Two Former Starwood W Hotels in Manhattan Opt for Pegasus Representation
SCOTTSDALE, DALLAS and LONDON (April 19, 2010) – Two former W hotels in Manhattan, now operating as St Giles Hotels, have selected Utell® Hotels & Resorts for worldwide marketing, sales and representation. The hotels, which together represent 320 luxury rooms on 39th Street, include the St Giles Hotel – The Tuscany and the St Giles Hotel – The Court.
Both hotels were sold on April 15, 2010 to St Giles Hotels, LLC by Starwood Hotels, and represent the brand’s first properties in the U.S. market. Within days, the properties were live with Utell, according to Anit Popat, group director of sales & marketing for the St Giles Hotel Group.
“Our London properties have been members of Utell since 1998,” said Popat. “In making this strategic move to enter the U.S. market, it was imperative to utilize the proven and successful Utell organization for sales, marketing and representation, which have allowed us to thrive and succeed in the U.K. This meant adding both hotels to Utell as soon as the sale was final.”
St Giles Hotels expand an already desirable Utell portfolio in the Manhattan market. Located in the famed Murray Hill area, the boutique St Giles Hotel – The Tuscany offers rooms ranging from 375- to 675- square feet with avant-garde styling featuring signature oversized wooden desks and chaise lounges. The St Giles Hotel – The Court, located next door, offers similar aesthetic appeal with the additional offering of a range of flexible studios equipped with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment. Both combine urban convenience with New York’s characteristic residential tree-lined ambience.
“As the North American market recovers, we’re enthused to see ambitious brands like St Giles Hotels’ working with us and making strategic moves in destinations like New York,” added Ric Leutwyler, president of Utell Hotels & Resorts. “The recovery belongs to hotels that can take advantage of the opportunities currently available. These two bold moves by St Giles Hotel Group – to purchase such noted properties and immediately make them available through Utell, the world’s best representation service – is evidence that this hotel brand is one to watch.”
Utell is the world’s largest and most experienced third-party hotel marketing, sales and representation organization serving more than 9,000 hotels in nearly 150 countries. Members, like St Giles’ new properties in New York, benefit from Utell’s aggressive international sales through 17 offices worldwide, and an unrivaled range of proven revenue generating marketing support programs.
Through technology powered by Pegasus, the hotels also benefit from access to global distribution, award-winning Web services, powerful business intelligence services and industry leading reservations technology. Member hotels also reap the rewards of Utell’s preferred relationships with major travel agencies, travel management companies (TMCs), corporations, online distributors and consortia groups.
St Giles Hotel – The Tuscany and St Giles Hotel – The Court are both available on the global distribution systems (GDS) under Utell’s chain code UI, and at the dedicated travel agent Web site www.UtellAgent.com.
