At the recent annual International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes , France , there was noticeable interest in the Galapagos from travel agents and other buyers . British entrepreneur John Madejski bankrolled a 395-acre eco-resort , The Royal Palm , on Santa Cruz Island , off the Ecuadorian coast . He is now reputed to be trying to sell at least 50 % of the resort , which has 21 bedrooms .

MARY GOSTELOW

York hotel is planned .

Smaller — and perhaps more characterful — hotels seem to be coming to the fore in Europe . The new-look InterContinental in London Westminster could plausibly be called the Blue Boar Pub and Steakhouse and is already phenomenally popular , with 254 bedrooms attached . Angela Brav , IHG ’ s CEO of Europe , is excited , too , about

In the United States , CitizenM makes its debut in June with a hotel at 50th Street and Broadway in New York City , and a second is planned for New York City ’ s Bowery in 2014 . The Netherlands-based company has already shown it can expand overseas , or at least as far as London . One of CitizenM ’ s founders , Wulf van Alkemade — who is also president of Luxury Hotel Cosmetics — is confident CitizenM can “ become American .” Van Alkemade points to the success of London-based Firmdale Hotels , which opened the 86-room Crosby Street Hotel in New York City ’ s SoHo neighborhood in September 2009 . Its reception has been such , says Firmdale co-owner and chief designer Kit Kemp , that now a second New

new-look Indigo hotels , of which London so far has two , at Earl ’ s Court and Paddington .

The Mama Shelter team , based in Paris , can rely on brand Philippe Starck for awareness . Starck ’ s Mama Shelter concept includes dark , compact lobbies and large , canteen-like eating areas . Mama Shelter launched in Paris and now has its second hotel in Marseille , and it wants siblings in Bordeaux and Lyon before extending outside France to Istanbul and Los Angeles . The business side of Mama Shelter is led by philosopher Cyril Aouizerate and Serge Trigano , son of the founder of Club Med . Yes , famous sons , as in the case of Tonino Lamborghini in China , seem to favor hotel ownership .