Hilton appoints director of resourcing for Europe and other international hotel news

Hilton appoints director of resourcing for Europe
Hilton Hotels has appointed Joelle Hellinckx as its first director of resourcing for Europe. The company also plans to recruit a supporting team of senior resourcing managers to look after specific areas within Europe. Hellinckx will be responsible for a team of more than 11,000 staff within the region and will focus on the recruitment and development of managerial positions. Hellinckx moves into the new role from director of human resources for Brussels Hilton and Conrad Hotels where she began work in 1984.

Starwood to launch Four Points by Sheraton in Tibet…
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is to launch its Four Points by Sheraton brand in Tibet with the opening of a new property in the capital city of Lhasa later this year. Located in the centre of Lhasa the 93-room hotel will include a meeting room, two restaurants and a lounge.

… and add two properties in China
Starwood also plans to introduce two new Four Points by Sheraton properties in China with the opening of the 254-room Four Points by Sheraton Lianyungang in 2009 and the 405-room Four Points by Sheraton Hainan, Sanya in 2010. Both hotels will include a number of dining outlets, conference and meeting facilities.

Middle East hotel sector continues to grow
Revenue per available room (revpar) in Middle East has risen by 13.7% in the first half of 2007 according to results from the Hotel Benchmark Survey. Dubai came top, while Muscat saw the strongest growth of any market in the Middle East. The survey contains the largest independent source of hotel performance data in the world, and tracks the performance of more than 7,200 hotels and 1.3 million rooms every month.

IHG rebrands Holiday Inn Select in Peru as Crowne Plaza
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to rebrand the Holiday Inn Select Lima hotel in Peru as the Crowne Plaza Lima, the brand's first property in the country. The change of the hotel will include a major refurbishment project of the property including the expansion and redesign of the lobby. IHG has also designated three floors of the property as Club Floors offering a lounge serving breakfasts and afternoon hors d'oeuvres. The hotel's restaurant has also been expanded and the business centre converted into a Cyber Café. Additionally, the hotel will soon be offering a full service spa.

By Owen Hill

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