VOCO’S INAUGURAL HOTEL IN INDIA: IHG Hotels & Resorts has launched its voco brand in India and has announced the opening of voco Jim Corbett. The hotel also marks the Indian debut of the seventh brand from IHG’s global portfolio. Sitting on a 13.5-acre plot of land along the Kosi River amid forests near the Jim Corbett National Park, the resort is located in the Dhilkuli region of Jim Corbett. The 70-key hotel features an all-day diner, an alfresco lounge bar, a pool, spa, an amphitheater, fitness center and indoor and outdoor banqueting spaces. Currently, IHG has 45 hotels operating under five brands in Southwest Asia, with a pipeline of 45 more properties scheduled to open in the next three-five years.
NEXGEN ACQUIRES HOTEL VERSEY: NexGen Hotels, the Itascal, Ill.-based hotel development and management company, has acquired Hotel Versey in Chicago. The 137-key hotel will be managed by St. Louis, Miss.-based Genuine Hospitality Group. The boutique hotel is situated within the 1920s Diversey Arms Building, which was the former home of musician Bix Beiderbecke. Founded in 2007, NexGen hotels has a portfolio of hotels across the Midwest and Florida.
TRIBUTE PORTFOLIO ADDS IN CALIFORNIA: Burton House Beverly Hills, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott has opened in Beverly Hills, Calif. The lifestyle boutique hotel is inspired by Burton Edmund Green, the founder of Beverly Hills. The hotel underwent extensive, multi-million-dollar transformation overseen by the Asset Management Team at Seaview Investors, LLC. The hotel has 186 rooms, a dining and social concept, fitness center, yoga studio and 1,000 square feet of meeting space. Burton House Beverly Hills is managed by the San Diego-based Azul Hospitality Group.
BW SIGNATURE COLLECTION LAUNCHES IN AFRICA: BWH Hotels has added the Panari Resort in Nyahururu, Kenya to its BW Signature Collection. This marks the brand’s debut in Africa. The resort features cottage-style rooms, along with three dining options, a steam and sauna, an indoor pool, a fitness center, salon and spa and meeting spaces which can accommodate up to 300 persons. The resort has implemented several sustainability initiatives to help reduce its carbon footprint, including water conservation efforts and solar-powered facilities. Panari Resort also has a new elephant water hole at the Marmanet Forest, as part of its contributions to sustainable tourism development.