TRIBUTE PORTFOLIO DEBUTS IN UAE: Tribute Portfolio, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s collection of independent hotels, has launched in the Middle East with the opening of The First Collection at Jumeirah Village Circle, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Dubai. Located within the Jumeirah Village Circle, the hotel offers 491 rooms and 26 boutique suites. Guests staying at The First Collection at Jumeirah Village Circle will be able to access the Soluna Beach Club on the Palm Jumeirah. The hotel includes a spa, several dining options, an outdoor pool, a fitness center and a business center. Tribute Portfolio’s global portfolio currently includes roughly 120 hotels across 25 countries.
CLUB MED EXPANDS TO MIDDLE EAST: Club Med is expanding its global presence and has forayed into the Gulf States with the signing of Club Med Musandam project in Oman. Club Med has partnered with Royal Court Affairs and Omran Group, the developers of the upcoming project. Developed with an investment of over $100 million, the 300-room resort marks the sixth property in Club Med’s luxury Exclusive Collection — a portfolio of luxury resorts, villas, chalets and a French sailing yacht. The luxury beach, all-inclusive resort is expected to break ground in early 2026 and open in 2028. The resort will include a private beach, kid’s club, a range of water and land activities, a spa, an adults-only pool and bar, dining venues, entertainment spaces and retail areas. Club Med commits to eco-certifying the construction of Club Med Musandam with BREEAM and adhere to Green Globe standards of sustainable tourism management.
ESA OPENS IN FLORIDA: Extended Stay America, the mid-priced extended stay hotel brand, has added a new property to its portfolio with the opening of the Extended Stay America Premier Suites Fort Myers – Airport in Fort Myers, Fla. The hotel was developed by Turnstone Group and will be managed by Sandpiper Hospitality. The new-build, four-story hotel offers 124 rooms featuring complimentary Wi-Fi and breakfast. Amenities at the hotel include a fitness center, guest laundry facilities, an outdoor pool with a grill area and a lobby with bending options. All the suites include fully equipped kitchens with a refrigerator, microwave, stovetops, cookware, utensils along with signature bedding and work space. Currently, Extended Stay America’s portfolio consists of more than 700 hotels across the U.S.
WALDORF ASTORIA NY PARTNERS WITH CHEF MICHAEL ANTHONY: Waldorf Astoria New York has announced a culinary partnership with Chef Michael Anthony, who will oversee the signature restaurant dining experience and concept at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts’ flagship hotel. The hotel is slated to reopen later this year. The two-story American brasserie-style restaurant will have a bar on the first floor, with dining and private dining spaces on both the floors. The menu will be focused on reinventing and elevating American classics. Other food and beverage experiences include the return of Peacock Alley, which will have signature menu items from one Michelin-starred Chef Michael Anthony.
MALAGA’S PALACIO SOLECIO SELLS: ActivumSG, the pan-independent pan-European real estate investment manager, has completed the sale of the Palacio Solecio hotel in Malaga, Spain. The property was acquired for €51 million ($54.92 million) by an undisclosed buyer. A former 18th century Andalusian palace, the historic property had fallen into severe disrepair before it was acquired by an ActivumSG-advised fund for €8 million ($8.61 million). ActivumSG collaborated with Tech-Stone Development Services to undertake a restoration process to revitalize the palace and reopen it as a modern, full-service luxury hotel. During a second phase of redevelopment, ActivumSG and Tech-Stone developed three more abandoned plots of land adjacent to the original property to create 50 rooms, a rooftop bar and pool. The original palace reopened with 68 rooms in 2019, while the extension opened in 2023. The 118-key Palacio Solecio is currently operated by Marugal Distinctive Hotel Management. Ashurst acted as legal advisor to the transaction and real estate consultants JLL and Knight Frank served as commercial advisors.