HOTELSMag.com - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 51

2 min

Briefs: ECHO Suites’ first location; Driftwood expands into Kentucky

🏨 Wyndham inaugurated ECHO Suites Spartanburg in Spartanburg, S.C., marking its first ECHO Suites location with a 124-room prototype. Announced in 2022, the brand aims at the extended-stay market with around 270 hotels and over 33,000 rooms in development across the U.S. and Canada. The new hotel offers suites with kitchens, free WiFi, smart TVs, EV charging, and amenities like a fitness center and laundry facilities. Driftwood Hospitality entered Kentucky with the $75 million Canopy by Hilton Downtown Louisville, boasting 168 rooms, a historic district location, and completion expected in Q4. It offers 5,100 square feet of meeting space and multiple dining options. Protea Hotels celebrated its 40th anniversary by opening in Angola and South Africa, with locations in Luanda (84 rooms) and Pretoria Hatfield (203 rooms), each offering various dining and leisure facilities. Rotana added the Palma Bay Rotana Resort in New Alamein, Egypt, to its portfolio, now totaling 702 keys within the country, featuring 176 rooms and numerous amenities, as part of a broader 77-hotel operation across regions with a pipeline of 9,830 keys.

2 min

New York State to ban mini shampoo bottles at big hotels

🚿 Starting January 1, 2025, New York State mandates hotels with over 50 rooms to stop providing small plastic toiletry bottles under 12 ounces; smaller hotels have until 2026. Initial violations incur a $250 fine, with subsequent breaches at $500, benefiting the state’s Environmental Protection Fund. The bill, introduced in 2019, was signed into law in 2021 by Governor Kathy Hochul but delayed implementation. New York follows California's 2019 law, with Washington and Illinois considering similar legislation. Marriott reported 95% compliance with switching to larger toiletry bottles in 2023, while Holiday Inn planned to ditch mini toiletries by 2021 and Disney aimed for an 80% plastic reduction.

2 min

Hilton’s Phil Cordell to hang up his boots

🔔 Phil Cordell, after 40 years at Hilton, will retire and become an advisor from July. Kevin Osterhaus succeeds him, overseeing Canopy, Curio Collection, Graduate, Motto, Tapestry Collection, and Tempo brands after Hilton's acquisition of Graduate Hotels in March. Cordell started as a bellman, became general manager of the second Hampton Hotel in 1983, and grew the brand to over 2,300 hotels in 29 countries. This year, Hampton celebrates its 40th anniversary and opens its 3,000th hotel. Spark, launched in January 2023, opened its first hotel in October in Mystic, Conn. Cordell also helped create Hilton CleanStay during the pandemic.

4 min

From pods to specialty, a hotel’s coffee service can make or break the guest experience.

☕ Hotel guests now expect barista-quality coffee, with 75% rating in-room coffee as poor or average, per a UCC Coffee survey. 30% would not return to a hotel due to poor coffee quality. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii offers a choice of soy, almond, coconut, and oat milk, highlighting the importance of variety, including non-dairy options. Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa emphasizes alternative methods like pour-over travel packs to maintain quality. Automation and advanced machine technology, such as Schaerer's 'Twin Milk System', are employed to meet high guest expectations and provide convenience for staff. Regular cleaning and calibration of coffee machines are essential to prevent failures and ensure optimal brewing. Sustainability practices include recycling coffee grounds for compost, as done by Outrigger Kona Resort.

2 min

Briefs: Archer Hotel Collection grows Virginia footprint; Vignette Collection signs in Kazakhstan

🏨 Archer Hotel Collection added its third D.C. metro area boutique hotel, Archer Hotel Old Town Alexandria, formerly Lorien Hotel & Spa, in Alexandria, Virginia. The hotel features 107 rooms, 15 suites, and amenities like a fitness studio and is celebrating its 10th anniversary. IHG's Vignette Collection is set to open its first Kazakhstan property in Almaty by the first half of 2027, with three currently in Europe and a global total of 12, plus 23 more planned. Home2 Suites began construction on its 107-room property in Kalispell, Montana, marking The Hotel Group’s 40th anniversary and its second Montana hotel. Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale of the TownePlace Suites and Fairfield Inn & Suites Dallas Downtown, a 274-room dual-branded hotel, to Lowen Hospitality and Vashee & Associates; financial details remain undisclosed.

