Global Update
The GosTelow reporT
At least five global brands are seriously interested in managing the historic Gloria in Rio de Janeiro — now owned by Zurichbased investors Acron and led by father-and-son Klaus and Kai Bender .
So far South America ’ s boutique and lifestyle presence has been dominated by locals . Expect other lifestyle or modernluxury names to emerge shortly . Jeffrey Stone , chairman , president and CEO of The Resort
Group , Honolulu , is best known for his development of the 642- acre Ko Olina Resort , Oahu . It is anchored by Disney and Marriott , but there are two empty lots .
Mary GOSTELOw
Which hotel brands will take advantage of the stunning ambience and facilities ?
Will Chinese entrepreneur Huang Nubo ever get his planned golf course and luxury hotel at Grimsstadir , Iceland , off the drawing board ? Skeptics wonder why Huang Nubo offered to buy a sheep farm for the golf course and 100-room luxury hotel . Huang Nubo roomed with an Icelandic student at Beijing University in the 1970s , and in 2010 he established a China-Iceland Cultural Fund . Is he interested in future shipping routes through the Arctic using Iceland ’ s capital ,
Reykjavik , as a staging hub ?
India ’ s Ambience Pvt . Ltd ., New Delhi , was started by Chairman and Managing Director Raj Singh Gehlot in 1986 . It is best known for its shopping malls , anchored by Ambience Mall Gurgaon . Integral to this massive mall is Ambience ’ s The Leela Gurgaon . In 2012 , The Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi , in the Shahdara area , was officially opened by the Dalai Lama — whose association with the 480-room hotel has helped bring a sizeable number of Buddhist pilgrims from Mongolia . The next Ambience hotel has already been signed for Udaipur , Rajasthan , and Raj Singh Gehlot has stated he wants at least five properties in all .
Main Lodge at the ranch at Emerald Valley
Playing the trends
The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs , Colorado , is opening a Wilderness Experience series of authentic developments that expands the boundaries of the main resort .
Last summer , The Broadmoor opened The Ranch at Emerald Valley with 13 cabin bedrooms sitting 8 miles ( 13 km ) from the hotel on two lakes in Pike National Forest , offering hiking , horseback riding and fly fishing .
Under construction and opening in August is the 24- room Cloud Camp , which sits 3,000 feet ( 914 m ) above The Broadmoor and is modeled after lodges built in U . S . National Parks in the 1920s and 1930s .
Opening in June is The Broadmoor Fly Fishing School at an Adirondack-style lodge located on one of the lakes on the hotel ’ s property , which will also be marketed as a private dining experience .
The Broadmoor owners also purchased a fishing camp on the Terryall River with seven restored miners ’ cabins that date to the 1880s .
16 HOTELS April 2014 www . hotelsmag . com