Tag: brand

The Biltmore Mayfair is leaving Hilton’s LXR brand – Business Traveller
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The Biltmore Mayfair is leaving Hilton’s LXR brand – Business Traveller

The Biltmore Mayfair on London’s Grosvenor Square has announced plans to debrand from Hilton’s LXR collection, and will operate independently from 1 May. The 307-room hotel previously operated as the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair until 2019 when it reopened as the Biltmore Mayfair, LXR Hotels & Resorts following an 18-month, £60 million renovation project. It was just the second property to join Hilton’s LXR brand (and the first in Europe), following the rebranding of The St Regis Dubai Al Habtoor City in 2018. Business Traveller reviewed The Biltmore Mayfair shortly after it reopened. Hotel review: The Biltmore Mayfair In a statement the hotel said: “The Biltmore Mayfair announces it will take full ownership of management internally and will operate independently 1st May 2024. Th...
IHG’s Kimpton brand to debut in Lisbon – Business Traveller
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IHG’s Kimpton brand to debut in Lisbon – Business Traveller

IHG Hotels and Resorts is bringing its Kimpton brand to the Portuguese capital next year. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants already has a presence in Portugal, having opened the Kimpton Algarve São Rafael Atlántico in late 2023. The property will feature 141 rooms and “design-forward” public spaces by Rockwell, including a rooftop bar and pool. The hotel will be within walking distance of attractions include the Eduardo VII Park, Marquês de Pombal Square and Avenida Liberdade. IHG Hotels & Resorts currently operates 20 hotels across seven brands in Portugal, including Six Senses, InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Iberostar. Willemijn Geels, VP Development, Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts, commented: “Working with our partners at...
WaterWalk extended stay brand joins Wyndham – Business Traveller
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WaterWalk extended stay brand joins Wyndham – Business Traveller

Wyndham has launched its 25th brand, following a strategic agreement with upscale extended stay brand WaterWalk. Now known as WaterWalk Extended Stay by Wyndham, the brand adds a total of 11 US properties and 1,500 rooms to Wyndham’s portfolio, in locations including Tuscon, Jacksonville and Wichita. WaterWalk was founded in 2014 by the late Jack DeBoer, an American entrepreneur and hotelier who was also created Residence Inn (now Residence Inn by Marriott), Candlewood Suites (now part of IHG’s portfolio) and Summerfield Suites (now part of the Hyatt House brand). The WaterWalk concept includes STAY units which are fully furnished and cater to guests looking for a traditional extended-stay, residential-like experience, and LIVE units which are unfurnished, allowing guests to create their...
Hyatt adds first Barcelona property under Grand Hyatt brand – Business Traveller
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Hyatt adds first Barcelona property under Grand Hyatt brand – Business Traveller

Hyatt has added the second Spanish property and just the fifth in Europe under its Grand Hyatt brand. Grand Hyatt Barcelona is located on Plaça de Piu XII on the city’s famous Avenida Diagonal, and features 465 rooms including 49 suites. If this sounds familiar it’s because the existing property was previously trading under Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. The hotel originally opened in 1975 as Hotel Princesa Sofia, before becoming an InterContinental property in the 1990s. As previously reported the hotel was fully renovated in 2017, and was reflagged as Hotel Sofia Barcelona – Unbound Collection by Hyatt at the start of 2019. Hotel Sofia Barcelona to join Hyatt’s Unbound Collection Facilities include Art Deco-inspired rooms, the 19th floor Peruvian restaurant Maymanta, Sofia Bar & Tapa...
Hotel Brooklyn properties in Leicester and Manchester to reflag under voco brand – Business Traveller
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Hotel Brooklyn properties in Leicester and Manchester to reflag under voco brand – Business Traveller

Hotel management company Kew Green Hotels has announced plans to reflag two existing properties in Leicester and Manchester under IHG’s voco brand. The group has acquired Hotel Brooklyn Leicester and Hotel Brooklyn Manchester, and has signed a franchise agreement with IHG to rebrand them as voco properties by mid-2024. The 189-room Hotel Brooklyn Manchester was unveiled in 2020 on the city’s Portland Street, while the 191-room Hotel Brooklyn Leicester opened last summer next to Welford Road Stadium, home of the Leicester Tigers rugby team. Leicester’s Hotel Brooklyn to open in June Both properties have until now been part of Bespoke Hotels Group. IHG launched the conversion-focused voco brand in 2018, with the first property opening on Australia’s Gold Coast. There are currently around ...
IHG debuts Garner brand in Seattle – Business Traveller
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IHG debuts Garner brand in Seattle – Business Traveller

