GLOBAL UPDATE
George Apostolidis
DRAMATIC DEBUT
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has made its Shanghai debut with a 362-room hotel in Pudong . Designed by Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica , the property features more than 4,000 original works of art , a spa with 13 private suites and a 8,482-sq-ft ( 788-sq-m ) Presidential Suite ( above ). Dining options include contemporary French restaurant Fifty 8 ° Grill , Yong Yi Ting offering Jiang Nan Chinese cuisine , all-day kitchen Zest , Qi Bar , Riviera Lobby Lounge and the Mandarin Cake Shop .
B WHERE
President and CEO Ayelet Weinstein refers to her B Hotels & Resorts brand as “ lifestyle within reach .”
She says the Weston , Floridabased franchise concept does not have a prototype , but more of an identity map . To date , the B portfolio includes a hotel in Fort Lauderdale , Florida , that is performing well within its competitive set ; a new , select-service b2 concept in downtown Miami developed by Weston ’ s InSite Group and New York ’ s Carlyle Group ; and soon a 394-room B hotel in the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida to be managed by Crescent Hospitality .
Ayelet Weinstein Weinstein hopes to announce another East Coast deal soon . “ We think like owners and compete with other brands on development costs ,” says Weinstein , who points to China Grill Management and Jeffery Chodorow ’ s urban comfort food / gastropub concept as part of the success quotient at the b2 in Miami .
Weinstein says another differentiator is a new B Indulge spa concept at the b2 , where guests can completely customize a 60-minute spa suite treatment for less than US $ 100 .
1982 1992 2002 2012
TOTAL
GUESTROOMS OF 20 LARGEST HOTEL COMPANIES
1,302,373
4,071,543
2,454,503
5,931,692
TOTAL
HOTELS OF 20 LARGEST HOTEL COMPANIES
7,455
32,653
17,677
48,448
STILL GROWING
Despite the economic tumult of the past five years , the 20 largest hotel companies managed to add about 16,000 hotels and nearly two million guestrooms from 2002 to 2012 , according to HOTELS ’ 325 data . This is more portfolio growth than during the proceeding two 10-year intervals .
16 HOTELS July / August 2013 www . hotelsmag . com