Latest HITs: Hawaii update; Aimbridge leadership; Accor adds in Turkey

Hawaii tragedy update: The death toll from catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii reached at least 106 on Wednesday morning and is expected to at least double in the days ahead, according to reports. Some 1,300 people are still missing. The fires have caused an estimate $5.6 billion in damage with some 2,700 buildings destroyed in Lahaina where temperatures were estimated as high as 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. As of Tuesday, the Lahaina fire was 85% contained, the Upcountry fire was 60% contained and the Pulehu/Kihei fire was 100% contained, according to Maui County officials.

Aimbridge leadership. Third-party management giant Aimbridge Hospitality has named industry veterans Tiffany Cooper as Chief Development Officer – Americas & Caribbean, and Niall Kelly head of Development – EMEA. Cooper most recently served as Head of Development, North America and Caribbean for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Most recently, Kelly served as a development consultant to Marriott International, undertaking various deal structures from leases and residential deals to management and franchise.

Accor grows in Turkey. Accor has signed an agreement with Kaya Group to introduce the first Mövenpick property to the eastern Turkish province Diyarbakır. The 153-room Mövenpick Diyarbakır opened on August 14. “Diyarbakır has great potential in terms of not only trade but also tourism. We believe that our investment in Diyarbakır will significantly impact increasing the allure of both Diyarbakır and Türkiye,” said Şeyhmus Kaya, Kaya Group chairman of the board of directors.

GBTA revises forecast. The Global Business Travel Alliance has forecast an accelerated rebound on business travel spend, now estimating to reach $1.8 trillion by 2027. It cites pent-up demand, return of travel and meetings, improved COVID landscape, stable economic conditions and inflationary factors as the leading reasons for its revision. Spending is now expected to surpass its pre-pandemic spending level of $1.4 trillion in 2024. In 2022, global business travel spending rose 47% to $1.03 trillion, with strong gains continuing and 32% growth expected in 2023.

Marriott grows luxe in China. Marriott International has signed an agreement with New Development Group to introduce the Edition brand to Dali in Southwestern China. The brand’s third property in China is expected to open in December 2025. Marriott now has nearly 70 luxury hotels in Greater China.

Delta to Times Square. Delta Hotels by Marriott has debuted in New York City with the 310-room Delta Hotels by Marriott New York Times Square at 340 West 40th Street, marking the brands 31st hotel. Marriott said the owners of the property are the Mehta family.

Veriu growth. Australia’s Veriu Group will open its first South Australian property, Veriu Adelaide, midway through 2024. Developed in partnership with Pelligra Group, the project is also one of the group’s first office conversions, with the transformation of over 5,000 sqm of vacant office space into the 111-apartment hotel. The property will offer a mix of studio, interconnecting studios and one-bedroom suites, designed to accommodate solo and group travel, for business or leisure. Veriu Group recently opened Punthill properties in Essendon North and Parramatta, its second Melbourne Veriu property, Veriu Collingwood, and started construction on various other sites in Victoria, NSW and the ACT.