Dorchester Collection is, we hear, looking to acquire the Hotel Eden in Rome, which is currently under Starwood’s Le Méridien flag. It would be the group’s second Italian property, joining the Principe di Savoia in Milan. Word is the government of Brunei is the financial backer and has said it would like to have 15 hotels in its portfolio by 2015.
Caneel Bay on St. John, USVI, has parted ways with Rosewood and will reopen for the season November 1 as Caneel Bay Resort. Nikolay Hotze will continue to lead the property as managing director. Ownership, which remains the same under CBI Acquisitions, says all pre-existing reservations, events and bookings will be unaffected by the transition, and guest histories of past stays will remain. Its web URL will remain the same and new GDS code will be shared with travel advisors.
André Balazs has sold a majority interest in his Standard hotel brand and said the brand’s westside property in New York was looking for new investors, Reuters reports. Balazs will be the chairman and hold a significant stake in Standard International, a new management company that will control five hotels in Los Angeles, Miami and New York.