Latest HITs: IHG Americas CEO; Claremont sold; Salter Bros. buy portfolio

New leader at IHG. InterContinental Hotels Group has named Jolyon Bulley as successor to Elie Maalouf as Americas CEO effective July 1. Jolyon has been since 2018 IHG’s CEO for the Greater China region, and also the group’s transformation lead for Luxury & Lifestyle. The appointment follows the announcement on May 5 that Maalouf will become IHG’s Group CEO on July 1 following Keith Barr’s decision to step down to return with his family to the U.S. Jolyon was previously COO for the Americas region from 2014 to 2017. As IHG concludes succession planning for Jolyon’s responsibilities in Greater China, Daniel Aylmer, managing director for Greater China, will report into Maalouf and continue his responsibilities in China.

New CEO at Langham. van den Oord has been named CEO for Langham Hospitality Group, effective September 1, stepping up from his current role as Regional Vice President – Europe, Middle East and North America. The 20-year Langham leader will succeed current CEO Brett Butcher, who will retain responsibilities within Great Eagle as well as CEO of the Listed Langham Hospitality Investment Ltd. As the wholly owned subsidiary of Great Eagle Holdings, Langham Hospitality Group has more than 30 projects currently either confirmed or in development acress Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Icon Zell dies. Chicago-based real estate magnet Sam Zell has died at age 18. A statement from his company Equity Group Investments called him “a self-made, visionary entrepreneur.” Among his holdings were multiple hotels across the U.S. and Latin America. The often-blunt Zell was the largest owner of mobile-home parks in the U.S. He also invested in apartment buildings and office towers, as well as manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture. Forbes reported his net worth at $5.2 billion.

Pyramid adds in Rhode Island. Pyramid Global Hospitality has added the 197-room Wayfinder Newport hotel in Rhode Island to its management roster. The property is owned by Dovetail + Co. and plans are underway to rebuild and revitalize the property, which was heavily damaged in a fire in 2022. Plans call for reopening a portion of the hotel this summer with the rest to follow this fall.

Salter Brothers buy again. Australian global fund manager Salter Brothers has acquired five boutique hotels in NSW from Escapement Group. The 237-room portfolio includes hotels and estates in the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley regions. Properties include Lilianfels Resort and Spa (89 rooms), The Hydro Majestic Hotel (84 rooms), Echoes Boutique Hotel (14 rooms), Parklands Country Gardens and Lodges (31 rooms) and The Convent Hunter Valley (19 rooms). Following completion of this acquisition, the number of properties under Salter Brothers management will increase to 36.

Claremont deal closes in Oakland. The 276-room Claremont Club & Spa, Oakland, California, has been acquired by Ohana Real Estate, Redwood City, California, for a reported $163.3 million. An affiliate headed up by Blum Capital Partners and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts sold the hotel. Reports also suggest that in July 2022, the Claremont was appraised at $182 million.

More news from KSA. IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with Tashyid for Hotel Operations, which will see the development of 12 hotels and 2,500 keys under the Holiday Inn Express brand across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As part of the agreement, IHG has also signed the first Holiday Inn Express hotel with Tashyid for Hotels Operations Ltd., which will debut the brand in Jeddah by June 2025. The 300-room hotel will be located on Al Madinah Road, one of the busiest areas in the city. IHG currently operates 39 hotels across five brands in Saudi Arabia with 30 hotels in the pipeline set to open within the next three to five years.

Hilton to Sarajevo. Hilton has signed a franchise agreement with Intersped d.o.o. Sarajevo to open the 80-room Hotel Neretva Mostar, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and the 98-room Hampton by Hilton Sarajevo City Centre. Marking a country-first for Hilton in Bosnia & Herzegovina, the two hotels will be situated in prime central locations in Mostar and Sarajevo, with both hotels set to open by 2026.

Minor's KSA MoU. Bangkok-based Minor Hotels has signed an MoU with Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Development Fund to jointly develop and operate projects focused on mountain resorts, wellness resorts and urban hotels within the Kingdom under its Anantara, Avani, Tivoli and Oaks brands. The first project under this partnership is expected to be announced in H2 this year. Minor Hotels will act as an operator and partner in each of the projects.

Shaner buys in Hershey. Shaner Hotels, State College, Pennsylvania, has acquired from is Canon Hospitality Management the 86-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Hershey in Pennsylvania. Shaner also will operate the property and plans to implement $1.2 million in renovations to completely remodel guest rooms. Additionally, the company announced that it will break ground on another hotel in Hershey, a TownePlace Suites scheduled to break ground in the coming months.

Highgate ESG report. Highgate has released what they believe is among the first ESG reports by major hotel management companies. Highgate wants to expand on numerous initiatives highlighted in the report, including increasing its number of carbon neutral hotels, onsite solar systems, biodiversity projects, third-party eco-certified hotels, and electric vehicle (EV) charging station installations. Tracking and reporting carbon, energy, water and waste performance data is another program component to monitor and share progress. Comparing 2021 to 2019, Highgate reduced its total GHG emissions by 21.8% and has cut energy use by more than 170,000 megawatt hours (MWh). As part of its Environmental Brand Standards, Highgate requires hotels to install smart guestroom thermostats, 100% LED lighting, and intelligent kitchen hood fans for properties with large kitchens. As of 2021, approximately 65% of its properties already use high-efficiency lighting.