Hotel Openings

🍴 Chef Marc Forgione, after opening his first restaurant in 2008 which later earned Michelin stars, has now relaunched it as Forgione at 30 Hudson St., New York City. The new Tribeca location continues to serve innovative New American cuisine with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients. The menu features entrées at approximately $42, pastas from $22, snacks between $12-$15, wines by the glass starting at $18, and cocktails around $19. The restaurant also includes a private dining room with a separate entrance, adorned with vibrant graffiti and references to influential figures like chef Laurent Tourondel.

🏠 Located in Old Town Alexandria, Va., Hotel Heron's flagship restaurant Kiln opened on June 27, serving wood-fired Mid-Atlantic cuisine inspired by local potter Henry Piercy. Led by Betty Woodward and Matthew Maienshein, the restaurant offers all-day dining and aims to be a community gathering spot. Woodward has a rich hospitality experience in Washington, D.C., and Maienshein has worked his way up from dishwasher to chef de cuisine. The restaurant features an open kitchen and an eight-seat chef’s counter, with entrées priced at around $40.

🏡 NexGen Hotels acquired The Cole Hotel in Palm Springs, California, managed by Genuine Hospitality Group, featuring 30 rooms, outdoor pool, and original construction in 1959. Moxy Hotels introduced Moxy Chongqing in China offering 360 rooms, a 29th-floor bar, and expanding to over 25 countries. InterContinental launched a 390-room Riverwalk hotel in San Antonio, Texas, boasting a rooftop pool and over 18,000 square feet of meeting space. The Ansonborough Charleston is set to open on September 3 in South Carolina with 45 rooms, following renovations, inspired by the 1700s neighborhood.

🏡 Ennismore partners with Kasada to sign Hyde Johannesburg, the first Hyde property in Africa and Kasada's fourth project in South Africa. Located in Rosebank, Johannesburg, the hotel offers 131 rooms, featuring 31 suites and a gym. It is situated next to Rosebank Gautrain Station within a mixed-use building, which also houses Proud Mary restaurant, a lobby lounge, meeting rooms, and 7,400 square meters of coworking, office, and commercial spaces. The building won the International Property Award for Best Mixed-Use Development in 2022. Hyde London City is set to open in September, with more properties planned in Perth and Queenstown.

🏖 Banyan Group opened Angsana Quan Lan in Bai Tu Long Bay, Vietnam, featuring 156 rooms and suites, three dining venues, a spa, and amenities like mini-golf and zipline. The group has over 80 properties worldwide. UNITE HERE endorsed Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidency, citing her support for labor and working people, aiming to mobilize union members to knock on 3.2 million doors in key states. Marriott International plans to launch W Hangzhou in China's new CBD by 2031, with 270 rooms, occupying the top floors of a 24-meter building. Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort in Arizona will reopen as Grand Hyatt in early October after a $115 million renovation, offering 496 rooms, six dining options, and 90,000 square feet of function space, with a grand ballroom opening in January 2025.

🍕 KERB to launch Holborn market on August 7, with operations every Wednesday, 11:30am-2:30pm. Seven street food traders including Only Jerkin’ and Fatè. InKERBator program, part of KERB+, offers three weeks of classroom time plus six-week market residency; over 100 graduates to date. Profits from Holborn reinvested into KERB+. KERB also plans an additional trading day later this year and operates markets at Cowcross Yards, Gipsy Hill, the Gherkin, Fleet Place, and Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden. KERB debuted in San Francisco with Saluhall, planning further openings in Copenhagen and Berlin within the next year.

🏨 McNeill Hotel Company opened the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Memphis Germantown in Tennessee, with a grand opening set for early Fall. The five-story, 111-room hotel features a restaurant, rooftop bar, fitness center, indoor pool, and 6,000 square feet of retail space. Located near Poplar and Germantown Road, it was developed by Spence Ray and Mark Layne, with McNeill Hotel Company managing. The property is part of the Thornwood mixed-use development, which includes the performance-strong Hampton Inn & Suites Memphis/Germantown.

🏨 Sonesta International Hotels Corporation added 23 franchised hotels with over 2,000 rooms to its global portfolio in the first six months of 2024. Notably, the expansion surpassed the total number of rooms added in 2023. The newly integrated hotels are located across various states in the U.S., including Texas, Florida, and Wyoming. Sonesta's growth is supported by a franchise system introduced in late 2021 and expanded with four new brands in 2023. Most of the new hotels participate in the Sonesta Travel Pass guest loyalty program, excluding Knights Inn locations.

🍜 Jerk Junction, a Manchester-based Caribbean street food brand, is set to open its first shopping centre location at Trafford Centre's Orient food court in September. Occupying a 917sq ft space, it'll offer dishes like jerk chicken and curried goat. Founder Jake Shaffi, leading since 2020, launched Jerk Junction in Chorlton in 2013. After a fire last summer, its original site reopens on 5 August. Shaffi aims to make Jamaican food more accessible in the UK.

🎯 Clays, following a £6m fundraise led by Otium Leisure and backing from Imbiba, is set to make its regional debut in Birmingham's Piccadilly Arcade. This will be its third location, adding to sites in Canary Wharf and The City. The Birmingham venue will offer a semi-private area or a fully-private room with six digitalised games. Food and drink will be available via kiosk ordering. Founder Tom Snellock expresses excitement for the expansion. Otium Leisure recognizes Clays as a leading brand in competitive socialising, supporting its growth journey. New launches are expected next year.