NoMad in London: NoMad Hotel company Sydell Group says it’s close to announcing the site of a new NoMad in London, according to The Caterer website. The new venture is expected to have about 100 guest rooms.
Mövenpick in Dubai: Three Dubai properties belonging to Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts have been named official hotel partners of Dubai Parks and Resorts. The three hotels – the Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate, Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach and Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach Tower – will offer online accommodation packages and direct ticketing options to the theme parks within the complex.
Read the story in Trade Arabia
Trump, Andrés settle: The Trump Organization settled a two-year legal battle with chef José Andrés surrounding a restaurant deal that Andrés had pulled out of after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump made comments disparaging Mexicans. Terms were not disclosed.
Read more on National Public Radio’s website
Travelodge in the UK: Travelodge has announced plans to open 60 new hotels in the United Kingdom in the next three years as more leisure travelers are opting for “staycations.”
Denihan hires Manoukian: New York-based hotel owner and operator Denihan Hospitality named Vera Manoukian president and chief operating officer. Manoukian most recently was an SVP of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Denihan will soon be opening two James hotels, The James West Hollywood in California and the James NoMad in New York.
W’s “global fashion innovator”: W Hotels appointed model Joan Smalls as the brand’s first global fashion innovator, a new position in which she will make special appearances and participate in creating in-room and digital content, including an insider guide to Goa and other products.
Read more on Marriott International’s website
Grylls lends name: Outdoor survival TV star Bear Grylls is putting his name on a survival academy experience in the Afan Valley Adventure Resort in Wales. The resort plan includes a 100-room hotel and 500 lodges.
Minor for Mantra? According to the Australian, Thailand hotel owner and operator Minor International is considering a bid for hotel operator Mantra. Mantra said it has not received any overtures from prospective investors.
Read the story in the Australian
Hotels and trafficking study: The New York Times reports on a study by nonprofit Polaris that reviewed calls to the U.S.’s National Human Trafficking Hotline over a period of nine years ending in 2016 that included calls from hotel and resort employees who were victims of human trafficking and workplace exploitation.
Read more about the report in the Times
Guilty of fraud: The owners of Good Neighbor Services, a company that provided workers for luxury hotels in the San Diego, California, area pleaded guilty in a nearly US$7 million insurance fraud and tax evasion scheme.
Read more in the San Diego Union-Tribune
LaSalle sells in Virginia: LaSalle Hotel Properties sold the 296-room Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia. The purchaser was Dejia LLC, a first-time U.S. hotel investor, purchased the hotel for US $133 million. The sale was arranged by JLL.