Untitled - Hospitality Maldives

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s
leading hotel group, has announced
it will invest in and manage a new
property in The Maldives, which will be
the first property of Centara Hotels &
Resorts outside of Thailand - but with
many others to come.
Scheduled to open in May 2009, Centara
Grand Island Resort and Spa, located on
South Ari Atoll, will deliver a unique Premium
4 star resort experience.
Inner Maldives Holidays selected as
Host buyer for PATA Travel Mart 2008
Inner Maldives Holidays is pleased to
announce that the Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) has selected Inner
Maldives Holidays as a Host Buyer for PATA
Travel Mart 2008. PATA - a non-profit travel
trade association serving government tourist
offices, airlines, hotels and other travelrelated
companies throughout the Pacific
Asia region, and it is one of the most vital
travel associations in the world.
PATA Travel Mart 2008 is hosted this year in
Hyderabad, India and this event is gearing
up to be a spectacular show. PATA Travel
Mart 2008 has received a total of 374
registered buyer delegates from 329 buyer
organizations, from 57 countries.
Inner Maldives Holidays Pvt Ltd., a company
that was founded in the year 1998 with the
dedicated objective of providing travel and
tourism services to the booming tourism
industry in the Maldives. In the years Inner
Maldives Holidays has grown to become
one of the market leaders in the industry
with annual turnover of over USD$ 6 million
in 2006, and presently represent over 500
global travel brands in the Maldives.
It is said to be the first time a Maldivian travel
company has been selected as a host buyer
at a PATA Travel Mart or any trade fair. This
distinguished endorsement of the Maldivian
tourism industry by PATA is a nation triumph
and achievement.
Inner Maldives Holidays has been nominated
by SriLankan Holidays, therefore, we take this
opportunity to thank SriLankan Airlines and
SriLankan Holidays for this opportunity and
also thank PATA for making this possible.
Virtuoso, America’s leading network of
high-end travel agencies, has named
Amanpuri in Thailand as its 2008 Hotel
of the Year at its Best of the Best Awards
ceremony in Las Vegas recently.
This top award recognizes a hotel that
continually epitomizes excellence in the
categories of design, ambiance, service,
food and beverage, spa, family programs
innovation and social responsibility.
Amanpuri, which means “place of peace” in
Sanskrit, opened in Phuket in 1988 and is
Amanresorts’ first property. Nestled among
coconut palms and overlooking its own
beach, the resort - consisting of 40 Thaistyled
pavilions and 30 private villa homes --
blends Thai architecture, culture and service
with exquisite natural beauty. Expressing
his delight upon hearing about the Virtuoso
award, Adrian Zecha - Founder and Chairman
of Amanresorts - said, “We are delighted that
on the 20th Anniversary of Amanpuri, we
have been recognized in this way. We will
continue to devote our energies to ensuring
a remarkable travel experience for all our
guests - living up to, and exceeding, the
accolades given to us by the Virtuoso group
of experts.”
One of the best-known hotels in the
Egyptian capital, Cairo - the Saudiowned
Grand Hyatt - has reversed a
controversial ban on serving alcohol.
The ban, announced in May on Islamic
religious grounds, had angered the Egyptian
government, which depends heavily on
tourism. Now the hotel has reinstated strong
drink - but only in the restaurant, forty floors
above street level. Source: RTHK
Taj enters China hotel market.
Taj International Hong Kong, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Indian Hotels, signed a
management contract with Cuiting Hotspring
Hotel Management, a subsidiary of Zhong Qi
International Investment Co, to operate the
Chinese company’s Temple of Heaven Park
Hotel property in Beijing as well as its Hainan
Hotel project. The agreement makes Indian
Hotels the first Indian hospitality company
to create a partnership in China. Source:
Shanghai Business Review
Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort, has just
been awarded the 2008 Wine Spectator
Magazine “Award of Excellence” for the
Turtle Bay Estate House Wine List.
This honor represents the property’s
fourth consecutive year in the top spot. In
recognition of this award, Caneel Bay will be
acknowledged in the August 31st “Restaurant
Edition”, of Wine Spectator Magazine; as
well as being noted on the highly viewed
magazine website. “Compiling a great
wine collection is an essential ingredient of
sophisticated dining these days, and we’re
delighted to learn that Wine Spectator has
once again chosen to distinguish the wine list
at Turtle Bay Estate House with its highest
recognition,” said Nikolay Hotze, Managing
Director of Caneel Bay.
Angsana Spa, an award-winning Asian
spa brand founded by the renowned
Banyan Tree Spa, will greet spa
enthusiasts in Portugal for the first
time.
The new Angsana Spa is slated to open on
the 8th August 2008 in the Tivoli Marina
Vilamoura, in the Algarve, a luxurious
hotel which has recently been refurbished.
Overlooking the spectacular Atlantic Ocean,
Tivoli Marina Vilamoura is located on Portugal’s
finest marina and golf resort, attracting both
holidaymakers and conference delegates due
to its Congress Center. Angsana Spa Tivoli
Marina Vilamoura is a 25-minute drive from
the local Faro Airport.
Reprinted with permission by ehotelier.com