The five-star Ashford Castle resort in Ireland has been put on the market for €25 million after going into receivership in November 2011 -half the price the current owner, Tom Barrett, paid in 2008-. The 784-year-old castle, with its 83 guest rooms and 365 acres of grounds, was first founded by the de Burgo family and has had many owners over the centuries. It opened as a hotel in 1939 and gained fame in 1951 when Hollywood came to west Ireland in the form of the blockbuster film The Quiet Man – many of the stars of the film like John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara stayed at Ashford Castle. Barrett continues to operate the stylehotelsweb listed the G Hotel in Galway and the D Hotel in Drogheda, both also in Ireland.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced that a Hyatt affiliate has signed a management agreement with IHHR Hospitality Private Limited (IHHR) for five Ista hotels in India to be re-branded by Hyatt. Under the agreement, the fully operational Ista hotels will be known as Hyatt Bangalore, Hyatt Pune, Hyatt Hyderabad, Hyatt Ahmedabad and Hyatt Amritsar. The branding effort is expected to be completed by March 2013. Each of the five Ista hotels enjoy premium locations within their respective cities and reflect a contemporary and modern design that offers the business traveler a convenient and stylish place to live, dine and meet. In recognition of their standing as one of India’s most successful home-grown brands, Ista Bangalore and Ista Hyderabad have been awarded a position on the Condé Nast Traveler’s prestigious Hot List in 2006 and 2007, respectively. They were also ranked among the top business hotels in South Asia by Travel + Leisure magazine.

Harbour Rocks Hotel – whose origins date back to the 1880s – has joined Accor’s MGallery Collection following the completion of a total redesign and refurbishment. It is the fourth MGallery in Australia.

The 59-room Harbour Rocks Hotel is located in the heart of Sydney’s historic Rocks district, close to the harbour front and only a short walk to the city’s central business district, making it an ideal base for both leisure and corporate travellers.

Built in 1887 and opened as a hotel in 1989, Harbour Rocks Hotel sits on the grounds of Sydney’s first hospital and has been stripped back to its foundations, exposing its original sandstone and brick walls and its former working cottages.  After a 6-month renovation programme, the finished result is a striking fusion of raw elegance which blends old and new, featuring European touches throughout.

While satisfying the needs of modern day travellers, many aspects of the hotel reflect the building’s rich heritage, particularly the reverence for the hotel’s resident ghost, Eric.

As the legend goes, Eric was a patron of the premises in the late 1800s and was in love with Scarlett, the ‘Madame’ of the house. After both declaring their love for one another, Eric had to leave on a three-month journey overseas, but promised to marry Scarlett upon his return. However, by the time he arrived back in Sydney, Scarlett had died of tuberculosis. A heartbroken Eric passed away not long after and to this day, it is said Eric’s spirit lingers in the corridors of the hotel as he longs for his Scarlett.

In homage to the tragic lovers the hotel’s bar is named Eric’s and the restaurant is named Scarlett. In fact, upon arriving at the hotel, guests are greeted with a non-alcoholic welcome drink at Eric’s Bar called a ‘Scarlett Surprise’.

This is one of MGallery signatures – to bring the hotel’s story to life. From the moment a guest walks into the hotel to the experiences they have during their stay, guests are immersed in the Harbour Rocks Hotel’s story.

Relating to the hotel’s story, and as part of the MGallery journey, Scarlett restaurant is where guests can experience a Harbour Rocks Pie, a play on a dish early settlers to Sydney Harbour would enjoy. On the breakfast menu, freshly made damper rolls are available which again, relate to the hotel’s story.

General Manager of Harbour Rocks Hotel, Michael Sheridan, said the hotel’s move to be part of the MGallery Collection was a natural fit for the hotel. “It has been an amazing experience to watch the transformation of Harbour Rocks Hotel over the last six months. For it now to be joining a world-class collection of hotels as part of MGallery is a wonderful achievement.

“The history of the hotel along with its elegant new look makes it a fitting addition to the MGallery Collection and I look forward to seeing guests experience the additional benefits provided as the hotel joins the collection.”

The “Memorable Moment”, a defining link in the hotel’s story is a one-of-a-kind package, not readily available to the general public. The Memorable Moment package at Harbour Rocks Hotel will entail a private dinner for six in the Harbour View Suite which has views across to the Opera House with the Sydney Symphony String Quartet providing the background music. The package must be booked with the hotel at least two months in advance.

