Europe
Ritz-Carlton adds fifth European hotel
Ritz-Carlton has added a fifth hotel to its European portfolio after taking over the management of the 177-bedroom Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort in Portugal. The property will now undergo a US$20m (£11m) renovation, adding more bedrooms and a 1,500sq m spa. Refurbishments are scheduled to be completed by spring 2006.
Paris new-build will be Radisson SAS
Rezidor SAS Hospitality has signed an agreement for the development of a new Radisson SAS hotel in Paris. The hotel will feature 170 bedrooms, a brasserie, a bar, 500sq m of meeting space and a health club. Building work on the property has already started and the hotel is scheduled for completion in summer next year.
Hilton sells stake in Sweden's Pandox
UK-based Hilton Group has sold its 20.8% stake in Swedish hotel company Pandox for £43.25m. The stake in the hotel chain was bought by Norwegian property company Eiendomsspar and its joint-venture partner Sundt Holdings. The two companies now hold 57% of Pandox.
Holland to get new classification system
Hotels in Holland will be rated under a new system from 2008, the Netherlands Hotels Classification has said. The system has been developed by the Dutch association of hotels, restaurants and cafeterias; trade associations the Royal Horeca Netherlands and Horeca en Catering; and the Dutch Automobile Association. The new standards, which will work on a points basis, will be more flexible than the Benelux hotel classification system that the country currently uses.
North America
Choice adds record 40,000-plus rooms
Choice Hotels International added more than 41,000 hotel bedrooms to its portfolio last year, the first time the group has topped the 40,000-bedroom level in a single year. The number of franchise deals, which is where the growth came from, increased by 57% to 470 in 2003, compared with 299 in 2002. Most of those deals were conversions from competing brands.
Asia
Thistle in second joint marketing deal
Thistle Hotels has signed an agreement with Singaporean hotel management company Meritus Hotels & Resorts. The deal will enable both groups to increase their distribution in the Far East and London through joint marketing. This is the second such deal for Thistle in recent months. Late last year the group teamed up to do the same with Scandinavian hotel group First Hotels.
India
ITCopens 'seven-star resort' in Calcutta
ITC Hotels is expanding its portfolio in India. The group, which is based in the country, has just opened a 239-bedroom property in Calcutta. The ITC Sonar Bangla is set amidst lotus ponds, has a new-age spa with individual waterfalls in each treatment room, and features six restaurants. ITC has labelled the property a "seven-star resort". The group will also open a hotel in Bombay later this year.