Getting Wilde in London: Dublin, Ireland-based serviced residence company Staycity introduced a new brand, Wilde Aparthotels by Staycity. The first one, a 106-key propert developed by Galliard, will open this fall in London with studios and deluxe studios, followed by properties in Edinburgh, Manchester and Berlin.
Hard Rock’s Spanish plans: Hard Rock Entertainment gave details on its €2 billion (US$2.29 billion) Hard Rock Entertainment World planned for northern Spain. The first phase includes the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona integrated resort, with 75 shops and a “family-oriented” hotel of up to 500 rooms.
The future of payment strategies: A new white paper by the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association, or HEDNA, looks at trends in electronic payments and future best practices. Among the findings: Payment strategies will become guest-centric and move away from legacy property-based payment offerings; and prepaid does not necessarily equal discounted.
Historic Arkansas hotel sold: Sky Capital Group LP of Little Rock, Arkansas, acquired the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa in Hot Springs from its longtime owners. A purchase price for the 478-room hotel, which has a thermal bathhouse, was not given.
Are bots worth the bother? A new study by EyeforTravel and Travelaer that tracks response rates among the travel industry, including airlines and hotels, on social media such as Facebook and Messenger, points to the potential of chatbots to shorten the time a customer waits for a response.
Read the report (registration necessary)