hotels articles

Everybody wants to go to Berlin these days. The restored capital city of the unified Germany is a popular spot for highculture tourists, with its three opera houses and superb art collections, and also with younger folk who imagine they are following in the footsteps of Auden and Isherwood.

Then there are the would-be alternative types who head for the nightclubs, with their designer noise and designer drugs, and imagine that they are rebelling. Actually, in Berlin, more than anywhere else, these boring people are merely conforming.

Go to Kreuzberg, if you must, and savour the Turkish street life. Trot along to Neukölln, though it’s not nearly as decadent as is supposed. Far more enjoyable is Prenzlauerberg, where East meets West, and old meets new, in a way that remains — for the time being — fascinating. The old ‘ossis’ live in ramshackle apartments, next door to on-the-make professionals who favour pastel colours. There are student bars cheek by jowl with traditional inns, and it makes for an atmosphere quite unlike that of the more prosperous West. In this ever-changing city, it won’t last for ever.

In Potsdamerplatz, where the Wall separated the two cities, the scrubland of 15 years ago has been transformed into a booming commercial canyon of hotels, banks, cinemas, bars and offices. You wouldn’t recognise the place from Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s evocation of the square, which hangs nearby in the Neue Nationalgalerie. You might, however, recognise the description applied to this new Berlin by Sir Simon Rattle, who conducts the city’s great orchestra at the Philharmonie, one block away: ‘a cross between Manhattan and the Wild West’.

The area around Unter den Linden, the famous thoroughfare that serves as the spine of East Berlin, has also changed, and in almost every respect for the better. Walk from the station at Friedrichstrasse, where Western visitors used to alight, to the Deutsche Staatsoper, and it can be hard to recall the drabness that enveloped this part of the city. Some of the finest shopping and dining in Berlin can now be done here, and many of the grand hotels are a stone’s throw from the lime trees.

For all its history, and its significance, Berlin will never be mistaken for a beautiful city. Hamburg and Munich are more handsome places, and Cologne has the Rhine, that powerful symbol of the nation, flowing past its famous cathedral. But Berlin has witnessed a lot and is connected to the world in a way that only the great cities are. It is more like a city state: in Germany but not always of it. In this respect it sits comfortably alongside London, Paris and New York.

Berlin’s reputation as a lively city is well deserved, but it does not overwhelm you.

Unlike central London, which is overrun to the point of hopelessness, Berliners take their pleasures with more discrimination. In the West there is a small world-within-a-world, which people tend not to notice because it isn’t considered interesting enough for trendhungry travel editors. Savignyplatz is neither exclusively young and thrusting, nor a haven for old-timers. It is a place of cosy streets, gathered round a square that gives its name to an S-bahn station, where people of all types live, work and carouse.

If you turn right out of the Zoo station, weave past the drunks and down-and-outs who never seem to be moved on, you can reach Savignyplatz in five minutes, so it really is in the heart of Berlin. Strictly speaking, it occupies the space between Fasanenstrasse and Schlüterstrasse, two of the city’s most pleasant streets. In Fasanen you can sit with a coffee and strudel in the garden of the Literaturhaus. In Schlüter, night-time is the right time to visit Lutter and Wegner, a classic oak-panelled Berlin restaurant which dates from 1811, with friendly staff and a fine list of German wines. Marjellchen, a delightful East Prussian restaurant in Mommsenstrasse, is also a good place to satisfy the demanding appetite.

It is the square itself, though, that compels the visitor’s attention, particularly those who enjoy a drop or two. Ignore the trendy bars that have cropped up on the south-east side of the square. You can find those anywhere.

Instead head for Grolmanstrasse, on the other side of the rail tracks, and pop into Diener, which also carries the perplexingly English name of Tattersall. With its Spartan interior, its plain, inexpensive fare and the apparently unchanging cast of regulars, many of whom have seen better days, it could hardly do more to repel the casual barhopper. Yet, with its photographs of actors and music-hall stars, and its lived-in feel, it conveys a strong impression of Berlin as it was. Best to arrive at midnight, gently sauced, to get the most out of it.

