GLOBAL UPDATE : THE GOSTELOW REPORT
The three resorts that occupy 500 acres ( 202 hectares ) of Mayakoba , Mexico , are owned by Orascon Huarte Lain SA ( OHL ), Madrid . Is OHL President Andrés Pan de Soraluce looking for more multi-property opportunities in Latin America ? There must be a strong golf component , as OHL ’ s main shareholder and chairman , Juan-Miguel Villar Mir , is a golf addict and hosts an annual PGA tournament at Mayakoba ’ s Greg Norman course .
Despite one-off development announcements by Hilton and Marriott , it is Hyatt that seems to be growing its pipeline most avidly in Latin America . Current development has been kick-started by the conversion of the former Nikko Mexico City to Hyatt Regency Mexico City . The new-build pipeline now includes the fourth hotel at Mayakoba , which will be a 213-room Andaz . Mexico will also see the Park Hyatt Riviera Maya and Park Hyatt Los Cabos as well as Hyatt Place hotels in San Jose del Cabo and Tijuana and a Hyatt at Playa . Brazil ’ s Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro will open beachfront in Barra da Tijuca in 2015 , Colombia will have a Grand Hyatt in Bogota and a Hyatt Regency in Cartagena and Costa Rica is slated for Hyatt Place developments in San Jose and Vitacura . This September , Montevideo-based construction giant Weiss Sztryk Weiss signed Uruguay ’ s first Hyatt : the 167- room Hyatt Montevideo , a condo concept with units starting at US $ 199,000 .
Only five African countries apparently have no oil reserves . Couple this with increasing financial transparency and stability in Africa , and it is easier to understand why developers are keeping their eyes open . As Philippe Doizelet of Horwath HTL France says , successive governments have made great strides . West Africa has always had tremendous opportunities and unique tourism offerings , but lacked the will to tackle issues like infrastructure and transparent governance . This is changing , and as
MARY GOSTELOW
the investment growth in Europe and North Africa slows , investors seeking to maximize returns will start looking seriously at opportunities here . Cities said to be ripe for investment include Abidjan , Ivory Coast ; Abuja , Nigeria ; Accra , Ghana ; Dakar , Senegal ; and Lagos , Nigeria .
About 170 cities in China have a population over a million , but only 9 % of the country ’ s total population live in key destinations — namely Beijing , Guangzhou , Shanghai and Shenzhen . Rahul Jacob , one of the Financial Times ’ top journalists in China , says hotel companies interested in developing in the 50 second- and third-tier cities in China should track store penetration of such retail brands as Cerrutti and Gieves & Hawkes , both being put into China by their Hong Kong-based owner Sunny Wong of Li & Fong . Third-tier cities that seem ripe for hotel development include Shantou , in Guangdong Province , and Quanzhou , in Fujian Province .
Jakarta-based Panorama is the largest travel conglomerate in Indonesia thanks to the foresight of CEO Budi Tirtawisata . The company ’ s activities include Panorama Hospitality Management , led by Managing Director Kristian Kuntadi . He so far oversees three hotel brands : The 101 , a budget B & B brand and The Haven . Kuntadi is now conceptualizing a new brand , Free Eco Hotels , aimed at adventureseeking travelers . Panorama has a strong pipeline , with 25 new properties opening by late 2014 . Destinations that will be added include Bandung , Bandar Lampung , Jakarta , Makassar , Medan , Palembang , Surabaya and Yogyakarta .
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
� Andy So has been appointed general manager of Pentahotel Hong Kong , Kowloon , scheduled to open next summer .
� Dan McDermott has been named general manager of Marenas Resort in Sunny Isles Beach , Florida .
� Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi , UAE , has appointed Nils Axing general manager .
� Shawn Gracey has been named general manager of Hotel Derek in Houston .
� The Millennium Alaskan Hotel Anchorage has appointed Carol Fraser general manager .
� Aimbridge Hospitality , Dallas , has named Michael Beardsley vice president of sales and marketing .
� The Hotel Group , Edmonds , Washington , has appointed Lara Latture chief operating officer .
� Omni Hotels & Resorts , Irving , Texas , has appointed Stephen Kallaher vice president of acquisitions and development .
� Todd Allison has been named executive chef for The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe , just north of San Diego .
� Stéphane Lafon has been named director of food and beverage at The Dorchester , London .
� The Ritz-Carlton , Palm Beach in Florida has appointed Jason Adams executive chef .
� Çıragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul has named Michael Braun food and beverage director .
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14 HOTELS November 2012 www . hotelsmag . com