PPHE, Radisson extend partnership: PPHE Hotel Group, Amsterdam, has extended its strategic partnership with Radisson Hotel Group to access and leverage the complete suite of Radisson’s brands (including Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu and Radisson RED) to grow its own property portfolio. Grand Hotel Brioni Pula, which will open in May as a Radisson Collection Hotel, will the first hotel to launch under the extended partnership. PPHE has been expanding the Park Plaza brand in Europe and Radisson will have access to PPHE’s art’otel brand, as well as the Park Plaza brand in other regions, mostly outside PPHE’s key markets. PPHE will avail a fee-based income for the use of its brands and will retain full ownership of the art’otel brand and its special rights under the Park Plaza TLA.
Miraval debuts in Middle East: Hyatt Hotels Corp. has announced that one of its affiliate has entered into a management agreement with The Red Sea Development Co. for a 180-key luxury wellness resort in Saudi Arabia’s Shura Island. Miraval The Red Sea will launch the wellness brand’s signature wellness practices in the Middle East. The new resort is expected to open as part of the first phase of the Red Sea development and will be Miraval brand’s fourth resort and the first outside the U.S. Designed by Foster+Partners, the resort will include 20 villas spread across 310,000 square meters. The Life in Balance Spa is slated to be the biggest in the Red Sea development and will span almost 40,000 square feet and 39 treatment rooms. Miraval The Red Sea will join Grand Hyatt The Red Sea, which is under development, as the second Hyatt-branded hotel at the Red Sea development. Once it opens, Miraval The Red Sea will be the eighth Hyatt-branded property in Saudi Arabia.
Certares acquires 2 Hiltons: Affiliates of Certares Real Estate Management, New York, and HRI Hospitality, New Orleans, Louisiana, have added two properties to their portfolio — the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Doheny Beach in Dana Point, California, and the Hilton San Antonio Hill Country in San Antonio, Texas. The DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Doheny Beach offers 196 all-suite accommodations; the 226-key Hilton San Antonio Hill Country includes 55 suites. Both the properties will undergo renovations to their public spaces and guest rooms, with the Dana Point hotel being rebranded within the Hilton brand family after renovations are completed in summer 2023.
Saudi Arabia market insights: The number of branded hotel keys in Saudi Arabia is expected to reach 69,300 by the end of this year, representing a 15% rise compared to the same period last year, according to Colliers’ findings ahead of the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh. The summit will be held on May 24-25 co-organized by The Bench, MEED and Saudi-based SEMARK. Saudi’s hospitality sector is on its way to post-pandemic recovery, the report said, with events and campaigns and increasing consumer confidence in travel benefitting Riyadh and Jeddah as key travel hubs in the country in the second half of 2021. The predicted occupancy this year for Riyadh is 66% and 54% in Jeddah, representing a 12% and 7% rise, respectively. New projects include Diriyah Square by the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, the US$15 billion AIUla masterplan, the AMAALA coastal developmental project featuring 30 hotels and the US$13 billion Asser Tourism Masterplan project.
Abu Dhabi, Dubai exceed 2019 Eid performance: Abu Dhabi and Dubai recorded occupancy and ADR that surpassed the 2019 Eid al-Fitr comparable, revealed STR. In the U.A.E., Abu Dhabi’s occupancy on Eid (May 2) reached 79.1%, which was 4.5% higher than June 4, 2019. In Dubai, occupancy was 75.4%, an increase of 19.7% from the pre-pandemic figure. While key markets saw higher occupancy levels, they also registered room rates which were, in some cases, almost double than 2019 rates. In Dubai, rates were over AED700 (US$190.54), which was up from AED400 (US$108.88) in 2019. Leisure-driven areas in the U.A.E. also saw massive growth with Ras Al-Khaimah posting room rates more than AED1,000 (US$272.2) on May 2.
