Hotel Openings

🥞 Milkshake Concepts, founded in 2015 in Dallas, operates eight brands, with Serious Eats most recently opening Aug. 2 in Grand Prairie. Vidorra, launched in 2018, aims to open 10 locations by 2026, including a Nashville venue post-Grapevine launch. Currently, there are Vidorra locations in Dallas' Deep Ellum, Addison, and Grand Prairie, with Rockwall and Grapevine next. CEO Imran Sheikh cites a multisensory experience for Vidorra's success, planning a total of nine DFW locations by 2026, while also considering expansion into Houston, Austin, Denver, and Phoenix/Scottsdale.

🏦 Graduate by Hilton launched Graduate Princeton in Princeton, N.J., marking the first opening since Hilton's acquisition. The hotel, situated on Nassau Street, is housed in a 1918 dormitory converted into a 180-key boutique hotel with 6,000 square feet of public space. The project is a collaboration between AJ Capital Partners and Stonehill Taylor. Princeton has been a target for Graduate Hotels for a decade. Graduate Princeton is the first new hotel in the town in 90 years and features interiors with Princeton University references, including a Gothic-inspired lobby and a restaurant named Ye Tavern. Earlier in the year, Hilton acquired Graduate Hotels for $210 million from AJ Capital, with over 35 hotels currently open or planned near educational institutions in the U.S. and U.K.

🏠 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched Trademark Collection in South Korea with La Vie D’or Hotel and Resort in Hwaseong-si, 30 minutes from Seoul. This addition brings Wyndham's presence to 30+ hotels in the country and nearly 20 Trademark hotels in Asia Pacific. The 190-room property covers 330,000 square meters, featuring a nine-hole golf course, fitness center, spa, pools, saunas, fine dining, event spaces, and a business center. South Korea, focusing on tourism for economic growth, saw 3.4 million tourists Jan-Mar, nearing pre-pandemic levels, with March recovering 97%. In 2023, 11 million visitors were welcomed, with tourism projected to hit $13.66 billion.

🏖️ InterContinental Hotels & Resorts debuts in the Greek Islands with InterContinental Crete, featuring panoramic views of Mirabello Bay and contemporary amenities. Located near Agios Nikolaos and under an hour from Heraklion airport, the resort boasts two outdoor infinity pools, three restaurants led by Michelin-starred Chef Nikos Roussos, a wellness centre, and family-friendly features. Room prices start at €205 per night for IHG One Rewards members. The property is a vanguard of InterContinental's brand evolution, with 199 guestrooms and suites, some with private plunge pools. Guests can explore local culture and cuisine through the hotel's concierge services, connecting them with Crete's history, landscapes, and culinary delights.

🏠 Norton Park Hotel, Spa & Manor House near Winchester, set on 54 acres in Hampshire, reveals refurbishment of restaurant, lounge, and bar areas due to increased dining demand. Upgrades include a new look for The Scene Restaurant, more extensive works in The Scene Bar and Lounge, and a hot and cold buffet area for breakfast. The 17th-century barn and 16th-century Manor House on the site have also seen updates. Dinner inclusive stays offer £32 per adult for food, with children under 4 dining free. Facilities support up to 300 guests for events and feature an ELEMIS-partnered spa.

🏨 citizenM opened its third Miami location, citizenM Miami South Beach, joining the brand's 36th property portfolio. Recent openings include Miami Worldcenter in 2023 and Miami Brickell in 2022. The South Beach hotel offers 168 rooms, bleisure amenities, a 24x7 food and drinks bar, retail space, a gym, meeting rooms, a rooftop infinity pool, and an outdoor terrace. It features locally sourced art, XL king-size beds, and technology-controlled room ambience. Targeting LEED Gold certification, it reflects citizenM’s sustainability goals. The brand, launched in 2008, now has a presence in 21 cities worldwide.

🏠 New York-based Lissoni Architecture, led by Italian architect Piero Lissoni, unveils the AKA NoMad hotel in Manhattan's NoMad neighborhood, merging Scandinavian and Japanese minimalist interiors. The renovated space, previously the Roger New York hotel, marks Lissoni's first NYC hotel project, following the establishment of his US office in the preceding year. The hotel features a bronze-painted spiral staircase in its double-height lobby and rooms with a neutral palette, oversized headboards, and dark stone bathrooms. The design showcases natural materials, bespoke furnishings, and iconic design pieces.

🖤 Uchi West Hollywood, a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles, features live-edge wood from fallen street trees sourced by Angel City Lumber as spatial dividers in its 5,200-square-foot space seating 160 guests. The wood, from 25 Aleppo Pines across 14 neighborhoods, amounts to nearly 26 tons, cut into 42 logs with an average diameter of 30 inches and a length of nine feet. Local artists and artisans, including ORA, contributed to the earth-toned interior, which includes a custom light fixture by Kazuki Takizawa and concrete planters by SBLA.

🏨 Latin America's hotel construction pipeline shows an 11% YOY increase in projects and a 10% increase in rooms, totaling 612 projects (97,597 rooms). Under construction: 253 projects (44,319 rooms), up 11% in projects and 15% in rooms YOY. Next 12 months: 187 projects (29,476 rooms), a YOY increase of 18% in projects and 17% in rooms. Early planning: 172 projects (23,802 rooms), up 3% YOY. Key segments: upscale (133 projects/18,807 rooms), upper upscale (101 projects/20,234 rooms), luxury (96 projects/17,154 rooms). Renovations and conversions at an all-time high: 186 projects (29,500 rooms), 30% more projects YOY. Mexico leads with 226 projects (33,599 rooms), followed by Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia. Top cities: Mexico City, Georgetown, Sao Paulo, Lima, and Riviera Maya. New announcements in Q2: 62 projects (8,740 rooms). 2023 expected openings: 100 hotels (17,555 rooms), with 40 already opened and 60 more planned. 2025 projected openings: 111 hotels (18,816 rooms), and in 2026, 131 hotels (18,293 rooms).

🍻 Honey Spencer, a UK natural wine authority, expanded her career after a 2011 encounter with unpredictable natural wine. She authored "Natural Wine, No Drama" and co-founded Sune, a natural wine restaurant in East London. Sune debuted on the UK's top 100 restaurants list in summer. Spencer and her business partner Charlie Sims opened Sune after experiences, including at Copenhagen's natural wine bars and Noma. Sune emphasizes clean, approachable natural wines, avoiding sanctimonious overtones. Spencer also consults for high-profile restaurants and directs wine programs. Sune, which avoids scaring traditional drinkers, plans a terrace addition and Tuesday openings. Spencer supports decanting natural wines for optimal presentation.