YOTEL to Open in Amsterdam City Centre

YOTEL is planning to open one of its pod-style hotels in in Amsterdam city centre, in the Netherlands. The 204-room YOTEL Amsterdam is expected to open in late 2019 in the Amsterdam Noord area, becoming the group’s second city centre property in Europe. The hotel will be the second YOTEL-branded property in the Netherlands, joining the existing YOTELAIR Schiphol Airport. Commenting on the group's latest signing, YOTEL's chief executive officer, Hubert Viriot, said, "Over the past year, we have been talking about the unprecedented rate of expansion of the YOTEL brand across the globe with the opening of a new YOTELAIR in Paris Charles de Gaulle and breaking ground in both London and Dubai.  This year alone we will be opening three new city hotels in Boston, Singapore and San Francisco.  We are delighted about embarking on our YOTEL Amsterdam venture with Being Development which is the next step in expanding our portfolio of affordable luxury hotels in Europe."

Dalata Hotel Group Sells Clayton Hotel in Cardiff

M&G Real Estate has agreed to purchase the Clayton Hotel Cardiff in Wales from Dalata Hotel Group for £22.2 million in a sale-and-leaseback deal. The 216-room hotel, in Cardiff city centre on St Mary Street, will be let to Dalata under a 35-year term and the group plans to use the proceeds from the sale to reduce its net debt. The transaction is expected to close in mid-June.

Le Méridien Moves Back to Rome

Marriott International’s Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts brand is present in Italy once more with the opening of Le Méridien Visconti Rome. The hotel, which is owned and managed by the Toti Group, is the product of a US$20 million renovation and conversion of the former Visconti Palace Hotel. The 240-room hotel is in Rome’s Prati district, between the Spanish Steps and the Vatican. The brand previously operated the 121-room Le Meridien Eden Hotel Rome in Italy’s capital before it was sold in 2013.

Hilton Garden Inn Announced for Kolobzerg

Hilton Worldwide has signed a franchise agreement with BB Baltic Park for a Hilton Garden Inn hotel in the Baltic Sea resort of Kolobzerg in northwest Poland. Construction of the Hilton Garden Inn Kolobzerg is scheduled to start later this year, and the 128-room property is due to open in early 2019 as the first internationally branded hotel in the area and Hilton’s first hotel in Kolobzerg. Hilton currently operates six Garden Inns across Poland and has 30 hotels trading or in development across four brands in in the country overall.

Wyndham Launches the Trademark Hotel Collection

Wyndham Worldwide has launched a new independent soft brand for hotels in the upper midscale and above categories. The Trademark Hotel Collection is for independent hoteliers with iconic hotels – owners will be able to keep the individual spirit and ethos of their properties whilst receiving support from Wyndham’s distribution platforms, services and loyalty programmes. “Trademark isn’t just another brand: it’s a rally cry for independent entrepreneurs who aren’t afraid to make their own mark,” commented Lisa Checchio, the group’s vice president of brand marketing and insights. “Trademark Hotel Collection is the next step in our mission to flip the script on existing expectations and champion all hoteliers by offering them an independent choice outside of the current luxury and upscale options available,” she added. The brand’s pipeline currently consists of more than 50 hotels and interested owners of existing properties and planned developments.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts Hops into Tangier

Hilton Worldwide’s Hilton Hotels & Resorts chain has made its first appearance in Morocco with the opening of the Hilton Tanger City Center Hotel & Residences. The 180-key hotel, in the port of Tangier on the Strait of Gibraltar, has direct access to Tanger City Mall and is part of the Tanger City Center mixed-use development, along with its adjacent sister property, the 320-room Hilton Garden Inn Tanger City Center, which opened last year. Both hotels are owned by Inveravante Group.

AccorHotel’s Stylish New Property in Nairobi

AccorHotels has signed a management agreement with Queensway Group for an ibis Styles property in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. The existing Tune Hotel Westlands, Nairobi will be relaunched as the ibis Styles Nairobi Westlands later this year. The 280-room hotel is in the Kenyan capital’s Westlands business area, close to Nairobi’s central business district. “This hotel will take the number of ibis in Africa to 43!” said Oliver Granet, chief operating officer and managing director of AccorHotels Middle East & Africa. “ibis Styles Nairobi Westlands is a further step in our journey to doubling our network in Africa to reach 200 hotels in the mid-term," he added.

Saudi Arabia Gets its First Copthorne Hotel

Millennium & Copthorne has opened its first Copthorne-branded property in Saudi Arabia. The four-star Copthorne Hotel Riyadh by Millennium is on King Fahd Road, close to the city’s business district and government offices. The hotel has 143 rooms and suites, eight meeting rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and three food and beverage outlets. The Hong Kong-based group now has five hotels in operation across Saudi Arabia and is planning further expansion in the country.

Supersize Sofitel Announced for Dubai

AccorHotel’s Sofitel chain and its development partner MKM Commercial Holdings LLC plan to open the largest Sofitel property in the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Sofitel Dubai Wafi is expected to open in late 2019, close to the Wafi shopping centre in the emirate’s mixed-use Wafi City complex. The hotel will have 501 guest rooms (including 86 suites) as well as 97 extended-stay serviced residences. The French group currently has five Sofitel-branded hotels in operation across the UAE.

Staybridge Suites Makes its Debut in Saudi Arabia

InterContinental Hotels Group has launched its extended-stay Staybridge Suites brand in Saudi Arabia with the opening of the Staybridge Suites Jeddah Alandalus Mall in the Port of Jeddah, on the Red Sea. The 164-suite hotel is next to the 120,000 m² Alandalus Mall. There are currently three Staybridge Suites in operation across the Asia, Middle East and Africa region, with four in the pipeline for the Middle East, three of which will be in Saudi Arabia.

Absolute Share Price Performance Over the Past Week – 1-8 June 2017

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