Latest HITs: Malliouhana management; Sydney Waldorf trades; earnings

New management at Malliouhana. New management is coming at the 63-room Malliouhana resort in Anguilla (pictured above) with Storey Hotel Management Group replacing the Auberge Resorts Collection. The handover is expected to take place on April 1. Storey already manages two other small Anguilla properties – the Long Bay Villas and Santosha Villa Estates.

Waldorf in Sydney trades. The 220-room Waldorf Astoria hotel project at Sydney, Australia’s Circular Quay has reportedly been acquired by Andrew Forrest’s Fiveight company for an estimated $575 million. Previous joint-owners of the project, Lendlease and Mitsubishi Estate Asian, paid $850 million for the site last July. Mitsubishi Estate Asia has a 66.7% stake in the joint venture. The entire project has an estimated end value of $3.1 billion. Construction is scheduled to start early next month ahead of completion in late 2026. Lendlease and Mitsubishi Estate Asia will retain the other tower, One Circular Quay, a residential tower already more than 40% sold.

Glamping Saudi style. Collective Retreats, Denver, has announced a partnership with NEOM’s hotel development division to open an “ultra-sustainable” retreat in Torjena, a mountain destination located in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Slated to open at the start of 2026, Collective Trojena will re-imagine the outdoor hospitality experience – offering guests access to discover and explore the located 50km from the Gulf of Aqaba. The retreat will feature approximately 60 open-air guest rooms and meeting space concepts, as well as water features, communal campfires and culinary experiences.

Playa’s best quarter. Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V. announced 4Q earnings on Thursday and authorized a new $200 million share repurchase program, replacing the recent $100 million repurchase authorization announced in September 2022. For 24Q2, Playa reported a net loss of $14.3 million compared to net income of $0.2 million in 2021. Adjusted EBITDA of $59.1 million was above consensus of $39.1 miilion. 4Q22 adjusted EPS of $0.13 beat consensus of $0.01. In 4Q, comparable net package RevPAR increased 35.6% versus 2021 to $285.30, driven by a 9.7 percentage point increase in occupancy and an 18.3% increase in comparable net package ADR. For the first half of 2023, Playa said revenues are up over 30% with ADR ~1/3 the increase. It also said summer bookings with increasing rates look buoyant, as well. "The fourth quarter of 2022 capped off the best year in Playa's history, further confirming our view that there is a growing market for the attractive value proposition of the all-inclusive category,” said Bruce Wardinski, chairman and CEO of Playa Hotels & Resorts.

Ryman’s big beat. Convention center resort company Ryman Hospitality Properties reported that despite 3 fewer points of occupancy compared to 4Q19, the company’s hospitality segment achieved revenue of $484.5 million, a record for any quarter, driven by continued strength in leisure room rate, which was aided by the return of holiday ICE! programming. In 4Q, y/y bookings were +11% on ADR. The group recorded its best-ever fourth quarter in operating income of $105.8 million and Adjusted EBITDAre of $150.7 million. It also achieved a record in total RevPAR of almost $506, an increase of 49.9% compared to Q4 2021. Ryman 4Q generated net income of $61.4 million and net income available to common shareholders of $58.1 million or $1.03 per diluted share, which represents an increase of 28.4% compared to net income available to common shareholders for Q3 2022, achieving three consecutive quarters of profitability. The company declared its first quarter 2023 dividend of $0.75 per share and intends to pay aggregate minimum dividends for 2023 of $3.00 per share. Truist Securities wrote that the 2023 outlook shows EBITDA ahead of consensus, RevPAR growth rate right in-line but implied amount ahead due to the 2022 FY RevPAR ahead of consensus from the strong 4Q22 beat.