New CEO for Worldhotels: Dirk Fuehrer will join Woldhotels as CEO on February 15. He formerly was chief commercial officer at Steigenberger Hotel Group. Kristin Intress, the Frankfurt, Germany-based hotel group’s current chief, is relocating to Wisconsin to pursue other opportunities.
Jumeirah to manage Marina Gate: Dubai Holdings’ Jumeirah Group signed an agreement with Select Group to manage a tower within Marina Gate, a residential development that includes 104 serviced apartments, 389 branded residences and 15 villas. Jumeirah Living Marina Gate is scheduled to open in Q4 2019. Terms weren’t disclosed.
Volume to hit US$70 billion?: JLL’s hotel investment outlook predicts that global hotel investment volume will reach $70 billion 2016, down 15% to 20% from last year. Look for more consolidation and activity in secondary markets, the real estate services company says.
Vienna International rebrands: Austria’s largest hotel group, Vienna International Hotels & Resorts, is launching an umbrella brand, Vienna House, on February 1, with four hotel lines of city and resort properties.
Preferred results: Preferred Hotels & Resorts announced 2015 yearend results, generating more than US$1.01 billion in reservations revenue, a 15% increase over 2014. It also completed a rebranding and added 91 properties in 35 countries to its portfolio.
Lotte IPO moves forward: Hotel Lotte Co., the lodgings unit of Korea’s Lotte Group, could go public as soon as May, according to the Korea Stock Exchange, which approved the company’s listing application. No details yet on the IPO’s size or price range.
Tops in US construction: Lodging Econometrics reported the five us markets with the biggest construction pipelines: New York (204 projects); Houston (167); Dallas (121); Los Angeles (96); and Washington, D.C. (87). Dallas and L.A. added the most projects lats year, with 44 and 28, respectively.
Filament to manage in Hawaii: Filament Hospitality, a San Francisco-based management company, is taking over management of two hotels on the Hawaiian island of Oahu: Shoreline Hotel Waikiki and Coconut Waikiki Hotel, which will undergo a refresh that is due to be completed in mid-year. Both were managed by Joie de Vivre Hotels.
Atlanta Solís: Swiss real estate investment company ACRON named Capella Hotel Group to introduce and manage the Solís Hotel adjacent to the Porsche Experience Center, just outside Atlanta. The 214-room hotel is scheduled to open in 2017.
Starwood human rights policy: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide expanded its human rights policy to reflect the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including treatment of employees and contributions to the prevention of human trafficking and human rights.
Ocean House adds to portfolio: Ocean House Management LLC, based in Rhode Island, was appointed by Gates Realty Holdings to manage Ocean House’s first hotel outside that state, in Connecticut: the eight-bedroom Spicer Mansion in Mystic. The Victorian-era mansion will reopen in May.
Sharm El-Sheikh investment: According to Daily News Egypt, a group of Egyptian and American investors bought three hotels in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh whose total value exceeds US$52 million. Egyptian tourism has suffered in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks.
Atlantis in Hawaii? Kerzner International’s Atlantis Resorts, is said to be close to a US$2 billion deal to build a resort on Hawaii’s Oahu, according to Hawaii News Now. A similar deal was initially sought in 2005 but delayed.
Ashford to shop more hotels: Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc. has decided to put 62 of its hotels up for sale, about half its holdings, according to CoStar Group. That includes 24 properties previously announced and an additional 38 select service hotels it plans to sell over time.