Making a haul
The international hospitality industry is gaining momentum in terms of strategising revenue generation in line with the re-emergence of travel demand through new hotels and partnerships.
RADISSON HOTEL GROUP
debuts in Madagascar
The Radisson Hotel Group has entered Madagascar with the launch of three hotels: the Radisson Blu Hotel Antananarivo Waterfront, the Radisson Hotel Antananarivo Waterfront, and the Radisson Serviced Apartments Antananarivo City Centre. The Radisson Blu Hotel, Antananarivo Waterfront, with 168 modern rooms and suites, is centrally located in a private area within the tree-lined waterfront and is close to the recently developed premier business district. The 30room Radisson Hotel Antananarivo Waterfront, also in Antananarivo, welcomes tourists with true Madagascan hospitality. The 56 spacious and bright studios and apartments at Radisson Serviced Apartments Antananarivo City Center provide the ideal home-away-from-home for guests travelling for business, leisure, or extended stays.
BWH HOTEL
GROUP softbrands build global momentum
BWH Hotel Group continues to broaden its appeal to travellers and developers with its expanding footprint of soft-brand hotels across its portfolio of offerings. BWH Hotel Group now offers seven soft brand options ranging from economy to luxury, providing unique experiences that suit the needs of every type of traveller and developer. It currently boasts approximately 500 active soft-brand hotels and resorts worldwide, with over 110 new properties in the global pipeline. In the last four months, BWH Hotel Group has activated over 30 soft-brand hotels around the world.
ANANTARA expands its luxury portfolio in China
The renowned luxury of Anantara is coming to China’s Anji County in northwestern Zhejiang Province. Anantara Anji will have state of the art meeting facilities, an outdoor swimming pool with bar, four international restaurants serving Chinese and international cuisine, a full fitness centre, and a children’s activity zone, in addition to 162 guest rooms. The resort’s unique architecture is designed by internationally renowned architect
Meng Fanhao of Line+ Studio. Construction will begin in March 2022 and is expected to be finished by the end of 2024. Anantara Anji will be the brand’s third resort in China, following Anantara Guiyang Resort in Guizhou Province and Anantara Xishuangbanna Resort in Yunnan Province.
EMBASSY SUITES by HILTON
Philadelphia Valley Forge hires new hotel management company
Synergy Hospitality Management has been selected by Colmar Hotels LLC to manage the 229-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Valley Forge. Synergy Hospitality Management will improve the day-to-day operations of the hotel while working in partnership with the ownership group to realise the highest return potential for the asset.
GHA members predict top five travel trends for 2022
The CEOs of some of the world’s leading hotel groups, all members of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), have made five travel predictions for 2022: Bucket-list travel and unique experiences, with a preference for sustainable travel, are top consumer travel trends; city travel will make a comeback, returning to around 75 per cent of 2019 levels; restriction-averse travellers will continue to explore hotels and destinations close to home; traveller desire for ease of payment will reach an all-time high; and tech-savvy and health-conscious travellers will value concordance.
£4 billion of UK hotel transactions in 2021: KNIGHT FRANK
Research by Knight Frank reveals an impressive £4 billion of UK hotel transactions in 2021. The underlying drivers of increased hotel demand, the continued improvement in profitability and visibility for future trading, have all contributed to the improved sentiment towards the sector. This past year has magnified the importance of investing in well-located assets, benefitting from multiple demand generators, combined with strong management and leadership. Henry Jackson, Knight Frank, Head of
Hotel Agency, said, “The desire to travel and staycation in the UK is expected to continue to boost regional performance, along with continued recovery in corporate and MICE demand. The return of international travellers will further boost trading performance in London and city centre hotels throughout the UK. Whilst the sector is facing a sustained period of economic pressure, current market dynamics are likely to ensure a positive year ahead for the UK hotel transactional market, with volumes anticipated to rise to £5 billion in 2022.”
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL
plans APAC expansion
Marriott International, Inc., has announced its plans to further expand its portfolio across APAC, targeting to open its 1000th property in the region by late 2022. The company expects to open nearly 100 properties in the region this year. Craig S. Smith, Group President-International, Marriott International, says, “I am very pleased with our 2021 development results in APAC. We have worked closely with our owners throughout the last two years to navigate the challenges brought on by the pandemic, adapt quickly, and grow. Last year in Asia Pacific, we signed two new development deals a week on average, with deals signed in 13 different markets across the region. This year, we expect to continue to drive demand and growth, which is a testament to our talented teams.
HYATT reports Q4 and full-year 2021 financial results
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has reported Q4 and full-year 2021 financial results. The net loss attributable to Hyatt was US$ 29 million in Q4 2021, compared to a net loss attributable to Hyatt of US$ 203 million in Q4 2020. In Q4 2021, the adjusted net loss attributable to Hyatt was US$ 306 million, compared to a net loss attributable to Hyatt of US$ 179 million in Q4 2020. The full-year financial results as compared to fiscal year 2020 reports a net loss of US$ 222 million that was reduced from a loss of US$ 703 million, and adjusted EBITDA increased to US$ 257 million from a loss of US$ 177 million. Comparable system-wide RevPAR increased to US$ 77.80 in FY2021, a 42.9 percent decrease from FY2019 on a reported basis. System-wide Net Rooms Growth was 19.5 per cent in 2021. The pipeline of completed management or franchise contracts grew by 12 per cent to approximately 113,000 rooms.
SIXT and ACCOR announce multi-year strategic partnership
SIXT and Accor have forged a forwardoriented strategic partnership that will provide additional benefits to guests and employees of Accor–worldwide and free of charge. This will also increase the global brand visibility for SIXT among business and leisure customers. As part of Accor’s ‘Augmented Hospitality’ strategy, the Accor with ALL – Accor Live Limitless programme offers members once-ina-lifetime but also day-to-day experiences that go beyond the classic hotel blueprint.
VINPEARL and MELIá Hotels International join forces
A strategic partnership plan has been unveiled by Vinpearl Joint Stock Company and Meliá Hotels International. The alliance of these two major resort hotel brands aims to contribute to the progress of Vietnam tourism in the global rankings. Vinpearl will transfer the management rights of its 12 hotels and resorts to Meliá Hotels International for a minimum of 10 years. The 12-hotel chain will operate under the new brand ‘Meliá Vinpearl’, similar to other major five-star chains such as Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Sol by Meliá, and INNSiDE by Meliá.