Hotel Openings

☕ Qima Café opened its second site in Covent Garden as the UK's first tree-to-cup café brand, created by DLSM Studio. Building on their 2019 Warren Street café, they source from over 7,000 farmers. The design features terracotta, clay plaster, and marbles, with a central coffee counter and artisanal retail offerings. Covent Garden's flagship café at 21-22 New Row, WC2N 4LA, enhances Qima's reputation for quality coffee, pastries, and sustainability.

🏠 Marriott International's City Express by Marriott Duluth, 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta, is the first U.S. location, marking the brand's North American midscale segment entry. Over a dozen properties are to open regionally in 2023, following the 2022 acquisition of City Express. The brand offers high-speed internet, complimentary breakfast, 24-hour market, pet-friendly rooms, and fitness facilities. Over 45 signed agreements are in place, with upcoming openings in New Orleans Northeast, Chicago Downtown, Orlando International Drive, and Port Hope, Ontario. Expansion plans include Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru, and Brazil, with eight properties expected within three years. The U.S. and Canada properties will join Marriott Bonvoy's travel program.

📌 stayAPT Suites signs franchise agreement with Capstone Stay for five new locations in Rossford, Ohio; Evansville, Ind.; Gardner, Kan.; Wentzville, Missouri; and Liberty, Missouri. Initial focus on Rossford and Evansville. Expansion includes a pipeline of 40 hotels set to open by April 2025. Each property features full-size kitchens, living rooms, separate bedrooms, outdoor courtyards with grill stations, fire pits, and on-site fitness and laundry facilities. Partnership leverages Capstone’s modular construction for accelerated growth and streamlined development.

🍝 Maple & Ash, opened in Chicago (2015) and Scottsdale (2019), saw sales of over $35 million and nearly $24 million respectively last year. A new location launched March 13 at Miami Worldcenter, which spans two stories and 22,000 square feet, set to introduce two more concepts: Eight Bar and The Studio. The restaurant features a menu with a variety of starters, a steak selection with wagyu options at $45 per ounce, and a $225 tasting menu. The drinks menu offers 2,500 wine bottles and cocktails like the IDGAF Old Fashioned with 24-karat gold. Maple Hospitality Group also runs Monarch and Kessaku in Dallas, with plans to expand to the West Coast, Boston, and NYC within 12 to 24 months.

🍴 Cucina Alba, part of Prince Street Hospitality, opened in NYC's Chelsea in summer 2022. Alba Los Angeles opened on February 6 in West Hollywood, marking the company's first West Coast venture. The LA location, designed by GRT Architects, features a 10,000-square-foot space with a 120-guest main dining room, a 14-seat bar, lounges, and a private dining room. Executive chef Adam Leonti showcases Italian cuisine with California ingredients. The bar, led by Truman Flanders, offers over 5,000 wine bottles and a variety of Italian-inspired cocktails. Prince Street Hospitality is also developing a new project in SoHo, Manhattan.

🏦 Corinthia Group acquired Maison 140 Beverly Hills and the Mosaic Hotel, with a combined total of 100 rooms, in Beverly Hills, California. The transaction was conducted through a joint venture with Kuwait's Action Real Estate Company. The acquisition aims to enhance Corinthia's global market presence. The hotels will be managed by Palisociety and overseen by Corinthia's development arm for potential enhancements. This expansion into Beverly Hills follows Corinthia's partnership with Action Real Estate and its North American debut with The Surrey in New York.

🏢 TPG Hotels & Resorts now manages Hilton Garden Inn Dallas Market Center, an eight-story hotel with 240 rooms, featuring a fitness center, outdoor pool, over 8,000 square feet of meeting space, including 10 rooms and a largest one at 2,100 square feet. Located near Dallas Market Center, Dallas Market Hall, downtown, American Airlines Center, and UT Southwestern Medical Center, the hotel caters to both business and leisure travelers. Amenities include on-site dining, a 24/7 Pavilion Pantry, a business center, and guest laundry facilities. The largest meeting room hosts up to 200 guests.

🎶 Pendry Nashville, set to open in 2027, will feature 180 guestrooms, 146 residences, and amenities like a rooftop pool and event space totaling 10,000 square feet. Developed by Pendry Hotels & Resorts, SomeraRoad, and Trestle Studios, this luxury hotel and residence will be situated in Paseo South Gulch district. Residence sales begin this year, with options ranging up to 3,800 square feet. The project reflects Nashville's cultural dynamism and will offer tailored programming and services.

🏨 Raines is managing the Hilton Garden Inn Greenville University Area, fourth collaboration with Clarendon Properties. Owned by Greenville Ventures, LLC alongside Co-X Holdings and Sandlin Investments, this property is the first hotel in downtown Greenville. Situated at 423 Evans Street, it's near East Carolina University and other landmarks with Pitt-Greenville Airport three miles away. The 101-room hotel boasts a fitness center, meeting rooms, pet-friendly accommodations, and the area's first rooftop bar, 1717 The Rooftop. Raines expanded its portfolio by over 20 properties in 2024 and aims to grow further in 2025.

🍴 The Occidental, originating in 1906 in Washington, D.C., near the White House, reopened with a new design by Ken Fulk on March 5. Renowned for hosting politicos and world leaders, it has been revitalized by Starr Restaurants. The 14,000-square-foot, 280-seat venue features a decor of mid-century nostalgia, including a black-and-white marble entryway, vintage parquet floors, and a 3,200-square-foot courtyard. The American classic menu offers dishes like beef Stroganoff and "the pork chop that saved the world," alongside a cocktail menu with over 50 gins and vodkas and an extensive wine list.