A quick roundup of global hospitality news.
IHG TO LAUNCH REGENT HOTELS IN MIDDLE EAST: IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement with Almuhaysin Group to debut the Regent Hotel brand in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia. Slated to open in mid-2024 in Jeddah, the Regent Jeddah will offer views of the Corniche and Jeddah’s Formula 1 racetrack. The ultra-luxury, 29-story hotel will offer 182 rooms and face the Red Sea. The hotel will include five penthouses, a spa by Raison d’Etre, a health club, multiple swimming pools and three concept eateries and a lounge. The signing follows the opening of the iconic Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel. Currently, IHG operates 39 hotels under five brands in Saudi Arabia with 30 more properties expected to open in three to five years.
JW MARRIOTT OPENS IN DALLAS: JW Marriott has announced the opening of JW Marriott Dallas Art District. Located close to the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Crow Museum of Asian Art and other popular attractions, this is the first JW Marriott hotel to open in Dallas. The hotel consists of 267 rooms, three restaurants, two lobby areas, more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a mid-air pool and deck and a sky lobby on the 11th floor. The hotel features over 20 original artworks in various mediums. Design firms HKS inc. and Looney Associates partnered on the hotel’s architecture and interior design. Part of Marriott International’s luxury portfolio of brands, JW Marriott currently has more than 100 hotels across over 35 countries.
KEMPINSKI ADDS RESORT IN BALI: Kempinski Hotels has added to its Southeast Asian portfolio with the signing of a management agreement for a hilltop property in Bali. Located near rice and coffee plantations at the Tegalalang village, the Apurva Kempinski Ubud, Bali, marks the latest hospitality venture from Indonesian developer PT. Panorama Indah Dewata. The hotel’s interior and architectural design will be led by Rudy Dodo of Jakarta-headquartered Trivium Design Group. The hotel will have 160 rooms, including six villas. Amenities include an infinity pool, a rooftop lounge and bar with views over the jungle, a specialty restaurant and a Balinese spa. The hotel is expected to open in 2027 and will be the second Kempinski resort in Bali, following The Apurva Kempinski Bali’s opening in 2019. This is also the third management agreement signed following the announcement of The Apurva Kempinski Lombok in 2022.
LUXURY RESORT, RESIDENCES ON DUBAI ISLANDS: Nakheel, the U. A.E-based real estate master developer, has partnered with Excelsior Real Estate LLC to launch Rixos Dubai Islands, Hotel & Residences. Rixos Dubai will consist of a luxury hotel and residences located on the Dubai Islands on the northern coast of Dubai. The property will also offer direct access to a 700-meter beach. The residences will comprise one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with overhanging terraces, four-bedroom duplexes with private pools, beach houses with their own gardens and terraces and 10 luxury villas. All the residential units will have marine views. The development of Rixos Dubai will support the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which hopes to increase the number of hotels to create healthy communities.
THE STANDARD RELAUNCHES BOOKING APP: The Standard has announced the return of One Night Standard, the brand’s last-minute booking app. The app offers spontaneous, same-night reservations at the lowest rates across The Standard portfolio. Launched in 2015, the app was discontinued during the pandemic. The revised version of the app will feature collaborators, like dating app Feeld, which The Standard will reach out to more potential guests. One Night Standard will grow its presence globally as The Standard expands its footprint, including openings in Singapore and Melbourne in 2024 and afterward in Dublin, Lisbon, Austin, Brussels and Brooklyn.