Other bars worth a visit are Dicke Wirtin, on the north-east side of the square, which feels like an English pub, and Wirtshaus Wuppke, in Schlüterstrasse — a real German Kneipe, this one, full of men playing cards in the back room, and waitresses who observe the national credo, ‘it takes seven minutes to pour a good beer’. But the outstanding hostelry in this part of Berlin, in the whole of Berlin, is the great Zwiebelfisch.

NEW YORK — W Hotels, the world’s fastest growing luxury hotel brand, announced today plans to open the W Doha Hotel & Residences in Qatar, scheduled for the end of 2007. The W Doha, which will be located in the West Bay of Doha on the Qatar peninsula, is the brand’s second hotel planned for the Middle East following the W Dubai Festival City.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), W’s parent company, has entered into an agreement with the J&A Jaidah, principals of J&A Jaidah Holdings, one of the most well known and well respected private companies in the Middle East. Starwood will manage the hotel on behalf of J&A Jaidah. W Doha will feature 292 guest rooms, including 31 suites and 154 W Residences, multiple signature restaurants, a poolside outdoor shisha lounge, champagne bar, event space, and luxury retail space.

The W Doha will offer the Living Room experience the brand is known for, creating a place where guests and the local community can socialize, poolside lounge areas and spectacular views of the Arabian Gulf. Guests and residents will be treated to the W brand’s signature Whatever/Whenever(R) service, the hotel’s 24-hour concierge that can provide whatever guests want (from a pair of running shoes to private jet service), whenever they want it.

“W Doha will offer a level of design, energy and style that does not yet exist in Qatar while giving our guests access to some of the most authentic and treasured elements of the city, including shopping in traditional souks and desert safaris,” said Ross Klein, President of W Hotels Worldwide. “As the Middle East booms as a business and leisure destination, W is proud to offer a new kind experience for visitors and the local community in this region.”

United Designers of London, best known for designing projects around the world including U2’s The Clarence Hotel in Dublin and the Metropolitan Hotel in London, have been chosen as the designers for the W Doha project.

“Coming on the heels of the W Dubai Festival City announcement, W Doha is another wonderful step for the W brand in an incredibly exciting and dynamic region and another step for Starwood that further solidifies its position as the leading global hotel operator in the Middle East,” said Roeland Vos, President, Starwood Europe, Africa & Middle East.

Starwood was one of the first global hotel companies to operate in the Middle East through the Sheraton(R) brand and since its recent Le Meridien(R) brand acquisition, is the largest global operator in the region. As part of a larger global expansion, the W has announced plans to open hotels in Dubai, the Maldives, Barcelona, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Santiago, and Vieques.

When it comes to gay travel, much of the world is waving a rainbow flag these days. The number of choices has exploded and savvy destinations are marketing specifically to the community in an unprecedented way.

“When I first came on onboard in 1998, there were maybe a handful of destinations marketing to the gay or lesbian consumer,” says Ed Salvato, travel editor for mega-Web site Planet Out. “Zoom to eight years later and you have over 70 tourist boards around the world marketing to gay and lesbian travelers and a huge increase in the diversity of options.”

Not only are there more destinations eager to accept your rainbow-hued dollars, there are more services and resources available. The number of all-gay cruises, for instance, has expanded exponentially and Planet Out ’s Web site lists over 40 travel agents that specialize in gay travel. Informational sources are mushrooming, as well. In addition to Planet Out’s wealth of online information, Passport Magazine — the only national gay travel magazine on newsstands — covers a wide variety of destinations in both print and Web versions. Out Magazine also packages a periodical quarterly with its regular publication called Out Traveler and Purple Roofs offers listings from hotels to home trades.

“The value of the market has become recognized,” says Don Tuthill, publisher of Passport, “because they realize what we’ve known all along: that we travel ten times as much as other markets.”

