After buying the Hoxton Hotel in London for a rumoured £65 million earlier this year, London-based investment firm Ennismore Capital has reportedly agreed terms to purchase a former office block in Holborn, central London, for around £30 million from Ediston Properties and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Ennismore plans to use the building, which was previously occupied by BT Group, to expand the Hoxton brand; it will invest a further £15 million in converting the six-storey property into a 175 to 200-room hotel. Additionally, Ennismore is thought to be in negotiations for another site in London which could become the city’s third Hoxton hotel.

Rocco Forte Hotels is reportedly exiting its lease of 101-room Augustine Hotel, located in Prague, due to failure to pay its rent on the property. Financial Times reported that Rocco Forte Hotels, London, is to be given 30 days notice to leave the 5-star property after failing to reach a deadline to come to an agreement with the Luxembourg-based Waldeck Capital over a reduced rent for the leased property. According to people familiar with the matter, the hotel will be closed and a new management company appointed to operate it. Rocco Forte Hotels told Financial Times it still had a lease and had not received a notice to exit the lease. The company is dealing with financial difficulties, having posted losses over the past two fiscal years and a total net debt of €108 million (US$137 million).

Hilton Cartagena in Colombia has wrapped up a multimillion-dollar renovation of its main-tower

guestrooms. Local designers Juan Manual Garcia and German Lopez Barrera introduced the sea’s calming essence into the refreshed accommodations through sand-colored porcelain flooring, natural oak furnishings, and a color scheme that blends the blues and violets of the sea and sky. The project also involved enlarging the indoor area by incorporating the balcony and terrace space in the rooms’ interior. In addition, the hotel revamped the pool complex upgrades including a new non-slip marble floor and landscaping.

A former Howard Johnson, The JHouse Greenwich made its debut in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The lobby is reminiscent of a gallery, with artwork and a projected video installation by Daniel Canogar. Seating areas surround the lobby; the library has a glassed-in fireplace and contemporary furnishings.

The property’s 86 guestrooms feature televisions in the bathroom mirrors, mirrored televisions in the bedrooms, and a personal iPad.

The hotel’s fine dining restaurant, eleven14 Kitchen, offers seasonal American cuisine under Executive Chef François Kwaku-Dongo. The space has an exposed wood-fired oven, display pantry and pâtisserie. Guests can dine indoors or in an outdoor space with subterranean heating and trellises.

The Chocolate Lab, located inside the lobby, serves house made chocolates (using fair trade chocolate from Ghana), gelato, sorbet, ice cream, and fair trade coffee from Africa and Latin America. The wine vault offers tastings as well as wine by the bottle or by the glass.

Additional amenities include a fitness center, 3,400 sq ft (316 sq m) of event space, and an outdoor heated pool with five cabanas, each of which is equipped with a television.

A new suite at The St. Regis New York marks a collaboration between St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Bentley Motors.

The Bentley Suite, designed by Wimberly Interiors, has a sleek and refined aesthetic with a palette of neutral colors, custom Bentley leather, polished wood, and chrome details reminiscent of the interior of a racing car.

The 1,700 sq ft (158 sq m) suite is located on the 15^th floor.

A black leather tile floor offsets a linen-colored leather accent wall in the entryway, while a silver mirror takes inspiration from a carbon fiber wheel rim.

The suite’s dining room offers a large media wall with four Breitling clocks that display the current time in New York, London, Moscow and Riyadh. The room features cream walls with black trim, a crystal chandelier, a leather rug and dark stained white oak floors.

The living room has a leather sofa and wing chairs, with another crystal chandelier overhead. The herringbone drapes draw inspiration from menswear.

The sleigh bed in the bedroom is made of Bentley’s burled wood with accents of aubergine, warm gray and ivory.

The Opposite House, a Beijing lifestyle property managed by Swire Hotels, announced that it will be presenting “Memory,” a unique 6-piece porcelain wearable art installation by artist Li Xiaofeng from Red Gate Gallery. Xiaofeng’s installation turns classical Chinese blue and white porcelain into contemporary couture dresses using rejected pieces of porcelain art littered around the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen over the centuries, or buried, broken fragments along the layered trading routes in every direction across China. “The shards contain the history and culture of China. Through grinding, polishing and sewing them together, it narrates the country’s past, present and future to its audiences. It also indicates the rebirth of the new civilization in the Eastern Hemisphere,” said Li. “Memory” will be on display from October 1 to December 30 in the atrium of The Opposite House.

