Hotel Openings

🏨 IHG Hotels & Resorts introduced Garner brand in Europe, launching three hotels in Germany with NOVUM Hospitality. Garner Hotel Hamburg Nord, Elmshorn, and Augsburg—opened within 10 days—add to 90+ Garner hotels globally. The Hamburg Nord has 100 rooms; Elmshorn has 75 rooms; Augsburg features 132 rooms. Aiming for 500 U.S. hotels in 10 years and 1,000 in 20, the first Garner hotel opened in Auburn, Wash. in August 2023. Northern Europe anticipates over 50 Garner hotels, part of IHG's German expansion to over 200 hotels.

🏡 Ace Hotel and Swim Club Athens, designed by French studio Ciguë, embraces Greek modernism with vintage furniture and local art. Situated outside the Athens city center near Glyfada, the 120-room hotel occupies the former Fenix Hotel, known for its brutalist architecture. Ciguë's interior design pays homage to the 1970s Athenian Riviera, combining a laid-back elegance with the contemporary Athenian art scene. The ground floor features an expansive public space, including a redesigned pool and a wooden walkway blurring indoor and outdoor boundaries. The design incorporates sandy-hued terrazzo flooring, white plaster facade with wood and greenery, alongside art by Claire Manent, Panos Profitis, and Bregje Sliepenbeek. Dionysos marble and vintage 1960s and 70s furniture add unique character, reflecting the studio's aim to echo the local seaside ambiance and cultural heritage.

🏦 Oberoi Hotels & Resorts enters the UK market with its first hotel, The Oberoi, Mayfair, in London. The 23-room luxury boutique hotel will be part of the South Molton development, after Grosvenor secured restoration permission in 2022 for the 33,000-square-foot Listed Building. Renovations started in November 2023, aiming for completion by 2027. Vikram Oberoi, managing director and CEO, sees it as pivotal for global expansion. EIH, Oberoi's parent company, set up a UK entity with £30 million share capital. The Oberoi Group, established in 1934, now operates 32 hotels in seven countries.

🏡 Virgin Hotels CEO James Bermingham, who joined in 2021, has expanded the brand further with the opening of Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch in August 2024, marking the ninth Virgin hotel. This London location is a conversion of the former Mondrian, aligning with Virgin's strategy to have properties in all destinations Virgin Atlantic flies to. Virgin Hotels started in 2010, launched its first hotel in Chicago in 2015, and currently has properties in the U.S. and U.K. Upcoming expansions include Virgin Hotels Denver Fox Park, scheduled for 2026. Virgin Group, founded in 1970, encompasses various ventures, including airlines, cruise ships, and space travel. Virgin Atlantic Holidays generates thousands of room nights for Virgin Hotels in key cities like New York and Las Vegas. Virgin Hotels operates largely under long-term management contracts and franchises, like the 1,500-room Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Virgin Limited Edition, the luxury resort arm, includes nine properties with room rates averaging $2,000 per night, and was founded in 2009. Virgin Hotels and Virgin Limited Edition were combined under Virgin Hotels Collection in 2023, following Jon Brown's departure.

🍴 Chefs Duncan Robertson and Kyu Jeong Jeon open contemporary Korean restaurant Dongnae in Bristol's Redland, succeeding their Bokman project. Dongnae features a £24 set lunch menu and £55 hanjungshik dinner option. Head chef Clarence Fung and front of house manager Rebecca Lewis join the team. Rooted in Jeong Jeon's Korean heritage, the menu includes dishes like Korean beef tartare and cold buckwheat noodles, supported by local suppliers like Rocketman Produce. Low-intervention wines by Vine Trail offered. Dongnae plans in-house fermentation for soy sauce and gochujang. Located at 5-7 Chandos Road, Bristol BS6 6PG.

🏨 Peachtree Group partnered with Group 10 Management, adding 14 hotels with 1,648 rooms to reach over 100 managed hotels. Mostly in Detroit, the hotels are Marriott, Hilton, and IHG-branded. The new deal expands Peachtree's third-party management portfolio to 31 hotels, totaling 107 hotels and 13,485 rooms across 27 states, including Washington, D.C. Peachtree specializes in upper-midscale and upscale segments and focuses on strong financial results and guest experiences.

🏨 H World International acquired full brand rights for Zleep Hotels, dissolving a joint venture and discontinuing operations in Denmark by January 2025. Zleep Hotel Frankfurt Airport Kelsterbach is set to open in Q1 2025. CEO Oliver Bonke plans to grow the brand in Central and Eastern Europe, with hotels in Madrid, Prague, Lausanne, and Zurich already established. Germany is a focus market, with openings in Frankfurt-Kelsterbach, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Göppingen planned. Ten new Zleep properties are under framework agreements, and negotiations for more are underway. Zleep Hotels combines Danish design with a minimalist aesthetic suitable for new builds or conversions.

🏦 Accor announces the signing of Sofitel Cairo Downtown Nile, the fourth Sofitel in Egypt, to open in January 2025. The luxury hotel, situated in Cairo’s Nile-front district, will become the largest Sofitel worldwide with 615 rooms and suites, over 2,000 square meters of event space, and proximity to landmarks like the Grand Egyptian Museum and Giza Pyramids. Ayman Abdelaziz, CEO of ICTI, highlights the partnership with Accor's luxury brand and the shared commitment to excellence. Jean-Baptiste Recher, Regional VP of Development at Accor, emphasizes the emotional connection and financial strength Sofitel offers to the Nile-front property.

🍱 The Savoy's new dining spot, Gallery, is opening on 23 November 2024, serving all-day dining options inspired by Auguste Escoffier, who worked there 135 years prior. The menu features Sole tacos, Cornish lobster rolls, grilled Cornish tuna tataki, Orkney scallop, homemade linguine with Devon crab, Vegan lentil bolognaise, and a variety of stonebaked pizzas. A British Negroni and a New Fashioned highlight the cocktail list. The Florist at The Savoy and a scone shop called Scoff are also opening on the same day.

🏩 IHG Hotels & Resorts prepares to open Crowne Plaza Podgorica, its seventh Montenegro hotel and second in the capital, by end of 2024. Owned by BIG CEE, the 122-key hotel will be part of the Capital Plaza, near Deloitte, PWC, and The World Bank. The hotel, offering meeting spaces and a restaurant, augments the brand's aim to hit 100 European hotels by 2025. Crowne Plaza Podgorica joins a Montenegrin pipeline with InterContinental Resort Cjan, Crowne Plaza Kolasin, and Holiday Inn Mojkovac slated for the next 3-5 years, contributing to a 19-hotel European and 146-hotel global expansion.