Search

×

Briefs: WaterWalk partnership; Apple Leisure to Curacao

Zoëtry to Curacao: Apple Leisure Group, recently acquired by Hyatt Hotels Corp., has a new management deal for Zoëtry Curacao Resort & Spa and will bring the Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts brand to the property. The property will be comprised of 72 renovated rooms from the former Floris Suite Hotel and a new 53-room modular-designed beachfront addition. The resort will open in November, with the Spazio extension opening in November 2022.

Exterior of WaterWalk, Raleigh, North Carolina

WaterWalk partnership: The last concept developed by the late hotelier and extended-stay visionary Jack DeBoer has partnered with an unnamed global investment management firm, which plans to invest more than US$100 million to give further momentum the WaterWalk concept. No further details were given about the partnership but a representative told HOTELS there are currently more than 25 corporate properties in the WaterWalk pipeline and the first single-building Gen 2 project is scheduled to open in Phoenix in late summer 2022. There are currently nine hotels open across eight U.S. markets for the flexible accommodations hotel brand designed to offer customized guest experiences with apartment-style suites. The company is currently led by DeBoer’s granddaughter Mimi Oliver along with Jim Korroch, who co-founded Candlewood Suites with DeBoer in 1995.

Hilton faces boycott over China development: Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, The Council on American-Islamic Relations, has stated that in partnership with more than 40 U.S. and international groups it will boycott Hilton hotel worldwide because of its refusal to stop a deal to license the development of a Hampton hotel on the site of a bulldozed mosque in the Uyghur region of China. In response, a Hilton spokesperson told HOTELS, “Our business model creates opportunities for individual franchise owners spanning 119 countries and territories around the globe. However, this franchise model also limits Hilton’s involvement in the development and management of properties. Hilton does not publicly discuss the details of its business arrangements. However, we can confirm that in 2019 an independent Chinese ownership group purchased a vacant lot through public auction, with plans for commercial development, including a hotel. Hilton was not involved in the site selection.”

Duetto bullish: Distribution tech firm Duetto published its quarterly Pulse Report, which showed up and down results for global hoteliers. It said the U.S.market showed resilient Labor Day business and expects performance to remain elevated through the end of the year. EMEA bookings continue to rebound in September and expect to show gains through the rest of 2021. And in Asia Pacific, consumer confidence is rebounding with business accelerating toward the end of the year.

Comment