London´s The Barkston Gardens Hotel close to Earl’s Court tube station is to be rebranded under IHG’s Hotel Indigo brand offering later this year. Hotel Indigo currently operates two properties in London’s Paddington and Tower Hill districts, and according to IHG’s website reservations are now open for the Hotel Indigo London Kensington – Earl’s Court from October 15. The hotel will be housed within the current Barkston Gardens Hotel, located just off Earl’s Court Road and a few minutes’ walk from the station, with direct links to Heathrow in the Piccadilly line. According to the hotel’s website the property is currently undergoing a refurbishment programme, and IHG’s website says the property will offer 101 guest rooms across seven floors.

Motel One is set to expand in the U.K. with two properties in England and one in Scotland. Motel One Group, Munich, told BigHospitality that it will open a 140-room property on Princes Street in Edinburgh in 2013 and a 258-room property near Tower Bridge in London in 2014. The company has also partnered with Lugnao Property Group to develop a 222-room property in Newcastle, England.

Hotel Arts Barcelona has introduced its new Arts Suite. Josep Juanpere of GCA Architects Barcelona remodeled the one-bedroom suite. The 1,615 sq ft (150 sq m) space includes a lounge with a fireplace and large sofas facing the sea, a dining room, a kitchen/prep area, and a large open bar. The bathroom includes a dressing room, a rain shower, and a bathtub. Guests are greeted with a spread that includes fresh fruit juices and other seasonal Mediterranean products. The suite includes butler service and complimentary access to the hotel’s electric Smart cars. Arts Suite guests are offered the hotel’s Michelin helicopter lunches, with complimentary transfers to a 2-star or 3-star restaurants in or around Barcelona for an additional €4,000 (US$5,013).

Morgans Hotel Group Co. announced that it has entered into a 20-year management agreement for a 200-room property in London under its Hudson lifestyle brand. Hudson London is scheduled to open in early 2015. Neither the developer, the site of the hotel in London nor whether the property is a new-build or conversion have been disclosed. The announcement of the second Hudson-branded property with the renovation of the original Hudson location in New York City, where Morgans is based. The updates, which are ongoing, began with a redo of the hotel’s 834 guestrooms, including new furnishings as well as upgraded technology and lighting. The redesign is a collaboration between the Morgans Hotel Group design team and design group Rottet Studio. Morgans said it has spent US$30 million on the renovation, which will also include a European-style restaurant concept and transitional indoor/outdoor space.

The beachfront resort and casino Revel is now open in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The resort boasts 1,898 guestrooms and suites with ocean views, along with 10 pools, gardens, more than a dozen restaurants, live entertainment, nightclubs, boutiques, and a 32,000 sq ft (2,973 sq m) spa. The US$2.4 billion resort spans 6.3 million sq ft (585,289 sq m) and 47 floors.

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.