Brussels occupancy: Hotels in Brussels posted five consecutive months of occupancy growth after 12 months of declines, according to STR. November 2016 saw a 10.2% increase in occupancy compared with the year-earlier period, which marked the beginning of market struggles after terrorist attacks in Paris. March 2016, when attacks occurred at Brussels’ airport and a local metro station, resulted in eight more months of declines.
Wynn OKs park: Wynn Resorts’ board approved a plan for a US$1.5 billion theme park called Paradise Park, off the Las Vegas strip, that would feature a 20-acre lagoon. The lagoon was originally planned to be nearly twice the size.
Wyndham spinoff? Wyndham Worldwide, in prepared remarks during a conference call on its 1Q 2017 results, discussed the “optionality” of having a division head who could also be a CEO, as well as saying that options for the overall structure of the company were being reviewed by the board, according to a note by SunTrust Robinson Humphrey’s Patrick Scholes. “We are pleased to welcome Mike Brown as the new CEO and president of our vacation ownership business,” said Chairman and CEO Stephen Holmes during the remarks. “I am confident that Mike is the right leader to take Wyndham Vacation Ownership to the next level.”
Mövenpick in Maldives: Switzerland’s M?venpick Hotels & Resorts signed an agreement to manage its first resort in the Maldives, the Resort & Spa Kuredhivaru Maldives in Noonu Atoll. It is scheduled to open in 2018.
Canada’s numbers: Also from STR, Canada’s hotel industry reported positive year-over-year results during the first quarter of 2017. Compared with Q1 2016, occupancy rose 2.7% to 56.1%; ADR rose 2.7% to CAD140.17 (US$103.32); and RevPAR rose 5.5% to CAD78.64 (US$57.98). Overall, nine of the 11 reporting provinces registered a RevPAR increase for the quarter.
Hilton’s veteran hiring: Hilton announced an initiative to hire 20,000 U.S. veterans, spouses, dependents and caregivers by 2020.
Time for women: Time Hotels Management plans a new hotel in Dubai’s Al Barsha shopping district whose employees will be 80% female, including its general manager; it’s part of an initiative to increase women in the workplace. The 232-room hotel will be open to male and female guests but two floors will be reserved for women. It’s due to open later this year.
Signature in Belfast: Liverpool, England-based Signature Living Group acquired the Scottish Mutual Building in Belfast’s city center and plans to invest £15 million (US$19.2 million) to make it a boutique hotel. The building was acquired from the Ballymena-based Hill family. A purchase price was not given.
Leeu in London: South Africa-based Leeu Collection acquired 55 Newman Street, a former office building in Fitzrovia. It is scheduled to open as a boutique hotel in 2019.
St. Regis in Los Cabos: Marriott’s St. Regis Hotels & Resorts signed a 120-room hotel and 60 residences in Los Cabos. The company is partnering with Impulsora del Golfo de Cortéz S.A. de CV and Gran Armee del Cabo S.A. de C.V on the St. Regis Los Cabos in Quivira, which is expected to open in early 2021.
“Clean” data: Data quality and cleanliness are the biggest challenges reported by travel tech professionals in a recent EyeforTravel survey. Other issues cited by the 450 people surveyed include consistent data strategy, data integration and deploying analytics in a timely manner.
Relaunch in Oman: Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts relaunch the Shangri-La Al Husn Resort & Spa in Oman as a private standalone resort in October. The 180-room Al Husn was previously marketed as part of the adjacent Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa.