NEWS AND TRENDS
1. Matthew Sparks has been appointed executive vice president and chief investment officer at Park Hotels & Resorts ("Park") in McLean - VA, USA
Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HLT) ("Hilton") announced today that Matthew Sparks has been appointed executive vice president and chief investment officer of Park Hotels & Resorts ("Park"), the planned real estate investment trust that will be separated from Hilton around year-end. Sparks will oversee Park's investment and acquisition strategy. His appointment as chief investment officer will be effective upon completion of the spin-off, and he will report to Thomas J. Baltimore, Jr., president and chief executive officer (CEO), Park Hotels and Resorts.For the last five years, Sparks has served as Hilton's senior vice president, luxury & corporate development, where he managed the company's full service, corporate and luxury/lifestyle brand growth & development in North America. Most notably, Sparks led the team that completed the sale of the Waldorf Astoria New York to Anbang Insurance Group Co. READ MORE
2. Vision Hospitality Group Announces Plans for Hampton Inn Chattanooga/East Ridge
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. -- Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. recently announced plans to build an 88-room Hampton Inn located in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge, Tennessee. The hotel will be part of the Jordan Crossing development, a new 50-acre Bass Pro Shops centered retail development located off of exit 1 on Interstate 75, a the heavily travelled corridor located on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. READ MORE
3. IHG� Rewards Club Introduces New Amazon Kindle Member Benefit
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, today announces a new benefit for members of its loyalty program, IHG�Rewards Club, through an industry-first agreement with Amazon. IHG Rewards Club members in the U.S. will now receive complimentary access to a curated list of Kindle books from Amazon Publishing and Kindle Singles. READ MORE
4. 24th World Travel Monitor� Forum in Pisa: Europeans play safe by switching destinations
Low growth in European outbound trips and stagnating beach holiday volumes - yet more city trips - fluctuating fortunes for European destinations - ITB Berlin exclusively publishes latest results from the World Travel Monitor. READ MORE
5. JNS and A F Canta Design Magnolia Hotel Denver
Local firm Johnson Nathan Strohe (JNS) Design and Architecture has unveiled the redesign of the Magnolia Hotel Denver. Newport Beach, California-based development manager A F Canta oversaw construction and collaborated on the overall design. Over the course of a year and a half, the two teams collaborated on the overhaul while the property was at 50 percent occupancy. READ MORE
6. JN+A and HVS Debut Architecture and Interiors for Danbury's Hotel Zero Degrees
Rockville, Maryland-based architecture firm Jonathan Nehmer & Associates (JN+A) and HVS Design have revealed the architecture and interiors for the new Hotel Zero Degrees in Danbury, Connecticut. The newly debuted outpost is the third for the boutique lifestyle brand.READ MORE
7. Lehmonkärki Resort Introduces Villa Vellamo
Villa Vellamo, the newest addition at the Lehmonkärki Resort in Asikkala, Finland has debuted. Helsinki-based DSign Vertti Kivi & Co. has designed the versatile new accommodation, which is flexible enough to host conferences and weddings as well as guest stays. Lighting and wall structures were instrumental in establishing the interiors' diverse design language of the interior.
"Our company DSign Vertti Kivi & Co is known for paying special attention to mood creation. READ MORE
8. Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa Debuts in Grand Cayman, Announces Residences
The Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa has arrived on Grand Cayman along the famed Seven Mile Beach—the island's first new resort in a decade and Kimpton's first property outside the U.S., a new-build by San Francisco-based SB Architects with interiors by Dayna Lee and Ted Berner of Los Angeles firm Powerstrip Studio. The resort also debuts the Residences at Seafire, 62 accommodations set on 12 acres with pool decks shared with the resort. READ MORE
9. LTW Completes Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa
Singapore-based design studio LTW has unveiled its design of the Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa, the hotel group's first beach resort in China. Spanning more than 2 million square feet, the resort revels in panoramic views of the South China Sea and white sand beaches. LTW has captured the region's fishing village heritage and different cultures in its design of the hotel's public spaces, guestrooms and suites, spa, and all-day dining restaurant. READ MORE
10. Cooper Carry Announces Expansion of its Johnson Studio to New York
Atlanta-based design firm Cooper Carry has announced the expansion of its Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry with the launch of a new restaurant, hospitality, and club design studio in New York. Following roles with Tihany Design and Rockwell Group, Ray Chung will lead the new studio at the firm's Manhattan offices, which aims to better position the Johnson Studio for new design opportunities in the Northeast. The Johnson Studio and Cooper Carry merged earlier this year. READ MORE
