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.

🏨 Crescent Hotels & Resorts now manage Hotel Cleveland, Autograph Collection, located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. This historic property, over 100 years old, underwent an $80 million renovation and reopened in April 2024. The hotel, featuring 491 guestrooms and 60,000 square feet of meeting space, offers NFC code medallion technology for interactive historical experiences. Amenities include a new lobby bar and restaurant, Maker, and Mowrey's for breakfast and brunch, celebrating Cleveland's tavern culture since 1815.

🏨 Marriott Long Beach Downtown, located near Long Beach attractions, opened July 2024 with 376 rooms. Owned by Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc., the hotel features Art Deco style, a rooftop pool, panoramic views, and over 21,000 square feet of meeting space. Executive Chef Leo De Leon heads the all-day restaurant, Local Current, and guests have 24-hour access to The Market. The hotel sits on Long Beach’s Promenade, opposite the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

🏖️ 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.

🏨 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.

🏨 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.

🍽 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.