In becoming part of the Collection, Harbour Rocks Hotel joins a number of revered hotels, including the recently rebranded Como Melbourne, the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains and the Grand Hotel in Melbourne. The MGallery Collection also includes the four-time “New Zealand Hotel of the Year” St Moritz in Queenstown and such distinctive properties as the Baltimore in Paris, St-Ermin’s in London, The Convent Hotel Amsterdam and Vie Hotel Bangkok.

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.

Mail Online The Standard Hotel has released an eyebrow-raising ad campaign, which, in one image, shows a woman urinating on a rug in front of another man. In an effort to promote its five locations in Los Angeles, Miami, New York-East Village, New York-Meatpacking District and West Hollywood, the hipster-loved hotel has used three shocking, and what have been called ‘gross’ photographs, by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. From a series titled How To be Politically Incorrect, a second ad features a man sticking his head down a woman’s sweater, while the third shows a woman leaning over another woman to spit into a bowl of soup.

Intending to appeal to its aspired clientele (‘tastemakers, influencers and others who set trends’) the campaign is supposed to explore the line between art and commerce. It’s supposed to be ‘cool’. This is something that by all accounts which will actually be measurable. How many limited edition prints of the urinating photo will The Standard Hotel sell at its brick-and-motar and online gift shops for $2,000?

André Balazs, president and chief executive of the company that owns the five Standard Hotel locations, told the New York Times: ‘The purpose of this advertising, aimed at selective audiences, is to bring a degree of sophistication.‘We believe a good hotel is far more than a set of rooms. What makes a hotel unique is its personality, its social life, its cultural life’, he added.

Despite the ads having shocked many, it comes as no real surprise that a hotel with a jacuzzi in the middle of its high-end bar, as well as giant exhibitionist-friendly windows on each of its guest bedrooms created a campaign aimed only at people who would ‘get it’.

While the hotel’s ads may have the potential to turn off some prospective hotel-goers, The Standard is confident it will gain many more of the ‘right’ kind of people.

The ads, which are intended to look like editorial content rather than advertising in the magazines which they will feature, were selected by Mr Balazs and Claire Darrow Mosier, his company’s creative director.

‘We want to contribute to the magazines.

We don’t just want to advertise,’ said Ms Darrow Mosier, who herself called the ads ‘ridiculous’.

‘Most of the magazines we trade with are friends and like-minded people. The more these people are in our hotels, the more vibrant our hotels are.’

She also added that none of the magazines – such as Carine Rotfield’s new CR Fashion Book, Artforum, Dossier, Interview and V Magazine – objected to carrying the ads.

‘Everybody’s used to us doing something a little different,’ she said.

However, while The Standard is its own creative brand that, as David Hershkovits, editor of Paper Magazine put it, talks to a ‘certain kind of person,’ it is still fundamentally a place of hospitality.

Whether or not the ads will put people off staying in rooms associated with images featuring urine and spit remains to be seen.

A Meliá Hotels International property in Seville, Spain, is the first hotel in the city to become a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The 189-room Gran Meliá Colón underwent an intense auditing procedure to ensure it complied with strict quality criteria in order to join the group, the largest luxury hospitality organisation in the world. “Being a member of The Leading Hotels of the World means having a passion for service and at the same time being proud of our hotel’s unique character,” said the hotel’s general manager, José Antonio Rubio.

The former Hotel Indigo on West End Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee, has reopened under Starwood’s Aloft brand. The hotel, which was previously operated under IHG’s lifestyle brand Hotel Indigo, was sold through foreclosure in July for US$18 million and has been the subject of a legal dispute between Nashville hotel developer Mark Lineberry and business partners at Wesley Hotels. Now named The Aloft Nashville Music Row, the property is the brand’s first conversion of an existing boutique hotel, and the first non-Starwood-owned Aloft hotel.

Ovolo has opened its first Australian hotel, a 43-room boutique property in Melbourne’s Central Business District. Guestrooms range from studio apartments to luxury penthouses with terraces, pinball machines and boxing punchbags. Rooms include chalkboard walls, shaving mirrors in the showers, and amenities from NYC Malin + Goetz. Personalised 24-hour reception service, free WIFI, complimentary daily mini-bar, unrestricted local calls and breakfast services are all part of the price. The company is planning a series of further openings in major Australian cities.

