UK: London-based owner-operator Clermont Hotel Group has opened The Academy, a learning and development centre to train new and existing employees. Clermont Hotel Group employs over 1,600 members of staff across its 17 hotels and head office in London.  The Academy, located within The Tower Hotel, provides a classroom and a mock reception area for employees to learn more about the business.  Curriculum at The Academy involves a mix of face-to-face and virtual masterclasses, along with downloadable content such as how-to guides and development toolkits to support mental health and wel ..read more

UK: Today, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has outlined his Spring Budget. According to Hunt, the UK is expected to avoid a technical recession in 2023, and that inflation is set to fall by 2.9 per cent by the end of the year (inflation is currently at 10.1 per cent). Hunt said that “high inflation is the root cause” of the strike action currently affecting many industries in the UK. The rail and tube strikes taking place across the UK this week are expected to cost hospitality as much as £600 million, according to UKHospitality. Contents of the Budget which affect hospitalit ..read more

The Netherlands: Amsterdam-based boutique hotel group citizenM has secured a dual currency €243.3 million and £201.7 million sustainability-linked loan (SLL). The funding is linked to ESG (environmental, social and governance) targets such as reducing CO2 emissions and improving green building certifications. It will incentivise citizenM to achieve environmental benchmarks in a bid to secure lower interest rates. citizenM currently operates 31 hotels worldwide across 18 cities and nine countries. A further 14 properties are under development. HSBC UK and HSBC Continental Europe, ABN AMRO Bank ..read more

US: Tech-enabled hotel management company Life House has been selected to manage The Carmen in Playa Del Carmen and Faisano Nomadas in Aldea Zama. With the addition of the two hotels, Life House is now managing five independent properties in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.  The Carmen, built in 2017, offers 37 bedrooms and is owned by a Denver-based developer. The adults-only hotel features an Italian restaurant, La Famiglia, located on the ground floor and a rooftop bar and lounge, Deck5. Faisano Nomadas is a 24-room hotel with a resort-style pool and bar. Francisco Mendoza and G ..read more

US/Italy: Sustainable hotel brand Beyond Green, part of Preferred Hotel Group, has welcomed five member properties located across the United States and Italy. The new hotels bring the total portfolio at Beyond Green to 31 properties in 18 countries. Recently added members include: • Edgewood Tahoe Resort (Nevada, US) – a LEED Silver certified resort with 154 rooms, a spa, golf course, and three dining venues. Since opening in 2017, the resort has introduced electric car charging stations, recycling and community clean-up programmes, a reduction of water and chemical usage, and increased the lo ..read more

Vietnam: Wellness hospitality company Fusion Hotel Group has announced three openings over the next 12 months, including the brand launch of HIIVE in Binh Duong. Fusion Hotel Group manages 22 properties throughout Vietnam and Thailand across nine brands.  HIIVE, designed for the business traveller, is set to debut in Binh Duong in Vietnam and marks the first of the three upcoming openings.  It will feature 172 keys, a range of meeting facilities and coworking spaces, a golf simulator, 24-hour fitness centre, and a sports bar. Also in Vietnam, Fusion Resort & Villas Danang is sche ..read more

US: Hotel conversion brand Magnuson Hotels has added two properties to its independent collection in the past two weeks, located in California and North Carolina. Wafer 450, in Santa Clara (California), marks the fourth hotel from Stay Cal Hospitality to join Magnuson Hotels. It also represents the nineteenth hotel in California which the company represents. The hotel offers 31 bedrooms and takes its name from the semiconductor industry – a 450 millimetre wafer – which was developed in the local area, in Silicon Valley. Hiten Suraj, owner of Stay Cal Hospitality, said: “We are happy to ha ..read more

France: Gérard Pélisson, the co-founder of Accor, has died aged 91 after a long illness. Pélisson turned the group into the world’s sixth largest hotel chain, with his business partner Paul Dubrule. Accor currently has 5,400 hotels in 100 countries under 45 different brands. The group has a pipeline of 1,247 hotels and approximately 216,000 rooms. Its market capitalisation is approximately $8.9 billion. In a news release, Accor said Pélisson “was an iconic pioneer who… inspired a modern approach to French hospitality at a time when it was poised for fresh ideas.” Accor chairman and CEO S ..read more

US: Next-generation lodging firm Sonder is making around 100 corporate employees redundant, amounting to close to 14 per cent of the startup’s overall workforce. The news was revealed by Francis Davidson, co-founder and CEO of Sonder, in the startup’s earnings call on Wednesday. The layoffs are set to take effect at the end of the first quarter next month. It represents the latest layoff round at Sonder after the company let go of 21 per cent of its corporate team and seven per cent of its frontline staff last June as part of a restructuring across the organisation. Prior to that, Sonder cut i ..read more

UK: Hotel management company RBH Hospitality Management has been selected by Reuben Brothers to manage The Olde Bell and Thames Riviera in Maidenhead. As of 1 March 2023, both properties have come under the management of RBH, taking the company’s total number of rooms under management to over 7,000.  Thames Riviera is in the process of re-opening after a period of closure to facilitate a full refurbishment. The Olde Bell is a historic inn with parts of the building dating back to 1135. David Hart, CEO of RBH Hospitality Management, said: “We are delighted to have secured the management of ..read more