A quick roundup of global hospitality news.
BANYAN TREE’S 70TH HOTEL MILESTONE: Banyan Tree Group has achieved its 70th property milestone with the recent openings of Angsana Ho Tram and Dhawa Ho Tram in Vietnam, along with Folio Sakura Shinsaibashi Osaka and Homm Stay Yumiha Okinawa in Japan. All of these properties opened earlier this month. The opening of the hotels in Japan is one of the first properties in a planned global collection of micro-hotels under the new Folio and Homm brand extension. Banyan Tree debuted in Japan in 2022. Future openings in Japan include Banyan Tree Higashiyama, Banyan Tree Ashinoko Hakone and ski resort Cassia Niseko. More openings are planned for the Folio brand in urban centers and gateway cities. By the end of this year, Banyan Tree will open Garrya Bianti Yogyakarta in Indonesia, Garrya Mu Chang Chai in Vietnam, Garrya Xianju and Dhawa Dalian in China and Homm Chura Samui in Thailand.
AVANI DEBUTS IN ITALY: Minor Hotels’ brand, Avani, has made its debut in Italy with the opening of Avani Palazzo Moscova in Milan. Located between the Porto Nuova and Corso Como districts, the hotel is housed in a neoclassical building that was once the city’s first railway station. The hotel has 65 rooms and suites, a gym and a spa with a sauna, jacuzzi and hammam. The hotel features a signature seafood restaurant and offers authentic experiences, like pasta-making classes with a local chef, a city tour on a restored 1971 Fiat 500, a private shopping tour and photoshoots.
SCANDIC GO SIGNS SECOND HOTEL: Scandic has signed a lease agreement for the second hotel of its new brand, Scandic Go. The 221-room hotel will be at Fridhemsplan on the island of Kungsholmen in Stockholm. Scandic has signed the lease agreement with its biggest landlord, Pandox. The hotel is expected to open in the summer of 2024 after undergoing renovations. Pandox will undertake a technical upgrade of the existing hotel as part of the renovations. After opening, the property will be certified as per the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, which is the official ecolabel of the Nordic nations. Scandic Go will open its first hotel this September in Stockholm.
HOTEL INDIGO TO ROMANIA: IHG Hotels & Resorts will introduce its Hotel Indigo brand in Romania and has signed Hotel Indigo Satu Mare in Satu Mare. The hotel has been signed under a franchise agreement with Dacia SRL, a subsidiary of Manevi ZRT and marks a new partnership between IHG and the owner group. Hungary-based Hotel & More will operate the hotel. The 62-room hotel will be located in the Art Nouveau building. The hotel’s façade is one of the iconic aspects of the city, with architecture dating back to 1902. Scheduled to open in 2025, the hotel will have a restaurant, a cocktail bar and a spa. The hotel will join IHG’s three more properties in Romania — Intercontinental Athénée Palace Bucharest, Crowne Plaza Bucharest, and Holiday Inn Bucharest-Times.
VOCO TO OPEN IN BEIRUT: IHG has signed a franchise agreement with DIA SARL to introduce its brand, voco, in Beirut. A former hotel will be rebranded to voco Beirut Central District by the end of this year. The hotel will add 123 rooms to IHG’s portfolio in Lebanon. The hotel is close to popular attractions like the F&B strip of Zaituna Bay, Beirut Waterfront and Beirut Souks. The property will feature three dining venues, a destination rooftop bar, an outdoor pool, a spa, a gym, a business center and a dedicated theater area. IHG presently operates four hotels, totaling nearly 900 keys, under three brands across Lebanon. Currently, voco has 46 open hotels and more than 50 properties in the pipeline.