Hotel Openings

🏠 Hyatt Hotels Corp. enters Portugal with the Dreams Madeira Resort, Spa & Marina, featuring 366 rooms and opening a spa in January 2025. Marriott International announces a new Tech Accelerator in Hyderabad, India, to support global tech operations in 141 countries, expanding from the first Indian resort in 1999 to over 42,000 rooms planned. Azul Hospitality Group manages the Woodlark Hotel in Portland, Oregon, integrating historic buildings from 1912 and 1908, and joins Marriott Bonvoy. Hotel Indigo Baltimore joins Historic Hotels of America, managed by Remington Hospitality, and underwent renovations in 2014.

🏠 Tivoli Hotels & Resorts to open Tivoli Kopke Porto Gaia Hotel in Porto, Portugal in 2025 with 150 rooms, including 10 suites, two restaurants, three bars, two pools, a fitness center, six meeting rooms, and a 9,000 square meter garden. Graduate by Hilton Auburn spans 140,000 square feet with 177 rooms in Alabama, featuring two dining venues, rooftop bar, and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Omni Hotels breaks ground on Omni Pontoque Resort in Punta de Mita, Mexico, set to open late 2026 with 244 rooms and suites, two villas, and over 27,000 square feet of event space. Extended Stay America opens 124-room hotel in Pueblo, Colorado, marking the brand's 45th Premier Suites, with over 700 properties in the U.S.

🏠 Rocco Forte Hotels, based in London, is expanding in Sicily with a new luxury hotel in Noto, transforming an 18th-century palace, Palazzo Castelluccio, built in 1782. The 31-key hotel will encompass 50,000 square feet, joining Villa Igiea in Palermo and Verdura Resort in Sciacca. The property will feature a restaurant, bar, spa, gym, and event space. Rocco Forte plans to open four new properties in Italy and has ventures in Dubai and Spain. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund acquired a 49% stake in the group in December 2023, with The Financial Times reporting a transaction value of £1.2 billion.

🍻 Polygon Public House opens its second gastropub, The Ox, on 14th October in Clapham, London, after acquiring and refurbishing the former The Saxon. The Ox features a 4,815 sq. ft space with a main bar, 30-cover mezzanine restaurant, and a 55-capacity private events space named The Playroom. Head Chef Darren Everts focuses on seasonal British ingredients, with produce sourced from family farms in Melrose. Highlights include aged Scottish Luing beef and a Japanese double patty smash burger. The company also plans to open The Florence in Islington in 2025.

🏦 Young & Co.’s Brewery P.L.C. to open Teller’s Arms pub in Farnham, Surrey, this October. The former bank, transformed into a 168-capacity venue, includes nine boutique bedrooms and an all-day dining space. Head Chef Ryan Patterson to offer seasonal British cuisine. The Harrison agency-designed space features a roof terrace, set to receive a retractable roof by spring 2025. CEO Simon Dodd highlights the blend of history and modernity in the pub, situated an hour from London by train. Contact: tellersarms@youngs.co.uk, 01252 951118.

💰 XplorerGroup, a multi-brand franchise operator founded in 2023, has acquired Kall Kwik, a UK market leader in print and design services since 1979. Kall Kwik, known for adapting to community needs by expanding from printing to comprehensive business solutions, joins XplorerGroup's portfolio including ComputerXplorers, ActiveXplorers, and Discover My Franchise. Nigel Toplis, with 30 years at Kall Kwik, will stay as Non-Executive Chairman for five more years, enhancing the brand with new opportunities and recruits.

🍴 Chef Mary Nguyen, after overcoming career change and health challenges, opened her first restaurant, Parallel 17, offering Vietnamese-French cuisine in 2005. She founded The Olive & Finch in Denver in 2013, providing healthy soups, salads, and sandwiches. Despite culinary success, she faced personal struggles, including fertility issues and her twin daughters' NICU stay after birth. In 2017, a second Olive & Finch location opened. Nguyen later launched Finch on the Fly in 2019, a wholesale brand. She continues to expand her food and beverage brand with plans to open more Olive & Finch and Little Finch locations.

🍴 Cunningham Restaurant Group operates 44 restaurants in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Founded in 1997 in Brownsburg, Indiana, with Boulder Creek Dining Company, it expanded to include Charbonos, Stonecreek Dining Company (5 locations), Bru Burger Bar, and various other brands. The company embraces local sourcing and scratch cooking. Vida's chef Thomas Melvin was a James Beard Foundation semifinalist in 2022 and 2024. The group is launching Shin Dig in Indianapolis and a Bru Burger in Fort Wayne, as well as a new catering service, in the fall. They have a centralized downtown Indianapolis headquarters with facilities including a test kitchen and a USDA-certified greenhouse.

🏨 Mercure Hotels, part of Accor, opens its 1,000th hotel globally, expanding in China and Japan with over 30 hotels in Greater China and doubling its Japanese footprint with 11 properties in April. Mercure's first hotel opened in 1973 in Saint-Witz, France, and by 2023, the brand celebrates its 50th anniversary. Notable additions include Mercure Dubai Deira with 152 keys, Mercure Tirana marking the brand's Albania debut with 64 rooms, and the largest Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre featuring 989 rooms. The brand now spans over 1,000 hotels in 68 countries.

🍷 The White Horse pub in Mayfair, opened in 2021 by The Hedonism Group, transforms into a wine bar with a selection available from Hedonism's wine shop. Sommelier Matthew Mawtus created a 100-wine list, complemented by a menu including cheese from La Fromagerie and seasonal dishes. Hide, another Hedonism Group venue, launched in 2018. The two-story venue features an open fireplace and is designed for both intimate and group experiences.