Why gay-specific travel? It’s all about comfort level. Unlike heterosexual tourists, gay and lesbian voyagers have a series of questions to consider: will couples raise eyebrows, or worse, when they check into a double-bedded room or cabin? Can they boogie with their partner at that hot dance club? What happens if the waiter sees them canoodling over the crA[umlaut]me brA’lA[c]e?

Salvato says: “If you live somewhere you can’t hold your partner’s hand in public, it’s great to be able to do it on vacation.” For this reason, certain gay “havens” have always been popular. Manhattanites have long flocked to the Fire Island communities of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines, while San Franciscans made the Russian River area tops. Desert-lovers choose Palm Springs, Calif., seafarers Key West, Fla. and Provincetown, Mass..

“If a gay or lesbian couple hasn’t been somewhere like Key West or Provincetown,” says Salvato, “I’d recommend that. It’s the quintessential experience,” noting that the “protected magic bubble” of a place like Provincetown can be a stress-reliever in itself. “If you’re cut off from gay people 51 weeks out of the year,” he asks, “why not spend one week a year with them?”

Again, don’t overlook the smaller spots. New Hope, Pa. has long drawn a crowd attracted to its low-key riverside charm and gay-friendly outlook, while Rehoboth Beach is Delaware’s answer to Fire Island, though considerably less A-list (and more mixed).

Craving a big-city getaway? New York and San Francisco are tried-and-true, along with such destinations as Atlanta, Miami, and, of course, West Hollywood, Calif. But destinations less traditionally “gay” hold some surprises, as well. Minneapolis is avidly courting the market, as is Philadelphia. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is doing so well with gay tourists that many think it will take over from Miami. Even small towns like Bloomington, Ind. or Madison, Wisc. are up-and-comers, with their large, open-minded student populations. While a smaller town might not offer gay clubs on every block, that’s not everyone’s goal.

Notes Tuthill: “Some people don’t want to go to a place that’s overwhelmed with nightlife. They might want to go hiking, but they’d like to know if there’s a gay community there. Or they want to experience the culture and hopefully get to meet other members of the tribe.” (Hint: enter “gay lesbian” and your destination into a search engine. You’re likely to come up with not only bars and clubs but local groups devoted to sports, politics or socializing.)

For Europhiles, London, Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam have long been leaders. Barcelona, with its tres-gay resort of Sitges nearby, always draws a rainbow crowd, as does Madrid’s copious nightlife and early-morning traffic jams of revelers. But Manchester, England is a tried and true stop; Scandinavian countries are always a sure bet; smaller Dutch cities are as friendly as the capital, and Hamburg, Germany has enough nightlife to keep you going well into the morning. And don’t neglect Belgium, where gay marriage is legal (as it is in Spain and the Netherlands) with pleasures ranging from the urban — and culinary — delights of Brussels to several fascinating towns like Ghent, LiA[umlaut]ge, and Bruges. Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Great Britain have been leaders in marketing to the gay/lesbian traveler and all have gay sections on their tourism Web sites.

Whitbread expects full-year figures to hit the top end of forecasts - for pretax profits of [pound]202m-[pound]214m for the year to 1 March - after strong performances at its Premier Travel Inn hotels and Costa Coffee shops. The group is seen as a bid target due to its property assets. The US investor Starwood Capital has taken a small stake but Alan Parker, chief executive, denied Whit- bread was in bid talks.

Christopher Cowdray was hired as general manager of The Dorchester in London.

By 2010, the United States will be the top imported wine market in the world, displacing the United Kingdom, which has worn that crown for years. Americans are increasingly discovering the joy of a glass or two of wine with their favorite dishes and, of course, some of us have adopted it as our cocktail of choice.

Also by 2010, the World Tourism Organization predicts that China will become both the number one tourist destination and the number one source of outbound tourists. With globalization the peoples of all countries are traveling far more than ever before, and when you add to this the fact that wine is now produced and promoted as part of the local culture in nearly every country in the world, you can appreciate why we are in the midst of a global cultural revolution favoring the consumption of wine. When these world travelers return home after experiencing new wines abroad, they generally seek wine stores and restaurants that carry them or ones similar, so as to experience them again and tell their friends.

