A quick roundup of global hospitality news.
AVANI’S VENETIAN DEBUT: Avani Hotels & Resorts, the upscale lifestyle brand of Minor Hotels, has expanded its presence in Europe with the opening of Avani Rio Novo Venice. Set against the backdrop of Dorsoduro, the 144-room hotel features a glass façade and showcases an Italian Rationalist architecture. Amenities include a fitness center, a cinematic-themed restaurant, grab-and-go dining options, dedicated meeting spaces and flexible event spaces for up to 130 persons. Avani is growing its European portfolio and will open properties in key cities across Europe as well as debut in Central and South America with upcoming openings in Mexico and Colombia.
LE MÉRIDIEN RESORT IN PHUKET: Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 31 hotel brands, has opened Le Méridien Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand. Located along the Mai Khao Beach and surrounded by the Sirinat National Park, the resort underwent refurbishment and rebranding to open as a Le Méridien-branded property. The resort features 244 rooms and suites, with a balcony or terrace in every room and views of the gardens, pool or sea. The reimagined resort has added pool access rooms, private cabana rooms, private pool suites and two-bedroom suites. The resort offers direct access to Mai Khao Beach, an outdoor lagoon pool, a children’s pool, a kid’s club, multiple dining venues and a range of event spaces.
TPG TO MANAGE THREE HOTELS IN BUFFALO, N.Y.: TPG Hotels & Resorts has been selected by Douglas Development to manage three upscale independent boutique hotels — The Richardson Hotel, The Roycraft Inn and The Mansion on Delaware — located in Buffalo, N.Y. These three properties have been redeveloped and maintained by the owner. The 88-room Richardson Hotel transitioned from an 1870s New York State psychiatric hospital to an upscale boutique hotel, featuring a fitness center, business center and more than 7,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The 28-luxury suite Roycroft Inn is located on a historic property that is part of the Roycroft Campus, opened in 1897. The 28-room Mansion on Delaware is a 19th-century mansion transformed into an upscale hotel and event center. TPG Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio consists of more than 600 branded independent boutique hotels and marinas totaling over 65,000 rooms across 42 states.
BWH’S GLŌ OPENS IN GEORGIA: BWH Hotels has announced the latest addition to its boutique GLō brand with the opening of GLō Best Western Pooler – Savannah Airport hotel. This is the second GLō-branded hotel to open in Georgia. The newly built hotel features 83 rooms, complimentary breakfast, a business center and a fitness center. Located within a 20-minute drive from the Historic District of Savannah, Ga., the hotel also offers a complimentary shuttle ride service from the airport.
CANADA’S OCCUPANCY REACHES 4-YEAR HIGH: The hotel industry in Canada saw occupancy reaching its highest level since August 2019, according to CoStar’s August data.
- Occupancy: 77.4% (+1.4%)
- ADR: CA$226.04/ US$167.56 (+5.8%)
- RevPAR: CA$174.87/ US$129.63 (+7.2%)
While YOY growth moderated from earlier this year, the performance observed through August was a considerable achievement relative to stronger metrics from the previous summer’s ‘revenge travel’ period, CoStar said. Demand patterns across all the segments have been normalizing, with both transient and weekend occupancies returning closer to 2019 levels this year. However, ADR did not see the same result, with both segments witnessing rates at a higher level. Among the provinces and territories, Newfoundland and Labrador saw the highest occupancy level (88.2%), 3.3% above 2022. Among the major markets, Vancouver posted the highest occupancy (86.4%), 0.8% ahead of August 2022. Among provinces, Saskatchewan reported the lowest occupancy (64.3%), up 4.1% against 2022. At the market level, the lowest occupancy was reported in Edmonton (+10.5% to 66.7%).
