Senate
advances visa waiver bill
More countries
would qualify to participate in the Visa Waiver Program, under the
"Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11
Commission Act of 2007," a wide-ranging security bill
approved by the Senate.
The measure also
provides funds for a "model ports" program under which 20
international airports in the U.S. would be designated to receive
informational videos and other added services to aid arriving
foreign visitors. The bill would also allow the hiring of at least
200 new U.S. Customer and Border Protection officers. The Senate
bill now has to be reconciled with a similar version approved by
the House.
Wyndham
brand makes China debut
Wyndham disclosed
plans to debut the Wyndham brand name in China in the fourth
quarter when it opens a 550-room hotel now under construction in
Xiamen, Fujian Province.
The
Wyndham Xiamen will be the first property in Asia
to be fully managed by Wyndham, whose parent, Wyndham Worldwide,
has 84 franchised properties in China under its Ramada, Days Inn,
Howard Johnson and Super 8 brands.
Europe's
first Aloft will be in Brussels
Starwood signed a deal with the Thornsett
Group, an Irish property developer, to put up an
Aloft hotel in Brussels, the
first European site for the new lifestyle brand. The 150-room
new-build will be near the European Parliament and several European
Commission offices.
Retail space and
a residential component with 108 one- and two-bedroom apartments
are also part of the project. Construction is to begin this year,
with completion scheduled for late 2009.
Carnival
to build Honduras terminal
Carnival Corp.
& plc agreed to build and operate a $50 million terminal called
Mahogany Bay on the island of Roatan, Honduras, in partnership with
Jerry Hynds, owner of an adjacent resort.
Construction
starts in the fall for completion in mid-2009. The two-berth
terminal will house a 35,000-square-foot welcome center with retail
stores, restaurants and other attractions.
U.K.
cruise line plans U.S. cruises
Fred.
Olsen Cruise Lines will base a ship in the U.S. for the
first time in 2008, with 10- and 11-day cruises from Miami to the
Caribbean and Central America from March 3, plus fall foliage
cruises in the Northeast after a summer in Europe.
The ship will be
the 34,000-ton Balmoral, now sailing as NCL's
Norwegian Crown, but due to transfer to the Fred. Olsen fleet for
refurbishments in October. Initially, the line expects to source
about 20% of the ship's passengers from the U.S.
Two
hotels in Japan to be Sheratons
Starwood will
plant two new Sheraton flags in Japan next month,
adding the Sheraton name to the 492-room Miyako
Tokyo and the 575-room Miyako Osaka,
under a new franchising pact with Kintetsu Hotel Systems, which
also owns the Westin Miyako Kyoto.
ASTA
publishes benchmark report
ASTA published the first of a promised
series of Financial Benchmarking Reports analyzing
salaries, benefits, sales, revenue and expense data for a
representative group of ASTA retailers.
Regent to
debut in the Caribbean
Regent
Hotels & Resorts will debut in the Caribbean on April
2 with the 72-suite Regent Palms Turks and Caicos
on Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales. Regent assumed management of
the resort, the former Palms, in September 2006. Since then, Regent
has increased staff by 20%, added a concierge and introduced
upgraded linens. A renovated and expanded spa opens later this
spring.
Continental boosts Dreamliner
order
Continental boosted its order for Boeing's
new 787 Dreamliner from 20 to 25 aircraft and
designated 17 of the aircraft as the Dash-9 version, a stretched
model with greater range. The 787-9 will seat up to 290 passengers,
about 40 more than the base model. Continental, the first U.S.
carrier to order the stretched version, is slated to take delivery
of its first Dreamliner in 2009.
Golden
Tulip flags first hotel in China
Golden
Tulip Hospitality signed its first hotel management deal
in China, arranging to take over the 283-room Shanghai Eastern
Airline Hotel in Shanghai on April 1. The four-star property will
be renamed the Golden Tulip Shanghai Riverside.
Golden Tulip, which has 630 hotels in 49 countries, said it plans
to develop a network of 200 hotels across China "in the medium to
long term."
Friends
& Colleagues
The Hawaii Tourism Authority named
David Uchiyama marketing director. Uchiyama had been
regional director of communications for Starwood Hotels &
Resorts in Hawaii and French Polynesia for more than 10 years. " "
" Island Destinations hired Laurie Palumbo as COO.
She is in charge of product management and development for all of
the company's destinations in the Caribbean, the Pacific and the
company's new destinations, Dubai and the Maldives. Palumbo had 25
years of service with Gogo Worldwide Vacations, where she worked
her way up to senior vice president. " " " Kevin
McElroy, president and COO of CI Travel in Norfolk, Va.,
was named vice president of the board of directors for the Society
of Government Travel Professionals. CI Travel has been a member of
the SGTP since its founding in 1984, and McElroy has represented
the company for most of that time. " " " JetBlue hired
Russell Chew to become the airline's COO. Chew
left the Federal Aviation Administration in February after four
years as COO. He previously worked for 17 years at American
Airlines. " " " The Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H.,
namedJeff Voth sales manager. Voth was director of
sales for the Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel, Maine. " " "
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts appointed Indu Brar
general manager of the Fairmont Winnipeg Hotel in Manitoba's
capital city. She was director of operations for the Fairmont
Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta for four years.