Latest news: Dalata explores sale; several significant refinance deals; HEI opens Claremont

Dalata explores potential sale. Dublin, Ireland-based Dalata is exploring options to enhance shareholder value, including, but not limited to, a potential sale of the company. The company said it had appointed Rothschild & Co as financial adviser in connection with the strategic review, adding that it is not in discussions with, or in receipt of an approach from any potential suitor. Dalata operates 55 hotels under the Maldron Hotel and Clayton Hotel brands, most of which are located in Ireland and the U.K. Dalata’s 30 owned hotels have been valued externally at €1.7 billion ($1.84 billion), including assets under construction. It has 22 leased hotels.

Hunter closes $60.2M in financing. Atlanta-based Hunter Hotel Advisors has closed on $60.2 million in financing for seven hotels with five different properties. The financing consists of a series of SBA 7(a) and 504 loans for the following properties and owners: Extended Stay America Washington D.C. Chantilly Airport and  Extended Stay America Washington D.C. Chantilly in Virginia (Middleborough, Massachusetts-based Prada Hotels, LLC); Candlewood Suites Louisville Airport in Kentucky and the Candlewood Suites Indianapolis Airport in Indian (Kansas City-based Lotus Hospitality); the Staybridge Suites Denver Tech Center in Colorado (PM Standard); the Residence Inn Lake Charles in Louisiana (White Dove Hospitality); and the Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Vinings/Galleria in Georgia (VP Hospitality). The transactions involved loans ranging from $5.73 million to $12.8 million and financing up to 85% of the total cost.

AHIP secured $43M financing. Vancouver-based American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP (AHIP) has secured $43 million in financing for a portfolio of five select-service and extended-stay hotels located across five states. The portfolio totals 554 rooms and consists of Marriott and Hilton branded properties. The hotels are situated in strong secondary markets with diverse demand generators, including Hanover, Maryland; Neptune, New Jersey; Milford, Connecticut; Titusville, Florida and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. JLL arranged the financing.

HEI adds in California. Norwalk, Connecticut-based HEI Hotels & Resorts has opened the Claremont Resort & Club in Berkeley, California. HEI's management portfolio now sits at 103 hotels. Austin-based Ohana Real Estate Investors owns the property. The 276-key Claremont Resort & Club sits on 22 acres in Berkeley and Oakland Hills.

IHG adds in the UK, Ireland. IHG Hotels & Resorts is adding to its portfolio in the U.K. and Ireland with the signing of eight hotels, adding more than 900 rooms in key locations such as Leeds, London and Reading. The hotels span brands such as Hotel Indigo in IHG’s luxury & Lifestyle portfolio and Crowne Plaza in its premium space, to the market’s first signings for IHG’s Garner hotels, which launched 18 months ago as part of the group’s essentials collection. The signings notably increase IHG’s UK and Ireland footprint, where it has 362 open hotels and a pipeline of 25 properties.

Marriott’s growth in CALA. Marriott International said it had robust room signings and openings across the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) region in 2024. The company had record signings in the region, with 67 agreements representing approximately 8,000 rooms in 2024. Last year, Marriott added 30 properties to its CALA portfolio, growing its regional footprint at year-end to 528 open properties across 37 countries and territories. Conversions accounted for 32% of total room signings in 2024 in CALA, with 36 properties representing nearly 2,600 rooms in the conversion pipeline.

Trailborn adds near Grand Canyon. Trailborn is opening its fifth property with the 96-key Trailborn Grand Canyon in Williams, Arizona. This marks the brand’s fifth open hotel following the Trailborn Rocky Mountains and Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost outside Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado; Trailborn Highlands in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Trailborn Surf & Sound in the coastal surf town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Trailborn signed a license agreement with Marriott late last year as the company looks to launch an outdoor-focused collection in 2025.

Dreamscape adds in Illinois. New York City-based Dreamscape Hospitality Dreamscape Hospitality has assumed management of the 73-key Hampton Inn Freeport in Illinois.

Minor adds Tivoli to Mexico. Bangkok, Thailand-based Minor Hotels is partnering with Designia to add its Tivoli Hotels & Resorts brand to Mexico. The 69-key Tivoli Mérida Residences in Mérida is scheduled to open in early 2027. This will mark Tivoli’s first project in Mexico and the third in Latin America, where the brand currently operates two hotels in Brazil.

EIH adding two resorts in India. Delhi, India-based East India Hotels Ltd. (EIH), the parent of the Oberoi group of hotels, is partnering with Agra, India-based Ladhani Group for two new resorts in Rishikesh, India. The first will be an 80-key luxury Oberoi resort that will carry the Vilas name, while the second will be a distinctive 120-key hotel under the Trident branding. Construction of the resorts is expected to begin in early 2026 and will be completed by 2029. These new resorts will be in addition to the group’s previous expansion plan, with a pipeline of 20 properties to be completed by 2029, which includes 16 hotels.

US hotels up for week. The U.S. hotel industry reported positive year-over-year comparisons, according to the latest data from CoStar. For the week of February 23 through March 1, occupancy was 62.8% (+0.4%), ADR was $159.26 (+2.7%) and RevPAR was $100.06 (+3.1%). Among the Top 25 markets, St. Louis saw the highest occupancy lift (+12.1% to 59.4%). Helped by Mardi Gras, New Orleans reported the largest increases in ADR (+36.8% to $233.77) and RevPAR (+30.6% to $148.54). Occupancy, however, declined 4.6% to 63.5%. The steepest RevPAR declines were seen in Oahu (-13.1% to $206.45) and Boston (-11.0% to $102.66).

CDL board dispute update. Dr. Catherine Wu, who City Developments Limited (CDL) group CEO Sherman Kwek called the “primary reason for the dispute” in the company’s boardroom battle, has stepped down as an unpaid independent adviser to Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C), the hotel arm of CDL, according to The Straits Times. In a statement on March 4, CDL Executive Chairman Kwek Leng Beng announced that M&C received Dr. Wu’s “irrevocable resignation” with immediate effect. The board tension first surfaced in late February.

Orix JREIT acquires in Japan. Tokyo-based Orix JREIT Inc. has completed the acquisition of 428-key Hotel Universal Port Vita in Japan for JPY35 billion from sponsor ORIX Corp, according to HVS. This property, completed in 2018, is one of seven official hotels of Universal Studios Japan and is adjacent to the 600-key Hotel Universal Port, which Orix JREIT also owns.

KB Asset Management acquires in Seoul. Seoul-based KB Asset Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of KB Financial Group Inc., is acquiring the 342-key Four Points by Sheraton Josun, Seoul Station in South Korea, from Sydney-based Macquarie Group Ltd. for KRW170 billion, according to HVS. The hotel opened in 2015 and is leased and operated by South Korea-based Josun Hotels & Resorts Co.

Ark Capital Partners adds in Melbourne. Sydney-based Ark Capital Partners Pty. Ltd. and Myanmar-based Lead Global completed the acquisition of the newly built 191-key Melbourne Place Hotel for AUD150 million, according to HVS.

FEHT adds first in Japan. Singapore-based Far East Hospitality Trust (FEHT) has acquired the 319-key Four Points by Sheraton Nagoya, Chubu International Airport in Japan for JPY6 billion from an undisclosed seller, according to HVS. The hotel opened in 2018 and is FEHT’s first hotel acquisition in Japan.