Azul’s portfolio expansion: Azul Hospitality Group, San Diego, California, has added all eight Seaview Investor hotels to its portfolio of managed assets. The eight-property 1,403-room portfolio consists mostly of Marriott and Hilton-branded limited-service hotels, including four at the Los Angeles International Airport and two in Beverly Hills California. The partnership between Azul and Seaview Investors will give these properties access to Azul’s array of resources and approach to management to ensure an increase in the portfolio’s profitability. Azul primarily focuses on upscale hotels and resorts with unique destination and product attributes.
ITC develops lifestyle brand: India’s ITC Ltd. in its annual report on Tuesday announced plans to develop a boutique lifestyle brand called Storii, a curated travel experience for new age travelers. It will be an asset-light brand with management contracts being the focus of development.
Centara signs Oman management deal: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Bangkok, and Muscat-based Ibn Saleh Al Hashmi Construction have signed a management agreement for the 64-key Al Hail Waves in Muscat. The management will come into effect from January 1, 2022, after which Centara will start refurbishing the property. This will be Ibn Saleh Al Hashmi Construction’s third hotel project awarded to Centara, after Muscat Dunes Hotel and Centara Muscat Hotel Oman. Centara currently has 84 properties in operation.
Chains connect to Tripadvisor Plus: Tripadvisor announced that three hotel groups, with a combined portfolio of close to 500 properties, are among the first hotel chains to connect directly to Tripadvisor Plus. Tripadvisor Plus, an annual subscription, was launched to travelers in the U.S. on June 16. Members of Tripadvisor Plus can avail special room rates and guest perks, like welcome gifts, dining and spa credits and late check-out. For the participating hotels, Tripadvisor Plus provides access to new, high value customers they can remarket to directly, at zero commission fee.
AHLA promotes hotel careers: The American Hotel & Lodging Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, has launched an advertising campaign across five major hotel markets to help fill almost 100,000 open hotel jobs and communicate the benefits of a career in the hotel industry. The advertisement will run until early August on digital platforms, radio and in print in select markets. As leisure travel picks up pace and helps create employment opportunities, the hotel industry is looking to offer 200 career paths with transferable skills that will enable employees to move across positions across the global hotel industry. The HotelsareHiring.com portal will provide resources for job seekers to help them learn about the industry and apply for jobs.
Hilton’s lifetime achievement award: Carlos Rodriguez, the Miami-based founder and CEO of Driftwood Capital, has received the 2020 Hilton Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions and lasting achievements with Hilton and the hospitality industry as a whole. Driftwood Capital is a commercial real estate investment, development and lending platform specializing in hospitality, which allows accredited investors to co-invest in a cash-flowing institutional hotel property post-closing. Rodriguez has previously been the chairman and CEO of Cardel Hotels, which merged with Driftwood Hospitality Management in 2003. The annual Hilton Legacy Awards celebrates owners and development partners in the Americas for their contribution towards brand excellence and development efforts.