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Oberlin hotel sets lofty sustainability goals
The Hotel at Oberlin in Oberlin, Ohio, had its soft opening in mid-May, with the official opening scheduled for September. The 70-room boutique hotel was designed to be among the most environmentally sustainable hotels in the world, and it is the first in the U.S. to incorporate solar, geothermal and radiant heating and cooling.
The property is owned by Oberlin College and holds LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The hotel was developed by Smart Hotels and is managed by The Olympia Companies. The designer was SCB (Solomon Cordwell Buenz).
Small Luxury Hotels makes investment
Small Luxury Hotels of the World restructured its company, allowing its owners to make a £12-million ($17.5-million) investment over the next five years, and making member hotels shareholders in the new Small Luxury Hotels of the World Limited company.
As a result of the restructure, the management company now jointly owns SLH with its 520 member hotels. Small Luxury Hotels of the World CEO Filip Boyen said the company made the change to continue on its ambitious growth trajectory. “The £12-million investment will enable us to further drive our newly improved quality assurance program; refresh our loyalty offering and advance our technology and distribution systems,” he said.
Renovated Watergate Hotel embraces scandalous history
Euro Capital Partners is set to reopen the newly renovated Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., designed to hearken back to the heyday of the 1970s political scandal that made its name famous.
According to an article and slideshow from Vanity Fair, management team Euro Capital Partners has restored the property to be a luxury, 336-room independent hotel with retro-glam design. “Mad Men” costume designer Janie Bryant designed the staff uniforms, recordings of President Richard Nixon will play in restrooms and the hotel’s customer-service number will end in 1972.
Deals and developments
- The Hotel Shocard, managed by Real Hospitality Group, opened in New York City’s Times Square in mid-May. The boutique hotel has 45 guestrooms on seven floors.
- The 101-room Jaslin Hotel opened in early May in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood and near McCormick Place. The hotel is managed by The Bricton Group.
- Five new hotels joined Small Luxury Hotels of the World: Milaidhoo Island on Baa Atoll, Maldives; Naman Retreat in Da Nang City, Vietnam; Mahana Villa in Upper Moutere, New Zealand; Althoff Hotel Villa Belrose in St. Tropez, France; and Elite Spring Villas in Anxi, China.
- Independent representation brand L.E. Hotels added five independent hotels to its portfolio: The Hotel Zephyr in San Francisco; the Bourbon Conmebol Asuncion Convention Hotel in Asuncion, Paraguay; the Bourbon São Paulo Express Hotel in São Paulo, Brazil; the Bourbon Curitiba Convention Hotel in Curitiba, Brazil; and the Bourbon Barra Premium Residence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- San Francisco’s Inn at the Presidio received awards from the San Francisco Green Business Council and SF Hotel Council for its green practices. The hotel holds LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
- Three independent hotels in California joined Stash Hotel Rewards: The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, California; the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, California; and The Inn at East Beach in Santa Barbara, California.
Compiled by Stephanie Ricca.