HotelsMag June 2013 | Page 22

HOTELS INTERVIEW : SOFITEL ’ S PLANS FOR AMERICAS EXPANSION
GLOBAL UPDATE

THE GOSTELOW REPORT

The Jefferson in Washington , D . C ., is owned by New York-based Ogden CAP Properties — CAP stands for Philip and Connie Milstein , and daughter Abby . Although Ogden CAP Properties once owned the Milford Plaza in New York City ’ s Theater District , The Jefferson , where President Obama occasionally hosts dinners , is currently the only hotel in a significant real estate
MARY GOSTELOW
in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean , is currently only accessible by a five-day boat trip . The island , which has a population of just over 4,000 , hopes to open its planned international airport in 2016 . In readiness for this , Adrian Gardiner ’ s Mantis Collection , based in Elizabeth , South Africa , is already working on converting an old fort to a 45-room hotel .
portfolio . The Milsteins are , however , looking for existing luxury properties to buy and manage as independents . Sunshine-rich resorts are at the top of the list , says Philip Wood , managing director of The Jefferson , who is leading the search .
São Paulo badly needs smaller boutique hotels of the caliber found elsewhere in major South American cities . With average rates now over US $ 300 , São Paulo needs more hotels , of any type . This need is strengthened by increased airlift at its main airport . Turkish Airlines now offers seven flights there a week ( up fr om three ), and Abu Dhabi ’ s international airline , Etihad , has just started flying there .
St . Helena , a British overseas territory
Qatar hosts the International Football Association ’ s World Cup in 2022 , and the Qatar Tourism Authority wants an additional 45,000 hotel rooms open by then . The pipeline already has 21 properties scheduled for operation by 2017 .
Bangkok , Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong head Mövenpick ’ s want list for Asia Pacific , says Dubai-based SVP Middle East / Asia Andreas Mattmüller . In November 2011 , he stated Hong Kong was top , but now he has a broader outlook . He is happy to consider conversions , and no , the company is not considering a second-tier . It has , in fact , quietly moved 14 hotels out of the system as Mattmüller assists President and CEO Jean- Gabriel Pérès in taking the brand upscale .

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HOTELS INTERVIEW : SOFITEL ’ S PLANS FOR AMERICAS EXPANSION

Accor brand Sofitel has 120 properties in nearly 40 countries , but that total is currently severely under-represented in the Americas , particularly in the United States , where there are only eight Sofitels .
Dominique Colliat , recently the brand ’ s senior vice president of operations in Europe , now is in charge of growing Sofitel in the Americas . HOTELS sat down with Colliat to hear about her plans and expansion ’ s challenges .
Colliat told HOTELS , “ It ’ s not that easy to develop hotels in North America . The conditions are a little bit different than in Asia or the Middle East , where investors are less demanding in terms of conditions . Americans are quite strict in terms of ROI . It ’ s challenging .”
Read the full interview on HOTELSMag . com : http :// hotelsm . ag / 11oAJhZ
BLOG :

THE HOTEL INDUSTRY ’ S GLASS CEILING

HOTELSMag . com has added a slew of new bloggers , and one of them , Debrah Dhugga , managing director of Dukes London , made an impact with her first post about why there is still a lack of female general managers in the hotel industry .
“ Despite accounting for nearly 60 % of the current hotel workforce , women remain under-represented in most senior and leadership roles and account for but a sliver of general managers . That ’ s too bad , because the industry benefits mightily from their efforts ,” Dhugga wrote .
The post saw a large number of responses ; while some noted that “ in some cultures , especially in Asia , hotel work is frowned upon as not being suitable and acceptable for ladies ,” most praised Dhugga for raising the issue .
Read the full blog post on HOTELSMag . com : http :// hotelsm . ag / Zjc4Q1
Dominique Colliat
18 HOTELS June 2013 www . hotelsmag . com