The resort report: what's new in the hotel world
ANN RUPPENSTEIN
Checking out the latest hotel and resort news from fresh renovations to brand new or upcoming properties to entice your clients.
Tucked between two renowned nature reserves in South Africa — Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon — Radisson Safari Hotel Hoedspruit is now open.
With views of the Drakensberg mountains, the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, Radisson Safari Hotel Hoedspruit is an ideal location for guests who are seeking to spot local wildlife such as lions, rhinoceros, and elephants, go trekking on horseback, or take in the landscape from a hot air balloon.
The hotel features 138 rooms and suites, a thatched restaurant offering South African and Lebanese-inspired cuisine on the restaurant’s wrap-around deck, a sunbathing area and pool in the summer, as well as an outdoor fireplace on cooler evenings. The property is located t 20 minutes from Eastgate Airport.
The 115-room Hotel Indigo La Paz Puerta Cortés is now open in La Paz, Mexico. The beachfront resort offers white sand beaches, premium amenities, including a beach club, two restaurant concepts, a fully equipped gym, spa, an outdoor infinity and lap pool, a golf course as well as more than a thousand square meters of meeting and events space.
New Zealand bound clients can now check into InterContinental Auckland, located on the city’s waterfront. The hotel offers 139 guestrooms and suites overlooking the city and the Waitematā Harbour.
Along with a restaurant and bar, the hotel will also open a 24-hour fitness centre with direct access to Commercial Bay which features premium retail outlets, as well as a rooftop bar on level 21 to open later in the year, independently owned by Five Fellas.
The hotel provides a perfectly located vantage point for Auckland’s city business district, offering direct access to the city’s main transport terminals, shopping centres and dining facilities, and is just a 30-minute drive from Auckland Airport.
Standing as the tallest hotel in the country with 35 stories in the Westlands commercial district, the 315 guestroom JW Marriott Hotel Nairobi is now open. The guest rooms and suites — including one Presidential Suite — offer great views of the city. The hotel is home to five internationally-inspired dining destinations, a luxury Spa by JW, swimming pool, fitness centre, and eight exceptional event spaces for gatherings and celebrations.
An additional 51 spacious serviced apartments and a sky bar & lounge are slated to open later in the year. Situated on the nine top-most floors of the high-rise tower, these spacious serviced apartments will offer luxurious, exclusive experiences for long-stay guests and family groups in one, two, and three-bedroom apartments.
There’s a new kid on the block in the DR. Santo Domingo Marriott Hotel Piantini is now open in the heart of the financial and entertainment centre of Santo Domingo, marking the flagship brand’s debut in the Dominican Republic’s metropolis. The hotel is situated near high-end retail stores, restaurants and bars, and iconic landmarks, including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Colonial Zone and the National Botanical Garden.
Santo Domingo Marriott Hotel Piantini offers 207 guest rooms and suites with spectacular city skyline views day and night. Each of the modern, inviting rooms feature calming interiors of natural tones accentuated with dark mauve, plush beds, flatscreen TVs, and complimentary Wi-Fi for the guests’ convenience and comfort.