Hyatt’s lifestyle brand has opened its first property in Northern California. The 141-room Andaz Napa, which previously previously operated under the name Avia Napa, opened its doors earlier this week after a refurbishment. It is one of 24 hotels purchased in 2011 by Hyatt from Kansas-based LodgeWorks LP in an $800 million deal. The Andaz Napa is the seventh Andaz property, joining hotels in New York City (two), San Diego, West Hollywood, London and Shanghai. Planned destinations include Savannah, Georgia; Maui, Hawaii; China; Costa Rica; India; Mexico; the Netherlands; and Turks and Caicos.

(Financial Times) – Ikea, the secretive but hugely successful budget furniture retailer, is looking to build and develop at least 100 budget hotels across Europe in its latest push into the property market.

Inter Ikea, the company that owns the intellectual property rights of Ikea — which were last week revealed to be valued at €9bn by the company — is considering sites across Europe for what it calls “budget design” hotels.

The hotels will not use the Ikea name and will not be run by the Swedish company but by an established hotel operator, according to an executive familiar with the plans.

Ikea is also considering building student residences across the continent as it looks for ways to put its cash into long-term businesses in an attempt to earn a good return.

Inter Ikea hopes to build the hotels in markets where it is already active in property, such as the UK, Netherlands and Poland, as well as new markets such as Germany.

“We will announce within a few weeks the first location for our budget hotel in Germany and we are in talks with hotel operators to rapidly implement our concept,” Harald Müller, a senior manager in Inter Ikea’s property division, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Germany.

So-called budget design hotels, which offer boutique styling at lower price points, are one of the fastest growing sectors in the industry, with Munich-based Motel One among the best known. It has 39 hotels with more than 8,500 rooms in Germany and is now looking to expand in Europe, including a hotel in Edinburgh in Scotland.

Ikea, the world’s largest furniture retailer, was founded in 1943 but has disclosed little financial information until recently. In part, this is due to its complex structure where the ownership of Ikea’s stores was separated from the ownership of its brand name and other intellectual property rights.

The brand is controlled by Inter Ikea, which receives money from all Ikea franchises, which must pay it a percentage of their revenues. In a rare financial disclosure made because intellectual property rights were transferred from one subsidiary to another, Inter Ikea revealed last week that the Ikea brand is valued at €9bn, making it one of the world’s most valuable marques. Inter Ikea also invests in other activities including shopping centres, financial investments, and property.

One of the property division’s most high-profile projects so far is a large-scale development to be built hundreds of metres from the Olympic Park in east London. Strand East, as the development is known, will have about 1,200 homes and up to 500,000 square feet of commercial space.

NH Hoteles announced that from August 1 all its guests will have access to free Wi-Fi both in all the rooms and in common areas in its establishments.

Aloft Atlanta Downtown, formerly a Days Inn, will open in the spring of 2013 with 263 rooms and 2,000 square feet of meeting space. This new Aloft hotel will be in a prime location in Atlanta, close to the thriving hub of

Georgia State and Georgia Tech as well as tourist attractions like the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca Cola. The CNN Center, Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Dome are also in the neighborhood. As with all Aloft Hotels, you can expect a contemporary room, a w xyz bar, the re:fuel 24/7 pantry, the re:mix lounge, a pool, free WiFi and affordable rates. It’s too early to know the specific hotel rates for this location yet, but Aloft rooms usually start at about $125 per night.

A Chicago developer is planning to build a 240-room hotel in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, one of several projects that will help revitalize the time-worn shopping district. Oxford Capital Group plans to build the hotel on Temple Place, one of the small side streets in the so-called Ladder District that has attracted a rush of redevelopment proposals in recent months. The company purchased 59 Temple Place for $23.2 million earlier this year after a bidding war with more than 100 would-be buyers, and now intends to renovate the existing building. In 2009, Oxford Capital made a splash in Chicago with the opening of the Hotel Felix, a 225-room boutique hotel with a restaurant, sleek lobby bar and spa.

