Kempinski signs residences in Turkey: Kempinski Hotels has signed a management agreement for a new residential project in Çeşme, Turkey. Kempinski Residences Alacati Çeşme, which will open in 2024, is located on the beach on a 103,000-square-meter site with views of the Aegean Sea. The property will offer 130 residences, including 100 private villas. All apartments will offer a choice of setups with respect to gardens, balconies, terraces and seating decks. The property will also feature private pools, spa, wellness and fitness centers, seaside restaurants, cafes and art galleries. The residences will be built in two phases — the first phase comprising 30 units, the spa and beach will open in the summer of 2024, while the second phase will open by the end of 2026. The luxury residences will complement the new residences Kempinski recently signed in Istanbul. Currently, Kempinski operates 81 hotels and residences across 35 countries and has over 26 projects in the pipeline.
Mandarin Oriental grows in Vietnam: Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Hong Kong, will manage Mandarin Oriental, Bai Nom a new resort with branded residences in Vietnam’s Phu Yen province. Set to open in 2026, the property will be the group’s third Vietnamese property. Mandarin Oriental’s two other projects are under development in Saigon and Da Nang. Indochina Kajima, a joint venture between Vietnam-based Indochina Capital and Singapore-based Kajima Development Pte (a subsidiary of Japan’s Kajima Corp.), is developing the resort. The property will feature 72 suites and villas, including 25 Residences at Mandarin Oriental and will sit on an 800-meter beach. Spread out over a 29-hectare site, the property will offer private terraces and pools, three restaurants and bars, spa and a range of activities. The residences will comprise three to five guestrooms with private gardens, pools and terraces.
Vignette Collection debuts in Middle East: IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement with the owners of Carlton Al Moaibed Hotel in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, to transform the hotel into the country’s and the Middle East region’s first Vignette Collection hotel. The 150-key hotel will be refurbished and rebranded by 2024 and will be a part of a luxury community village with five food and beverage venues, entertainment facilities, an experimental spa and health club, along with sporting facilities. IHG plans to add more than 10,000 more rooms to its existing Saudi Arabia portfolio in the next two to three years, focusing on the luxury and lifestyle segment.
Perial acquires in Portugal: Perial Asset Management, Paris, has acquired a tourist residence under construction in Vilamoura, Portugal, for €47 million (US$48.82 million) on behalf of the SCPI PFO₂. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025. The residence will feature 159 apartments, two pools, a wellness area, a restaurant, two bars and 164 parking spaces. Intended for retirees who wish to live independently, the residence will offer hotel and para-hotel services adapted to the needs of the occupants. The tourist residence, dedicated to seniors, is part of a mixed urban redevelopment project, which will comprise residential buildings, shops and leisure areas. The residence will be operated by Domitys under a lease term of 15 years.
Banyan Tree grows Homm: Banyan Tree Group, Singapore, has announced the expansion of its brand, Homm, with two new properties — Homm Sukhumvit34 Bangkok in Thailand and the Homm Huzhou Xisai Shan in China. Homm Sukhumvit34 Bangkok features 148 rooms; while the Homm Huzhou Xisai Shan comprises 116 rooms, 26 suites, 30 family rooms and four villas as well as two barrier-free rooms. More Homm-branded hotels are expected to open in 2023 in Bali, Indonesia, and Luang Prabang, Laos. Homm is one of the five new brands under Banyan Tree. Each Homm property advocates for an endangered species. The Asian Elephant, Thailand’s national symbol, is the Bangkok property’s mascot, while the China property’s mascot is the crane.
WorldHotels adds 13: WorldHotels Collection, a privately held brand within the BWH Hotel Group, has expanded its presence across North America, South America and Europe with 13 new properties. The additions include the debut of the WorldHotels brand in Canada, launching the Crafted in Germany and a new resort in Brazil. With these 13 properties, WorldHotels has added around 30 hotels to its portfolio in Europe, Asia and the Americas within the last year.
Gulph Creek to manage Hotel Warner: Wayne, Pennsylvania-based Gulph Creek Hotels will manage Hotel Warner in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The 80-key Hotel Warner, a member of Historic Hotels of America, opened in 1930 as Warner Theatre. Management of the full-service hotel represents an expansion of Gulph Creek Hotels’ independent boutique hotel portfolio, followed by the recent additions of the Mariner Inn and Spray Beach Hotel on the New Jersey shore and the WannaB Inn in Manasota Bay, Florida. Currently, Gulph Creek operates over 25 properties, totaling 3,200 rooms.
Pan Pacific doubles serviced suites: Singapore-based Pan Pacific Hotels Group will double its portfolio of serviced suites with new openings in cities like Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi. This is part of its parent company’s, UOL Group Ltd., recent wave of expansion, which will increase its global development portfolio by 50%, adding over 4,000 keys by the next year. The new openings include the 194-key Parkroyal Suites Bangkok (launched on November 15), the 210-key Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur (to open on Thursday), the 128-key Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Nairobi (to open in early 2023), the 122-key Parkroyal Serviced Suits Hanoi (to open in early 2023) and the 180-suite Parkroyal Serviced Suites Jakarta (to open in July 2023).