Hotel Openings

🍴 Blaine McGowan's new American bistro, Ella, opens in Dallas on Tuesday, June 17, in the former Chido Taco Lounge location. The restaurant features a modern, female-forward design with 12-foot chandeliers and a red tiled bar. Julian Shaffer leads the beverage program, while Kyle Farr, ex-Sachet chef, offers dishes like shrimp dumplings and steak tartare. Open Tuesday-Saturday 4-10 p.m., with Customs Speakeasy offering craft cocktails 5 p.m. to midnight.

🍕 Base Face Pizza, founded by ex-jazz musician Tim Thornton, opens its Richmond site at 112 Kew Road on Tuesday, June 17th. Originating from a lockdown pizza oven idea in 2020, Base Face expanded from Hammersmith in June 2021 to Barnes in January 2023, then Putney by February 2024. The new Richmond location seats 30 diners plus 8 outdoor, offering 12 pizzas in 12-inch and 18-inch sizes. Enjoy 50% off pizzas from June 17th to 22nd with reservations.

🌼 Lucia opened on May 28 in Los Angeles' Fairfax District, taking over the former Black Star Burger location. Hospitality entrepreneur Sam Jordan launched this 118-seat Caribbean-inspired restaurant. Chef Adrian Forte, a "Top Chef Canada" semifinalist from Jamaica, leads the kitchen. The menu creatively reimagines Caribbean dishes, while the bar offers 15 cocktails and mocktails emphasizing Caribbean rums. The space, designed by Alexis Readinger, captures an island vibe. Beverage director Melina Meza's standout creations include the Okra Martini and Oxtail Old Fashioned.

🏨 Lucknam Park in Wiltshire, 2023: Set on 202 hectares near Bath, the hotel joins Accor’s Emblems Collection as the first in its Heritage category. Emphasizing discreet luxury, it features 42 rooms, 9 cottages, a Michelin-star restaurant, and a spa. Future Emblems sites include Elatos Resort (2026, Greece) and Hôtel Bellevue Cortina (2026, Italy). With 11 hotels signed, Emblems aims for 15 by 2025, doubling its pipeline in one year.

🏨 Accor opened the ibis Styles Madrid Airport Valdebebas, marking its 100th hotel in Spain, and the largest ibis in the Iberian Peninsula, with 260 rooms. Nearby hotels include Fairmont La Hacienda with 153 rooms, SLS Barcelona with 471 rooms, Novotel Valencia with 370 rooms, and Ibis Madrid Norte Las Tablas with 148 rooms set to open in July. Accor’s expansion highlights Spain’s hospitality potential with brands like Mercure, Pullman, Sofitel, and The Hoxton.

📍 St Pancras London, originally the Midland Grand Hotel designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, opened in 1873 and is a Grade I listed building. Renovations started in January 2024, focusing on preserving its architecture while enhancing guest experiences. Daily rituals include a 7:35 pm G&Tea for its 1935 closure and an 8:11 pm poetry session marking its 2011 reopening. The hotel offers 245 rooms, Booking Office 1869 restaurant, and The Hansom bar. Conveniently located above St Pancras International and King’s Cross stations.

📍 voco brand's flexible design facilitated rapid hotel expansion with minimal costs. Now open in 25+ countries—UK, Australia, Singapore, US—and expanding to Turkey, Malaysia, Aruba. By 2028, a hotel at Berlin's Alexanderplatz opens. The 100th hotel is in Guilin Yangshuo, China, featuring 73 rooms. voco Quang Binh Resort, Vietnam, has 68 suites near UNESCO sites. voco The Shelby, Myrtle Beach, US, has 241 rooms. 95 more properties are in the pipeline, aiming for 200 worldwide within a decade.

🏨 Blue Manchester Hotel Limited will rebrand its 264-room hotel by 2027, while it continues operations. Located in Beetham Tower, Manchester, the hotel features 264 rooms, a ground-floor bar, restaurant, indoor pool, fitness facilities, and 18 meeting rooms (1,821 sq ft). IHG, with 363 hotels in the UK and 33 in development, enhances its portfolio by adding InterContinental Manchester – Deansgate, joining four other luxury regional properties.