May 29, 2014 
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In This Week's Issue:

Latin Hotel Index: Accor, Starwood Gain Rooms in the Region

 

By Latin Business Chronicle
Sofitel Buenos Aires

 

Accor Hospitality is now Latin America's largest hotel chain, according to the latest hotel index from Latin Business Chronicle. Accor - which includes brands such as Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel and Ibis - passed Intercontinental Hotels Group for the number one spot this year, with 38,143 rooms in Latin America. In 2012, the company had 35,302 rooms

 

Accor's growth in Latin America represents nearly one-third of its growth in the world: Our index shows the company's overall number of rooms increased by around 11,000 in 2013.

 

InterContinental Hotels Group - which runs chains such as Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites - counted 36,053 rooms this year.

 

Overall, our list shows that the number of rooms held by the region's 10 largest hotel chains increased by around 8,000 last year, to 200,000.

 

Other notable gains in this year's list came from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, which grew from the sixth to the fifth largest hotel chain in the region. The group - owner of brands such as Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, St. Regis, Le Meridien and W - saw its total rooms in Latin America grow from 15,600 in 2012 to 17,291 in 2013. This increase is almost 20% of the group's expansion globally, our ranking shows.

 

Riu Hotels & Resorts was the only major hotel chain to see declines, though very minor. Riu - which includes companies such as Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza and Hotel Missoni - saw its total number of rooms decline by around 400. Marriott - which remained stable with 18,000 rooms - was the only one to stay the same.

  

Latin Hotel Index: Top Five Groups in the Region

 

Rank

LatAm

Rank

Globally

Hotel Group

LatAm

Rooms

Total

Rooms

1

5

Accor Hospitality

38,143

461,719

2

1

InterContinental Hotels Group

36,053

686,873

3

8

Sol Meli�

28,581

95,271

4

3

Marriott International 

18,000

675,623

5

6

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

17,291

346,819

 

See the full index, including notes of which brands each company owns, at Latin Business Chronicle.

 

News from our Partners
(Click the headlines to read full stories)

 

  Delta

Delta Air Lines now official international airline of three Brazilian playhouses: Grupo Tom Brasil and HSBC Brasil in S�o Paulo and Vivo Rio in Rio de Janeiro; playhouses offer concert discounts for Delta SkyMiles members and anyone who has flown on the airline within the past 90 days

 

The Freddie Awards honors Delta Air Lines and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide with Industry Impact Award: Partners' Crossover Rewards partnership broke ground in loyalty programs 

LT Bravo Business Awards: November 7. Click for rates and tickets.
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Travel News

New Airline Routes and Route Changes

Cartagena, Colombia

South America

Bolivian national carrier Boliviana de Aviacion will launch its first service to the U.S. on June 6, with a round-trip Cochabamba - Santa Cruz - Miami route, with a refueling stop in Panama City, Panama. The service between Miami (Florida) and the Bolivian cities will run four times a week.

 

On July 17, Avianca will begin a new route: Pereira, Colombia - Cartagena, Colombia - New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. The route will run three times per week, and Cartagena - New York service will be non-stop.

 

Central America

Delta Air Lines will begin daily, non-stop round-trip service between San Salvador, El Salvador and Los Angeles, California (U.S.) on July 2.

 

Caribbean

U.S.-based carrier Southwest Airlines will begin flying internationally on July 1, with daily nonstop flights between Atlanta, Georgia and Aruba; Atlanta and Montego Bay, Jamaica; Baltimore-Washington International Airport (Maryland) and Aruba; and Baltimore and Nassau, Bahamas. It will also begin twice-daily flights between Baltimore and Montego Bay. In July, It will begin Saturday service between Montego Bay and Orlando, Florida, and between Aruba and Orlando.

 

International Connections

Air Canada will fly six weekly round-trip flights between Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and Madrid from July 1 through August 6. However, four of those six flights will be onboard EuroAtlantic Boeing 767 aircraft, which have Premium Economy service instead of Business Class.

  

Airline Alliance News

Beginning June 6, Singapore Airlines and Virgin America expanded will add trans-continental U.S. flights operated by Virgin America to their codeshare agreement.

Air Canada

 

Other Airline News

Air Canada will convert the interior of the Boeing 777-300 ER and Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft that it uses for international flights to match the interior design of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The airline will add a premium economy cabin and refurbish International Business Class, beginning in late 2015 and lasting through the end of 2016. International Business Class will include lie-flat "executive pods," while all seats will include seat-back touch screens, power outlets and U.S.B ports.

 

Other Air Travel News

Spain-based airline Iberia and Air France have reportedly restricted sales of tickets to and from Venezuela.

 

The Venezuelan government has agreed to pay the U.S. dollar debt of six airlines, in a bid to stop carriers from pulling out of the country entirely. It will pay Colombia-based Avianca Holdings (Avianca and TACA) for dollar debt accumulated during 2012, and will pay Aeromexico, Curacao-based Insel Air, Ecuador-based Tame and Aruba Airlines for debt accumulated during 2013. Reports also say that the government has decided that, beginning in July, airfares will be converted from bolivars to U.S. dollars at the weaker SICAD II rate of around 50 bolivars per dollar; they are currently converted at a special rate of around 10 bolivars per U.S. dollar.

 

Loyalty Program Updates

InterContinental Hotels Group's "Reel Summer" promotion allows IHG Rewards Club members to enter online contests to win movie-themed prizes, from June 2 through September 2.

 

Choice Hotels International is offering a $50 gift card to U.S. and Canadian members of its Choice Privileges rewards program for completing two separate qualifying trips through August 20.

 

Hotel News

The 50-room Vintro Hotel & Kitchen will open in the South Beach area of Miami Beach, Florida (U.S.) in July, on the site of the former Lido Park Hotel. The hotel includes a restaurant, and all rooms have free Wi-Fi and Nespresso machines.

 

The King & Grove hotels in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York (U.S.) have changed their names to the Martha Washington (Manhattan) and the McCarren Hotel + Pool (Brooklyn).

 

Cartagena, Colombia by omma_0869; Air Canada by BriYYZ
 
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