IHG has announced its third property in China under the Hotel Indigo lifestyle brand which will open next month in the port of Tianjin. The property – formerly the German consulate – will open on September 15. It features 11 villas built in a German architectural style, arranged around a triangular courtyard. It has a total of 96 guestrooms, including 10 suites, and follows openings in Shanghai in 2010 and Xiamen earlier this year. The site is 27 minutes by bullet train from the Chinese capital Beijing. Design firm Silverfox has created interiors designed to reflect “Tianjin’s eclectic Orient-meets-European heritage and proximity to the Haihe riverfront”.
The former Hotel Ambassadeur, located in the heart of Juan-les-Pins, French Riviera, has been re-branded an AC Hotel by Marriott hotel, following ambitious growth plans for the AC by Marriott brand announced last year. Following renovation, the AC Hotel Ambassadeur Antibes-Juan Les Pins exudes the modern comfort and urban style associated with the AC Hotels by Marriott brand. Blending quality, comfort, design and technology, the hotel features fresh new designs to its reception and lobby, including a signature AC Lounge with zones to relax, work or unwind. The hotel’s 221 guestrooms and suites boast smart, contemporary furnishings, natural driftwood floors and a warm and sophisticated color palette. Located in a lush and tranquil setting, the AC Hotel Ambassadeur Antibes-Juan Les Pins offers both indoor and outdoor pools, a pool-side grill and is located a short 200 meter walk from the hotel’s idyllic private sandy beach. Provençal cuisine with a unique twist can be sampled at the AC Ambassadeur Restaurant where fresh, natural ingredients are transformed into memorable culinary experiences.
Hotels giant Hilton has lost control of its only site in the centre of Paris, the four-star Hilton Arc de Triomphe, after a court battle with the owners. Property owner Société Immobilière et Hôtelière du Parc Monceau had complained that Hilton had “changed commercial strategy, leading to serious breaches of its obligations”. A court agreed that this was enough to strip Hilton of its rights to manage the hotel, which it had controlled since 2004. That means there will be no more Paris Hilton as the giant, which runs nearly 3,800 hotels worldwide, has been given three months to strip all Hilton branding from the 500-bed hotel in Rue de Courcelles in the VIII arrondissement. Sited just “few minutes from the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Élysées and the boutiques of the Faubourg Saint-Honoré”, it was Hilton’s only hotel within the Paris “walls” and the company has announced that it is to appeal against the tribunal ruling. SIHPM and its owner Albert Cohen said that Hilton’s marketing strategy had failed to exploit the Hilton Arc de Triomphe correctly – and that it should have been a five-star hotel. SIHPM is also claiming €60 million in damages.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a franchise agreement with LFPI Hotels Management Germany that will mark the entry of the group’s boutique Hotel Indigo brand in Düsseldorf. The Lindner Rhein Residence on Kaiserswerther Strasse in Düsseldorf, in the west of Germany, is to be converted into the Hotel Indigo Düsseldorf-Victoriaplatz. When it opens in 2013, the 126-room hotel will become the third Hotel Indigo in Germany (two are already in operation in Berlin). 
American company Morgans Hotel Group has signed a 20-year management agreement with Moscow-based real estate developer Capital Group for its first property in Russia. The Delano Moscow will be part of Capital Group’s OKO project, which is being developed within the Moscow City mixed-used complex. When it opens in 2015, the 160-room hotel will be the first hotel to operate in the Moscow City development and it will become the third Delano property outside of the USA. The brand will be making its international debut next month when the 71-room Delano Marrakech opens in Morocco, North Africa, followed by the Delano Cesme, in Turkey, which is also expected to open in 2015. 
Marriott International plans to make its first appearance in Ukraine in mid 2013. The group has signed a management agreement
with Subsidiary Enterprise Grand Plaza for the 173-room Renaissance Kiev Hotel. The hotel will be developed in an existing historic building in Kiev city centre, once the Leipzig Hotel, which is to undergo a renovation and extension.
Strategic Hotels & Resorts confirmed on Friday that it bought the Jumeirah Essex House, located in New York City, and will rebrand it as the JW Marriott Essex House New York. Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Chicago, bought the property from Dubai Investment Group for
US$362.3 million. In light of the US$10 billion in debt it is looking to refinance, Dubai Group, the parent company of Dubai Investment Group, revealed that it was seeking a buyer for the property in March. The purchase price includes 509 guestrooms and nine condominium units.
The May Fair Hotel in London officially opens its Cigar Room this month. Graham Cox and the property’s design team are behind the space, which has swing chairs, day beds, chain-mesh walls, and live fireplaces. The humidor offers forty varieties of cigars, including some lighter, more feminine options. Sophia Christoforidou leads the team of cigar sommeliers.