Latest news: Houston hotel rebrands; RIU reopening in Jamaica; first JW in Portugal

Houston hotel rebrands. The Blossom Hotel Houston has joined Hilton’s Curio Collection. The hotel is owned by Charlie Wang and will now be managed by Fairfax, Virginia-based Crescent Hotels & Resorts.

RIU reopening in Jamaica. Palma, Spain-based RIU Hotels & Resorts is ready to reopen all seven of its hotels in Jamaica before the end of the year. The reopening is accompanied by the return of charter flight operations from key markets such as Canada, the U.K. and the Netherlands. Operation is currently being reactivated in phases. The Riu Ocho Rios, located in one of the destinations least affected by the storm, has remained open and has already recovered all its services. The Riu Montego Bay reopened its doors on Sunday, and the Riu Palace Jamaica opens on Monday. The four remaining establishments: Riu Reggae, Riu Negril, Riu Palace Tropical Bay, and the Riu Palace Aquarelle have tentative opening dates scheduled from November 30 to December 15.

JW Marriott debuts in Portugal. Portugal-based Norfin is opening the first JW Marriott and Missoni projects in Portugal. The forthcoming JW Marriott Residences at Palmares in Portugal’s Algarve region is scheduled to open in early 2028. Italian fashion house Missoni is also making its debut in Portugal with Aroeira Collections by Missoni, a residential project with 138 hotel apartments and an additional 40 apartments. The project has an anticipated total investment of €200 million and includes two golf courses that will be Portugal’s first PGA National golf courses following extensive renovations and rebranding in late 2024.

New Social Hub in Scotland. A £200 million hospitality project is being developed at a former brewery site in Edinburgh, Scotland. The project would see The Social Hub expand its growing European footprint with a second U.K. hotel. The hospitality group is in advanced negotiations for a plot of land at the former Fountain Brewery site in the Fountainbridge area of the city, which has been vacant for around 20 years. The project would include a new 560-key Social Hub with extended-stay rooms and accommodation targeted at students.

New IHG-branded residence in Bangkok. Bangkok, Thailand-based CG Capital Advisory Ltd. (CG Capital) is partnering with IHG Hotels & Resorts on the 88-key InterContinental Residences Bangkok Asoke, a THB 5.5 billion freehold hospitality-branded residence located in Bangkok. The project is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2029.

Centara, NUO expanding in APAC. Bangkok-based Centara Hotels & Resorts and Beijing-based NUO International Hotel Management Co. Ltd. recently signed an agreement to collaborate on brand development and international expansion across China, Thailand and Southeast Asia. The partnership introduces a two-way brand licensing approach with NUO bringing its brands, such as Jianguo and Brilliant, to Thailand and Southeast Asia and Centara introducing its brands, including Centara and Centara Grand, to mainland China.

Metro Hotels adds in Peru. Bogota, Colombia-based Metro Hotel is opening the $20 million, 120-key Hampton by Hilton Cusco, its first property in the historic capital of the Inca Empire and the brand’s third hotel in Peru. Hilton has more than 290 hotels in operation and around 140 projects in development in the Caribbean and Latin America.

New Swiss hotel collection opening. A new collection of independent Swiss hotels, Seiler Constantin, is launching with its first property, the 105-key Le Clay, opening in the summer of 2026. Founded by hotelier André Seiler, Four Seiler Constantin hotels are planned across Lavaux, Crans-Montana, Saas-Fee and Lugano.

Far East Orchard expanding. Singapore-based Far East Orchard (FEOR) is scaling up its lodging platform with a five-year plan to expand its asset-light strategy while eyeing strategic disposal of its non-core real estate assets. The company announced it was targeting S$3 billion in assets under management by 2030, up 50% from its S$2 billion core-asset goal for 2025. It also plans to expand to 25,000 hotel rooms and 85,000 purpose-built student accommodation beds by 2030. The addition would bring FEOR’s total lodging inventory to 110,000 rooms and beds, roughly a 50% increase of its current portfolio. FEOR said it plans to deepen its asset-management and fund-management capabilities, expand its lodging portfolio, and allocate capital to priority assets while recycling out of lower-yielding or non-core positions.

TUI Group adds in Africa. Hanover, Germany-based TUI Group is continuing its strategic expansion across Africa with the addition of seven new hotels to its regional clusters. In North Africa, four resorts joined the portfolio in November and the first TUI Blue hotel in The Gambia has also opened its doors, strengthening the group’s presence in West Africa. Looking ahead, two additional hotels are set to open in Zanzibar by early 2026. The group is adding the 93-key The Mora Sahara Tozeur in Tunisia; the 521-key TUI Magic Life Redsina Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt; the 140-key TUI Blue Tamala in The Gambia; and the 211-key JAZ Amaluna, a 500-plus-key Riu Palace Swahili in Tanzania, in the coming year. With the new hotels, TUI Hotels & Resorts in Africa will grow to 106 hotels with over 34,000 rooms in nine countries.

Oyo Assets secures new funding. Oyo Assets, the hotel acquisition and development arm backed by Oyo’s parent Prism, has secured 125 crore in a new funding round led by InCred and supported by a mix of institutional and private investors. Also known as Sunday PropTech, Oyo Assets focuses on acquiring premium and mid-premium hotels across India. With this capital boost, Oyo Assets is targeting the acquisition of 12 hotels in the current financial year, with seven in advanced stages of negotiation. The hotels will operate under Prism’s brand portfolio, including Sunday Hotels, Palette Hotels, Townhouse and select U.S. brands.