NoMad to reopen as Ned: The NoMad, the 168-key hotel in New York, will reopen in summer 2022 as the Ned, a Soho House-operated hotel and members club. This will be the second Ned property and among the dozen new projects planned for its parent company, Membership Collective Group Inc., in 2022. NoMad closed this March “for renovations.” Later, the website announced closure of the hotel declaring “the end of an era.” The Ned will have 167 rooms, a bar and restaurant and several members-only spaces. The main member and public spaces are set to undergo refurbishments, with Soho House design team working on the hotel’s interiors. The hotel’s reopening puts an end to the long legal battle between Andrew Zobler, who operated the hotel under his hospitality company Sydell Group, and Rob Burkle, his main investor. Sydell has reportedly exited its ownership from NoMad.
Dusit, Ananda agreement: Dusit International, Bangkok, has entered into a strategic agreement with Ananda Development Public Co. Ltd., Bangkok, to provide upscale hospitality services and property management services for COCO Parc Managed by Dusit Hospitality Services, Ananda’s new luxury residential project in Bangkok. The condominium project, valued at over Thai Baht 4.6 billion (US$139 million), will feature 486 units. It is scheduled to be completed in September 2022, with the first condominium unit transferring in November 2022. Dusit will be collaborating on the project through its wholly owned subsidiary Dusit Hospitality Services Co. Ltd., which will provide onsite staff to deliver services to residents, concierge, 24-hour security and maintenance.
US ADR to boost ADR to 93% of 2019 levels: ADR in the U.S. is expected to drive RevPAR in 2022 to 93% of 2019 levels, according to PWC’s US Hospitality Directions: November 2021 report. Annual occupancy for hotels in the U.S. this year is expected to be consistent with the May 2021 forecast, rising to 57.1%. ADR is projected to increase 19.6% for the year, with resultant RevPAR up 55.1% about 82% of the pre-COVID levels. ADR in Q3 and Q4 2022 is expected to surpass comparable 2019 levels. Despite hoteliers continuing to increase employer count, the October unemployment rate for the hotel sector rose to 12.9% (from 11% in September), compared to the overall rate in the U.S. decreasing to 4.6% (from 4.8%).
UK hotel transaction to reach ÂŁ4.5 billion: With year-end hotel transaction volumes in the U.K. slated to total ÂŁ4.1 billion (78% above 2020), and appetite growing for U.K. hotels, transaction values will reach ÂŁ4.5 billion (US$6.04 billion) in 2022, surpassing the 15-year average of ÂŁ4.33 billion (US$5.81 billion), according to a forecast by Savills. London RevPAR is likely to be within 75% of pre-COVID levels by the end of 2022, boosted by strong recovery in occupancy as international leisure visitor arrivals to the city gather pace. Activity in 2022 will be driven by more stock coming to the market and improving operational performance, particularly in London.
Vietnam’s Phu Quoc reopens: Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers after staying closed for almost two years. Vaccinated tourists are now exempt from undergoing the mandatory two-week quarantine but are required to stay only inside Vinpearl, the mega complex leisure resort in Phu Quoc, and will be tested for COVID-19 twice during their trip. Phu Quoc’s authorities expect to welcome 400,000 domestic and international travelers by the end of 2021. Other destinations like Hoi An and Danang Beach have also reopened for international travelers.
Condor completes sale of hotels: Condor Hospitality Trust, Bethesda, Maryland, announced the completion of the sale of 15 of its hotels to Delaware-based B9 Cowboy Mezz A LLC, an affiliate of Blackstone Inc. As per the agreement in September, Condor had agreed to sell the hotels to Cowboy for US$305 million. Prior to the sale, Condor owned 15 hotels across eight states.
UAE’s Al Habtoor Group to list 35% of shares: U.A.E. conglomerate Al Habtoor Group (AHG) is planning to list 35% of its shares in 2022, as revenues of the private company increased in the first 10 months of 2021. In a statement, AHG said its revenues between January and October saw a 37% rise compared to 2019, surpassing expectations and levels seen before the pandemic. AHG Founding Chairman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor in an interview said all of the company’ hotels performed “exceedingly well,” with the hospitality business recording a 43% rise over the same period in 2020.
Viajero to debut in the US: Lifestyle brand Viajero Hostels will make its debut in the U.S. in Miami, Florida, later this month. Viajero Miami will remodel and rebrand The Stiles Hotel, which will consist of traditional shared hostel rooms along with private rooms with modern amenities and en-suite bathrooms. The hotel, which features a coworking space, will be retaining the cocktail bar, Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery, which opened with The Stiles Hotel in 2019. Viajero has plans to open more properties across the U.S. Currently, Viajero has hotels in Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico.
Fire at NYC hotel: The Hotel Riu Manhattan Plaza Times Square, set to open by the end of 2021, was damaged by a fire on Monday with seven people injured, according to local reports. The fire broke out on the 10th floor and firefighters spent nearly an hour battling the flames before controlling the fire. On Monday afternoon, the cause of the fire was still under investigation.