IHG expands in Sydney: IHG signed a management agreement with Ausbao Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of BCDH Group, for a new Crowne Plaza hotel in Sydney’s central business district. Crowne Plaza Sydney Darling Harbour will feature 160 guestrooms, five meeting rooms, and a 24-hour business center.
Marriott makes statement on fraudulent calls: Marriott International released a statement on a recent fraudulent phone call scheme where the caller offers a complimentary stay at a Marriott hotel to entice the person taking the call to listen to a sales pitch unrelated to Marriott. Marriott advises individuals who receive suspicious telephone calls not to provide any personal information, especially credit card information, and simply end the phone call.
Starwood notifies customers of malware intrusion: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has stated that the point of sale systems of a limited number of its hotels in North America were infected with malware, enabling unauthorized parties to access payment card data of some customers. Starwood is encouraging customers to carefully review and monitor their payment card account statements and immediately contact their bank or card issuer if they believe their cards may have been affected.
Read more at Starwood’s website
Tribute debuts in Asia Pacific: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the debut of Tribute Portfolio in Asia Pacific with the opening of The Kiroro, Hokkaido in Japan. The 282-room hotel, owned by Kiroro Resort Holdings Co., Ltd, will undergo an expansive renovation of its public spaces and guestrooms at the end of the current ski season, completing its refresh by September 2016.
Read more at Starwood’s website
W Minneapolis sold: JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group arranged the sale of the W Minneapolis – The Foshay on behalf of RWB Hospitality and Ryan Companies for US$86 million, or US$376,000 per room. Ashford Hospitality Trust was the buyer.
Great Wolf to enter Florida: Great Wolf Resorts is planning a new 800-room resort near Walt Disney World in Orlando, its first resort in Florida.
Read more at the Orlando Business Journal
BITU president, Sandals chairman welcome proposed pension schemes: The president of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union, Senator Kavan Gayle, says he fully supports a call from Sandals Resorts Chairman Gordon Stewart for the government to require large hotels to establish pension schemes for their employees. Stewart said pension schemes for any property with more than 100 bedrooms should be mandatory.
Read more at the Jamaica Observer
Calibar closes on Alaskan hotels: Caliber The Wealth Development Company closed on two Alaskan hotels: the Salmon Falls Resort and Edgewater Inn Restaurant & Marina. The properties represent Calibar’s first acquisitions outside of Alaska and were acquired with partners Heavlin Management Company and Leslie Hospitality Consulting for a total purchasing price of US$11 million.
Tented hotels come to the Americas: Luxury Frontiers has partnered with Nayara Hotels to create the Nayara Tented Resort in Costa Rica, comprised of 24 tents, each featuring a master suite with en-suite bathroom as well as an adjoining tent that can be arranged as a lounge or a second bedroom. Opening in the first quarter of 2017, the resort will mark Luxury Frontiers debut in the Americas.
Asia Pacific travelers stay closer to home: Travelers from Asia Pacific are favoring trips closer to home and within the Asia Pacific region compared to destinations that require long international flights, according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study 2015. The study also revealed that despite being some of the most frequent travelers globally, Asia Pacific respondents are likely to spend the least number of days at a destination and prefer shorter stays like weekend getaways.
AH&LA study reveals sold growth: The hotel industry added more than 30,000 new hotel jobs and more than 100,000 new travel-related jobs (based on year-end 2014 data), according to a new Lodging Industry Trends report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The data also revealed that lodging revenue sales grew from US$163 billion to US$176 billion, travel-related wages and salaries increased by over US$12 billion, and leisure and business travelers are spending more on average (US$660.3 billion and US$280.2 billion, respectively).
New Expedia study: While shoppers utilize several types of travel sites, consumers touched OTA sites at some point in eight of the top 10 most common hotel booking paths, according to a recent study from Expedia Media Solutions. For inspiration consumers start with supplier (40%) and OTA sites (39%) nearly as often.