Motto signs in U.S.: Hilton’s Motto brand signed its first U.S. property, in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of Atlanta. In partnership with Lucror Resources and Sixty West Funds, the company’s micro lifestyle brand will be part of a US$80 million mixed-use development and be operated by Hospitality Ventures Management Group of Atlanta. Targeted opening for the 125-room hotel is early 2021. The first of the brand is under development in London and is set to open next year.
Kimpton in HK: IHG’s Kimpton brand signed an agreement with Empire Group to open a new hotel in Hong Kong (Kimpton just opened its first Asian hotel in March in Taipei). It’s the fifth hotel in development in greater China. The hotel will be located in the 50-year-old, redeveloped Mariners’ Club. Kimpton did not note the size of the hotel or its projected opening date.
New brand for Margaritaville: Margaritaville and Karisma Hotels & Resorts are planning to open Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma, a collection of inclusive luxury resorts in beachfront destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun by Karisma is scheduled to open late this year. Others in the pipeline include a second resort in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, Jamaica, and Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic.
RIU in Senegal: Mallorca-based RIU Hotels & Resorts will develop a hotel project on Senegal’s west coast, in the Pointe Sarène area. RIU owns six hotels in Africa and manages five. The planned €150 million (US$167.5 million) investment will allow two properties to be built an includes two phases – a 500-room Classic hotel and an 800-room Palace hotel. Opening dates were not given.
Six Senses in Iceland: IHG’s Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas plans a hotel in Iceland, the Six Senses Össurá Valley, on 4,000 acres. The resort will have 70 rooms, private cottages and residences. The owner and developer is Álfaland Hotel ehf. An opening date was not given.
Autograph adding properties: Marriott International’s Autograph Collection Hotels will add 17 properties by the end of July, including three signed in 1Q 2019; locations include an art deco hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, a castle in Germany’s Moselle region and the first of the brand in Nairobi, Kenya.
Dream in Mexico: New York-based Dream Hotel Group will open The Chatwal in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico, in 2021. Mexico-based Legacy Developments will own. The 80-room, 50-residence property will have a tasting room and wine cellar to celebrate the region’s wine culture. Dream is opening three other hotels in Mexico by 2021, including the Unscripted Tulum, The Chatwal San Miguel de Allende and DRM Dream Valle de Guadalupe.
Rapper gets apology: Rapper Meek Mill, who accused the Cosmopolitan Hotel of discrimination after being denied entry and threatened with arrest recently, got an apology. “We apologize to Meek Mill for how we handled the situation on Saturday, May 25, as we did not act in a respectful manner and were wrong,” the Las Vegas hotel said in a statement on Friday.
EHL rebrand: The company that runs Ecole ho^telie`re de Lausanne has launched a new branding strategy and name to underscore a long-term expansion strategy. The acronym EHL will be the umbrella brand, which includes the Lausanne program, the EHL Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality in Passugg, Switzerland, and EHL Advisory Services. “The group has ambitious projects coming up and an increased focus on international markets, with an emphasis on transversal initiatives such as innovation, research, global networking and digital transformation. It was therefore crucial to present ourselves to the world in a clustered yet nimble form,” said Andre´ Witschi, president of the company’s board.