The Rosewood collection includes The Carlyle in New York and Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. The 262-room and 44-suite hotel is housed in the original headquarters of the Pearl Assurance Company. The design uses such materials as lacquer, textured wood veneers and prismatic mirrors as well as the original features of the Edwardian Belle Époque building, such as the original carriageway entrance to the arrival courtyard and the grand Pavonazzo marble staircase rising over seven stories within the property, will be retained.

The Rosewood features London’s only hotel grand courtyard arrival. Guests will enter through a wrought iron-gated carriageway to a central courtyard with stonework reminiscent of an Italian palazzo. As a listed building, the façade and the interiors’ dark mahogany and rare marble will be carefully preserved while restored original marble columns in the lobby will be complemented by new stone and mosaic flooring.

The Manor House Suite, located in a private wing of the hotel, will have the flexibility for a configuration of six bedrooms and 6,318 square feet of living space. The Manor House Suite will be accessed by private elevator and also via its own street entrance. The newly created Garden House Suite will feature a garden terrace overlooking the London skyline while the luxurious Chancery House Suite will be elegantly arranged over two floors. The new hotel is yet another addition to the Rosewood chain. The Rosewood Abu Dhabi will open in August and the Rosewood Beijing will debut this fall.

The Raggs characters will appear exclusively at Palladium Hotels & Resorts beginning July 20; fully-produced live musical stage shows at the resorts’ on-site theatres will launch in November. Palladium resorts currently provide kids’ clubs for different age groups, with special sections and activities for kids ranging from one to 19. Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort & Spa in Punta Cana also offers special Family Friendly Rooms for an added fee.

To celebrate its opening, the property will offer discounted rates through 2013.

Mexico Boutique Hotels is a collection of upscale, independent member properties with 25 destinations throughout Mexico.

With this limited time offer, vacationers select a month to travel and choose a Club Med resort in the Caribbean, Mexico and Florida.

“The lack of quality rooms in many second-tier and third-tier cities provides us with opportunities to further expand our presence,” said Robert Loewen, chief operating officer of Wyndham Hotel Group. “We are proud to announce these new additions which will help grow our footprint in the region.” The eight new Ramada properties will be added over the next two years in the cities of Linyi, Liuzhou, Changzhou, Changsha, Suzhou, Wuyishan and Xishuangbanna. These properties will join the brand’s existing 49 hotels, making Ramada the second most prolific Wyndham Hotel Group brand in China, after Super 8.

Among the eight new Ramada hotels, the Ramada Suzhou Luzhi was the first to open in November 2012 with 133 rooms. The properties due to open in 2013 are: Ramada Changzhou; Ramada Linyi North; Ramada Plaza Liuzhou Liudong; and Ramada Plaza Xishuangbanna. In addition, Ramada Plaza Changsha West; Ramada Wuyishan and Ramada Plaza Changsha Riverside will open in 2014. Together, these properties will add over 1,500 rooms to the Wyndham Hotel Group portfolio.

The 7,012 rooms signed in Europe in 2012 are spread across the UK, Germany, Russia, France, Turkey, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Israel and Algeria. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express continue to lead the growth in Europe, accounting for over 70 percent of 2012 signings. IHG’s boutique brand Hotel Indigo also grew, with six signings throughout the region.

IHG’s 39 new hotel openings were in nine countries throughout Europe. The United Kingdom saw the highest number of openings, with 20 new hotels. Holiday Inn Express led the openings, with 18 new properties welcoming guests across the region. Thirteen new Holiday Inn hotels were opened, and boutique hotel brand Hotel Indigo opened its doors in five new locations. IHG also celebrated the opening of the UK’s second InterContinental Hotel, InterContinental London Westminster, in November.

The company reported robust performance throughout Europe as its preliminary results. RevPAR increased 1.7 percent, with 1.2 percent rate growth and fourth quarter RevPAR increased 1.2 percent. Despite challenging economic conditions across Europe, RevPAR during the year grew by 2.5 percent in the UK and by 5.4 percent in Germany, where the industry benefited from a busy trade fair schedule. IHG has signed a multiple development agreement for Holiday Inn Express in Russia, which, when open, will double the size of its estate and introduce the Holiday Inn Express brand to the region for the first time. The 15 new hotels will add approximately 2,250 rooms, when signed, to IHG’s current Russia development pipeline of over 1,700 rooms (five hotels). IHG has 628 hotels (102,027 rooms) open throughout Europe, with 91 hotels (15,184 rooms) in the pipeline.

The program, developed by wine experts and the brand’s global food and beverage team, offers guests a curated menu of premium wines that are available as a permanent lobby bar offering. In North America, the program features Sheraton Selects, an upgraded premium wine menu comprised of a rotation of eight or more wines by the glass, all rated by Wine Spectator. All Sheraton Selects wines are rated above 85 and at least four offerings will be rated 90+. In most Sheraton hotels across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, guests can sample award-winning wines and premium local beverages.

“We worked with some of the most renowned names in the wine industry so that our guests can easily savor some of the most highly rated wines in the world during their stay,” said Hoyt Harper, global brand leader for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. “The success of Social Hour has exceeded our expectations. Guests love the program and hotels are seeing a dramatic increase in food and beverage revenue as a direct result.”

