NEW YORK -- Once a bit gritty, Manhattan's West 44th Street is
spiffing up with a shiny tower attached to the Millennium Broadway
hotel.
After taking over the former Macklowe Hotel in Times Square in
1995, the firm began construction on a 22-story tower of luxury
rooms slated to open this fall.
And just as Times Square is emerging into a new, neon-lighted
era, the 3-year-old Millennium group is emerging as a global hotel
brand.
Since opening the New York hotel, London-based Millennium Hotels
has added 11 four-star hotels, all aimed at meetings and business
travelers.
Four of the properties are located in London and three are in
New Zealand (in Christchurch, Queenstown and Rotorua). The others
are in Sydney, Australia; Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, the
Philippines.
The Millennium group also includes Copthorne Hotels, which it
bought from Aer Lingus in October 1995. Copthorne caters mainly to
domestic travelers and includes 11 hotels in the U.K., two in
France, two in Germany and 10 in New Zealand.
In January, the group tapped former Hilton International
executive John Wilson as its chief executive officer.
The key strategy he plans to carry over from his Hilton days is
"branding," Wilson said in an interview here. What he won't bring
from Hilton: "bureaucracy."
In Paris, the 163-room, 1920's-era Millennium Commodore will
reopen this August with new meeting facilities after a year-long
overhaul.
Meeting space will increase from 650 to 6,500 square feet at the
hotel. The Opera room will host up to 100 people theater-style, and
three boardrooms will accommodate up to 30 people.
In New York, the Art Deco Millennium Broadway will add a
boardroom and about 125 luxury rooms in its upcoming tower, called
Premier at Millennium Broadway. The 627-room hotel currently has 33
meeting rooms in a 100,000-square-foot, five-floor conference
center.
The firm also owns the adjacent 1903 Hudson Theater, which
accommodates up to 700 people (Bill Gates hosted a Windows '95
launch there). For receptions, the theater includes a foyer with a
domed stained-glass ceiling.
In London, Millennium unveiled four hotels last fall: Millennium
Britannia Mayfair, Millennium Chelsea Knightsbridge, Millennium
Gloucester London and Millennium Bailey's London.
The Britannia will add a 575-capacity ballroom and another 25
guest rooms in March 1999. "There's been a shortage of good meeting
space in the U.K.," Wilson said.
Last August, the group opened the Millennium Conference Centre
in the South Kensington area of London.
Built between its Gloucester and Bailey's hotels, the center
accommodates up to 640 people for a reception and 500
theater-style.
Millennium's mission is to add U.S. hotels, Wilson said.
Targets include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles
and San Francisco, he said.
In New York, the group also owns the Millennium Hilton, managed
by Hilton, and 42% of the Plaza Hotel, managed by Fairmont.