New hotels and familiar properties with new names

Thailand's new W Retreat Koh Samui.

By Joe Brancatelli

The hotel industry continues to expand around the world as the global economy slowly recovers from the 2008 meltdown. Business travelers should know about these major lodging changes.

• In Shanghai, Marriott has opened another Renaissance property, this one a 330-room hotel in the Hongqiao district.

• In Pune, India, there’s a new, 222-room Hyatt Regency in the Weikfield IT Park.
• On the North Shore of Thailand’s Samui Island, the new W Retreat Koh Samui features 75 private villas.
• In Bothell, a suburb of Seattle, there’s a new, 128-room Hilton Garden Inn. Doubletree has taken over the 171-room former Marriott in Norwalk, California.
• Al Maha, the super-deluxe compound in a desert conservation zone just outside of Dubai, has joined Starwood‘s Luxury Collection. The property has 42 suites with tented roofs and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the dunes. It was built by the company that owns Emirates Airlines, but it will now be managed by Starwood.
• Two big Las Vegas casino properties, The Venetian and The Palazzo, have joined the InterContinental Priority Club Rewards program. Priority Club members now can earn bonus points and claim free awards at both mega-resorts.

Related resources

• Hotels
• Flights
• Business travel

Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2010 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.

Tagged: Hotels