Latest news: Motel One to Miami; LionGrove's big plan in Puerto Rico; IHG grows Vignette

Cloud One approved for Miami. Germany’s Motel One has received approval for a 214-key hotel with condos in Miami’s Wynwood arts district, reported the Real Deal. The development partners include Motel One; Sebastian Lüdke, founder and CEO of Munich-based real estate and infrastructure investment firm ALP.X Group; and Ralf Büschl of Büschl Group of Companies. The Cloud One Hotels, the lifestyle brand of the Motel One Operating Group, will brand the building’s hotel with construction expected to begin next year. The condos, which will be on the sixth through the eighth floors, will consist of studios, one-bedroom to three-bedroom units, and penthouses. The developers bought the site last year for $24 million from real estate investor and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, according to records.

LionGrove revamps Puerto Rico Wyndham. Miami-based investment firm LionGrove has announced plans for a $50 million transformation of the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rainforest Beach & Golf Resort in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The transformation, that will take place over the coming months, will encompass the full reconstruction of all 400 guestrooms, 10 culinary outlets, a revamped lobby and porte cochere, a new pool experiences, and modernized social and nightlife spaces. The first set of new offerings, including two new pools and new cabanas, will roll out before the holidays in December 2024.

IHG collection grows in Spain. IHG Hotels & Resorts will introduce its Vignette Collection brand to Spain following an agreement with Prevario Banyols (owner) and Hotel Collection International (manager). Vignette Collection Mallorca – Finca Banyols will be IHG’s ninth Luxury and Lifestyle hotel in the country. Poised to open in the first half of 2025, the 45-room property will be located in the historical destination of Alaró, Mallorca - the largest of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Vignette Collection is set to reach 100 hotels in 10 years.

Down week in US. The U.S. hotel industry from September 1-7 reported lower performance results than the previous week, according to CoStar data. Occupancy was 57.8% (-4.2%YOY); ADR was $149.67 (-1.0% YOY); and RevPAR was $86.48 (-5.2% YOY). Among the Top 25 Markets, Houston saw the highest year-over-year increases in occupancy (+8.0% to 57.1%) and RevPAR (+18.5% to $65.62). Two markets matched for the largest ADR lift: Houston (+9.7% to $115.02) and Detroit (+9.7% to $129.21). The steepest RevPAR declines were seen in Las Vegas (-18.6% to $106.24) and Boston (-18.3% to $151.11).

HVMG adds in Minnesota. Hospitality Ventures Management Group, Atlanta, has assumed management of the 232-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton Bloomington/Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company also will oversee a $9 million renovation project to upgrade guest rooms, public space, restaurant and back-of-house items.

Airbnb brings back experiences. Airbnb is again giving its hosts the option to offer new Experiences for the first time since pausing the submission of new offerings back in April 2023 – and four months ahead of the prior plan to bring them back in 2025. While Airbnb did not announce the re-launch, the company confirmed the option went live Tuesday. The short-term rental giant said it is “delighted” to be reopening for submissions for experiences. Airbnb is reportedly offering a dashboard with tools for hosts to manage payments and scheduling, and the company also provides $1 million in liability insurance for host operators. Among the criteria for listing, Airbnb notes submissions “must demonstrate expertise, insider access and connection.”

IHCL grows in Chennai. Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., Mumbai, has signed a deak with Asbri Energy to develop Vivanta and Ginger hotels in Mahindra World City (MWC), Chennai, India. These greenfield projects will be developed on a 3-acre land parcel near the Kolavai Lake, in the heart of the integrated business city.  The development will include a 100-key Vivanta MWC and 200-room Ginger MWC. Mahindra World City is a business district spread across 1,550 acres within the influence zone of Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and Chennai-Vizag Industrial Corridor. The development is a multi-sector Special Economic Zone and is also a major logistics hub catering to key industrial areas. With the addition of these hotels, IHCL will have a presence of 22 hotels with 6 under development in Tamil Nadu.