Breaking news about deals, development and data featuring Ace, ECE, JLL and more.
First Fairfield in
Europe. Marriott is debuting its Fairfield by Marriott brand in
Europe with the Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn. The
122-key hotel is part of a portfolio of 1,290 open hotels (with over 450 in the
pipeline) for Fairfield, Marriott’s second-largest brand. The company expects
to open new Fairfield hotels in France, Germany and the UK in 2025 and is
scheduled to open its first Fairfield in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
Wyndham shuffles
executive leadership. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced that chief
information officer Scott Strickland has been appointed to the chief commercial
officer role. In this newly created role, Strickland will continue his
technology and distribution duties and will now be in charge of global sales,
revenue generation, marketing, communications and the company’s loyalty
program. Strickland and his expanded team will
continue to build brands, drive direct revenue and advance the Wyndham value
proposition through a newly combined, tech-forward commercial organization. Lisa Checchio, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, is leaving the
company. She launched the “by Wyndham” endorsement strategy,
helped introduce new hotel brands, and grew the loyalty program to
over 100 million members. She also led Wyndham’s program to
advance female hotel ownership.
New core brand manager at Choice. Choice Hotels
International has promoted Judd Wadholm to senior vice president and general
manager, Core Brands, charged with driving the growth and performance of the
company's nine upper midscale, midscale, and economy brands in the U.S. market,
which as of the end of 2023 consisted of 5,500 hotels. Wadholm joined Choice in
2022 and previously held leadership roles in operations, owner relations, and
finance with Radisson Americas and its predecessors. Most recently, Wadholm
served as vice president, Managed Hotels Americas for Choice.
Minor, Cavaleros to open South Africa’s
first NH Collection. The 329-key NH Collection Sandton will open in
Johannesburg in July. The Cavaleros Group will manage the property, which will
first operate as NH Sandton and, following an extensive refurbishment, be
rebranded as NH Collection Sandton.
Michelin debuts “Keys” ratings. Michelin is
debuting its “Michelin Keys” rating system for hotels, similar to its “Michelin
Stars” rating for restaurants. France is the first country to unveil its
honorees with 189 hotels (24 with three keys, 38 with two keys and 127 with one
key). The Michelin Keys will be announced for the United States (Atlanta,
California, Chicago, Colorado, Florida, New York and Washington D.C.) on April
24, Spain on April 29, Italy on May 7, and Japan on July 4. Other destinations
will follow throughout the year.
Ace opening in Greece. Ace Hotel Club is
partnering with Brook Lane Capital for the 120-key Ace Hotel & Swim Club
Athens, a new project in Glyfada on the Athens Riviera scheduled to
open this summer. The project will be the second resort-style property in the
brand’s portfolio, following the Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs, which
opened in 2009. Ace Hotels said the Swim Club brand extension will be a focus
for Ace in the coming years.
ECE to convert Copenhagen office. Hamburg-based ECE
Group has acquired an office property and plot of land for the €65 million
development of a new hotel project in Copenhagen. ECE Work + Live purchased the
land and the office building from TPG Angelo Gordon. The 210-key hotel is scheduled
to be completed by the start of 2027.
Ascott debuts
Citadines in North India. Ascott Limited has debuted its Citadines aparthotel
in Gurugram, India. The 94-key aparthotel is the first hotel in North India for
Ascott’s portfolio, and it is a partnership with developer Paras Buildtech. The
company has 18 properties elsewhere in the country.
Aprirose acquires ground rent of three UK hotels. United
Kingdom-based Aprirose has acquired the ground rent of three hotels in the UK
from Lloyds Pension Fund. The three hotels are the 117-key Crewe Hall Hotel and
Spa near Manchester, the 141-key Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort near
Newcastle and the 152-key Oulton Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in Leeds.
The hotels are part of the QHotels portfolio and are owned by a joint venture
between Aprirose and Chinese private equity firm Cindat Capital Management.
La Llave de Oro acquires in Barcelona. Barcelona-based La
Llave de Oro has acquired the 79-key Hotel Ciutat de Barcelona in Spain for a
reported €29 million from Barcelona-based Ciutat Hotels Group. La Llave de Oro
is expected to take over property management.
Azora acquires 2 in Brussels. Spain-based Azora
Capital has acquired two adjoining hotels in Brussels, the 66-key Le Berger
Hotel and 34-key Jardin Secret Hotel, for €18 million from a consortium of
investors. The hotels are expected to be rebranded under the boutique hostel brand
Latroupe and managed by Azora Capital.
Grupo Hotusa acquires
in Spain. Barcelona-based Grupo Hotusa has acquired the
59-key Hotel Alma Pamplona in Spain from Alma Hoteles for an undisclosed price.
The hotel is expected to reflag under the Eurostars brand.
JLL Thailand study. Thailand’s tourism
sector has had a remarkable recovery with international arrivals reaching 28
million in 2023, marking a 152% year-over-year increase, according to a report
from JLL. The inaugural Thailand Hotel Investment Guide, co-published by JLL’s
Hotels & Hospitality Group and Baker McKenzie, said Thailand has long been
regarded as one of the most strategic investment destinations for hotels in the
region. From 2012 to 2018, the market was relatively liquid, with hotel sales
volume consistently exceeding THB 10 billion per year. Click here to download a
copy of the report.