News in brief from around the world.
Hyatt EMEA growth. Fully, 45% of the properties that joined
Hyatt Hotels Corp.’s system in 2022 were based in EAME markets and the region’s
contribution to Hyatt’s growth continues into 2023 with 10% of its 117,000
rooms pipeline, as of fourth quarter earnings, expected to join the portfolio
in EAME markets. Properties classified as lifestyle hotels make up nearly
one-fourth of the EAME pipeline. Globally, Hyatt has doubled the number of
luxury rooms, tripled the number of resorts and quadrupled the number of
lifestyle rooms in its portfolio in the last five years.
Pelisson passes. Accor Co-Founder Gerard Pelisson has died
at 91 after a long illness. Together with partner Paul Dubrule, Pelisson
created one of the world’s biggest hotel companies under brands such as Novotel,
Ibis, Sofitel, Mercure and Pullman. Pelisson studied at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) and worked at IBM before jumping into the hotel
business, having been inspired by the Holiday Inn model. Pelisson and Dubrule
opened their first Novotel in 1967, built on a former beetroot field close to a
motorway on the outskirts of Lille, in northern France. Within two years, they
added hotels in the eastern city of Colmar and Marseille in the south. An Ibis
hotel followed in 1974 in Bordeaux. Their company, SIEH, invested in Africa,
the Middle East and the Americas, and became Accor in 1983. Pelisson and
Dubrule left Accor in 1997 but co-led the supervisory board until 2005.
Accor grows onefinestay. Accor continues to grow its presence
in the private rental business by announcing the addition of five furnished villas
to its onefinestay collection in the region of Provence, France. The collection,
including Bastide des Chenes in Luberon, Provence (above), adds a further destination
to the brand’s array of homes in France, already including Paris, Cannes, St
Tropez, as well as other destinations in southern Europe such as Italy, Spain
and Greece.
Caption coming to Nashville. HRI Hospitality, New Orleans, in
partnership with C. B. Ragland Co. and Peachtree Hotel Group, have closed on
the ground-up development of a 210-room Caption by Hyatt in the Gulch District
of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Construction financing will be provided by
Truist Financial Corp. and its syndication partner, Commerce Bank. The hotel is
scheduled to break ground this month and debut in late 2024. It will mark HRIH’s
32nd property in the United States and its third in Nashville. HRIH and C.B.
Ragland will be co-developing the project, and upon completion, the hotel will
be operated by HRI Lodging. Hastings Architecture will serve as the
architectural design firm, with Studio 11 Design leading the interior design
and J.E. Dunn Construction Co. serving as the project’s general contractor.
Pyramid update. Pyramid Global Hospitality reported that it has
added 59 properties to the company's portfolio, six key executives and notable
investment in technology since the company was formed about a year and a half
ago when Benchmark Global Hospitality merged with Pyramid Hotel Group.
CEO Warren Field said that in 2022, the company saw a 40% increase in revenue
across same-store assets with a 60% flow through to its net operating income to
owners. The company now has a portfolio of more than 230 properties.
Graduate to Auburn. AJ Capital Partners, Nashville, is
developing a Graduate hotel near Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. The
177-room Graduate Auburn is under construction and set to open in 2024. With
more than 30 locations in university towns, Graduate Auburn will feature two
dining options, including a rooftop bar and restaurant. The hotel plans to
offer on-site parking and an impressive 10,000 square feet of event space.