mongobot

I'm confused by this as some reports on TripAdvisor have people mentioning that the name change has already occurred and that they've stayed at the property as a Four Points hotel.
You can't book it via SPG but it appears you can book it directly at the hotel's own web site for dates prior to May 1, 2017.
http://premierhotel-group.com/hakodate/

SkiAdcock

http://news.marriott.com/2016/11/w-h...ast-w-algarve/

Excerpt:

"W Hotels Worldwide, now part of Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR), today announced it will open W Algarve in 2018 on Portugal’s stunning sun-kissed Algarve coast.

Located on a 250,000 square meters of beachfront on the central Algarve coastline, the hotel will offer 134 stylish guest rooms and suites, including two Extreme WOW Suites, the W brand’s reinterpretation of the Presidential Suite.

Guests and locals will enjoy relaxing at one of W Algarve’s three beautiful beaches or sipping a cocktail at the glamorous WET deck pool, which is set to become the most sought-after place to mix and mingle with stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean. Guests will also be able to indulge in the extravagant 10,000 square foot spa or unwind with outdoor yoga, tennis or in FIT® – the ultimate workout facility.

W Algarve will offer a range of cocktail and culinary experiences from the W Living Room, the W brand’s energetic spin on the hotel lobby, to sought-after restaurants and dynamic destination bars."

Cheers.

davidw70

Some pretty good additions to The Luxury Collection announced today:

The Wellesley, London - opening H1 2017
The Westbury Mayfair, London - opening Spring 2017 after renovations completed
Hôtel de Berri, Paris - opening early 2018
Cristallo Resort, Cortina Italy - opening after the current winter season
The Alexander, Yerevan Armenia - opening Autumn 2017


http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/mar...ry-collection/

davidw70

The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort (Hawaii) is in the list of new hotels on SPG.com with an opening date of September 2018. The address is 66-100 Kauna'Oa Drive Waimea which is virtually the same address as the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel (former Westin), so I assume the hotel is rebranding after a refurbishment?

James Luckard

Yep, looks like the owners recently sold one wing of the hotel to a buyer that plans to convert it to a separate luxury hotel, and they're using the proceeds to fund the renovation of the main hotel:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/n...and-hotel.html
http://bigislandnow.com/2016/08/19/h...el-close-sale/

SkiAdcock

Four Points Cleveland Airport opened: http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/fou...tel-cleveland/

Element Chandler Fashion Center (Arizona) opened: http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/eco...nches-arizona/

Sheraton Huangdao Hotel (China) opened: http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/she...uangdao-hotel/

Four Points Buffalo Grove IL opened: http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/10237/

Sheraton Grand Conakry, Guinea, West Africa opened: http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/mar...grand-conakry/

Magnolia Hotel St. Louis, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, opened: http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/mee...rtfolio-hotel/

Le Méridien Shanghai opened: http://news.marriott.com/2016/12/le-...ands-shanghai/

Cheers.

d'Yquem

No, but I stayed in the Grand Hotel Central, Barcelona after it joined SPG. It was a disappointing stay from beginning to end. One of the people who messed up big time (I won't name him) replied to my tripadvisor report saying I was lying when I listed the problems, which is indicative of their approach to customer service. When you compare it to some of the Design Hotels (e.g. the Atlantis in Zurich), it is amazing this property was ever onboarded. I doubt it will stay for long...

finvonhua

"Sheraton Hongqiao Hotel", Shanghai, China left Starwood became "Hongqiao Jinjiang Hotel", March 2017

finvonhua

Four Points Melbourne Australia Opened March 2017

khabah

This is exciting: deal signed today between Kuala Lumpur-based YTL and Marriott for four new hotels including the following:

• Second JW Marriott in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• The Kuala Lumpur EDITION, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• The Niseko EDITION, Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
• W Niseko, Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/...international/

Exciting stuff! An official announcement from Marriott should be out imminently.

khabah

Kagehitokiri

ytlhotels.com
already has a bunch of marriott, ritz
might do more autograph, luxury collection, tribute, design
id think marriott would like some of their properties

maybe some marriott properties will switch to starwood brands after single rewards program

MSPeconomist

Minnesota:

New aloft in Plymouth (suburb west of Minneapolis), at 4200 Lancaster Lane North, which is roughly the southwest corner of US 169 and the commercial part of Rockford Road/42nd Avenue North, almost on the border of New Hope. To me, it seems like an unusual location for a hotel versus being closer to I-394 or I-494. It's due to open in 2020 according to the Starwood list linked in the wiki.

Planned element in Minneapolis has been announced and is currently in the approval stage. This will be in the North Loop neighborhood on the edge of downtown, just east of the newish baseball stadium. It seems to be new construction in a mixed use development.

MSPeconomist

According to the list, Texas is the winner, with 35 new hotels, 9 of which are in or near Austin using the criterion of having Austin in their names.

Most of the new USA hotels seem to be aloft or 4Pts, with a surprising number of elements. Europe is getting a bunch of new Ws.

Kagehitokiri

elements and Ws make sense under marriott
aloft and 4Pts are tier with highest margins

SPG design hotels are not even franchises, and starwood has been owner of design hotels company