A quick roundup of global hospitality news.
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, RESIDENCES IN JACKSONVILLE, FLA.: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has partnered with Shahid Khan through Iguana Investments Florida LLC to announce plans for a new hotel and residences in Jacksonville, Fla. Scheduled to open in 2026, Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Jacksonville will help develop the Jacksonville Shipyards on the banks of the St. Johns River. Set to be the centerpiece of the Jacksonville Shipyards, the property will consist of 170 rooms and suites, 26 residences and four F&B venues (including a signature rooftop restaurant and bar, pool bar and grill, all-day restaurant and lobby bar). The hotel will also offer a spa, several outdoor pools, a gym, meeting and events space, a kid’s program and access to a redeveloped marina along the St. Johns River. The project’s conceptual design has been created by Pininfarina America, with HKS as the lead architect collaborating with ODA Architecture for interior design and EDSA for landscape design. This will be the second Four Seasons property for Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. Khan acquired full ownership of the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto in September 2016.
DOUBLE MILESTONE FOR ENNISMORE: Ennismore is set to open its first all-inclusive hotel in Turkey with the signing of Hyde Bodrum. This will also mark Ennismore’s debut in Turkey. Scheduled to open in 2024, the resort will offer a luxe, adults-only, all-inclusive experience focused on a festival through music and other curated entertainment and sports activities. Located between the Aegean Sea and the national parks of the Bodrum Peninsula, Hyde Bodrum will feature 211 rooms and four villas, dedicated entertainment areas (like a pool programmed with pop-ups and live performances), a wellness and spa area, six dining outlets by Ennismore’s in-house F&B concept studio, Carte Blanched, and a nightclub. This year, Ennismore plans to open about 20 hotels. The company has 13 brands representing more than 100 hotels, 140 more in the pipeline and 200 restaurants and bars.
HOLIDAY INN & EXPRESS & SUITES PITTSBURGH CHANGES HANDS: JLL has arranged the sale of Holiday Inn & Express & Suites Pittsburgh-South Side in Pittsburgh, Penn. The purchase price was not disclosed. JLL represented the seller and procured the buyer. The 125-room, six-story hotel has 600 square feet of meeting area, an indoor pool, a fitness center and a business center. The JLL team was led by Managing Director Ketan Patel and Vice President Phil White.
BROWN HOTELS OPENS THREE HOTELS: Brown Hotels has opened three new hotels — Brown Eilat, Brown Lighthouse Eilat and Brown Red Sea in Eilat in Southern Israel. The three properties are the first Brown Hotels property in the country to be located outside Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The 84-room Brown Eilat is an adult-friendly boutique hotel with a retro aesthetic, while Brown Lighthouse Eilat is a 152-room resort. The Brown Red Sea offers 154 rooms and is located adjacent to the Seven Stars Mall opening later this year. Brown Hotels plans to open and operate 40 hotels in Greece, Germany and Cyprus by 2024.
PANDOX ACQUIRES HILTON BELFAST FOR £40M: Pandox AB has acquired Hilton Belfast in Belfast, the U.K., for £40 million ($51.35 million). The seller is a controlled affiliate of Starwood Capital Group. The 202-room hotel will be operated under a management agreement with Axiom Hospitality, subject to a franchise under the Hilton brand. The hotel’s acquisition price will initially be funded by cash and current credit facilities. Pandox expects the property to generate a stabilized yield of 10%. The hotel underwent renovations to its rooms and public areas during the pandemic.