Latest news: Soft week in US; first Gaylord in Cali; Sage adds 'Shining' hotel

US hotels down for week. The U.S. hotel industry reported negative year-over-year comparisons last week, according to CoStar data. From May 4-10, occupancy was 64.6% (-2.3% YOY), ADR was $162.57 (-0.7% YOY) and RevPAR was $105.08 (-3.0% YOY). Among the top 25 Markets, Philadelphia saw the highest gains in occupancy (+10.9% to 73%) and RevPAR (+18.5% to $119.68), while Boston had the largest increase in ADR (+10.2% to $275.21). San Francisco/San Mateo reported the steepest declines in ADR (-29.5% to $221.05) and RevPAR (-33.9% to $164.07) due to the RSA Conference calendar shift. New Orleans (-10.8% to 60.6%) saw the largest loss in occupancy. Analyst Patrick Scholes of Truist Securities said the results were notable because it was the first clean comp week in several weeks because of the Easter calendar shift. “Last week’s results were soft, particularly for the weekend, with all chain scales showing negative year-over-year RevPAR for Friday and Saturday. As in past weeks, there were bifurcated results with luxury +1% YOY last week versus -5 % for economy.” 

First Gaylord in California. Gaylord Hotels and Marriott International have partnered with Houston-based RIDA Development Corp. to open the 1,600-key Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center in Chula Vista, California, the first Gaylord Hotels property in California and the sixth in the brand’s portfolio. The $1.3B project is the first Gaylord Hotels property to open since the 2018 premiere of Gaylord Rockies Resort in Colorado.

Sage adds historic Colorado hotel. Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group will manage the 191-key Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. The partnership brings together Sage and Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority (CECFA) to preserve and enhance the historic property overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park. CECFA purchased the property through its wholly owned subsidiary, The Stanley Partnership for Art Culture and Education, LLC (SPACE). The Stanley Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a member of Historic Hotels of America. The hotel was built in 1909 and was the inspiration for Stephen King's "The Shining" book and movie. Plans for the coming years include a hotel expansion, hosting the annual Sundance Institute Labs, and the creation of a horror film museum and event center in partnership with horror movie company Blumhouse. 

NexGen acquires in Chicago. Itasca, Illinois-based NexGen Hotels has acquired the 165-key Claridge House Chicago from an undisclosed buyer for an undisclosed amount. The hotel will transition to a Tapestry Collection by Hilton.

Trump hotel in Europe in limbo. A proposed $500 million Trump luxury hotel in Serbia is up in the air after a government official allegedly forged a document to expedite the project, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and his firm Affinity Partners are seeking to build a Trump International Hotel on a vacant site in Belgrade where a defense ministry building once stood before it was bombed in a U.S.-led NATO air campaign in 1999. The hotel would be the first Trump-branded hotel in Europe. The New York Times reported that the leader of the Serbian agency charged with protecting cultural monuments admitted to the authorities that he had forged a government document allowing the former Yugoslav Ministry of Defense headquarters in Belgrade to be demolished and replaced with the Trump hotel. The report said the forgery was the legal basis for revoking the protected status of the property.

Meyer Jabara adds in Nevada. Danbury, Connecticut-based Meyer Jabara Hotels has taken over management of the 84-key Holiday Inn Express & Suites Carson City in Nevada. The deal marks the company’s second hotel in Nevada. MJH began its westward expansion in November 2024 with the acquisition of Griffin Hotel Management. Since then, the company’s portfolio has grown into Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

IHG debuts Candlewood in Europe. IHG Hotels & Resorts is launching its midscale long stay brand, Candlewood Suites, in Europe with its first hotel opening in Germany. The launch is in partnership with Novum Hospitality, one of Europe’s largest private hotel operators. The Candlewood Suites Berlin Charlottenburg is part of a dual-brand project, sharing a building with the recently opened Holiday Inn – the niu Flash. Candlewood Suites will also open five other hotels in Germany this year in Fürth, Heidelberg, Düsseldorf, Augsburg and Berlin. The properties have been converted from Novum Hospitality’s acora Living the City, and Novum hotel brands, and follow the announcement of the long-term agreement bringing 13 Candlewood Suites hotels to the country, in addition to 50 Holiday Inn – the niu brand collaboration hotels and 56 Garner hotels.

New CEO for Starwood REIT. Miami Beach, Florida-based Starwood Real Estate Income Trust (SREIT), a non-listed REIT managed by Starwood Capital Group, announced that Nora Creedon, a real estate investment executive with nearly two decades of REIT leadership experience, has been appointed SREIT’s president and CEO, effective July 28. Creedon will succeed Sean Harris, who is stepping down to pursue other opportunities. She joins SREIT after 18 years at Goldman Sachs, where she most recently served as CEO and president of GS REIT, a non-traded equity REIT. Previously, Creedon was the global head of REITs and infrastructure strategies within fundamental equity investing at Goldman Sachs and spent several years at Fidelity Investments and Fortress Investment Group.

Hyatt debuts in Croatia. Hyatt Hotels Corp. is partnering with Doğuş Croatia to make its debut in Croatia by opening the 133-key Hyatt Regency Zadar.

Marriott adds JW in India. Marriott International is partnering with Grey Group to introduce the JW Marriott brand to Ludhiana in India. The 160-key JW Marriott Ludhiana will be part of a mixed-use development featuring retail and residential spaces and is expected to open in January 2029.

Minor Europe & Americas Q1 results. Minor Hotels Europe & Americas reported total revenues of €496 million for the first quarter, representing an 8% increase year-over-year. Of the €36 million revenue growth in the first quarter, €13 million stemmed from the recently acquired hotels in Brazil and the Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna and NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa. On a like-for-like basis, revenues grew by 5.5% YOY. The strong revenue performance was driven by a 5% increase in ADR, which reached €127 per night, and a 2% increase in occupancy. In Southern Europe, occupancy during Q1 2025 exceeded pre-pandemic levels (Q1 2019) by 3%. Across other regions, occupancy was just slightly below this benchmark.

Radisson growth in Africa. Radisson Hotel Group continues its growth in Africa, with its market entry into the Democratic Republic of Congo, with two signings. It further strengthens its presence in Central Africa by signing Radisson Blu Hotel & Apartments, Yaoundé in Cameroon. With 11 hotel signings and seven openings over the last 15 months totaling over 2,000 signed rooms, 1,000 through conversions, Radisson has a portfolio of 100 hotels across more than 30 African countries. Radisson has also deepened its commitment to key markets, including targeting 30 hotels in Morocco by 2030, 25 hotels in South Africa by 2030 and multiple developments in Nigeria.