This development has significant implications for every bar and restaurant in America: with the dramatic increase in consumer awareness and approval of wine as a socially acceptable “folkway,” never has there been a better opportunity to increase wine sales.

Just what are globe trotters experiencing? In Europe, lots of reasonably priced wines by the glass that vary dramatically from country to country, because every European country produces wine. In the United Kingdom there are imports from everywhere: Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, South Africa and of course, California.

In Australia you drink Australian, particularly the wines of the region you’re in, but their wine lists are usually full of wines from everywhere in Australia. Increasingly, the Aussies are cultivating a taste for the finer Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs from New Zealand, partly because of proximity, but also because several top New Zealand wineries are now joint ventures or wholly owned by Aussies.

If you’re in Latin America, the wines of Chile and Argentina dominate; however, again, it depends on the country. Because of the European immigration over the centuries, you will also find Italian, French, Spanish and even German wines in abundance. Brazil and Uruguay produce wines, so be prepared to try them. The average Brazilian likes to toss whatever tasty fruit is around into their not-too-expensive Brazilian red wine (such as Vino do Porto) and serve it from a punch bowl like a Sangria.

In Africa, South African wines are by far the most commonly available and South African wineries are the greatest exporter of premium wines. Further north, the North African wines become dominant and, again, with the European traders came French and a variety of other European exports.

The Middle East is in the center of a hotel and restaurant building frenzy, especially Dubai, where money is no object and so everything is available from everywhere. Note that their “low end” would be most U.S. operators’ idea of “ultra-high end.”

Canada is all about the provinces: Each province is like a country unto it-self. But if you’re talking serious wine of endless descriptions, it’s definitely British Columbia. Ontario and Niagara produce a wide variety of wines very popular with consumers of Eastern Canada, and the Inniskillin wines made there are available across Canada. But it’s really “east and west” as far as the wine producing centers are concerned, with the heartland provinces concentrating more on award winning beers. In addition to the premium British Columbia wines served at top restaurants of Vancouver Island and mainland Vancouver, you’ll find a wide variety from California, Washington State and Oregon, plus a few wines from each of the other major growing areas of the world.

Asia Pacific is all about red wine from Australia and, depending on what part of Asia Pacific, influences of France, Chile, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and California are evident. China, with the help of the “flying wine makers,” is starting to produce some excellent red wines, so if you’re in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or in between, see what you think. However, the best bet much of the time, because of the heat on the plate, is a really cold beer, followed by another one.

Which of these trends from the global restaurant scene can you capitalize on without turning your operation upside down? Well, it’s simple: offer more wines by the taste, by the glass and by the bottle from more wineries around the world. Recognize that global wines increasingly pair well with the foods Americans love to eat. And, be sure they’re served by young wine professionals who love their jobs.

Not surprisingly, what works in Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Paris, Rome, London, Sydney, Cape Town, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and across the U.S. is not dramatically different: it’s the ethnic service traditions, the appellations available and the number of wines by the glass that really tells us if we’ve landed at a true “wine destination.”

From Olga Polizzi Sir: I am so pleased that Andrew Roberts liked the Château de Bagnols (Diary, 23 September). It is a wonderful hotel. But the praise for the design should go to Helen Hamlyn alone. She bought and restored the château as a real labour of love.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s easy-Hotel venture plans to have 12 no- frills hotels running in the next 12 months.

And over the next two-and-a-half years, there will be at least 60 in the planning stage, according to easyHotel’s chief executive Lawrence Alexander, a former commercial director at Jarvis hotel.

Brought in last July to oversee easyGroup founder Stelios Haji- Ioannou’s hotel venture, Mr Alexander has had a busy time meeting with potential franchisees across the world. The first easyHotel opened in South Kensington, west London, in August 2005, to mixed reviews. There were certainly no complaints about the price - rooms are [pound]25 a night - but the bright orange decor, the signifier of all things easy, and the smallest of the rooms, at 6sq m, were not to everyone’s liking.

