Radisson grows Thai portfolio: Radisson Hotel Group is growing its portfolio in Thailand with the signing of Radisson Resort & Spa Hua Hin with Bangkok-based Destination Group. The upscale beachfront resort is expected to open in February 2023. When it opens, the 243-room family-friendly resort will be Radisson’s sixth property in Thailand. The property will include eight restaurants and bars, an outdoor pool, a beach club with private access to the beach, a 576 square-meter ballroom and three meeting rooms. The property also marks Radisson growing its partnership with Destination Group, following the signing and opening of the Radisson Resort & Suites Phuket in September.
Accor signs in Indonesia: Accor has signed a new ibis Styles hotel in Indonesia’s BSD City, the emerging city center in Greater Jakarta. Owned by PT. Graha Bangun Karya, the hotel will be managed by Accor. Slated to open in Q2 2024, ibis Styles Serpong BSD will offer 165 rooms. The 12-story, the brand-new economy hotel will also include a grand ballroom that can accommodate up to 600 persons, along with breakout meeting rooms, a restaurant, a lounge and fitness center. Accor has more than 130 hotels and a pipeline of over 50 projects across Indonesia. ibis Styles Serpong BSD joins Accor’s portfolio of over 20 ibis Styles in Indonesia.
US performance update: Hotel performance in the U.S. was lower than the last week but showed better occupancy and RevPAR comparisons to 2019, according to STR’s data through November 19.
- Occupancy: 63% (+3.4%)
- ADR: US$144.50 (+15.9%)
- RevPAR: US$91.02 (+19.8%)
Among the top 25 markets, Phoenix witnessed the largest increases over 2019 in each of the three key performance metrics: occupancy: (+13.7% to 81.9%), ADR (+36.4% to US$175.22) and RevPAR (+55% to US$143.48). San Francisco (-54.7% to US$143.60) and Denver (-8.2% to US$85.81) recorded the only RevPAR declines over 2019.
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, UKGBC align: The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) have announced a cooperation agreement. The partnership will bring together the alliance’s expertise and reach into the hospitality industry with UKGBC’s technical expertise to enable both organizations to enhance the sustainability of existing and new properties. The alliance and UKGBC will partner on data sharing and research and pilot initiatives and standardization to fuel green building innovation in the hospitality industry.
Hotel Métropole gets new owner: Dallas, Texas-based private investment fund Lone Star Fund has acquired Hotel Métropole in Brussels, Belgium, for an undisclosed sum. Closed since April 2020, the hotel will reportedly be managed by Paris-based Centaurus Hospitality Management. The iconic hotel is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2025 after extensive renovations. The hotel’s iconic café reopened in 2021. The new owners will reportedly acquire the café and nine commercial units along Rue Neuve. The 5-star independent hotel, first opened in 1895, is owned by the Bervoets family. The hotel was one of the last big privately-owned properties in Brussels. Almost all the hotel staff were fired, except for a dozen who continued to maintain the hotel.
UK rail strikes to disrupt Christmas travel: Travel across Britain in December and January is expected to get disrupted after the RMT union announced a series of 48-hour strikes throughout both months. Members of the RMT working for 14 train operating companies and Network Rail have announced a strike on December 13-14 and 16-17, causing disruptions in rail travel over six consecutive days ahead of Christmas. In 2023, the union will strike on January 3-4 and 6-7. The union has also announced an overtime ban, which will cover Christmas from December 18 to January 2. A separate strike by train drivers in the Aslef union will impact services on November 26. Rain operators and Network Rail were expected to meet to talk about the impact of the ban, which would mean the team members not working on the other days during the festive period.