Airbnb to bring Festival of Hosting to Los Angeles

Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company, today reveals how its annual community gathering, the Airbnb Open, will be transformed this year into a festival of hosting. The third Airbnb Open will take place in downtown Los Angeles in November and combine visionary talks and company updates with music, art and food, celebrating the very best of this eclectic and resurgent city.

Last year, Airbnb welcomed over 5,000 hosts from 110 countries to Paris, France where we also announced we would host Airbnb Open 2016 in Los Angeles. This year, Airbnb plans to expand the scope of the Airbnb Open, welcoming both hosts and guests from its community as well as local Angelenos and others to explore the future of travel and hospitality.

The Sebel Kirkton Park Hunter Valley unveils multi-million dollar transformation

Under the command of internationally renowned award-winning interior designer, Greg Natale, the historic The Sebel Kirkton Park Hunter Valley has received a multi-million dollar refurbishment which has transformed the resort from quaint country manor to 21st Century sophisticated chic, setting a new benchmark for hospitality in the Hunter Valley region.

All 70 guestrooms and interior public spaces have been rejuvenated by Greg Natale and his team, combining classic country heritage character with contemporary elegance. Upon arrival, guests are welcomed into an intimate arrivals precinct, complete with Natale’s Hudson lounge chairs and tables, and Ralph Lauren lamps. The reception and atrium are coated in Natale’s Atlantic Blue wallpaper from Porter’s Paints. Continuing up the grand hall, the glass-domed ceiling has now become a classic congregational atrium area with a custom-built circular bench seat – a feature that adds to the drama and sense of arrival.

Complimentary breakfast included in hotel stays across Choice Hotels Asia-Pac properties

Choice Hotels Asia-Pac, one of Australia’s largest hotel franchise groups, is excited to launch its Free Continental Breakfast campaign today. With more than 200 participating properties across Australia, guests can now fill up on a free continental breakfast to start their day for stays between 15 July and 24 December 2016.

Launching the new campaign, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac CEO Trent Fraser said: “Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. Our guests can now wake up knowing we’ve got them covered with our free continental breakfast offer.”

This is the first time Choice Hotels Asia-Pac will offer free breakfast across its network of Ascend Hotel Collection, Clarion, Quality, Comfort and Econo Lodge hotels for up to two people.

Quest Eight Mile Plains breaks ground

Graystone has turned the sod on the $21m development of Quest Eight Mile Plains; one of three brand new developments in Quest’s Brisbane pipeline, which will add more than 270 rooms to the market.

Located within Queensland’s premier business park – Brisbane Technology Park, just a 12-minute drive from the Brisbane CBD, Quest Eight Mile Plains will feature 90 apartments – a mix of studios and one, two and three bedroom apartments.

Quest CEO, Zed Sanjana was onsite for the turning of the sod, joined by Federal Member for Moreton, Mr Graham Perrett MP, and representatives from Graystone, Stronghold Investment Management and Benlee Company.

AccorHotels celebrates 25 years in Australia with Paris promo

AccorHotels is celebrating 25 years today, and is giving Australian’s the chance to win a trip for two to the group’s birthplace, Paris.

When the Novotel was born, Darling Harbour was nothing more than an industrial freight dock, and many thought that Darling Harbour and the hotels there – including AccorHotels’ ibis and Grand Mercure Apartments which opened in 1995 – would become white elephants, but the Group had the vision to see Darling Harbour’s potential as a prime tourism asset that is still making headlines.

A quarter century later, AccorHotels is continuing to play a role in Darling Harbour’s future with the new-build luxury Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour hotel expected to open in 2017 as part of the $2.5 billion transformation of the precinct.

In 25 Years, AccorHotels helped change the face of the Australian hotel industry, introducing a range of innovations and brands that covers the full spectrum from luxury to economy (Sofitel, MGallery By Sofitel, Pullman, Quay West, The Sebel, Novotel, Grand Mercure, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis Budget) and now reaches over 200 hotels in all corners of the country.

Conrad Hotels & Resorts to debut smart luxury in the South Pacific

Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Worldwide‘s luxury hotel portfolio for the new smart luxury traveller, announced the signing of a franchise agreement with SA BORA BORA NUI for the Conrad Bora Bora Nui. The 115-key resort, formerly known as Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa, will undergo a multimillion-dollar refurbishment and open as Conrad Bora Bora Nui in March 2017.

“We are pleased to be expanding our brand portfolio in the French Polynesia region, where we established our presence in 2009. This agreement underscores our strong commitment to this key market, which has demonstrated its resilience and its enduring appeal to travellers around the world,” said Robert Scullin, vice president development Australasia, Hilton Worldwide.