Tag: Hotel Rumors
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New Brooklyn Hotel Will Keep The 'Beatrice Inn' Party Going
Lindsay Lohan at the former Beatrice Inn
We cover plenty of Manhattan news here on HotelChatter, but we just can't deny the hotel invasion that's been happening in the city's outer boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island) lately, and which continues to gain momentum.
Just the other week, we reported on an 89-year-old mansion in the Bronx being converted into a 10-room boutique hotel. Now, we learn that a new 82-room boutique hotel is taking shape in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn.
Though it's still in the planning stages right now, the Gowanus Inn & Yard is set to make a splash in the local nightlife scene when it opens in 2015. It turns out the project is being led by Matt Abramcyk, a well-known restauranteur who was behind Manhattan's wildly popular Beatrice Inn.
And even though no one's touting this place as "Beatrice Inn Part 2," Capital New York leaked a memo from the developers, which announces Abramcyk as the "principal of the food & beverage entity which will operate all the hotel's public spaces." As in, get ready, because the party's coming to Gowanus.
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Rumors Continue About Viceroy Cape Verde
This is rumored to be the next location for a Viceroy resort
A few weeks ago we received a tip that the Viceroy Hotel Group had signed a deal to open a new resort in the Sambala region of Cape Verde, an island group off Africa's west coast.
This area, which is pretty off-the-grid for many travelers, is known as a resort haven for Europeans and would certainly be a swanky addition to the hotel group's roster, which includes Abu Dhabi and Snowmass.
When asked to confirm the tip we received, Viceroy Hotel Group CEO Bill Walshe commended us for being "on the ball", but would only say, "We're thrilled to establish a Viceroy presence in the incredible destination of Cape Verde. That said, we're still developing our relationship with the resort so any details would be premature at this point."
Still, we're not ones to be waved away, and a small dig around found a LinkedIn Job opening for a "Resort Director of Engineering" at Viceroy Hotel Group in Santiago, Cape Verde, with a phase one scheduled to open in July 2013. Hmmmm. So, it does appear this resort may become a reality.
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Rumors Swirl About Trump Tower Vancouver Possibility
Word on the street is the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver's tallest tower might finally be getting some company at the top--from none other than Mr. Trump himself. Rumors have swirled and Twitter has buzzed at the possibility of a Trump Tower rising up on Georgia Avenue, but despite the rumblings, there has yet to be any confirmation of the agreement.
The original plans for this location called for a five-star Ritz Carlton directly across the street from the Shangri-La, but the brand bailed when the 2008 recession hit, and the project was dormant up until a year ago when developers jumped back in and started hacking out a deal with Trump, apparently because they like the international appeal of his image to potential buyers across the globe.
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A Freehand New York? We're Not Hostile To That!
As usual, we were leafing through the NY Times Travel section this weekend, making mental notes about how we should plan on visiting East Frisia to try the tea, and, how we need to check out that newly reopened "Shalom" hotel in Tel Aviv, when something caught our eye.
It was in an article talking about the new trend of "stylish hostels" popping up in places like Mexico City, Singapore, Reykjavik and São Paulo. Of course, one of the more interesting "hotels" we recently reviewed was Freehand Miami, a hip $21/night hostel that's run by the Sydell Group (the same company responsible for The NoMad, Ace New York and Saguaro Palm Springs.)
Now, for the exciting part: the article casually mentions that the Sydell Group is planning to take the Freehand concept nationwide (yay!), and the next location will be New York (double yay!).
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Orient-Express Hotel Group Rejects Tata Offer
Indian Hotels offer to buy the Orient-Express luxury brand is met with a "no"
Orient-Express Hotels Group has turned down the surprise buyout offer from Tata Groups’, Indian Hotels Company, saying the proposed $1.2 billion price tag was not enough and came at an inappropriate time.
Though Orient-Express said they would take three weeks to decide, they made the decision earlier, stating, The Indian Hotels proposal “..is deeply unattractive from a financial perspective," said Orient-Express Chairman Robert Lovejoy. Further, "The board believes the current macroeconomic environment, conditions in the luxury hotel business and factors unique to Orient-Express would make this a highly disadvantageous time to sell the company to realize its true value."
Indian Hotels’ initial offer was $12.63 a share for stocks (a 40% premium). Meanwhile OEH closed yesterday at $10.55 a share.
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Orient-Express Hotel Group Gets Offer, Not Knowing They Were For Sale
Will the Orient-Express hotels in Cusco keep their names? In three weeks we'll know for sure
This news appeared in our inbox this weekend from an unknown source and we weren’t sure whether it was fact or fiction. Orient-Express Hotels up for sale? Really? Trouble in paradise?
Add the news that the unsolicited all cash offer from Tata Group’s Indian Hotels of $12.63 Per Share (a 40% premium on that day’s closing share price), was a tad on the bold side and we were even more uneasy--why go so high? Yet that would mean a cool $1.86 billion sale for Orient-Express. At least they're getting a higher bid, unlike the discount Jetsetter.com had to offer for its company sale.
Subsequent news briefs confirmed the proposal was definitely real, bold, and that U.S.-listed Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., while in $615.6 million debt wasn't seeking bailout. However, in a statement the company said it will evaluate the proposal carefully and respond in due course in accordance with the best interests of the Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. and its shareholders.
