Latest news: Cat 5 storm eyes Jamaica; 2 Andaz for APAC; Dan buys in NYC

Cat 5 hurricane heads toward Jamaica. Jamaican resorts issued a flurry of updates as Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, approached the island. Sandals and Beaches Resorts, which has seven Sandals properties and the Beaches Negril in Jamaica, said it was offering accommodations to guests unable to travel due to flight disruptions. It added that the Sandals Foundation, the nonprofit arm of parent company Sandals Resorts International, was "ready to activate and provide support in the coming days to serve local communities in need." On social media, other resorts on the island said they were preparing for the hurricane's arrival and the recovery that will follow.

Hyatt adds 2 Andaz in APAC. Hyatt Hotels Corp. is partnering for new Andaz hotels in Hong Kong and Hiroshima, Japan. Hyatt has signed a management agreement with a pair of Hong Kong-based companies, Wing Tai Properties Ltd. and CSI Properties Ltd., for the first Andaz-branded hotel in Hong Kong. The new-build, 125-key Andaz Hong Kong Central is expected to open in 2027 and be part of the Central Crossing mixed-use development. Hyatt has also entered into a management agreement with an affiliate of Osaka, Japan-based Takenaka Corp. for the first Hyatt hotel in western Japan’s Chūgoku region. The 235-key Andaz Hiroshima will occupy the 21st to 31st floors of a new mixed-use high-rise in Hiroshima and is expected to open in 2027.

Big Hilton deal in Oman. Hilton has signed a deal with The Zubair Corp. to open three hotels in Muscat under the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and DoubleTree by Hilton brands – doubling its footprint in the Sultanate. The three hotels will be located within Barr Al Jissah, a waterfront luxury development on Muscat’s coastline. Al Husn Hotel Muscat is set to undergo an extensive renovation ahead of its rebranding as a 180-room Waldorf Astoria. The 198-room Hilton Muscat Al Bandar will debut in January 2026. The 302-room DoubleTree by Hilton Muscat Al Waha will also debut in 2026. Hilton currently operates three hotels across Oman.

Mama Shelter to Alps. Ennismore has signed the 148-room Mama Shelter Val Thorens (France) in the Alps, the highest ski destination in Europe, according to the press release. Opening in 2027, the brand will unveil its very first resort with developers Vista, Financière Galata and Cogeco.

Sonesta transitions 18. Sonesta International Hotels Corp. is opening 18 hotels with a new franchise partner, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Laxmi Hotels Group, the first milestone in the planned sale of 113 managed properties. The 18 properties include 11 hotels that will be managed by Laxmi directly and seven that will be managed by Plano, Texas-based Ark Hospitality. The transition of these properties was completed at the end of September. In 2024, Sonesta announced the sale of 113 managed hotels. The properties are under agreement with four strategic partners who will enter into long-term franchise agreements with Sonesta. The portfolio includes 30 Sonesta Select upscale hotels, 44 Sonesta ES Suites upscale extended-stay hotels, and 39 Sonesta Simply Suites midscale extended-stay hotels. This conversion will add another 14,803 rooms across 28 states to Sonesta’s existing franchised hotel portfolio, which, at the end of September, totaled 62,444 rooms and 886 properties.

Dan Hotels buys in Manhattan. Israel's Dan Hotels is expanding its international operations and entering the U.S. real estate and tourism market with the acquisition of the Nomo Soho hotel in New York. Dan Hotels is paying the Sapir Corp. $125 million as part of a process of protection from creditors, in which the hotel was valued at $150 million.

New Six Senses in Japan. Six Senses, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio, has signed a hotel management agreement with Tokyo-based Patience Capital Group for a slopeside mountain hotel and residences at the foothills of Mount Myoko. The 57-key Six Senses Myoko is set to start construction in April 2026. There are 27 Six Senses hotels and resorts in 22 countries and 38 pipeline properties in development.

Vision adds in South Carolina. Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Vision Hospitality Group will manage the upcoming 109-key SpringHill Suites by Marriott Goose Creek in Summerville, South Carolina. The new development by Wilmington, North Carolina-based Clarendon Properties and Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Commercial Realty Advisors Development is scheduled to open in early 2027.

Ensana expands into Germany. Prague-based Ensana hotels, a European provider of health and wellness spas, is expanding into Germany, taking over operation of the Fürstenhof hotel in Bavaria. The town is known for its thermal springs and forms the Lower Bavarian Spa Triangle together with Bad Füssingen and Bad Birnbach. Following extensive renovations of most rooms, as well as the wellness and treatment areas, Fürstenhof is set to reopen in the second quarter of 2026. The Ensana hotels plan to expand into additional locations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and aims to double its portfolio by 2030 by focusing on historic spa towns and regions with natural resources.

ECE expands into Italy. Hamburg, Germany-based ECE Work & Live has completed its first hotel project in Italy and handed the property over to the operator, Ruby Group. The project marks a significant milestone in ECE’s international expansion and in the sustainable conversion of existing properties. Over a two-year construction period, ECE has transformed the early-19th-century property in Rome, which was last used as an office building, into a modern hotel for the lean-luxury brand Ruby. The new hotel has 164 rooms spread across six floors.

San Antonio hotel converts to Marriott. The 116-year-old Gunter Hotel in San Antonio has reopened as the 311-key Gunter Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, as part of Marriott’s portfolio following the first phase of a $57 million renovation. Los Angeles-based Axle Capital owns the hotel.

Ivy adds in Illinois. Indianapolis, Indiana-based Ivy Hospitality has been awarded the management contract for the 117-key Hilton Garden Inn Springfield, Illinois, expanding the company’s portfolio into a third state.

LogProstyle acquires land for a hotel. Tokyo-based LogProstyle has acquired land for the development of its second hotel in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. The latest 36-key hotel property is located within 300 meters of the 43-key Prostyle Ryokan Tokyo Asakusa, enabling operational synergies between the two hotels and is scheduled to open in October 2028. After this property, LogProstyle will have a footprint of five hotels in Japan.

New study on hotel food waste. A new white paper by Lightblue, the PLEDGE on Food Waste, and Johanna Wagner, founder of Agence HoPe reveals how food waste is impacting hotel owners and investors and how this financial burden is costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Based on 1.2 million data points collected over 13 years from hotels in 20 countries, the study highlights that hotels typically waste up to 40% of the food they purchase, directly impacting margins, 95% of hotel operators still lack systems to measure food waste and how reducing waste by half can increase Gross Operating Profit (GOP) by 1–4% and enhance property valuation.