Quotes of the Week: Hyatt, Sunswept Resorts, Hotel Equities, Equinox

“Brands need to be able to be communicated in a very succinct fashion. I find too much agency work, too much brand work, large decks, a lot of the same buzzwords over and over again that actually become meaningless and don't mean anything to guests or customers. So, make sure that you have a tight definition, they're different from each other, succinctly communicated. That they're ownable, meaning that we do something different with these brands than anybody else does.” – Amar Lalvani, Hyatt Hotels Corp.   Watch video

“We’re rich in knowledge, but we have a small company in St. Lucia. So, we don’t have that financial firepower... We have invested with our heart and money in Portugal, but I think HMAs is the way forward. We’ve been structuring the business to drive the professionalism of Sunswept Resorts way beyond what’s required to manage two resorts in St. Lucia.” – Andrew Barnard, Sunswept Resorts   Read story

“Unless Marriott financed its [Sonder’s] wind-down, it would shut down hotel systems and leave thousands of guests locked out of their rooms mid-stay, without regard to whether those rooms contained medication, passports, personal effects, or other essentials and without regard to whether those guests would be left with no place to sleep.” – Marriott International lawyers filing motion in Sonder bankruptcy case   Read story

“Acquiring high-quality properties overseas, such as 35 Hudson Yards, contributes to the stability and sustainability of our asset portfolio and will drive further growth in the future. Going forward, we will operate 35 Hudson Yards, an iconic building representing Manhattan, as an even more attractive property.” – Miwako Date, Mori Trust   Read story

“We need to reset expectations about the growth. There is growth, I agree, but we need to establish a baseline of projects that are basically dead or inactive for us to establish the real growth.” – Juan Corvinos, Hotel Equities   Read story

“As travelers continue to seek out unique destination hotels located close to their favorite outdoor activities, we believe our investments with Outbound in Jackson, Stowe, and Sedona are positioned to benefit from long-term trends in travel and leisure.” – Stuart Turner, Barings   Read story

“We are thrilled to bring our unique approach to luxury performance hospitality to North America and the Caribbean. Our expansion into these regions reflects our commitment to innovation and excellence. We are dedicated to creating spaces that combine urban sophistication with resort excitement, providing our guests with unparalleled experiences that align with their high-performance lifestyles.” – Christopher Norton, Equinox Hotels   Read story

“Our international business represents the most significant growth opportunity for Choice Hotels, and we’ve built a scalable global platform that will accelerate our gains in the near future. Entering Africa is an important milestone in that journey and presents a unique opportunity to bring our world-class hospitality to one of the continent’s fastest-growing hospitality markets.” – Patrick Pacious, Choice Hotels International   Read story

“The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown represents the rare combination of institutional quality, strategic location and significant scale that attracts best-in-class capital. Phoenix has established itself as one of the most dynamic lodging markets in the United States… [and] this transaction validates the strength of the market fundamentals and the appeal of irreplaceable urban assets.” – Matt Riley, JLL Hotels & Hospitality   Read story

“We are delighted to bring the Trump brand to the Maldives in collaboration with Dar Global. This development will not only redefine luxury in the region but also set a new benchmark for innovation in real estate investment through tokenization.” – Eric Trump, The Trump Organization   Read story

“One of the biggest issues in Punta Cana right now is that [resort workers have to] travel hours to get to work and then hours to go back, or sometimes they need to live far from their families. We are going to give people the chance to live with their families very close to the property.” – Daniel Adolfo Conte, The Palace Company   Read story