More expansion plans for Starwood: In the last few weeks, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide laid plans to rejuvenate its Sheraton Hotels and Resorts brand and to spin off its vacation ownership business. Today the company announced its plan to grow The Luxury Collection in the U.S. via a $300-million investment.
The investment, made “in coordination with its owner partners,” according to a news release, will drive what the company is calling “marquee conversions” in the North American market. Sunset Key in Key West, Florida, was a recent addition to the portfolio. Upcoming conversions include the Conrad Chicago, which will undergo a name change; The St. Anthony in San Antonio, Texas; Cal Neva in Lake Tahoe; and Las Alcobas in St. Helena, California.
This investment also includes renovations, and the company cited The Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu, Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis and the Palace Hotel in San Francisco as hotels that are undergoing renovations.
“With these new hotel openings and impressive renovations, Starwood is setting out for The Luxury Collection to become the world’s largest luxury hotel brand by year’s end,” said Starwood interim CEO Adam Aron.
What to expect in Cuba: Friday’s New York Times editorial calling for the U.S. Congress to lift the travel ban for tourists in Cuba sparked a flurry of comments on digital platforms, and today’s HNN story on “7 things you need to know about Cuba” shares more insight on what hotel investors and developers can expect, once the doors actually do open.
Consultant Arturo García Rosa, president of HVS Argentina, gives insights into who currently controls the hotel development scene in Cuba, how to structure development, what the pipeline looks like and more.
Qatar scores despite World Cup woes: Hotel developers and brands active in Qatar say they’re not that worried about a potential FIFA World Cup 2022 withdrawal. Executives from AccorHotels and Hilton Worldwide Holdings tell HNN correspondent Nicole Walter that it’s long-term economics, not the World Cup, driving business in the region.
Sands in Singapore update: A report from Forbes shows strengthening operations at Las Vegas Sands’ Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Demand is driving pricing increases, according to the article, which states that the property has hit occupancy levels close to 99% for the past three years, leading it to grow average daily rate by 15% annually since 2010. Casino operations will continue to drive overall hotel operations, according to the article.
A honey of a deal: Hotels are getting into the bee hotel business. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is in its second year partnering with Burt’s Bees Canada to install “bee hotels” at Fairmont properties across Canada to provide nesting habitat for this key pollinator species. At the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver, British Columbia, the hotel is expanding its bee hotel program as well as highlighting special food and drinks, according to The Province. The Ritz-Carlton is another international brand adopting bee ecology as an environmental—and marketing—push. Read “Hotels abuzz with onsite beekeeping.”
Compiled by Stephanie Ricca.