Hotel Openings

🏨 The Ascott Limited has added six new European properties, marking the debut of The Unlimited Collection and the expansion of the lyf brand. This 14% increase takes Ascott's portfolio to about 8,000 units across 29 cities. New locations include Colmar, France, and Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester, and Manchester in the UK. A strategic partnership with Chelsea Football Club will see Ascott manage 232 units at Stamford Bridge, rebranding to lyf Stamford Bridge London in 2025. The partnership leverages Chelsea's 600 million-strong global fanbase.

🏨 Marriott announced the opening of The Reach at Piccadilly, a Tribute Portfolio hotel in Manchester. The text lacks specific dates, numbers, or statistical information. It mentions the need to subscribe to access more content.

📌 London's Devonshire Club, once closed during the pandemic, will rebrand as Sir Devonshire Square and join Sircle Collection's Sir Hotels, which currently operates five locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Ibiza, and Berlin. The hotel will offer 81 rooms, 11 suites, three F&B outlets, a gym, and a yoga studio. Sircle Collection, established in 2011, runs 23 properties. Sir Hotels is set to expand to Prague, and Sircle Collection's Sircle Hotels will debut in Milan in 2025.

🍗 Dave’s Hot Chicken, founded by Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and Tommy Rubenyan in 2017, will open its first UK location in London in Q1 2025. The chain has over 200 restaurants and plans to open 90+ more in 2022. With seven spice levels, their menu includes hot chicken sliders and sides like mac and cheese. Backed by Samuel L. Jackson and Usher, the Los Angeles-born brand has sold rights to over 700 franchises in the US, Middle East, and Canada. Azzurri Group, with a portfolio including Zizzi and ASK Italian, will operate the UK expansion.

🏡 Black Rock Hotels, owner of Leighinmohr House, opens Gray’s at Bushmills, a 17-bed boutique hotel on the Antrim coast. Financing was supported by Ulster Bank.

🍴 Founders Laurence Stevens and Francis Sweeney will open Salt Shed at West Pier in Brighton, joining Church Street's inaugural site and concessions at Boxpark Shoreditch and Herne Hill. Salt Shed features BBQ-glazed pastrami steak, Cornish lamb chump, and chocolate salted caramel brownie. The restaurant occupies a site previously launched as Murmur by Michael Bremner and Carla Grassy in 2017.

🏨 Virgin Hotels opened bookings for their first London hotel in Shoreditch, launching on August 1st, adding to their eight existing locations and expanding the brand to a total of 17 properties. The Shoreditch hotel features 120 luxury bedrooms and a Spanish restaurant by chef Dani Garcia. Everly Hotels launched The White Horses in Rottingdean, offering 32 rooms, including dog-friendly options, and a 290-seater restaurant. The Driftwood Hotel in Cornwall was sold to a private group after 22 years of ownership. Ibis Styles hotel in Glasgow secured a £5m refinancing deal, featuring 137 beds and a music-themed bar.

🍤 Catch, a seafood dining concept, opened in Miami Beach on May 10, near Carbone and Prime One Twelve. Spanning 23,000 square feet, it features both indoor and rooftop dining designed by Rockwell Group. The menu includes seafood and steaks, with ingredients like Toyosu market fish. The Catch Hospitality Group plans to open in Dallas by the end of 2024 and in Scottsdale in early 2025, following their expansion strategy based on business-friendly markets and the right customer base.

🏨 Virgin Hotels opens bookings for its first London location in Shoreditch, set to open on 1 August.

🍗 Wingers, a chicken wing brand, opened five new UK sites in Telford, Watford, West Bridgford, Harborne High Street (Birmingham), and Birmingham International train station. Established in June 2020 by the Sunner family, Wingers launched as a franchise in autumn 2022. Currently operating 11 locations, the company aims to expand into Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and Scotland, with a goal of 50 stores in the next four years. Co-founder Amran Sunner emphasized infrastructure and support for franchisees.