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Briefs: Koh Samui returns | Rockbridge, Summit buy

Koh Samui reopening: Koh Samui in Thailand will reopen to international, fully-vaccinated travelers from July 15, based on the Samui Plus program. Koh Phangan and Koh Too will also reopen on the same day, based on the progress of the recent Phuket Sandbox reopening. The government is testing a hybrid model, where travelers will be required to quarantine at a hotel for three days, which will allow them island-wide free access from the fourth day onwards. Over 60 hotels have been certified in the SHA Plus safety and health program, according to hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks’ research. Bangkok Airways has confirmed three domestic daily ‘sealed route’ flights from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport from mid-July. International travelers will be required to fly via Bangkok and transit on these designated flights.  

Rockbridge expands in Florida panhandle: Rockbridge, Columbus, Ohio, has acquired the 331-room Island Resort in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Rockbridge acquired the property from the original owner, who recently invested US$20 million to fund renovations. Aimbridge Hospitality, who operates several other Rockbridge properties and currently operates 74 hotels in Florida, will operate the resort.

Summit Hotel Properties completes acquisition: Summit Hotel Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, announced the completion of the acquisition of the 110-room Residence Inn by Marriott Steamboat Springs in Colorado for US$33 million through its joint venture with GIC, a sovereign wealth fund established by the Government of Singapore. Summit Hotel funded its 51% interest in the acquisition using roughly US$17 million of cash on-hand. The company has nearly US$425 million of total liquidity and over US$150 million of current investment capacity permitted under credit facility amendments to pursue more investment opportunities. The portfolio of Summit Hotel Properties consists of 73 hotels, 61 of which are wholly owned, 11,398 guest rooms across 23 states.

Radisson’s new property in China: Radisson Hotel Group has signed a new 280-room Radisson Blu property in Changyuan, a rapidly emerging city in China’s Henan province. The hotel is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2024. It will form part of a major new mixed-use project in Puxi, the city’s new CBD. The hotel is being developed by Henan Xunchi Real Estate Co., which is part of the Yilong Group.

Bvlgari hotel development challenged: An LLC owned by the Nakash family and the Setai Resort & Residences Condominium Association in Miami Beach, Florida, filed a lawsuit challenging zoning amendments and the vacation of a right-of-way made by the City of Miami Beach to enable the development of the first Bvlgari Hotel in the U.S. BHI Miami Ltd. plans to renovate the Seagull Hotel into an ultra-luxury hotel and has sought a zoning change to allow rooftop and ground floor additions. In its suit, the Nakash’s Setai Hotel Acquisition, which owns the 88 rooms in the Dempsey-Vanderbilt Hotel and the newer oceanfront tower, claims it has protected ocean views across the Seagull Hotel property, which will be blocked if the Bvlgari is built as approved, a “taking” of their property rights.

The Bradley to open soon: The Bradley in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a 124-room boutique hotel created in a 50-50 partnership with Portland, Oregon-based Provenance hotels and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, co-founder of fashion label Vera Bradley, will open from July 15. The US$28 million new-build hotel also features nine suites, a rotating art gallery and two restaurants, including a rooftop bar. The hotel’s design concept was led by Dutch East Design, a New York-based interior design and branding firm. Provenance specializes in independent hotels and their portfolio includes 14 properties around the U.S.

Mondrian Residences in Australia: Mondrian Residences Gold Coast, the first Mondrian Residences in Australia and first Mondrian Residences outside of North America, has sold more than US$231 million worth of luxury residential apartments in six months. Sales contracts on all 84 residential apartments have now been signed. Accor’s first internationally branded residences in Australia includes the luxury Mondrian Gold Coast hotel, which will service the Residences and is being managed by Accor. The 25-level residential tower comprises 84 two, three and four-bedroom apartments, including nine sky homes and 11 penthouses. Mondrian Gold Coast, which is being developed by Burleigh Heads, has 80 meters of ocean frontage. Prices start from AU$799,000 for two-bedroom apartments, through to AU$3,800,000 for three-bedroom sky homes, with four-bedroom penthouses upwards of AU$4,890,000 to the ultimate full-floor penthouses starting at AU$10,500,000. Accor global chief executive officer, lifestyle brands, Gaurav Bhushan said: “This is a very important step in the evolution of the Mondrian brand and demonstrates its global appeal to residential buyers. It reinforces our conviction that branded residences are integral to Mondrian’s growth strategy here in Asia Pacific and around the world.” 

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