NH, HNA battle becomes increasingly nasty: The fraught battle between stockholders of Spanish hotel firm NH Hotels and its largest shareholder, Chinese hotel firm HNA, took a new twist today, with HNA sending a letter to stockholders demanding the reinstatement of its four NH board members and the return of ousted former CEO Federico González Tejera.
The letter—which comes after a vote of NH’s stockholders declared HNA’s planned buy of Carlson Hospitality Group a conflict of interest—also seeks the removal of José Antonio Castro, the chairman of the 21 June NH Hotel general shareholder meeting where the four HNA board members were ousted, over what HNA said is an “illegal abuse of proxies to effect a nil-premium takeover of NH Hotels.”
Dublin’s Gresham sold for €92m: One of Dublin’s most famous hotels, The Gresham Hotel Dublin, has been sold to Spanish hotel firm Riu Hotels & Resorts for €92 million ($102.7 million), according to a news release.
Business consultancy Christie & Co. and CBRE Hotels helped broker the acquisition for the 323-room property, which is on O’Connell Street and is now named the Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin. The hotel underwent a renovation in 2013.
Negotiating social media’s complex structure: The world of social media can move at lightning speed, perhaps mostly dependent on the whims and caprices of the young and millennials, writes Hotel News Now’s news editor Sean McCracken, so how can hoteliers know what the best directions are for their messages?
Brad Fay, chief research officer for Engagement Labs, told McCracken that one key point is not to think social media is the end all and be all of marketing.
“Thinking ‘beyond the platform’ is key in achieving social marketing goals,” Fay said. “That’s because social media channels house only part of the conversation. … The process of selecting social media platforms should be secondary to the broader goals for the campaign.”
The (Re)Fresh Prince of Waikiki: The Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki & Golf Club, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, will undergo its first renovation since its opening on 20 April, 1990, according to Pacific Business News.
The $55.4 million renovation project will be completed by next spring, at which time the hotel will get its new name, Prince Waikiki.
STR global pipeline roundup: HNN’s parent company, STR, has released three monthly pipeline reports for the month of August 2016.
Asia/Pacific: The Asia/Pacific region reported 584,015 rooms in 2,538 projects under contract, a 5.4% year-over-year increase. The region also has 244,554 rooms in 1,019 projects in construction, a 4.4% decrease. China reported the most rooms in construction in the region, with 131,135 rooms in 460 hotels.
Caribbean/Mexico: The Caribbean/Mexico region has 27,951 rooms in 172 projects under contract, representing a 1.7% year-over-year decrease in rooms under contract. There were 13,098 rooms in 82 projects in construction during the month, a 0.9% increase compared to the year before. Mexico reported having the most rooms in construction, with 8,306 rooms in 60 hotels.
Central/South America: The Central/South America region reported having 63,681 rooms in 407 projects under contract in August, a 5.3% year-over-year decrease. The region had 27,908 rooms in 172 projects in construction, representing a 9% decrease. Brazil reported having the most rooms in construction, with 16,710 rooms in 94 hotels
Compiled by Terence Baker.