The Dutch Hotel group citizenM hotels has signed a ground lease commitment with Aéroports de Paris for the development of an ‘Affordable Luxury’ citizenM hotel in the Roissypole district, close to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The hotel will be directly connected to CDG’s terminals through the free CDGVal, airport shuttle, as well as to the RER station (with trains to central Paris).

The hotel will comprise 230 guestrooms, as well as citizenM’s signature food & beverage concept ‘canteenM’ and Vitra furnished ‘living rooms’. The hotel is slated to open in early 2014.

citizenM Chairman Rattan Chadha said: “We are extremely excited with the addition of our first site in Paris to our development portfolio. With this acquisition we are one step closer to creating a chain of luxury contemporary hotels for the cost-conscious traveller in major cities around the world. We are continuously searching for more sites on ‘A’ locations in Paris.”

Aéroports de Paris Real Estate Manager François Cangardel added: “The opening of a new hotel at Paris Charles de Gaulle is in line with Aéroports de Paris’ strategy which intends to develop the hotel accommodation offer in the immediate vicinity of our airports. We also aim at strengthening the existing offer with new hotel concepts. The partnership with citizenM, which offers a unique and innovative concept, meets our expectations and should be attractive to many of our customers.”

citizenM currently operates three hotels – at Schiphol Airport, in Amsterdam city and in the city centre of Glasgow. The opening of the site in Paris brings the company’s development portfolio to seven additional hotels, including two projects in New York City (at Times Square and in Soho/Lower East Side), three projects in London (near Tate Modern in the booming Bankside area, opposite the Tower of London and near St Paul’s Cathedral) and a project in Rotterdam.

The expansion strategy of citizenM is to develop and invest in citizenM hotels on prime city centre locations (and terminal-connected airport sites) in metropolitan cities only

Aman Nath, founder of Neemrana Hotels told the Indian press that his company will convert Hyderabad‘s Chowmahalla Palace into a heritage museum/hotel. Built over 200 years ago, Chowmahalla is renowned for its unique style and elegance. Chowmahalla is where the ruling Asaf Jahi dynasty entertained their official guests and royal visitors.

Bigger, biggest: Starwood announced that it opened 27 hotels in North America in 2011, more than it had predicted this time last year with the addition of several high quality conversions that were signed and opened during the course of the year. In addition, in 2011 Starwood signed more new deals than in the previous two years. In fact, Starwood’s North American division – the company’s largest with 550+ hotels – led all of its global divisions in new deal signings last year. Looking ahead to 2012, Starwood is slated to open 20 new properties in North America, not including late breaking in-the-year conversions which are expected to result in additional new hotels this year. Meanwhile Hilton Worldwide opened a total of 170 hotels and gained supply share in each of its global regions. In the United States, Hilton Worldwide has over 10 percent of the room supply market share, the largest in the country, as well as over 18 percent of the active industry room pipeline in the planning to construction phases.

Four Seasons Hotels unveils $16m website: The result of the investment is a slick, bright website, with a new booking process, social media integration and personal profile technology that allows users to set preferences and create a more targeted online experience. It is also optimised for mobile, which provides access to a scaled-down site that includes videos, images, room rates and booking. Four Seasons’ revamp is part of an effort to improve online revenue – though its website attracts 30m visitors each year, online bookings only account for 12% of total revenue, an increase of just 2% in five years. Ooh, we did that a lot cheaper at stylehotelsweb…

Also, Wyndham Hotel Group launched a new website. The website is part of Wyndham Hotel Group’s Direct Strategy designed to recapture business by driving more bookings through the company’s own channels. The strategy calls for improved brand websites, several of which have already been unveiled, as well as enhanced alternative sell, a distribution model enabling Wyndham Hotel Group brands to be sold on sister websites. The Planet Hollywood, Dream and Night websites seem to not ready yet. And we think Encore, Ramada’s subbrand could do with a better image for the market they are targeting.

Yes, the Palihotel Melrose is opening February 1st. Three years after opening his stylish extended-stay hotel, Palihouse Holloway in West Hollywood (now with  Sam Nazarian’s SBE empire), Los Angeles hotelier Avi Brosh is back again with this 32-room boutique hotel envisioned as a “European neighborhood inn”. Which is quite the opposite of the Palihouse Holloway, specifically regarding the size of the guestrooms.

The Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas is joining Luxe. The 170-room hotel, which opened in 1924, is to be called the Luxe Stoneleigh Dallas Hotel & Spa in the 2nd quarter of 2012. Redesigned by internationally recognized interior design firm Forrest Perkins, the property recently underwent a $36 million renovation which restored its historic grandiosity and added a chic new personality and energetic vibe.

After making its debut in Cardiff, Wales, three years ago, UK budget brand Sleeperz Hotels has now added property number two to its budding portfolio: the 98-room, six-storey  Sleeperz Newcastle, which opened this week in the city of Newcastle, northeast England. Its guests might be getting a good night’s rest, but there’ll be no sleeping for this London-based group, however, as it is planning to develop a network of hotels across city centres in the UK. According to the group’s chief executive, David Myers, hotels in London and Liverpool are in the pre-planning stage and further sites are being considered in Birmingham and Bristol.

Stylehotelsweb is on annual leave. See you back after February 15!

Boutique hotel chain Malmaison has confirmed that it is to open a fourth site in Scotland in a move that forms a key part of the £1 billion transformation of Dundee’s waterfront, The Scotsman reports. The firm will begin work this spring converting the decaying Tay Hotel, a recognised landmark.

The listed Victorian structure is among the buildings that will be retained under an ambitious masterplan to re-connect Dundee city centre with the banks of the river.

Business leaders said the arrival of Malmaison, which already has a presence in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, would provide a catalyst for other hotels and businesses looking to set up in the city.

The project’s backers are planning a series of boulevards and squares lined with flats, cafes, restaurants and offices. A £45 million outpost of London’s Victoria & Albert (V&A) museum will form the centrepiece of the regeneration scheme.

It was recently revealed that Dundee Waterfront – a joint project between Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise – had secured some £300m of investment, getting on for a third of its £1bn target.

Alan Mitchell, chief executive, Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce, said Malmaison would help raise the profile of the project and would probably “encourage business into the area”.

“It’s great to have such a prestigious brand choosing to expand into the city,” he added.

Mike Galloway, the council’s director of city development, said an overhaul of Dundee railway station would encompass space for a “mid-range” hotel operator, while other groups had expressed interest in the waterfront location.

“Dundee Waterfront is attracting a growing amount of interest, enquiries and, crucially, hard investment from a wide variety of quarters,” he said.

“We are well advanced with our plans and investment to completely re-engineer and transform the city.”

The opening of Malmaison’s 13th hotel will provide about 150 jobs during the refurbishment phase and create 120 posts when the hotel is open for business in spring 2013. It is understood that the project is worth about £15m.

Malmaison was acquired in 2000 by Marylebone Warwick Balfour (MWB) from Scots founder and hotel entrepreneur Ken McCulloch.

The push into Dundee is the first expansion move since the firm agreed a refinancing deal last year and since the recent appointment of Gary Davis as chief executive.

Davis said: “My objective is to oversee an expansion of the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin business and expect that this new hotel will be the first of many for these fantastic brands.”

Malmaison is taking a 35-year lease on the site with an option to extend for a further 35 years.

Melia’s contemporary city-centre Innside brand, which it acquired in 2007 has signed its first hotel in the UK. Construction is set to begin on the four-star, 208-bedroom Innside Manchester Hotel during the second half of 2012. The hotel will form part of the new multi-use First Street North development. Innside by Melia currently operates nine properties in Germany and one is set to open in Barcelona.

The Rezidor Hotel Group and Al Jassim Group have announced a 2015 opening for the Hotel Missoni Doha (Qatar). The luxury lifestyle hotel will be exclusively designed by Rosita Missoni and feature approximately 200 rooms and 70 serviced apartments. The hotel will be built along the C Ring Road in the heart of Doha, just 10 minutes from the International Airport. The extensive food and beverage outlets will comprise Hotel Missoni’s signature restaurant “Cucina” with a traditional yet creative Italian menu, a second all-day-dining restaurant, Bar Missoni, a pool bar and a lobby lounge. Guests will benefit from an 800 square meter Spa- and fitness area, an outdoor swimming pool, approximately 1,500 square meter conference- and banquet facilities including ball room, and a business centre. Hotels Missoni are operated in Edinburgh and in Kuwait; further properties are under development in Oman, Turkey, Brazil and Mauritius.

