Latest news: Hoxton heads to Australia; Hilton adds Guyana; InterCon back to Serbia

Hoxton adding Australia. Ennismore and developer Alfasi Group have signed a deal for The Hoxton in Melbourne, Australia, as part of the Matchworks Precinct located in Cremorne. Set to open in 2027, the first Hoxton in the country will feature 198 guestrooms, three food and beverage outlets, hybrid event spaces centred around a communal pantry, and a gym. The Hoxton operates 16 hotels, including recent openings in Charlottenburg (Berlin), Brussels, a second hotel in Amsterdam, and Vienna. The Hoxton is due to open soon in Edinburgh and Florence, and recently announced the brand’s first signing in Scandinavia, with The Hoxton Oslo.

Hilton adds Guyana. Hilton has signed a dual brand Hilton Georgetown and DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Georgetown as the company’s first hotels in Guyana. Owned by an affiliate of Assets Group and managed by Hilton, the properties’ combined 411 keys will form part of an oceanfront, mixed-use business and entertainment complex in the country’s capital. The new build. The DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Georgetown will offer 158 suites. The complex also features a conference center with a 25,900 square foot ballroom and meeting rooms that extend across 10,800 square feet. With more than 225 open hotels in CALA and a pipeline of over 170 hotels, Hilton plans to enter eight new countries and territories in the region over the next few years, including Bermuda and Paraguay in 2024 and Guyana in 2027.

InterCon returns to Serbia. IHG Hotels & Resorts will return to Serbia after 20 years, opening in partnership with Delta Holding the InterContinental Belgrade by the end of 2026. The hotel will feature 203 rooms, a sky pool, rooftop restaurant and bar, and terrace with fine dining. The hotel will be located in the ‘Delta District’, a new mixed-use development in Belgrade’s business and financial center. IHG operates three open properties in Serbia, all located in the capital. InterContinental Belgrade will also join nearly 20 open and pipeline properties across the Balkans in Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Northern Republic of Macedonia.

Park Inn to Melbourne. The Radisson Hotel Group has signed a deal for the 89-room Park Inn by Radisson Melbourne Carlton, marking this upper-midscale brand’s debut in Australia.  The converted property in the suburb of Parkville will open in 4Q24. Following the conversion, it will undergo a complete renovation and redesign.

Accor renewals in Australia. Accor has signed partnership renewal agreements for more than 40 hotels, comprising 5,500 keys, across Australia. Accor Pacific partners have also invested more than $450 million in hotel renovations and refurbishments since the beginning of 2022. Marking its 40th renewal, Accor recently solidified its partnership with Silversea Investments through a long-term franchise agreement that will see significant investment to refurbish Novotel Sydney Parramatta and Mercure Sydney Parramatta, which will be rebranded to Novotel Sydney Rosehill upon completion of the renovation. The hotels are now managed by Trilogy Hotels.

New data on SE Asia travel. The consumer profile of the southeast Asian travel sector is changing with a rise in Bleisure (business + leisure) and wellness travel, according to a new report from India’s Hotelivate. Additionally, outbound travel from China is on the rise due to various policy reforms making travel easier for the Chinese citizen. Although the total number of outbound trips in 2024 is projected to fall short of 2019 levels by nearly 25 million, the shift from group travel to FITs has helped narrow the gap in travel spending. Interestingly, Chinese tourists are spending less on shopping and more on hotels, food and beverage and experiences. South Korea and Japan currently attract most of China’s outbound demand, thanks to low airfares, with Indonesia also climbing in popularity. As Indonesia’s second largest source market, India’s outbound travel has surpassed 2019 levels but remains modest compared to the nation’s potential. A key opportunity for many countries lies in enhancing short-haul connectivity within Asia.

Leisure holding up in Europe. Leisure demand is growing, according to the results of Cheval Collection’s latest travel survey, with 72% of 2,600 asked (75% were from the U.K.) planning to take at least three trips over the next year from just over 45% in the previous year. The study also found that more than 75% of guests preferred to book direct, with a significant number also drawn to loyalty programs. When making a booking, almost 77% of those surveyed prefer to book directly or would actively consider doing so if the price was competitive. Only 18.5% expressed a preference to always book with an online travel agent. Value remained a factor for guests and, when booking accommodation, between 43% and 45% of respondents said they would either book the cheapest, non-refundable rate or they would wait for a sales event before committing to a purchase. Just over 30% of travelers indicated a preference for a provider with an attractive loyalty program.