Latest news: New Hyatt in Deer Valley; Woodvale acquires in Georgia; St. Regis F&B play

New Hyatt in Deer Valley. Hyatt Hotels Corp. has opened the 381-key Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah, which anchors the newly developed Deer Valley East Village — the first luxury alpine village of its kind in North America since 1981 that is being developed by New York City-based Extell Development Co. The property also includes 55 residences and has direct access to Deer Valley Resort.

Woodvale acquires in Georgia. Atlanta-based Woodvale has acquired the 96-key Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Buford Mall of Georgia from Alpharetta, Georgia-based Hotel Equities, for an undisclosed price. The transaction, which was brokered by Hunter Hotel Advisors, was completed on November 1. Woodvale plans a full renovation of all guest rooms and public spaces.

St. Regis partners with Ginori 1735. Marriott’s St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and porcelain brand Ginori 1735 have signed a worldwide partnership for F&B at St. Regis hotels. The first Café Ginori opens on November 26 at The St. Regis in Florence, Italy, which is the birthplace of the Ginori 1735 brand. Following the Florence debut, Café Ginori will open at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, at the beginning of 2025, with more locations to follow.

Sharpco sells in Louisiana. Natchitoches, Louisiana-based Sharpco Hotels has sold the Holiday Inn Alexandria Downtown in Louisiana to VJ Hotels for $9.8 million. The 168-hotel was built in 1984 and renovated in 2022. Marcus & Millichap brokered the transaction.

LuxUrban forming JV for hotel operations. Miami-based LuxUrban Hotels has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Delray Beach, Florida-based Lockwood Development Partners and Miami-based The Bright Hospitality Management to establish a joint venture focused on hotel services and operations. The JV, which was announced as part of the company’s third-quarter earnings, would initially focus on two LuxUrban properties in New York City, with the parties considering expanding the relationship in the future.

New hotel in South Carolina. Florence, South Carolina-based Raines has broken ground on an adaptive reuse that will become a boutique hotel in Columbia, South Carolina. The 59-key The Shepherd Hotel Columbia Vista is being developed and managed by Raines and will be the second Shepherd Hotel in South Carolina. The brand was co-founded by Rick Hayduk, Rich Davies and Clemson University football coach Dabo Swinney. Inspired by his two children with Down Syndrome, Hayduck has long been interested in opening hotels that employ individuals with disabilities.

Love’s divesting of hotel businesses. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based Love’s Travel Stops will finish selling all its hotel properties by the first quarter of 2025 to focus on roadside retail operations. Love’s owned 19 properties across the U.S. and has already sold 14 of these sites to several buyers. The final properties are expected to be sold in early 2025. The company bought its first hotels in 2014.

Aleph adds two in Morocco. Dubai-based Aleph Hospitality has signed management agreements with the owners of two luxury resorts in Morocco: the 93-key Marchica Lagoon Resort in Nador and the 72-key Michlifen Resort & Golf in Ifrane. These are Aleph Hospitality’s first properties in Morocco.

Marriott adds Edition in China. Marriott International has signed an agreement with New Development Group to bring the second Edition Hotels to Shanghai. The 278-key The Shanghai Edition, Changfeng Park, is scheduled to open in 2026. 

Wyndham adds Ramada in India. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is partnering with Shri Vrindavan Residency to open Ramada by Wyndham hotel in Vrindavan, India. The 72-key hotel is under development and is expected to open by 2026.

Scandic acquires two in Sweden. Stockholm-based Scandic has entered two long-term lease agreements with Stockholm-based JV Nordväst Fastighet to acquire two hotels in Helsingborg and Jönköping, Sweden, with a total of 199 rooms under its Scandic Go brand. The properties will be renovated and rebranded before their opening in the first half of 2026.

OKU adds in Turkey. London and Madrid-based OKU Hotels is opening the OKU Bodrum in Turkey. The 58-key hotel is scheduled to open next summer.

Travelodge opens first in the Isle of Man. U.K.-based Travelodge is partnering with Douglas, Isle of Man-based Tevir Group to open its first hotel on the Isle of Man. The new-build, 80-key hotel in Douglas will be part of a mixed-use development and is scheduled to open in 2026.