Global Update
Mira connects
Last summer the 492- room Mira Hong Kong started offering guests a complimentary smartphone during their stay with free data and international connectivity . Not surprisingly , the device has resulted in excellent ratings on TripAdvisor and other guest satisfaction benchmarks .
The phone also has a city guide as well as 3G data and Wi-Fi tethering capabilities . New functionality includes access to multiple publications . Upon checkout , all browsing history and personal information are wiped from the device .
After extensive negotiations , the phones and service were customized and provided by a vendor , and concerns about missing and damaged phones have turned out to be unfounded , according to a hotel spokesperson , who adds that the program will be launched at the sister Mira Moon hotel very soon .
Rosewood ’ s awakening
Rosewood Hotel Group ’ s luxury brand Rosewood Hotels & Resorts ended 2013 on a high note by landing a management deal for Paris landmark Hôtel de Crillon , which was bought by Saudi Prince Mitab ben Abdallah Ben abd Al-Aziz al Saoud in 2010 .
Rosewood Hotel Group , Hong Kong , is not investing in the 147-room Crillon , but is very involved in the renovation , working with three Parisbased designers handling separately the guestrooms , food and beverage areas and other public areas . Two special suites are being redesigned by Karl Lagerfeld .
“ We believe each of those areas require specialists ,” says Radha Arora , president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts . “ Some would say you need to take a holistic approach and use one designer , but we believe that rosewood will reopen paris icon Hôtel de crillon in 2015 under a tHird-party ManageMent deal . especially in Paris , you need to create little vignettes .”
The Crillon deal capped off a string of expansion earlier in the year . Rosewood announced new hotel deals in Bangkok ; Chongqing , China ; Jakarta and Bali , Indonesia ; and Phnom Penh , Cambodia . It also opened its first property in Europe , the 356-room Rosewood London . Meanwhile , Rosewood recently signed an agreement for a property in Brazil , its first in South America .
Coupled with the expansion was a brand revamp that included an advertising campaign , a new website and the Rosewood Curators program , in which high-profile personalities share their insider knowledge about Rosewood destinations . “ Rosewood needed to wake up , and at the same time we needed growth ,” Arora says .
14 HOTELS March 2014 www . hotelsmag . com