A quick roundup of global hospitality news.
SO/ OPENS IN DUBAI: Ennismore has announced the opening of SO/Uptown Dubai in DMCC’s Uptown Dubai district. The luxury, urban resort comprises 188 design-led rooms and statement suites. The rooms offer panoramic views of the city, Ain Dubai and the Arabian Gulf. The hotel features multiple dining venues, a spa, a gym and conference and meeting facilities, along with a full-service ballroom with a capacity for 1,000 guests. The top 28 floors of SO/Uptown Dubai house 227 signature branded residences, which include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as duplexes and a penthouse. Residents will be able to access an indoor pool, gym, kid’s club and creche, sky lounge and events space. The property is located within Uptown Tower. The hotel’s lobby artwork has been designed and executed by APL and Capsule Arts, and Dubai-based architecture studio Woods Bagot worked on the hotel’s overall design.
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON LAUNCHES IN KOREA: Hilton has introduced its DoubleTree by Hilton in Korea with the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo. The upscale full-service hotel and residences are located in the city’s south Gyeonggu area. The 25-story dual-building complex consists of 432 hotel rooms and 170 residences. The guest rooms offer access to the executive lounge. The residences comprise studio and premium suite units of up to two bedrooms featuring separate bedroom and living room areas. The property includes multiple dining options, meeting and event facilities, an indoor pool, a fitness center, a driving range, a tennis court and a sauna. The property also has a rooftop bee farm aiming to support sustainable beekeeping. With its own harvest, the hotel provides a range of honey-infused culinary offerings. The hotel is among the first in South Korea to secure a Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certifications, offering sustainably sourced seafood at its restaurants. Currently, DoubleTree by Hilton has 660 hotels globally and almost 100 in Asia Pacific.
U.S. PERFORMANCE UPDATE: Hotel performance in the U.S. showed mixed results from last week, following seasonal trends but favorable comparisons YOY, according to CoStar’s data through September 2.
- Occupancy: 62.7% (+0.2%)
- ADR: $150.52 (+1.8%)
- RevPAR: $94.38 (+2%)
Among the top 25 markets, Minneapolis witnesses the biggest YOY increases in occupancy (+19.1% to 74.4%) and RevPAR (+26.7% to $101.06). Las Vegas saw the highest lift in ADR (+9% to $181.61) and the second-largest gains in occupancy (+15.9% to 74.4%) and RevPAR (+26.3% to $135.07). New Orleans saw the steepest RevPAR decline (-17.2% to $61.20).
SONESTA ESSENTIAL OPENS SECOND HOTEL: Sonesta International Hotels Corp. has announced the opening of Sonesta Essential Plainfield, a 67-key, upper-midscale hotel in Plainfield, Ind. This is Sonesta Essential’s second hotel to open since the brand was introduced. Launched this January, Sonesta Essential provides all essential items to guests during their stay and is available to franchisees in the U.S. The brand offers easy new builds and conversions with modest brand standards, limited F&B requirements and simple conversion processes. Sonesta’s portfolio comprises 1,200 properties totaling 100,000 rooms under 15 brands across eight countries.
CLUB MED, PARADISE INDONESIA JOIN HANDS: Club Med has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PT. Indonesian Paradise Property Tbk. to enter an exclusive partnership to develop a portfolio of new upscale, all-inclusive resorts in Indonesia. The resorts will open in several phases, with a development target of more than five new properties. In the first phase, three resorts will be built across the key destinations of North Sulawesi, West Java and Bali in the next five years. Club Med currently operates two resorts in Indonesia — Club Med Bali and Club Med Bintan. In the subsequent global expansion between 2023 and 2025, Club Med will open 17 new resorts, including 10 extensions or renovations of existing properties.