Tauck to boost river fleet in 2014
Tauck plans to add two newbuilds to its fleet of European river ships in 2014, the first new ships since Tauck launched the 118-passenger Treasures in 2011. The vessels, to launch in March and June of 2014, will bring the total number of Tauck river ships in Europe to six. In addition to the two new ships, Tauck is introducing four river cruise itineraries in 2014 on the Seine, Rhine and Danube rivers.
L.A. hotel to get Hyatt Regency flag
Hyatt will reflag what had been a Marriott hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The 491-room hotel, which was built in 1983, will undergo $20 million in renovations prior to its reflagging in May. China-based Shenzhen New World Group, which acquired the property in foreclosure in 2010, pulled Marriott's flag last August and has since called the property the L.A. Hotel Downtown.
Spirit to add four new routes
Spirit Airlines set April 25 as the launch date for new Las Vegas routes from Baltimore/Washington and Philadelphia, and from Houston to Los Angeles. On the same day, the carrier starts seasonal Minneapolis-Denver service, which will operate through Nov. 6.
Delta clubs to get airport terraces
Delta will develop the airline's first outdoor airport terrace, called the Sky Deck, at the Delta Sky Clubs at Atlanta and New York Kennedy. The terrace at Kennedy will be in the airline's expanded Terminal 4, opening in May. The new space in Atlanta will open this summer at the Delta Sky Club in Concourse F.
Mexico waives rule on traveling minors
Unaccompanied minors traveling to Mexico no longer need a notarized letter from their parent or guardian authorizing the trip. The regulation has been suspended until Jan. 24, 2014, by the Ministry of Tourism and National Institute of Migration. Prior to the suspension, anyone under 18 traveling alone or accompanied by one parent or legal guardian had to carry a notarized letter signed by both parents or by the absent parent granting permission to enter/exit the country. The regulation had proven to be a cumbersome roadblock for student groups and for minors traveling with one parent.
Roosevelt brand eyed for Miami site
Commune Hotels & Resorts, the parent of Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre, plans to convert a Miami Beach apartment building into a 388-room hotel under the Roosevelt brand next year. John Pritzker, Commune co-chairman, acquired the building for $100 million through his Geolo Capital. Thompson, which merged with Joie de Vivre in 2011, manages the 86-year-old Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles as well as Miami's Hotel Victor.
Kempinski opens in Masai Mara
Kempinski Hotels opened its first property in Kenya, the all-inclusive, 12-unit Olare Mara Kempinski, Masai Mara Tented Camp, 175 road miles west of Nairobi and accessible by air. Available activities include evening game drives. With the opening of Villa Rosa Kempinski Nairobi in the spring, visits to the camp can be combined with overnights in Nairobi, Kempinski said.
Friends & Colleagues
Starwood Capital Group named C. Scott Rohm president of SH Group, Starwood Capital's hotel brand management company that oversees the development and launch of the group's two new luxury and lifestyle hotel and residence brands, Baccarat Hotels and 1 Hotels & Resorts. Rohm has spent nearly 30 years in the hospitality industry. Most recently he was president of the Turnberry Hotel Group. He has also held executive posts with the West Paces Hotel Group (now Capella Hotel Group), Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. • • • John Vavrina has been named vice president of sales at CIE Tours International. CIE Tours' previous vice president of sales, Jim Kelly, has assumed the role of vice president of national accounts. Vavrina comes to CIE Tours from Grand Circle Travel, where he was director of affinity group sales. Prior to Grand Circle, Vavrina served as director of inside sales at Collette Vacations. • • • Gogo Vacations has appointed Randy Alleyne vice president of sales. Alleyne is a newcomer to the travel industry. Most recently, he was an executive vice president of sales and strategy for business services company RSG Alliance, where he also sat on its board. Prior to that, Alleyne held vice president-level spots with brands such as Cydcor, Banfield/PetSmart and Circuit City. • • • The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association named Vanessa Ledesma to the new post of director of operations. Ledesma also will retain her current position as director of conferences and events, a job she has held for 12 years.