New hotels: Amsterdam, Dubai, Casablanca, Taipei

In overseas hotel developments, there’s a new Hilton in the middle of Amsterdam’s airport; Four Seasons breaks into the Morocco market; Starwood cuts the ribbon on a new luxury property in Dubai; and Taipei adds a pair of new hotels.

The old Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which opened in 1972 right in the middle of the airport property, has closed down and been replaced by a brand new property right next door. The new one is also called the Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It has 433 rooms including 12 suites; 96 of them are Executive rooms, with access to an Executive Lounge. And it has 23 meeting rooms, with a ballroom that accommodates up to 640 persons. There’s also a lobby bar, a restaurant called The Bowery, a 24-hour fitness facility, and a spa. Rates start at $235.

Four Seasons Hotels recently cut the ribbon on a new property in Casablanca, Morocco. The Four Seasons Casablanca’s oceanside location in the upscale Anfa neighborhood is 10 minutes from the city center and its financial district. The hotel has 186 rooms, 12,400 square feet of flexible meeting space, a French brasserie restaurant called Bleu, a spa and a 1,600 square foot pool. Rates start at $319.

Starwood’s newest property in the Middle East is The St. Regis Dubai, in the “urban resort” development called Al Habtoor City on Sheikh Zayed Road. The St. Regis will eventually be joined by a W and a Westin in the same location. The architecture and interiors of the 234-room (with 54 suites, including the two-story, thee-bedroom Royal Suite) St. Regis are a tribute to the St. Regis in New York. Dining options include a steakhouse, a brasserie and a cafe. The hotel also has two bars, a spa, 24-houir fitness facility and a pair of rooftop pools. Nightly rates begin at $416.

There’s a new Courtyard by Marriott in Taipei, Taiwan: The 465-room property occupies the seventh through 30th floors of a skyscraper above the CityLink Shopping Mall, the Nangang metro station and Taiwan High-Speed Rail station. Rooms start at 36 square meters, and the hotel offers an all-day dining restaurant with international cuisine, a Cantonese restaurant, a tea/cocktail lounge and a fitness center. Rates start at $140.

Another newly opened hotel in Taipei is Starwood’s Aloft Taipei Zhongshan, the first Aloft in Taiwan. Ten minutes from Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA), it’s in the city’s northeast downtown area, close to the Zhongshan Elementary School metro station. The new 88-room Aloft offers SPG Keyless room entry, and rooms come with free Wi-Fi and 42-inch LCD TVs with plug and play connectivity. The Aloft also offers its signature WXYZ bar, and Re:Fuel grab-and-go market. Introductory rates start at $163 including breakfast.