Stateside: Room for improvement

(17 February 2005)

If you discount the row over the length of immigration queues, there’s probably never been a better time to visit the US.

With the exchange rate continuing to offer UK travellers excellent value and the price of air fares remaining competitive, it’s receiving its largest number of Brits since September 11. Hoteliers are only too aware of this and are continuing to improve and expand their product by renovating or adding properties to their portfolio. Here’s a round-up of what’s new and what’s around the corner across the US.

New York/New Jersey
Multi-brand operator Starwood Hotels has opened its first mid-price property in New York City with the newly-built 158-room Four Points by Sheraton Chelsea. In nearby New Jersey, another of Starwood’s brands, Westin, reopened last month as the Westin Governor Morris following a multi-million dollar renovation. The 224-room property now boasts additional meeting space, a new signature restaurant and lounge, an espresso bar and fitness centre.

Further expanding its geographical spread in the US is Kimpton, which made its first venture into the Big Apple with the opening of 70 Park Avenue. The San Francisco-based chain has been looking to expand into New York for “many years” according to chairman and chief executive Tom LaTour, and finally invested in the Doral Park Hotel in the centre of Manhattan. It has given the property a $19 million facelift to create a 205-room contemporary hotel. All rooms have flat screen TVs, surround sound speakers, DVD players and high-speed Internet access.

New England
The refurbishment and rebranding of the Four Points by Sheraton in Hyannis in Massachusetts was completed at the end of last year.

The focus is on relaxation and wellbeing with an indoor and outdoor pool, fitness centre, whirlpool bath and full service spa. The resort also has an 18-hole golf course and meeting facilities with web access and a business centre.

Shortly before making its debut in New York, Kimpton made its presence felt for the first time in another of the US’s key gateway cities – Boston. Onxy Hotel is located in Boston’s North End near the historic Freedom Trail and comprises 112 rooms over 12 floors. Described as a ‘two-tone red brick and aluminium sanctuary’ it falls in line with Kimpton’s urban boutique image. Business travellers are catered for with a 500ft conference room and high-speed Internet access.

Further down the line Starwood has unveiled plans to build a 790-room Westin hotel in south Boston, with a scheduled opening date of July 2006. The Westin Boston Waterfront will position itself as the premier meeting and conference facility in New England and feature 22 meeting rooms and two ballrooms. It will also be connected to the newly opened Boston Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Florida
Hyatt is to manage the boutique ‘lifestyle’ property Hotel Victor, located on Miami’s South Beach. The 91-room hotel, which opened last month, will be the first in its portfolio not to be branded with the traditional Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt or Park Hyatt name but will instead operate as a stand-alone product.

Meanwhile, Fairmont has taken over the management of the Mediterranean-style Turnberry Isle Resort and Club, as the group targets growth in the US. The property, in the exclusive enclave of Aventura 30 minutes from Miami Airport, features a 25,000sq ft spa, 45,000sq ft of conference and banquet facilities and two 18-hole golf courses – designed by famous course architect Robert Trent Jones.

Daytona Beach has a new addition – the 742-room Hilton Daytona Beach. The property, which opened in January, is on the oceanfront at the heart of the entertainment and tourism centre. With 32 meeting rooms, business travellers are also being targeted.

Hilton’s aggressive expansion in the US also saw the group open the boutique 83-room St Augustine hotel.

Future plans for Kimpton include making its debut in South Florida with the full opening in April of the Mayfair Hotel and Spa in Coconut Grove, 15 minutes from downtown Miami. Although already welcoming guests, renovations are still taking place.

Further expansion of the St Regis brand is expected this December with the opening of the 166-room St Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale. It will include a European-style spa, a ballroom with meeting space for up to 600 people and a five-star diamond restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Las Vegas
April 28 sees the opening of the gambling capital’s newest spectacular property – Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Country Club. In keeping with Steve Wynn’s larger-than-life visions – this was the man who built The Mirage, Treasure Island and the Bellagio – the 50-storey, 2,700-room hotel, located on the site of the former Desert Inn, will sprawl across 217 acres and include an 18-hole golf course (reputedly the first on the Strip). Add to this 18 restaurants, boutique shops, dedicated meeting space, two boardrooms and the obligatory multi-million dollar concert venue and it’s no wonder it’s the talk of the town. Every room features floor to ceiling windows, two flat screen TVs and high-speed Internet access.

Another hotel is on the way one block north of the Wynn. Luxury brand Conrad Hotels, part of the Hilton family, has revealed plans to open a 378 all-suite property along with 286 deluxe residences. In a break with the norm for Vegas, the hotel will not feature a casino – a reminder that half of the desert resort’s income now comes from non-gambling interests. Work is due to begin in May and will take around 18 months to complete.

California
Business and leisure travellers are being targeted by Hilton following the opening in December of the Hilton Los Angeles-San Gabriel Hotel. The 222-room property has meeting and function room space for up to 1,500 people.

In addition, a new-build Kimpton hotel is set to open in San Diego in April as part of the group’s aggressive expansion. The four-star Hotel Solamar will feature a pool, restaurant and fitness centre – all on the roof. The property has 235 rooms, including seven king suites, with a 175-seat restaurant and bar.

This summer marks the planned opening of Starwood’s St Regis Hotel San Francisco and the St Regis Residences. The development will be a hotel and apartment complex with 260-rooms and 102 residences.

Meanwhile, Marriott has already begun work on a $60 million overhaul of its Newport Beach property. The 532-room hotel will see the construction of a 16-room spa, expanded meeting space, 20 luxury suites and a restaurant. Work is expected to be completed by November, when property will be renamed the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa.

The rest of the US
Marriott has opened the 575-room Starr Pass Resort in Tuscon taking the number of hotel and resort properties to 34. Aimed at business and leisure travellers, it has 35 suites, a spa, seven restaurants and a 27-hole Arnold Palmer signature golf course.

The new Four Points by Sheraton Denver Southeast opened late last year with the business traveller as its core market. There are 20 meeting rooms with many of the rooms in the 11-storey, 595-bed property featuring high-speed Internet access.

Sheraton has also expanded in Minnesota with the conversion of the 407-room Bloomington Hotel in Minneopolis. A $10.5 million renovation saw many of the hotel’s facilities upgraded.

InterContinental has opened the $115 million InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. The hotel’s 21 storeys comprise 401 rooms and 21 suites. The Buckhead is InterContinental’s first US property to feature the Parisian brassiere, Au Pied de Cochon, which specialises in seafood. Art lovers are catered for with a 25-picture collection by 15 regional, national and international artists.