Latest news: $500M financing for Highside; Blue Diamond rebrand; Booking lawsuit

Highside $500M financing. Denver-based real estate company Highside Companies has secured a $500 million financing package from affiliates of Apollo to support its continued expansion of Everhome Suites, a midscale extended-stay hotel brand from Choice Hotels International. The new facility will support approximately 35 existing and new projects which are expected to be completed in the next five years across the U.S. in both existing and new markets. Highside plans to scale rapidly and deepen its footprint in high-growth submarkets and aims to grow its extended-stay holdings to more $2 billion over the next decade.

Suit against Booking. More than 10,000 hotels across Europe have joined a class action against Booking.com, and organizers have extended the deadline to join the lawsuit to August 29, according to Travel Weekly. The complaint is being organized by HOTREC, a Brussels-based hospitality association that represents hotels, restaurants and cafes across 36 European countries, and 30-plus national hotel associations. The class action stems from a September 2024 European Court of Justice ruling on a case between Booking.com and more than 60 German hotels and hospitality groups. HOTREC said that the court found that Booking.com’s parity clauses violated EU competition law, preventing hotels from offering lower prices or better availability via their own websites or other OTAs. Booking Holdings disputes the claims, calling statements made by HOTREC and other hotel associations “incorrect and misleading.”

Blue Diamond rebrand. Blue Diamond Resorts has rebranded to Royalton Hotels & Resorts, consolidating its brand identity under the name of its all-inclusive Royalton-branded properties across 24 hotels in seven Caribbean destinations. As part of the brand realignment, the adults-only brand formerly known as Hideaway at Royalton will now be referred to as Royalton Hideaway, A Resort Within a Resort. Planet Hollywood Hotels & Resorts will also evolve to become Planet Hollywood Hotels & Resorts by Royalton. With this transition, the company’s portfolio will also continue to include brands such as Royalton Luxury Resorts, Royalton CHIC Resorts, Royalton Vessence Resorts, Mystique by Royalton, and Grand Lido Negril. This announcement follows the launch of Royalton Vessence Resorts, the recent announcement of Royalton CHIC Jamaica Paradise Cove, and new resort developments underway in the Caribbean.

JA enters UK. Dubai-based JA Resorts & Hotels has acquired the 74-room Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort outside Glasgow, Scotland, and the 72-room Bruntsfield, a boutique hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. These additions mark a significant milestone for JA Resorts & Hotels and its parent company, Dutco Group, representing the brand’s entry into the U.K. In 2024, Mar Hall was acquired by Dutco Group and underwent a refurbishment in excess of £25 million before officially re-opening in May 2025. Under new ownership by the Dutco Group from 2024, The Bruntsfield is poised for further investment, with upcoming plans to enhance its guest rooms, dining offering and event spaces.

APEC construction data. At the close of the second quarter in Asia Pacific, excluding China, there were 872 projects/190,179 rooms under construction throughout the region, according to Lodging Econometrics. In addition, there were 380 projects/74,333 rooms scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months, marking a 6% YOY increase in projects and a 13% increase YOY in rooms. India led with a record 761 projects/99,195 rooms, up 25% by projects and 32% by rooms YOY. Vietnam followed with 247 projects/83,022 rooms, then Japan with 177 projects/28,784 rooms, up 9% by projects YOY. Cities with the largest pipelines were led by Bangkok with 68 projects/16,791 rooms, up 9% by rooms YOY. Jakarta, Indonesia, followed with 44 projects/9,874 rooms, up 5% by projects and 10% by rooms YOY. Phuket, Thailand had 41 projects/10,310 rooms, up 14% by both projects and by rooms YOY. Tokyo stood at 38 projects/5,240 rooms and Bengaluru, India, had 36 projects/7,112 rooms, up 44% by projects and 52% by rooms YOY.

Ascott likes resorts. The Ascott Ltd., Singapore, is scaling its global resort footprint through asset-light expansion. It now has around 50 properties in resort destinations in operation and under development worldwide, supported by 11 new signings in the past 10 months secured via management and franchise agreements. These represent about 5% of its global portfolio of over 1,000 properties, reflecting a strategic focus on the leisure segment. The new additions span multiple brands across Phuket, Thailand; Bali and Labuan Bajo in Indonesia; Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh and Sam Son in Vietnam; Gangneung, South Korea; and Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE.