The Business Travel Magazine Feb/Mar 2019

THE REVIEW
R O O M R E P O R T
IHG PROMISES GLOBAL GROWTH
FOR KIMPTON HOTELS BRAND
Marriott unites loyalty
under ‘Bonvoy’ name
MARRIOTT Hotels has unveiled Marriott Bonvoy, its new
loyalty programme that unifies its current schemes under
one name. The new programme brings together Marriott
Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred
Guests, and launches on February 13.
Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy will offers experiential
events for members, taking advantage of Marriott’s
marketing partnerships with brands including FIA Formula
One, FC Bayern Munich and the NCAA.
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite will replace Platinum
Premier Elite for members who surpass 75 nights and
Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite will replace Platinum
Premier Elite with Ambassador.
INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels
Group (IHG) will open more than
25 Kimpton hotels in 20 new global
destinations including Edinburgh,
Mexico City, Paris, Barcelona and
Shanghai over the next three to
five years. Since IHG acquired
Kimpton in 2015, the group has
been a driving force behind the
brand’s growth.
New openings include Kimpton
Da An Hotel in Taipei and Kimpton
Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh,
both opening this spring.
“With IHG’s scale and network of
owner relationships, we’ve
unlocked the global growth of
Kimpton Hotels & Resorts,” says
Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive
Officer, Americas, IHG.
“We have flagship hotels now
open in London and Amsterdam, a
series of fantastic hotels slated to
open this year – including our first
in Asia – and a growing pipeline of
projects in key markets around the
world,” adds Maalouf.
Together with Hotel Indigo,
IHG’s boutique portfolio totals
almost 170 hotels globally, with
almost 120 more hotels in the
development pipeline.
AIRBNB'S BUSINESS TRAVELLERS
ARE GETTING ADVENTUROUS
AIRBNB has identified Argentina, Brazil, Mexico,
South Korea and South Africa as its fastest-growing
destinations for business users of its sharing economy
accommodation. London, Paris, New York and Sydney
remain among its top-selling cities for business
travellers. It also notes that business travellers book, on
average, 20 days in advance. When factoring in leisure
travellers, the average trip is booked 35 days ahead.
[ OPEN FOR BUSINESS ]
>> The latest UK Hotel Market Tracker produced by HVS, ALIX
PARTNERS and STR has found that average room rates in Q4 of
last year rose by 5% in London’s hotels, boosting RevPAR by 10%
>> DOMINVS GROUP has acquired Arbor City Hotel in Central
London. The group will partner with Hilton Worldwide to rebrand
the property as a Hampton by Hilton. The hotel currently
comprises 115 rooms and suites. However, the group is exploring
the possibility of adding more than 150 rooms >> HILTON has
opened the Lincoln Plaza London, the newest addition to its Curio
Collection portfolio of more than 60 upscale and unique hotels.
The new hotel is located in Canary Wharf.
30%
Buyers using more serviced
apartments in 2018
Almost one third of
corporate travel buyers
increased their use of
serviced apartment
suppliers for longstay
bookings in 2018,
according to a survey
carried out by the
Business Travel Show.
The figure marks a 20%
leap on the numbers
recorded in 2017.
54 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM