St Regis Rome unveils its Couture Suite designed by The Gallery at HBA London

More big names flock to the promise of China, as Four Seasons debut in Beijing, Banyan Tree launch in Shanghai, Shangri-La in Changzhou & Anantara on Hainan Island

If the past month is anything to go by, luxury hotels look set to replace luxury goods brands and suppliers as the next big thing in our industry’s M&A space.

In the past few weeks alone, Orient-Express Hotels rejected a $1.86 billion unsolicited takeover bid from an arm of the Tata Group of India, as it emerged that Four Seasons Hotel New York owner, H. Ty Warner, had received a bid for his 368-room luxury hotel in midtown Manhattan for about $900 million from an unidentified Asian buyer (Bloomberg).

The unsolicited bidder is allegedly affiliated with the government of Brunei, the kingdom located on the island of Borneo. Interestingly enough, it is the Brunei Investment Agency who now owns luxury hotel manager Dorchester Collection, which includes the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills.

This follows the sale of the controlling stake in New York’s iconic Plaza Hotel to India’s Sahara Group, the Setai Fifth Avenue Hotel to Hong Kong’s Great Eagle, Palazzo Versace Australia to a consortium of Chinese investors and Florence’s Grand Hotel Baglioni to Qatar Sovereign Fund. And this is just in the past few months.

As consumers demonstrate a preference towards ‘experiencing’ luxury rather than simply ‘owning’ luxury, one expects that investment interest in luxury hotels will continue.

Four Seasons, Beijing

Four Seasons Hotels has launched in Beijing, China, with a 313-room property that includes 66 luxury suites. Marrying Chinese influences and contemporary style, the hotel features a range of Western and Chinese artwork, throughout F&B outlets, the fitness centre, an executive lounge, event spaces and a spa inspired by the architecture of traditional Chinese tea gardens.

Website & Source: fourseasons.com/Beijing

Shangri-La, Changzhou

Shangri-La International Hotel Management, in collaboration with Qiaoyu Group, have debuted the Shangri-La Hotel in Changzhou, in one of China’s top business cities. The 350 guestrooms and suites range from 45 to 225sqm, all featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with unobstructed views of Lake Xihu or the city. The 4000sqm heath club is the largest in Changzhou, encompassing a fully equipped fitness centre, an indoor swimming pool and a spa.

Website: shangri-la.com/changzhou
Souce: HSyndicate

Anantara, Hainan Island

Anantara has arrived on Hainan Island with the launch of its Sanya Resort & Spa, inspired by oriental and Thai design. The property comprises of 122 rooms, suites and private pool villas, alongside four distinctive restaurants and bars. Spa Pool Villas face the ocean and offer a splendid 500sqm of living space, where guests benefit from the service of a personal Villa host.

Website: sanya.anantara.com
Source: Breaking Travel News

Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

The historic Majestic Hotel is set to reopen its doors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, following an $82.5 million restoration program. The 300-room hotel, owned by YTL Hotels, was built in 1932 and previously housed the country’s National Art Gallery. The restored hotel will become the only Kuala Lumpur based member of The Leading Hotels of The World (LHW) group.

Website: majestickl.com
Source: Luxuo

Hilton Munich Park, Munich

The 484-room Hilton Munich Park has been re-imagined by JOI-Design, to reflect a style that draws upon its idyllic setting along the banks of the Eisbach Creek. Communal spaces feature laser-cut motifs of branches and birds, Tivoli oak wall panels and backlit glass sheets, whilst suites have been outfitted in warm earth and ripe berry tones.

Website: hilton.com/munich
Source: JOI-Design

Outrigger, Phi Phi Island

Outrigger has officially debuted its Phi Phi Island Resort and Spa, following a yearlong refurbishment of the former Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort. 44 new Deluxe Garden Bungalows have been added, each featuring contemporary design with Thai touches, walk-in wardrobes, flat screen televisions, and iPod/iPhone docking stations. Food and beverage venues have been enhanced, and the gym has been improved.

