Briefs: Global pipeline | Albanian luxury play
Global pipeline: According to Lodging Econometrics’ Global Construction Pipeline Trend Report, the total pipeline is 12,427 projects/2,084,940 rooms, up 8% by projects year over year. Under construction: 5,885 projects/1,086,966 rooms, up 9%; projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months stand at 3,723 projects/538,061 rooms, up 6%; and projects in early planning is 2,819 projects/459,913 rooms, up 8%. Leading franchise company is Marriott International; the leading franchise brand is IHG’s Holiday Inn Express with 616 projects/72,370 rooms. Chinese cities – Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, top the pipeline. LE’s Asia Pacific pipeline report, excluding China, has 1,798 projects/364,579 rooms, up 15%. The top three countries are Indonesia, with 446/77,049; India with 230/36,329; and Japan, with 206/40,509. AccorHotels has 251 projects/53,343 rooms, Marriott International has 246/56,626 and IHG has 118/27,621.
Clifton Inn acquired: Washington, D.C.-based Westmount Capital Group and Richmond, Virginia-based EKG acquired the Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia; Scout Hotel & Resort Management has been retained as the operator. Sales price and seller were not named.
Albanian development play: Albania wants to attract 5-star hotel brands with tax breaks, including scrapping profit and property taxes. It’s being prompted by an increase in travel and tourism, which accounted for 8.4% of gross domestic product in 2016.
Le Meridien Frankfurt acquired: First Sponsor Group is entering Germany with the acquisition of the Le Meridien Frankfurt Hotel. The company and key shareholders City Developments and Tai Tak Estates are paying about €85 million (US$100.2 million).
Read more in the Straits Times
Ducasse at Raffles: Chef Alain Ducasse is opening a restaurant at Singapore’s Raffles Hotel in 2019. Ducasse, who opened a restaurant in Hong Kong earlier this year, didn’t go into details on the concept, expected to open in 2019.
25hours in Italy: 25hours will open its first Italian property in 2020. The 173-room 25hours Firenze will be designed by Milan-based Genius Loci Architettura and interior designer Paola Navone in a former bank building dating to 1800.
Read more in Hospitality Design
Cannes’ Martinez to rebrand: Cannes’ Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez will re-open in spring as Hotel Martinez and will join The Unbound Collection, Hyatt Hotels announced. It will be the second in the collection in Europe.
Sushi suing: New York’s Sushi Nakazawa is the subject of a class-action suit accusing the restaurant’s co-owners of refusing to pay employees minimum wage and for misappropriating tips. The pair plan to open a second outpost in Trump Tower in New York City.