainan Island, also known as the oriental Hawaii, in 2011.  Being part of the integrated beach resort, The St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resortt will be situated in the last prime site along the Yalong Bay coastline with the most exclusive and exotic location.  The property will feature 402 rooms, including 27 villas, approximately 22,000 square feet of meeting space, five restaurants and bars, business center, health club, outdoor heated lap pool and swimming pools, tennis court, spa and retail shops. 

“Starwood’s long term growth opportunity in China is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere in the world.  China is home to the largest number of our hotels outside of North America, and more importantly, it comprises the largest portion of our pipeline outside of the United States,” said Frits Van Paasschen, Starwood President and CEO. 

Frits also added, “As a point of perspective, within two years we expect to have a presence in Shanghai that rivals our existing footprint in New York City, where we have a strong representation of more than a dozen hotels and growing.”

 

Source: China Hospitality

SPG just got rid of peak season awards. And what are the new 2009 category changes?

 

For those that are familiar with the Starwood SPG program, you probably know that the higher level hotel categories charge more Starpoints for redeeming in peak season dates.  

Well, all that is changing for 2009 and the entire year is now considered off-peak season.  Hooray!

SPG is getting rid of the peak season redemption awards for categories 5 through 7 for 2009 (except for 3 Luxury Collection properties in Costa Smeralda, Italy).  So that means for the remainder of 2009, you’ll get to enjoy redeeming at the higher end hotels at the lower redemption rate!

Also, the new category levels for each Starwood hotel have been announced for 2009.  The link below will take you to the full list of category changes, which will go into effect on March 2.  

http://www.spgpromos.com/categorychanges/index.cfm? 

How about some more great news?  

This year, more Starwood properties are dropping lower in category than moving up in 2009.  Traditionally, the opposite has been the norm.  What this means is you’ll need fewer SPG Starpoints to redeem at some hotels compared to previous years.  

If you’ve already made an award reservation and notice that the category level of your hotel has in fact gone down, you can simply cancel and rebook to take advantage of the lower redemption rate.  :-)

W Hotels calls Paris its newest home in Europe

Starwood just announced plans to open a new W in Paris in 2011, which marks a growing number of W’s in Europe by the end of 2011.  In addition to the W Istanbul, which opened last year, we should expect to see W hotels sprout up in London, Manchester, Barcelona, Athens, Milan, and St. Petersburg.  The W Paris-Opera should become the 8th W in Europe upon opening.

W Paris Opera

This new W is situated in the Opéra area if Paris.  The official press release describes the area best when it says the W Paris-Opéra is located ”amid lively cafés, contemporary designer boutiques, and buzzing restaurants and nightlife destinations.”  The W Paris-Opéra will occupy an elegant 1870’s Haussmann style building in the city centre, located next to the prestigious Opera Garnier and the famous Gallerie Lafayette . . . an area where Paris earned its praise as the City of Lights.

The W Paris-Opéra will be a bit on the smaller side, with a projection of only 90 guestrooms, a world-class restaurant and bar, and a signature fitness facility with spa treatment services.  Being the historical Paris that it is, the guestrooms and suites will most certainly feature custom furnishings and accents unique to Paris.  And being the W that it is, the hotel will also offer the latest state-of-the-art technology and advanced in-room entertainment systems.

W Paris Opera

“We are thrilled to expand the W brand into Paris, a major milestone in transforming W Hotels into a global powerhouse, debuting in the world’s most exciting and vibrant destinations,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels and Le Méridien. “W Paris-Opéra will offer insider access, extravaganza and cool contemporary design in the heart of Paris, bringing contemporary luxury and a completely new and distinctive product to the Parisian hotel market.”

“Paris has been on the hit list for W Hotels for many years and I am delighted we now have a site which is so central and a building which is so quintessentially Parisian,” said Roeland Vos, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe Africa and Middle East. “With Paris joining the roster of European openings for W over the next two years, our global W guests now have access to some of the most sought after destinations.

SPG members are getting the inside discount on St. Regis hotels

The uber luxury segment has taken a beating in the past few months.  The combined effects of a weak economy along with deteriorating perceptions of luxury travel have led to lower occupancy rates at many luxury hotels throughout the United States.

Of course this means opportunities for consumers to score lower rates, especially for some hotels that were previously out of their price range.  St. Regis is one such brand that caters to an exclusive community of wealthy travelers, but some of their hotels may now be within reach to those who want to splurge a little if the price is right.

