NCL drops
option for third megaship
Norwegian
shipbuilder Aker Yards said NCL
Corp. would not exercise its option for a third
150,000-ton, 4,200-passenger ship.
NCL entered the
megaship market in September 2006 with a $1.9 billion order for two
ships for delivery in 2009 and 2010, with an option for a third at
$897 million.
Raffles to
manage new resort in Bali
Raffles Hotels
& Resorts agreed to manage a luxury resort in Bali that will
open in 2010 on the scenic Jimbaran coast, about 15 minutes from
Bali's international airport in Denpasar.
With some 90 luxury
villas and 25 private residences, the Raffles
Amartha will be built to resemble a water palace with
classical, Javanese-Hindu architecture.
Amenities will
include a spa, a golf course and private plunge pools for the
villas.
Accor to
expand Motel 6 brand
Accor completed the sale of its Red
Roof Inn chain to an investor consortium for $1.3 billion
and will now focus on its Motel 6 and
Studio 6 brands in North America. Accor plans to
add more than 200 Motel 6 properties in the U.S. and Canada by
2010.
Alaska Air
buys Hawaiian operator
Alaska
Airlines, gearing up for the Dec. 9 launch of
Anchorage-Honolulu service, acquired the assets of Hawaiian
Vacations, a charter tour operator based in
Anchorage.
The airline
acquired the Hawaiian Vacation's Web address, brand name and
current booked business, which will become part of Alaska Airlines
Vacations. Hawaiian Vacations will cease operations on Jan.
13.
New chain
pitches 'affordable luxury'
A Dutch firm plans
a chain of hotels with compact rooms modeled after sleeping
quarters on yachts and private jets. Called
CitizenM, the hotels will offer "affordable luxury," said Michael Levie, CEO of the
CitizenM hotel group.
The first will open
at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in 2008 with 230 rooms, each with a
king-size bed, a wall-to-wall window, a flat-screen TV, free
on-demand movies, complimentary Internet access and a stand-up
shower. Rates will start at about $95.
Court
ruling sends Norway to breaker
India's
Supreme Court authorized a shipyard in Alang to begin
breaking up the Norway, originally the liner
France and later the flagship of Norwegian Cruise Line.
Relying on a
technical report by a court-appointed expert, the court overruled
objections by environmentalists that the vessel was full of toxic
asbestos.
Idled after a
boiler room explosion and fire in 2003, the Norway has been
awaiting its fate off Alang's coast for more than a year.
Hilton
readies for private buyout
Hilton
Hotels stockholders will meet on Sept. 18 to consider the
Blackstone Group's $26 billion offer to buy the
company and take it private.
The deal is
expected to be approved, but analysts said the vote could be
delayed if board members had a lot of questions.
Hilton officials
said they were not aware of any changes to the terms since the
original offer, which translates to $47.50 a share, more than 40%
above the stock's price the day before the sale was announced July
3.
Virgin
America goes live in Sabre
Virgin
America went live in the Sabre system,
which is making all of the airline's fares available to Sabre GDS
subscribers worldwide.
San Francisco-based
Virgin America launched service last month with an arrangement with
Galileo.
Royals to
launch next Cunard liner
Camilla
Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, will christen
Cunard Line's newest ship, the Queen Victoria,
during a Dec. 10 ceremony before 2,000 guests in Southampton,
England. Cunard said it was continuing a tradition
of having its Queens named by a member of the British Royal
Family.
Parker Bowles will
be accompanied by her husband, Prince Charles, during four days of
inaugural festivities. The 90,000-ton Queen Victoria will depart on
its maiden voyage on Dec. 11.
Norwegian
Coastal adopts new name
Norwegian
Coastal Voyage changed its name to
Hurtigruten, the name that its Norwegian parent
company has used for over 100 years. Pronounced "HER-teh-groo-ten,"
the new name appears on all the company's literature, on its Web
site and on its 15 ships. It will still say NCV under Hurtigruten
to remind people still familiar with the former name.
Previously known as
Bergen Line, the expedition cruise line adopted the Hurtigruten
name in the U.K. last year.
Marriott to
open spas by the dozen
Marriott plans to open 12 Quan
Spas, which feature treatments based on local cultures and
traditions, at hotels in the Asia-Pacific region over the next two
years.
The next Quan spas
will open when the Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel opens later
this month and when the JW Marriott Hotel Beijing opens in
November.
John
Haskins named ASTA's Travel Agent of the Year
John
Haskins of Viking Travel in Naperville, Ill., was named
ASTA's Travel Agent of the Year at TheTradeShow.
Other award recipients were Adam
Goldstein,
CEO of Royal
Caribbean International, Allied Member of the
Year; and Dave Stockert, director of
sales and training for Holland America
Line, winner of ASTA's Lifetime Achievement
Award.
Also, ASTA named
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, CEO of Carlson Cos., to
its Travel Hall of Fame, recognizing her
commitment to the travel industry in the U.S. and abroad as well as her management of a major company that
operates in multiple travel sectors.
Friends
& Colleagues
John
Severini announced his resignation as president of
Trafalgar Tours, effective Sept. 21. Robert
Friedman, vice president of sales, has been promoted to
president. Severini has served as president of Trafalgar since
December 2002. He said he was planning to join his wife, Kim, in
her travel and marketing company. Prior to joining Trafalgar,
Friedman was regional vice president at Royal Caribbean Cruises. "
" " Cruise Holidays appointed Sylvain Martel as
its new director of product development and vendor strategy. Martel
most recently worked for MSC Cruises as vice president of sales. "
" "Olivier Poirot was named CEO of Motel 6/Studio
6 and Accor North America. Poirot was previously Accor North
America's CFO. Georges Le Mener, Accor North
America's president and CEO, will retire. Jim
Amorosia, Motel 6/Studio 6 COO, was named president and
COO with expanded duties, including day-to-day marketing of the
brand. " " " Dennis Nau was named vice president
of brand operations for the new Nickelodeon Resorts by Marriott.
Nau has been with Marriott since 1985, most recently as general
manager of the New York Marriott East Side.