Mandarin Oriental's New CEO, Radisson's Deal With La Vie

ONYX Hospitality Group has signed a business alliance agreement with Walton Asset Management Co., Ltd. to manage Shama Luxe Sukhumvit Bangkok. The luxury serviced apartment is located in the heart of Bangkok. Onyx said this signing is an important milestone as they launch the Shama Luxe brand into the luxury serviced apartment market. The Shame Luxe Sukhumvit offers 52 spaces, ranging from one- and two- bedroom suites to the esteemed two-bedroom Walton Suites. The launch of Shama Luxe Sukhumvit will bring the number of Shama’s in Bangkok to six, equaling the number of properties in Hong Kong. By the end of the year, three more locations will be added to the portfolio in Hong Kong and Malaysia, with Sham Johor Bahru, Shama Medini Iskandar, and Shama Hub Metro South Hong Kong, which will bring the brand’s total inventory to 19 properties in 2023.

Radisson Hotel Group and La Vie Hotels & Resorts announced the signing of a Master Collaboration Agreement to add over 30 hotels to the Group’s portfolio over the next 10 years. La Vie Hotels & Resorts is a unit of La Vie Hospitality Group. The Master Collaboration Agreement will see RHG become La Vie’s preferred partner, enabling La Vie to develop, manage and operate properties under Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson brands, under a non-exclusive brand collaboration agreement. RHG said the collaboration would drive their expansion in key strategic growth markets including Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Fiji, and Vanuatu. The two parties began their relationship in 2022 through the rebranding and conversion of three hotels in Sri Lanka.

M/s Namit & Company, a real estate and hotel development company in Agra, announced the signing of a franchise agreement with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts for a new hotel development under the upper midscale Wyndham Garden brand in Agra. Wyndham Garden Agra is expected to open in 2025 with 138 rooms with a host of amenities including a lobby lounge, all day dining restaurant and bar, health club, spa, roof top swimming pool and large banquet hall, meeting rooms and a business center. The hotel will be located on the banks of River Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh, Agra. This will be Wyndham’s second hotel in Agra.

Hilton announced the opening of Hilton Garden Inn Darwin. The former DoubleTree by Hilton Darwin has undergone a complete transformation ahead of its launch. The conversion in partnership with Berger Group marks Hilton’s third brand and the first Hilton Garden Inn in the Northern Territory in Australia. The extensive renovation includes a complete refresh of the lobby, bar, restaurant area, and guest rooms. The hotel, located just 15 minutes from the airport, has 184 refurbished guest rooms and suites. The Hilton Garden Inn features almost 200 square meters of multi-function space including a poolside garden.

Pro-invest Group has unveiled details of its newest property – Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point. Following the settlement of the hotel purchase in February, the company signed a franchise agreement with IHG Hotels & Resorts and an extensive renovation is planned to bring the essence of the vibrant Sydney, Australia neighborhood to life. The multi-million dollar transformation of the former Larmont Sydney by Lancemore into a Hotel Indigo is expected to open in Q4 2023 and will be the brand’s debut in the city. The 105-room revamped hotel will feature art deco tributes and a unique design.

Minor Hotels will continue to expand its Australian presence with the opening of new hotel brands in Sydney, as well as the Queensland tourist hubs of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast aimed at luring cashed-up European leisure and business tourists. Minor said their next locations are Melbourne, Perth, all gateway cities. They are looking in New Zealand as well. Minor will launch two new upscale NH Collection Hotels in Sydney’s Surrey Hills and near Sydney Airport. They are about to announce two major new properties on Queensland’s Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. The NH in Surry Hills will open in 2025 with a developer building a $150 million property. Minor will also open an Avani Plus hotel in Mooloolaba in 2025 and is close to announcing the opening of an Avani Plus hotel on the Gold Coast with almost 300 rooms. They will take over the management rights of an existing property.

Property group Novm has listed for sale the newly built Quest Woolooware Bay, part of the $1 billion Woolooware Bay Town Centre mixed-use development. Located in the center of Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, the serviced apartment hotel is due to open in the third quarter of 2023, leased to Quest Hotels, offering 40 apartments as well as conference facilities, a business lounge and a gym. Quest is a member of The Ascott Limited chain of hotels. CBRE is managing the sale via an Expression of Interest campaign closing June 2. The Woolooware Bay Town Centre comprises approximately 900 residential apartments, The Sharks Leagues Club and 18,000 square meters of retail amenity.

The Sebel Wellington Lower Hutt is expected to open on May 10, delivering the New Zealand city’s only premium 4.5-star apartment-style hotel. The new build 60 room apartment hotel spans five levels built by Sarin Investments. The options include studio, one bedroom and dual key exclusively designed for families and groups. The Sebel is a premium brand of Accor.

Personnel Move

Mandarin Oriental announced that Laurent Kleitman will be taking over for James Riley as group chief executive from September 1, 2023. Kleitman was most recently the president and chief executive of Parfums Christian Dior. Riley, who was group chief executive of Mandarin Oriental since 2015, will be stepping down on July 31, however, he will be available to support the management team until Kleitman begins his new role.