Far East pivots to Australia: Far East Hospitality, Singapore, has announced its pivot to the Australian market and will be leveraging its long-term collaboration with joint venture partner TFE Hotels (Toga Far East Hotels). The company will be evolving from a local mid-tier operator to a global manager of lifestyle brands and will introduce Vibe Hotels and Adina to Singapore through the rebranding of existing Singapore properties, The Elizabeth Hotel and the Regency House (serviced residence). Far East wants to reach its goal of 25,000 rooms by 2025 globally. The 88-key Adina Serviced Apartment Singapore Orchard will open in July, while the 256-room Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard is slated to open in the last quarter of this year. The company said Australia was among Singapore’s top five inbound markets before the pandemic. With the return of flight paths between the U.K. and Australia, with stopovers in Singapore, the company aims to lengthen travelers’ stay in Singapore with new experiences. Far East has been trying to target the Australian market from last year, with the launch of the Quincy brand in Melbourne in March 2021.
420 Hotels launches crowdfunding round: As part of its next step towards becoming Denver’s first legally licensed cannabis consumption lounge in a boutique hotel, 420 Hotels Inc. has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign and by filling their Form C with the SEC through Republic.com. 420 Hotels is building the lounge as an amenity adjacent to Patterson Inn in Denver, Colorado, so guests can smoke and vape cannabis flower and concentrate, and consume infused edibles in a legal environment. Colorado has legalized adult-use cannabis, public consumption in parks, on sidewalks and in vehicles. Creating the lounge will allow tourists to consume cannabis in a safe environment, the company said. The 420 Hotels is converting boutique hotels into members-only cannabis consumption clubs combined with luxury accommodations. The group plans to expand to several locations in as more municipalities and states across the U.S. legalize onsite consumption of cannabis in commercial establishments.
Asia Pac construction pipeline grows: Hotel construction pipeline in the Asia Pacific region, except China, increased 7% by projects and 9% by rooms YOY to 1,880 projects/404,060 rooms, found the Q1 2022 Construction Pipeline Trend Report by Lodging Econometrics. Excluding China, the hotel construction pipeline in the region stands at 949 projects/214,215 rooms under construction, up 9% by projects and 10% by rooms YOY. Projects expected to begin construction in the next 12 months are at 357 projects/74,459 rooms and projects in early planning, hit a record-high this quarter, up 25% by projects and 21% by rooms YOY, standing at 574 projects/115,386 rooms at the end of the quarter. New project announcements improved 28% by projects and 24% by rooms YOY, standing at 164 projects/26,105 rooms. The top countries in the Asia Pacific hotel construction pipeline by project count are India with 316 projects/40,939 rooms, followed by Indonesia (302 projects/48,276 rooms), Vietnam (218 projects/81,764 rooms), Thailand (165 projects with a record-high room count of 39,721 rooms) and Japan (162 projects/36,648 rooms). These five countries represented 62% of total projects in the region’s pipeline. Cities with the largest number of hotel projects in the current construction pipeline are Seoul, South Korea with 64 projects/12,221 rooms, Jakarta, Indonesia with 63 projects/11,443 rooms and Bangkok, Thailand, with 61 projects/15,582 rooms. The top hotel franchise companies are Marriott International with 270 projects/58,933 rooms, Accor with 210 projects/44,094 rooms, InterContinental Hotels Group with 142 projects/30,719 rooms, Hilton Worldwide with 91 projects/21,510 rooms, and Hyatt Hotels with 76 projects/15,214 rooms.
Record sale of Dive Palm Springs: Foxden Hospitality, Palm Springs, California, has sold its boutique, 11-key hotel Dive Palm Springs to Mariners Group for US$5.15 million (US$468,000 per key). The sale price is the record highest price for any hotel in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. The hotel includes an original Libott swimming pool and a half-acre of private grounds. The hotel underwent a renovation in 2019 by Foxden founders Dale & Brookelyn Fox, GM Abdi Manavi and interior designer Vanessa Schreiber. Despite the pandemic, the hotel saw the highest occupancy and ADR in Palm Springs in 2020 and 2021. Foxden said it sold the hotel to Mariners Group based on the latter’s experience in the hospitality industry and experience in the Palm Springs market.