| Francis Choi acquires Hong Kong Cathay Hotel | Return to Headlines |
| 15 March 2004 – According to the Hong Kong Standard, Francis Choi, the chairman of Early Light International Holdings, acquired Hong Kong Cathay Hotel in Causeway Bay for approximately HK$200 million or HK$860,000 per key. The group plans to convert the three-star, 232-room hotel into serviced apartments and spend approximately HK$100 million on renovations. | |
| Langham Hotels International to take over management of Sheraton Auckland | Return to Headlines |
| 15 March 2004 – Hong Kong’s Langham Hotels International (LHI) announced the rebranding of the Sheraton Auckland Hotel and Towers in New Zealand under its Langham brand. The group acquired the hotel in 1997 and will take over the management and operation of the establishment in January 2005 when the current management contract with Starwood expires at the end of the year. Furthermore, LHI will at the same time take over the management of its wholly-owned Sheraton Towers Southgate in Melbourne, Australia. | |
| Sunway H&R adds 17 new villas at Sunway Lagoon Resort KL | Return to Headlines |
| 16 March 2004 – Sunway Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of 17 new villas at Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The RM25million villas, located within the 800-acre landmark of Sunway Lagoon Resort, took one year to complete. Owned by Sunway City Berhad, the Villas are managed by Allson International. | |
| Shangri-La Maldives Resort & Spa is due for December 04 | Return to Headlines |
| 16 March 2004 – The Shangri-La Maldives Resort & Spa, Villingili Island, is scheduled to open on the Addu Atoll in the south of the Maldives in December 2004. Upon completion, the resort will comprise a total of 250 villas, including 65 water bungalows, 143 villas and 42 semi-detached houses. | |
| Tourism developments in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam | Return to Headlines |
| 16 March 2004 – According to the Voice of Vietnam, the province of Tien Giang, south of Vietnam, has invested US$6.45 million on nine tourism projects, one of which will be operational by the end of this year. These include Tan Thanh beach tourism site, Hang Duong tourism site, Tien River hotel refurbishment and Huong Duong hotel. | |
| Casino on Sentosa Island? | Return to Headlines |
| 16 March 2004 – According to the Channel NewsAsia, Singapore is considering building a casino on Sentosa and the Southern Islands. Sentosa and the Southern Islands will be linked by either boat or a bridge. The project will also include hotels, marinas, spas and convention centres. | |
| Radisson Tahiti sets to open | Return to Headlines |
| 17 March 2004 – The Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti is set to open in June 2004 in French Polynesia. Situated along La Fayette beach in the town of Arue, the resort will comprise 165 rooms, including 86 ocean-view rooms, 53 suites and 26 duplex suites. Furthermore, the hotel will comprise 2,500 square feet meeting space as well as spa and water sport facilities. | |
| Flag Choice Hotels increase room revenue to franchisees with HotelPass | Return to Headlines |
| 17 March 2004 – Australia’s Flag Choice Hotels has reported for 2003 a 10% increase in room revenue to franchisees from its international HotelPass product. Revenue from the group’s flagchoice.com internet site and travel agent GDP has increased by 20%. Furthermore, the group has signed 40 new franchise agreements under its Comfort Inn, Quality and Clarion brands across the region over the past 12 months. | |
| P&O Resort islands on the market in Australia | Return to Headlines |
| 17 March 2004 – P&O Resorts has put up for sale its portfolio of resort islands in Australia. P&O Resorts operates the luxury islands of Lizard and Bedarra, Dunk, Brampton, Heron and Wilson and a lodge on the Daintree River as well as one in Tasmania. The sell-off is part of P&O's policy of consolidating around its core activities such as ports and ferries operations in Europe. | |
| Visitor arrivals to Australia up 6% in January 2004 | Return to Headlines |
| 17 March 2004 – International visitor arrivals to Australia recorded an increase of 6% in January 2004 compared to 2003. The key feeder markets were New Zealand, Japan, China and Hong Kong. In particular, visitor arrivals from China were reported to have increased by 50% to 31,000. | |
| Sunway Construction Berhad to develop hotel at KLCC | Return to Headlines |
| 18 March 2004 –Sunway Construction Berhad has been awarded an RM193.4million contract by Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Sdn Bhd to develop a business hotel at KLCC. According to the STAR, quoting the construction company, the proposed property will comprise 571 guest rooms and is scheduled to be completed by December 2005. | |
| New Zealand’s Skycity Auckland Convention Centre opens in April | Return to Headlines |
| 18 March 2004 –The new Skycity Auckland Convention Centre in New Zealand is set to open in April. The convention centre is part of the A$140 million mixed-use development which will also include a hotel component. The A$75 million Skycity Grand Hotel will comprise 316 rooms and is scheduled to open in April 2005. The Skycity Auckland Convention Centre and Skycity Grand Hotel developments are part of Skycity Auckland’s expansion project. The project will include extension to the main gaming floor, the development of a new gaming floor and bar as well as the addition of a new retail store at the base of Sky Tower. | |
| Voyages Alice Springs Resort to undergo A$2.2 million renovation | Return to Headlines |
| 18 March 2004 –Voyages Alice Springs Resort in Australia will undergo an A$2.2 million renovation. The project will include the refurbishment of the standard rooms, restaurant and conference facilities and add an additional bar. The upgrade is due to be completed in July. | |
| Jinjiang International to expand worldwide | Return to Headlines |
| 18 March 2004 –Jinjiang International Holdings Co Ltd is seeking to expand its portfolio worldwide through acquisition, management contracts and joint venture agreements. The company signed its first overseas hotel agreement in the Netherlands last month. | |
| Chiplun Hotels acquires Taj Gateway Riverview Lodge | Return to Headlines |
| 19 March 2004 –According to Hotelier & Caterer, India’s Chiplun Hotels acquired the Taj Gateway Riverview Lodge property in Chiplun for Rs 3.04 crore. Chiplun Hotel is a joint venture between Kamal Bhatia of K Bhatia Estates & Holdings Pvt Ltd and Reyaz Mama of Ratan Mama Consultants (RMC), Mumbai. Taj Hotels will continue to manage the 37-room property. | |
| Visitor arrivals to Australia up 6.3% in February | Return to Headlines |
| 19 March 2004 –According to the Australian Bureau of Statistic, visitor arrivals to Australia in February increased by 6.3% compared to 2003. Visitor arrivals from New Zealand increased by 24.8%, Thailand by 15.5%, Germany by 14.5% and South Korea by 8.4%. | |
