The West Coast’s leading boutique hotel company, San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre Hospitality, has merged with Thompson Hotels — a New York-based collection of 12 lifestyle hotels in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. — to create a new multi-brand lifestyle hotel group, provisionally called JT Hospitality, the two companies announced this week.

Equal partners in the merger, Thompson and Joie de Vivre will combine their hotel-management operations and brands, but not their real estate assets. The result will be a joint collection of 45 properties with combined annual revenues of approximately $500 million.

Click here to read more about the merge.

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The first hotel in the history of San Francisco’s 235-year-old Presidio military base will open in April 2012.

The Inn at the Presidio will be built at the base’s Pershing Hall and will include 22 rooms whose rates will range from $195 to $350 a night.

The Inn’s stylish design and contemporary furnishings will pay tribute to the Presidio’s history while offering all the comforts of modern lodging. The Inn’s furnishings will reference the building’s history and its art program will use historic memorabilia and photographs, as well as modern regional art, to exemplify the unique national park experience found at the Presidio. Presidio artifacts will also be integrated into the design. The Inn will be operated in accordance with green hotel standards and the Trust is pursuing LEED Gold certification for the building.

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The Grand Del Mar resort in Carmel Valley became the first hotel in San Diego County to receive the coveted five-star rating from the Forbes Travel Guide, making it one of nine hotels in the state with such a distinction.

The Grand Del Mar hotel in San Diego joins its spa and restaurant counterparts, The Spa at The Grand Del Mar and Addison, which were awarded their five stars in 2011 and 2009 respectively. The triple five-star rating makes the Grand Del Mar triple the luxury for traveling guests.

Making the cut for the first time in the four-star category were nine hotels, nine restaurants and five spas. A total of 539 establishments in the United States, Canada, Beijing, Macau, and Singapore made the 2012 Forbes Travel Guide honor roll, which for the first time can be found on Startle.com, the guide’s new interactive Web site launched today.

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Hotel Bel-Air has been closed since 2009 for renovations. After two long years, Hotel Bel-Air now offers 12 more rooms, a new fitness studio, a 4,100-square foot spa, and a restaurant by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. The property’s new presidential suite has more than 6,700 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.

The 65 year old property was redesigned by Alexandra Champalimaud, whose other work includes New York’s Algonquin and San Francisco’s Fairmont hotels, and the Rockwell Group, which has worked on Starwood’s Aloft boutique hotels as well as Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.

A popular celebrity get-away, Hotel Bel-Air is back in business for guests to lodge and lounge in luxury.

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The top five fastest growing big city destinations are in. What is the verdict on 2010 travels?

• Atlanta – 70 percent increase
• Washington D.C. – 41 percent increase
• New Orleans – 40 percent increase
• Denver – 29 percent increase
• Orlando – 26 percent increase

Statistics are seeing emerging destinations that show how diverse travelers are and what they are becoming interested in. Will we see a continuing trend towards newer destinations? Here are the top five emerging destinations according to Hostelworld.com.

• Buffalo, N.Y.
• South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
• Hilo, Hawaii
• Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
• Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

People are traveling, but keeping their budget down by finding new lodging options. There has been an increase in hostels and budget accommodation bookings. Much of this growth can be contributed by increased openings of hostels and travelers looking for different adventures and experiences. In terms of regional growth areas, Californian cities had seven different destinations among the top 40 accommodation choices, while Hawaii and Florida each had three cities. All data is compiled from Hostelworld.com bookings, Q3 2009 to Q3 2010.

According to British Airways, their top ten destinations include San Diego and Las Vegas.
1. Marrakech
2. San Diego
3. New York
4. St Kitts & Nevis
5. Puerto Rico
6. Maldives
7. Japan
8. Las Vegas
9. Mauritius
10. St Lucia

The new routes from British Airways are a large contributor to the increase in travelers going to these places. This will bring huge potential growth for the future of the hotel industry.

With current state of the US Economy, a recent poll of 6,700 individuals has revealed that vacationers have less money to spend, and will be careful with how they spend it.

• 57% of people questioned said they have less money to spend on summer vacations this year than the previous year.
• 20% of people questioned said they planned to rent a house instead of a hotel room, in order to cook at home and save one eating out.
• Summer could be the worse for U.S. Hotels since 2002, following the WTC Terrorist Attacks in 2001.