2 min

Hilton adds nearly 400 SLH boutique hotels to its global portfolio

🏡 Hilton expanded its luxury portfolio to approximately 400 boutique hotels by adding Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH). Hilton Honors members can earn and redeem points at participating SLH properties, which can now be booked on Hilton's platforms. Notable SLH hotels include Hermitage Bay in Antigua and Barbuda, Lanson Place in Hong Kong, and Nobu Hotel Marbella in Spain. Recently, Hilton also acquired Graduate Hotels for $210 million and partnered with outdoor hospitality brand AutoCamp, strengthening its market presence.

4 min

How the Shinola Hotel became a centerpiece of the Detroit revival

🏠 Since 2011, Bedrock has invested $3.5 billion in over 140 properties in Detroit and Cleveland. The Shinola Hotel in Detroit, named after a luxury goods retailer, celebrated its fifth anniversary in June. The 2024 NFL Draft in late April brought over 775,000 visitors to Detroit. The Shinola Hotel features 129 rooms with 54 unique room types and played a significant role in changing Detroit’s narrative. Tom Kartsotis and Dan Gilbert were the hotel's first investors, placing it in the former Singer Sewing Machine headquarters. The hotel, designed by Gachot Studios, includes touches like Shinola Navy Blue paint and distinct shower fixtures. Nearby Parker’s Alley offers local shopping and was once home to a "Shark Tank" success story, The Lip Bar. Detroit continues to grow with Roost Detroit being listed in Travel & Leisure’s “Top 100 New Hotels of 2024,” and plans for a new General Motors headquarters underway.

2 min

Spain’s Room Mate acquires Staying Valencia

🏨 Room Mate Hospitality & Leisure acquired Staying Valencia's 10 boutique hotels and aparthotels in Spain's Valencia, expanding its portfolio to 32 properties across Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the U.K., and Turkey. Advisors included Clifford Chance, Perez Llorca, JLL, PwC, Arcadis, and JJL. The acquisition follows Room Mate's purchase of The Lime Tree Hotel in London (November 2023) and the opening of Palazzo Dei Fiori in Venice. Post-acquisition by TPG Angelo Gordon and Westmont Hospitality in July 2022, Room Mate targets an EBITDA of €40 million ($43.33 million) by 2025.

2 min

U.S. hotels add 700 jobs in June, labor shortage continues: AHLA

🏨 U.S. hotels added 700 jobs in June, yet industry employment is still 196,000 less than pre-pandemic levels at nearly 1.92 million. Average hotel wages rose 26% since the pandemic, outpacing the general economy's increase of 22.2%. With 8.1 million job openings in the U.S. as of May and only 6.6 million unemployed, AHLA seeks to address workforce shortages by advocating for increased H-2B visas and supportive legislation like the Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2024, the HIRE Act, and the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act.

7 min

BWH Hotels’ latest marketing campaign is an authentic look at vacationing—warts and all. That was the point.

🏡 The BWH Hotels' "Life's a Trip" campaign, led by SVP and CMO Joelle Park, features a cover of The Band's 1968 hit "The Weight" by Canadian folk singer Abigail Lapell. Best Western, part of the 18-brand BWH portfolio, is the focal point of the campaign, which emphasizes authentic experiences over a broad brand showcase. Emotive storytelling and regional relevance are key strategies, with targeted marketing across various platforms including Food Network, Discovery Channel, streaming services, and social media. Focus group studies showed 84% brand recall, indicating the effectiveness of the campaign's emotional and cinematic approach.

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