Running low on hotel gossip? Replenish it with some real news from chains and properties around the world right here.

Samphire Rottnest set to open in October

Western Australia is soon to welcome its newest island accommodation, Samphire Rottnest (pictured above), the highly anticipated new address from The Prendiville Group.

The property, which is due to open on Rottnest Island in October 2020, takes prime position on Thomson Bay, next door to the iconic Hotel Rottnest – a popular social hub on the island.

Samphire Rottnest will offer 64 generous guest rooms and 16 rooms positioned at the front-row, all with private balconies overlooking an array of vantage points around the property and Thomson Bay.

Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives resort reopens

The Maldives’ Grand Park Kodhipparu resort has reopened to the public, with new and adapted cleaning practices and guidelines, alongside enhanced training for all team members.

Located in North Malé Atoll, a mere 20 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, Grand Park Kodhipparu offers 120 beachfront and overwater villas, including 65 with their own private pools, a large infinity pool overlooking the vistas of the Indian Ocean.

Further experiences include culinary options in three dining outlets, a world-class award-winning spa, a fully equipped dive and water sports centre, a recreation beach club and a kids club providing guests with everything they could possibly need for their dream getaway.

Among the new measures at the resort to protect the health and safety of guests are temperature checks for team members, who will be required to wear masks, physical distancing performed at all times throughout the property with daily protective measures adhered to regarding food handling, sanitisation, disinfection, and cleaning procedures.

Additionally, all team members have been given enhanced training sessions on personal hygiene.

Hilton signs first DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Auckland

Hilton today announced the signing of DoubleTree by Hilton Auckland Albert Street, the brand’s first property in the region.

The hotel joins Hilton’s portfolio of nine hotels, opened and under construction, in New Zealand and will be the second Hilton property in Auckland city, after Hilton Auckland.

According to Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton Auckland Albert Street will offer 231 spacious guest rooms, including two suites, 400 square metres of event and meeting space, a fitness centre, and an all-day dining restaurant and bar.

Oaks Toowoomba opens

Accommodation provider Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites has made its move on Queensland’s largest inland city, Toowoomba, with the launch of Oaks Toowoomba, which opened its doors on 1 July.

The 102-suite, five-storey, new-build development is located on Kwong Sang Walk, which is part of the ongoing revitalisation of Ruthven Street in the CBD.

Comprising spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom hotel rooms and suites, each accommodation type offers a private balcony and modern furnishings. Two- and three-bedroom rooms also include kitchenette facilities.

Hotel facilities include an indoor swimming pool, gym and function centre, with on-site dining including the Oak & Vine restaurant serving a modern Australian menu, and contemporary pub The Rock.

Conference facilities can accommodate up to 500 guests, with a variety of room configurations to suit everything from a small classroom to a full banquet or cocktail event.  The development is also home to retail spaces including Profile Hair Designs and clothing boutique Ivy Design Collections.

Rooms now on sale at W Melbourne

Slated for a December 2020 opening the highly anticipated W Melbourne is now taking bookings for its unrivalled brand of rebellious luxury.

W Melbourne has launched two epic packages for guests to take their stay to the next level.

The ‘24/7 REBELS’ package includes $100 credit to spend from sun-up to sundown when booking a Fabulous Room, Mega Room or Spectacular Studio.

Or, with any accommodation booking, guests can ‘AMP IT UP’ with valet car parking and two cocktails at Curious bar, the pulse of the hotel.

Crown Sydney announces three restaurants and appoints culinary director

Crown Sydney has announced three new restaurants and the appointment of Crown Towers Sydney culinary director Sarah Briegel as part of the resort’s culinary line-up ahead of its launch in December.

These restaurants include a’Mare by Alessandro Pavoni, Woodcut by Ross and Sunny Lusted, and Yoshii’s Omakase at Nobu by Ryuichi Yoshii.

Acclaimed Australian chef Sarah Briegel will lead Crown Towers Sydney as the property’s culinary director of its flagship hotel.

Briegel brings to the role 27 years’ experience working alongside the best in the business in kitchens across the world including London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Bangkok, New York and Shanghai.

Most recently, Briegel was executive chef at the Mandarin Oriental in Shanghai, a luxury five-star hotel known for its innovative cuisine with its bars and restaurants frequently touted among the best in the city.

New Alma resort rides ‘wave of demand’ for travel

Pent-up demand for travel in the wake of COVID-19 has surged onto the shores of Vietnam’s Cam Ranh peninsula, where the new 580-room Alma resort welcomed 14,000 guests in June.

Vietnam’s handling of the pandemic has been hailed a success story the world over with no new cases of COVID-19 through community transmission for 89 days straight and zero fatalities.

After the 30-hectare resort reopened its doors on 31 May following a 40-day closure due to the global pandemic, it reported an average occupancy rate of 57 per cent last month across its 196 pavilions and 384 suites, welcoming an average of 1,867 guests daily, who stay four days each on average.

The highest number of guests Alma welcomed on a single night in June was 2,364, equalling 79 per cent occupancy.

JA Resorts & Hotels receives another hallmark of safety

JA Resorts & Hotels has officially received the #DubaiAssured Stamp, following a health and safety verification process implemented in collaboration with the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing, the Department of Economic Development, and Dubai Municipality.

The stamp indicates that all currently open properties – JA The Resort Jebel Ali Beach Dubai, JA Hatta Fort Hotel Dubai, JA Oasis Beach Tower Dubai and The Manor by JA Dubai – have adopted, and maintain, all necessary precautionary measures and the highest safety standards and protocols.

All nine JA Resorts & Hotels have also implemented the protocols of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels program.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts unveils plans to enter Nepal and Bhutan

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has unveiled plans to open its first hotels in Nepal and Bhutan, while also announcing the recent opening of the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Dwarka (pictured above)– the first Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham hotel in India.