The proposed W Philadelphia Hotel has secured all approvals to move forward, according to Starwood Hotels and a construction-industry website that tracks such projects in the United States. In the spring, construction is scheduled to begin on the 500-room hotel, which will offer a conference center, a pool and a fitness center among its amenities. Completion is set for January 2015. Starwood Hotels is bringing the W Hotel brand to center city on a half-acre surface parking lot that had been designated for a $420 million Waldorf-Astoria Hotel with luxury condos before the lending markets collapsed four years ago. A slate of luxury boutique hotels has entered the Center City market in the last three years, among them the Kimpton-owned Palomar and Hotel Monaco (which opens Oct. 11) and the Le Méridien, another Starwood brand.

Designer Paul Smith and publisher Rizzoli have teamed up to select books for Lounge At One, at London’s One Aldwych. Designed by Fox Linton Associates, the 1,500 square foot Lounge At One is fully serviced throughout the day with “a changing menu of light dishes for breakfast, daytime and evening, along with cocktails, wine and hot beverages”. Hosts are on hand to take care of individual needs such as checking guests in online for flights or liaising with the One Aldwych concierge team for theatre and restaurant bookings. Cosy sofas and armchairs encourage conversation, a central media area has a selection of iPads, magazines and newspapers as well as Paul Smith’s choice Rizzoli books, and a quiet zone is perfect for relaxing. The Lounge at One is open to every overnight guest but not to the public.

On a stretch of downtown Miami’s Southeast First Street that includes a dollar store, electronics shop and empty storefronts, developers are banking on the future of a historic building. The former Miami National Bank building, built in 1925, is in the early stages of becoming the boutique Langford Hotel. If all goes according to plan, the 132-room property will be ready for guests by December 2013. The company’s website for the hotel, eb5hotel.com, describes a luxury space with a rooftop bar and ground-floor restaurant. For downtown’s central business district, an area that has long been known for being busy during the day and deserted at night, a chic new hotel would be a welcome addition. Read more here.

Le Bristol Paris has debuted Le Bar du Bristol, which completes its renovation program.  The bar features an interior design by Pierre-Yves

Rochon and Maja Oetker. Highlights include a garden fresco by Thierry Bruet and a 19th-century marble fireplace. The décor is reminiscent of an English club, with silk curtains for privacy, a wooden floor of Versailles oak, and 100-year-old pine paneling from Surrey. The bar will also host a rotating program of contemporary artwork and artists’ videos. The menu from Le Bristol’s Chef de Cuisine Eric Frechon includes international bits such as maki rolls with king crab and vegetables in spicy ketchup, chicken wings in satay sauce, and gambas tempura with ginger and coriander mayonnaise. Head Barman Maxime Hoerth leads a team that includes Roman Devaux, previously of the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Paris.

The Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, South Carolina,will look quite different next spring. Sonesta on Thursday announced that it will give the resort’s getting a $30 million makeover. The renovations are a part of the Sonesta Collection’s plan to carry out major improvements at all 24 of its U.S. hotels over the next two years. At the Hilton Head Island property, expect the 340 guest rooms to have an entirely new look, inspired by the local landscape. Design firm Sims Patrick Studio, along with architectural firm designONE studio, will transform the hotel’s look and feel. Construction will begin in December. The rooms are being redone to cater to both families and business travelers, and an over-sized desk that doubles as an activity table for the kids; a pull-out sofa, and lightweight ottomans for additional seating. In the coffee nook near the entrance, guests will find a coffee maker and refrigerator. The resort will also sport a revamped lobby with new sculpture, furniture and finishes, as well as an expansion that will bring the outside in. Expect to find an exterior stone patio with seating and landscaping that overlooks the pool and sundeck. The two existing swimming pools will be revamped, too. Next spring, guests will find a lagoon-style pool and an indoor/outdoor pool that includes space for entertaining. The resort will also get a full-service spa with three treatment rooms and other spaces.

