Hotel Openings

🍩 Lena Lu Donuts opens in the UK at Primark stores in Lakeside on October 14, 2023, and Watford on October 21, 2023. The Australian brand, known for customizable donuts, bagels, and shakes, enters the market after success in Riyadh, KSA. A third UK store is set to open in November, with more planned for 2025. Gamechangers Investments manages the UK launch, expecting synergy with Primark's clientele. Customers can create donut masterpieces or select grab-and-go options like Cookies & Cream and Biscoff Crunch.

🍣 Hieu Bui, founder of Kêu, is set to open a new restaurant on Borough High Street, joining the brand's existing locations in The City, Shoreditch, and Soho. Inspired by ancient Saigon, the venue will offer a menu with hand-pulled egg noodles, hủ tiếu rice vermicelli from Saigon, rice bowls, bahn mi sandwiches, and daily specials. The two-level space features traditional designs and a long table for up to 12 diners. Bui aims to spread the love for Vietnamese cuisine in London's food scene.

🏖️ The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, currently managed by Hilton, is undergoing a rebrand to Signia by Hilton, including lobby and public space renovations, an oceanfront event terrace, a new bar, and an adults-only pool. The 1,000-room resort boasts a 6,600-square-foot Club Signia suite on the 33rd floor, six dining venues, four grand ballrooms, a 5,000-square-foot great hall, and 39 breakout rooms. In 2018, a $90 million renovation took place, and in February 2023, Credit Suisse and Trinity Fund Advisors acquired it following a $575 million financing deal. It's the fourth Signia hotel in the U.S., with new ones to open in Indianapolis in 2026 and West Palm Beach in 2027.

🏠 Film director Luca Guadagnino's Studiolucaguadagnino has transformed a 16th-century palazzo in Rome, Italy into the luxury hotel Palazzo Talia, marking its first hospitality project. The palazzo, once a school for underprivileged children that evolved into an institute for aristocratic students, was closed in 1999 and restored by the Federici family's Gruppo Fresia. Featuring a 248-square-metre Magna Hall with 18th-century frescoes by Gaspare Serenario, the hotel showcases a floral carpet leading to a central staircase. A key design element is "chromaticism," with a focus on color hues and collaboration with artisans. The hotel's Bar della Musa is adorned with blown-mirror panels, and the Terrace Suite offers a 66-square-metre terrace with tropical foliage by landscape artist Blue Mambor. Architect Marianna Lubrano Lavadera and designer Laura Feroldi designed the remaining 25 rooms, blending classic and contemporary styles.

🏨 Tribute Portfolio opened its first hotel in Korea, The Link Seoul, featuring 141 rooms, 16 suites, and a presidential suite across 19 floors. The hotel offers various amenities, including a 760-square-meter ballroom. Helix Hospitality acquired two Courtyard by Marriott hotels in Alabama, expanding its portfolio to 13 properties. Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda in Italy will add five new villas by summer 2025. Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. (IHCL) signed 35 new hotels and opened 12 in H1 2024, growing its total portfolio to 345 properties with a pipeline of 115.

🏨 Resident Hotels to convert four Sleeperz Hotels to Four Points Flex by Sheraton by 2025, after Mactaggart Family & Partners' majority stake purchase in November 2022. The 400+ room portfolio spans Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne, with renovations funded by principal investors. Remington Hospitality manages Kimpton Mas Olas Resort and Spa, a 93-room luxury resort in Baja, expanding into Mexico and other Latin American countries. Sonesta Hotel Miraflores, a 133-room upscale hotel, will open in Lima, Peru, in early 2025. Scandic's second Scandic Go hotel with 234 rooms opened in Stockholm in 2023 post-Pandox acquisition.

🏨 Crescent Hotels & Resorts now manages the Hotel Cleveland, Autograph Collection, which reopened in April after an $80-million renovation and features 491 rooms, a new lobby bar, restaurant, and 60,000 square feet of meeting space. Baccarat Hotel's first UAE location, a 145-room luxury hotel, is under development in Downtown Dubai, offering residences and penthouses with access to all amenities. Protea Hotels by Marriott opened two new hotels in Africa, totaling over 60 properties across nine countries. The Renaissance Chicago O’Hare Suites, with 362 rooms and over 15,000 square feet of event space, joined Maverick Hotels and Restaurants' management portfolio.

🍽 Café Boulud, headed by Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud, has opened in Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, marking its first presence in the Middle East. The 150-seat restaurant, designed by Rockwell Group, offers French cuisine with signature dishes like Lavender-Glazed Duck Breast and Potato-Wrapped Sea Bass. Executive Chef Nicolas Lemoyne, trained by Boulud and Paul Bocuse, upholds the high culinary standards. Open for breakfast (6-11am), lunch (12-4pm), and dinner (6-11pm), the café can be accessed from the hotel lobby or outside. Reservations: +966 11 2115500.

🏨 IHG & Daiwa House Group are set to open EVEN Hotels and Staybridge Suites Orlando Universal Blvd. in 2026, near Universal Epic Universe theme park and Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. The dual-branded hotel will feature 288 rooms, an outdoor pool, a restaurant, an athletic studio, and over 4,000 square feet of event space. Zleep Hotels to rebrand 14 hotels to Marriott's Four Points Flex by Sheraton in Denmark by early 2025, adding 1,500+ rooms to Marriott's Nordic portfolio. Holiday Inn Resort opens in Nepal, featuring 104 rooms and 9,300 square feet of amenities. Lanserhof breaks ground on Lanserhof Marbella health resort in Casares, Spain, set to open in late 2026.

🏨 Marriott International acquired City Express brand portfolio in May 2023 for $100 million, adding 152 hotels and over 17,000 rooms across Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Chile, increasing its presence by 45%. The expansion into the affordable midscale segment in the U.S. and Canada, previously known as ‘Project Mid-T by Marriott’, is set to attract value-conscious travelers. Marriott has seen "extensive interest" from potential owners and franchisees, expecting to sign agreements and possibly open new hotels within the next four months.