Hotel news: Graduate Oxford bookable, Hotel Indigo opens in Oman, a new IHG Maldives resort
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Hotel news in brief:
The Randolph Oxford is now bookable via Hilton
Back in March, Hilton made a rare acquisition – the first major one since it bought Embassy Suites, DoubleTree and Hampton in 1999 – with the $210 million purchase of Graduate Hotels.
The name may ring a bell. The company has two hotels in the UK – The Randolph in Oxford which we reviewed here, and Graduate Cambridge. The Cambridge property was previously a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel before being sold to Graduate.
Graduate Hotels has 33 sites in total, with the other 31 in the United States. They are situated in university towns and “cater to college alumni, students, and communities with hip, nostalgic-themed design and campus-centric amenities.”
Hilton believes that the brand could grow to 400-500 hotels globally.
In some ways, the hotels – and the cities they serve – are similar to IHG’s Hotel Indigo brand. Most Hotel Indigo sites are in upmarket mid-tier cities which by definition will usually have a well regarded university nearby.
As we covered a couple of weeks ago, Graduate Cambridge is now bookable at hilton.com – see here. The name is now ‘Graduate by Hilton Cambridge‘.
The Randolph in Oxford is also now bookable. The new name is the not-very-catchy ‘The Randolph Hotel Oxford, a Graduate by Hilton’.
Reward nights are capped at 75,000 points. In fact, for IT reasons, they are currently FIXED at 75,000 points irrespective of the cash rate. This may feel high for a non-London hotel, but with cash rates often over £300 it could be decent value given our 0.33p per Hilton point valuation.
You can find out more, and book, on this page of the Hilton website here.
Hotel Indigo Jabal Akhdar Resort and Spa opens in Oman
Regular readers may remember that, last autumn, we reviewed Hyatt’s Alila Jabal Akhdar mountain resort in Oman.
Along with Anantara (website here), which you may remember from the BBC’s ‘Amazing Hotels’, this region has been dominated by these two expensive five star properties with very little for those on midscale budgets.
The good news is that IHG has now opened in the region with Hotel Indigo Jabal Akhdar Resort & Spa.
To quote:
Nestled on a cliff edge at 2,200m with spectacular views of the Hajar mountain range, Hotel Indigo Jabal Akhdar Resort and Spa is reimagining life on the ‘Green Mountain’.
Presenting 175 rooms, suites, pool and hammock villas, each one inspired by the landscapes of Jabal Akhdar and developed with Hotel Indigo’s exacting standards. Luxurious amenities and creature comforts await you from rain showers and plush bedding to your own private balconies and other modern touches.
We have developed 3 distinctive café, lounge and bar experiences. Building on Jabal Akhdar’s historic legacy, fresh ingredients and healthy eating is at the heart of our menus. Dine cliffside savoring Omani inspired dishes or venture to the rooftop concept Styx, with its vibrant atmosphere, food truck and woodfired smoker.
But don’t get carried away! In today’s fast paced world, you also need to unplug, unwind, and relax. Our wellness oasis extending over 2,200sqm and developed by the talented minds behind the world’s greatest spas is your perfect escape. Be nourished, rejuvenated and pampered! And if you just want to hit the gym or need some cool activities to keep the kids entertained, don’t worry, we have you covered!
You can find out more on the hotel website here.
For some more information on the region, how to get there and what to do, read our Alila review.
IHG gains a new Maldives resort in December
Talking of IHG, it will gain a new Maldives resort this winter.
Noku Maldives will join IHG’s Vignette Collection brand in December after completing a refurbishment.
Vignette Collection is IHG’s equivalent of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and Hilton’s Curio Collection, allowing independent hotels of quality to join the IHG ‘system’ without having to meet strict brand standards. You will be able to earn and spend IHG One Rewards points, and enjoy your elite status benefits, as usual.
Noku Maldives is a 45-minute seaplane ride from Male International Airport. With a land area of almost 90,000 square metres, it features 30 overwater villas and 20 beachfront villas, most of which have a private pool. Even the smallest villa is 175 square metres.
Facilities include two restaurants and bars, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, spa, retail outlet and a diving and watersports centre.
You can find out more in this IHG press release.
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