A roundup of global hospitality news:
LUXURBAN ADDS THREE PROPERTIES TO TRADEMARK COLLECTION BY WYNDHAM: LuxUrban Hotels Inc. has added three new hotels to the Trademark Collection by Wyndham. The company uses an asset-light business model to lease hotels on a long-term basis and rents out hotel rooms in these properties. Hotel 57 in New York, the Condor Hotel in Brooklyn and the Lafayette Hotel in New Orleans have been rebranded as The Hotel 57, Trademark Collection by Wyndham, The Condor Hotel, Trademark Collection by Wyndham and The Lafayette Hotel, Trademark Collection by Wyndham, respectively. Other than these three hotels, LuxUrban has also added six properties to the Wyndham brand and operating platform. The company plans to add 60% of its hotels to the Wyndham platform by the end of Q3 2023, with the rest expected to join by the end of this year. LuxUrban will also open a new 76-room boutique hotel in Manhattan’s Flatiron District by October 15 through a 25-year master lease agreement inclusive of two five-year extension options. The hotel is currently closed and will join Wyndham upon reopening.
CLUB MED UNVEILS SOUTH AFRICA RESORT: Club Med has launched Club Med Tinley, its first resort in South Africa, in partnership with the Collins Residential Consortium. Collins Residential Consortium is developing an all-inclusive resort. The resort will be located on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The property will offer an 80-room lodge with a dual beach and safari experience, a range of water and land activities, a spa, a fitness center, a yoga school and an adults-only pool and bar. Club Med aims to achieve a 4-star rating from the Green Building Council of SA for the building’s eco-certification. Club Med has collaborated with Agrisud to encourage the growth and development of local businesses in the resort’s supply chain. Supported by South African debt funders and equity partners, the resort represents investments worth over 2 billion South African Rands ($106.53 million) under the enterprise of Tinley Leisure Pty Ltd. Construction is expected to start in early 2024, with the opening anticipated in July 2026.
OMNI HOTELS ADDS IN NORTH CAROLINA: Omni Hotels & Resorts is set to debut in Raleigh, N.C., with the New Convention Center Hotel. The Raleigh City Council has voted to direct the City of Raleigh staff to enter into negotiations with Omni, in partnership with Preston Hollow Community Capital and Provident Resources Group, to develop the 550-room hotel. Slated to open in 2027, the hotel will be built on a more than one-acre plot in downtown Raleigh. This will be Omni’s third property in North Carolina and the first in the city. The hotel will include 55,000 square feet of meeting space, multiple dining options, a rooftop pool, a spa and a fitness center. Omni’s portfolio currently includes more than 50 properties across the U.S. and Canada.
SPORTS-THEMED RESORT COMPLEX BY SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, TRAVEL + LEISURE CO.: Travel + Leisure Co. and Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, the hotel and resorts licensee for the Sports Illustrated brand in North America and the Caribbean, have launched a new concept for sports-themed resort and lifestyle complexes. These properties will be located in popular college towns near universities. Each Sports Illustrated Resorts campus will include a full-service hotel, a vacation club and residential condominiums, along with branded attractions from live-action sports and entertainment, dining venues, wellness and relaxation amenities. Besides university locations, the portfolio will include beach clubs and experience parks. The first Sports Illustrated property opened in Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic in 2022. The first big college town destination is expected to open in late 2025 and will be in Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama. The new resorts will be developed with an asset-light development financing model. While there’s no immediate earnings impact for Travel + Leisure Co., the company anticipates this business to boost incremental growth from the second half of 2025.
SHERATON WAIKIKI COMPLETES $200M RENOVATION: The Sheraton Waikiki has completed a multi-year, $200-million renovation of its rooms. All 1,636 rooms and suites of the oceanfront resort along Waikiki Beach have undergone a major renovation. The resort features over 130 suites. Rooms, suites, hallways, elevators, landings on guest floors, function spaces and retail experiences now sport aesthetic and functional upgrades. Room amenities have been reconfigured, and washlets have been added in all rooms.