Marriott opens at Atlanta airport
Marriott opened the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway adjacent to the Georgia International Convention Center and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The hotel boasts 403 rooms and 18 suites plus 21,000 square feet of flexible meetings space. The hotel is about two minutes from the airport via the ATL SkyTrain.
Fairmont unit sells Copley Plaza hotel
FelCor Lodging Trust agreed to acquire Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza from a Fairmont affiliate for $98.5 million. Fairmont will continue to manage the 383-room landmark. FelCor said the purchase price comes to approximately $257,000 per key, which it called "a significant discount to replacement cost."
Micronesia units secure airline debt
Continental is planning to issue $800 million in five-year notes and will secure the notes, in part, with its Air Micronesia and Continental Micronesia subsidiaries, along with other assets, including routes, slots and airport leases. The airline plans to use about $350 million of the net proceeds to repay debt under its secured term loan facility and the rest for general corporate purposes.
Sheraton reflags Lake resort in India
Sheraton took over management of the Rockwood Palace Resort & Spa on Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur, India. Now called the Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa, the 240-room hotel will soon add private pool rooms and family suites.
U.S. Travel creates Gulf travel website
DiscoverAmerica.com, a unit of the U.S. Travel Association, launched a Web portal to update travelers about Gulf Coast destinations that might be affected by the oil spill. The portal, at GulfTravelUpdate.com, offers links to travel information sites for the four affected states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi) plus links to federal, state and local sources, oil spill news and maps depicting oil sightings and beach conditions.
Gogo vouchers go electronic
Gogo Worldwide Vacations is advising agents that clients no longer need to present paper vouchers to suppliers while traveling. Instead, a photo ID will suffice. Gogo's new Calypso technology platform enables the company to report to suppliers what clients have paid for. Clients are still provided with an e-itinerary. Vouchers are still required for all Orlando, Anaheim and Disney bookings.
Aloft brand arrives in Indian market
Starwood opened its first Aloft hotel in India. The Aloft Chennai OMR-IT Expressway is a 130-room property in Chennai, a center of IT and software development.
Speed bump slows Jewel of the Seas
The Jewel of the Seas called in Visby, Sweden, last week, instead of Stockholm, due to a propulsion problem that forced the ship to cruise at reduced speeds. Royal Caribbean said it planned to replace a hydraulic motor while in St. Petersburg, Russia, and did not expect any other disruptions to the scheduled itinerary.
Friends & Colleagues
Loews Hotels promoted Debbie Castillo to vice president of hotel sales. Castillo, a 24-year veteran of the industry, had served as regional vice president of sales and marketing since 2004 and has been with Loews since 1999. Prior to joining Loews Hotels, Castillo was regional director of marketing with Sonesta Hotels & Resorts. • • • MLT Vacations named Gina Gabbard national sales manager. Gabbard started her career with MLT as a business development manager based in Memphis. Prior to accepting her latest post, she served as regional sales manager for the Northeastern U.S. • • • Viceroy Hotel Group named Jeff David general manager of its Viceroy Anguilla property. Part of the prelaunch team as the Viceroy Anguilla's resort manager from 2007 to 2009, David left to become general manager of the Viceroy Snowmass, which opened in the fall of 2009 in Colorado. David began his hospitality career in 1992 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Calif. • • • The Rocco Forte Collection has appointed Karim Naffah managing director. Naffah has acted as a consultant to the company since July 2009. His appointment will enable Rocco Forte, founder and executive chairman of the group, to devote more time to spearheading the expansion of the luxury hotel and resorts business, primarily via management contracts.
This column appeared in the Aug. 9 issue of Travel Weekly.