From now through the rest of 2009, Starwood SPG members can get a 50% discount off the full retail rate at participating St. Regis hotels and resorts throughout the world.  All you have to do is redeem 1,000 Starpoints to gain this discount. 

Keep in mind that this offer is only available to SPG members and at certain St. Regis properties, so make sure to check the participating list.  Offer is valid for stays booked and completed by December 31, 2009. 

 

Have iPhone. Will flirt with sexy singles at the W San Francisco

Gettin jiggy at the W San Francisco

Like many hotels who have started to explore and carefully embrace web technology through Twitter and Facebook accounts, the W San Francisco is venturing into the world of iPhone applications. 

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, the W San Francisco has partnered up with the makers of an iPhone app called True Flirt, to present FLIRT FEST 2009, a flirtatious party with creative cocktails and a live DJ.  More importantly, the party is the perfect opportunity to test drive the True Flirt app, which lets you send fully interactive, virtual ‘flirts’ to the object of your affection.  Each flirt takes advantage of what makes the iPhone so innovative – tilting, tapping, shaking, and gorgeous graphics and sound. 

If you download the True Flirt iPhone application, you can get a complimentary cocktail on the house!  Are you feeling extra lucky?  The W San Francisco is also raffling off two 3G iPhones.

So swing by the W San Francisco on Thursday, February 12 between 8:00 and 10:00 PM and get ready to spend an evening flirting with San Francisco’s sexiest singles at the city’s sexiest hotel!

Le Meridien San Fran for $119 a night over weekends!

 

Le Meridien San Francisco for $119/night

After New York, San Francisco is often considered to be the second most expensive city in the United States.  Many would argue that the same rankings hold true for both cities in regard to hotel rates.  Though if one were to look at the weekend bargain rates at Le Meridien San Francisco these days, one might have to disagree.

Le Meridien San Francisco is a business travel powerhouse with rates that easily hurdle $300 per night during the business week.  In this buyer’s market though, weekend rates are as low as $119 per night.  

The hotel’s location is in the San Francisco financial district and adjacent to the soaring Embarcadero Center buildings.  Now if you’ve been to downtown San Francisco over the weekends, you already know that it’s nearly a ghost town.  But luckily for this hotel, its placement is on the northern border of the financial district and is under a stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of North Beach and Chinatown.  Let’s not forget about the weekend farmer’s market at the Ferry Building, which is only a few blocks east of the hotel.

What’s more?  Le Meridien San Francisco proudly boasts a AAA 4-Diamond rating.  

The only catch is you need to book by February 13 for stays before May 10, 2009.  Be quick!

Live Nation is telling you to stay at Starwood Hotels

Live Nation agrees you should stay at Starwood!

The world’s largest live music company, Live Nation, and Starwood announced a multi-year partnership agreement to leverage the company’s music platform in North America.  The sponsorship will grant Starwood “Official Hotel Partner” status for select Live Nation venues including the House of Blues Clubs. 

This cross promotional agreement gives Starwood SPG members access to VIP ticket offers, premium seating, backstage access at concerts, and other special SPG perks.  SPG members will also have access to retail discounts for artist merchandise and House of Blues restaurants.

In addition, Live Nation, which now has an internal ticketing system, will direct its music lovers to Starwood hotels on the “Where to Stay” pages on livenation.com.  In return, Starwood will help drive Live Nation sales through online and in-room television exposure in its hotels.

“This innovative partnership with Live Nation will help us to build even greater loyalty among our SPG members and also attract new customers from the millions of music fans who attend Live Nation shows,” said Phil McAveety, Chief Brand Officer for Starwood. “We’re always seeking new ways to offer unique experiences that our members can share with those close to them, and are thrilled with the opportunities that this partnership creates.”

The Sheraton Paris Airport knows that digital cameras are so 2008

Flip Mini Camcorder

Digital cameras are so 2008.  This is the year of the micro sized camcorder, and the Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel is including them with your stay if you stay in one of their Club rooms.  

Reserve one of the hotel’s club rooms offering services including free buffet breakfast and access to the Club Lounge, and receive a complimentary Flip Video camcorder (129€ value – roughly $165 USD).   The New York Times raved that this product is one of the most significant electronics of the year.  The Wall Street Journal also commented that this sleek, hip-looking gadget may change the way we all capture and share videos.

This promotion is only valid for stays through March 31st 2009. 

What’s almost as cool as getting a free Flip Video camcorder is walking from your plane right into your guestroom.  This Sheraton is built directly into the International CDG airport Terminal 2.  It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel