Latest news: Ashford's debt plan; IHG adding 1,000 rooms in UK; Fairmont to New Orleans

Ashford updates plans to pay off debt. Dallas-based Ashford Hospitality Trust has updated its plans to pay off its strategic financing with a final maturity date of January 2026. It plans to raise the capital through asset sales, mortgage debt refinancing and non-traded preferred capital raises. The company listed 12 hotels at various stages of being available for sale, a mix of geographically diverse hotels ranging from full-service to limited-service properties. Ashford said it is also refinancing its Morgan Stanley pool loan of 17 hotels and hotels in Nashville, Atlanta and Arlington, Virginia.

IHG adding 1,000 rooms in UK, Ireland. IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed nine hotels across five brands in the UK and Ireland, totaling more than 1,000 new rooms. The hotels, which are opening over the next two years, include the 131-key Hotel Indigo Gloucester; 57-key voco Salisbury; 120-key voco Belfast; 191-key voco Leicester; 189-key voco Manchester; 78-key voco The Clifton Folkestone; 87-key Holiday Inn Wrexham; 104-key Holiday Inn Express Reading Oxford Road; and the 132-key Staybridge Suites Belfast. The company has more than 350 hotels in the UK and Ireland.

Openings up 20% for Extended Stay America. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Extended Stay America said its franchise hotel openings increased 20% last year, while the number of franchise owners more than doubled. It also opened its 40th Extended Stay America Premier Suites after the brand’s debut in 2021. CEO Greg Juceam talked to Hotel Investment Today about the company’s franchising efforts at the ALIS conference.

Fairmont coming to New Orleans. Dubai-based Fairmont Hotels & Resort and Louisiana-based Kallas Companies are developing the 250-key Fairmont New Orleans, which will open in the summer of 2025. The hotel will be part of the redevelopment of the former Bank of New Orleans Building and the Fairmont will occupy 18 floors of the 31-story building.

New LuxUrban in NYC. Miami-based LuxUrban has signed a master lease agreement to operate the 353-key James NoMad Hotel in New York City. The hotel will be rebranded to the J Hotel by LuxUrban, a Wyndham Grand Hotel, and open on or before March 1. In 2023, LuxUrban partnered with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to convert its hotels into the company’s Trademark Collection. GFI Hospitality assisted LuxUrban with the transaction.

New AVA brand for RCD Hotels. RCD Hotels is launching a new resort brand called AVA with the summer opening of the 1,743-key AVA Resort Cancun. Miami-based AIC Hotel Group has been contracted by RCD Hotels to develop the concept and for the sales and marketing of its luxury hotels in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean.

Dual-branded Louisiana hotel sells. New York-based AVR Realty Co. and affiliates of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Dimension Hospitality have sold a dual-branded 235-key Hilton hotel in Lafayette, Louisiana, to Om Shanti Om Twelve and Om Shanti Om Thirteen. The Homewood Suites Lafayette Airport and Home2 Suites Parc Lafayette sold on January 22. Atlanta-based Hunter Hotel Advisors assisted with the transaction.

Capella opening in Taipei. Thailand-based Capella Hotel Group will open its first hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2024. The 86-key Capella Taipei is expected to open in Q4.

Caledonian adds in England. Leeds, England-based Caledonian Leisure group has acquired the Torbay Hotel from Warrington, England-based Coast and Country Collection for an undisclosed price. The 111-key hotel is located in Torquay, England.

HSMAI Foundation, Women in Travel THRIVE mentorship research. The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Foundation, in partnership with Women in Travel THRIVE, has released a research paper titled “The Power of Mentorship,” which is part of HSMAI’s ongoing efforts to address the gender imbalance in leadership roles in the hospitality industry. The research emphasizes the power of mentorships in nurturing the next generation of female leaders in the hospitality sector. It found that women occupy one leadership role for 10.3 men, an improvement on the 1 to 11.2 ratio in 2019. Click here for the report.

New CFO for Great Wolf Lodge. Madison, Wisconsin-based Great Wolf Resorts appointed Bret McLeod as CFO. He previously worked for Citycon and Host Hotels & Resorts and was a co-founder of the Lakewood Hotel Group. 

New executive at HRI Hospitality. New Orleans-based HRI Hospitality has appointed Rylie Johnson as corporate director, business development and strategic partnerships, a new position. Johnson previously worked at Dallas-based Studio 11 Design.

New VP at Hay Creek. Denver-based Hay Creek Hotels and Restaurants has appointed Tommy Pho as VP of development for Western U.S. operations. Pho previously worked at Victory Hotel Partners and CHMWarnick.