Andaz Savannah, a lifestyle hotel, opened in the former Avia Savannah in historic downtown Savannah. The hotel just completed a renovation of its public areas to add an Andaz Lounge and introduce a sophisticated new restaurant, 22 Square, emphasizing fresh regional ingredients and southern specialties. The artful design and urban vibe of the spaces, services and amenities at Andaz Savannah are inspired by the city’s vibrant culture. The 151 guestrooms and suites at Andaz Savannah feature chic contemporary furnishings with luxurious beds and linens, flat-screen/high-definition televisions with iPod® connections and generously sized bathrooms with walk-in showers. Like all Andaz hotels, guests at Andaz Savannah receive complimentary Wi-Fi Internet access and enjoy complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic beverages from their guestroom minibar. The hotel’s amenities include a 24-hour fitness center and a scenic outdoor terrace with cabana-lined outdoor pool. To support Savannah’s thriving art scene, Andaz Savannah will host rotating art shows that feature works produced by local artists, including those from the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design

W New Orleans – French Quarter has completed a US$9 million renovation of the whole property.

The hotel’s 97 guestrooms, the Living Room lobby space, Studio meeting spaces, corridors and the outdoor Courtyard all now sport the new look.

Nemaworkshop redesigned the guestrooms with jazz and tarot as inspirations. The jazz design has golden yellow walls, white lacquered furniture, and a floor-to-ceiling brass image reminiscent of the bell of a horn. Tarot rooms, meanwhile, are done in deep blue with a large mural of a woman reading tarot cards.

Images of the voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau appear throughout the property. “The new design definitely has a little fun with the city’s spiritual side,” says Anurag Nema, Nemaworkshop principal. “You may see Marie’s eyes following you on the guest room number placard, or you may recognize her headdress on a directional sign. If you look up while you’re standing in the lift landing, you’ll notice tiny, pin-like lights, playing off voodoo pins.”

The update also added a fitness center and SoBou, a new signature restaurant that serves Executive Chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez’ contemporary Creole fare. Nemaworkshop also designed SoBou with various elements of mixology in mind. For instance, the front room is similar to an apothecary, with bottle-clad walls. Display cases house vintage tools and glasses from the Museum of the American Cocktail. In the main dining space, a one-way glass installation gives the illusion of infinite glowing bottles. Tables in the beer garden have built-in self-service wine machines and beer taps.

Regent Hotels and Resorts and Rezidor Hotel Group have signed a strategic alliance agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Rezidor will develop and operate new Regent hotels in Russia, the CIS countries, the Baltic region, the Middle East and Africa, and Rezidor and Regent will jointly develop Regent properties in the rest of Europe. The Regent brand was previously part of Carlson and Rezidor before it was acquired by Formosa International Hotels Corporation a couple of years ago. “The acquisition of the Regent brand and business by Formosa in 2010 allowed us to focus on our core brands Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson, and to strengthen our network in 70 countries across EMEA,” said Kurt Ritter, Rezidor’s president and chief executive officer. “A luxury brand was however never off our agenda, and we are delighted to complement our portfolio with Regent now,” he added.

Hilton Worldwide has launched a new Waldorf Astoria hotel this week. After a £24 million renovation and refurbishment, the 254-room Caledonian Hilton Edinburgh hotel, in Scotland’s capital, has reopened as the 241-room Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The hotel, which is more than 100 years old, has been operated by Hilton since 2000. It has become the group’s second Waldorf Astoria property in the UK, alongside Syon Park in London.

