IHG SIGNS IN SAUDI ARABIA: IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement to open voco & Suites Jeddah in collaboration with Rusd. Group. The newly built hotel is currently in the advanced stages of construction and is expected to open in September. Overlooking the Red Sea, the voco & Suites Jeddah is close to the new Jeddah Central Development, the mega project by the Public Investment Fund, and a short drive from the Corniche promenade, Red Sea Mall and the Royal Court. The 110-key hotel will offer three dining options, four venues for events and meetings, a fitness center and a pool. Currently, IHG operates 40 hotels under five brands across Saudi Arabia and has 36 more properties in its pipeline, which will open in the next three to five years.
ST. REGIS OPENS RED SEA RESORT: St. Regis Hotels & Resorts has opened The St. Regis Red Sea Resort in Saudi Arabia. The resort is located on Ummahat Island in the Al Wajh Lagoon, which is the first private island to open in The Red Sea, Saudi Arabia’s luxury regenerative tourism destination. Guests can reach the resort by chartered boat or seaplane from the Red Sea International Airport. The St. Regis Red Sea Resort features 90 beachfront and overwater villas consisting of one- to four-bedroom units, each with a private pool, sundeck and outdoor shower. Architect Kengo Kuma has designed the resort, with Kristina Zanic Consultants designing the interiors. The resort offers the signature St. Regis Butler Service, five dining venues, a spa with eight treatment rooms, a gym, an outdoor lap pool and vitality pool, paddle and tennis courts, a children’s club and an outdoor adventure area. The resort is fully powered by renewable energy generated by solar power and is one of the world’s biggest battery storage facilities on the mainland. St. Regis’ portfolio currently comprises over 50 luxury properties globally.
SURESTAY DEBUTS IN CALIFORNIA: BWH Hotels has announced the opening of SureStay by Best Western San Francisco Marina District in San Francisco. This marks the brand’s debut in California. The hotel offers 37 rooms with an open-air courtyard, complimentary breakfast and free Wi-Fi. The hotel is close to popular attractions and provides guests easy access to the Alcatraz boat terminal, Painted Ladies and Golden Gate Bridge. BWH Hotels has 4,300 hotels under 19 brands in more than 100 countries.
EPICUREAN HOTEL OPENS $21M EXPANSION: Epicurean Hotel, Autograph Collection has opened the $21 million expansion of the hotel. Located in the Hyde Park district of South Tampa, Fla., the extension adds 51 new rooms and suites, a private lobby, a rooftop terrace and meeting space to the 137-key main hotel. The new four-story building has a classic, white exterior with green landscaping and adds two floors of parking with 91 new spaces. The new structure also adds two fully restored apartment buildings, slated to open this spring. Orlando-based L2 Studios, Inc. was the project’s architect and interior designer. Tampa-based Cooper Johnson Smith Peterson Architects, Inc. and Nelson Construction served as the exterior concept designer and general contractor, respectively.