Internal research conducted by the Sheraton brand during the program pilot period found that 66 percent of guests would be more inclined to purchase wine while travelling if there was a premium wine program offered. After experiencing a Sheraton Social Hour pilot program, 95 percent of guests said they are “very likely” or “likely” to return to another Social Hour and would recommend the program to others.

The announcement comes as IHG reveals the results of a global online survey that reveals that nearly half of adults (43 percent) would choose not to stay in a hotel that charged for Internet.

IHG is believed to be the first and only hotel group to offer free Internet in all hotels to all loyalty program members. The offer takes effect in July for Elite members and extends to all members in 2014.

The move comes as IHG announces that it will be enhancing and renaming its loyalty program Priority Club Rewards as IHG Rewards Club in July and introducing a range of new benefits for members.

“In today’s fast-paced world, we know that travellers need to stay connected and free Internet access is increasingly important,” said Richard Solomons, chief executive of IHG.  “2013 marks 10 years since IHG became a standalone company. Whilst we are relatively young as a business, our brands, such as Holiday Inn and InterContinental, have a deep history and a powerful heritage and are instantly recognized by millions around the world.”

The interactive menu, debuting at JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts in the U.S. this spring, features comfort food favorites with a healthy twist. “With kids’ food choices becoming increasingly diverse, we are looking to create dining options that are fresh, healthy and imaginatively tasty,” said Mitzi Gaskins, vice president & global brand manager for JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts. “These items will not only delight kids from a culinary standpoint, but will also let parents know the JW Marriott brand cares about the well-being of their entire family.”

Available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the JW Kids Menu is divided into three sections: Kids Nosh, Big Kids and This, That & the Other.

The Kids Nosh includes items such as fresh-cut cucumber and carrot sticks with a low-fat yogurt ranch dip or cheese cubes and grapes.

Big Kids catering to older kids, featuring well-balanced, recognizable favorites like turkey meatballs along with mini adult offerings for more sophisticated palates such as grilled organic chicken.

This, That & the Other is designed to empower kids to make their own healthy choices, enabling them to mix-and-match with guidance from parents.

“Just as adults should maintain their diet and exercise routines while traveling, kids should as well,” said Glassman. “Travel presents opportunities to try new things and even lets kids bring new food favorites or habits home with them. The new JW Kids Menu helps kids accomplish just that.”

Accompanied by an activity book, crayons and a take-home reusable cup, the new kids menu layout focuses on art and features a mini “curator” cartoon who will lead kids through art activities, games and food choices, helping mix-and-match the right meal and teaching important nutrition information.

Properties under the City category included Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund; Das Stue, Berlin; East, Beijing; Fairmont Jaipur, India; Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto; Gran Melia Rome Villa Agrippina; Hub Porteño, Buenos Aires; Leela Palace, Chennai, India; Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou, China; Nomad Hotel, New York; Palace Hotel, Tokyo; Palacio Nazarenas, Cuzco, Peru; Park Hyatt, Hyderabad, India; Shangri-La, Mumbai; Sofitel Mumbai Bandra Kurla; St. Regis, Doha, Qatar; Taj Palace Marrakesh, Morocco; Tokyo Station Hotel; Waldorf Astoria, Berlin; Wythe Hotel, New York; and Zero George, Charleston, S.C.

Winners under the Rustic category included Berkeley River Lodge, Kimberley Coast, Australia; Capaldi Atlas Mountains, Morocco; Cicada Lodge, Nitmiluk National Park, Australia; Kura Design Villas, Costa Rica; Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador; Monaci Delle Terre Nere, Sicily; Monteverdi, Val d’Orcia, Italy; Odzala Camps, Republic of the Congo; Pig in the Wall, Southampton, England; Refugia, Chiloé, Chile; Singita Mara River Lodge, Tanzania; and Segera Retreat, Laikipia Plateau, Kenya.

Under the Design category, winners were Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht; Bulgari Hotel & Residences, London; Café Royal, London; Downtown México, Mexico City; Ett Hem, Stockholm; ITC Grand Chola, Chennai, India; JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai; Macalister Mansion, Penang, Malaysia; Mama Shelter, Marseilles, France; The Siam, Bangkok; SLS South Beach, Miami Beach; and 21c, Bentonville, Arkansas

The Beach category included Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico; Jumeirah Port Soller, Mallorca, Spain; Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa, Guacalito de la Isla, Nicaragua; Oyster Inn, Waiheke Island, New Zealand; and Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort, St. Lucia

Winners under the Renovation category were El Encanto, Santa Barbara, Calif.;

Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice, Italy; Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seville, Spain; Hotel Jerome, Aspen; and The Peninsula, Hong Kong.

Under the Resort category, winners were Alpina Gstaad, Switzerland; Amanzo’e, Porto Heli, Greece; Botanique Hotel & Spa, Brazil; Trident Hotel, Port Antonio, Jamaica; Uma by Como, Punakha, Bhutan; and Vivanta by Taj Madikeri, India.