Airbnb strikes tax deal in L.A.: Airbnb signed a deal with Los Angeles city budget and tax officials to start collecting lodging taxes from rental hosts. The city had reportedly been banking on more than US$5 million in revenue from rentals for the budget year that began in July. The deal will go into effect in August.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times
W Hotels to debut in Scotland: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will debut its W Hotels brand in Scotland with W Edinburgh. Scheduled to open in 2021, the 214-room, 12-story hotel will be part of TH Real Estate’s Edinburgh St. James scheme.
Hawkeye acquires in St. Louis: Hawkeye Hotels purchased the Omni Majestic Hotel in St. Louis for an undisclosed amount. The hotel group plans to completely refurbish and rebrand the hotel, originally built in 1913.
Read more at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Lowell Hotel to open Majorelle: The Lowell Hotel in New York City will open Majorelle restaurant with Charles Masson and Christian Delouvrier. Scheduled to open early this fall, the restaurant is named after Yves Saint Laurent’s gardens in Marrakech and will offer a French menu accented by flavors from Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea.
Middle East, Africa spa market: According to a recent report by Euromonitor International, the spa market in the Middle East and Africa is valued at AED11 billion (US$3 billion) in 2016. The UAE shares over 14% of this market with a value of AED1.59 billion (US$435 million), with hotel and resort spas most common in this region. UAE hotels report 60% of total spa visitors are residents who are not staying on the property.
Geolo Capital names COO, principal: Geolo Capital promoted Omar Palacios from chief financial officer to chief operating officer, and hired Ben Gottlieb as principal. Previously, Gottlieb was vice president, acquisitions, at AJ Capital Partners.