NYLO will soon open its third boutique hotel in the Dallas market. The loft-style hotel brand will begin operating a 76-key locale

in mid August in a 101-year-old building that formerly housed the Dallas Coffin Co. The NYLO Dallas South Side Hotel will join two other properties in the market, in Plano and Las Colinas. The South Side property is the brand’s first conversion property, as well as its first to seek LEED certification. The project’s developer is Matthews Southwest, and its interiors were created by Dallas-based 5G Studios. NYLO officials said during the South Dallas building’s conversion, every possible part of its original five-story structure has been incorporated into the hotel, and that its guest rooms will feature original concrete floors and exposed ceilings. The hotel will also be home to the SODA Bar, which will feature a roof top infinity pool and glass-enclosed bar/lounge offering a panoramic view of downtown Dallas, along with a Terrace Bistro restaurant adjacent to its lobby.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the signing of Le Méridien Dhaka, slated to open in July 2013. Owned by Best Holdings Limited, the 304 room hotel will be located close to Dhaka International Airport with easy access to the city’s central business district offering breathtaking views of the city. Le Méridien Dhaka will span between the eighth and fifteenth floors of a new mixed use development and offer guests breathtaking views of Dhaka from the building’s rooftop. Four food and beverage venues, including an all-day dining restaurant and specialty restaurant and bar, will offer distinctive culinary experiences for both guests and locals alike. The hotel will also house a 2,800 square-foot fitness center fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and a 2,400 square-foot spa.

Marlon Brando’s dream of building an eco-resort in Tahiti is finally coming true, years after the legendary actor’s death. The Brando will open on a private island he had bought in Tahiti three years after filming 1962′s Mutiny of the Bounty, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Brando, who starred in such iconic films as The Godfather and A Streetcar Named Desire, bought a 12-island atoll called Tetiaroa 20 miles north of the main island of Tahiti. He had been inspired by his third wife, French Polynesian actress Tarita Teriipia. The Hollywood Reporter points out that he and his wife had opened a hotel on one of the islands but abandoned the island after a family tragedy in 1990. Brando’s son Christian was convicted of killing the boyfriend of Brando’s daughter Cheyenne, who years later committed suicide in Tahiti. Brando died in 2004. The Brando is scheduled to open in late 2013. Brando’s heirs gave permission to Tahitian developer Richard Bailey to build it. According to the Reporter, the resort’s energy needs will be 100% renewable.

Casino company Rotate Black has signed a letter of intent with Hemingway Hotels and Resorts to operate a four-star hotel at the casino it wants to build at the Gulfport harbor. The SunHerald reports that Dual Cooper, the president of Rotate Black, said the 205-room hotel will have outdoor saltwater swimming pools and cabanas among its many amenities. Tuckey Devlin, president of Hemingway Hotels and Resorts, said the agreement was signed this week. Devlin said the agreement is contingent on financing and approval of the casino project by Mississippi’s Gaming Commission. Hemingway Hotels is a new brand that is planning hotels that evoke the image of writer and adventurer Ernest Hemingway. “The project in Gulfport is all about real good, hard, fun living,” Devlin said. The hotel would sponsor fishing tournaments and provide a variety of entertainment. And Hemingway Hotels each will contain a library featuring Hemingway’s books and other classics.

Alila Hotels & Resorts is moving into Oman. Alila currently manages boutique hotels and resorts in the Asia Pacific region; however, the Singapore-based group has got together with Muscat-based investment‚ development and management company Omran to develop the Alila Jabal Akhdar resort. The 78-room resort is scheduled to open at the end of 2013 in Oman’s Jabal Akhdar region, in the Al Hajar mountain range, a two-hour drive from Muscat.

AJ Capital Partners, a Chicago-based investment company led by John Pritzker and Ben Weprin, has agreed to buy the Chicago Athletic Association building for US$13 million and plans to spend US$20 million to convert it into a Thompson hotel, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Thompson brand is a part of Commune Hotels & Resorts, of which Pritzker is co-chairman. The hotel, which will have 240 to 260 rooms when it opens in early 2014.

The Los Angeles-based SBE revealed that it is bringing its SLS Hotels brand to New York City. The 190-room SLS Hotel New York, located at 444 Park Avenue South in Manhattan, is set to open in the second quarter of 2013. SBE and Moin Development Corp., New York City, are

jointly purchasing for US$45 million and renovating the property for US$40 million, with Moin owning 90% of the property. The former office building, built in 1920, will be renovated and have five floors added to it with Philippe Starck working on the design. “For us, this really finalizes the triangle between New York, Los Angeles and Miami,” Sam Nazarian, SBE founder, chairman and CEO told The Wall Street Journal. “New York is really going to be big for us across our platform.”The hotel will feature a rooftop nightlife concept and a mixology lounge in the lobby.

