Blackstone’s US$6.5B Crown bid rejected: Australia’s Crown Resorts has rejected as too low an A$8.4 billion (US$6.5 billion) takeover offer from New York’s Blackstone Group, handing the advantage to Blackstone’s rival Star Entertainment Group, based in Brisbane, Australia. Directors unanimously decided that Blackstone’s bid undervalued the company and there was additional uncertainty about the timing and regulatory approval for any deal, according to reporting from Bloomberg. Crown said it discussed the proposal with Blackstone, watchdogs and its own shareholders.
Marriott sues robocallers: Marriott International on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in federal court in Virginia against the unknown perpetrators (“John Does”) responsible for illegal and fraudulent “robocalls” misusing Marriott’s name. The suit claims these bad actors are using Marriott’s brand for their own commercial gain in violation of state and federal laws. Marriott will aggressively pursue the identities of the robocallers to halt these illegal acts affecting Marriott customers and others. Marriott, its customers and the American public at large have been aggressively targeted by these robocallers. To induce consumers to purchase the promotion, the robocallers falsely represent that they are agents or employees of Marriott. Illegal robocalls in the U.S. fraudulently claiming to be from Marriott increased dramatically in 2020 — to a peak of seven million per month.
Dusit Q1 results: Bangkok-based Dusit Thani Public Co. Ltd. has reported its Q1 2021 results, with total revenue of THB 1.311 billion (US$42 million) a 3.9% YoY increase from THB 1.262 billion (US$40 million) and net profit of THB 74 million (US$2.4 million), increase from the net loss of THB 82 million (US$2.6 million) reported last year. The company said it has responded to the challenges facing its domestic hotel business by adjusting its operations to drive non-room revenue. This includes creating and promoting on-demand housekeeping, pop-up eateries and food delivery services. Dust is also driving core hotel revenue by offering a remote work package.
DDG launches new venture: New York developer DDG Partners is bringing its American and French subsidiaries under one company called Azur, which is kicking off development with two major ground-up developments in Chicago, a land acquisition in Miami and plans for a rental development in New York City, according to reporting from Bisnow. DDG CEO Joseph McMillan said the growth the company plans to pursue, specifically in North America, will be multifamily investments, expanding its rental presence, and to a lesser extent hospitality projects. In Chicago, one of its projects includes a 259-room Standard Hotel.
New booking platform launches: A new North American-oriented booking platform, Vacayou, which has a focus on spa getaways, wellness retreats and active vacations, is in the process of a beta launch and US$3.3M round of funding. The site employs a travel concierge team to help users book as well as a separate team to onboard travel partners. Brands partnering with the company so far include Canyon Ranch, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, Eupepsia Wellness Resort, The Equinox, Hilton Head Health, Intrepid Travel Adventures, Kamalaya Koh Samui, Miraval, Palmaïa – The House of AïA, Shou Sugi Ban House, Six Senses, The Ranch Malibu and YO1 Health Resort.
Stockdale acquires JW Marriott Santa Monica: Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm Stockdale Capital Partners has acquired California’s JW Marriott Santa Monica Le Merigot in a deal that closed May 11. The seller was Columbia Sussex, a privately-owned hotel company based in Crestview Kills, Kentucky. The 175-room Le Merigot is just one of four beachfront hotels in Santa Monica.
Auberge adds luxury resort, Primland: The California-based Auberge Resorts Collection will add the 62-room Primland, an all-season mountain retreat in Virginia, to its portfolio as of June 1. The property, which is made up of standalone cottages, cabins and treehouses, has a championship golf course and one of the largest telescopes and observatories in the Eastern U.S. It also has three regional cuisine restaurants — one newly helmed by Executive Chef Elliot Cunniff from Soho House New York — as well as a two-story wine cellar and private dining experiences.
Mexico’s outbound tourism fell 73% in 2020: The pandemic has crippled Mexican outbound travel, with the number of trips falling by 73%, according to insights from data and analytics company GlobalData. This figure is the second-highest fall in the Americas, after Peru (76%). Despite commercial flights operating throughout the year at limited capacity, many countries were hesitant to open their borders amid Mexico’s high COVID-19 infection and death rate. Ultimately, this has led to a devastating drop in outbound travel which will not recover until 2024, GlobalData says.
UK holiday goers hoard bookings: Many UK holiday goers are booking stays at two or more hotels with a plan to cancel all but one at the last minute, according to reporting from The Guardian. The trend is prompting fears among accommodation businesses of last-minute cancellation “chaos.” Hotel technology provider Avvio said its data shows that UK hotel cancellation rates were at “scarily low” levels as consumers hoarded bookings. For months now, consumers have benefited from the fact that many hotels and have had to offer fully flexible cancellation to attract bookings for this summer and beyond.
UK domestic tourism set to take off: Since travelers are hesitant about international travel, demand for domestic holidays in the UK looks set to skyrocket, GlobalData says. The latest forecasts show that domestic demand will continue to rise in 2021, with visitation only down 17% on 2019 levels. This compared to outbound travel, which is forecast to be down 47.7% on 2019. A GlobalData poll revealed that 43% of UK respondents will consider taking a domestic trip in the next 12 months, higher than the 30% who would not consider traveling at all.
Slovakia, hotel market and COVID impact: Horwath HTL Hungary, in cooperation with the Slovak Hotel Association and Ministry of Transport in Slovakia, has written a snapshot report based on an online sentiment survey conducted amongst Slovakian hoteliers in February 2021. The survey found that more than half of respondents suffered at least 40% loss in their revenue in 2020. Similarly, to other countries in Europe, city hotels suffered a greater loss in terms of revenue than the resorts. The long-term consequences of the crisis are yet to be seen; however, 45% of respondents expect the earliest to recover by 2023.