Earlier this month, Spanish company Barceló Group agreed to pay a penalty fee of £20.25 million after it pulled out of an agreement early to operate 21 hotels across the UK. The hotels’ owner, London-based Puma Hotels, has now resumed operation of the four-star properties, with assistance from independent hotel management firm Chardon Management, and relaunched them on the market under its new group, Puma Hotels’ Collection. The new brand will focus on the unique characteristics and location of each hotel, whether through local cuisine, the grounds (particularly in the case of the flagship countryside properties like the Imperial Hotel in Torquay and the Lygon Arms in Gloucestershire), or the nearby facilities and attractions. Also, starting on May 1, all properties will offer guests complimentary WiFi access.

Dubai-based Jumeirah Group has opened its first resort property in Europe: the Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa. Comprising 11 low-rise buildings connected by garden walks and internal passageways, the 120-unit resort is in the bay of Soller on the northwest coast of the Spanish island of Majorca. The hotel also features two swimming pools, a handful of unique vantage points and large spa facilities, offering 10 treatment rooms, as well as its own outdoor heated Hydropool overlooking the valley (pictured).

Starwood Hotels and Resorts has signed an agreement with Dubai-based Al Habtoor Group that will see it open three new hotels in Dubai and mark the debut of its St. Regis and W brands in the emirate. The 241-room St. Regis Dubai, the 384-room W Dubai – Sheikh Zayed Road and the 1,050-room Westin Dubai – Sheikh Zayed Road will be part of the US$1.4 billion, 1 million ft² Habtoor Palace complex. The three hotels are expected to open within months of each other in 2017.

Following the co-operation between Marriot International and Madrid based AC Hoteles, the former AC Diplomatic Hotel in Barcelona has been refurbished and rebranded as the Renaissance Barcelona Hotel. The hotel, which has 211 rooms and 500 m² of meeting space, aims to upgrade to five stars in the future.

Groupe Germain,  a family-run, luxury boutique hotel company based in Montreal, is expanding its sister hotel brand ALT Hotels to Winnipeg, Toronto and Halifax. Groupe Germain opened their first ALT Hotels in Québec City and Montréal. Their concept is simple and follows a worldwide trend: maximize modern design and minimize unnecessary amenities while also aiming to be green hotels. Groupe Germain Hospitality owns five hotels under its luxury moniker, Le Germain Hotels, like ALT Hotels all featured on stylehotelsweb.

Last week we brought you the news about the first of the Baccarat hotel chain opening in New York City across from the MOMA. Now we hear that the chain, which “marries Louis XV with the modern era” will open a hotel in the Moroccan capital of Rabat in 2014 just before the Manhattan property opens. Baccarat will be particularly looking for more locations in Asia and Dubai where the Baccarat design and heritage really will appeal well.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is spending more than $6 billion revamping its iconic Sheraton brand. What the new look has in stall for can be seen at the completely renovated Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. The hotel reopened this week after being closed two years for renovations. The hotel now offers 269 fully refurbished guest rooms (with frosted glass-walled bathrooms), newly renovated meeting

and event spaces and a new restaurant. The new interiors feature a neutral color palette, modern materials and clean lines throughout, which are accented with elegant Scottish finishes.

A survey by Hotels.com indicates that 38% of travelers base their booking decisions on free Wi-Fi availability, beating all other amenities. Additionally, 31% say they want Wi-Fi services to become a standard hotel amenity this year. “Given the explosion of mobile use in the past few years, it is no surprise that travelers are requiring free and fast Wi-Fi,” said Taylor L. Cole of Hotels.com. Free breakfast is rated by 25% of travelers and free parking by 18%. Unless you are over 60, where 34% value free breakfast over free wi-fi (27%).

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.