Latest news: Blackstone completes Athens deal; Gaw sells in Oakland; Criterion refi

Blackstone Athens acquisition. Blackstone has completed the acquisition of the Grand Hyatt Athens from PE firms Henderson Park and Hines for €235 million, taking Blackstone’s investment over the past year in hotels across Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal to €500 million. The sellers bought the property in 2017, added more rooms, and switched to a Hyatt brand from Marriott.  Blackstone has a portfolio of some 22,000 hotel rooms across more than 70 properties in southern Europe, including 10 hotels in Greece.

Gaw Capital sells in Oakland. Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital Partners has sold the 162-key Courtyard Oakland Downtown in California to an affiliate of Atlanta-based Core Property Capital for $10.6 million. This is 76% less than what it paid for the property eight years ago when it bought it for $43.8 million in 2016.

Criterion £65M refi. London-based Criterion Capital has secured a £65 million loan facility ($68.2 million) with London-based Coutts to refinance the 112-key Hotel Indigo in Leicester Square in London. The company said the refinance will allow Criterion to focus on expanding its Zedwell brand, which has three locations in London and 13 in its pipeline in London, York, Manchester in the U.K., and Edinburgh, Scotland. Criterion wants to expand Zedwell’s portfolio to 8,500 rooms by 2027.

New Treehouse in Cali. Miami Beach, Florida-based SH Hotels & Resorts is opening the 69-key Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, California, on March 1. Treehouse Hotels is the creation of Barry Sternlicht, founder and chairman of SH Hotels & Resorts, which owns and operates Treehouse Hotels, 1 Hotels, and Baccarat Hotels.

Sage adds in Colorado. Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group has added 205-key Hotel Alpenrock Breckenridge, Curio Collection by Hilton, in Breckenridge, Colorado, to its portfolio.

Ashford converts property. Dallas-based REIT Ashford Hospitality Trust has converted the 226-key Le Pavillon Hotel in New Orleans to a Tribute Portfolio property. The property recently completed a $19 million renovation, which included extensive exterior work, upgrading the restaurant, guestrooms, guest bathrooms and corridors.

First Wyndham Garden in India. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is partnering with Delhi, India-based Rajdhani Realcon Private Ltd. to open its first Wyndham Garden hotel in India. The 81-key Wyndham Garden Sonipat Murthal in Haryana, India, is owned and operated by Rajdhani Realcon. Wyndham has over 60 open hotels in India and expects that number to grow by at least 25% in the next 18 months.

Accor adds Mercure in Armenia. Accor has signed an agreement with WinInvest LLC to open a new Mercure hotel in Armenia. The 69-key Mercure Tsaghkadzor is located in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia and is expected to open in early 2027. Mercure Hotels & Resorts offers 1,000 hotels in 65-plus countries, with over 200 additional hotels in its pipeline.

Spain’s data requirement draws opposition. The European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations (ECTAA) is sounding the alarm bell on a new decree in Spain that will require travel agencies, accommodations and car rental companies to share travelers’ personal data with the Ministry of the Interior, according to Travel Weekly. ECTAA issued its warning alongside its Spanish representative, the Corporate Association of Specialist Travel Agencies, and the associations FETAVE and UNAV. The associations have contacted the Spanish government with their concerns, asking for suspension of the regulation. According to ECTAA, the decree was designed to increase security and share traveler information with police forces. Legislators in Spain have attempted to halt the decree so it can be further discussed, but the government “continues to provide no response to the requests for suspension and review of the regulation,” ECTAA said.