Highgate to acquire Viceroy Hotels and Resorts: Highgate has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Los Angeles-based Viceroy Hotels & Resorts. The deal is expected to close early next year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Viceroy brand launched in 2000 with the opening of Viceroy Santa Monica and has 11 hotels in operation and two more in development. New York-based Highgate has more than $20 billion in assets under management. The acquisition will result in Highgate adding to its more than 500 owned and/or managed properties totaling over 84,000 rooms across Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S.
Ennismore expands footprint in Spain and France: Ennismore and Apollo-owned Grupo Azul Mar Cala Llonga have announced the expansion of its portfolio in Spain, with two new Mondrian and Hyde properties in Ibiza. Mondrian Ibiza and Hyde Ibiza will open on the bay of Cala Llonga in June 2023 and will provide nine F&B outlets with pool spaces, nightlife and music venues. The 154-room Mondrian Ibiza marks the brand’s entry into Spain. Designed by Spanish firms Beades Architects and Cuarto Interior, the hotel will operate seasonally from June till mid-October. The seaside property will include two pools overlooking the ocean, with suites overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Located adjacent to the Mondrian, Hyde Ibiza will have 401 rooms and will operate seasonally from June to mid-October. Also designed by Beades Architects and Cuarto Interior, the hotel will feature five food and beverage venues. The dining venues at both properties have been curated by Carte Blanched, Ennismore’s in-house mixology and culinary team. The hotels reflect Ennismore’s growth in the region, with 15 hotels opening in Europe in 2023. In addition, Ennismore has announced the debut of Mondrian into France with Mondrian Cannes, which will open in March 2023 and is a conversion of the former Grand Hotel Cannes. The new hotel will have 75 rooms and include Hyde Beach Cannes, a private beach concept.
Radisson resort in Zambia: Radisson Hotel Group has announced the opening of Radisson Blu Mosi-oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort, Zambia. Located near the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park near the Zambezi River, the resort marks Radisson’s first safari resort in Africa and the first one in Zambia. The property features 200 rooms, suites and villas with views of the Zambezi River, an all-day dining restaurant, bar and lounge, a pool bar, fitness center and swimming pools. The hotel includes a ballroom of over 500 square meters. The resort building has obtained an EDGE green building certification and has signed the UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge. The property will help Radisson take a step towards its goal of reaching 150 hotels in operation and under development in Africa by 2025. This is the second Radisson property in Zambia, following the opening of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka, and the third, Park Inn by Radisson Lusaka, set to open next year.
US performance improves: Hotel performance in the U.S. was higher than the last week and showed better comparisons to 2019, according to STR data through December 10.
- Occupancy: 59.6% (-1.2%)
- ADR: $144.79 (+15.4%)
- RevPAR: $86.29 (+14%)
Among the top 25 markets, Tampa recorded the highest occupancy increase over 2019 (+10.2% to 80.1%). Of note, New York City posted the highest occupancy level (90.2%). New Orleans saw the highest ADR (+57.3% to $202.67) and RevPAR (+63.8% to $136.92) increases. San Francisco was the only market to report an ADR decrease (-16.3% to $215.44). The largest RevPAR decreases were seen in San Francisco (-35.3% to $147.60) and Minneapolis (-8.7% to $57.45).
Marriott’s first resort in Dubai: Marriott International has launched Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, its first resort in the U.A.E. Located along the West Beach across more than 75,000 square feet of seafront, the beachside resort features 608 rooms and suites, 10 dining venues, a pool, kids club, spa, fitness center, water sports and marine activities. The resort also offers over 20,000 square feet of event space, 11 venues and more than 10,000 square feet of sea view outdoor terrace space.
Hilton adds in Mexico: Hilton has signed the new-build Waldorf Astoria San Miguel de Allende, the third Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts-branded property in Mexico. Set to open in early 2025, the property will comprise 120 rooms and 24 Waldorf Astoria branded residences. The hotel will also offer three restaurants, two bars, a coffee shop, wellness-inspired amenities, a destination-inspired spa, rooftop space with pools, an on-site art gallery and local artisan crafts store. Managed by Hilton, the property is owned by Peakair Group and is being developed by Skyplus Developments Corp. Waldorf Astoria’s global portfolio includes over 30 properties and 18 residential properties either open or under development. Currently in Mexico, Hilton has 90 properties across 12 brands and 25 more in the development pipeline. Across the Caribbean and Latin America, Hilton has 200 hotels and a development pipeline of over 100 hotels.
Le Meridien, Element in Salt Lake City: The Ritchie Group and Utah-based Garn Development have announced that Le Meridien Salt Lake City Downtown and Element Salt Lake City Downtown will open mid-January 2023. This is the first dual-pad property in Salt Lake City and the first Le Meridien and Element combination of Marriott brands. Additionally, this is the first Le Meridien in Utah and the first hotel with a full-scale rooftop bar in the market. The property is managed by San Diego, CA-based Azul Hospitality Group. Le Meridien Salt Lake City Downtown features 144 rooms and suites, while Element Salt Lake City Downtown offers 126 rooms and suites. The property also includes a signature restaurant, two meeting spaces and a pre-function area totaling 8,355 square feet of meeting space. The property was designed by architectural firm, HKS, with Studio HBA leading the interiors.
Ohana acquires Tillary Hotel: Ohana Real Estate has acquired the Tillary Hotel in Brooklyn. The company acquired the 174-key hotel, a 64-unit apartment building and a commercial condo with a $94 million credit bid at an auction in November, roughly two years after the hotel’s former owners, Isaac Hager and Lipa Rubin, went into bankruptcy. However, Ohana has alleged that it was forced to call the police after some tenants, who are reportedly close to Rubin’s son, refused to vacate their apartments.
Southland Casino Hotel completes $320M expansion: Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis, Ark., has completed $320-million expansion, which includes a new 300-room, 20-story hotel with 12 penthouse suites and a 113,000-square-foot gaming floor with 2,400 slot machines, 50 live table games and several bars and dining options. The three-year project completes the transformation of the earlier race track. Southland is owned and operated by Delaware North. Osi Imomoh has been appointed as the casino hotel’s new president and general manager. He had previously served as Southland’s food and beverage director.