Latest news: US hotel construction down; ALIS CALA awards; G6 launches new brand

US construction down for 15 consecutive months. The volume of U.S. hotel rooms under construction decreased year-over-year for a 15th consecutive month, according to CoStar’s March 2026 data. CoStar’s U.S. hotel pipeline shows 136,990 rooms in construction (-5.4%); 247,728 rooms in final planning (-9.3%); and 333,467 rooms in the planning stage (-7.3%). “Despite a continued decrease in the number of rooms in construction, there are just 10 less hotels in that phase than in March 2025,” said Isaac Collazo, STR’s senior director of analytics. “We are also seeing a shift in movement through the pipeline compared to last year, with more hotels advancing from earlier stages into construction. Development is still moving forward, albeit at a lower volume.” The luxury segment stands to see the largest percentage increase in supply (+4.5%) based on current construction, said Collazo. Going purely by number of rooms, the select-service segments remain at the top of the list by a wide margin, he said.

ALIS CALA winners. The ALIS CALA Deal of the Year awards were named in Miami. The 107-key Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve – Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica, was named Development of the Year. The resort was developed by The Athens Group on behalf of Gencom and Mohari for approximately $365 million and opened in February 2025. Finalists in this category also included Rosewood Mandarina – Riviera Nayarit, Mexico and Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection – Miches, Dominican Republic. Hyatt’s sale of its Playa Resorts portfolio of 14 all-inclusive resorts to Tortuga Resorts was named Transaction of the Year. On December 30, Tortuga completed the approximately $2 billion acquisition. Finalists in this category also included Devossion by Live Aqua, Playa del Carmen – Riviera Maya, Mexico and Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa – La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica.

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.

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Latest news: US hotel construction down; ALIS CALA awards; G6 launches new brand

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