Rezidor also announced this week the rebranding of the 583-room Ramada Plaza Doha Hotel into a Radisson Blu Hotel in the third quarter of 2012.

Even more Qatar hotel news: the June, 2013 scheduled Nikki Beach Resort & Spa, The Pearl-Qatar has already won an AAA five-star diamond award as best design for a boutique beach resort in the Middle East. That is slightly odd for a hotel which even has opened yet. Designed by the award winning Singapore-based ECO ID Architects with interior design by Gatserelia Design, the Nikki Beach is a $45m boutique beachfront resort with 47-luxury villas and spa suites. The development will include Satine, a pan Asian specialty restaurant, NikkiSpa by Espa, Envy, the Ultra VIP lounge, a signature Nikki Beach Club with private plunge pools, a Tone Fitness Center and many other guest amenities.

HotelChatter reports that an offshoot of the Soho House Group will open in Chicago’s West Loop/Fulton Market area inside a vacant warehouse. Soho House would install about 50 rooms, a signature restaurant and a rooftop pool.

Our December 26 report on the Clark Hotel in Los Angeles suggesting that King & Grove was to be the new operator of New York’s Chelsea Hotel was right. This month comes the news that King & Grove are also taking over the management of the brand-new opened Hotel Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York. The Chetrit Group, owner of the Clark Hotel and the Chelsea Hotel is close to an agreement buying the Hotel Williamsburg, currently operated by Graves Hospitality from Minneapolis.

The ill-fated Cipriani hotel project in Miami Beach finally is getting afoot. Only no longer under the Cipriani name, but under its original name, The Saxony. Argentine hip hotelier Alan Faena of Buenos Aires’ Faena Hotel fame is taking on the project. A condo tower by star architects Foster and Partners is being added and the Faena Saxony Hotel as it is called now is “coming soon” we see at the Faena website.

The Spanish mission styled 97-room Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara, now with The Leading Hotels of the World, is being sold to Kimpton Hotels for $40m.

Marriott International, Inc. today announced five new hotels for EDITION, a luxury lifestyle hotel brand created in partnership with Ian Schrager.

The company said that the brand is on track to have six hotels operating in major global gateway cities on three continents by 2015, including one of Manhattan’s most beloved buildings, the “Clock Tower.” New EDITION hotels being announced today also include projects under construction in Bangkok and Abu Dhabi, as well as contracts signed for hotels in Los Angeles and Gurgaon, India.

The New York EDITION will be located at the landmark Clock Tower building at 5 Madison Avenue, which was acquired for $165 million from prior owner Africa Israel USA. While design work is already underway, the renovation and conversion of the iconic Clock Tower building will begin in late 2012.

“New York is one of the most important destinations in the world, and we are delighted to have secured the Clock Tower as a singular, iconic structure that will become a flagship for the EDITION brand and one of New York’s most compelling places to stay,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and chief operating officer. “While the rollout of the EDITION brand was slowed by the global economic downturn, we remain strongly committed to this brand and are dedicated to its continued development and success. We are thrilled to add the Clock Tower building to our Edition portfolio,” said Mr. Sorenson. “We have a number of other exciting projects under way which we expect to announce in the coming months.”

The Bangkok EDITION will be part of a mixed-use development planned for one of the tallest buildings in Bangkok. The Abu Dhabi EDITION will be part of the prestigious Al Bateen Harbor complex within the Abu Dhabi Marina, an upscale mixed-use development including luxury residential and retail.

“It is a privilege and a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with Marriott on the first EDITION in New York City at the iconic Clock Tower building. This exciting project, along with all of the current and future projects in the pipeline, will prove that EDITION hotels are like no others in the world,” said Ian Schrager.

Marriott International is developing EDITION hotels in Miami Beach, London and now New York, reflecting confidence in the brand’s future growth and success. The company expects to recycle its property investments over time through the sale of the hotels while maintaining long-term management contracts.

The London EDITION will open next year in the historic building formerly known as the Berners Hotel, located in the city’s Fitzrovia neighborhood. The Miami Beach EDITION, under construction in the former Seville Hotel, is expected to open in late 2013. The Istanbul EDITION is open and operating under a long-term management agreement.

EDITION combines the personal, individualized and unique experiences which Ian Schrager is known for, with the global reach and operational expertise of Marriott International. In keeping with the identity of EDITION, Mr. Schrager will lead the creative design and positioning of these hotels.