It’s been a busy week for Marriott International. The group announced plans to open its tenth hotel in Turkey, in the city of Izmir, on the Aegean coast. The Renaissance Izmir Hotel is due to open at the end of the year. Once open, the 110-room hotel will become Hilton’s first hotel in Izmir and its fifth Renaissance property in the country. Additionally, Marriott has signed a franchise agreement with SHEPI SNC for its first AC Hotel by Marriott property in Paris. When it opens in 2014, the 166-room AC Hotel Paris Port Maillot will be Marriott’s 14th hotel in the French capital and the third AC Hotel by Marriott in France. Marriott also revealed plans to open three new Autograph Collection properties in Europe by the end of the year. The Collection will make its debut in Portugal with the 72-room Fontecruz hotel in Lisbon, and France is to welcome two new Autograph Collection hotels: the 78-room Hotel De Bourgtheroulde in Rouen and the 72-room Hotel L’Hermitage Gantois in Lille; the buildings of both hotels, in the north of France, date back to the 15th century.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with German real estate and investment company Bari Gruppe that will see the group’s environmentally friendly, extended stay brand, Element, make its debut in Europe. The new-build Element Frankfurt Airport is expected to open in 2014 at the Gateway Gardens area in Frankfurt, Germany, with 133 studios and one-bedroom suites. “This is the beginning of what we anticipate will be a long-term relationship with Starwood as we introduce Element Hotels to Europe and establish it as the continent’s most eco and guest-friendly extended stay brand,” said Marco Bari from Bari Gruppe. Starwood currently operates Element hotels across the USA, but also has properties in the pipeline for Canada and the Middle East due to open in the next few years.

Mukul, a luxury boutique hotel and spa in Guacalito de la Isla, a new $250-million, 1,670-acre private beach community on Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast, is scheduled to open in January 2013. Mukul will feature 37 accommodations, each with an ocean view, pool and private staff. Other resort amenities include Spa Mukul, with six private spa-treatment casitas; a beach club featuring dining and lounge areas and a swimming pool; and the 18-hole Guacalito Golf Course.  Mukul and Guacalito de la Isla are the vision of Nicaraguan entrepreneur Don Carlos Pellas, whose family has roots in the country that date back to the 19th century. The Pellas family businesses include transportation, computers, sugar, ethanol, Flor de Caña Rum and the Vivian Pellas Hospital. Pellas also founded the BAC Credomatic financial network in 1985.

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with OCT Group to open a new hotel in Shanghai in 2015. The project follows the opening of the Bulgari Hotel London in late May this year. The luxury goods brand has a further two properties – in Milan, which opened in 2004, and a resort in Bali, which opened in 2006. The Shanghai hotel will be located in a riverside metropolitan complex development in Suhe Creek, a protected heritage zone in the Zhabei District. The Bulgari Hotel will be located in the 12 upper floors of a 40-storey building designed by architecture team Foster + Partners. The hotel will have 120 rooms and suites – including the 400sqm Bulgari suite – as well as a ballroom, spa, and rooftop Italian restaurant. A Chinese fine dining restaurant will be created in the former Chinese Chamber of Commerce building at the site, which dates back to early 1900.

Hudson, a Morgans Hotel Group property in New York, has completed a US$18 million renovation of its 836 guestrooms. During nine months of work, crews removed the popcorn ceilings and installed new Venetian blinds. Guestrooms also have new storage options and new artwork in light boxes by Nick Veasy. The bathrooms have new illuminated bathroom mirrors. The next phase of the project will add two new food and beverage outlets and a new outdoor Private Park space.

By Barbara Delollis, USA Today. A new mid-priced, edgy hotel with a rooftop pool has opened in Dallas south of Interstate 30 – and it’s the first to open in the area since the Belmont Hotel opened in 1946. The NYLO Dallas South Side hotel occupies a red brick historic building and features guest rooms with 10-foot-high ceilings, large windows and polished concrete floors.

A quick check on the hotel’s website for Sunday, Sept. 9, revealed rates that start at $159 – a prepaid rate that can’ t be canceled or refunded. Flexible rates start at $169. The Dallas Morning News visited the hotel last month - as the hotel’s rooftop pool was being finished. The NYLO also has a full-service restaurant and bar. If you like art, look around your room and the lobby. The hotel has selected art from local artists to give the space an authentic flare – something that more hotels are trying to do these days.

The hotel’s press materials highlight its location between South Side on Lamar and Gilley’s Dallas Live – an area that the developer — Matthews Southwest — has been working on transforming into a lively area with plenty of nightlife and restaurant options. The area is separated from downtown by the freeway.

Earlier this year, developer Jack Matthews told the Dallas Morning News: ”People have not focused on what’s south of I-30 [Interstate] in the past 50 years. The psychological divide is larger than the physical one. People have been taught since they were little, don’t go south of the 30. We’re trying to open up people’s thinking right now.”

