NH launches in Germany: The NH Collection brand launched hotels in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Dresden. An NH hotel in Cologne is scheduled to open in June.
Canopy in Washington: Canopy by Hilton broke ground on a new hotel, the Canopy by Hilton Washington, D.C. Bethesda North. The 177-room hotel is slated to open in autumn 2017.
Wyndham in Muscat: Wyndham Hotel Group signed two new properties in Muscat, Oman: the Ramada Encore Muscat Al Ghubra and the Ramada Hotel & Suites Muscat Al Ghubra, which will be connected. The properties are owned by the Al Khaleel Group and will be Wyndham’s first Encore in the country.
Astoria acquired: Corinthia Hotels acquired the Hotel Astoria in Brussels. The hotel, which stood vacant for 10 years, will be refurbished and reopened as a 121-room Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria.
Read more in the Malta Independent
Hotel boycott: Fans of the Chargers football team announced a boycott against three hotel groups in San Diego – Bartell Hotels, Evans Hotels and Town & Country Hotels – claiming that the hotels made political donations to impede efforts to build a US$1.15 billion stadium and convention center in the city’s downtown.
Read more in the San Diego Union-Tribune
Magnuson links with Expedia: Magnuson Hotels launched a four-month global marketing initiative with Expedia to promote its three hotel brands.
Surging pipelines: Lodging Econometrics reports that Dallas, Nashville and Atlanta have the fastest-growing hotel construction pipelines in the U.S.: Dallas has 128 projects/16,124 rooms; Nashville has 89 projects/11,566 rooms; Atlanta has 79 projects/9,912 rooms. Marriott International is the leading franchise company in all three markets.
It’s Airbnb’s fault: New York City taxes collected from hotel stays have dropped or remained flat in recent months, a study by the city’s nonpartisan Independent Budget Office found. The office said it was due to a “combination of things,” including the popularity of sites like Airbnb.
Read the story from the New York Daily News
Montana ranch joins Unique Lodges: Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana, joined National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World. The 101-year-old lodge offers fly-fishing and tours of Yellowstone National Park.
Garden Inn sold: The KCK Hotel Group LLC sold the Hilton Garden Inn Kansas City, Kansas, to a partnership between the city and a private entity. The property was sold to an affiliate of Fairwood Capital, and HP Hotels has assumed the management of the hotel. The purchase price was not disclosed.