EDITION is an unexpected and refreshing collection of customized, cutting-edge, and one-of-a-kind properties. Each one is thoughtfully designed to reflect the individuality, authenticity, and unique attributes of its location, while appealing to a sophisticated traveler who is accustomed to extraordinary service with a modern touch. Properties are intended to showcase the best in dining and nightlife, services and amenities for travelers and local residents.

Excitement at New York City’s legendary artists hangout, Hotel Chelsea, ramped back up this past week, first when rock ‘n roll legend Patti Smith agreed to perform in a private show for some 100 remaining residents at the property currently being renovated by new ownership, and then suddenly backing out when a disgruntled tenant’s association informed her of its plan to boycott the event and burn copies of her new book at the same time.

The tenant’s association has been complaining loudly over the past few months about the living conditions in the building during the renovation, as well as its disdain for the plans to gentrify the building that has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect.

Then, on Friday it was reported by several sources that new hotel owner, the Chetrit Group, named King & Grove to manage The Chelsea. The Chetrit Group is also an investor in King & Grove, a boutique management company first launched in the Hamptons by former Morgans Hotel executives Ed Scheetz and Ben Pundole, which has designs on expanding to Miami and Los Angeles.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that the Cetrit Group said the Smith concert was canceled due to the actions of “a minority voice” and that they would continue to pursue future cultural events to keep the Chelsea legacy alive.

Two name changes this week. Still the same management, but the Diva Resort in the Maldives is now Lux* Maldives and the The Tides Riviera Maya is now Viceroy Riviera Maya (see the blog item January 12).

Two prestigious city palaces on Vienna’s Schubertring will be transformed into the The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna and will open in the second quarter of this year. Schubertring is part of the Ringstrasse which encircles the old town of Vienna and houses the Vienna State Opera and the Museum of Fine Arts. Ritz-Carlton, Vienna will have 202 five-star rooms.

The Peninsula, Hong Kong, one of the world’s iconic hotels will be refurbishing all of its 297 rooms. The two-phase operation already started in the Peninsula Tower, so not to disturb the guests in the original Peninsula building, and will be finished by August 2012. The last phase, that of the original Peninsula, will last untill early 2013.

China’s HNA Group has given up bidding for Indian’s DLF Group Amanresorts portfolio, Reuters reports. DLF Group was seeking bids in the range of $4m. Reports say that biddings came not higher than $3m-$3.15m and DLF is stalling the sale.

Hotelier Andre Balasz of The Standard Hotels, The Mercer and Chateau Marmont fame also lost out on his bid to acquire New York’s Temple Court Building. The 1883-vintage, nine-story palace at Beekman Street  near NYC’s City Hall, encloses a breathtaking, glass-topped central atrium and is ringed on each floor by Victorian iron balustrades. The building was vacant for a decade, but became the talk of the real estate world after the owners removed the drywall and uncovered the majestic interior. The building is to be turned into a 200-room hotel. Balasz is said to have lost his $5m deposit after struggling to get the project financed.

What is opening in New York is the Out NYC, the city’s first gay-oriented hotel. The hotel’s website is taking reservations from March 1 and the renderings look very good indeed.

After it was forced to shut down a decade ago, the 1875 Grand Hotel in Birmingham (UK) may once again rise to its iconic status as Birmingham’s premier hotel. Property company Hortons has revealed plans it will reopen the Grand as a five star, 152 room hotel  before Christmas 2013, if plans are approved by the Birmingham City Council.

In London, Edinburgh-based Apex Hotels will open its third London property on April 1 (no joke) on famous Fleet Street. The 184-room Apex Temple Court will be located in a 12th century building which Apex acquired from professional law association Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.

It is rumoured that Dubai-based Jumeirah Group is close to signing a management agreement with Turkish business woman and entrepreneur Demet Sabanci Centindogan for its first hotel in Turkey: the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, which was acquired by Ms Çetindogan at the end of last year. The 115-room property is Turkey’s oldest hotel; it opened in 1895 to provide luxury accommodation to travellers after the city became the last stop on the legendary Orient Express. In April 2008, the hotel closed for a US$30 million restoration project and reopened in September 2010.

In Miami Beach Kimpton Hotels has (re)opened the Surfcomber Hotel. Kimpton brands itself as a boutique operator. With 186 rooms we think the Surfcomber is a bit to big to be boutique, but goodlooking it certainly is. With size comes a range of five-star facilities and a location right on the beach on South Beach’s Collins Avenue.