“Year after year after Sept. 11, hotels had started to come back and capacity increased,” said Jim Kovarik, the general manager for AOL Travel. “Heading into this year there was a lot of concern about the economy factors. They are anticipating a tough year.”

Other believe that the higher gasoline prices and tighter budgets will just lead consumers to go on shorter trips and stay in nearby hotels.

For the full story, click here.

HotelTravelCheck.com will now be servicing the Rochester Plaza Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Rochester, New York.

The Rochester Plaza Hotel is conveniently located in the center of Rochester. Ten minutes from the International Airport, next door to the Convention Center and a few steps away from exciting nightlife in the East End, St Paul Quarter and High Falls districts.

The 7 story hotel features 362 spacious guest suites, all well appointed and with modern amenities and features. Guests can also elect to stay in the Exectuvie Suites, spacious two bedroom units appropriate for entertaining business guests or family and friends.

An up-to-date business center is also available with advanced internet connectivity and other features that make getting your work done while out of the office as easy as plugging in or using the wireless internet. A large conference center for business seminars, meetings, weddings, and other special events is also available courteous service and professional catering.

Hotel Travel Check are internet marketing specialists that work with promoting, optimizing, and marketing Hotels on the internet.

For more information on the Rochester Plaze Hotel click here.

For more information on HotelTravelCheck.com click here.

The IHG Group has signed agreements with MAK Hotel Holdings, a member of the M.A. Kharafi Group of Kuwait, to develop an InterContinental Hotel in the Syrian capital.

The hotel will be integrated with a cinema complex, mall, and office space. Construction is slated to be finished by 2010.

“The M.A. Kharafi Group is one of the largest Groups in the Middle East and we are delighted to be partnering with them on the InterContinental Damascus. Over the last few years we have witnessed a substantial increase in tourism levels to Syria; our aim is for IHG to be at the forefront of this demand for accommodation. When open, InterContinental Damascus will offer guests a luxurious and first-class place to stay while discovering this historically rich location; testament to InterContinental’s commitment to provide authentic and enriching destination experiences for all guests,” said John Bamsey, Chief Operating Officer, IHG, Middle East & Africa.

Health spas and numerous business conference centers will also be built into the new project.

The Syrian government has increased spending on tourism as forecasts predict major growth for next quarter and over the next several years.

Read the whole article here.

The Washington Post recently wrote that the Marriott is mulling the idea of putting a new hotel in the Baghdad, Iraq ‘Green Zone’.

The development team would have to overcome some serious obstacles. Besides security issues, the Baghdad infrastructure has been seriously ravaged by the war.

The Marriott wants to expand its Middle Eastern presence, and the United States government is eager to have investment and development take place in the war torn Iraq.

“As with any opportunity, we carefully consider all the factors involved,” said Marriott spokesman John Wolf. “We’re evaluating this, just as we are considering opportunities elsewhere.”

Times Square was not the commercial mecca it is today, where prostitutes and drug dealers are now difficult to find. Back then it was still, as Bill Marriott once wrote, a “run-down, seedy area that might or might not come back to life.” Building hotel there was “a huge risk.”

But Marriott went ahead, installing one of the most elaborate hotel security systems of its time. Entrance to the hotel was limited. The lobby was located on the eighth floor. Times Square turned around, and today the Marquis is among the company’s most profitable hotels.

- Washington Post

Read the full article.

Wyndham Hotel Group has agreed with the Days Hospitality Inc. of Markham, Ontario to build 17 new Ramada Inns in Eastern Canada over the next 10 years.

One of many brands not slowing down their expansion regardless of the economic turmoil of the past year in the United States and world markets, the hotel industry continues to charge on.

The group went with the Ramada Inn because it is “positioned as a global leader in midmarket lodging and emphasizes the importance of service, product quality and high standards,” according to Scott McPhail, Days Hospitality chief operating officer.

“We are focused on growing and strengthening the Ramada brand,” said Mark Young, Ramada brand senior vice president. “This agreement with Days Hospitality is a testimony to that commitment. Our growth in Canada, Asia and Europe demonstrates the brand’s increasing success.”

Read More Here.