Mergers & Acquisitions

🏗️ MVRDV won the Shift International Architecture Competition with "Rotterdam Rocks!" in Rotterdam, announced in 2025. The €240 million project will cover 25,000-30,000 sq m, featuring a 200-room hotel, and sustainable facilities. Designed as a "Biotopia," it merges architecture with nature. A jury praised it for rethinking sustainability. The design phase started in June 2026, with a local participation process later that year. Shift aims to expand similar structures globally.

🏨 Chantry Hotel, a seven-bedroom Victorian property in Dronfield, Derbyshire, is for sale at £1.1m. Owned by Michael Elrick since 2020, after inheriting it from his partner who owned it since 1967, Elrick is retiring due to ill health. Previously a hotel and restaurant, the property features a dining room, bar, conservatory, and award-winning gardens. It’s located near attractions like Chatsworth House and the Peak District, offering varied future use possibilities.

🏨 MHL Hotel Collection acquired Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport (209 rooms) and Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport (214 rooms) from Tifco Hotel Group for €95 million. Magellim Group bought Grand Hôtel Chicago (51 rooms) and Hôtel Riesner (38 rooms) in Paris for €40 million. Kryalos Sgr purchased two assets in Rome for €35 million. JP Immobilien acquired Lindner Hotel Vienna Am Belvedere in Austria. Brussels Airport Company acquired Novotel Brussels Airport in Belgium. Royal BAM Group acquired Holiday Inn Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Arkéa REIM purchased Pavillon Villiers Étoile in Paris for refurbishment. Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation acquired Travelodge Birmingham Central Moor Street for £10.33 million.

📈 Singapore's Worldwide Hotels acquired the 243-key Fives Hotel Johor Bahru City Centre in Malaysia from SKS Group. The property will rebrand under Accor SA's ibis Styles as investor interest in Johor Bahru rises, fueled by the 2027 Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link. Australia’s Samdoo Corporation bought Brisbane’s 70-key Tower Mill Hotel for AUD28.6 million. AirBorneo plans daily flights from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore from July 2026, operating Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Japan’s APA Hotel acquired the 105-key Kimpton La Peer Hotel in Los Angeles.

🏠 Peachtree Group provided a $150 million bridge loan on July 20, 2026, to refinance a four-hotel portfolio with 997 keys in Flamingo Crossings Town Center near Walt Disney World Resort in Winter Garden, Florida. This marks the largest senior hotel bridge loan in Peachtree’s history, highlighting the expansion of their commercial real estate credit platform.

🏨 Peachtree Group issued a $150 million bridge loan to refinance a 997-key, four-hotel portfolio in Flamingo Crossings Town Center, Winter Garden, Florida, adjacent to Walt Disney World Resort. This largest senior bridge loan in Peachtree's history, arranged by JLL, closed in under 45 days. The hotels, developed in 2020-2021, feature a nearly 89% occupancy rate and hold Walt Disney World Gateway Hotel designations. Peachtree's fourth transaction with Doradus Partners highlights strong lender-borrower relationships.

🏨 Marriott's late March acquisition of Lefay Resorts, a luxury wellness brand with two Northern Italy locations, isn't about their 440 keys (0.026% net unit growth) against Marriott's 1.7M keys. Instead, it's about obtaining Lefay's SPA Methodology for better wellness offerings. Marriott aims to attract HENRYs and enhance its luxury portfolio through co-branding, leveraging Lefay's expertise in wellness. This acquisition is part of a broader industry trend towards specialization and partnerships.

🏨 Marcus & Millichap announced the sale of a 98-room Comfort Inn, located in Anderson, Indiana. The transaction, led by investment specialists from their Chicago Oak Brook office and Indiana broker of record, involved private investor groups and was supported by the Miller-Gomes Hotel Team. Built in 1999, the hotel features an indoor pool, meeting space, and a fitness center, and is close to attractions like the Paramount Theatre Centre and Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.

💰 Fora Travel raised $60 million on July 17, 2026, valuing the five-year-old company at $1 billion. The agency boasts 15,000 advisors in 180 countries, booking over $3 billion in travel since 2021, with one-third in the last five months. Most advisors are new, paying quarterly fees with training. Fora, a Virtuoso member, offers travel benefits at over 4,500 preferred partnerships. Virtuoso counts roughly 20,000 advisors, questioning the "active" status of Fora's advisors.

🏨 London’s BT Tower, acquired by MCR for £270 million in 2024, will transform into a hotel. On July 13, 2026, Orms Architecture revealed plans including podium extension, a public square, and a rooftop pool. Construction begins in 2029, with a 2033 opening. The 1960s façade will host shops, and a revolving observation deck will replace the former restaurant. The project retains the original structure, adding four rooms and a second staircase around the tower’s core.