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Briefs: Oyo moves into co-working | Kimpton to Mexico

Oyo expansion unabated: Oyo Hotels & Homes has announced plans to expand into the co-working space with Oyo Workspaces. Led by Rohit Kapoor, the new brand already is operational in 10 cities across India with 20 co-working centers that can accommodate more than 15,000 people. Kapoor said Oyo plans to have 50 Workspaces open by the end of 2019 and added that is has finalized its acquisition of co-working start-up Innov8 for about US$30 million. Innov8 is one of the three in-house brands that is part of Oyo Workspaces. The other two brands — Workflo and Powerstation — are aimed at people on a tighter budget. A user could access one of these co-working spaces for as low as US$102 a month.

Read Live Mint report

Kimpton to Mexico: Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will unveil their first properties in Mexico in 2020 with the opening of two adaptive reuse project (one with 32 rooms and the other with 48 rooms) in the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City. The two hotels are owned by ZKC, a real estate investment fund specializing in Mexico City real estate developments. ZKC is developing the hotels in partnership with VineTower Development, LLC (development manager), Ambrosi Etchegaray (architect) and Arquitectura de Interiores (interior designer).

Minor sues Marriott: In a July 12 letter to the president of The Stock Exchange of Thailand, Minor International Public Co. Ltd. announced that it has, through its 100% subsidiary MI Squared Ltd., initiated legal action in Thailand against Marriott International and its Thai subsidiary Luxury Hotels & Resorts (Thailand) Ltd. Minor claims wrongful acts were committed by Marriott in the course of its management of the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, which is owned by Minor. Minor, which would not offer additional comments to HOTELS, has made a claim against Marriott in the initial amount of THB 570,605,134 (approximately US$18,446,100). In its claim, Minor highlights a number of acts, which it believes constitute breaches of Thai law by Marriott. Minor’s claim has been accepted by the Thai court and is now in process. HOTELS also reached out to Marriott for comment but has of Tuesday afternoon had not yet received a response.

Hope for Brand USA: At a time when America’s share of the global travel market is slipping, a Senate bill to reauthorize Brand USA, the organization charged with marketing the U.S. as an international travel destination, was introduced on Tuesday. The legislation would extend the organization’s funding mechanism—currently set to expire next year—through 2027. According to a return-on-investment study released earlier this year by Oxford Economics, Brand USA’s marketing efforts over the past six years have generated 6.6 million incremental international visitors to the U.S.; US$22 billion in visitor spending; US$47.7 billion total economic impact; and support for an average of 52,000 incremental American jobs every year.

PM takes 20th brand: PM Hotel Group, Chevy Chase, Maryland, has broadened its portfolio of managed brands to include Hyatt Hotels Corp. after being named the manager of the Hyatt Place King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. PM’s footprint now includes 20 hotel brands, as well as a collection of independent and historic properties.

Read PR Newswire report

Hotel Equities grows: Hotel Equities, Atlanta, has been named manager of the Four Points by Sheraton Charlotte Lake Norman in North Carolina. The recently purchased 101-room hotel is owned by Lake Norman NIA, LLC, a joint venture between Virginia-based TLTsolutions and North Carolina-based Second Line Investments (in association with The Calhoun Group Realty).

Historic UK hotel sells: The 72-room Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth, UK, has been sold by co-owners Jonathan Morcom and Walter Combstock in a multi-million pound deal to Singapore-based developer Fragrance Group. The hotel has in turn been leased to boutique operator Bespoke Hotels, which already operates some 70 hotels in the region.

Read Plymouth Herald report

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