The hotel’s three blocks away from the Dallas Convention Center, one block from the DART Cedars Rail station, and minutes from the Dallas Central Business District and the Dallas Arts District. To boost its green credibility, the hotel’s trying to get environment-friendly LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The small NYLO brand operates two other hotels in the Dallas-Forth Worth area: in Plano and Las Colinas, and one in Rhode Island: Warwick.

Bloc Hotels is set to transform an office building at London Gatwick airport in to a 245-room budget boutique hotel. This will be the second property for the company, which opened its first hotel in Birmingham. It has been granted planning permission to refurbish Norfolk House, an existing four-storey office building located over the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport, including full replacement of the building. The resulting 245-bedroom hotel will have direct access to the South Terminal. Work is expected to start on-site in mid-October 2012, with an expected opening in Autumn 2013. Will Duffey, senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, which advised on Bloc’s acquisition of the building, said: “The opportunity received interest from a number of investors and hotel operators across the globe wanting to gain representation at Gatwick Airport. This is a great opportunity for Bloc hotels to increase their exposure to the UK market and grow their brand.”

Milwaukee developer Tim Dixon has joined with the former executives of a top Chicago hotel to manage and develop boutique hotels across the US. Aparium Hotel Group will manage Dixon’s Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee and is looking to manage other hotels. A second company, Aparium Development Company, will develop boutique hotels. Dixon, who will take the role of CEO at Aparium Development Company, is working with partners Mario Tricoci, former managing partner of the 188-room Elysian Hotel in Chicago, and Kevin Robinson, former chief operating officer of Elysian Hotel Company. Tricoci and Robinson will be CEO and COO of Aparium Hotel Group respectively.

The 47-room Mercy Hotel opened yesterday on Lisbon’s Rua da Miscórdia. The seven-storey building has been refurbished, with designs by architect Miguel Saraiva. The façade is a fusion of traditional Pombaline (a style popular in Lisbon following the 1755 earthquake) with contemporary materials. A rooftop terrace offers fine views of the city and beyond, while guestrooms feature two twin or one queen size bed, with dual seating, 37″ LCD TV and free wireless internet. Two suites, called Stars of the Sky and Moon River, each have private terraces. The Mercy restaurant on the ground floor serves Portuguese cuisine, while the Mercy Bar serves cocktails and Portuguese wines.

A company affiliated with Azimut Hotels bought the 362-room Metropol, located in Moscow, from the city government for 8.874 billion rubles (US$273 million) in an auction on Thursday. Okhotny Ryad Deluxe, a subsidiary of the luxury hotel’s current management company Metropol paid slightly more than the auction’s starting price of 8.7 billion rubles (US$267 million) for the property. Metropol is controlled by Alexander Klyachin, Azimut’s founder and chairman. A representative of Klyachin said it is too early to say whether or not the hotel will be rebranded or switch management companies.

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has acquired the W Los Angeles – Westwood from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide for US$125 million. At the same time, Starwood has entered into a 40-year management agreement to continue operating the hotel under the W flag. As part of the sale, Pebblebrook has agreed to continue with the planned property renovations to expand and re-define the hotel’s Living Room, bar and public spaces.

Aloft Hotels announced it has opened its 60th hotel globally with the opening of Aloft Asheville Downtown in Asheville, North Carolina. Owned and operated by McKibbon Hotel Group, Inc., Aloft Asheville Downtown will offer 115 stylish guest rooms and over 1,800 square feet of unique outdoor meeting space on its Air Level pool deck and The Ledge observation deck, as well as 649 square feet of indoor meeting space in an unbeatable downtown location.

Hotel Indigo, IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) upscale boutique brand, announced the opening of the Hotel Indigo Veracruz – Boca del Río. The new hotel, located in the Veracruz business district and just steps from the World Trade Center and America’s Plaza, offers guests the intimate service typically associated with boutique lodging along with the peace of mind and consistency expected from a large hotel group. The 106-room hotel features a warm and inviting environment with vibrant décor and colorful accents. The design reflects the cultural richness and folklore of this charming seaside community, including the old Veracruz lighthouse, which once welcomed traveling ships into port and now welcomes travelers of a different kind into the hotel.