Marriott opens on Park Lane
Bill Marriott, chairman and chief executive of Marriott International, officially opened the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane last week during his first visit to London for two years. Marriott said he had been looking for a hotel on Park Lane for 35 years so this was a "dream come true".
The company plans to open three properties in London over the next two years. They include a 216-bedroom Marriott in Kensington, a 300-bedroom Marriott in West India Quay, and a 47-bedroom executive apartment block, also in West India Quay.
Quality sale
Christie & Co has sold the 149-bedroom Quality hotel (formerly the Queen's hotel) in Church Road, south-east London, for a sum close to the £7.5m asking price. The property, sold on behalf of off-shore clients, was bought through a trust fund, the Backman Trust, for a south-west London-based hotel operator who runs about six hotels.
Rezidor opts for lifestyle chain
Hotel group Rezidor SAS, operator of the Radisson SAS brand, has teamed up with fashion label Cerruti to open a new chain of lifestyle hotels. The Cerruti hotels will comprise both new builds and conversions of historic buildings in cities across Europe. They will range in size from 120 to 175 bedrooms and will all feature Cerruti Caf‚s, Italian-style wine bars and two or three boardrooms. Rezidor has already signed a contract to open its first Cerruti hotel in Brussels.
Considerate revamp
Environmentally concerned hotel association Considerate Hoteliers is undergoing a revamp to improve its services to members and to spread its wings beyond the M25 area.
The association is launching a website - www.consideratehoteliers.com - and is planning to issue certificates to member hotels and to arrange free training and green audit sessions.
The new initiatives will be launched at the Radisson SAS Portman hotel in London on 27 March. Non-members are welcome to attend, and should contact Susan Harley on 020 7551 6133 or e-mail sh@royallancaster.com.