Following a public tender in November 2011 developer COD got chosen out of 13 applicants for a hotel developent site opposite the RAI Fair & Congress Centre in Amsterdam. COD will sign a 25 year lease with German group Motel One when the hotel will be finished in 2015. The Motel One will have approximately 280 rooms, a lively two-layer ground floor for the hotel lobby, shops, catering establishments and a flexible work area. A two-storey car park will be built underneath the building. Construction commences in the first half of 2013. Motel One already has its UK debut planned for the end of this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, as it has two hotels under development in the city. Now the Munich-based operator is also bringing its budget design brand to the northeast of England. Motel One has reportedly agreed lease terms with Lugano Property Group for a 222-room hotel in the city of Newcastle. Subject to planning approval, construction is due to start on the property in October and it is expected to open in spring 2014.
Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency has sold the 141-room Morrison Hotel in Dublin to Russian millionaire Yelena Baturina for €22 million. The hotel opened in 1999 and was previously owned by Irish hotelier and developer Hugh O’Regan before it fell into administration in 2010. Yelena, whose other investments include hotels in Russia, Austria and the Czech Republic, outbid 70 other interested parties for the hotel. The sale marks her entry into the Irish property market.
Palma is positioning itself as
an urban destination: Majorca’s capital wants to differentiate itself from the rest of the island and the typical beach holiday destination image. The marketing plan for Palma for 2012 and 2013 includes the positioning of the city as “The Urban Beach City”. Palma at least has a large range of urban style & design hotels.
The previously announced The James Hotel in Miami Beach is set to open on October 1, 2012. For $299 a night you will get a 275-sq.ft. (25m2) room with a king bed, views of the Miami cityscape and Biscayne Bay, a cocktail and snack bar, a 42-inch plasma TV, free WiFi, a private work/dining niche, nightly turndown, custom robes and slippers and Intelligent Nutrients bath amenities. Bigger rooms with partial ocean views are also available for $379 a night.