Hotel Openings

🏨 Ruby Hotels is expanding in Europe under CEO Michael Struck, opening its first Budapest hotel in 2026. Transforming the historic Corvin Palace, built in 1926 and located at Blaha Lujza Square, the hotel will feature 181 rooms and a mix of commercial, gastronomic, and cultural spaces. Designed by Matthew Balon, the 4-story hotel respects the original architecture and offers city views from a 5th-floor attic with 6-meter ceilings. Construction begins late 2025; the Balogh family, known for architectural preservation, collaborates on this project.

🏨 Hilton Garden Inn Athens Syggrou Avenue opens in Athens, Greece, introducing the Hilton Garden Inn brand to the country. The hotel, located at the city's heart, features 129 rooms and suites, a rooftop bar and restaurant with a 360° panoramic view of Athens and the Acropolis, an outdoor pool, fitness center, and modern meeting rooms for up to 170 guests. Hilton Hotels in Greece now total 43 across various brands. David Kelly, Hilton’s SVP for Continental Europe, highlights the hotel's upscale, affordable accommodations in a prime location. Hilton currently offers 23 job openings.

🎉 Rick Stein Restaurants celebrate 50 years since the Seafood Restaurant's 1975 opening in Padstow. From February 6-9, 2025, select restaurants, including the original Padstow location, offer a "Rolled Back & Retro Menu" with 1975 prices at lunch—shellfish soup for 50p, grilled lobster at £2.80. Reservations open January 24, 10am, limited slots. Nominate someone for a special lunch at one of 25 tables set aside for community members. 📅🍽️

🍔 Julian Victoria and Jacob Van Nieuwkoop, creators of KURO Coffee and Bakery, will open KURO Bagels in London's Notting Hill in late January 2025. The menu features artisan bagels with seasonal, sustainable ingredients, ready-made options like The Smoked Salmon, and custom choices with a variety of flavours. KURO Coffee opened in 2021 and KURO Bakery in 2022; both are known for Japanese-inspired offerings. KURO Bagels will have a 15-seat terrace and offer delivery via Deliveroo.

🏠 London Marriott Hotel County Hall opened 35 new rooms and suites on 1 January 2025, with views of Big Ben and the London Eye. The Big Ben Balcony Suite and South Bank Balcony Suite are priced from £900/night, Balcony Rooms from £460/night, and Loft Rooms from £300/night, all including breakfast. The hotel's Club facilities also reopened on 1 January 2025, featuring a Technogym-equipped gym open 24/7 and a 25-metre indoor pool with hours 6am-9pm.

🏖 Four Seasons to manage The Park Gstaad Hotel in Switzerland, reopening for the 2026-2027 winter season after a major renovation led by Squircle Capital, interior design by Joseph Dirand. Owned by Dona Bertarelli, Gstaad's first five-star hotel since 1910 will offer 75 rooms and suites, luxury penthouse residences, restaurants, bars, a spa, fitness center, pools, and more. Located in a prime ski area with 220 kilometers of slopes, two hours from Geneva by car, the hotel joins Four Seasons' European heritage portfolio, with the brand boasting 133 hotels and resorts, 55 residential properties in 47 countries and over 60 projects in development.

🏨 B&B HOTELS expanded to the U.S. with openings in Orlando, Jacksonville, and Miami at the end of 2024, and continues growth with a 40-room hotel project in Miami's Brickell district. This marks the group's first greenfield development in the U.S., in partnership with Habitus Capital. B&B HOTELS' global expansion strategy aims to reach 3,000 hotels over the next decade. Valerio Duchini, President & CEO at B&B HOTELS US, emphasizes their commitment to exceptional guest experiences.

🏨 Sonesta Miami Airport completed a multi-million-dollar renovation in November 2024, after starting in June 2024. The design team DiLeonardo, and general contractor HITT, revamped 309 guest rooms, added amenities, transformed public spaces, and provided 7,400-square-feet of event space. Features include a rooftop pool, 24/7 fitness center, and the on-site restaurant Tailwinds with a Latin-inspired menu. The renovation embraces Miami's spirit with art deco details and local flavors, aiming to enhance brief guest stays with a uniquely Miami experience.

🍔 Burger & Lobster, a London-based restaurant group, will open a new location in Brighton in February 2025, their first UK opening in 8 years. Located at 15 Market Street in The Lanes, the restaurant will feature exclusive menu items, including their first-ever brunch options. The group started in 2011 and has since cultivated a following, with plans to expand their UK presence and grow into new international markets.

🏨 Accor to open three new hotels in Madrid by 2025: ibis Styles Madrid Airport Valdebebas (260 rooms), ibis Madrid Norte Las Tablas (148 rooms), and ibis Budget Madrid Albasanz (101 rooms), increasing their Madrid portfolio to 28 hotels with 4,114 rooms. Ibis Styles near Madrid-Barajas Airport features a restaurant, rooftop pool, and airport shuttle. Ibis Madrid Norte, in Q3 2025, offers electric vehicle charging. Ibis Budget, end of 2025, is in Julián Camarillo business district. Expansion includes Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol and SLS Barcelona in 2025, and Mercure Ponta Delgada Azores, totaling 96 hotels in Spain.