Soaked, a rooftop cocktail lounge, is now open at Mondrian SoHo in New York City. The lounge serves fruit-infused cocktails without extra sugar or artificial flavors in a 4,000-sq-ft (372-sq-m) space with natural landscaping, oversized planters, and large grass meadow. The decor features antique lighting and custom teak furniture. The menu by Beverage Director Steve Olson includes juiced orchard-to-bar cocktails, such as the 100-Mile Margarita with pineapple and jalapeño-infused tequila, apple, pear, pineapple, wheatgrass and mint; muddled drinks such as a watermelon mojito; and shaken cocktails such as the Rhub Awakening with rhubarb and caramel-infused vodka, Grand Marnier, strawberries, rhubarb, basil and lime. Frozen treats include an alcoholic strawberry rhubarb popsicle and dairy- and gluten-free soft-serve. The menu also offers non-alcoholic juices such as the Popeye, made with kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber, lemon and ginger.

Delta Real Estate, a member of closely held Delta Holding, is launching a 25 million-euro ($30 million) renovation of its biggest hotel to reopen it under the Crown Plaza brand. In cooperation with InterContinental Hotels Group Plc (IHG), the world’s largest provider of hotel rooms that owns the brand, Belgrade-based Delta will turn the 420-room Continental (a former InterContinental Hotel) in the Serbian capital into a five-star hotel and reopen it in September 2013, said Delta director Zivorad Vasic.

After purchasing London’s most famous department store, Harrods, for £1.5 billion from Mohamed Al Fayed in May 2010, Qatar Holding has now announced its plans to expand the brand into a chain of luxury hotels. Preference will be given to developing hotels on sites that Qatar Holding already owns, which include Chelsea Barracks in London and Costa Smeralda on the Italian island of Sardinia. However, the group also plans to grow Harrods into a global brand. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with property developer Jerantas Sdn Bhd to build a Harrods Hotel in Kuala Lumpur – both companies will jointly invest RM2 billion (US$632 million) in the project – and other possible destinations include Paris, New York and China.

The owner of the Hoxton Hotel in London, Enismore Capital, has plans to expand with two more hotels in the city and one in New York. The private equity group is looking for sites in regeneration areas in London in order to develop hotels of around 200 rooms each, based on the concept of the original Hoxton in Shoreditch. Enismore bought the hotel in May for around £65 million, which ended months of speculation linking Morgans Hotel Group to a bid for the property.

As hotels try to offer guests technology they’ll be able to both understand and use, the high-tech Opus boutique hotel in Vancouver has come up with a novel approach — replacing the arguably obsolete wireless hotel phone with an iPhone. The hotel is in the process of making the switch to iPhones, figuring that guests will know how to use them and appreciate having a Canadian phone to eliminate international roaming fees on their personal phones. Guests have the freedom to take their room’s iPhone with them as they venture into the city for meetings, dinner, shopping or sightseeing. The phones can help them stay connected to the Internet and both make and receive phone calls. The phone will also keep them connected to the hotel, since each iPhone is programmed with one-touch contacts for each of the hotel’s departments, whether the concierge, housekeeping or room service. Local calls are complimentary. Once a guest checks out, the iPhone’s automatically wiped clean by an application to ensure privacy and security.

Z NYC, a Long Island City boutique hotel with a rooftop bar and a limo service to and from Manhattan, is now offering a less luxurious amenity: complimentary bikes. The Z — which opened in July 2011 and is one of more than dozen hotels that have recently been built in Long Island City — is starting its bike initiative just a few weeks before the city plans to launch its own bike share program in Long Island City.“There is so much in Long Island City and a lot of people aren’t aware of it,” said Lisa Gneo, director of sales for the Z Hotel. “So maybe the best way for our customers to really get familiar with it, is to be on a bike.”

Miami’s Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Lebanon-based developer Zardman to launch its first resort and spa in Lebanon, due to open in 2014. The luxury resort will be located on the Damour coastline and will feature 25 villas, a boutique hotel and the signature Nikki Beach Club. The hotel has been designed by Soma architects with interior design by Gatserelia design.

