Today in the travel industry we’re watching some major developments in the hotel space.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company just opened its first golf resort in China, The Ritz-Carlton, Haikou, on Hainan Island. Set within the 350-acre Blackstone Course that weaves its way around the Mission Hills Golf Club, the new luxury resort offers guests 175 rooms, 16 suites and a rooftop bar and patio, dubbed Flair Bar, that serves cocktails with local fruits like lychee. Guests can also check out the Tin Lung Heen Cantonese fine dining restaurant or the Terra restaurant, which serves a variety of cuisines from a rotating chef lineup. There is also a spa, indoor and outdoor event spaces, and a special Golfer’s Yoga on the lawn.
The new resort marks the latest in a string of major openings and renovations in China. Also on Hainan Island, the 249 room and suite Langham, Haikou opened this past May in a location near the center of the Hainan provincial capital. This past summer, the Wanda Reign on the Bund, billed as Shanghai’s first “seven-star hotel,” opened with 193 guest rooms, including 14 suites, and views of the Huangpu River and Pudong, as well as amenities like wireless control dashboards, valet service boxes and five different restaurants. The Peninsula Beijing recently completed a major renovation, reducing its room count to 525 and enlarging each one to be more suite like. Looking ahead, the Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li is scheduled to open this March in a set of heritage buildings in Shanghai’s historic district. It will have 55 “shikumen” villas serviced by personal assistants, as well as a library, French brasserie, spa and retail space.
In other major hotel news, the boutique W Hotels brand just signed a deal to move into Budapest. The W Budapest will be housed in the Drechsler Palace on Andrassy Avenue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Palace will be fully renovated before the hotel opens, when it will have 162 guest rooms and suites, a restaurant and destination bar, the brand’s W Living Room lobby, a spa, fitness center and pool.
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