TripAdvisor transparency: TripAdvisor on Tuesday published its first Review Transparency Report, revealing that 66 million reviews were submitted in 2018 and 4.7% of all review submissions were rejected or removed. Fully 2.1% of the reviews were determined to be fraudulent, and the vast majority of those (73%) were blocked before they were posted, it reported. This equated to over 1 million fake reviews that were prevented from being displayed on TripAdvisor. It said fewer than 1% of reviews were flagged by users or businesses for potentially violating TripAdvisor guidelines. Also, 34,643 businesses were subject to a ranking penalty, which is a reduction of a property’s position within the popularity or traveler ranking. Ranking penalties are applied when a business is caught attempting to post fake reviews.
Blackstone circling MGM Resorts? Blackstone Group is in advanced talks to buy and lease back the Bellagio and MGM Grand Las Vegas casinos from MGM Resorts International, according to Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The terms of the potential deal weren’t known, and representatives for Blackstone and MGM Resorts declined to comment. MGM Resorts has been considering a sale-leaseback arrangement for the past few months for its properties, the news service said.
Dorian’s impact: Most key hotel markets in Florida, especially those in coastal areas, saw significant demand declines as Hurricane Dorian threatened the southeastern seaboard, according to an analysis from STR’s Consulting & Analytics team. Demand losses around Dorian were greater for Florida markets than those recorded in the Carolinas. For the seven-day period of August 30 through September 5, the Florida Keys (-50.1%) reported the largest demand decline followed by Daytona Beach, Florida (-37.4%); Savannah, Georgia (-30.4%); and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (-30.0%). The largest increases in the metric came in Macon/Warner Robins, Georgia (+49.5%), and Augusta, Georgia (+27.6%). The Florida Keys (-59.4%) and Daytona Beach (-47.0%) reported the steepest declines in RevPAR. Macon/Warner Robins (+79.4%) and Augusta (+42.9%) posted the largest gains.
Mandarin to Nanjing: Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will manage a 106-room luxury hotel in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province in China, scheduled to open in 2022. The hotel will form part of a wider mixed-use development owned by Nanjing Shengxiangyuan Property Development Co. Ltd., an affiliated company of Hongkong Land, in partnership with China Merchants Group and Country Garden Group. In addition to the hotel, the development will comprise premium retail space and residential luxury homes.
Ducasse at Raffles: Chef Alain Ducasse is making his debut in Singapore at the historic, 122-year-old Bar & Billiard Room of the iconic Raffles Singapore. BBR by Alain Ducasse is a modern Mediterranean restaurant, and is Ducasse’s first Mediterranean sharing and grill concept presented in South East Asia.
Radisson grows in Africa: Radisson Hotel Group has signed its second Radisson Red in South Africa. Scheduled to open early 2021, the new-build, 222-room Radisson Red Johannesburg Rosebank will bring the group’s African portfolio to almost 100 hotels in operation and under development. The hotel will be located in Oxford Park, a mixed-use precinct comprising offices, apartments and supporting retail and restaurants.
Aparium adds Des Moines: Aparium Hotel Group, Chicago will open the Surety Hotel in Des Moines, Iowa, in Spring 2020. The 138-room hotel is positioned in the heart of downtown Des Moines’ historic financial and insurance district. The hotel, aptly named after a surety bond, is a revival of a Beaux-Arts Classicism style architectural gem built for The Iowa Loan & Trust Company in 1913.
Hotel Group grows in Washington: The Hotel Group is expanding its portfolio with the addition of the Hilton Garden Inn Redmond, located in Redmond, Washington. The property is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2020 and will be THG’s seventh Hilton branded hotel in the Pacific Northwest. The six-story, 177-room property, located in the heart of Redmond, which is well known as the home of Microsoft.