All three hotels are part of Wyndham’s larger efforts to significantly expand its footprint across the Indian subcontinent and are complemented by additional properties in the region that either recently opened or are slated to open over the next nine months.

Wyndham is currently one of the largest international hotel companies in India.

School holidays a boost for NSW regions: TAA

Tourism Accommodation Australia chief executive Michael Johnson said a school holiday driven “mini-boom” in domestic tourism has been a shot in the arm for many struggling regional accommodation hotels.

Johnson said it was too early to attach an exact dollar figure to the holiday boost, but TAA members in holiday hot spots like the Blue Mountains, Port Macquarie, Orange, Mudgee, Hunter Valley and the Shoalhaven are reporting visitor numbers similar to the busy Christmas holidays.

JobKeeper extension required to prevent “JobSeeker explosion”: AHA WA

The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) Western Australia has released survey results which it said demonstrate the importance of extending the Commonwealth’s JobKeeper scheme to WA’s hotels and hospitality businesses until at least the end of the year.

Drawing from a pool of 530 responses, AHA WA found that at least 93.7 per cent of respondents are signed up to the JobKeeper payment scheme.

Over half (53.4 per cent) of all respondents have between 50 per cent and 100 per cent of all staff on JobKeeper payments, while 32.6 per cent of all respondents have over 70 per cent of all staff on JobKeeper.

If the JobKeeper payment scheme ends on 30 September, 31.5 per cent of respondents expect to dismiss or reduce hours of employment for 10–29 per cent of their staff.

Moreover, at least 30.4 per cent of respondents expect to dismiss or reduce hours of employment for 30 to 59 per cent of their staff. While nine per cent of respondents expect to dismiss or reduce hours of employment for 50 to 59 per cent of their staff.

More than one in five respondents (20.5 per cent) expect to dismiss or reduce hours of employment for 50 to 100 per cent of their staff.

Win the ultimate honeymoon to Bawah Reserve

Luxury eco-conscious resort Bawah Reserve has just launched a competition to win the ultimate honeymoon to the Anambas Islands in Indonesia.

The offer is open to newlyweds who have had to cancel or postpone their honeymoon in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The inclusive honeymoon is worth over US$10,000 ($14,290) and the winner will be among the first to experience one of Bawah’s three brand new honeymoon packages.

For more information on the competition, click here.

Matt Porteous announced as first Soneva Namoona guardian

Soneva has announced award-winning photographer Matt Porteous as the first ‘guardian’ in the Soneva ‘Namoona Guardians’ program, an initiative that seeks to radically change the way the Maldives manages its waste.

The goal of Namoona Guardians is to build a network of like-minded people around the world who are committed to making Soneva Namoona a success.

Porteous is the founder of Ocean Culture Life, a global community of ocean storytellers, and the personal photographer of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

His passion for oceans has taken him to some of the most beautiful places on the planet and connected him to some of the world’s greatest changemakers.

Remediation of Sydney’s most iconic clock tower commences

Following the conclusion of phase one of The Fullerton Hotel Sydney’s façade remediation of the former Sydney General Post Office (GPO), maintenance and remediation work on the historic clock tower has commenced and is expected to be completed in October.

“As custodians of heritage, The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts believes it’s imperative that significant historical buildings such as the GPO retain their heritage features,” The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts general manager Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale said.

“We also want to share the Grand Dame’s unique story with everyone who visits the Hotel. Our initial investigation into the clock tower’s history has already unearthed some great memories from former workers at the GPO.”

During the final phase of the remediation programme, special attention will be paid to the clock tower’s external stone and metal work, intricate windows and doors, as well as lead weathering and waterproofing. An expert team will use steam, water and specialist brushes to remove many years of accumulated layers of pollution to clean and preserve the clock tower.

New Zentis hotel debuts in Osaka

Zentis Osaka, the first of a new hotel brand with designs on raising the bar on select-service hospitality, has opened in the bustling port city of Osaka.

The new 16-storey build features interior architecture and design by internationally renowned UK designer Tara Bernerd of Tara Bernerd & Partners, a dining concept conceived by a team with a Michelin-star track record, 212 rooms and suites.

The build comes with a commitment to service that stems from Palace Hotel Tokyo – the homegrown brand that has redefined Japanese hospitality and remains the only independent Japanese-brand hotel to achieve the prestigious Forbes five-star rating year on year.

The Hotel Britomart NZ announces October open

The Hotel Britomart has confirmed its opening date for 1 October 2020

The historic Britomart precinct has been the focus of an innovative 15-year renewal process that has shifted the centre of gravity of the city’s downtown towards the harbour edge.

The Hotel Britomart, located above Auckland’s busiest public transport hub, will be New Zealand’s first five ‘Green Star’ hotel.

With 99 rooms and five exquisite suites, The Hotel Britomart offers guests the best of both worlds: cocoon-like, timber-lined rooms that feel like peaceful retreats, right in the centre of the best neighbourhood in Auckland to eat, drink, shop or do business.

The hotel brings together some of Auckland’s most talented architects, chefs, developers, hotel managers and of course the entire Britomart neighbourhood, making it a destination for all New Zealanders looking for a staycation or a weekend away in Auckland.

Sabre announces new SynXis platform agreement with Resorttrust

Sabre Corporation has formed a new agreement with Japan’s Resorttrust, Inc. to provide technology solutions to enable the luxury chain to fine-tune its distribution strategies, grow geographic reach, increase booking conversions, boost revenue-per-room and deliver improved guest experiences.

Under the new deal, advanced technology solutions from Sabre’s SynXis platform will enable Resorttrust hotels to update operations and grow footprint while maximizing revenue opportunities through direct and indirect channels.