Website: outrigger.com/phi-phi
Source: Hospitality.net

Westin Grand Central, New York

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has unveiled The Westin New York Grand Central, following a $75 million renovation of the former New York Helmsley Hotel. The brand’s second Manhattan hotel features a complete redesign of the hotel’s interior including 774 spacious guest rooms equipped with Westin’s signature amenities, such as energy-conserving LED and CFL lights, water conserving low flow plumbing and its ‘Heavenly Bed’.

Website: starwoodhotels.com/westin
Source: Luxury Travel Magazine

Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian

Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Sebastian, has reopened its doors following an extensive $25 million, nine-month restoration. 107 luxurious guestrooms and 29 suites were re-imagined by The Gallery at HBA London, dressed in a pastel palette inspired by the fresh spring tints of macaron patisseries, with plush tufted headboards framed in curvaceous mouldings.

Website: starwoodhotels.com/espagne
Source: HBA London

Banyan Tree, Shanghai

Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts has debuted its urban resort concept in Shanghai, On The Bund. Each of the guestrooms and suites feature an Expediency Box for pick-up and delivery of polished shoes, laundry and dry-cleaning, as well as six different pillow choices and rooms that are refreshed with a different therapeutic scent each day.

Website: banyantree.com/shanghai
Source: HSyndicate

For more in the series of The Latest Hotels, please see our most recent editions as follows:

- The Latest Hotels: Delano, Four Seasons & Kempinski
- The Latest Hotels: Jaipur, Casablanca & Vienna
- The Latest Hotels: London, Seville & Saint-Tropez

Nicolas Ghesquire and Balenciaga will part ways at the end of November (Image: Giovanni Giannoni, WWD / Cond Nast / Corbis)

The Latest Appointments at Tom Ford, Walpole, Alberta Ferretti, Richemont, Orient-Express & Vertu, with exits at Balenciaga, Gilt Groupe, Azzaro & Cacharel

After 15 years with PPR, Nicolas Ghesquire and Balenciaga have reached a “joint decision to end their working relationship,” effective Nov. 30. CEO Isabelle Guichot told WWD a successor would be named “as soon as we’re ready,” and that the brand already has a short list of candidates. Over the weekend Christopher Kane was rumoured to take the top spot, something he has since denied to WWD.

Over at Azzaro, creative director Mathilde Castello Branco has stepped down from her role after just over a year. “The House of Azzaro and Mathilde Castello Branco are moving forward in different directions,” explained a statement from the brand. “Azzaro will shortly be announcing her successor.”

At Cacharel, CEO Pascal d’Halluin has confirmed his exit, also after less than one year in the role. According to WWD, the executive is leaving by mutual agreement with the French label’s founder and president Jean Bousquet following his trial period.

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, chairman of Ferrari, has resigned his position as chairman of Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, Europe’s first private operator of high-speed trains. “My growing professional commitments force me to step back now that the company is fully operational,” Montezemolo explained to Reuters. “I will continue to contribute to the success of this company, as shareholder and board member.”

Finally Gilt Group’s board and co-founder Kevin Ryan have “agreed about two months ago that Ryan should step aside in favour of a new CEO with strong operations and e-commerce skills.” The to-be-named replacement will be the company’s third CEO in two years, and is expected to steer the eventual launch of an IPO.

Marc Spiegler, Director, Art Basel

Marc Spiegler has been appointed to oversee Art Basel events in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach, Florida & Hong Kong, as the organisation re-arranges its leadership team. Mr. Spiegler will chair a four-member executive committee including a director of new initiatives, director Asia, and a director of resources and finance who will be named in the near future.

Source: Gallerist

Kamel Ouadi, Managing Director, Christie’s

Kamel Ouadi has joined famed auction house Christie’s as international managing director. Mr. Ouadi most recently served at Louis Vuitton as chief digital officer/chief creative officer, where he was responsible for the conception and launch of NOWNESS.com

Source: LinkedIn

Jean -Guillaume Prats, CEO, Estates & Wines

Jean-Guillaume Prats will join LVMH-owned Estates & Wines effective February 2013. Mr. Prats will be based in Paris, and will be a board member of the LVMH Comit Oprationnel. Since 2011, Prats has been chairman of the board of Domaines Reybier and Chteau Cos d’Estournel.

Source: Decanter

Eddy Cue, Board, Ferrari

Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP Internet software and services has joined the board of Ferrari. Mr. Cue currently oversees the iTunes Store, the App Store and the iBookstore, as well as Siri, Maps, iAd and Apple’s iCloud services.

Source: New Car Net

Christophe de Pous, CEO, Gucci North America

Effective January 1, Christophe de Pous will assume responsibility for Gucci North America. Mr. De Pous has served as president and CEO of Gucci Japan since September 2009, and replaces Lauren Lendrum, who left the position in April.

Source: Styleite

Cristina Egal, Managing Director, Lorenz Bumer

Cristina Egal has been named the first managing director of Lorenz Bumer, reporting to Bumer, the president, founder and creative force behind the brand. Most recently, Ms. Egal operated an eponymous communications agency and boasted such clients as BNP Paribas, Sodexo, Servair and Fondation Claude Pompidou.

Source: Fashion Snoops

John Scott, CEO, Orient-Express

John Scott will become president and CEO of Orient-Express hotels, after serving as CEO of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts for over eight years. He replaces Paul White, the former president and CEO of Orient-Express Hotels, who resigned from the company and from the Board last year.

Source: Travel Mole

Natalie Ratabesi, Creative Director, Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti

Alberta Ferretti will hand over the creative direction of the Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti collection to Natalie Ratabesi, who most recently served as senior creative director at Ralph Lauren. The British designer and graduate from Central Saint Martins College will make her debut for the brand with the autumn/winter 2013 collection.

Source: Fashion United

Bernard Fornas, Richard Lepeu, Co-CEOs, Richemont

Richemont has appointed two longstanding employees as joint chief executives, in a bid to help founder and controlling shareholder Johann Rupert steer the luxury goods group through a period of slowing sales growth in its important Asian markets. Cartier chief Bernard Fornas and deputy chief executive Richard Lepeu will take over from Rupert as CEO in April 2013.

Source: Reuters

Eva Taub, CEO, Robert Clergerie

Robert Clergerie has appointed Eva Taub as CEO, following tenure as head of Christian Dior Couture’s leather division at LVMH. The Stanford and Harvard Business School alum previously launched Isotoner in Europe, prior to which she served as a Merrill Lynch financial advisor in New York and Hong Kong.

Source: Fashion Week Daily

Jerome Cheung, CEO Asia Pacific, Tom Ford

Former Gucci Group executive Jerome Cheung, has been named to succeed Regina Lam as chief executive officer at Tom Ford, for the Asia-Pacific area. The position is based in Hong Kong and Cheung will be reporting to Tom Mendenhall, vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of the company since 2006.

Source: Fashion Mag

Anssi Vanjoki, Chairman, Vertu

Luxury phone maker Vertu has selected long-time Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki as its non-executive chairman following an ownership change. Vanjoki, who spent 20 years at Nokia in various executive positions, left the Finnish cell phone maker in 2010 after the board appointed Stephen Elop as the next chief executive.

Source: Reuters

Michael Ward, Jonathan Heilbron, Board, Walpole

UK luxury brand trade body, Walpole, has announced the appointment of Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods, and Jonathan Heilbron, CEO of Thomas Pink, to its board of directors. Prior to joining the board, both Ward and Heilbron have been long-time supporters of Walpole, as Walpole Brands of Tomorrow mentors and regular speakers.

Source: Fashion United

For more in the series of The Latest Appointments, please see our most recent editions as follows:

- The Latest Appointments: PPR, Cadillac & Baccarat
- The Latest Appointments: Mulberry, DVF & Ralph Lauren
- The Latest Appointments: Burberry, Coty & Cond Nast