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HOSPITALITY
Divine dining
A new 'restaurant for pilgrims'
is driving Venice prices down by
offering cheap, quality lunches to
visitors to St Mark's Basilica. The
eatery, which advertises threecourse
lunches for €13 has caused
a flutter around the famously
pricey square.
The La Basilica restaurant is run
by a local catering company, SGS,
on behalf of the St Mark's Procurators,
the board that manages
the famed Byzantine Cathedral.
Since the Procurators are a nonprofit
outfit, SGS has been able
to come up with a large low cost
menu, catering firm chief Augusto
Piscella said ''Since all we have to
do is break even, we can afford
a choice of eight first courses,
seven second courses and six
side-dishes. The Procurators aim
is to give a good standard meal
to all those who visit the Basilica,
expressing the Venetian Church's
desire to welcome people''.
Buddha-Bar for
Prague
WORLDHOTELS has opened its
affiliate hotel, the Buddha-Bar
Hotel in Prague. The five-star
property is located in the heart of
the Czech Republic’s capital, close
to the Old Town Square and only
10 minutes from Charles Bridge.
The property’s 36 luxurious rooms
and three suites are decorated in
a contemporary modern Asian
design with French colonial influences
and feature the ambience of
the famous Buddha Bars.
Tram fare
The city of Milan’s transport company,
ATM, now offers a unique
experience that combines a night
tour of the city in the historic
street-cars and fine dining. The
two ATMosfera’s street-cars depart
from Piazza Castello at 8pm
and return at 10.30pm and they
touch the most important sights in
Milan following the same route in
different directions. On board the
guest can dine with dishes (typically
Milanese or Italian) prepared
by renowned chefs and taste fine
wines. Booking is essential. www.
atmservizi.it
Budget bunker
Switzerland claims it is the first country in the world to have a Zero
Star Hotel. (Null Stern) which after ‘trial runs’ is due to open imminently
in late April. Artist-twins Frank and Patrik Riklin came
up with the idea to change an ex military air-raid shelter into a lowbudget
hostel. The Zero Star Hotel is located in the Sevelen commune
in the St. Gallen canton. A room costs between 6 and €16.
Be prepared for the Spartan style as the bunker must be convertible
back to military use within 24 hours if necessary. Rooms have no
windows, heating is provided by way of hot water bottles, guests
are provided with ear plugs as the ventilation system is noisy and
guests share a communal bathroom. www.zero-star-hotel.com If
you dare!
Atelier für Sonderaufgaben – keeping warm - Zero Star Hotel
Bristol gets The Bristol
Ever since the famous Lord Bristol went searching for luxurious
experiences in 1766, his name has become synonymous with the
finer things in life. 2009 sees the city reclaim this legend, with the
re-launch of a landmark city hotel.
Following a multimillion pound renovation, Doyle Collection’s
newly named Bristol Hotel opened in February. Featuring 187
rooms and suites, the hotel is located on the historic harbour side
in the heart of Bristol, surrounded by the Bristol’s commerce, Old
City and maritime history.
These sleek and fresh interiors run through to the River Grille
restaurant positioned on the waters edge. Natural light fills the
room through floor to ceiling glass windows. The menu features a
selection of cuisine ranging from some of the finest beef cuts sourced
directly from Glastonbury through to rope grown mussels cooked in
cider, finishing the palette with Vahlrhona chocolate mousse.www.
doylecollection.com
Bristol Hotel - Executive Bedroom
Villa Trapp blocked
Salzburg has blocked plans to
open a hotel in a former home of
the von Trapp family immortalized
in The Sound of Music after
protests by neighbours. The Villa
Trapp had been expected to open
this year but residents had feared
tourists would be a ‘nuisance’
and cause local traffic problems.
The hotel operators say they will
appeal the decision by the urban
planning committee.
