Latest news: Belmond adds in Mexico; group demand drives US profits; Rosewood to Barbuda

Belmond adds in Mexico. Belmond has acquired Hacienda Katanchel, formerly a hacienda dating back to the 17th century situated near Merida, Yucátan in Mexico. With an expanse of 220 hectares, the estate is home to a cenote (underground river), a sacred well, native flora and fauna, and the remains of an ancient Mayan pyramid, in addition to the historic hacienda, Katanchel, A Belmond Hotel, is planned to open in 2027 with 35 independent suites upon completing a comprehensive restoration program. On the Pacific Coast of Mexico, Milaroca, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Nayarit, will open in 2025.

Group drives US profits. Improvement in group demand across the Top 25 Markets drove U.S. hotel revenue and profit growth, according to October P&L data from CoStar. October 2023 per-available-room metrics showed GOPPAR at $97.45 (+3.7% YOY); TRevPAR: $240.74 (+4% YOY); EBITDA PAR at $69.60 (-1.2% YOY); LPAR (Labor Costs) at $74.48 (+5.9% YOY). The industry saw its largest year-over-year increases in GOPPAR and TRevPAR since March 2023. “The Top 25 Markets have showed an 11% jump in GOPPAR year to date despite a 14% lift in labor costs,” said Audrey Kallman, research analyst at STR. “That double-digit GOPPAR growth was more than 10 times the level seen in all other markets. New York City, an obvious business-centric market, led growth in the metric across the major markets on both a year-to-date and monthly basis.”

Hyatt's luxury pipeline. Hyatt Hotels Corp. reported a pipeline of more than 35 luxury hotels and resorts globally through 2025. Hyatt said it has doubled the number of luxury rooms, tripled the number of resort rooms, and quadrupled the number of lifestyle rooms in five years. Fully, 70% of its rooms are categorized as luxury and upper upscale. Expansion includes the debut of Park Hyatt hotels in the UK, Mexico, and Malaysia; the Thompson Hotel brand’s expansion in Europe with the first properties in Austria and Italy; the Andaz brand’s growth in the Americas with its first hotel in the Caribbean; The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand’s first properties in the Nordics and India; as well as Hyatt luxury growth in Portugal, with the planned openings of Andaz Lisbon and Dreams Madeira Resort, Spa & Marina.

Rosewood to Barbuda. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts will expand to the Caribbean island of Barbuda in 2028 with developer Murbee Resorts. The beachfront Rosewood Barbuda will feature 50 resort suites and 35 Rosewood Residences. Rosewood Barbuda will join Rosewood Baha Mar, Rosewood Little Dix Bay, and Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth in the Caribbean.

New hotel coming to London Soho. Billionaire entrepreneur Asif Aziz has paid around £135 million for Haymarket House in Soho London with plans to convert the upper floors into a £400 million affordable hotel. The landmark ‘Happy’ restaurant and comedy club on the ground floor will remain.

Marriott luxury milestone. Marriott International announced its 500th luxury hotel opening, The St. Regis Riyadh, with five more new hotels slated to open in the final weeks of 2023. Over 200 luxury hotels and resorts across Marriott’s luxury portfolio are in the global development pipeline, including 24 properties expected to open in 2024. Jenni Benzaquen, senior vice president of The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis Hotel & Resorts, said, “We are expanding the reaches of our portfolio to what we have coined ‘nu-luxury frontiers’ - boundary-breaking escapes that combine guests’ desires for authenticity, adventure, and exclusivity.”

Crescent adds in Canada. Crescent Hotels & Resorts has added management of the 106-room Josie Hotel, An Autograph Collection in Rossland, British Columbia, to its Latitudes: Lifestyles by Crescent portfolio.

Davidson gets Salt Lake City hotel. The Athens Group and partner Hatteras Sky have selected Pivot, the lifestyle operating vertical of Davidson Hospitality Group, to operate and manage Asher Adams, its 225-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. Opening in the fall of 2024, Asher Adams – which recently topped off construction – features the adaptive reuse of the historic Union Pacific Depot Train Station which first opened its doors in 1909. The hotel will consist of the historic train station as well as a new, eight-story guestroom tower.

Six Senses adds in Mexico. Six Senses has signed a management deal with Activos Turisticos de Mexico (ACTUR) for the development of Six Senses Xala in Mexico, which is scheduled to open in 2026 in the Costalegre or “Cheerful Coast” region of Jalisco. Six Senses Xala will comprise just 51 accommodations, all with private pools, ranging from beachfront and elevated guest rooms and suites to one- to three-bedroom villas. Nearby, there will also be 25 four- and five-bedroom branded residences.

Cliste Hospitality acquires in Belfast. Cork, Ireland-based Cliste Hospitaltiy has acquired Belfast’s 120-room Radisson Blu Hotel for an undisclosed sum. The deal was completed in partnership with real estate investment firm Warren Private. It is the second time these two companies have partnered on an acquisition. It is now set to be rebranded as The Gasworks Hotel and will undergo a £3.5 million refurbishment over the coming nine months. Once the refurbishment is complete, the hotel will partner with InterContinental Hotels Group, becoming part of the chain’s voco brand. Cliste Hospitality CEO Paul Fitzgerald said the acquisition marks the company’s first hotel investment in the North. Cliste Hospitality already manages 13 hotels in the Republic of Ireland under the iNUA Collection brand.

Omniyat, Dorchester partner again. Omniyat, Dubai, has initiated the construction of its latest project, Vela, in partnership with Dorchester Collection in Dubai. This development with 38 luxury, fully-furnished residences comes on the heels of Omniyat’s recent acquisition of the Marasi Bay Marina in Business Bay. The 150-meter high structure will cover over 270,000 square feet across 30 floors. The development, situated adjacent to Omniyat’s The Lana, gives Vela residents access to hotel services and a golf-buggy service along the promenade.

Minor grows in Vienna. Minor Hotels will add an Anantara hotel in the Austrian capital of Vienna. Transformed into a luxury hotel in 2013, the property currently operates as Palais Hansen Kempinski. As part of the group’s strategic expansion across Europe, Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna Hotel will launch in March 2024 as it undergoes a significant renovation. The rebranded property will feature 152 rooms and suites on three floors, including a 270-square meter Presidential Suite, the largest in the Austrian capital. Most recently in 2023 Anantara has continued its strategic expansion in Europe with the launches of Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel in France, Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel on the famed Amalfi Coast in Italy and Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel in Ireland.

New management for Canopy in Scottsdale. Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group, Provo, Utah, has been appointed to manage the 177-room Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town in Arizona.

Renaissance to North Carolina development. The Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, stewards of Research Triangle Park, have announced plans to work with Dallas-based developer Alamo Manhattan to develop a 250-room Marriott-branded Renaissance Hotel for its downtown Hub RTP. An affiliate of real estate investment firm NexPoint Advisors, LP, recently completed the purchase of the site in the heart of the Hub RTP development. Renaissance RTP will also offer more than 13,000 square feet of meeting space for the hotel slated to begin summer 2024.

Access Point works with Innisfree. Access Point Financial has arranged a $18.5 million acquisition loan for the 94-room Hampton Inn & Suites St. Augustine-Vilano Beach, located in St. Augustine, Florida. APF quickly stepped up after another lender unexpectedly backed out and helped the sponsor, Innisfree Hotels, close in less than three weeks as Hurricane Idalia was making landfall and headed towards St. Augustine, Florida.