Latest news: Boutique for Houston; Garnet buys in New Orleans; Hilton adds 3 in Athens

New boutique hotel in Houston. Dallas-based management company Frontera Hotel Group is partnering with Sugar Land, Texas-based SLTX Capital to manage a new boutique hotel inside the historic Scanlan Building in Houston. The 140-key hotel is scheduled to open in the summer of 2027 and will join the Canopy by Hilton brand. The Scanlan was originally built in 1909 and SLTX acquired the 87,000 sq. ft. office building with the intention of turning it into a hotel.

Garnet acquires in New Orleans. Miami-based Garnet Hotels has acquired the 292-key Clarion Hotel New Orleans – Airport & Conference Center from a group of local investors for an undisclosed amount. Garnet will keep the current Choice brand for the hotel, which is undergoing renovations. Garnet owns 20 hotels nationwide, including two in New Orleans.

Hilton adds 3 in Athens. Hilton is partnering with Aluma Greece IKE to open three properties in Athens. The 215-key Adia Aluma Athens, Curio Collection by Hilton and the 99-key Anise Aluma Athens, Tapestry Collection by Hilton are both expected to open in 2025, with the 191-key Skylark Aluma Athens, Tapestry Collection by Hilton set to open in 2026. Hilton currently has 10 trading hotels in Greece, with more in the pipeline, including the brand addition of Conrad to Athens later this year.

Ryman Hospitality earnings. Nashville-based Ryman Hospitality Properties reported all-time quarterly record consolidated revenue of $647.6 million, driven by all-time quarterly record hospitality revenue of $549.5 million and all-time quarterly record entertainment revenue of $98.2 million as part of its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 earnings on Thursday. In Q4, the company booked nearly 1.3 million same-store gross definite room nights for all future years at a record estimated ADR for future bookings booked during any fourth quarter of approximately $284. Hospitality revenue for the company increased 0.8% in Q4 year-over-year and 8.9% for all of 2024 YOY. Full-year 2024 total RevPAR was a record $466.18, up 1.8% YOY.

Sunstone Hotel Investors earnings. Aliso Viejo, California-based Sunstone Hotel Investors said comparable revenue decreased 1.1% in the fourth quarter and 2.4% for the full year 2024 as part of its fourth-quarter earnings report. CEO Bryan Giglia said, “In 2024, we began to realize the benefits of the investments we have made in our portfolio, which we expect will contribute to growth for the next several years. While industry fundamentals were not as robust in 2024 as we had hoped, we were pleased with the strong performance at our newly converted The Westin Washington, DC Downtown… Additionally, our hotels in Boston and San Antonio benefited from strong group and transient demand, while our Wine Country resorts grew occupancy and profitability.”

Corinthia adds towering hotel in Dubai. Floriana, Malta-based Corinthia Hotels is partnering with Dubai General Properties on a $500 million hotel and residential development in Dubai. The Corinthia Dubai hotel and branded residential project will be set within a two-tower structure, which will rise to over 1,600 feet, rank among the world’s tallest buildings and is scheduled to be completed by 2030. It will also include what is billed as the world’s highest outdoor pool.

FEHT acquires in Japan. Singapore-based Far East Hospitality Trust (FEHT) is expanding in Japan with the acquisition of the 319-key Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Nagoya. FEHT has entered the sale and purchase agreement with an undisclosed party to purchase the property for 6 billion Yen ($39.8 million) and a kabushiki kaisha (OpCo) incorporated in Japan for approximately half a billion Yen. The property is managed by Marriott.

Hyatt Centric growth. The Hyatt Centric brand saw unprecedented growth in 2024, with hotel openings in key cities including Cairo; Shanghai; San José, Costa Rica; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The brand plans to introduce over 35 new hotels worldwide by the end of 2028, which will bolster itd portfolio by 50% and reach over 100 Hyatt Centric hotels globally by 2029. The next three years are expected to see substantial regional growth in Asia Pacific, increasing the brand’s footprint by over 75%, with several new hotels across the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.

US hotels positive for week. The U.S. hotel industry reported positive year-over-year comparisons, according to the latest data from CoStar. For the week of February 9-15, occupancy was 60% (+1.2%), ADR was $164.79 (+2.2%) and RevPAR was $98.83 (+3.4%). Among the top 25 markets, Chicago saw the largest occupancy lift (+14.4% to 55.0%). New Orleans, host of Super Bowl LIX, reported the highest increases in ADR (+42.8% to $314.37) and RevPAR (+33.5% to $222.66). Occupancy, however, was down 6.5% to 70.8%, due to a comparison against Mardi Gras in 2024. Las Vegas, host of Super Bowl LVIII during the comparable week in 2024, saw the steepest performance declines: occupancy (-7.1% to 76.4%), ADR (-30.6% to $202.10) and RevPAR (-35.5% to $154.44).

AHLA survey. Though many Americans and jobs have recovered from the pandemic, nearly two-thirds (65%) of surveyed hotels continue to report shortages, with housekeeping (38%) followed by the front desk (26%) being the roles with the greatest shortages, according to a Front Desk survey from AHLA. Hotels specifically flagged having issues staffing culinary positions (14%) and maintenance roles (13%). However, hotels continue to provide higher pay and a wide array of better benefits, which has improved staffing levels over the past year. Around 72% of those surveyed shared that strong hospitality career opportunities are better than ever or are still at the same levels since the pandemic.

Dreamscape adds in Louisiana. Dallas-based third-party management company Dreamscape Hospitality has assumed management of the 177-key Hilton Garden Inn Shreveport in Louisiana.

Explosion at Hawaii resort. An explosion at a suspected grill malfunction at The Whaler resort in Maui, Hawaii on Thursday left at least seven people injured. The injured range in age from 18 to 74, police said. At least three people are in critical condition – one person was airlifted to Maui Memorial Medical Center for treatment.

Rotana adds the first luxury hotel in Somalia. Abu Dhabi-based Rotana is partnering with Riverside Holding to sign the 321-key Mogadishu Rotana, the first luxury hotel development in Somalia, in partnership with Riverside Holding. The hotel is scheduled for completion in 2026 and will be managed by Dubai-based Aleph Hospitality, the largest hospitality management company in the Middle East and Africa. The new property will mark Rotana’s 118th property in the region.