A quick roundup of global hospitality news
HILTON OPENS HOTEL IN NASHVILLE: Hilton has announced the opening of The Bankers Alley Hotel Nashville, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Formerly the historic Gray & Dudley Building, the property was converted to a 124-key boutique lifestyle hotel in 2017. Located in downtown Nashville’s art district, the hotel offers a signature Gray & Dudley restaurant and an on-site art museum featuring 10,500 square feet of art-filled exhibition and meeting space across ten meeting rooms, including gallery space, private dining rooms, a terrace and the museum. Tapestry Collection by Hilton is one of Hilton’s five lifestyle brands.
CHOICE HOTELS REACHES MILESTONE WITH RADISSON HOTELS INTEGRATION: Choice Hotels has announced that all nine Radisson Hotels Americas brands – including Radisson Blu, Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites – are now bookable on Choice Hotel’s website. This adds nearly 600 hotels to its reservation system ahead of schedule and less than a year since its acquisition of Radisson Americas closed. Choice also announced the integration of the Radisson Rewards Americas loyalty program into the Choice Privileges program, allowing over 60 million Choice Privileges members to earn and redeem points at more than 7,400 hotels across 22 brands in 45 countries and territories.
NEW ETIAS REQUIREMENTS TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE: Starting in 2024, American passport holders and approximately 1.4 billion passport holders from 60 visa-exempt countries will need authorization via the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) to enter most European countries. These requirements have been years in the making but have been postponed due to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Union says all necessary forms can be filled out via a web portal or mobile phone application when open and a €7 fee will be applied. Those with ETIAS approval will be able to stay in the European countries on the list for up to 90 days within any 180-day period, and the ETIAS approval will remain valid for three years or until the passport expires.
DIMENSION HOSPITALITY APPOINTS NEW CEO: Dimension Hospitality has appointed Greg Friedman as CEO following the sudden death of company founder and philanthropist, Sam Friedman, on July 2. Friedman joined the company in 2000 as general counsel and most recently served as company president.