Hotel siege in Afghanistan: At least 20 people were killed, including 13 foreigners, during an attack on the Hotel Inter-Continental in Kabul, Afghanistan by gunmen over the weekend. About 160 hotel guests were rescued after Afghan troops fought to regain control of the state-owned hotel, a mainstay for foreign visitors. Among the dead were many air crew of the country’s Kam Air, according to news reports. The attack was claimed by the Taliban, according to Reuters. The hotel is not affiliated with IHG’s Intercontinental brand.
Record year for U.S. hotel industry: According to STR, the U.S. hotel industry broke performance records in 2017. Compared with 2016, occupancy rose 0.9% to 65.9%; ADR was up 2.1% to US$126.72; and RevPAR rose 3.0% to US$83.57. The absolute values in those three key performance metrics were each the highest STR has ever benchmarked. Also breaking records: supply (roughly 1.87 billion room nights available) and demand (roughly 1.23 billion room nights sold). Based on percentage growth for the year, demand (+2.7%) significantly outpaced supply (+1.8%), even though the supply growth figure was the largest for the industry since 2009.
Embassy Suites in mixed-use village: Halcyon, a US$370 million, 135-acre mixed-use village development in Forsyth County, Georgia, is adding a Embassy Suites hotel. The 152-room hotel is being developed by Heritage Hospitality Group; an opening date was not given. Halcyon is under construction.
Montage in California: Management company Montage Hotels & Resorts will manage and operate the new Montage Healdsburg, owned by Ohana Real Estate Investors and developed by The Robert Green Company. The 130-room hotel on 258 acres in California’s Sonoma Valley will open in spring 2020. Residences, including single-family homes and custom homes, are part of development plans.
Virgin in Vegas? A news outlet in Las Vegas is reporting that Virgin Hotels is considering buying the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, owned by Brookfield Asset Management. Brookfield is in discussions with an investment group, which would partner with Virgin to operate the hotel.
Union Investment in Poland: Hamburg-based real estate investment manager Union Investment acquired a planned Holiday Inn in Gdansk, Poland. The 240-room hotel is scheduled for completion in mid-2019. The firm also will complete the acquisition of the 256-room Holiday Inn Warsaw City Centre at the end of the month. Total transaction value is €80 million (US$97.7 million). The developer, vendor and operator in both instances is UBM.
Margaritaville development in Bahamas: Margaritaville Holdings plans Margaritaville at The Pointe, a US$250 million, six-acre development in Nassau, Bahamas. It will include a 150-room resort, 150 residences, a marina, water park, spa, entertainment center, F&B and retail. It will open in phases starting in mid-2019. CCA South America is the partner and developer; the company declined to name ownership or the financial structure.
Loyalty trending: IHG’s sixth edition of its trend report focuses on providing a link between brand “provenance” and sustainable hotel growth. The report defines provenance as a brand’s consistent, relevant and distinctive heritage.