ASIA AND EAST ASIA
Raffles profits up but revenue down
Singapore hotel group Raffles Holdings announced last week that its second-quarter net profits jumped by 176% thanks to an exceptional gain from the sale of Brown's hotel in London.
The hotel operator, which owns the landmark Raffles hotel in Singapore and also the Swiss“tel chain, said revenue for the quarter was S$93.48m (£32.9m), down by 5% from the same quarter last year.
Net profit for the three months ending 30 June 2003 was S$34.54m (£12m), down from S$12.53m (£4.4m) last year.
Sir Rocco Forte bought Brown's hotel in Mayfair for £51.5m last month.
New five-star in Thailand
The new five-star Anantara Resort and Golden Triangle Spa is due to open in Thailand in October this year, offering guests views of three different countries and access to an "elephant village". The resort is located close to the historic town of Chiang Saen in the heart of hill-tribe country and less than 50m from where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge.
Helping to make the resort a destination will be an elephant camp. Resident ranger John Roberts will work closely with Thailand's National Elephant Institute to develop the village as an elephant sanctuary.
The 90-room resort is set in 160 acres of indigenous forest and Bill Bensley-landscaped gardens.
Regent Jakarta reopens
The Regent Jakarta is set to reopen next Monday (4 August) after undergoing major flood protection work, following extensive flooding in Jakarta last year.
The hotel will reopen in two phases. Phase one is scheduled for completion next month and will include guest rooms and suites in the Tower Wing, the Regent Club and club floors, the lobby lounge, café, steakhouse, bar, cellar, library and deli.
Phase two follows with the reopening of Lai Ching, the Chinese restaurant, and the completion of the ballroom renovation.
EUROPE
Marriott in St Petersburg deal rumours
Marriott International is rumoured to be about to conclude an agreement with the Baltic Construction Company to manage a four-star, 100-bedroom Renaissance-branded hotel in St Petersburg, Russia.
The hotel is currently under construction and is due to open in October, but an operator has yet to be appointed.
Marriott would not comment on the speculation and a spokesman for the US-based company said no announcement was imminent.
Scandic celebrates
Scandic, the largest hotel chain in the Nordic region, with nearly 140 hotels in nine countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Estonia), is celebrating its 40th anniversary, making it the region's oldest hotel chain.
Scandic started life in Sweden as Esso Motor Hotels, owned by oil company Esso and focusing on roadside motels.
The chain later expanded to Denmark and Norway in the early 1970s. In the mid-1980s, Esso sold its hotel business to an independent company and it was renamed Scandic hotels.
Scandic was bought by UK-based Hilton Group two years ago.