Latest news: Sandals for sale?; Hotel Equities-Pinnacle deal; Hilton to Deer Valley

Sandals explores sale. Sandals Resorts International is reportedly working with bankers to explore a sale for somewhere between $6 billion and $7 billion, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The Journal said its sources told them the goal was to engage with major hotel groups or private equity investors to buy the Caribbean all-inclusive business based in Jamaica. Just last week, Sandals said it was investing nearly $1 billion to expand its Beaches brand with plans to double its footprint within five years.

HE-Pinnacle align. Owner, operator and developer Hotel Equities has signed a strategic partnership with Little Rock, Arkansas-based Pinnacle Hotel Group to integrate eight more of Pinnacle’s current hotel portfolio as well as 12 under development into Hotel Equities’ management platform effective May 1. This moves HE's portfolio size to 304 hotels. This partnership builds on an existing relationship, as HE already manages for Pinnacle the recently opened AC Hotel by Marriott Kansas City Downtown. A Hotel Equities representative told Hotel Investment Today that moving forward they will certainly consider joint venture opportunities with Pinnacle if the deal makes sense. “HE benefits from the portfolio expansion, but also by adding strong industry leaders to help steer the ship with immense expertise, especially on the development side of the business,” the HE representative said.

Aman wants to raise $2B. Aman Group is planning to raise as much as $2 billion from investors, according to Bloomberg, to power further global expansion of the ultra-luxury brand. It currently has 23 projects under development and has particular focus on expanding Aman Residences. At the same time, Aman introduced its third private club space – this time at the Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, the group’s 36th property set to open in April. It follows invitation-only Aman Club openings in New York and Tokyo with a pipeline including Miami Beach, Beverly Hills, Dubai and Riyadh.

Hilton adds in Deer Valley. Hilton has signed a deal for a new-build Canopy by Hilton hotel at Deer Valley East Village, Utah. Signed as part of an agreement with New York-based Extell Development Co., the new 180-key hotel will mark the Canopy by Hilton brand’s first hotel in Utah with an opening slated for summer of 2026. It will overlook the Jordanelle Reservoir and Deer Valley Resort.

Indigo to Balearics. IHG Hotels & Resorts has made a deal with Senator Hotels & Resorts to bring its Hotel Indigo brand to the Balearic Islands with the Hotel Indigo Menorca. Set to open in summer 2026, the hotel marks IHG's eighth open and pipeline Hotel Indigo property in Spain. The 75-key conversion property is located in Mahón, the island’s capital. The signing strengthens IHG’s presence in Spain, where as of January 1 it operated 57 hotels and had another 15 in development. The property also joins a growing portfolio of Hotel Indigo properties in Spain, with four open and a further three in development.

Pandox buys in Kiruna. Pandox AB has signed an agreement to acquire newly built Elite Hotel Frost with 154 rooms in central Kiruna, Sweden. The property is set to open in June. The Kiruna municipality is the seller and Elite Hotels is the tenant under a 15-year revenue-based lease agreement with minimum guarantee. Total acquisition price amounts to approximately €32 million and is financed by available cash funds and existing credit facilities.

Nobu coming to Barbuda. Actor Robert De Niro and Nobu Hospitality have announced an early 2026 opening for the 36-room Nobu Beach Inn on the Caribbean island of Barbuda. The development also has a residential component, with pre-sales underway for 25 beachfront lots for villas. The 400-acre project sits along two miles of beach on Barbuda's southwest coast. The resort is a collaboration between De Niro, luxury hotelier Daniel Shamoon and Australian billionaire James Packer. The site is co-located with the existing Nobu Barbuda restaurant.

Swissôtel grows in China. Accor has signed a new Swissôtel in Chengdu, China, in partnership with Beijing Tianheng Group.  Set to open in 2026, Swissôtel Chengdu Beihu Lake by the Beihu Ecological Park will feature 150 rooms and be a 10-minute drive to the Giant Panda Base, a popular tourist attraction. The signing follows the recent opening of Swissôtel Guangzhou, China.

Marriott updates China growth. Marriott International signed nearly 31,000 rooms (161 deals) in Greater China in 2024, and newly signed deals in 2025 include an agreement with SCHotel Investment and Management Group for Habo Hotel Shanghai, a member of Design Hotels, anticipated to open in October 2025. Marriott’s select brands accounted for over 75% of Marriott’s signings in Greater China in 2024, increasing 60% compared to 2023.

Adelaide looking at big week. Adelaide, Australia, hotel booking levels show a spike during the upcoming AFL Gather Round, according to CoStar data. When looking at the four-day event period, hotel occupancy on the books is tracking 6 percentage points higher than the 2024 event four weeks out. Occupancy on the books is as high as 90.6% for Friday, April 11, when Collingwood faces the Sydney Swans. The next highest level is for 12 April (86.2%). For comparison, in 2024, hotel booking levels were peaking at 84.0% for the second night of the event (April 5, 2024) and 83.1% on the third night (April 6, 2024).