Holiday Inn’s first urban beachfront resort in Indonesia: IHG Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with Agung Sedayu Group, has announced the Holiday Inn brand’s first urban beachfront resort in Indonesia. Expected to open in 2024, the new-build Holiday Inn Resort PIK2 White Sand Beach in Jakarta will offer 180 rooms, signature KidSuites along with a new generation of flexible spaces. The property will be the anchor hotel art PIK2 North Jakarta, a 2,350-hectare waterfront satellite city in Tangerang district. There are currently eight Holiday Inn properties in Indonesia with three more in the pipeline, including the Jakarta resort.
TFE Hotels, Capital Alliance partner: Australia-based Capital Alliance, in partnership with Sydney-headquartered TFE Hotels, has announced a mixed-use project in Melbourne Docklands, featuring two local hotel brands. The project is slated to open in 2026. Capital Alliance’s AU$340 million (US$229.05 million) two-tower development was designed by SJB and will feature Australia’s biggest rooftop infinity pool and the first purpose-built Collection by TFE Hotels and A by Adina properties. The conference center will accommodate 1,000 people and will be located on a sky bridge connecting the two towers. The 200-room yet-to-be-named Collection hotel will be accompanied by a 105-room premium A by Adina hotel. The development is the fourth mixed-use project for Capital Alliance.
Scandic adds in Norway: Scandic Hotels has signed an agreement for a new hotel in Ski outside of Oslo, Norway. The 15-story, 220-key hotel will open in 2026 and offer meeting facilities and a rooftop bar. The hotel is being developed by Bane NOR Eiendom. The 15-story building will house both the hotel and offices. When the hotel opens, it will be eco-labeled as per Nordic Ecolabel’s new environmental requirements. The company currently operates 19 hotels totaling 4,211 rooms in and around Oslo.
US performance update: As expected with the Labor Day calendar shift, hotel performance in the U.S. saw a marginal fall from the last week and showed weakened comparisons with 2019, according to the latest data by STR.
- Occupancy: 61.7% (-11.2%)
- ADR: US$146.80 (+10.6%)
- RevPAR: US$90.50 (-1.8%)
Among the Top 25 markets, only Orlando saw occupancy rise over 2019 (+1.5% to 59.3%). Miami posted the largest ADR gain over 2019 (+34.1% to US$175.85). San Francisco (-39.6% to US$137.61) and Washington, D.C. (-39.6% to US$84.92) matched the steepest RevPAR decline over 2019.
Overall satisfaction with management companies down: According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark, customer satisfaction has declined 4 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, as higher prices drive increased scrutiny. The decline is driven by lower satisfaction with room costs and fees; décor/furnishings of guest rooms; and the variety of food and beverage. Guest satisfaction with front desk staff increased slightly this year, with this personnel earning high marks for speed of check-in, courtesy and knowledge. However, prior to reaching the front desk, fewer than half of hotel guests (48%) indicate being greeted by the staff, which is down 10 percentage points from 2021. When guests say hotel staff makes them feel like valued guests, overall satisfaction scores are 139 points higher. When staff shows concern for guest needs or warm, sincere treatment, satisfaction scores rise 135 points. In J.D. Power’s ranking of third-party managers, Davidson Hospitality Group ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with a score of 875. Atrium Hospitality (870) ranks second and Crestline Hotels & Resorts (856) ranks third.
Travel and tourism deal activity slips: With a total of 54 deals globally in August, travel and tourism deal activity month-on-month fell 31.6% compared to the 79 deals announced in the previous month, as per a recent report by GlobalData. This is the second consecutive month when deal activity for the sector saw a decline. Key markets like the U.K., Japan, India, Spain, Australia and Germany saw a dip in deal activity, with only the U.S. and China as important exceptions. In the U.S., deal volume remained at the same level and China recorded a marginal improvement. The announcements of mergers and acquisitions, venture financing and private equity deals fell by 28%, 23.5% and 58.3% respectively, in August compared to the prior month.
Accor marks 400th hotel in Australia/Pacific: Accor has added its 400th hotel in the Australia and Pacific market, with the launch of the heritage-listed The Porter House Hotel – MGallery in Sydney. The hotel will offer 122 rooms which will occupy the first 10 floors of a 36-story mixed-use building. The hotel is designed by architect Angelo Candelapas of Candelapas Associates. A residential unit, consisting of 131 apartments with a private entry, will be located above the hotel, with a multi-level dining destination being created within the restored 1870s building. The opening of the hotel is part of Accor’s large-scale expansion in the Pacific region, with 11 new hotels expected to open before the end of 2023. This includes the launch of the 25hours brand in Australia, new airport hotels in Melbourne and Auckland and another heritage restoration in Sydney.
Cambria Hotel closes US$33M loan: Centennial Bank has provided a US$33 million loan to Madeira Hotel Investors to acquire the remaining stake of the Cambria Hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida, from its institutional investors. The five-story, 125-key hotel opened during the peak of the pandemic in June 2020 following ground-up construction, for which Centennial Bank also provided the funding. The US$33 million loan marks subservient plans for the hotel’s owner to plan the revitalization of at least two more two additional hotels along a six-mile stretch of the coastline. There are plans for Centennial Bank to finance over US$100 million for future projects.
Mövenpick announces new campaign: Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has unveiled a new global campaign, Hotels to Indulge, which is designed to combine guest experience with food, create connections through culture and encourage guests to consciously indulge. Hotels to Indulge will launch in September, with a strategic media plan targeted at engaging audiences through social and digital channels. As part of the campaign, Mövenpick has partnered with pâtissier Eric Lanlard, also known as Cake-Boy, for exclusive culinary moments in select markets, beginning with the Middle East. This fall, Mövenpick will invite influencers and content creators to participate in a Weekend of Indulgence with Eric Lanlard at Mövenpick Resort Al Marjan Island. This will be the first in a series of events at Mövenpick properties globally, that will feature experiences such as chocolate master classes, custom amenities, chocolate-inspired social hours, and sensational dinners. An exclusive Mövenpick Chocolate Hour concept designed by Eric Lanlard will also be offered across 15 hotels and resorts in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. The new campaign also includes a social media contest encouraging people to share moments of joy. The contest will launch on October 1 and end on December 30.