Lighthouse Bay Resort, an exclusive nine-suite private island paradise off of the small island of Barbuda in the Caribbean, is offering luxury travel counselors an increased commission of 15 percent for all new bookings made during the course of October 2010 for stays of five nights or longer consumed between Dec. 15, 2010, and March 31, 2011

Extending its reach in Latin America, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today announced it will debut its Westin brand in Panama with two new properties slated to open in the next two years. The Westin Playa Bonita Panama will open in 2011, just 20 minutes from downtown, followed by the opening of The Westin Panama Hotel in 2012 in the heart of Panama City’s Costa del Este business district.

Sol Melia is to open a Norman Foster-designed ME by Melia property in London. The Spanish chain has acquired a building in Holborn, near Trafalgar Square, and will open the hotel in 2012.

NH Hotels, in line with its spirit of innovation, has become the first Spanish hotel chain to develop a new information and booking application for the iPhone. The new app is now being made available to downloaded free of charge through the Apple Store.

Hilton Worldwide has entered into a franchise agreement with J.G.J. Proyectistas S.A.C., a real estate developer based in Lima, Peru, to introduce the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand to the Peruvian market with the 230-room new-build Hilton Lima Miraflores. The hotel is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2012.

Virgin Group, a leading branded investment organization, announced the launch of Virgin Hotels, a new four-star lifestyle hotel brand. The company plans to develop and operate up to 25 hotels within seven years, with the first property expected to open within 12 to 18 months.