Search

×

Briefs: Accor’s US$360M project | Vaccine passport news

Accor signs on to US$360M project: Accor has signed on to a £260 million (US$360 million) project and will begin work this spring on a dual-brand 14-story building in Newcastle, England that houses a Novotel and Ibis hotel. The hotel is part of the ongoing Newcastle Gateshead Wharf Revitalization Plan, a multimillion-pound project, anchored by a huge 12,500-capacity arena. In addition to the arena, there will be two hotels with 327 rooms, a bar, a restaurant, and other public spaces, in addition to a small conference hall, conference and event space. Developer Sir Robert McCarpine has been appointed to offer a plan that includes a 172,000-square-foot hotel, which is expected to begin construction in the spring of 2024. Vine Hotels will then manage the hotel.

Read more

Travelodge’s new chairman: U.K.-based budget hotel chain Travelodge has named leisure industry veteran Martin Robinson as its new chairman. Previously, Robinson spent 17 years at Center Parcs as chief executive of its European business and U.K. chairman, and 10 years on the boards of Disneyland Paris and serviced office specialist Regus – having also chaired organizations such as Holmes Place Health Clubs and Wagamama. He currently chairs the UK business for Burger King, and Parkdean Resorts, which is billed as the UK’s largest holiday park operator.

More from The Scotsman

Menin to Delray Beach: Menin, a developer, owner and manager of commercial real estate properties based in Delray Beach, Florida, has launched The Ray Hotel Delray Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton in Delray Beach, Florida. The 141-room tropical luxury boutique hotel will have food and beverage offerings from San Diego-based hospitality group Clique Hospitality, with an American grill style restaurant, Ember Grill. The property also has a 22,000 square-foot rooftop, as well as 45,000 square-feet of indoor/outdoor event space.

Chesapeake lands two boutique hotels: Chesapeake Hospitality, a third-party hotel management company based in Greenbelt, Maryland, has assumed management of two hotels: The Peregrine Omaha Downtown, Curio Collection by Hilton, located in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Streamline Daytona Beach, located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 89-room Peregrine Omaha Downtown, Curio Collection by Hilton has a rooftop bar, The Takeoff, as well as a restaurant and lounge. The 44-room Streamline Hotel has an outdoor pool, a dinner restaurant, and a rooftop bar.

Practice in Dallas: Dallas, Texas-based Practice Hospitality has assumed management of the Hilton Dallas Park Cities located in the upscale suburb of Park Cities, seven miles north of downtown Dallas. The company was selected by owner Woodbine Development Corp. of Dallas to manage the 230-room property. The property also features a rooftop heated pool, fitness center available by appointment, and over 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Valor managing in the Middle East: The global, full-service Valor Hospitality Partners is expanding into the Middle East with the addition of Hyatt Regency hotel Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The new property is a partnership between Hyatt, a Hyatt affiliate and a franchise agreement with Metric Ventures, which is owned by Murari Lal Jalan, chairman at MJ Developers. Set to open in 2022, the 223-room hotel will be the second Hyatt Regency hotel in Uzbekistan.

Chicago’s Essex gets a rebrand: Oxford Hotels & Resorts, the Chicago-based hotel management affiliate of Oxford Capital Group, is rebranding Chicago’s Hotel Essex as Le Méridien Essex Chicago. The property, owned by an Oxford joint venture with Quadrum Global, and managed by Oxford Hotels & Resorts, will continue to operate as an independent hotel until it officially joins the Marriott Bonvoy collection this summer.

Booking Holdings CEO is pro-vaccine passports: As more people are immunized against the coronavirus, so-called vaccine passports would make it safer for people to travel, according to Glenn Fogel, the CEO of travel company Booking Holdings. In the U.S., the Biden administration has indicated that it wants to set up a system of providing documentation of a person’s vaccination status, which can help make it easier to tell who’s protected against the virus and who’s not, but it’s unclear how this will play out. Several airlines have also voiced their support for documenting vaccinations. However, there are also critics of vaccine passports for a number of reasons, ranging from privacy concerns to scientific reasons to equity issues.

More from CNBC

UK to ease lockdown, test vaccine passports: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday that Britain’s move out of a three-month lockdown remains on track even as coronavirus cases surge elsewhere in Europe. He also said some businesses will be allowed to reopen next week. Johnson said it’s too soon to decide, however, whether U.K. residents will be able to have summer trips abroad. He confirmed that the government will test out a contentious “vaccine passport” system — a way for people to offer proof they have protection from COVID-19 — as a tool to help travel and large events return safely.

Read more

Australia, New Zealand to start quarantine-free travel: Australian and New Zealand residents will be able to travel between the two nations without having to quarantine, starting April 19. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the move April 6. Since October, New Zealand travelers have been allowed to enter most Australian states without quarantine, though this had not been reciprocated. Both nations have since contained COVID outbreaks and kept infection rates near zero.

More from the BBC

Travel association touts new CDC guidelines: The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has praised the updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that says fully vaccinated people can now resume travel at low risk to themselves. The CDC’s decision also eliminates some testing and quarantine recommendations for travelers who are fully vaccinated.

“Today’s decision by the CDC is an enormous step forward for business travel in the U.S. and around the world,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA. “By all reports, we are seeing an increasing willingness to travel, especially among travelers who already have been vaccinated against COVID-19. We will continue to work with world leaders, business decision makers, our 9,000 members globally and stakeholders across the travel sector to safely and efficiently get business travelers back on the road when they’re ready.”

Pebblebrook reopens five: Bethesda, Maryland-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has recently reopened operations at the following five hotels:

  • Argonaut Hotel San Francisco
  • Harbor Court Hotel San Francisco
  • Hotel Monaco Washington DC
  • Hotel Zelos San Francisco
  • Revere Hotel Boston Common

With these reopenings, the company has now reopened 44 of the 52 hotels and resorts in its portfolio. These 44 properties accounted for 86% of the Pebblebrook’s 2019 Hotel EBITDA. The company’s remaining suspended hotels are expected to reopen in the coming weeks and months as demand recovers.

Read more

What will shape the future of hospitality? In a recent report from Horwath HTL Spain, the company takes a close look at how all hospitality companies will need to realign their businesses to deal with the current needs and desires of the market. It additionally offers insights for hotel developers and investors to bear in mind when planning new hotel projects. The report classifies seven different categories of changing consumer behaviors worth considering as the industry looks for ways to respond to the market. Those categories include health and safety, wellness, consumption and spending, and digitalization, among others.

Read the full report

Comment