Lowe Enterprises Investors said it bought the Hotel Derek, a 314-room style & design hotel in Houston’s Galleria area, for an undisclosed price. The company plans to invest at least $4.5 million in the property to refresh the guest rooms and common areas, as well as enhance meeting space with features such as updated technology, the Los Angeles-based real estate investment and management firm said in its statement.

Istithmar World, a subsidiary of Dubai World, Dubai, announced on Monday that it plans to convert the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner into a 300-room hotel. The state-owned company bought the ship from Carnival Corp. subsidiary Cunard in 2007 for US$100 million and said the conversion will take 16 months. The ship was originally planned to be converted into a hotel and stationed at the base of Palm Jumeirah, but these plans were delayed by the financial crisis. Now Istishmar World plans to dock the floating hotel permanently in Port Rashid, and in addition to a hotel part of the ship will be converted into a maritime museum highlighting Dubai’s nautical history. Istithmar World is not releasing details of how much is being invested in the project or the source of the funding.

Work is underway on an extended-stay hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills where guests must agree to pay a minimum of $12,000 to settle in. The property now known as AKA Beverly Hills at 155 N. Crescent Drive is undergoing $10 million worth of renovations to prepare for an Oct. 1 opening. It’s intended to serve travelers who will be in town for more than a few days but not long enough justify leasing an apartment. “Three or four months is the sweet spot,” said Larry Korman, co-president of developer Korman Communities. Prices will start at $400 a night with a minimum one-month stay.

With a grand opening on May 17, the 290-room Palace Hotel Tokyo will be a re-envisioning of the original Palace Hotel, which opened in 1961 as Japan’s first ever mixed use office-hotel building. That hotel was razed in 2009 to make way for this newer, sleeker, more modernized version. Ten restaurants and bars, a Club Lounge, an Evian Spa and free WiFi are some of the amenities the hotel is advertising, and all rooms supposedly have views of the gardens at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. So know you know why it’s called the Palace hotel. The designs for the guest rooms and lobby area were done by Terry McGinnity, manager of GA Design International, known for hotel designs such as the Threadneedles in London, W Taipei and the upcoming Park Hyatt Mallorca.

South Beach Group Hotels has aquired the vacant Croydon Arms Hotel in Miami’s Mid Beach district, home to such hotels as the Fontainebleau and the Eden Roc. With the property’s close proximity to famed Millionaire’s Row, South Beach Group’s latest purchase will soon be the spot for people searching for more than just partying 24/7 in South Beach. The building at 3720 Collins Avenue was purchased for $6.75 million and a planned $15 million renovation of the property, which was built in 1937, is to follow. South Beach Group Hotels currently operates nine hotels and apartment complexes in Miami, including the Catalina Hotel & Beach Club, the Hotel Chelsea and the Whitelaw Hotel.

Not Kimpton Hotels, as we reported March 31, but Access Hotels & Resorts assumed management of the Hotel Sax Chicago from Thompson Hotels. Access and Sax owner, LaSalle Hotel Properties, could not be reached for comment reports The Chicago Tribune. Outgoing general manager Michael Carsh, a Thompson employee, attributed the split to a “philosophical difference.”

NYC’s historic Buckingham Hotel will reopen after its two year extensive renovation as The Quin. The Quin will be managed by Highgate Hotels which owns or manages several hotels around the city, including the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel and the Paramount. Opened in 1929, the Buckingham was once a hub for opera singers and jazz musicians visiting the city to perform, largely because it is close to many of the city’s premiere theaters. The lobby once had numerous sculptures of famous musicians, complete with their old instruments. It’s unclear if the new management will maintain the hotel’s musical theme. Seven remaining elderly residents at the hotel in rent-stabilized apartments have complained about a nightmare full-building renovation that’s caused noise, flooding, broken pipes, hanging wires, and respiratory problems they blame on toxic dust.

The New York Post reported that Starwood Capital (not to be confused with Starwood Hotels) and Tribeca Associates are partnering to develop the fourth through 12^th floors of a 45-story tower in Manhattan across the street from the Museum of Modern Art. Luxury condominiums will take up the top floors while the bottom floors will be used by the New York Public Library. The development is set to open in 2014 and its total cost is US$400 million. Baccarat currently operates a residences property in Shanghai and is set to open a hotel and residences property in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2013.