InterContinental-owned boutique chain Hotel Indigo has opened its first property in continental Europe.

The Hotel Indigo Berlin opened its doors February 3, marking the brand’s first entry into Europe outside of the United Kingdom.

Designed with Hotel Indigo’s trademark ’boutique’ feel, the property contains 81 rooms, which are finished in light wood and white but have been individualized with color to give them the feel of an ‘artist’s studio’.

International hotel chain Starwood has unveiled a major revamp of its Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program, targeting elite travelers with a host of new benefits.

The chain, which operates Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridien and St Regis, says that it’s responding to the global uptick in travel to target the ‘sophisticated’ market, which it believes has become ‘jaded’ about traditional schemes.

Among the most notable aspects of the change is a new service called Your24, which will let frequent travelers pick their own check-in and check-out times within a 24-hour timeframe — so if you check in at one property at 10 PM, you won’t have to check out until 10PM the next day.

London’s Cadogan hotel has launched a new ‘Champagne bath menu’ in time for the most romantic day of the year.

All 120 bottles of Champagne that it takes to fill one of the hotel’s baths will be the task of one’s own personal butler assigned by the hotel.

The butlers will be sure to place some chocolate covered strawberries and a complimentary bottle of vintage Champagne within easy reach of the bath.

Emyr Thomas from Bon Vivant, London’s premier concierge service, gives us the lowdown on the most exclusive hotel opening to look forward to throughout 2012.

The Al Habtoor Group, a UAE-based development firm, plans to build a new triple-hotel complex in the heart of the Emirate as part of a $1.3 billion project.

The “Habtoor Palace”. formed of two skyscrapers rising from a five-storey podium base, will see over 1,600 rooms added to Dubai‘s hotel scene.

The rest of the complex is designed as a ‘lifestyle experience,’ Al Habtoor says, with a luxury spa and multiple restaurants and banqueting facilities.

Marriott has announced five new locations for its luxury boutique brand Edition, promising to have properties on three continents by 2015.

Edition’s line of upscale, contemporary design hotels, which Marriott developed with hotelier Ian Schrager, will soon move into New York, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi, Los Angeles, and Gurgaon, India, the hotel firm said January 19.

The Edition brand currently consists of a single property in Istanbul, after Marriott was ousted from the first outlet in Waikiki after a disagreement with the management.