Marriott construction pipeline: Lodging Econometrics reports that at year-end 2016, Marriott International had the biggest pipeline in the U.S. of any franchise company, with 1,301 projects/167,641 rooms. After its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott’s total pipeline room count increased 35%.
Virgin in San Francisco: Virgin Hotels announced that it is opening a property in San Francisco, to be managed by Virgin and developed by Paradigm Hotels Group. The 196-room hotel is expected to open this summer.
Houdré elected: The Hotel Association of New York City named longtime hotelier Hervé Houdré, GM at the InterContinental New York Barclay, as chairman in announcing its slate of officers for 2017-18. Houdré, ming years.” Houdré was named HOTELS’ 2006 Independent Hotelier of the World.
Hilton stock repurchase: Hilton Worldwide authorized a stock repurchase of up to US$1 billion.
AHIC on catalysts for change: The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference released a webinar ahead of its April meeting addressing 10 trends shaping the local hospitality investment landscape, including diversification of revenue, demand for more affordable rooms, and distribution, along with expert interviews.
Cairns investment: Crystalbrook Collection, a northern Australia hotel company, is investing in three hotels in Cairns, Queensland: a 311-room hotel tower that will open next year, a 222-room hotel to open in early 2019, and a 300-room hotel opening later in 2019. The three will be self-managed.
Luxury Collection in Tasmania: Marriott International’s Luxury Collection signed an agreement with Trawalla Group Parliament Square Hotel Operator Pty Ltd. to open a hotel in Hobart, Tasmania, in 2018. The 128-room hotel, which Marriott will manage, will be composed of 19th-century heritage buildings that will undergo a renovation.
Hotel fire kills 10: A fire at a hotel in the Chinese city of Nanchang killed 10 people trapped inside, including construction workers whose renovation work triggered the fire, according to news sources. The hotel was identified as the HNA Platinum Mix Hotel.
Sixty president: Sixty Hotels named Kevin Osterhaus president. The company owns five boutique hotels in New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Most recently, Osterhaus was executive vice president, operations, at Standard International.
China Lodging purchase: A subsidiary of China Lodging Group entered a share purchase agreement to acquire the equity interest of Crystal Orange Hotel Holdings Limited. Crystal Orange has more than 100 hotels in China.