Hotel Openings

🍗 Dave’s Hot Chicken (DHC), a U.S. fast-food brand founded in 2017 by chef Dave Kopushyan and friends, targets Gen Z and Millennials with its spicy chicken menu. With spice levels from No Spice to Reaper, DHC has grown to 200 restaurants in the U.S., Canada, and the Middle East, and has 700 more planned. It reached social media fame with 2.4 million TikTok and 1.3 million Instagram followers. The Azzurri Group signed an agreement to open 60 restaurants in the UK, starting in London next year. DHC's appeal includes jumbo chicken sliders and sides like kale slaw and seasoned fries, endorsed by celebrities like Drake and Samuel L. Jackson.

🍕 Chaiiwala, an Indian restaurant group, opened its largest UK store in Mellorbrook, just outside Blackburn, at a site formerly occupied by KFC and Costa. This 100-seater restaurant, managed by EG On The Move, features a 2,000 sq ft area and has created 25 full-time jobs. It pioneers in offering Indian street food via the drive-thru concept in the UK. Operating hours are Monday to Saturday from 6am to 11pm, and Sunday from 8am to 11pm. Since its establishment in Leicester in 2015, Chaiiwala has grown to 112 sites globally, serving Indian street food with a Western twist.

🏨 Sir Hotels is set to open its first UK hotel, Sir Devonshire Square, in London’s Shoreditch. The property, once an East India Tea Company warehouse, will feature 81 rooms including 11 suites, three F&B outlets, a private members club named Cover’s, a gym, and a yoga studio. Sir Hotels, part of Sircle Collection, currently operates five hotels in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Ibiza, and Berlin. The London hotel will also include a public space with a shop selling local products.

🍴 Chef Greg Clarke plans to open Mexican restaurant El Bolillo in Hove in early September, offering a sharing menu with an emphasis on tacos. The restaurant, seating 30, will be open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch on Saturdays, with an average spend of £55-£60 per person. Clarke and business partner, originally from Italy, met at South Lodge hotel in 2021. They also intend to open a larger dual-concept restaurant in central Brighton by the end of next year.

🏖️ Rosewood Hotels & Resorts unveils Rosewood Residences Old Lighthouse in Los Cabos, Mexico, featuring 144 homes on 550 acres, with sizes from 4,000 to 10,000+ sq. ft. Amenities include a Cliff House with a five-star restaurant, a Beach Club with pools and dining, a Family Athletic Center, a wellbeing center, and a private golf course by Jack Nicklaus. The project involves the Coppel family and designers from Gomez Vazquez International and Studio Lifestyle.

🏠 Capella Hotels and Resorts, in partnership with Galaxy Entertainment Group, is set to open Capella at Galaxy Macau with 93 keys in Macau’s Greater Bay Area in 2024. The 17-story hotel features 36 Sky Villas with private balconies and infinity pools, and 57 suites with private plunge pools. The design by Moinard Bētaille highlights Macau's cultural heritage, while Michelin-starred chef Vicky Cheng helms the signature restaurant. Pony & Plume, a members-only lounge, adds exclusivity with an equestrian theme.

🏡 Shanan Anji Deep Stream, a boutique hotel, is located on Tianmu Mountain, Hangzhou, within a 230-square-mile Anji Bamboo Forest. Transformed from existing houses, the 17-key hotel showcases natural textures, geometric designs, and parabolic U-shaped walls. Designed by Fununit Design's Eason Zhu, rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights. The property uses a neutral color palette with red travertine and copper accents, and includes light-filtering corridors. The article was published in HD's July 2024 issue.

🍪 Insomnia Cookies, founded in 2003, operates 285 US sites and branches in the UK and Canada. On July 22, Krispy Kreme sold its majority stake for $350m, doubling its 2018 valuation. New partners Verlinvest and Mistral aim to expand to over 1,800 bakeries globally. Krispy Kreme received $127.4m with $45m more expected after Insomnia Cookies' debt refinancing. Krispy Kreme will focus on its fresh doughnut business and retains a 34% stake in Insomnia Cookies.

🍜 Kanada-Ya, a Japanese ramen restaurant group founded in 2009 by Kanada Kazuhiro, is expanding with its sixth UK location at the former Balans site in Westfield, featuring 46 indoor and 40 outdoor seats. London's Covent Garden welcomed the first UK branch in 2014, followed by Piccadilly, Angel, Carnaby, and Ealing (opened September 2022). The menu includes tonkotsu ramen, chashu-men, cold yuzu ramen, truffle ramen, small plates, and drinks like sake and beer. Kanada-Ya also operates in Japan, Hong Kong, and Spain.

🍺 The Pig’s Ear, run by brothers Richard and Oliver Gladwin, launches in Chelsea, replacing The Chelsea Pig pub. Chef Chris Hermes leads a kitchen promoting sustainable British seasonal cuisine, with ingredients sourced from the Gladwin family farm. Menu highlights include Lindisfarne oysters, Atlantic prawns, Scottish langoustines, Sussex rose veal liver, and Cornish megrim sole. The compact drinks menu offers cocktails, West Sussex sparkling wines, and Harvey’s Sussex ales. Featuring an old-world ambience, the pub dates back to 1870. More offerings include a refined dining room opening in September and a "living room" for various activities. The pub also hosts a bi-monthly 5km running club, "The Flying Pigs".