YOTEL, the global hotel brand known for its innovative approach to hospitality, has announced that its majority shareholder, the Al-Bahar Group, has acquired an additional 30% stake in the company. This move boosts the group’s holding in YOTEL to over 95%.
Strengthened ownership and future expansion
YOTEL’s majority shareholder, Al-Bahar Group, has increased its investment in the hotel brand, acquiring the additional stake previously held by Starwood Capital. This brings the Al-Bahar Group’s share in YOTEL to more than 95%. YOTEL, with its rapidly expanding portfolio, now aims to double its number of rooms globally within the next five years.
“I am delighted with the YOTEL team’s incredible achievements over the last 15 years. From humble beginnings, YOTEL is now a global company with an expansive portfolio of properties in prime locations. We are profitable, financially self-sustaining and growing rapidly. I am truly grateful to Starwood Capital for their contribution to this success and for eight years of strong partnership. Our investment today underscores our confidence in the future of YOTEL. Going forward, we will be looking for new and diverse opportunities to develop YOTEL’s brand awareness, franchise model and distribution, to support our ambitious growth plans. We are also making additional capital available for exceptional development opportunities. We are building YOTEL’s exciting future on very strong foundations.” – Talal Al Bahar, Chairman of YOTEL and Al-Bahar Group
“Talal’s vision made YOTEL the success we are today. His additional investment is not just an endorsement of our potential, it also makes us more competitive and agile, simplifying our structure and giving us access to additional growth capital. YOTEL is now one of very few independent, global asset-light hotel brands. Independence and financial stability give us a unique edge: enabling us to focus on delivering an exceptional guest experience and on long-term portfolio development. In recent years we have significantly strengthened our senior team and built-out a sophisticated operating platform, to support our portfolio and accelerate future growth. YOTEL has an exciting future ahead with a strong development pipeline and, as announced in Berlin today at IHIF 2025, a plan to double the YOTEL portfolio to 15,000 rooms globally by 2030.” – Hubert Viriot, CEO of YOTEL
Acknowledging past contributions
“We would like to thank the Al-Bahar Group along with the rest of the Board, the Management team, and all the employees at YOTEL for their partnership and hard work over the last eight years. YOTEL has achieved tremendous growth over this time period, which is something everyone can be proud of. We wish the company the best of luck on the next exciting chapter of growth and meanwhile remain an enthusiastic partner of YOTEL as owners of two YOTEL properties.” – Tim Abram, Managing Director at Starwood Capital
Starwood Capital, through its controlled affiliates, was instrumental in helping YOTEL grow, providing capital and expertise that facilitated the expansion of its portfolio from six properties to 34 across prime locations globally.
With the Al-Bahar Group now holding a dominant stake in YOTEL, the company is well-positioned to pursue its ambitious growth strategy. Plans are already in place to expand the YOTEL brand significantly, with a target of 15,000 rooms worldwide by 2030, reflecting a strong commitment to long-term development and a continued focus on providing innovative and efficient hospitality.
