Latest news: Aimbridge division president; Ennismore, Kasada add; extended-stay dichotomy

Aimbridge names new president of full-service division. Aimbridge Hospitality has named Christopher Tatum as the new divisional president of its full-service division. Tatum has four decades of experience, mostly with Marriott International. After departing Marriott after 37 years, Tatum served as the president CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Most recently, Tatum managed a portfolio of hotels at Davidson Hospitality.

Ennismore, Kasada partner in South Africa. London-based Ennismore and Johannesburg, South Africa-based Kasada have signed the 131-key Hyde Johannesburg, which will be Ennismore’s first in the city and the first Hyde hotel in Africa. This also marks Kasada’s first investment in Johannesburg and fourth in South Africa. Hyde Hotels has locations in Miami, Dubai, Ibiza, and Bodrum and a pipeline in London, Perth, and Queenstown. Kasada now has a portfolio of 20 hotels in operation or under construction with about 3,250 rooms across seven African countries, including a Mama Shelter in Cape Town with Ennismore.

Extended-stay rooms under construction way up. The number of extended-stay rooms reported under construction through the first half of 2024 is at its highest level in four years and is 62% higher than a year ago, according to Atlanta-based The Highland Group. At the midpoint of 2024, 45,000 rooms were reported under construction, a 10% gain over the last six months. However, not all the rooms will have actually started construction, and recent trends indicate that about 60% of these rooms can expect to open over the next 12 months. If so, the absolute increase in extended-stay room supply will be less than 5% over the next year, and the growth in the number of available annualized room nights will be lower than that. “Despite headline-grabbing large increases in extended-stay rooms under construction, the annualized increase in room nights available over the next year should be well below the long-term average, and the near-term risk of oversupply nationally is very low,” said Mark Skinner, partner at The Highland Group.

Wyndham’s strong growth in APAC. In the first half of 2024, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts signed more than 120 hotels in Asia Pacific, opened 74 new hotels and reported 8% year-over-year net room growth, equivalent to 15,100 rooms. For the first half, Wyndham had a 22% increase in the number of hotels signed across APAC compared to 2023, driven by strong growth in mainland China, where it signed 104 hotels.

Florida hotel joins Curio by Hilton. The 125-key Faro Blanco Resort & Yacht Club in Marathon, Florida, recently acquired by Indianapolis-based Prime Hospitality Group, has joined the Curio Collection by Hilton portfolio. The newly rebranded hotel had $14 million in renovations, is one of the oldest buildings in Marathon and will add a new spa later in 2024.

Marriott names new CALA leader. Marriott International has named Federico Greppi as COO for Caribbean and Latin America. Greppi was most recently CFO and head of franchise operations and owner relations for Marriott in the Caribbean and Latin America. He has over two decades of experience and held positions with Marriott and was a consultant at Andersen.

Radisson adds first residences in Cairo. Radisson Hotel Group is opening its first Radisson Residences in Cairo, Egypt, with the 163-key Radisson Residences, Cairo Heliopolis.