Hotel Openings

🏨 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.

🏡 Virgin Hotels opened Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch and offers double Virgin Points for stays during September-December 2024 to members of The Know loyalty program. Guests earn 14 points per £1 spent on room rates. The hotel at 45 Curtain Road, features Spanish restaurant BiBo, a rooftop bar, pool, Marlin's Mediterranean restaurant, a gym, and treatment rooms of Blue Marlin Ibiza's sanctuary. The 120-bedroom hotel is undergoing a phased transformation, including a Commons Club and personalized services via the Lucy app.

🍴 Gerard Craft, head of St. Louis-based Niche Food Group, will open Expat BBQ in summer, featuring global flavors in American barbecue. Sam Nawrocki, with 15 years of Southern cuisine experience, leads the kitchen. Melinda Cooper oversees the beverage program, promising an international beer selection and globally-inspired cocktails. Average checks are forecasted to be $50 on the first floor and $25 on the third level. Expat BBQ will join Fordo’s Killer Pizza and Kitchen Bar at City Foundry STL, in a 16,000 square foot space featuring a conveyor belt for dish transport, a terrace patio, and a live music stage. Craft, a James Beard Award-winning chef, aims to offer a unique, fun dining experience.

🏡 Choice Hotels International, Inc. opened four Cambria Hotels in the United States, located in Niagara Falls, New York; Rehoboth, Delaware; North Conway, New Hampshire; and Denver, Colorado. The properties add to over 70 Cambria Hotels nationwide. The Denver location opened in May with 153 guestrooms; Niagara Falls in March with 120 guestrooms; North Conway on June 6 with 115 guestrooms; and Rehoboth in May with 106 guestrooms. The hotels feature amenities like restaurants, bars, and meeting spaces ranging from 960 to 6,400 square feet.

🎷 The Marquee Moon, influenced by 1970s band Television, will open on 15 August as a pub in Dalston, formerly The Marquis of Lansdowne. Owned by Stuart Glen and Eugene Wild of The Cause, it features an East Asian-inspired sharing menu by New Zealand chef Huri Rapana Neil, along with a cocktail menu by Emmanuel Ferris-Hue focusing on local and independent drinks. The pub includes a hi-fi sound system for curated music until 3am, an 80-cover restaurant with Art Deco design, and operates until 3am.

🏠 Resolute Road Hospitality opened The Newberry Hotel in downtown Bend, previously DoubleTree by Hilton, joining the Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Grand opening held on July 17, 2024, featuring live music, raffle prizes, and guided tours. Renovations include a new lobby, guestrooms, market, pool, fitness center, and The Franklin lounge and bar. Guests enjoy Hilton Honors Benefits.

🏢 HEI Hotels & Resorts added The Westin Dallas Downtown to its portfolio, now managing five hotels in Dallas and 15 properties in Texas. Opened in 2015, The Westin features 326 rooms, 34,000 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant, bar, indoor pool, and fitness center. Located in Dallas CBD, it's near the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center and is part of One Main Place, a 33-story development. HEI's CEO, Anthony Rutledge, looks forward to enhancing the hotel's market position.

🌞 Marriott Hotels opened its first all-inclusive property, Marriott Cancun, in Cancun, Mexico. The resort has 450 guestrooms, 124 ocean-view rooms, 38 suites, 13 dining options, and a 5,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor kids' club named CAMP Club by Marriott. It features a water park with slides and a lazy river, an adults-only area, and a fitness center. The resort provides nearly 24,813 square feet of event space, with four event rooms and 12 breakout rooms. New all-inclusive Marriott resorts are expected in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Djerba, Tunisia in 2024 and 2025.