HYATT EXPANDS INCLUSIVE COLLECTION IN MEXICO: Hyatt Hotels has added to its Mexican portfolio with the opening of the Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort. The all-suite resort is Hyatt’s first property in the seaside destination of Mazatlán. Located in the Estrella de Mar community, the family-friendly, all-inclusive resort is within six miles from the airport. The property offers 358 suites featuring an mini bar, 24-hour room service and furnished balconies or terraces with views of the Pacific Ocean. The resort includes four restaurants, multiple swimming pools, an onsite water park with a lazy river, a spa with a full-service salon, an explorer’s club for children, a convention center which can accommodate up to 700 persons and outdoor event space. Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán adds to Hyatt’s existing portfolio in Latin America and Caribbean, with more openings expected later this year till 2025.
IHG ADDS VOCO IN SOUTH KOREA: IHG Hotels & Resorts is growing its presence in South Korea and has signed its second voco hotel in the country. The company has partnered with Gravity Asset Management’s Seoul South Gate Hotel Operations Company and Hotel HDC Co. Ltd. to sign voco Seoul Myeongdong. The 576-room hotel will be rebranded as voco and is anticipated to open by the middle of this year. Located in the Myeongdong district, the hotel will offer an all-day dining restaurant, an indoor pool, exclusive voco hotels lounge, a fitness center, business center and more than 140 square meters of meeting spaces. The hotel joins voco Seoul Gangnam, which opened in 2022. The latest signing is part of voco’s strategy of having 200 properties globally by 2028. Currently, IHG has nine open hotels under four brands in South Korea, with three more properties in the pipeline.
HILTON INTRODUCES CONRAD TO INDIA: Hilton has added to its luxury portfolio in India with the signing of Conrad Jaipur in Rajasthan. This marks the introduction of Conrad Hotels & Resorts’ in Jaipur. Anticipated to open in 2027, the 246-key hotel will be developed in partnership with SunnyRaj Properties Pvt. Ltd. Located in the city’s Mansarovar area, the hotel will feature rooms as well as suites with private plunge pools, landscaped lawns and more than 1,800 square meters of event space. Hilton has been growing its luxury portfolio in India, adding to Conrad hotels in Pune and Bengaluru, and signed India’s first Waldorf Astoria in Jaipur in 2023. With an existing 26 hotels and 19 more in the pipeline, Hilton is looking to triple its estate in India to 75 trading and pipeline hotels.
IHCL ADDS IN EASTERN INDIA: Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. (IHCL) has added to its eastern India portfolio and signed a resort in Kolkata. Located a sort drive away from the city center, IBIZA- an IHCL SeleQtions is situated in Joka and offers 130 rooms. The resort spans 11 acres of landscaped gardens and will offer an all-day diner, a specialty restaurant, bar, pool, lake, indoor and outdoor activities, kids arenas and more than 5,400 square feet of event space. The resort will open in October 2025. With this property, IHCL will have seven hotels in Kolkata, including two under development.
ACCOR’S INITIATIVE FOR TALENT DEVELOPMENT: The Indian School of Hospitality (ISH) and Sommet Education have collaborated with Accor to launch the Indian Talent Development Initiative. The three-year partnership, which seeks to invest in the skills of Indian youth and create opportunities in the hospitality industry, will be led by Sommet with Accor serving as the founding patron. Sommet and Accor will sponsor 16 individuals from disadvantages backgrounds to enrol on ISH’s Intensive Culinary Arts Programme and Intensive Pastry and Bakery Programme. Each intake will comprise five or six students, with the program scheduled to start in August, followed by subsequent intakes in January 2025 and January 2026. The programs include a three-month on-the-job immersion at Accor and will be followed by pre-qualified employment contracts assuring 100% employability.