DLF to HNA. Indian real estate giant DLF is finalizing its sale of the Amanresorts group to China-based HNA Group. HNA is reported to be one of the five bidders for the 25-unit ultra-luxury group and is expected to pay $449 million for it. Aman is a household name in the boutique hotel operators market and considered a real trophy assett.

Scandic, the Nordic countries biggest hotel operator has been opening some very interesting hotels lately in Stockholm and Oslo. Maybe Stavanger, Norway, will be on the list to in 2013 when a second Scandic is open, a 210-room “architectural unique” property near the city centre.

For the W Jakarta we will have to wait untill 2015. Located in the Ciputra World Jakarta 2 mixed-use complex, the W Jakarta will feature the well-known W Hotels amenities. It will have 300 rooms and will be Starwood’s 12th W hotel in the Asia-Pacific region and 60th worldwide.

Hyatt announces the opening of the Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Already declared by Guinness as the world’s leanest building with its  18 degree lean – more than four times that of the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Hyatt Hotel occupies levels 18 (where the ‘twist’ starts) to 35. The hotel’s ‘sky lobby’ is suspended 80 metres above the ground on the 18th floor, offering panoramic views of the city. The spa and fitness centre on the 19th floor will include a swimming pool which cantilevers from the side of the building with 270- degree views of the surrounding horizon. Due to unique shape of the tower, each room on the floors above will have a different shape and orientation. There’s a restaurant serving Easter Mediterranean specialties, a lounge for drinks and snacks and on the ground floor a restaurant catering to the adjacent exhibition center offering a unique à la carte menu that revolves around small baked pastries with sweet or savory fillings. Shown here is the Capital Gate Tower (on the left), exhibition center and Aloft Hotel (on the right). See the Aloft profile for another image and nighttime angle of the Capital Gate Tower.

After the recent take-over by the Andre Balasz Hotel Group the Cooper Square Hotel in New York City’s East Village is now managed and part of Andre Balasz’ The Standard chain and renamed The Standard East Village – New York.

Rezidor announced the 2014 scheduled opening of the Missoni Hotel on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It will be the 66th country where Rezidor is present. Missoni Hotels in the collabaration between the Italian fashion house and the Rezidor group, which operates several Carlson brands in the EMEA region under such names as Radisson Blu and Park Inn. Missoni Mauritius will have 80 suites and will be designed in the iconic, colourful style for which Missoni is known. Missoni Hotels in Edinburgh and Kuwait are already open. Oman, Brazil and Turkey are planned.

The Shelborne Hotel in Miami Beach renovated the first 50 of its 200 rooms. And the look mighty fine! When making reservations be sure to opt for one of these Premiere rooms.

Morgans Hotel Group announced its 7th hotel for the Mondrian brand. The 128 room is scheduled to open in 2014 in Istanbul’s, Turkey, old town near such sites as the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, the Sultanahmet Mosque (or Blue Mosque), the Grand Bazaar and the 1,500 year-old Basilica Cistern. The hotel is expected to include original food and beverage options, function space, a spa renovated from an existing historic Turkish bath and additional facilities and amenities indicative of a lifestyle hotel. Already this year Morgans announced it has entered into hotel management agreements for Mondrian-branded hotels located in Doha (Qatar), Nassau (Bahamas), and London (UK).

Twenty Five Hours hotels will open its first hotel in Berlin in 2013. 25hours currently operates two hotels in Frankfurt and Hamburg each, one in Vienna and one is coming soon to Zurich. The 149 room project is located in the city centre west of Berlin, right in front of the famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church or Gedächtniskirche. It will enter into some stiff competition in a city already full of style and design hotels.

Several press reports that the former Clark Hotel in downtown Los Angeles will get King & Grove Hotels as its operator.

The Clark Hotel, owned by the Chetrit Group, has been in the making for several years. Originally it opened in 1914 with 555 rooms, each with a private bathroom. This summer permits were issued for three restaurants, including one next to the pool installed last year. King & Grove are known for its two hip hotels in Montauk (The Hamptons). This month they took over the management of The Tides Hotel in Miami Beach, previously managed by Viceroy Hotels.

Chetrit was in the news lately for buying the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York. The King & Grove website announces a New York location coming soon. Will this be the Chelsea Hotel?