Skift Travel News Blog

Hotel Indigo has launched a new program wherein residents in the US and UK who share a zip code, or postcode, with select Hotel Indigo’s are now able to “borrow” everyday essentials at no cost. 

The ‘Borrowed by Hotel Indigo’ program has been designed to ‘reignite the popular habit of lending to a neighbor,’ according to a release.

So starting this month, locals will be invited to borrow what a survey from the brand has revealed as the most commonly borrowed items, including coffee, tea, sugar and olive oil.

The initiative has taken inspiration from the brand’s latest marketing campaign, which has been created to position the brand as the ‘World’s Neighborhood Hotel’.

“When our hotels join a neighborhood, we become a part of the fabric of the community. We put it at the heart of everything, and we welcome the neighborhood and its people into our spaces – it’s how we create an authentically local experience for our guests. Everyone knows the adage of ‘borrowing a cup of sugar’ from your neighbor – with this program, we want to embody this idea of being a good neighbor and strengthen social connections with those inside and outside of our hotels,” said Carol Hoeller, vice president global brand management for Hotel Indigo.

In late September, Hyatt Hotels announced that it was exiting its vacation rental management business while launching an online short-term rental platform soon. Its Destination Residences Management unit was sold to a real estate investor called Lowe, which, through an affiliate, will run it under Lowe and Coral Tree, though no price was disclosed at the time of the announcement.

Now we have the details from Hyatt’s latest quarterly report filing. From the filing, below:

“Destination Residential Management—During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we sold our interests in the entities which own the Destination Residential Management business to an unrelated third party for $2 million of base consideration, subject to customary adjustments related to working capital and indebtedness, and up to an additional $48 million of contingent consideration. The contingent consideration will be earned within two years following the sale upon the achievement of certain performance-based metrics and the extensions of certain contracts related to the rental programs and/or homeowner associations. We recorded a $28 million contingent consideration receivable at fair value in other assets on our condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2023.

The transaction was accounted for as a business disposition, and we recognized a $19 million pre-tax gain in gains (losses) on sales of real estate and other on our condensed consolidated statements of income during the three months ended September 30, 2023. In conjunction with the disposition, we transferred $10 million of cash to the buyer related to advanced deposits. The operating results and financial position of this business prior to the sale remain within our Americas management and franchising segment.”

Sydell Group, the owner of NoMad Hotels, is weighing the possibility of selling the boutique brand, according to a report by Bloomberg Friday.

Sydell Group is trying to determine interest for NoMad from potential buyers, including major hotel operators such as Hilton Worldwide, sources told Bloomberg. International discussions about a potential sale are said to be ongoing.

NoMad currently has luxury properties in Las Vegas and London. It had opened its first hotel in Manhattan, just north of Madison Square Park, but that property has since closed.

Skift reached out to Sydell Group for comment but did not receive a response.

Dubai’s first and only Dorchester Collection hotel, called The Lana, has been delayed again. Announced in 2021 and expected to open the following year, the super-luxury city hotel has announced numerous opening date revisions since then.

February 2024 is the newest opening date and could be the real deal as it is also accepting bookings from that month.

Before March 2022, Dorchester’s page for The Lana contained the statement: “(Opening 2022) The latest gem in our collection is soon to be unveiled as a landmark of luxury in the heart of Dubai.”

The website later underwent a modification, announcing that the hotel’s unveiling would take place “by the end of 2022.” Come August 2022, the website underwent another alteration, with the expected opening date shifted to spring 2023. It then shifted one more to September 2023, before executives said it would, instead, open before the end of 2023.

When the hotel does open, it will add 225 rooms to the city, along with seven restaurants. It will become the operator’s first hotel in Middle East and Asia, joining a collection of legendary properties and celebrity haunts such as Hotel Eden in Rome, The Beverly Hills Hotel in LA and The Dorchester in London.

The Lana Rates

Including taxes and fees, rooms start from $1,390 a night, comfortably making it one of the most expensive hotels in the city.

Rates can reach more than $13,000 for the royal suite that sleeps five people.

The hotel is owned and developed by a local firm called Omniyat, a real estate major that also owns the ME Dubai hotel operated by Melia. The company also has a portfolio of Dorchester Collection-branded luxury residences, including The Vela connected to the hotel itself and standalone projects on Palm Jumeirah.

Dorchester Collection declined to comment when asked by Skift.

Even though the big MGM-Marriott loyalty & booking partnership that was announced earlier this year with much fanfare has been delayed until early 2024 — ostensibly due to MGM’s cybersecurity threat which derailed much of its business over weeks — MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle is very bullish about it.

In its Q3 earnings call earlier this week, Hornbuckle said that the company will begin to see the benefits of the partnership pretty quickly in 2024 soon after it launches. In response to an analyst question of whether this delay in launch means that MGM won’t see the incremental revenues in 2024 and whether the gains would be pushed to 2025, he said:

“No, I think it’s ’24 because I think the booking cycle for Las Vegas, even with this group [of Marriott Bonvoy users] because we’ve seen it obviously mirrored Cosmopolitan [which MGM now owns and has been part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection] is pretty much in line with everything else. They go a little earlier because they want to make sure they can use their points, et cetera. But there’s a clear window over the next couple of months. So once we launch it, we think it ramps fairly quickly.

And I think by the third and fourth quarter of next year, this time next year, we ought to be — have a real good feel for what it’s going to provide. The group activity that will be part of it is a little different discussion and we’ll take more time given the obvious nature and cycle of that business. And remember, I think the first year, we’re looking for $50 million to $75 million in incremental [revenues].

