Katara, Accor partner in Qatar: Qatar’s Katara Hospitality will partner with Accor to develop Raffles and Fairmont hotels in Qatar. Katara Hospitality already own several landmark hotels managed by Accor, with these properties set to open in 2022. Once complete, the arched “Towers in Lusail” will host a 5-star hotel with 361 rooms and suites, in addition to a “6-star” hotel with 132 suites and 49 branded apartments.
Edition Madrid sells: Archer Hotel Capital reportedly announced the forward-purchase of the 200-key Edition Hotel in Madrid for €200 million (US$1.2 million per key), according to PropertyEU. The Marriott-managed hotel is due to open later this year. Archer is a joint venture hospitality investment vehicle of APG, the Netherlands-based pension fund, and GIC, the Singapore-based sovereign wealth fund.
Prime Group lands $140M in refinancing: Chicago ccupancy is hovering at just under 30%, but a new refinancing deal on a downtown property may offer hope for the future. A venture controlled by Chicago-based Prime Group secured a US$141 million loan on its 381-key Residence Inn Chicago Downtown. It is one of the few downtown hotels to snag a new loan in the last year, according to the Real Deal report. The debt includes senior and mezzanine loans on its 38-story building. Prime CEO Michael Reschke did not name the lender on the new debt, or provide its term.
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Dusit’s 11th resort in China: Bangkok-based Dusit International, represented in China by Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts, has signed a management agreement with Fengshun Jindebao Kaiyue International Hot Springs Hotel Co. to rebrand and manage its property under the new name of Dusit Princess Hot Springs Resort Fengshun, Guangdong, starting this April. The 190-room resort first opened in 2014.
New Zealand’s Huka Lodge acquired: Australia-based luxury lodge operator Baillie Lodges has purchased the Huka Lodge on the outskirts of Taupo in New Zealand for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition would be Baillie’s second international property following the Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge in late 2020. The transaction comes after successful negotiations between the Huka Retreats’ parent company and Baillie Lodges. The acquisition has been reviewed and approved by New Zealand’s Overseas Investment Office.
Kempinski grows in Tanzania: Kempinski Hotels has signed management contracts for three luxury properties — two lodges and a high-end tented camp, both which will open in 2023. The Kempinski Msasa Lodge Lake Manyara has 19 tents with a terrace and outdoor showers, two junior suite tents with an outside pool as well as two family tents with two rooms. The 75-room Kempinski Longosa Lodge Serengeti will be located in Serengeti National Park and the 75-room Kempinski Kitbong Hill Tarangire will be located in Tarangire National Park.
Google fined $1M for misleading rankings: Google has agreed to pay a fine of €1.1 million (US$1.3 million) after French authorities concluded the search engine displayed “misleading” rankings for French hotels. Previously, Google used the official source Atout France as well as input from other hotel-industry websites in its algorithm to rank hotels from one to five stars. After receiving complaints from hoteliers about Google’s rankings, the French government’s fraud and competition agency launched an investigation in 2019 and 2020.
Trump’s Manhattan properties: New York prosecutors are investigating financial dealings around some of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s signature Manhattan properties, extending the known range of the criminal probe of the former president and his company, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Manhattan prosecutors are reportedly examining loans Trump took out on his flagship Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower; 40 Wall St., an art deco skyscraper in New York City’s Financial District; Trump International Hotel and Tower, a hotel and condominium building at Columbus Circle; and Trump Plaza, an apartment building on Manhattan’s East Side.
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Suncity plans $1B casino hotel in Manila: China-based investment group Suncity Group Holdings announced this week that it will spend approximately US$1 billion to build a casino resort in Manila’s Entertainment City. A year ago, Suncity Group signed a 45-year lease agreement with Westside City to own and operate a hotel and casino in the development. At that time, Suncity revealed its casino floor would span 473,612 square feet and include 1,200 slot machines and 400 table games. The hotel component will offer 400 guest rooms. Suncity said it hopes to open the casino resort in early 2023.
UK quarantines begin: The first travelers required to stay at quarantine hotels have begun arriving in the UK. All British and Irish citizens and UK residents who arrive in England after being in a high-risk COVID country now have to self-isolate in hotels. They have to pre-book and pay £1,750 (US$2,422) to spend 10 days in government-sanctioned hotels. The cost covers the hotel stay, transport and testing. The government has defended the arrangements in England after questions were raised about the ability of passengers from “red list” countries to mingle with other travelers on flights and at airports before being moved to their accommodation.
Business travel in post-pandemic Europe: According to a new European Travel Commission report, in-person meetings will remain a key tenet of business relationships, even if digital meetings replace some proportion of business activity. Despite distribution challenges, the roll-out of vaccines has provided some grounds for optimism for 2021 projections and, together with improved testing regimes, is expected to stimulate consumer confidence and hasten the easing of movement restrictions. Nevertheless, the report says, a return to typical international travel demand patterns will be gradual and apparent towards the second half of the year, with 2019 levels only reached fully by 2023.
U.S. Travel reacts to airlines’ White House meeting: U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the meeting between U.S. airlines’ chief executives and White House coronavirus response officials:
“The high cost and low availability of testing make a domestic testing mandate a challenging concept to put into practice. Based on January 2021 data, a testing requirement for domestic air travel would necessitate a 42% increase in daily testing capacity nationwide—a substantial use of testing resources when air travel has already been shown to be safer than many other routine activities. The recent implementation of a mask mandate adds another enforceable layer of health and safety protection to the travel process. Scientific studies have shown that air travel can be safe as long as everyone carefully follows best health practices—wear a mask, practice physical distancing whenever possible, wash hands frequently and stay home if you are sick. We are also encouraging Americans to get the COVID vaccine as soon as it is available to them.”
The critical roles travel and tourism play: A new report from the World Travel and Tourism Council focuses on the role travel and tourism play in driving the global economy and enhancing social progress. In 2019, 330 million people were employed by the sector, with it accounting for one in four new jobs created in the last five years. Unlike many other sectors, the report says that the travel and tourism is highly inclusive, employing and offering opportunities to people from all walks of life, including minorities, youth, and women, who account for 54% of the sector’s employment.