Marriott International Hotel Group to Call More of Australia Home

18/12/16

Marriott International is looking to double its presence across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to about 50 hotels in the next four years to take advantage of the increasing movement of travelers in the region. The growth will be boosted by Marriott’s recently-completed acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. One of the hotels will be a new Ritz-Carlton at the proposed $500 million hotel and retail complex at The Star Entertainment’s casino in Sydney.  Another will be an Aloft hotel in Perth opening next May. The properties in the pipeline will provide more than 2500 hotel jobs and add more Read the full article...

Apple Recruits Builders to Sell iHomes

18/12/16

In a darkened master bedroom, David Kaiserman stood in shirt sleeves next to a turned-down king bed. “Good morning, Siri,” he said to the iPad in his hand, and the lights went on while the blackout shades retracted. “Your home is ready to rise and shine,” the virtual assistant replied. Inside this four-bedroom stucco house in Alameda, California, Kaiserman, president of the technology division at construction company Lennar, was pitching a vision of a home controlled via iPhone or iPad. Tap your phone, and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” blasts. Tap again, and the bath runs at a blissful 38 degrees.  Sweet, Read the full article...

Wandin Valley Winery Scores $7 Million Buyer from China

04/12/16

The Hunter Valley winery that was named after a fictional village in the 1980s hit TV series A Country Practice has sold for $7 million. In a fitting nod to Wandin Valley’s entertainment past it was bought by a director of one of China’s largest animation studios, Lap Tung Tsoi. Originally known as Millstone Vineyard, the 40-hectare property was renamed Wandin Valley by the creator of A Country Practice, James Davern, and his wife Philippa following their purchase in 1990 for $900,000. Davern, who ran the film and television company JNP Films that produced the Logie Award-winning series, redeveloped the property into a winery, building the cricket pavilion-style main residence, manager’s cottage, modern cellar, function Read the full article...