Medway Travel enewsletter October 2009

Hotel News

 W hotel opens in Barcelona  

Starwood’s latest hotel under its W brand opened on October 1, and there is no doubt the property is set to become an icon for the city. Located on the seafront in the city’s Barceloneta district, The W Barcelona is housed within a 26-storey glistening curved tower that resembles a huge sail pointing out towards the ocean.

Guests enter through a cube-shaped atrium attached to the main building, where upon eyes are taken upwards through the glass roof to a view of the skyscraper soaring upwards, and left past the lobby lounge area to a picture postcard view of the sea. All 473 rooms have sea views with large sofas by the windows, as well as Philips mood lighting systems, island beds, iPod docking stations and Bliss Spa amenities.

The hotel was designed by Barcelona-born architect Ricardo Bofil (also responsible for the new Terminal 1 at Barcelona airport), and the overall feel of the ground floor public areas is one of an underwater world, with cushions designed to look like coral, and jellyfish-shaped tables.

 There are two terraces overlooking the beach, and a 26th-floor Eclipse Bar with panoramic views of the coastline, as well as a Bliss Spa and a signature restaurant by Carlos Abellan.

  

  

Apex London Wall hotel under development

The luxury boutique Apex London Wall Hotel London is being developed as a luxury four-star property with 89 spacious bedrooms and suites, enhanced using a completely new eclectic mix of fabrics and kitted out with contemporary furniture, 42 inch LCD screens, surround sound systems, a full compliment of Sky Sports and Movie channels and free Wifi.

The boutique hotel will also boast a stylish restaurant and bar serving British traditional and modern cuisine, a private dining room for up to 10 people, and a gym fitted with some of the best cardiovascular and resistance equipment around.

• Bedrooms - Luxury rooms and suites available from 12th November 2009
• Restaurant - Traditional and modern cuisine in a stylish setting
• Bar - Enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of the city with a glass of something tempting
• Gym - work out in style
Free Wi-Fi Internet Access and Free Local Calls*
Stay Connected. Apex London Wall guests will be able to click or call for free, with free wireless internet access and free local calls.

Situated in the heart of the financial and business districts close to the Bank of England, and close to major London attractions including St Paul’s Cathedral, the Barbican Centre and London Wall. The hotel is very accessible and within walking distance of 2 main railway and 3 tube stations: Liverpool Street and Moorgate, Bank Tube Station with links to London City Airport, the O2 and Excel on the DLR, King’s Cross St Pancras, the Eurostar and also direct trains to Waterloo train station and London Bridge.

Holiday Inn Express Hamburg City Centre opens

Opening this month with the new brand identity, the hotel is the first hotel in Europe to feature the newly designed Holiday Inn Express bedroom, developed by InterContinental Hotels Group to offer guests new levels of comfort and an improved layout.

 The former tax office in the centre of Hamburg has been converted by Aprrimus, a subsidiary of hotel operator Foremost Hospitality HIEX GmbH, to create a 179-room hotel with the new Holiday Inn Express contemporary look and feel. Located on the Lübecker Straße, in the centre of Hamburg, the hotel has good transport links and a car park making it the perfect base for business and leisure travellers alike.

The lobby features a decorative water feature wall, large flat screen televisions and access to a comfortable bar area with 70 television channels.
IHG has re-engineered the Holiday Inn Express bedroom to deliver a more modern design with dark wood furniture, a larger bathroom and workspace and flat screen televisions.

The new hotel is part of the €700 million global relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand family - Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express - announced in October 2007 to create a more contemporary look and feel and ensure guests receive a consistently good experience at more than 3,200 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels around the world.

With the relaunch, Holiday Inn is maintaining its heritage of providing a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere by focusing on the elements that matter most to guests. An informal service culture dedicated to treating guests as individuals, combined with a new contemporary look and feel, improved bedding and a choice of soft or firm pillows, a new shower experience and new lighting and signage, have seen guest satisfaction improve even further.

Guests at the Holiday Inn Express Hamburg City Centre will be welcomed by a scent unique to Holiday Inn Express properties worldwide and a signature music programme, with an eclectic mix of songs from Paul Simon, Silbermond, Juli, Klee, Kraftwerk and Norah Jones on the playlist.

Like all Holiday Inn Express hotels, the Holiday Inn Express Hamburg City Centre offers complimentary breakfast. Rooms start from €69 a night.
IHG has 40 Holiday Inn hotels and 15 Holiday Inn Express hotels in Germany as well as six InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and six Crowne Plaza hotels.

Ritz Carlton opens first 'eco  hotel'

Luxury hotel group Ritz-Carlton has opened its first LEED -Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified property, a 146-room hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. The building of the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte includes a green vegetated roof to help insulate the property, slow rain runoff, and cool the air through evapotranspiration - the evaporation of water from leaves.

Other green measures include an in-house water purification system, employee uniforms made of fabric derived from regenerated plastic bottle materials, complimentary parking for hybrid vehicles, a “bike valet” with complimentary bike hire for guests, recycled aluminium conference tables, and an air transfer system that circulates outside air into guest rooms.

The hotel - which opened on October 1 - features a 13,000 square foot Wellness Centre with a saline-treated pool, as well as BLT Steak restaurant on street level, and 12,000 square foot of meeting space.

Ritz-Carlton is due to open a property in Hong Kong's Kowloon district next year, and announced its second property in the Egyptian capital of Cairo earlier this year .

For  details of our specially negotiated rates, and to book your chosen hotel, either within the UK or worldwide, just contact us.

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