NEWS IN BRIEF
Lux Resorts & Hotels eyes four openings by 2017
Lux Resorts & Hotels will open properties in China, the UAE, the Maldives and Reunion Island by 2017. The group will also refurbish the Lux South Ari Atoll resort in the Maldives.
luxresorts.com
Best Western rebrands and launches boutique range
Best Western International has rebranded as Best Western Hotels & Resorts as it targets younger guests. The group has also launched midmarket boutique brand Glo. Best Western Great Britain, meanwhile, is recruiting the first five-star properties for its BW Premier Collection.
bestwestern.co.uk
Crathorne Hall completes £4m restoration after fire
Crathorne Hall Hotel in Yarm, North Yorkshire, has unveiled a £4m restoration after a fire badly damaged the east wing last year. The York and Ormesby wings have been rebuilt and internet connectivity upgraded.
handpickedhotels.co.uk/ crathornehall
Peninsula Chicago revamps rooms and technology
The Peninsula Chicago hotel has redesigned its rooms and introduced technology including interactive digital bedside tables in 11 languages. The hotel has also added 24-hour check-in.
peninsula.com
JW Marriott Hong Kong adds Macau package
The JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong has launched a Hong Kong – Macau package. The deal includes ferry transfers between the two cities, accommodation in a Premier Harbour View Room and breakfast for two adults and one child under 12 years. The package starts at £280 a night.
jwmarriotthongkong.com
Iberostar aims to sell via 1,0 Rebekah Commane
rebekah.commane@
travelweekly.co.uk
Spanish hotel brand Iberostar is looking to work increasingly with the UK trade and aims to sell through 1,000 agencies by 2017.
Speaking at the official opening
of the group’s Cala Millor property in Majorca, Oscar Gonzalez (right), marketing director for Europe, the Middle East and Asia, said 70% of bookings came through the trade. “We sell through
operators Thomas Cook and Jet2holidays, and we realise how valuable travel agents are to our sales structure,” said Gonzalez. “We organise
fam trips so agents can come
Tui’s Robinson brand eyes 50,000 overnight stays from UK in 2016
Tui Group premium brand Robinson has begun to promote its resorts in the UK, with its sights set on receiving 50,000 overnight stays from the market in 2016. The German company has
24 resorts across 12 countries including Greece, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and the Maldives. The firm’s fifth resort in Turkey,
Robinson Club Masmavi, will open in May 2016, while Robinson Club Noonu, in the Maldives, will join the portfolio in autumn 2017. The brand is also searching for a location in Mexico, and has bought
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travelweekly.co.uk 8 October 2015
to see the hotels for themselves, we participate in roadshows and workshops, and produce videos, catalogues and competitions.” Gonzalez said the hotel group
had an agents’ reward scheme known as Star Club. “Agents have their own ID and
password for the loyalty club, and every time they make a booking, they obtain points that can be used for stays at Iberostar hotels.” There are more than 28,000 agent members of Star Club worldwide but only 400 of those are in the UK. “We aim to grow in the
UK. We currently work with 200 travel agencies there, but our goal is to grow this to 1,000 in the next two years. “We are
working on the
“We sell through Cook and Jet2holidays, and realise how valuable agents are to our sales structure”
accessibility of our booking system to make it easier for agents to connect with.” Iberostar has between 110
and 115 hotels in 15 countries worldwide, according to Gonzalez. He said the exact figure fluctuated because the group “adds three or four hotels each year, but sometimes we leave some hotels”. Iberostar Cala Millor, owned by
tennis star Rafael Nadal, opened on Majorca’s east coast in May – the group’s 14th hotel on the island. The 171-room hotel will become adult-only from April. Unlike most hotels on the island,
Iberostar Cala Millor will stay open year-round, marketing itself as a mini-break property for couples.
NEW RESORT: Robinson Club Masmavi will open next May
the lease for Orivaru island in the Maldives. Robinson resorts are based
on seven ‘pillars’: sport; hosts, known as ‘Robins’; food and drink; entertainment; family; wellness and fitness facilities, which fall under the WellFit brand; and sustainability. Robinson launched in the
UK – selling online and through Thomson agents – earlier this year and has reported a good uptake. However, there are no plans to sell the resorts through other agents. Prices for Robinson Club
Masmavi start at €60 per person
per night on an all-inclusive basis.
robinson.com
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