Radisson Blu
The name change just announced
to Radisson Blu only applies to
the 170 Radisson hotels operated
by The Rezidor Hotel Group in
the EMEA and does not include
Radisson Edwardian Hotels in
the United Kingdom or Radisson
hotels operated in the Americas,
Asia Pacific or other parts of the
world.
The change is taking place because
the SAS Group, former owner
of Rezidor, sold the company in
November 2006, and no longer
has a formal connection with the
Radisson brand. Rezidor is the
master franchisor of the Radisson
brand in EMEA.
Sofitel – 2 new
brands
The French Accor group's Sofitel
Hotels has launched two new
brands, namely SO by Sofitel and
Sofitel Legend, to cater to different
hotel guest needs.
The SO by Sofitel is positioned
to be comfortable and trendy to
attract the younger age group,
while Sofitel Legend is expected
to be a top luxury brand. According
to market sources, Sofitel has
closed some hotels which were
seen as incompatible with the new
brands. As such, Sofitel currently
has 150 hotels, compared to 206
hotels in 2007.
Profit falls across
Europe
The trend of falling occupancy,
revenue and profit across key
European hotel markets continued
during January, according to
the latest HotStats survey by TRI
Hospitality Consulting.
In Vienna the sample of international
branded hotels saw daily
profit - expressed as income before
fixed charges (IBFC) - decline by
nearly two thirds to just €9.80
per available room. In Prague
profit more than halved and in
Amsterdam the decline was 45.2
% The only city in the survey not
to report a double-digit decline in
profit was Hamburg.
"There has been considerable supply
growth in both Vienna and
Prague since January 2008. More
than 2,000 extra graded bedrooms
entered the Vienna market and
at least 800 branded hotel rooms
opened in Prague. Combined with
the decline in overnights from
these cities' key source markets
(Germany, the UK, and the US) all
now in recession” said Jonathan
Langston MD of TRI Hospitality
Consulting.
Paris and London reported similar
falls in occupancy and profit. Occupancy
was down 3.3% to 70% in
London and in Paris down by 3.5%
to 69.3%. Profit fell back by 20.6%
in Paris and 21.5% in London.
There was greater discounting
in the London market, however.
Average room rate dropped by
8.4%, compared to -3.7% in Paris.
Relatively high reductions to rack,
corporate, conference and leisure
rates meant that London slipped
from its historical place as the most
profitable city in the survey.
In absolute terms, Paris had the
highest average room rate and the
best room revenue performance
making it number one for profit
with daily IBFC of €55.13 per
available room.
Tunisian addition
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has
signed a management contract
with Compagnie Tunisienne de
Développement Touristique for
a new upscale resort and conference
property at the Tunisian
holiday destination of Sousse.
The Mövenpick Resort & Thalasso
Sousse is the Swiss Hotel Group's
second resort in Tunisia and offers
627 rooms.
This beachside hotel is located in
the heart of the city along the lively
corniche and is scheduled to open
in July 2009. Sousse is renowned
for its beautiful Mediterranean
coastline with sandy beaches, its
picturesque old town and yearround
mild climate. This vibrant
port city is located some 130 km
south of Tunis, and Monastir International
Airport is a 20 minutes'
drive away. North Africa's largest
international airport is due to
open in Enfidah, 30 minutes from
Sousse, in November 2009.
Tivoli for Portugal
The Algarve’s newest five-star
resort will be officially opened
this month. Located by the golf
course of the same name in the up
market tourist town of Vilamoura,
the Tivoli Victoria offers 280 luxurious
guest-rooms, comprising
184 twin rooms, 79 doubles, 14
junior suites, 2 executive suites
and a presidential suite. Besides
the Arnold Palmer-designed golf
course, the hotel’s main features
are the Elements Spa, gourmet
and buffet restaurants and a wide
range of on-site sport and leisure
facilities, including four outdoor
swimming pools (one for kids).
Tivoli Hotels & Resorts currently
operates 11 four- and five-star
properties in Portugal
4 On The Road - Mid March - Mid April 09