InterContinental Hotels Group has recently won two major awards at the inaugural MAXXhotel Awards, which recognize the most profitable hotels in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. These awards are reputed to be the only hotel awards based solely on operating performance, and because only a small number of hotels make the nomination cut for each category, those nominated are considered to be the cream of the crop.

Of 10 award categories, InterContinental Hotels Group was eligible to enter seven, eventually coming away with two wins. In addition, InterContinental Resort Moorea was nominated for an award in recognition of its exceptional performance. The winners of this year's awards were determined based on data obtained in the Horwath 2006 Survey of Operations, which analyzed the 2005 financial performance of close to 250 hotels, resorts, and serviced apartments in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Region.

As of June, Le Maitai welcomes Catherine Savatier, who has become general manager in the Bora Bora resort after 10 years of hotel management in the Caribbean and French Antilles. Savatier’s experience and enthusiasm bode well for the future of Le Maitai Bora Bora. Also at Le Maitai, the Haere Mai restaurant proposes a refined “a la carte” dinner every day.

Under Food and Beverage Manager, Eric Leroy and chef Xavier Lafosse, the restaurant includes a program of themed evenings, such as West Indian Evening and the weekly Le Maitai Polynesia Night, which features a bountiful buffet, traditional dance show, and Polynesian arts and handicrafts. Le Maitai will be undergoing considerable renovations in all 19 of its beach and overwater bungalows, such as reroofing, improved water distribution, and air conditioning. Renovations are set to be completed by the end of the year.

Both the Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort and the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort have recently been accepted into the prestigious association of Select Hotels and Resorts International.

In addition, both Moorea Pearl Resort and Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort have authentic wedding packages that, although not legally binding, will bring a new level of romance to any vacation. The Moorea Pearl Resort offers a ceremony complete with a bed of roses in the couple’s bungalow, a musician’s trio on the beach, and a Polynesian canoe ride for the married couple. In the Bora Bora Pearl Resort package, the couple is dressed in a traditional white wedding pareu and floral crowns, followed by the ceremony, where they are given unique Tahitian names and wrapped in a traditional Polynesian wedding quilt.

Both packages come with a marriage certificate, a complimentary bottle of champagne, and a photo album containing pictures of the ceremony. And the best part about these packages—they’re free!

After having invested more than $50 million in its four resorts on Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, Accor has decided to give its Sofitel hotels new names to go with their new looks. Sofitel Tahiti Resort, formerly Sofitel Maeva Beach and the first Sofitel resort in French Polynesia, has renovated all its rooms and public areas.

Sofitel Marara Bora Bora has become Sofitel Bora Bora Resort, adding new overwater bungalows, a new spa and horizon pool, and a new bar for the pool and beach area. Sofitel Motu Bora Bora is currently going a soft refurbishment and will retain its original name. Sofitel Ia Ora Moorea is to become Sofitel Moorea Beach Resort, and will reveal its multi-million dollar overhaul, including the addition of 19 new overwater bungalows, a large spa, meeting and function rooms, and a new Polynesian restaurant. The property is scheduled to open later this fall. While Accor French Polynesia’s General Manager, Marc Reissenger decidedly aims to create “some of the best deluxe accommodation in French Polynesia,” he believes the new names “will make it easier for travel agents and other operators to identify where the resorts are located and that the product has been completely upgraded over the last year.”

Tuesday, August 15 marked the official launching of Varua Tupu: New Writing From French Polynesia, the first book about Polynesian literature published in English. The volume is a collection of works celebrating local Polynesian genres, including poetry, memoir, and fiction. “There have been some translations here and there,” reports general editor, Frank Stewart, “but this is really this first one [in English].” The project began in 2001 and took about 5 years to collect and translate texts from contemporary Tahitian writers.

Construction has begun for a 3-star, 91-room hotel in downtown Papeete that is due to open in July of 2008. Intended for traveling businessmen and transit visitors, the Hotel Tahiti Nui will be the fourth hotel in downtown Papeete. "We wanted to position ourselves on the target of businessmen and Anglo Saxon and European tourists," said Christophe Beaumont. "They are willing to spend more money in the outer islands, but are looking for middle range hotels in Papeete," he said. The hotel will be constructed of specialized materials which will make the walls between rooms more soundproof, sheltering guests not only from sound between rooms, but also from the city’s noisy rush hour traffic during the day. The seven-story Hotel will include a gym, two swimming pools, a boutique, and a banquet hall.

An amendment regarding Bora Bora Cruises “Dry Dock 2007”: The ships will be out of commission from March 5, 2007 through April 15, 2007. Their first departure date will be April 16, 2007.