However, Mr Alexander points out that the first hotel was a prototype. There is likely to be less orange on the walls in future while the smallest room is likely to be ditched, he said.

A second hotel opened in Basle, in Switzerland, a couple of months after the first opening and two more will launch in central London in the next two months, in Victoria and Earls Court.

EasyHotel also has an agreement with the Dubai-based investment house Istithmar to roll out the chain in the Middle East, North Africa and India.

Mr Alexander said the business has been profitable from day one. Figures filed at company house on 30 September 2005 show total sales of [pound]189,000 and gross profit of [pound]166,000. Figures for 2006 will be filed in the next couple of weeks. Currently, all bookings are taken on the company’s own website and Mr Alexander likes it that way, but will invest to advertise on other sites if the franchises demand it.

TravelCLICK announced that three JM Hoteles properties in Spain have implemented TravelCLICK’s iHotelier booking engine for their Web site reservations and Global Distribution Systems connectivity. In addition, The Langham London, a 429room luxury hotel in the West End, selected TravelCLICK’s iHotelier booking engine for its Web site connectivity. The hotel will use TravelCLICK’s technology platform to manage its own distribution activities through its local Internet channels.

New York — Affinia Hospitality and four international lodging chains plan to combine sales efforts to increase business.

Affinia, a group of nine mid-Manhattan properties formerly called Manhattan East Suite Hotels, helped initiate the linkage via an agreement with United Kingdom-based Thistle Hotels. The NH Hotels Group, First Hotels and Meritus Hotels also are members of this yet-to-be-named group.

Thistle has 56 properties located in England, Scotland and Wales. NH is a Spanish company with 240 hotels in 16 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Sweden-based First Hotels has 60 properties in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Singapore-based Meritus has 13 properties in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China.

Other regional or national hotel groups might join later, according to John Moser, Affinia’s chief marketing officer.

“This is a chain concept without making a chain,” Moser said. “Since each company knows its territories best, alliance members can help each other generate more business.”

The original idea was for only Affinia and Thistle to work together, according to Rose Genovese, Affinia’s sales manager. Each company soon will have a representative in each other’s sales-office headquarters.

“We are certain that having an Affinia representative working out of Thistle’s London headquarters, and Thistle maintaining a salesperson in our Manhattan offices, will help each company generate more international, particularly corporate, business,” she said.

The same logic extends to contacts with First and Meritus, but no exchange of salespeople is scheduled yet. NH already has a New York sales office.

Moser said each chain will benefit by being able to recommend a quality property in other cities. Each partner is expected to help guide and improve the other partners’ sales efforts by sharing market knowledge. A joint marketing and booking engine might evolve from these relationships.

Affinia’s general managers said they like the alliance.

“We all have expertise in our respective backyards,” said Holly Waterbor, g.m. of the 209-room Benjamin, Affinia’s flagship property. “But our clients have indicated they want recommendations about counterpart properties overseas, and we know our partner groups’ customers want the same in New York.”

Cross-corporate linkages should drive business. For example, Goldman Sachs, an Affinia client, could add Thistle to its recommended U.K. property list. U.K. corporations that have dealt with Thistle for a long time are expected to recommend Affinia hotels.

“We all want quality assurances,” Waterbor said. “And there’s nothing better than a recommendation from someone you already trust.”

This is even more pertinent in countries such as Norway or Spain where Affinia wouldn’t otherwise undertake a major sales thrust on its own, she said. But now with the linkage to First and NH, Affinia might get more business from Oslo or Barcelona, and hotels in those cities might get more bookings from Affinia’s New York customers.

Victor Freeman, g.m. of the 208-room Affinia Plaza 50, also is optimistic about the deal.

“This alliance will give travelers a chance to experience smaller, locally based properties rather than having to just rely on the internationally known brands,” Freeman said. “Right now, we primarily see European bookings coming from those with business at the United Nations. I expect we’ll see much more traffic coming from European and Asian corporate sources.”