G6
launches Studio 6 Plus. Dallas-based G6 Hospitality is launching Studio 6 Plus, a new
extended-stay brand in the upper-economy segment. The new-build properties will
typically feature 60 to 150 rooms.
HEI adds
in Florida. Norwalk,
Connecticut-based HEI Hotels & Resorts has added the 160-key Embassy Suites
Palm Beach Gardens PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to its
portfolio. This is the company’s 21st property in Florida. The hotel recently
completed guestroom renovations and will undergo a major lobby renovation and
reposition its F&B outlet in the coming years.
Under
Canvas names CEO. Denver-based Under Canvas has named Noah Brodsky as CEO. He succeeds Matt
Gaghen, who has served as CEO since 2020 and will transition to executive
chairman through the end of 2026, after which he will join the Under Canvas
board. Brodsky brings more than two decades of leadership experience across
hospitality, travel, and consumer lifestyle brands to the job and most
recently, he served as CCO at Lindblad Expeditions. Before that, he held senior
leadership roles at Travel + Leisure Co., Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, WeWork
and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Canada
hotel pipeline. Canada’s hotel construction pipeline stands at 331 projects and 45,401 rooms,
according to the latest data from Lodging Econometrics. Projects in the early
planning stage reached a new all-time high in Canada, with 176 projects and
24,949 rooms, up 6% and 13% year-over-year, respectively. Currently, 64
projects/8,125 rooms are under construction in Canada, while 91 projects/12,327
rooms are scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months. By chain
scale, upper midscale projects continue to lead the pipeline, with record-high
totals of 137 projects/14,173 rooms, representing 41% of all projects and
showing impressive 5% YOY growth. At the Q1 close, hotel construction projects
in the province of Ontario continue to lead Canada's construction pipeline with
190 projects/27,567 rooms, representing 57% of the projects and 61% of the
rooms in the total pipeline. In terms of cities, Toronto maintains its position
as the market leader with 71 projects/11,420 rooms in the pipeline,
representing 21% of all projects in Canada. Seven new hotels with 917 rooms
opened in Canada during the first quarter. An additional 32 hotels, totaling
3,713 rooms, are scheduled to open by year-end. According to LE analysts, 39
new hotels totaling 4,630 rooms will open in 2026, for a 1.2% growth rate. LE
analysts forecast new hotel openings in Canada will continue to rise through
year-end 2027, with a total of 51 openings and 5,666 rooms, marking a 1.5%
increase in the new supply growth rate.
First
Kempinski branded residence in KSA. Geneva, Switzerland-based Kempinski Group is partnering with
Umm Al Qura on its first branded residences project in Saudi Arabia, the
302-key Kempinski Residences at Masar, Makkah. The project is located within
the Masar destination in the Holy City of Makkah, near the Grand Mosque and
forms part of a larger mixed-use development that will also include a Kempinski
hotel and retail spaces.
My Place
Hotels exec retires. Aberdeen, South Dakota-based My Place Hotels of America has announced that
Terry Kline, executive vice president of franchise development, will retire at
the end of May after more than four decades in the hospitality industry.
Kline’s career includes the sale of more than 800 franchise units. Since
joining My Place Hotels at its inception, he has led franchise development for
the past 12 years.
IHG adds
in Egypt. IHG Hotels
& Resorts has signed management agreements for two new Holiday Inn-branded
hotels in Aswan, Egypt, marking the brand’s entry into one of the country’s
most significant heritage and tourism getaways. Signed with Misr Holanda and
Avenue for Development, the agreements will bring Holiday Inn Aswan and Holiday
Inn Resort New Aswan to the market, adding a total of 400 keys to IHG’s growing
Egypt portfolio. The 200-key Holiday Inn Aswan is scheduled to open in 2029,
and the 200-key Holiday Inn Resort New Aswan is scheduled to open in 2030. IHG
currently operates 10 hotels in Egypt across five brands and has a pipeline of
23 hotels scheduled to open in the coming years.
St. Regis
debuts in Hungary. St. Regis Hotels & Resorts has debuted in Hungary with the opening of the
102-key The St. Regis Budapest, set within the Klotild Palace, one of the
city’s most distinguished architectural landmarks.
IHG adds
in India. IHG has
signed a management agreement with Yash Hotels & Resorts LLP to develop the
150-key Holiday Inn Resort Alwar in India, scheduled to open in the first
quarter of 2030. IHG currently has 51 hotels operating across six brands in
India and a pipeline of 89 hotels due to open in the next three to five years.