Latest news: Hurricane aimed at Caribbean; new luxe hotel in CA; another Novum, IHG collab

Hurricane hitting Caribbean. Hurricane Beryl is closing in on the southeastern Caribbean with the storm expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday morning. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Beryl was centered about 110 miles (175 kilometers) south-southeast of Barbados early Monday. It had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) and was moving west at 20 mph (31 kph). It is a compact storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles (45 kilometers) from its center. It had gained Category 4 strength Sunday before weakening slightly, and further fluctuations in strength were forecast. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Martinique and Trinidad. A tropical storm watch was issued for Dominica, Haiti’s entire southern coast, and from Punta Palenque in the Dominican Republic west to the border with Haiti. Beryl was expected to pass just south of Barbados early Monday and then head into the Caribbean Sea as a major hurricane on a path toward Jamaica. It was forecast to weaken by midweek, but still remain a hurricane while heading toward Mexico.

New luxury hotel in California. Vancouver, Canada-based Replay Destinations is developing a 53-room luxury hotel at Mill District in Healdsburg, California. Replay will own the property and has retained Greg Champion, former president of Noble House Hotels and president and COO of Benchmark Hospitality International, to help develop it.

Extended-stay performance. Extended-stay hotels gained momentum in May, according to research from Atlanta-based The Highland Group, Hotel Investment Advisors. The hotel group added to April’s strong performance and saw occupancy increase for the second consecutive month (after declining for 12 straight months). ADR also increased for the second straight month following two months of declines and RevPAR increased again after falling from December to March. “May was another good month for extended-stay hotels with demand growth achieving one of its largest increases in more than two years,” said Mark Skinner, partner at The Highland Group.

McKibbon acquires in Georgia. Tampa, Florida-based McKibbon Hospitality has acquired the Courtyard Atlanta Buford Mall of Georgia from an institutional seller for an undisclosed price. McKibbon Income Fund I acquired the property on June 27 and Hunter Hotel Advisors facilitated the transaction.

Hilton adds in Arizona. Hilton is partnering with Arizona-based CivicGroup to build its first LivSmart Studios in Arizona in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. The 90-key hotel is Hilton’s 24th and newest brand. 

Baltimore area hotel sells. The 86-key Holiday Inn & Suites Owings Mills-Baltimore area in Maryland was acquired by Mac Hospitality for $10.15 million from Marute LLC, according to the Baltimore Business Journal. The four-story hotel was built in 2018. Marcus & Millichap conducted the sale.

Marriott adds in CA. Santa Barbara, California-based StonePark Capital said the 65-key Hotel Cerro in San Luis Obispo, California, has joined the Autograph Collection by Marriott portfolio following a multi-million-dollar renovation. Azul Hospitality Group manages the property.

Another Novum-IHG project. Hamburg, Germany-based Novum Hospitality has signed a rental agreement for a new hotel in Hamburg in collaboration with IHG Hotels & Resorts. The 146-key Holiday Inn - the niu Clink is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026. Hamburg-based property developer bda Projektbau GmbH is developing the project, which is responsible for the construction and turnkey delivery of the hotel. In June, IHG and Novum announced the opening of the 177-key Holiday Inn—the niu Cure, Erlangen in Germany.

Ashford Hospitality Trust update. Dallas-based REIT Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) has closed on a previously announced sale of the 193-key One Ocean Resort located in Atlantic Beach, Florida. With the closing, AHT’s net debt to gross assets now stands at approximately 66%, which it said is a 400 basis point reduction from the beginning of the year. AHT has been selling assets to pay off its debt, which now stands at approximately $98 million. The REIT also said it has raised approximately $139 million in gross proceeds from the sale of its non-traded preferred stock.

Corinthia adding in Brussels. Malta-based Corinthia Hotels will open the 126-key Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels in Belgium this November. The former Hotel Astoria was built in 1910 and is undergoing massive renovation and restoration. Corinthia has owned the hotel since 2017. 

Accor adds in Egypt. Accor is partnering with Egypt-based Q Developments on the 240-key Novotel Sidi Abd El Rahman, which is set on the northern Mediterranean coast and scheduled to open in 2027.