Hilton Grand Vacations, the vacation ownership and experiences company, has teamed up with Great Wolf Lodge, the owner and operator of North America’s indoor water park resorts, to offer more family travel options for guests and members of both the companies. Members of Hilton Grand Vacations who are exploring quick drive-to, family getaway options will now be able to exchange club points for stays at 19 Great Wolf Lodge locations in the U.S. The partnership will also introduce guests of the indoor water park resorts to the benefits of vacation ownership. The partnership with Great Wolf Lodge ..read more

FF&E. There’s a constant reference to the three-letter acronym in the world of boutique hospitality design and development. It stands for “Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment,” and, unlike it’s ease in saying, is often a pain point on the balance sheet for owners and investors, alike. Within FF&E there are myriad design elements—finishes, furniture, art, design accessories and more—each a crucial piece contributing to the overall aesthetic of a property. Hospitality and hotel owners find themselves grappling with the delicate balance between maintaining brand integrity and managing expen ..read more

DRIFTWOOD SECURES $33M FOR SHERATON PARK CITY REFI: Driftwood Capital has secured $33 million in refinancing for the Sheraton Park City hotel in Park City, Utah. Berkadia arranged the five-year, fixed-rate CMBS loan through Goldman Sachs Bank USA. The 200-room hotel is located close to ski trails, training facilities and year-round outdoor amenities. A 20-minute drive from Olympic Park, the hotel was constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympic Park and is surrounded by 2,000 acres of skiable terrain. The hotel includes an indoor atrium pool with hot tub and sauna, game room, coffee shop, a restaur ..read more

The travel industry is continuing to see a significant improvement in overall performance, with a considerable rise in travel intent among Americans. According to the latest research by MMGY Travel Intelligence, about 76% of U.S. adults said they plan to take a vacation in the next 12 months, up from the 70% observed at the same time in 2023. Additionally, 64% of these travelers said they plan to take a trip in the next six months, a significant increase from 58% seen in October 2023. There has been a slight increase in the Traveler Sentiment Index (TSI) from February 2023, rising to 113 from ..read more

Hilton has announced a lineup of hospitality executives who will be joining the executive leadership team at Waldorf Astoria New York. The 375-room hotel is scheduled to reopen later this year, following multi-year renovations. The new team will be led by Managing Director Luigi Romaniello, with Jasmin Howanietz set to return to the hotel in a new capacity of executive director of sales. Together, Romaniello and Howanietz bring decades of experience to their roles and an understanding of the luxury sector. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Romaniello has held leadership roles at sever ..read more

Europe is witnessing a surge in hotel activity in the past few years. With the increase in leisure travel, including from Asian markets, and a gradual recovery of corporate and group travel, the sector’s hotel and tourism sector is set to see a steady rise this year, revealed CBRE’s latest market outlook for Europe. Riding on this momentum, hotel companies have been planning to increase their European portfolio to meet the demands of travelers. Marriott International announced plans to add roughly 100 hotels totaling more than 12,000 rooms to its portfolio by 2026. Marriott said it will add th ..read more

DUAL-BRANDED HOTEL IN PHOENIX: Jackson-Shaw, the Texas-based developer, and Tucson-based Holualoa Companies have unveiled the dual-branded AC Hotel by Marriott North Phoenix at Norterra and Element by Westin North Phoenix at Norterra. Located in Norterra in Phoenix, the two hotels will be connected under the same roof. The 160,133-square-foot property is situated on three acres and will break ground in May. The hotels are expected to open in late 2025. The four-story development will feature a total of 274 rooms – 179 rooms at the AC Hotel by Marriott North Phoenix at Norterra and 95 rooms for ..read more

More than two decades ago, Standard Hotels set up shop on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, establishing a property that was anything but standard for its denizens, which included the glitterati of Hollywood, from the young to the rebellious, to everything in between and beyond. Heck, The Standard brand that adorns properties is written upside down—an allusion to flipping hospitality. The hotel was famously opened by hotelier extraordinaire André Balazs and had initial financial backing from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Benicio del Toro, among others. The property closed in ..read more

IHG Hotels & Resorts and NOVUM Hospitality have inked a long-term deal that will allow IHG to double its footprint across Germany, one of Europe’s largest hotel markets and a growth priority for the company’s business, to over 200 properties in around 100 cities. The agreement also launches Holiday Inn – the niu brand collaboration and European debuts for the Garner and Candlewood Suites brands. The agreement with NOVUM, the private hotel operator owned by David Etmenan, seeks to make IHG one of the leading players in midscale and upper midscale sectors. NOVUM will adopt IHG brands and sys ..read more

LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT DIAMONDROCK DiamondRock Hospitality Co. has announced leadership changes and a simplified organizational structure. Jeffrey Donnelly, the former executive vice president and CFO, has been named as CEO. He will join the company’s board of directors following this year’s annual meeting of stockholders, scheduled to be held in May. Donnelly succeeds Mark Brugger, who is departing the company after two decades of service. “I am excited to be CEO at the dawn of a new era for travel. With our high-quality portfolio of unique lifestyle properties, we are poised to capitalize on ..read more