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Viceroy New York Very Well Might Be, Maybe, Opening Next Year
For a while now, there's been rumors swirling of a possible Viceroy New York. You know, a proper Viceroy. Nothing against Cassa Hotel: yes, technically it became Viceroy's first NYC hotel last January. But since it falls under the "Urban Retreat" heading, it's technically in a different category than the other Viceroy-branded hotels.
However, things seem to be moving forward, ever so slightly. Viceroy CEO Bill Walshe played coy with a group of reporters yesterday when the topic of a Viceroy New York came up, saying that a Manhattan property "very well may be" opening within a year, and furthermore that, if such a property were to open, it would likely sit within a 15 block radius of Times Square. Of course, nothing could be confirmed.
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Will Chicago Get Yet Another Hip Boutique Hotel Brand?
The site of a Mondrian...maybe
Curbed Chicago picked up on some very interesting real estate news in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood--the possible return of a Mondrian Hotel.
The hotel hype actually comes from a Crain's real estate article on the neighborhood saying that Mark Hunt and his M Development company might try again to turn the Cedar Hotel, a defunct hotel, into a Mondrian. M Development enlisted architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz to draw up some renderings back several years ago for the possible Mondrian but the dreams of acquiring and adding several floors to the building were effectively killed by the economic crisis of 2008.
Now that those dark days are behind the hospitality industry, especially in Chicago where the boutique scene is burgeoning, the plans to rework the property into something hip and cool have returned.
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Dream Downtown Could Be Someone Else's Dream Now
Update: We just want to reiterate that the Dream Downtown's possible sale to the Sahara Group is just speculation at this point. Now get back to your regularly scheduled Dreaming.
Everyone's going down, down, down downtown, including some deep-pocketed Indian investors who recently fronted $570 million for a controlling stake in the Plaza.
The Sahara Group, who also picked up the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in late 2010, is reportedly on a spending spree, and New York hotels are hot, so hot right now. The NY Times reports that Sahara Group may be about to acquire Chatwal's Dream Downtown.
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Ch-Ch-Changes Abound for NYC-Area Hotels
There's never any shortage of gossip in the hotel world and we do our best to keep up with all of it. Here's the latest odds and ends we've heard recently, all concerning NYC-area hotels. Got your own to add? Send it our way!
· Hotel Indigo Takes Over Hotel 718: It looks like the Hotel 718 in Brooklyn will never open as an independent hotel. According to the Brownstoner, the property has been sold to the Lam Group, which plans on installing the Hotel Indigo brand. Admittedly, this is one of our fave brands out there thanks to hardwood floors, spa-style showers, in-room haikus and of course, free WiFi. But still sad to see an indie not make it, especially in BK of all places. The Hotel Indigo Brooklyn (we're just guessing on that name) is expected to open on August 1.
· Will The Essex House Become the Marriott House?: A tipster wrote in last week to tell us the Essex House on Central Park, currently a Jumeirah Hotel but which has been up for sale since March, will become a Marriott. We're not sure if Marriott themselves will be fronting the asking price of $300-400 million (we doubt it) but this does have us wondering if the hotel will become part of their Autograph Collection or could it become--dare we say--an Edition? Either way, we'll be curious to see how the rebranding goes down. UPDATE 8.17.12 USA Today reports it will become a JW Marriott.
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Slow Your Roll, An Ace Hotel is Not Destined for the Lower East Side
The one, and only, Ace Hotel New York
We've long suspected that Ace Hotels had another hotel up their sleeve, maybe for Miami or even the hot market of Chicago.
We know they are working on an LA property but we still can't shake the feeling that their aiming for a second hotel in NYC. Which is why this latest bit of news from the Bowery Boogie gave us quite a start--Ace Hotels is headed to the Lower East Side!
Alas, it's not true. When we checked in with an Ace Hotels rep we found out that Ace Hotels has no plans to open in the former Jarmulowsky Bank Building at the corner of Orchard and Canal Streets. However, it is very likely that a hotel will open in the Beaux Arts building and Bowery Boogie reports that an LES-based architectural firm, Studio Castellano, is in charge of the conversion.
Whoever comes in here, we ain't complaining. The more options in NYC the better. We just have one teensy request--free WiFi please!
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Could An Oreo-Themed Hotel Be On Its Way To Manhattan?
A food-lover's paradise...too bad they'll have to walk allll the way from their hotel to get here
Someone please tell us how we missed this bit of Manhattan hotel madness news: Chelsea Market, which houses over a dozen of Manhattan's most beloved food vendors (Amy's Bread, Fat Witch Bakery, Jacques Torres Chocolates, Ronnybrook Dairy, The Lobster Place, among others) was for a while being considered as the site of a new hotel. However, it now looks like those plans may take a while to come to fruition, if ever.
Jamestown Properties, the building developer, wanted to celebrate the former Nabisco factory's history as the birthplace of the Oreo 100 years ago by adding two new towers onto the complex, one of which was slated to be a hotel. And while that expansion might still totally happen, it might be offices, rather than a cookie-themed hotel, that go up. Boo!
