Marriott's Four Point Flex expansion marks a belated, yet decisive, push into the European midscale market, aiming to rapidly capture a growing segment.
Thailand's Minor Hotels is tired of running eight different hotel apps, and customers are tired of downloading them. Moving to an umbrella brand makes sense. The company can consolidate its tech, better recognize its most loyal customers, and drive more direct bookings.
Oyo Hotels founder and Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal is pursuing "relative premiumization" by expanding its upmarket offerings like Townhouse Hotels in India and bringing brands like Sunday to the U.S. market.
Jimmy Suh, president of Arlo Hotels, said the hospitality industry isn’t the place to scale back on diversity, equity, and inclusion because it needs the right talent to welcome all types of humans.
Choice Hotels has been abandoning its roadside motel roots for more lucrative upscale and extended-stay properties. That means ice machines are out, and Instagrammable lobbies are in.
IHG CEO Elie Maalouf sees rich potential in many fragmented hotel markets, such as Europe and Japan, where independent hoteliers face mounting pressures from digital transformation.
Strawberry's two new brands are a mirror of modern Nordic society: sustainability-minded, design-conscious, and determined to address a loneliness crisis by encouraging guests to socialize.