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1. Whitbread approved to build one of London's largest hotels
Whitbread received approval from Westminster City Council to build a 693-key hotel at 5 Strand in central London, reports CoStar News' Paul Norman. Once complete, it will be one of the largest hotels in the city.
Whitbread will operate the hotel under its Hub by Premier Inn brand. The company bought the building, formerly a Westminster council office near Trafalgar Square, for £125 million ($163.9 million) in 2022.
“5 Strand is an excellent example of how we think the Hub by Premier Inn brand can evolve in Central London," said Mark Anderson, managing director for property and international for Whitbread, in a statement. "It also shows how we can use Whitbread’s strong balance sheet to acquire the best-positioned, most accessible, and high-demand locations in the capital to grow our brands. With planning permission now secured, we will move quickly to begin construction of the new hotel.”
2. Choice Hotels relaunches Radisson Individuals brand
Choice Hotels International relaunched the Radisson Individuals brand in the Americas region. The upper-upscale soft brand includes full-service, boutique and independent hotels.
"Increasingly, we see many travelers place a high value on unconventional hotel experiences that truly steep them in the beauty and magic of their destination without sacrificing top-notch service," said Indy Adenaw, senior vice president and general manager for upscale brands.
Choice has 15 hotels in its Individuals brand, largely in Colombia. Four are in Panama and just one is in the United States.
3. Aimbridge CEO Craig Smith focuses on owners, building relationships
Six months into his role as CEO of Aimbridge Hospitality, Craig Smith has been busy making changes to the world's largest third-party hotel management company, both structurally and culturally, HNN reports.
In an interview, Smith outlined what he's done so far and why he's trying to make sure he connects with both hotel owners and with employees at all levels of the company.
“You set the culture. You set the tone. People like to laugh and joke with you, and the same thing happens with owners,” he said. “If I develop that relationship ahead of time, if we have problems, then you can talk through it. Calling them just when there’s a problem, that’s not a relationship.”
4. Silversea to build hotel in Chile for Antarctic cruises
Luxury cruise and expedition company Silversea will develop a 150-room hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile, as a stopping point for travelers set to explore Antarctica through its cruises, according to a news release. The hotel is being built in partnership with a consortium of Chilean investors, and construction is expected to be completed in 2025.
"We're thrilled to enhance the Antarctic travel experience by offering seamless journeys that remove traditional barriers for guests to this region," said Bert Hernandez, president of Silversea, in the news release.
5. US weekly initial jobless claims rise slightly to 225,000
The U.S. Department of Labor reports initial jobless claims for the week ending Sept. 28 increased by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 225,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. The four-week moving average was 224,250, a decrease of 750 from the previous revised average.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment, or continuing claims, for the week ending Sept. 21 dropped by 1,000 to 1.826 million.