Life House partners with 388 Ventures: New York-based real estate investor 388 Ventures has closed on the acquisition of a portfolio of historic bed-and-breakfasts in Lenox, Massachusetts. The portfolio was assembled through three separate off-market transactions and encompasses 65-rooms and suites, a restaurant, bar and various inspiring public space areas. 388 Ventures has partnered with boutique hotel company Life House, who will provide branding, interior design, and hotel and restaurant management services. The properties will undergo cosmetic renovations and improvements ahead of re-launching as a cohesive collection in spring 2022.
Tata expands in KSA: Indian multinational conglomerate Tata is looking to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia, a 340-room luxury development coming up in Makkah slated to open in 2022 — with a number of other locations being looked at for future expansion.
Hyatt expanding in India: Hyatt Hotels Corp. will grow its brand footprint in India – one of Hyatt’s top three growth markets globally – by more than 70% by 2023. With over 20 executed managed and franchised agreements, the company will add more than 3,600 keys to its existing portfolio of 32 Hyatt-branded hotels across eight distinct brands in the country.
Virgin in Glasgow: Virgin Hotels will open and operate a new hotel in Glasgow, Scotland. Expected to open in 2022, Virgin Hotels Glasgow will be the brand’s second Scottish hotel to be signed and will be self-managed. The 242-room property will have multiple F&B outlets, including the brand’s signature culinary experience Commons Club, a restaurant, bar and modern social club, as well as the Funny Library Coffee Shop and a communal work space.
DoveHill adds 6 to portfolio: DoveHill Capital Management, a vertically integrated hospitality investment firm and development organization, announced its recent preferred equity investment in six new hotel properties spanning the East Coast with a value totaling more than US$28 million. With the addition of three hotels in Pennsylvania, one in New York City, one in North Carolina, and one in Maryland, DoveHill’s portfolio now encompasses 14 properties in North America, including a concentration on the East Coast. Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based DoveHill continues to seek out investments in full-service lifestyle properties focusing on value-add and other strategies to enhance properties and create differentiated advantages.
1 Hotels and Audi partner: Audi of America is now the exclusive automotive partner of 1 Hotels in the U.S., including New York, Miami and Los Angeles. From 2021 through 2023, the Audi e-tron will serve as the Official Electric Vehicle of 1 Hotels properties in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Hotel guests will be able to experience the Audi e-tron through guest shuttles and chauffeured drives.
Expedia’s new virtual agent: An arm of Expedia has launched a virtual agent for both partners and travelers.?Integrated into Expedia for Partners?template,?the new virtual agent?technology is aimed at helping travelers more easily resolve?requests?on amenities like breakfast and parking for?a?particular hotel or canceling a flight should plans change.?For travel agents using?Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program, the virtual agent aims to help??save time by allowing them to?cancel?bookings or check the status of?a?traveler’s?refund.??To date,?45%?of travelers?have?used the tool to cancel their trip, one in five (20%) have?reconfirmed their lodging,?and 20%?have viewed their booking?using the?online chat tool.
Italy imposes five-day quarantine: Italy will impose a mandatory five-day coronavirus quarantine for people arriving or returning from trips to European Union countries until April 6, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Travelers must also take a COVID-19 test at the end of the quarantine period. Similar measures were already in place for trips to countries outside the European Union. The decree will be effective the day after its publication either March 30 evening or March 31, a ministry spokesman said. The decree came after the hotel industry complained that while travel between Italy’s 20 regions was virtually barred, travel within the EU was allowed with some restrictions.
Employer’s ranking report: Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne’s annual Young Hoteliers Summit once again published its Employer’s Ranking report, collecting job-related information from young talents within the hospitality industry. This year, 428 students and alumni of over 93 universities around the world, of 57 different nationalities gave their opinions on how organizations handled COVID-19 and the associated working conditions. The responses indicated that those who were employed at the peak of the pandemic, 72% experienced layoffs, furloughs, or other kinds of difficulties. Moreover, 60% of employees below the age of 30 in the hospitality industry preferred traditional working styles over the remote alternative. Another interesting finding is that since 2020, 5% less students are looking to apply for an entry level position post-graduation as the proportion of young hoteliers wishing to continue their studies has more than doubled compared to 2017 suggesting companies should incorporate management training programs.
Radisson’s new COVID testing: Radisson Hotel Group has launched a new COVID-19 testing program for guests and for meetings and events. The testing program builds on the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol launched in 2020. In addition, upon full implementation of the program every hotel will be able to provide guests with the option to visit an easily accessible and affordable PCR testing location, either at the hotel site or in its vicinity.
Nassau/Pi Hotels suffer 90% room revenue decline: Nassau/Paradise Island hotels suffered a 90% year-over-year decline in January room revenues to highlight just how slow the initial post-COVID rebound actually was. While that revival now seems to be gaining some momentum as the industry heads into its traditional Easter peak, the Central Bank’s report on February’s monthly economic developments exposed just how dire the post-New Year performance was by revealing that total visitor arrivals for the prior month were down 96.6 percent — a year-over-year fall of 663,000.