A guest suite at the Viceroy L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)
In U.S. hotel news, a Beverly Hills classic gets a makeover and new management; Starwood adds an Aloft near LAX; a Spanish chain opens its first New York property; Hyatt is getting a new presence in Miami Beach; and Ace Hotels opens a New Orleans location.
The former L’Ermitage Beverly Hills has been renovated and rebranded as the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills following a 10-month renovation. Viceroy also operates upscale properties in Miami, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica and Abu Dhabi, along with some resorts. Guest accommodations at the luxury all-suite L’Ermitage start at 650 square feet. Besides redesigning the hotel’s 116 suites, Viceroy made over its meeting rooms and added a French bistro called Avec Nous. Rates in April start at $479.
Guest accommodations at the new Aloft Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. (Image: Starwood)
Elsewhere in the Los Angeles area, Starwood Hotels has scheduled an April 12 opening date for a new Aloft hotel in El Segundo, just two miles from Los Angeles International Airport (although the website says it is taking reservations for stays starting May 1). Located at 475 North Sepulveda Boulevard, the Aloft has 246 rooms along with a pool, fitness center, and the brand’s signature W Xyz Bar and Re: fuel by Aloft market. Self-parking will be available for $14 a day. Rates start at $153.
The new RIU Plaza near Times Square adds 600 rooms to New York City’s inventory. (Image: RIU Hotels)
RIU Hotels & Resorts, a group based in Spain, is known mostly for its Caribbean resorts, but the company has started an urban hotel division, and it just opened a new property in New York City. The Hotel RIU Plaza New York Times Square is at 305 West 46th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. It has 600 rooms on 29 floors, all equipped with mini-fridge, desk, and TV with multimedia connections. The new hotel’s restaurant and bar are still awaiting city licensing approval, but the property is offering “soft opening” rates as low as $109 a night!
The Thompson Miami Beach is joining Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. (Image: Thompson Hotels)
A subsidiary of Hyatt Hotels is buying the 380-room Thompson Miami Beach Hotel. Hyatt said that when the transaction closes later this month, the property will be rebranded as The Confidante, and will become a member of Hyatt’s recently-announced Unbound Collection. As a member of that group, The Confidante “will maintain its distinct character while providing guests and owners Hyatt’s award-winning customer loyalty program, robust operational and marketing resources and trusted, quality brand,” Hyatt said. (Other members of the new Unbound group include The Driskill in Austin and Hotel du Louvre in Paris.) Rates at the Thompson currently start around $239.
The lobby bar at the new Ace Hotel in New Orleans. (Image: Ace Hotels)
Ace Hotels, which has locations in Portland, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, has opened its newest hotel in New Orleans. The 234-room Ace Hotel is at 600 Carondelet Street, in a 90-year-old repurposed art deco building; it’s part of the South Market development in the city’s Warehouse District. It has a music venue called Three Keys with events happening most nights of the week; a rooftop garden called Alto with dining, cocktails and a pool; an Italian osteria called Josephine Estelle; and a lobby bar. Rooms have free Wi-Fi. Rates start at $169.
NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble
Do you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!
Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!
