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1. Melissa strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa has reached Cuba after passing through Jamaica, where wind speeds reached 185 miles per hour, theoretically 28 miles per hour faster than the point in which a Category 5 hurricane would be pronounced. Currently, the weather front is passing through Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba, with Reuters stating approximately 500,000 have been evacuated from their homes. The National Hurricane Center said the front now is classified as a Category 4 system.
Reuters added the hurricane was the strongest ever to hit Jamaica. The Weather Center said potentially disastrous flooding, storm surges and landslides will remain a threat to the country. Hoteliers in Jamaica have provided sanctuary in their hotels for those displaced and the many holidaymakers who have been stranded.
USA Today said Jamaica has set up 881 shelters across the island. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced on social media that he has declared the country a “disaster area” and put into place measures to stop price-gouging activities.
2. Oasis tour boosts Southern Hemisphere forward bookings above 75%
The juggernaut that is Oasis’ world reunion tour is now moving around the Southern Hemisphere and boosting hotel occupancy, according to Forward STAR data from CoStar. Three upcoming concerts in Melbourne and two in Sydney between Oct. 31 and Nov. 8 have seen forward-bookings occupancy reach 75.1% in Sydney for the night of Nov. 7, compared with 65.4% for the same night in 2025.
Oasis is then moving to South America, where the Manchester band will perform two nights in Buenos Aires, one in Santiago and two in São Paolo. STR data added that “for the final leg of its [Oasis Live ‘25] tour … the highest forward booking levels are in Buenos Aires at 74.3% (Nov. 15). The final two performances will take place in São Paulo, where booking levels are peaking at 52% (Nov. 22), a 32.7% increase from the level posted on the comparable night last year.”
3. Scandic expects Dalata hotel operations acquisition to close in early November
Swedish hotel owner-operator Scandic Hotels Group has released its third-quarter results and clarified its ongoing acquisition from Pandox and Eiendomsspar of the hotel operations of Ireland’s Dalata Hotel Group. In July, Pandox and Eiendomsspar agreed to acquire Dalata’s brands and management, partnering with Scandic, which would operate Dalata’s branded hotels.
Scandic CEO Jens Mathiesen clarified the company’s position in its acquisition of Dalata’s hotel operations, stating, “the transaction is expected to close in early November. A process will then begin to separate the properties from the hotel operations, during which Scandic will operate the hotels under a management agreement. Once the carve-out process is completed, we will assume operations under lease agreements.”
In the third quarter, Scandic's hotel revenue per available room increased 2.66% year over year to 966 Swedish krona ($103.07) and its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization was 1.09 billion Swedish krona.
4. Malaysia’s YTL acquires Auckland Indigo hotel for $92.4 million
Malaysian hotel group YTL Hotels has completed its acquisition of the 225-room Hotel Indigo Auckland for 160 million New Zealand dollars ($92.4 million), CoStar News Hotels reports.
A release from YTL said the deal “represents the second-largest hotel transaction on record in New Zealand this year.” The largest involved the 139-room InterContinental Auckland, which Singapore-based Hotel Properties Limited acquired earlier this year for NZ$180 million from publicly listed Precinct Properties 1 Queen Street Limited.
The Hotel Indigo purchase is YTL’s debut in New Zealand. In September, the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office rubberstamped the deal, which includes a 25-year management contract with IHG Hotels & Resorts.
5. Patrick Short rejoins TPG Hotels & Resorts and shares firm’s vision
Earlier this month, Patrick Short rejoined Dallas-based hotel-management firm TPG Hotels & Resorts as president and chief operating officer. In an interview with CoStar News' Trevor Simpson, Short said the company's growth requires “us at the management level truly taking care of our general managers and directors of sales and providing the support they need to be successful."
Short added TPG views every hotel with a “very asset-by-asset approach. Some assets are going to be legacy holds, and we will manage those very different than if it’s an institutional owner that wants to get out in three to five years. We will meet with each owner, understand their goals ... and then we’ll put plans and actions to accomplish that.”