One word: modular. The world’s tallest modular hotel is on track to be stacked in late fall in New York City with prefabricated and pre-furnished guestrooms. Once erected over a 90-day period, the 360-foot-tall, 26-story tower will be topped with a modular roof and modular rooftop bar to create the 168-room AC Hotel New York Nomad. Since the launch of Marriott’s modular initiative in 2014-15, the company’s development partners in North America have opened 31 Marriott-brand hotels – all low-rise structures – that incorporate prefabricated guestrooms and/or bathrooms.
Arbor adds 815 rooms. Summit Hotel Properties has completed the sale of six hotels totaling 815 limited-service guestrooms to Chicago-based Arbor Lodging Partners for an aggregate gross sales price of US$135 million, which resulted in an estimated net gain of US$36.6 million. The deal expands Arbor’s portfolio to 25 properties. Arbor Lodging Management will manage the Hampton Inn, Hyatt Place, Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites branded hotels.
Ghana hotel strike. About 100 staff members at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Ghana went on strike on Wednesday protesting what they said was racist mistreatment by management, the state-owned Daily Graphic reported. The report added that the striking staff members pitched camp at the reception insisting the hotel’s general manager be dismissed.