And there’s nothing to believe even despite the delay candidly, there’s nothing to believe we won’t recognize or realize that.”

1 Hotels has launched its first European property, with 1 Hotels Mayfair now open in London, standing as the brands flagship location in the United Kingdom.

According to a release, a commitment to sustainability and biophilic design principles have been the ‘driving force’ behind the design of the property, with the new location meeting BREEAM Excellent standards – a rating used to measure the sustainability performance of buildings.

The nature inspired hotel features a number of naturally sourced design features, including a ‘living wall’ – featuring more than 1,300 individual plants – along with reclaimed Yorkshire dry-stone walls, private bars that have been hand-wrapped with woven jute and vanities crafted from Welsh slate.

“We are thrilled to bring our brand’s one-of-a-kind blend of nature and culture, sustainability and luxury, and a holistic focus on health and wellness to what has been a hub of heritage for generations,” said 1 Hotels founder and SH Hotels & Resorts chairman, Barry Sternlicht. 

“We designed this soothing urban oasis as a fresh, fashionable, contemporary take on timeless traditions. With Green Park as our backdrop, we are focused on reconnecting our guests and visitors to the wonder and magic of London’s natural, cultural, and historical landmarks in an atmosphere that is as relaxed as it is refined.”

A new exhibition featuring sustainable art will be opening at the Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island, thanks to a new collaboration between the hotel, Artbooth Gallery, and a local artist. 

The ‘Sustainable Art Awareness Project’ features the works of Lebanese-born Emirati artist Noura Ali Ramahi, and has been designed to support local artists who embrace sustainable art practices. 

The exhibition will be on display within the public areas of the hotel through November 30, with a special event with the artist taking place on November 13 to coincide with World Kindness Day.

According to a release, Ramahi’s commitment to eco-friendly art mediums dates back to 2018, and sees her draw inspiration from her daily routine. However it is her use of everyday materials – such as wax paper from cheese, cardboard from packages, or retail paper bags – that give her work real impact.

“At Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi, we are strongly committed to sustainability and run several ESG initiatives. As a part of our work with community, the artworks of local talents and artisans are featured throughout the Hotel, including more than 2,000 pieces displayed in public areas and in each guest room and suite. On this World Kindness Day, in collaboration with Noura Ali Ramahi we would like to inspire our guests to make a positive impact on our planet. Through Noura’s innovative use of materials and her profound message of kindness towards nature, she inspires us all to make a difference.” says Bob Suri, general manager, Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island.

AccorInvest, a hotel owner-operator company that global hotel group Accor created in 2017, is seeing a rising share of its outstanding debt owned by one player, the hedge fund Sculptor, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

Sculptor “bought about half of the €270 million ($290 million) of loans previously owned by UniCredit SpA in recent weeks,” Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

AccorInvest wants to sell more than $2 billion of hotels in Europe and Latin America and extend the maturity of more than $4 billion of debt.

AccorInvest is a hotel owner and operator that, as of September, runs about 750 hotels. Accor, on the other hand, creates and manages brands and a loyalty program while also offering technology and other services.

Generator Group has completed a refinancing deal worth approximately $805 million (€750 million) with new and existing lenders across Europe and the US. Generator Group, which owns or runs 21 hotels, has seen strong results following the pandemic, giving its owner Queensgate the ability to refinance the group’s global debt.

Described as “one of the largest and most innovative real estate financings that the market has seen in years,” by Queensgate Investments CEO Jason Kow, different debt facilities have been used for different arms of the business.

For the Europe business, firm Ares Management backed private bond issuances and debt facilities in Pounds, Euros and Danish Krone of approximately $472 million (€440 million). While in the US, existing lenders Waterfall Asset Management and Värde Partner backed US debt facilities of around $330 million.

At the start of October, Generator gave a financial update, showing it is on track to produce revenues of about $238 million (€225 million) this year — 25% more than its revenues before the pandemic.

With the new refinancing scheme, Generator said that it is “now armed to continue its strategy of superlative organic growth.”

To find out more about Generator’s expansion strategy, watch the interview with its CEO from last year’s Skift Global Forum East (below) or read Skift’s piece Generator’s Takeover of Paramount Hotel in Times Square Is Part of Broader Hostel Reboot.

Saudi Arabian development group Red Sea Global has created its own luxury hotel brand called Shebara. The Shebara brand will be deployed for the upcoming Sheybarah Island resort – seen as the most exclusive of the current 16-property lineup in the archipelago development.

Opening next summer, the resort contains 73 keys, including overwater and beach villas and guests arrive either by a 45-minute boat ride from the mainland or 20 minutes by seaplane. The resort has been designed by renowned firm Killa, behind the Museum of the Future in Dubai, and is most recognizable for its stainless steel orbs which act as private villas.

The Shebara Resort will be run by Red Sea Global, meaning the firm both owns and manages the asset. Last month, RSG also announced it would self-operate a private island project called Thuwal Island near the Red Sea Project.

It is the latest hotel brand to come out of Saudi Arabia. At the start of last year, Boutique Group was announced: A hotel brand designed to repurpose former palaces and government buildings into luxury hotels. Both Shebara and Boutique Group come under the ownership of the vast Public Investment Fund.

Much like how Jumeirah Group has become a showcase of Dubai’s approach to Arabian hospitality, Red Sea Global hopes Shebara will do the same for Saudi.

RSG CEO John Pagano said: “Shebara is a beacon for all that RSG stands for, showcasing the very best in Saudi hospitality while setting new standards in responsible development and sustainable operations.”