IHG Hotels and Resorts has opened the first hotel under its new midscale conversion Garner brand. The former Red Lion Inn & Suites Auburn Seattle has been reflagged as the Garner Auburn – Seattle. IHG unveiled the Garner brand in August, and at the time said that it would be ready to franchise in early September – demonstrating how quickly the group intends to turn around conversion opportunities. IHG launches midscale conversion brand Garner The 95-room property is located in Seattle’s southern suburb of Auburn, around 20 minutes drive from the city’s Seattle-Tacoma International airport. Signature amenities include a complimentary hot breakfast bar, flavour-infused water at check-in and a cookie “happy hour”. IHG plans to add several Garner properties in the coming months, and is ...
Miiro hotel brand planning properties in Paris and London – Business Traveller
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Miiro hotel brand planning properties in Paris and London – Business Traveller

Further ahead Miiro will debut in London in early 2025, with the 156-room Templeton Garden in Earl’s Court. The hotel will feature a restaurant, bar, cafe-meets-deli, and a “standout garden”. Vienna has also been confirmed as a destination for 2025, although details of the property have yet to be unveiled. Commenting on the news Neena Gupta, CEO of Miiro and executive director of group strategy and international hospitality at InterGlobe Enterprises, said: “My team and I have been developing the Miiro brand for a number of years, from the initial market research to the present day, and I’m incredibly proud of what we have created together and delighted to be announcing its launch in 2024. “We can’t wait to open the doors in Paris, Barcelona and London over the next year or so, and to con...
Minor Hotels to debut Anantara brand in Austria – Business Traveller
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Minor Hotels to debut Anantara brand in Austria – Business Traveller

Minor Hotels will bring its luxury Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas brand to the Austrian capital of Vienna next year. Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna Hotel will open in March 2024 and is a rebranding of an existing Kempinski hotel which opened ten years ago. The hotel is located on Schottenring, part of the city’s Ring Boulevard, and occupies a listed palace built in 1873 by Theophil Hansen for Vienna World’s Exhibition. The 150-year-old building served as various municipal offices and cultural venues, before becoming a luxury hotel in 2013. The property is located close to several cultural and artistic attractions, with a nearby U-bahn station also connecting it with the rest of the city. The hotel will feature 152 “classically decorated” guest rooms and suites across three floors, in...
Hyatt’s Thompson brand to debut in Seville – Business Traveller
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Hyatt’s Thompson brand to debut in Seville – Business Traveller

Hyatt has announced plans to open its first property in the Spanish city of Seville. Thompson Seville is scheduled to open in 2026, and will feature 101 rooms, as well as a rooftop bar and swimming pool, a restaurant, meeting and coworking space and a fitness centre. It will be the second Spanish hotel under Hyatt’s Thompson brand – joining Thompson Madrid which opened last summer – and is set to be the fourth property under the brand in Europe, with Thompson Rome due to open in 2024, followed by Thompson Vienna in 2025. Hyatt to open Thompson hotel in Rome Thompson Hotels joined Hyatt in 2019, following the group’s purchase of lifestyle hotel management company Two Roads Hospitality. The lifestyle brand also joined the World of Hyatt loyalty programme in March 2019. The brand has in fa...
Red Sea Global reveals Shebara hotel brand – Business Traveller
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Red Sea Global reveals Shebara hotel brand – Business Traveller

At the ongoing World Travel Market in London, Red Sea Global (RSG) announced it will operate its own luxury hotel brand called Shebara in Saudi Arabia. Located at its The Red Sea destination, Shebara is slated to open in summer 2024 and is the first resort to be owned and operated by RSG at The Red Sea destination. Shebara is located on Sheybarah Island, which features a 30-40m reef drop-off close to the beach. The resort features 73 keys, including overwater and beach villas. Guests will arrive either by a 45-minute boat trip from the mainland or a 20-minute seaplane ride. The southern approach features the stainless steel villas, representing a string of pearls, with a reception building at the center, forming the ‘pendant’. The arrival point was positioned within a natural break in th...